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The Transformers: Infestation issue 2

2011-02-26T20:04:03Z

24.202.105.245: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[Infestation (IDW)|The Transformers: Infestation]]'' #2
|prev=The Transformers: Infestation issue 1
|next=Infestation issue 2
|title=
|image=Transformers Infestation 2A.jpg
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 16]], [[2011]]
|coverdate=February 2011
|written by=[[Dan Abnett]] and [[Andy Lanning]]
|art by=[[Nick Roche]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|assistant editor=[[Bobby Curnow]]
|edited by=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2011)]]
}}
'''The Transformers must work together to stop Britt from destroying their future.'''

==Synopsis==
{{issuestub}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (14)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (15)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (16)

|c2=
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (3)
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] (10)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (11)
*[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (13)

|c4=
*Bayonet/[[Britt]] (1)
*[[Zombie]]s (6)
*[[Benny]] (7, flashback)
*[[Cross]] (8, flashback)
*[[Bools]] (9, flashback)
}}

==Quotes==
* TBD

==Notes==
* The [[Darkness (G1)|Heart of Darkness]] is an enigma. [[All Hail Megatron issue 14#"Rebirth"|Formerly]] it brought the dead back to life, and now it's a holy hand grenade.

===Errors===
* On page 15, [[Kimia Facility|Kimia]] is misspelled "Kima."
* On page 20, Jhiaxus's name is misspelled "Jihaxus."
* Galvatron is still referred to as a Decepticon, even though he has no faction.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A:''' Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge in Vegas; art by [[Nick Roche]] with [[Joana Lafuente]] on colors.
* '''Cover B:''' Scary Britt plays with her Transformers toys in a homage to ''[[Wikipedia:Attack of the 50 Foot Woman|Attack of the 50 Foot Woman]]''; art by [[John K. Snyder III]].
* '''Cover RI:''' Zombie-fied Logo; art by [[Gabriel Rodriguez]].

<gallery>
Image:Transformers Infestation 2A.jpg|What happens in Vegas, stays undead in Vegas.
Image:Transformers Infestation 2B.jpg|You better not take her Masterpiece Prime!
Image:Transformers Infestation 2RI.jpg|Zombie-fied Logo
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''[[The Transformers: Heart of Darkness]]'' miniseries
* 2-previews of ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and ''Ghostbusters'' ''[[Infestation (IDW)|Infestation]]'' comics
* ''Infestation'' comic checklist (back cover)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: Infestation issue 2}}
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 issues]]

The Transformers: Infestation issue 2

2011-02-26T20:03:46Z

24.202.105.245: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[Infestation (IDW)|The Transformers: Infestation]]'' #2
|prev=The Transformers: Infestation issue 1
|next=Infestation issue 2
|title=
|image=Transformers Infestation 2A.jpg
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 16]], [[2011]]
|coverdate=February 2011
|written by=[[Dan Abnett]] and [[Andy Lanning]]
|art by=[[Nick Roche]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|assistant editor=[[Bobby Curnow]]
|edited by=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2011)]]
}}
'''The Transformers must work together to stop Britt from destroying their future.'''

==Synopsis==
{{issuestub}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (14)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (15)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (16)

|c2=
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (3)
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] (10)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (11)
*[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (13)

|c4=
*Bayonet/[[Britt]] (1)
*[[Zombie]]s (6)
*[[Benny]] (7, flashback)
*[[Cross]] (8, flashback)
*[[Bools]] (9, flashback)
}}

==Quotes==
* TBD

==Notes==
* The [[Darkness (G1)|Heart of Darkness]] is an enigma. [[All Hail Megatron 14#"Rebirth"|Formerly]] it brought the dead back to life, and now it's a holy hand grenade.

===Errors===
* On page 15, [[Kimia Facility|Kimia]] is misspelled "Kima."
* On page 20, Jhiaxus's name is misspelled "Jihaxus."
* Galvatron is still referred to as a Decepticon, even though he has no faction.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A:''' Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge in Vegas; art by [[Nick Roche]] with [[Joana Lafuente]] on colors.
* '''Cover B:''' Scary Britt plays with her Transformers toys in a homage to ''[[Wikipedia:Attack of the 50 Foot Woman|Attack of the 50 Foot Woman]]''; art by [[John K. Snyder III]].
* '''Cover RI:''' Zombie-fied Logo; art by [[Gabriel Rodriguez]].

<gallery>
Image:Transformers Infestation 2A.jpg|What happens in Vegas, stays undead in Vegas.
Image:Transformers Infestation 2B.jpg|You better not take her Masterpiece Prime!
Image:Transformers Infestation 2RI.jpg|Zombie-fied Logo
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''[[The Transformers: Heart of Darkness]]'' miniseries
* 2-previews of ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and ''Ghostbusters'' ''[[Infestation (IDW)|Infestation]]'' comics
* ''Infestation'' comic checklist (back cover)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: Infestation issue 2}}
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 issues]]

Sweep (G1)

2011-02-25T19:47:27Z

24.202.105.245: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|decepticon|unicron}}
{{picsneeded|And no, we will not accept pictures that are actually Scourge!}}
{{disambig2|the 1986 Decepticon|the 2003 Mini-con known as "Sweep" in Japan|Run-Over}}
:''Sweeps are [[Decepticon|Decepticon]]s from the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:TVM0287Sweeps.jpg|thumb|350px|Noticeably not involved in a heart-warming musical number with Dick van Dyke and Julie Andrews.]]

'''Sweeps''' are the minions of [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] created by [[Unicron]]. Sweeps are visually indistinguishable from Scourge himself, although Sweeps do not necessarily have identical voices. Although only a few are seen initially during Unicron's threat, there appears to be an inexhaustible supply of them later on. That's actually a good thing, as [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] tends to shoot them.

Like, all the time.

Only three Sweeps have been graced with defined personalities and identifiers, namely Sweeps [[Sweep Two|Two]], [[Sweep Six|Six]] and [[Sweep Seven|Seven]].

{{quote|Dumb Sweep.|[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] calling the kettle black|"[[Webworld]]"}}

:''Italian name:'' '''Incrociatori'''

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====Generation 1 cartoon====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Jack Angel]], [[Dick Gautier]], [[Jerry Houser]], [[Aron Kincaid]], [[Chris Latta]], [[Hal Rayle]], [[Frank Welker]] (English), [[Yoku Shioya]] (Japanese)

Two Sweeps were created by Unicron from the fallen Decepticons [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] and [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]], though seconds later there were suddenly more of them. They soon followed [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] to [[Autobot City]], where one Sweep was destroyed by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]' [[fire-breath]]. The [[Autobot|Autobots]] fled the city, but Galvatron's troops followed suit, and the Sweeps killed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] on the [[Junkion (planet)|planet of Junk]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

{{note|One of the great continuity problems within the G1 animated series concerns the minions of Unicron. Namely, Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps. The issue stems from the original script never specifying which Decepticons were thrown off Astrotrain and remade into Galvatron’s followers essentially rendering them [[Generic| generics]]. As the third season episodes were most likely made using the script and not the as-yet-unfinished film, the Insecticons regularly reappeared in later episodes as well as later on in the movie itself. Much scuttlebutt has been made about who has been turned into who, but ultimately, it falls on the viewer to decide who were the genuine article and who were Decepticons that simply looked like these characters.}}

[[Image:FFOD3 Sweeps.JPG|left|200px|thumb|A rare moment of not being shot by Galvatron.]]

After Galvatron's defeat at the hands of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], the Sweeps followed Scourge and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] in their search for him. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} They eventually discovered him on the planet of [[Thrull]], only to be attacked by their crazed leader. Galvatron sent every single Sweep crashing into the planet's plasma pits, and the only one that fought back did no damage whatsoever to his leader. They all survived, though, and followed Galvatron's commands after he regained his senses (kind of). {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

One of them got shot in the face by [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], and promptly crashed into a storm on the surface of [[Jupiter]], screaming like a little girl all the way down. As this Sweep died an agonizing death, the last thing he likely heard was his own commander calling him a giant sissy. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} Next, Galvatron led the Sweeps to the planet [[Goo]] and ordered them to fire on all Decepticons who were following the [[Quintesson]]s instead of him. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} After Galvatron joined forces with the Quintessons, the Sweeps participated in an all-out attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Slingshot]] sent one of them spinning out of control, causing a bunch of them to crash into each other (and Cyclonus). {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

{{charstubfiction}}

{{storylink|Dark Awakening}}

[[Image:StarscreamsGhost Sweeps.jpg|200px|thumb|"They're mongrels. No spots! No spots at all!"]]

Much later, three Sweeps hunted the Decepticon exile [[Octane]] alongside Scourge and Cyclonus, and cornered him in a [[Decepticon Crypt|crypt]] on Cybertron. When Scourge ordered the Sweeps to enter the crypt, all three cowardly refused to be the first one in, until Cyclonus got fed up with it and offered to fight whoever was the last one in. The Sweeps were suddenly very quick on their feet after that. {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}

{{storylink|Surprise Party}}

Scourge was later possessed by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], and the Sweeps briefly fell under the command of Cyclonus. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine}}

{{storylink|Webworld}} {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}} {{storylink|The Quintesson Journal}}

A number of Sweeps later followed Galvatron when he was tricked by the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] into releasing the dangerous [[Trans-Organic|Trans-Organics]] sealed beneath Cybertron's surface. They didn't fare too well against the monsters, and even worse against the one known as the "[[Dweller]]". As Galvatron fled from the beast, he threw the remaining Sweeps at its horde of [[Energy vampire|energy vampires]] in order to slow them down. The Sweeps all became energy vampires themselves, but were later cured by a massive power surge. {{storylink|The Dweller in the Depths}}

During a battle with the Autobots on the [[Moon (moon)|moon]], "Sweeps [[Sweep Six |Six]] and [[Sweep Seven|Seven]]" made an attack run on the enemy position. This is the only known occasion when the Sweeps received any form of individual identification. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

{{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

When the madness-inducing [[Hate Plague]] spread throughout the universe, the Sweeps were among its numerous victims. At least one of them were shot down by Galvatron as they chased him across [[Chaar]]. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

{{note|The varying number of Sweeps is never explained in-fiction. As many as five excluding Scourge have appeared simultaneously, "[[The Dweller in the Depths]]", not even counting the various destroyed Sweeps. One fairly popular [[fanon]] explanation is that since the Sweeps were formed from the bodies of [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], they possess similar [[cloning]] powers, but this has never been supported by any official material.}}

====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====

Peeking their heads out to see if Galvatron is still kill-crazy, two Sweeps joined Scourge in sabotaging Autobot rescue operations after [[Metamorpho]] twisted the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]]s into a mess. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}} Several Sweeps were also seen on the [[Moon (moon)|moon]] during [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s grand declaration of leadership. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
The Sweeps were created by Unicron to be a pack of hunters for the sole purpose of hunting Autobots and their human allies. Their leader is Scourge. {{storylink|Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Scourge's ''Universe'' profile}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
In a dystopian future where the Decepticons had conquered Earth, Sweeps patrolled the ruins of [[New York City]]. They discovered a group of time-displaced [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joes]] and [[Cobra]] members, but were taken out by the [[Dreadnok]]s. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3}} Some time after that timeline was averted via time travel, the Sweeps were seen among [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s forces on Cybertron, fighting back against a combined Autobot/[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] strike force. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5}}

===''Timelines''===
Cyclonus, Scourge, and his Sweeps surrounded an [[Autobot shuttle]] during a surprise attack. They temporarily lost track of the shuttle when it disappeared into a nebula, but eventually found it again and blasted their way into it. Unfortunately, what they found inside was five ''very'' angry [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], who promptly tore the Sweeps apart. {{storylink|Wings of Honor}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
{{ongoing}}
On [[Gorlam Prime]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] tossed the dying [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] into a [[solar pool]] and using the power of the [[Darkness (G1)|Darkness]], brought him back to full strength. The pool, which also contained the remains of denizens from the [[Dead Universe]], reformatted the bodies into clones of Scourge, who would be their master. Galvatron was incensed that the Sweeps were not created in ''his'' image. Scourge, his Sweeps and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] then left to follow Galvatron on his new quest. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 14|All Hail Megatron #14}}

In a universe where a [[zombie]] virus collectively called [[Undermind]] was attempting to spread to other universes, four portals opened that depicted scenes from four separate universes. In one of these portals, an infected Sweep or two was seen amongst zombified robots and humans. {{storylink|Infestation issue 1}}

The infection had occurred when Galvatron's ship encountered a space-time anomaly. He ordered three Sweeps to retrieve a frozen chunk of wreckage that had been flung from the anomaly, but when it was brought on board, zombie humans and robots erupted from it, infecting the three Sweeps. Eventually, the ship crash-landed in [[Earth]], where the infected Sweeps scattered through [[Las Vegas]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Infestation issue 1}}

==Toys==
===Timelines===
*'''Sweeps''' (multipack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' 6 wings/blades (left and right), 3 yellow cyber keys

[[Image:Timelinestoy-SweepsWoH.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Why are all the armybuilding versions of this mold rare exclusives?]]

: Sweeps [[Sweep Two|Two]], [[Sweep Six|Six]] and [[Sweep Seven|Seven]] came in an [[exclusive]] three-pack at [[BotCon 2009]], all three being identical [[redeco]]s of the ''Timelines'' Scourge toy available at the same convention. The mold is a [[retool]] of ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]] with a new head, transforming into a blue and white alien spacefighter. The Sweeps are armed with "battle shields" with [[Cyber Planet Key]]-activated pop-out blades.

: The original version of this mold was also used for the Japanese DVD-exclusive [[Noisemaze Mass-Production Version]] and ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/BCSweeps/sweeps.htm More information on Sweeps at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[Image:Scourge_and_Sweeps.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Imaginaaaaation-land!]]
{{note|While there have been no ''official'' toys of the Sweeps mass-released, and no official toys at all prior to 2009, anyone interested in [[army-building|building a Sweep army]] is not without options! As the Sweeps are physically identical to Scourge, an enterprising fan, like the one who created the scene pictured at right, can purchase multiples of Scourge's original 1986 toy, his [[Titanium Series]] figure or his [[Scourge (G1)#Generations|2011 Generations toy]], and make pretend.}}

[[Category:Decepticon subgroups]]
[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Mass-produced Transformers]]
[[Category:Unicron]]
[[Category:Zombies]]

2005 IDW continuity

2011-02-25T19:41:20Z

24.202.105.245: /* Media */

{{nav-G1}}

The '''IDW ''Generation 1'' continuity''' is the storyline of [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' reboot comic-book series, begun in [[2005]]. It is separate from all other ''Generation 1'' fiction, re-imagining the [[Autobot]]-[[Decepticon]] [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] as a galaxy-spanning conflict, with [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] abandoned as a dead husk and teams from both sides covertly operating on various alien worlds to defend or destroy the native populations—including [[Earth]].

==Overview==
==="-ations"===
[[Image:Escalation 1 a.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Remember that time when this didn't happen?]]
The IDW universe brings [[Transformer]]s into the modern day; the traditional "crashed on Earth 4 million years ago" approach is not used. Alternate forms are largely updated to modern-day vehicles, with robot modes reworked accordingly.

The series is notable as a much more "cloak-and-dagger" world than many previous iterations of ''Generation 1''. Earth is initially portrayed as simply one of many battlegrounds in a galaxy-spanning war of subversion and conquest. Also of note is that there is a reason Cybertron is not the site of conflict: the planet is a deserted wasteland, a result of the devastation it suffered in the war. The Decepticons follow a [[Infiltration protocol|strict protocol]] of infiltration as they attempt to take over alien worlds. [[Alternate mode]]s serve a very real and important purpose of disguise, as discovery by natives is strictly forbidden by both factions. Open conflict is rare, and battles are often fought entirely in vehicle forms.

The story opens on Earth, as the Decepticons there have discovered a wildly powerful source of energy, and break protocol to secure it. This soon brings both [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] to the planet, escalating the conflict. The [[human]]s are deeply involved as well, both innocent bystanders and active covert organizations such as the [[Machination]] and [[Skywatch]]. Various plot threads, many of them outlined in the ''Spotlight'' series of one-shots, continually thread into the main story, and echoes of the Transformers' dark and distant past begin to gather strength as well.

The series is much darker then the original Marvel comics and G1 cartoon, featuring Autobots who make morally ambiguis descicions, Decepticons that regularly kill humans and Autobots, and many themes of horrific modification, rascism, and civilian casualties.

====Cast====
The series initially was not constrained by the needs of portraying a current toyline, allowing great freedom in cast selection.

The story opened with an assortment of the more familiar 1984 [[Autobot]]s operating on Earth, with some of their standard 1984/85 [[Decepticon]] foes also present. But the free format allowed fan favorites such as [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] and the [[Battlecharger]]s to be thrown into the mix, and even almost random additions as [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] and [[Dogfight]] have played roles as the setting expanded and more Transformers headed to Earth. Many of the latter-day ''Generation 1'' cast have been shown fighting the war on worlds other than Earth, and even a few ''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' Autobots have made appearances.

==== New alternate modes ====
Initially, most of the Transformers seen in this continuity featured [[alternate mode]]s updated to the modern day. Here are some examples:

* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]: Dodge Sprinter ambulance
* [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] and [[Runabout]]: Chevrolet Camaro SS
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]: F-22 "Raptor"
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]: Nissan 350Z police car
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]: Lamborghini Diablo
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]: Current-model Porsche 911 (aka 997)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]: had a new modern diesel engine train mode.
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]: Sony personal media player
* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] started as a Cybertronian hot rod, but was reformatted into a Dodge Viper upon settling down on Earth.
* [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] started in his familiar Cybertronian self-propelled artillery mode before being reformatted into a wheeled Earth armored vehicle (possibly a [[wikipedia:Pandur 8X8 APC|Pandur 8X8 APC]]).

{{note|In possibly an art error, one of the covers for [[Infiltration issue 0|''Infiltration'' #0]] features Jazz with his original Porsche 935 hood/chest, though it's possible that at the time IDW and artist [[E. J. Su]] hadn't finalized the designs yet.}}

=====Exceptions=====
There were also numerous robots that retained the looks of one or both of their "classic" G1 modes. A few examples:
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (although he possesses a new transformation scheme, making for a different looking robot mode to his most familiar appearances)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], though he started in his Cybertronian form, similar to his look in [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[The War Within]]''. Note, however, that even in his "classic" mode Prime is given a sun visor on his cab roof/chest and an overall more streamlined and modern truck mode.
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] have their familiar modes, due to their travel to Earth in 1984.
* [[Sixshot]]

====Technology====
Several aspects of Transformer technology have been refurbished for the series.

Most prominently, the "facsimile circuitry" dummy drivers shown in the ''Generation 1'' [[Marvel Comics continuity]] have been replaced by sophisticated solid-light projections composed of "[[holomatter]]". Holomatter generators are built into each member of the Autobot contingent on Earth; they can function as an avatar for their respective Autobot, even quite some distance away, allowing the Autobots to covertly interact with a planet's natives.

The Decepticons, in a similar vein, make use of [[facsimile construct]]s — synthetic humans grown in special pods from the bodies and minds of kidnapped "template" humans. These replicas are used to destabilize the societies of planets the Decepticons wish to conquer.

Both sides also possess a variant of teleportation technology, seen for example when Megatron travels to Starscream's [[Oregon]] command bunker. This "[[orbital jump]]" can apparently be coordinated from an ''[[Ark (disambiguation)|Ark]]'' spacecraft or the Decepticons' bunker headquarters. Nightbeat describes it as "not the most pleasant way to travel".

[[Size changing]] is a rarity, generally abandoned in these energy-short times. Megatron, originally possessing a tank mode, is encouraged by the energy-rich [[Ultra-Energon|Ore-13]] and takes on a size-changing alternate form when he arrives on Earth. His transformation sequence and its attendant mass-displacement process consumes a great deal of energy, and is thus surprising to the Autobots who observe it. Why Soundwave and his cassettes utilized it remains unknown, though perhaps it was a necessity to further his role as a spy.

Conversely, certain technologies did not yet exist at the series' starting point. Gestalt ([[combiner]]) technology had only appeared as a long-ago experiment, which yielded only the barbaric [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]]. [[Pretender]] technology had likewise appeared only as a failed experiment, and [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] and similar binary-bonding tech makes its debut after years of covert and illegal development. All of these technologies appear to bestow greatly-enhanced power on the users, to the point that [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] devastated the entire planet of Cybertron with his Pretender shell, and Monstructor easily defeated [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]].

====Soft reboot====
The "-ations" arcs were written by [[Simon Furman]], and included: ''[[Infiltration]]'', ''[[Stormbringer (comics)|Stormbringer]]'', ''[[Escalation (IDW)|Escalation]]'', ''[[Devastation (IDW)|Devastation]]'', ''[[Revelation (IDW)|Revelation]]'', and ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]'' Furman intended ''Revelation'' to be longer and to be followed by another miniseries called ''Expansion'', but due to pressure by IDW, the 2 series were compacted into ''Revelation'', with ''Maximum Dinobots'' following up to tie up some loose plot threads. At this point, IDW decided to change things up and give new readers a jumping on point...

===''All Hail Megatron''===
''All Hail Megatron'' takes place about a year after ''Maximum Dinobots'' and introduces a situation where the Autobots are not on Earth and the Decepticons are free to rain destruction on the planet. Written by newcomer [[Shane McCarthy]], the series initially seemed to ignore much of the previous continuity, with the cast stripped down to the major players from 1984–1986. The result was a series that was "controversial" with the established fandom, to say the least.

====Alt mode retrofits====
Many alt modes were also retrofitted to be more in line with the old 80s cartoon, or to promote the then-selling line of ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' toys. For example:
* The Seekers take the form of the older F-15 "Eagle", reflecting their ''Masterpiece'' toys for no apparent in-story reason.
* Prowl and Hound were upgraded to their ''Universe'' toys.
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and Sideswipe: upgraded to a Lamborghini Gallardo to match their ''Universe'' toys.
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]: downgraded to a steam locomotive for no logical reason.
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]: reverted to his classic cassette mode for dubious reasons.
* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] was badly damaged by the end of ''Maximum Dinobots'' and seems to have taken his classic G1 form upon recovery.

====''Another'' soft reboot====
After nearly half its run "All Hail Megatron" fairly abruptly started referring back to continuity points from Furman's run, but the continuity between the series remained a definite rough spot and IDW eventually announced they would be extending the series with a series of half-issue stories designed to help bridge the gaps. Once the series finished for good, IDW wanted yet another new jumping-on point for fans...

===Ongoing series===
The new ''The Transformers'' ongoing series features a new writer, [[Mike Costa]], and takes place 2 years after ''All Hail Megatron''. Artist [[Don Figueroa]] returned and debuted a new take on Transformer designs that seems to reformat the entire cast yet again, giving them a very different, mechanically complex design-style more along the lines of the [[Transformers (2007)|live-action movie series]] while still maintaining basic Generation 1 character likenesses. However, IDW has stated{{fact}} that they allow their artists great freedom in drawing the characters as they see fit and thus Don's designs are a stark contrast to the style used by Chee in the Bumblebee miniseries (more G1 but with some nods to the previously established designs) and Roche's designs in ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' (which continue the styles from the -ations and ''All Hail Megatron'') even though all three series are concurrent. In fact, these drastic changes have led to some embarrassing inconsistencies such as [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] having an Earth car mode in the third issue of the ongoing and his Cybertronian mode in the second issue of Bumblebee, which takes place directly afterward.

According to Prowl the Transformer population is numbered 10,000, {{storylink|Spotlight: Prowl}} and they have spread to twelve planets. {{storylink|Ironing Out the Details}}

==Media==
The continuity includes the following mini-series, listed in approximate ''chronological'' order:

* ''[[Megatron Origin]]'' — A four-issue miniseries. Megatron rises from a laboring miner to founder and leader of the [[Decepticon]] faction.
* ''[[Infiltration]]'' — A seven-issue miniseries (issues #0 to #6). On Earth, the Decepticons have discovered a potent new power source, and risk everything to exploit it.
* ''[[Stormbringer (comics)|Stormbringer]]'' — A four-issue miniseries (issues #7 to #10). On the burnt-out husk of Cybertron, [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] works to revive the ultra-powerful but crazed Thunderwing.
* ''[[New Avengers / Transformers]]'' — A four-issue miniseries. The Earth Autobots team up with the superhero squad the [[Avengers|New Avengers]] to confront the Decepticons in the country of [[Latveria]].
* ''[[Escalation (IDW)|Escalation]]'' — Sequel to ''Infiltration''. Six-issue miniseries (issues #11 to #16). The war on Earth breaks out into open conflict as the Decepticons attempt to make use of the newly-discovered Ore-13.
* ''[[Devastation (IDW)|Devastation]]'' — Sequel to ''Escalation''. Six-issue miniseries (issues #17 to #22). Megatron throws caution and protocol to the wind, unleashing his ultimate warrior, Sixshot, on the Earth-based Autobots.
* ''[[Revelation (IDW)|Revelation]]'' — Sequel to ''Devastation'', presented as a special series of four ''[[Spotlight (comics)|Spotlight]]''s. The Autobots abandon Earth to deal with the threat of the [[Dead Universe]].
* ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]'' — Sequel to ''Revelation''. Five-issue miniseries that features [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] and his [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and the return of the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]].
* ''[[All Hail Megatron]]'' — A 16-issue maxi-series dealing with the fate of Earth at the hands of the Decepticons one year after the withdrawal of the Autobots at the end of ''Revelation''.
* ''[[The Transformers Continuum: The Definitive Chronology]]'' — A one-issue (somewhat skewed) history of the Transformers thus far.
* ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' — A five-issue miniseries spotlighting the [[Wrecker|Autobot subgroup]]'s adventured outside of Earth. Published alongside the ongoing series but set, initially, before it.
* ''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers]]'' ongoing series — takes place 2 years after ''All Hail Megatron'', with the Autobots in hiding from the military out to destroy them.
* ''[[The Transformers: Bumblebee]]'' — A four-issue miniseries focused on Bumblebee as the newly elected Autobot leader, which takes place between issues 3 and 5 of the ongoing series.
* ''[[The Transformers: Ironhide]]'' — A four-issue miniseries revolving around [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s mysterious resurrection on Cybertron. It was written by [[Mike Costa]] with art by [[Casey Coller]] and colors by [[Joana Lafuente]].
* ''[[The Transformers: Drift]]'' — A four-issue miniseries that was published biweekly, beginning in August 2010. It focuses on [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]' past as a Decepticon and was written by Drift's creator — [[Shane McCarthy]] — with art by [[Alex Milne]] (line-art) and [[Josh Perez]] (colors).
* ''[[Spotlight (comics)|The Transformers: Spotlight]]'' — An irregularly ongoing series of one-shot stories focusing on a single Transformer per issue. The stories generally fit in to various points in the Transformers' history.
* ''[[Infestation (IDW)|Infestation]]'' - IDW multi-franchise (with ''[[Star Trek]]'', ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and ''[[Ghostbusters]]'') crossover event. With [[zombie]]s. Written by [[Dan Abnett]] and [[Andy Lanning]], art by [[Nick Roche]].

===Forthcoming===
* ''Hearts of Darkness'' - A four-issue miniseries focusing on Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps, post-''All Hail Megatron'' coda. It will be "spun out" of the ''Infestation'' storyline. Written by [[Dan Abnett]] and [[Andy Lanning]], art by [[Ulises Farinas]].

==Timeline==
''See main article: [[IDW timeline]].''

==Production==
Initially, the IDWverse was penned almost entirely by veteran Transformers scribe [[Simon Furman]], with the primary exceptions being:

* ''Megatron Origin'' ([[Eric Holmes]])
* ''[[Spotlight: Kup]]'' ([[Nick Roche]])
* ''[[Spotlight: Mirage]]'' ([[George Strayton]])
* the ''New Avengers'' crossover and ''[[Spotlight: Ramjet]]'' ([[Stuart Moore]])

Pencils on the main -ation series were done by [[E. J. Su]] (with [[Nick Roche]] and [[Robby Musso]] filling in while Su was on paternity leave) and a variety of artists have penciled the other series in the continuity.

However...

IDW decided to shake things up in an attempt to gain new fans. Furman's planned 6-issue ''Revelation'' was shortened to four ''Spotlight'' issues and its follow-up, ''Expansion'' was canceled in favor of a new series, ''[[All Hail Megatron]]'' — written by new writer, [[Shane McCarthy]] and illustrated mainly by [[Guido Guidi]]. ''All Hail Megatron'' was expanded from 12 to 16 issues to mainly fix continuity issues between McCarthy's and Furman's work, and was written and illustrated by various individuals (see issues for credits).

Following ''All Hail Megatron'', three new interconnected series debuted with new creative teams. An [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing monthly series]] started in November 2009, written by [[Mike Costa]] and illustrated by [[Don Figueroa]]. A month later, a [[The Transformers: Bumblebee|Bumblebee miniseries]] (written by [[Zander Cannon]] with art by [[Chee Yang Ong]]) began and yet another miniseries, ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'', written by [[Nick Roche]] and [[James Roberts]] and also illustrated by Roche, debuted in January, 2010. After Don's 6-issue arc, artists E.J. Su and [[Javier Saltares]] each illustrated an issue before Guido Guidi jumped back on board for the remainder of the arc.

Costa penned another miniseries, ''[[The Transformers: Ironhide]]'' which started in May, 2010, and was illustrated by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Joana Lafuente]].

In September 2010, McCarthy returned for [[The Transformers: Drift|a miniseries]] about his [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] character. Art was provided by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]].

==Notes==
* The IDW continuity is equivalent to the [http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Earth-616 Earth-616] from [[Marvel Comics]] in [[New Avengers / Transformers|some way]].
* As of, roughly, issue #6 of the 2009 ongoing series, there have been more issues of the IDW continuity published than there were in the original [[The_Transformers_(Marvel_comic)|Marvel Comics US continuity]]. (However, due to modern trends in [[wikipedia:Decompression (comics)|comics decompression]], there's been less ''plot.'')
* When IDW first picked up the ''Transformers'' license, Simon Furman pitched a story that would have tied in to his idea for a ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' ongoing comic, and would possibly have been in continuity with the [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] comics. The G1 story would have begun with the destruction of Cybertron and the discovery that the destruction of [[Unicron]] in the [[universal stream|Aurex cluster]] had destabilized the entire [[omniverse]]. To save all of existence, the Autobots travel across the galaxy attempting to reassemble an artifact called the 'Decepticon Matrix', which would have resurrected Unicron - a plot which parallels that of ''Cybertron'', in which the Autobots seek out the [[Cyber Planet Key]]s to revive [[Primus]]. [[Vector Prime]] would have appeared in both series, travelling between universes to guide both groups of Autobots in their quest. It seems that series would then have come together with the concurrent ''Cybertron'' comic as Transformers from across the [[multiverse]] were brought together for a final, epic clash.<ref>Pitch printed in ''[[The Best of Simon Furman]]''</ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Comics]]
[[Category:Continuities]]

Paul Dobson

2011-02-22T01:30:19Z

24.202.105.245:

[[Image:Paul Dobson.jpg|right|180px|thumb|TANKOOOR SMASH!!!!]]
'''Paul William Dobson''' (born [[December 7]], [[1963]]) is a Canadian voice actor and is the brother of fellow voice actors [[Michael Dobson|Michael]] and [[Brian Dobson]]. He is mostly recognised for playing the voices of Folken Fanel in ''Vision of Escaflowne'', Enzo Matrix in ''ReBoot'', Master Moo in ''Monster Rancher'', Juggernaut in ''X-Men Evolution'', Howdy in ''Hamtaro'', Happosai in ''Ranma ½'', [[Doctor Doom]] in both the 2006 ''Fantastic Four'' TV series and ''[[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] vs. Capcom 3'', and Toa Whenua, Nidhiki and Sidorak from the ''Bionicle'' movies.

==Roles==
===''Beast Machines''===
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]
*[[Diagnostic Drone]]

===''Armada''===
*[[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]]
*Nemesis Prime

===''Go-Bots''===
*[[Aero-Bot]]

===''Energon''===
*[[Rodimus (Energon)| Rodimus]]
*[[Superion Maximus]]

===''Cybertron''===
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]]
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]]
*[[Signal Lancer]]

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0229928/ Paul Dobson at the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Paul}}
[[Category:Convention guests]]
[[Category:Mainframe]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]

Infestation (IDW)

2011-02-21T22:13:33Z

24.202.105.245:

{{disambig2|the multi-property crossover event from IDW|the Dreamwave comic book issue|Infestation (Dreamwave)}}

[[Image:Infestation 1A.jpg|right|thumb|300px|That one guy [[Galvatron (G1)|sounds familiar]], and haven't we [[Susan Hoffman#Assistants|seen that other guy before]]? No clue who the ninja is.]]

'''''Infestation''''' is a multi-property crossover event that includes most of [[IDW Publishing]]'s licensed properties. An outbreak of [[zombie]]s from the ''Zombies vs. Robots'' world breaks into other dimensions, including the realities of ''Transformers'', ''Star Trek'', ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'', and ''Ghostbusters'', among potential others. An [[Classified Secrets of Infestation|eight-page preview]] was released in November 2010.

The crossover event includes a two-part bookend story called simply ''Infestation'', between which two-part stories from each property will be told. Interaction between properties is limited until the final issue of the bookend story.

{|style="margin:0 auto;padding:0 auto" align=center id=toc
!align=center bgcolor=#6699CC|'''''Infestation'' issues:'''
|-align=center
|| [[Infestation issue 1|#1]] | [[Infestation issue 2|#2]]
|}
{{--}}
 
{|style="margin:0 auto;padding:0 auto" align=center id=toc
!align=center bgcolor=#6699CC|'''''The Transformers: Infestation'' issues:'''
|-align=center
|| [[The Transformers: Infestation issue 1|#1]] | [[The Transformers: Infestation issue 2|#2]]
|}
{{--}}

==Overview==
{{issuestub}}

==Creative team==
[[Dan Abnett]] and [[Andy Lanning]] (who used to work on most of these properties decades ago for [[Marvel UK]]) are the brainchilds behind this series and the writers of ''Infestation'' issues 1 and 2 and ''[[The Transformers: Infestation]]'' issues 1 and 2. [[Nick Roche]] will draw the ''Transformers'' portion of the crossover.

==External links==
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=28761 "Infestation Unites IDW's Licensed Titles" @ ComicBookResources.com]

[[Category: IDW titles]]

William Fowler

2011-01-03T22:21:25Z

24.202.105.245: /* Prime cartoon */

:''William Fowler is a [[human]] from the [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:DarknessRising2-Fowler.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Someone buy him a longer tie.]]

Special Agent '''William "Bill" Fowler''' is the type of guy that [[Theodore Galloway]] ''wishes'' he could be. He's the tough-talking, robot-dissing designated liaison between the [[United States of America|United States government]] and the [[Autobot]]s, who's got the guts to face down [[Starscream (Prime)|the Decepticons]] himself. And he doesn't need any military escort! He can pilot his own damn helicopter!

Fowler is leery about trusting the Autobots to handle the [[Decepticon]]s by themselves and doesn't believe that [[Earth]] can't handle its own mess, but for now, while he chews them out and slags them off, he's willing to let them have a chance.

{{bigquote|Pretty big bearings... for a human.|Bulkhead|"[[Darkness Rising, Part 2]]"}}
{{TOCclear}}

==Fiction==
===''Prime'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ernie Hudson]] (English)
Agent Fowler visited [[Autobot Central Command]] to chew the Autobots off over mass traffic accidents caused by [[Eradicon|several]] [[Arcee (Prime)|odd]] [[Bumblebee (Prime)|vehicles]], and then demanded to know if this meant the Decepticons were back. When [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] confirmed this, Fowler stated it was time to "wake up" the [[Pentagon]]; he was notably ''un''impressed by Optimus's claim that only the Autobots could stop the Decepticons, clearly not believing it, but to avoid mass human casualties he agreed to give them a shot at sorting it out.

[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] angrily told Fowler that the Autobots knew how to use appropriate force, but when the agent was gone he noted with respect that Fowler had ''bearings''. Prime noted that Fowler's attitude was due to being afraid for his planet. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}

[[Image:DarknessRising3-interrogateFowler.jpg|thumb|left|"This is some nice steel. How about telling me who gave them to you?" "Yo mama."]]

Another explosion had Fowler returning to the Autobot base, but he found only Bulkhead there. When [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]]'s guitar gave away the presence of her and her two classmates, he announced he was going to take them into federal custody, but Bulkhead prevented him from phoning his superiors. He stormed out and took off in his helicopter, making a report by radio. Unfortunately, the transmission was intercepted by the Decepticons, who captured him and strung him up by chains. Fowler proved difficult to interrogate, so [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] got out an energon prod to soften him up. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}}

Fowler was on the verge of breaking and telling Starscream where the Autobot base was, when weapons fire became audible outside the brig. Sensing rescue was near, he became awkward again, provoking Starscream into shocking him into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he was in a dazed, rambling state. The Autobots finally reached his location, only to become locked in a standoff with Starscream, until a random outburst from Fowler caused a distraction, and the Autobots chased Starscream off. Fowler rode back to base in Bulkhead, though his dazed state persisted and he became fixated on pie. Once they reached the base, he was given rudimentary medical attention. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

When the Autobots discovered that the Decepticons were using a radio telescope array in [[Texas]], Optimus suggested getting Fowler to put the installation on high alert, but Fowler was still too out of it to comply. He had recovered enough to cheer the Autobots on as they destroyed Megatron's [[space bridge]], and later thanked them for saving him from the Decepticons, and for saving the world, before he left the base. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}}

==Notes==
* Which agency Fowler's a Special Agent ''for'' isn't stated; since he specifically refers to the Pentagon as who he'd talk to, he's presumably with a Department of Defense agency like the [[wikipedia:Defense Intelligence Agency|Defense Intelligence Agency]] or the [[wikipedia:Military Intelligence Corps (United States Army)|Military Intelligence Corps]].
* The Autobots refer to him as their liaison with "the outside world", though he appears to just represent the United States.
* Fowler must have one ''awesome'' rank if he can decide on his own whether or not the Pentagon is to go on full alert!
* Altough Fowler is quite like Galloway from ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', in the end, he is actually thankful to the Autobots. Could he be some mix between Mr. G and [[Seymour Simmons]]?
* Apparently, Fowler's grandmother made pretty good cookies.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, William}}
[[Category: Cartoon-only characters]]
[[Category: Pilots]]
[[Category: Prime humans]]
[[Category: United States military]]

William Fowler

2011-01-03T22:20:46Z

24.202.105.245: /* Notes */

:''William Fowler is a [[human]] from the [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:DarknessRising2-Fowler.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Someone buy him a longer tie.]]

Special Agent '''William "Bill" Fowler''' is the type of guy that [[Theodore Galloway]] ''wishes'' he could be. He's the tough-talking, robot-dissing designated liaison between the [[United States of America|United States government]] and the [[Autobot]]s, who's got the guts to face down [[Starscream (Prime)|the Decepticons]] himself. And he doesn't need any military escort! He can pilot his own damn helicopter!

Fowler is leery about trusting the Autobots to handle the [[Decepticon]]s by themselves and doesn't believe that [[Earth]] can't handle its own mess, but for now, while he chews them out and slags them off, he's willing to let them have a chance.

{{bigquote|Pretty big bearings... for a human.|Bulkhead|"[[Darkness Rising, Part 2]]"}}
{{TOCclear}}

==Fiction==
===''Prime'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ernie Hudson]] (English)
Agent Fowler visited [[Autobot Central Command]] to chew the Autobots off over mass traffic accidents caused by [[Eradicon|several]] [[Arcee (Prime)|odd]] [[Bumblebee (Prime)|vehicles]], and then demanded to know if this meant the Decepticons were back. When [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] confirmed this, Fowler stated it was time to "wake up" the [[Pentagon]]; he was notably ''un''impressed by Optimus's claim that only the Autobots could stop the Decepticons, clearly not believing it, but to avoid mass human casualties he agreed to give them a shot at sorting it out.

[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] angrily told Fowler that the Autobots knew how to use appropriate force, but when the agent was gone he noted with respect that Fowler had ''bearings''. Prime noted that Fowler's attitude was due to being afraid for his planet. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}

[[Image:DarknessRising3-interrogateFowler.jpg|thumb|left|"This is some nice steel. How about telling me who gave them to you?" "Yo mama."]]

Another explosion had Fowler returning to the Autobot base, but he found only Bulkhead there. When [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]]'s guitar gave away the presence of her and her two classmates, he announced he was going to take them into federal custody, but Bulkhead prevented him from phoning his superiors. He stormed out and took off in his helicopter, making a report by radio. Unfortunately, the transmission was intercepted by the Decepticons, who captured him and strung him up by chains. Fowler proved difficult to interrogate, so [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] got out an energon prod to soften him up. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}}

Fowler was on the verge of breaking and telling Starscream where the Autobot base was, when weapons fire became audible outside the brig. Sensing rescue was near, he became awkward again, provoking Starscream into shocking him into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he was in a dazed, rambling state. The Autobots finally reached his location, only to become locked in a standoff with Starscream, until a random outburst from Fowler caused a distraction, and the Autobots chased Starscream off. Fowler rode back to base in Bulkhead, though his dazed state persisted and he became fixated on pie. Once they reached the base, he was given rudimentary medical attention. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

{{spoiler|Darkness Rising, Part 5|3 January 2011}}
When the Autobots discovered that the Decepticons were using a radio telescope array in [[Texas]], Optimus suggested getting Fowler to put the installation on high alert, but Fowler was still too out of it to comply. He had recovered enough to cheer the Autobots on as they destroyed Megatron's [[space bridge]], and later thanked them for saving him from the Decepticons, and for saving the world, before he left the base. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}}

==Notes==
* Which agency Fowler's a Special Agent ''for'' isn't stated; since he specifically refers to the Pentagon as who he'd talk to, he's presumably with a Department of Defense agency like the [[wikipedia:Defense Intelligence Agency|Defense Intelligence Agency]] or the [[wikipedia:Military Intelligence Corps (United States Army)|Military Intelligence Corps]].
* The Autobots refer to him as their liaison with "the outside world", though he appears to just represent the United States.
* Fowler must have one ''awesome'' rank if he can decide on his own whether or not the Pentagon is to go on full alert!
* Altough Fowler is quite like Galloway from ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', in the end, he is actually thankful to the Autobots. Could he be some mix between Mr. G and [[Seymour Simmons]]?
* Apparently, Fowler's grandmother made pretty good cookies.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, William}}
[[Category: Cartoon-only characters]]
[[Category: Pilots]]
[[Category: Prime humans]]
[[Category: United States military]]

The Secret of the Ruins

2010-12-18T08:27:07Z

24.202.105.245: /* Trivia */

{{episode|
|series=RiD
|ep=6
|title="The Secret of the Ruins"
|japanese=ギガトロンの襲撃!
|romaji=Gigatron no Shūgeki!
|translation=Gigatron's Raid!
|image=Thesecretoftheruins titlecard.jpg
|caption=This looks familiar...
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]], [[Studio Gallop]]
|airdate=[[May 10]], [[2000]] (Japanese) [[October 11]], [[2001]] (English)
|director=[[Yoshiaki Tsutsui]]
|animation studio=Studio Gallop
|written by=[[Junki Takegami]] (Japanese) [[Tom Wyner]] (English)
}}
'''Predacons attack.''' 
'''Invasion of the city.''' 
'''Sky-Byte finds ruins.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Secret of the Ruins Bullettrain in city.jpg|left|200px|thumb|I'm telling you the cafe is right around here!]]
In daylight, in the middle of [[Metro City]], [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] and his [[Predacon (RID)|Predacons]] attack, hoping to draw out the [[Autobot]]s. [[T-AI]] contacts the [[Autobot Brothers]], but can only find [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] and [[X-Brawn]], who report they're busy looking for [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] and [[Koji Onishi|Koji]], who've gone to explore some old ruins. T-AI orders [[Team Bullet Train]] into the city instead. The three trainbots transform and walk through the city towards the Predacons, who immediately attack with [[Gas Skunk]]'s acid breath. [[Railspike (RID)|Railspike]] uses missiles to ignite Gas Skunk's breath, and the incompetent skunk runs around, frying his two teammates. From the base, [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] notes that the Predacons apparently aren't trying to heist some energy supply, and he is suspicious that the attack might be more than meets the eye.

[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], who wasn't at Megatron's attack on the city, explores a mountain range, looking for [[Payuma ruins|mysterious ruins]], which the Predacons learned about by using the [[psycho-probe]] to take the information from the mind of [[Kenneth Onishi|Dr. Onishi]]. Sky-Byte spies Side Burn, who is in the area with Koji to search for the same ruins, which Koji explains were left by the "Piyuma" Native Americans.

[[Image:Secret of the Ruins Sideburnkoji.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Koji, I can't see!]]
Koji and Side Burn find the ruins and enter inside on foot. Sky-Byte, who has followed the pair, fires missiles inside after them, trying to trap them inside. Side Burn detects the missiles in advance, and he tries to race through the cave (passing by [[Kelly (RID)|Kelly]], who also happened to be exploring the ruins). After he eventually dodges the missiles, Side Burn radios a mayday message to base for help.

The Predacon Trio continue to get beaten by Team Bullet Train. Megatron, tired of waiting for Prime, engages the Autobots. Instead of helping out in the city, Prime goes to aid Side Burn.

[[Image:Secret of the Ruins Skybyteoptimus.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Jaws V: The Reconciliation]]
Sky-Byte, unaware that he's failed to kill Side Burn and his human friend, and also unaware that more Autobots are on the way, voyages into the ruins to find whatever made them so important to Dr. Onishi, assuming that it must be a source of power. Prime arrives and uses his [[Flying Fist]] to knock Sky-Byte down some stairs. Rather than fight Prime, Sky-Byte grabs the chest that holds the ruins' prize and races outside.

Megatron, hearing that Sky-Byte has completed his mission, calls off the urban attack. Instead of letting him escape unharmed, Team Bullet Train combine into [[Rail Racer (RID)|Rail Racer]] and deliver a solid punch. The wounded Megatron retreats in his jet mode.

Exiting the ruins, Sky-Byte runs into the Autobot Brothers. The three blast Sky-Byte, who drops the chest in defeat. Prime catches the chest. With both Predacon attacks over, the Autobots open the chest and discover the prize: a photo of Koji and Dr. Onishi that the doctor stashed in the caves last time he and his son visited them. But more importantly, in the frame of the picture, the Autobots find a [[Doctor Onishi's microchip|microchip]] that could advance the plot.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[T-AI]] (7)
*[[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] (8)
*[[X-Brawn]] (9)
*[[Railspike (RID)|Railspike]] (10)
*[[Rapid Run (RID)|Rapid Run]] (11)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (12)
*[[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] (13)
*[[Rail Racer (RID)|Rail Racer]] (16)

|h2=[[Predacon (RID)|Predacons]]
|c2=
*[[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Dark Scream]] (2)
*[[Slapper (RID)|Slapper]] (3)
*[[Gas Skunk]] (4)

|c3=
*[[Dorie Dutton]] (5)
*[[Koji Onishi]] (14)
*[[Kelly (RID)|Kelly]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"It's the talking car. And guided missiles—but they didn't talk."
:—'''Kelly'''

"Now, Autobots... Let's see how you do against a real opponent. You'll soon discover that all your powers combined won't be enough to defeat me." 
"Do you talk this much all the time, or only when you've got two mouths?"
:—'''Megatron''' fails to intimidate '''Rapid Run'''.

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Car Robots''===
This episode's ''Robots in Disguise'' dub was completed prior to 9/11, but it was not set to air until a few days after the tragedy. Due to several scenes involving the mass destruction of buildings by the Predacons, the episode was promptly pulled before it reached air and underwent extensive re-editing and re-dubbing to make it appropriate for broadcast. Consequently, the episode did not air until much later, well into the multiple-episodes-per-week schedule the show was keeping at the time. The original English version of the episode has never been released in any form; this list notes all the differences between the original ''Car Robots'' episode and the heavily-modified second ''Robots in Disguise'' version.
[[Image:Rid_ep6_deletedscenes.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* The changes begin right away. The whole opening scene of the ''Car Robots'' version of this episode is original animation, depicting Megatron crashing through a building in [[Wikipedia:Shinjuku|Shinjuku]] late at night. Crowds of terrified onlookers watch as he declares that he will make them all kneel at his feet, after which the Predacon trio pop up on the roof of a building, then leap down. Gas Skunk unleashes a gas attack, melting and corroding a building, and the scene ends on a shot of the city's skyline, as black smoke rises up from it. This scene was almost entirely replaced for ''Robots in Disguise'', and a new opening was created by recycling clips of Megatron's arrival from "[[Battle Protocol!]]", sans any destruction. The only pieces of footage to survive from the ''Car Robots'' version of the episode are the cityscape, the Preadacons leaping down and Gas Skunk attacking; even the end of his attack is cut short, so as not to reveal the damaged building.
*In ''Car Robots'', Gas Skunk implies he ''could'' shoot gas out his butt if he wanted to, but chooses not to for decency's sake. ''Robots in Disguise'' plays it as him forgetting he's not a real skunk for a second.
*''Robots in Disguise'' once again replaces the Japanese toy ID numbers of the Autobot Brothers and Team Bullet Train with their names. The Spy Changers are briefly seen scrolling past, and ''Robots in Disguise'' just deletes their ID numbers without bothering to replace them.
*Everyone is just sort of... more... ''pissy'' in ''Car Robots''. Prowl is annoyed at Side Burn's disappearance, X-Brawn thinks he's chasing red sports cars, Optimus laments "I can't do anything with these guys!" and T-AI moans that the brothers' timekeeping is poor. In ''Robots in Disguise'', they have the decency to be ''worried'' about Side Burn, and Prowl suggests calling up Team Bullet Train to stand in for them while they search.
*As Team Bullet Train is summoned, ''Robots in Disguise'' adds a quick shot of the member select program screen before each character appears, with their names flashing. Got to remind the kids at home which toys to ask for!
[[Image:Rid_ep6_rockpaperscissors.jpg|right|thumb]]
*Railspike's intro scene is mirrored in ''Robots in Disguise'', which him driving across the screen from right to left, instead of left to right as we was in ''Car Robots''. The same is true of the scenes of the Predacons gathering on a rooftop, and Dark Scream spotting the Bullet Trains approaching.
*''Robots in Disguise'' adds one of its CGI POV targeting shots as Gas Skunk prepares to fire on the trains, and another as Railspike fires back.
*After Rapid Run and Railspike give each other a thumbs-up, ''Robots in Disguise'' cuts out a short scene in which Midnight Express mistakenly believes they're playing rock-paper-scissors, and gets yelled at by the others. The joke is repeated a little later into the episode, after the trains take down the Predacon trio, and is again cut from ''Robots in Disguise''.
*The first rock-paper-scissors gag is followed by a [[scene transition]] that involves an Autobot symbol quickly filling up the scene and receding; it's the first time it has been used in ''Car Robots'', but it will be seen again. ''Robots in Disguise'' mostly excises these and uses its own CGI scene transitions, as it has been doing since the first episode.
*In ''Car Robots'', Sky-Byte perches himself on a rocky peak and scans the horizon. ''Robots in Disguise'' added a commercial break just before this, so the panning shot of the skyline is moved to ''before'' Sky-Byte sits down, to serve as an establishing shot for anyone just joining the show after the break, rather than as Sky-Byte's POV.
[[Image:Rid_ep6_kappa.jpg|right|thumb]]
* ''Robots in Disguise'' cuts a short scene of Japanese wordplay when Sky-Byte first sights the entrance to the ruins. In ''Car Robots'', the Payuma ruins are known as the real-life "[[Wikipedia:Cappadocia|Cappadocia]] ruins", and Sky-Byte takes the name at face value, beliving it must have some connection to the mythical Japanese water monster knwn as the [[Wikipedia:Kappa (folklore)|Kappa]]. In two deleted shots, he mistakenly recalls the name as "Kappa's Navel" and "Kappa's Plate", imagining them in his patented comedy thought bubbles. The gag runs on into his flashback, where Megatron believes it's called "Kappa's Bellybutton", causing Sky-Byte to facefault, a brief action also cut from ''Robots in Disguise''.
* Sky-Byte's flashback to Megatron giving him orders is also quite heavily altered for ''Robots in Disguise''. In ''Car Robots'', Sky-Byte asks Megatron why he is attempting to conquer an insignificant planet like Earth, prompting Megatron to tell him that there is [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|something important]] hidden somewhere on it (thought the implication is that even Megatron doesn't know exactly what it is). In ''Robots in Disguise'', they just talk about prying "secret information" from Doctor Onishi's brain. The flashback is also shortened for ''Robots in Disguise'', as a long downward panning shot of the Megastar is removed.
* Side Burn and Koji's conversation about the ruins is shortened down for ''Robots in Disguise''. The ''Car Robots'' version also carried on the "kappa" gag, as Side Burn mispronounces "Cappadocia" as "[[wikipedia:sushi#Makizushi|Kappamaki]]", a kind of sushi roll with cucumber (he says he prefers tekkamaki, literally an "iron roll"). For ''Robots in Disguise'', this was changed to him mispronouncing "Payuma" as "pie humor," which he considers his preferred style of comedy.
[[Image:Rid_ep6_POV.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*Yet more POV shots! ''Car Robots'' includes some POV shots of its own, one when Sky-Byte watches Side Burn and Koji, and two more as his missiles track them. ''Robots in Disguise'' replaces them with their now-standard CGI efforts.
*Yet ''another'' POV shot is added to ''Robots in Disguise'' a minute later when Midnight Express targets Gas Skunk with his rifle. After he successfully blasts the Predacons, ''Car Robots'' has Midnight Express be very happy with himself, as it's his "first win". Railspike and Rapid Run give him a thumbs-up, and he sags, believing he has lost another round of rock-paper-scissors. The sag is cut from ''Robots in Disguise''.
*In a rather obvious cock-up, ''Robots in Disguise'' takes shots of Megatron's shadow looming over the Bullet Trains, and of the trains looking up at the villain in claw mode, and moves them to ''after'' he transforms into dragon mode, creating a visual continuity error.
*In ''Car Robots'', Optimus thinks that the mayday signal causing his chest to glow is chest pains caused by worrying! Ha!
*One last time for now: ''Robots in Disguise'' adds a CGI POV targeting shot as the Autobot Brothers prepare to fire on Sky-Byte.
*Scenes that ''Robots in Disguise'' extends with looped and repeated footage include:
**Optimus asking T-AI to activate the member select program.
**T-AI doing so.
**Prowl telling T-AI they can't find Side Burn.
**Prime telling T-AI to call up Team Bullet Train.
**Railspike and Rapid Run watching as Midnight Express stumbles through traffic.
**Rapid Run and Railspike's banter about Railspike's aiming abilities.
**Rapid Run giving Railspike a thumbs-up.
**Prime remarking that something smells bad.

===Animation or technical errors===
* After Side Burn ditches the missiles and transforms, the smoke around his feet appears to move backwards and forwards.

===Continuity errors===
* Optimus Prime describes Sky-Byte as "very clever."
* Dark Scream's "center laser" acts as a freeze-ray whereas it's never been used as such before.
* Speaking of Dr. Onishi, he has his glasses back — they were left behind when Megatron kidnapped him back in [[Battle Protocol!]].

===Transformers references===
*Doctor Onishi is subjected to the mind-reading psycho-probe, a callback to the mind-reading device from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[The Girl Who Loved Powerglide]]". It is even noted to run at 90,000 volts per scan, as the original did.

===Real-world references===
* Images in Dr. Onishi's mind include the Statue of Liberty, Arc de Triomphe and London's Tower Bridge.

===Trivia===
*One of the few factoids known about the original dub of this episode was that it featured Dorrie Dutton making a reference to "robo-terrorism of the mid-1980s". Dorrie's dialogue had to be re-recorded to remove this line when the episode was redubbed, but evidently regular actress [[Tifanie Christun]] wasn't available, as T-AI's voice actress [[Sandy Fox]] is performing the role.
*This episode shows one of the only times a Transformer has switched to robot mode while carrying a human passenger. Rather than being squished to death, Koji is ejected. The same thing happens in "[[The Human Element]]". [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] survived inside [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] during his transformation in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 4]]," but was not ejected.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Transformers: Car Robots'' — Vol. 2 ([[Pony Canyon]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Volume One ([[Maximum Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Three-Disc Box Set: Part 1 of 2 (Maximum Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Evil Intent (Maximum Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Special Edition 2-Disc Set (Maximum Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise / Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation / Action Man'' (Maximum Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Season One (Maximum Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Ultimate Collection (Maximum Entertainment)

==External links==
*[http://www.ridforever.info/transformers-transcripts/rid-episode-06-the-secret-of-the-ruins.php "The Secret of the Ruins" on RiDForever.info]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secret of the Ruins}}
[[Category:Robots in Disguise episodes]]

The Human Element

2010-12-18T08:26:44Z

24.202.105.245: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|series=RiD
|ep=34
|series2=Transformers: Car Robots
|ep2=34
|next2=Gelshark's Blues
|image=Human Element Scourgemaximus.jpg
|title="The Human Element"
|japanese=ブレイブマキシマスの謎
|romaji=Brave Maximus no Nazo
|translation=The Mystery of Brave Maximus
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]], [[Studio Gallop]]
|written by=[[Junki Takegami]] (Japanese) [[Tom Wyner]] (English)
|director=[[Yoshiaki Tsutsui]]
|animation studio=Studio Gallop
|airdate=[[November 22|22 November]] [[2000]] (Japanese) [[February 23]], [[2002]] (English)
|continuity=
}}
'''Scourge has Maximus''' 
'''How can the Autobots win?''' 
'''The Onishi plan'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Human Element Scourgecerebros.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Maybe if I buy him chocolates he'll obey me.]]
[[Megatron (RID)|Galvatron]] is unhappy that [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] failed to control [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]] and tasks the Decepticon with finding what went wrong. [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], hoping to ingratiate himself with Galvatron once more, spies on Scourge and [[Mega-Octane]] as they examine [[Cerebros (RID)|Cerebros]]. Scourge comes to the conclusion that Maximus obeyed [[Koji Onishi|Koji]] because of his humanity, and locates Maximus in Sector 18 (with some help from Cerebros and [[Movor]]).

At the Autobot base, [[T-AI]] has also been working on the problem of why Maximus obeyed Koji. [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] suggests that Koji might have some special power, but [[Kenneth Onishi|his father]] rubbishes the suggestion. Suddenly T-AI reports Decepticon activity in Sector 18, and [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus]] realises they're after Maximus. He and the [[Autobot Brothers]] rush there with Dr. Onishi and son.

[[Image:Human Element Maximusautobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Wow.]]
Scourge has already found Fortress Maximus by the time the Autobots arrive, and he has the other Decepticons form [[Ruination (RID)|Ruination]] to hold them off. Side Burn's left babysitting Koji and his father as [[X-Brawn]] and [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] try to take down Ruination with no success at all. Scourge announces that he's realised that Maximus will only obey humans—fortunately when he scanned in his Earth mode, as well as Optimus and the truck, he also scanned [[Kelly (RID)|Kelly]], which gave him human bio-energy—bio-energy which he has magnified a hundred-fold. Sure enough, when Maximus transforms, Scourge is able to enter his command centre and control the giant. Sky-Byte, who's been lurking in the sands, laments that now he won't be able to redeem himself with Galvatron.

[[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Ultra Magnus]] arrives and merges with Optimus, but even [[Omega Prime]]'s formidable arsenal is unable to shake Maximus. Koji believes he can still make Maximus obey him, and Side Burn takes the boy closer to allow him to try to issue commands. Scourge's control is too powerful, and Maximus kicks up a wave of sand which sends Side Burn flying into the air. Side Burn transforms in mid-air causing Koji to fall, but the boy is caught by the unwitting Sky-Byte. Sky-Byte flees in embarrassment at Koji's gratitude.

[[Image:Human Element Onishichildren.jpg|left|200px|thumb|I believe the children our are future, thats why I have them on the train]]
Although all seems lost, Dr. Onishi announces he has the answer—more human bio-energy. [[Team Bullet Train]] and the [[Build Team]] arrive via the [[Global Space Bridge]], carrying a thousand children between them. With the children all shouting at once for Maximus to stop, Scourge finds himself unable to make Maximus move, and is blasted out of the command centre by Omega Prime. Fortress Maximus sinks into the ground, but at the last moment Galvatron swoops down out of nowhere and carries Cerebros off.

Koji apologises for endangering himself to try to stop Maximus, but Dr. Onishi responds that he is proud of his son for risking everything to help his friends. Optimus says that they will get Cerebros back and defeat Galvatron's forces.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Cerebros (RID)|Cerebros]] (5)
*[[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]] (7)
*[[T-AI]] (8)
*[[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] (11)
*[[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] (12)
*[[X-Brawn]] (13)
*[[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] (14)
*[[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Ultra Magnus]] (19)
*[[Omega Prime]] (20)
*[[Rapid Run (RID)|Rapid Run]] (21)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (22)
*[[Railspike (RID)|Railspike]] (23)
*[[Wedge]] (24)
*[[Grimlock (RID)|Grimlock]] (25)
*[[Heavy Load (RID)|Heavy Load]] (26)
*[[Hightower (RID)|Hightower]] (27)

|h2=[[Predacon (RID)|Predacons]]
|c2=
*[[Megatron (RID)|Galvatron]] (1)
*[[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] (2)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] (3)
*[[Mega-Octane]] (4)
*[[Movor]] (6)
*[[Ro-Tor (RID)|Ro-Tor]] (15)
*[[Rollbar (RID)|Rollbar]] (16)
*[[Armorhide (RID)|Armorhide]] (17)
*[[Ruination (RID)|Ruination]] (18)

|c3=
*[[Koji Onishi]] (9)
*[[Kenneth Onishi|Doctor Kenneth Onishi]] (10)
* 1,000 children (28)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm not special, I'm just... me."
:—'''Koji''' is a humble boy.

"Nonsense. There's no evidence to support such an outlandish theory."
:—'''Doctor Onishi''' is somewhat blunt in ruling out his son's specialness.

"Koji, being able to eat three cheeseburgers in one meal is your special power."
:—'''Doctor Onishi''' on his son's specialness.

'''X-Brawn:''' Aren't you forgetting something? One of us has to stay with Koji and his father. 
'''Prowl:''' And we agreed that it would be you, remember?
:—What's the bet that "we" didn't include Side Burn?

"I was taking a nap, but your whining was so loud it woke me up. What's your problem, Side Burn?"
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' is not a morning person.

'''Koji''': Gee, Sky-Byte! Thanks for saving me again! 
'''Sky-Byte''': Ahhh?! It was an accident! A fluke, a fin, a flounder! Noooo! If Galvatron finds out I've saved you again, he'll -- I don't even want to think about it!
:—You can't keep a good shark down.

[[Image:Human Element Kojioptimus.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Transformers (2007)|We live among its people now, hiding in plain sight...]] Wait, wrong speech.]]

'''T-AI''': When Dr. Onishi contacted me and asked me to send a thousand children into the desert, I thought he'd lost his marbles. But as it turns out, he was right all along.
:—The moral of this story is: when in doubt, send a thousand kids into the desert.

"We'll rid this planet of Galvatron and his gang of evil-doers, I promise you."
:—...did '''Optimus''' just say "evil-doers"?
{{-}}

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Car Robots''===

===Animation and/or technical glitches===
* The strange-looking eel/fish that swims across the opening shot of the ''[[Megastar]]'' is presumably supposed to be swimming close to camera, but it then passes ''behind'' the rock on which the ship is resting, making the creature appear absurdly gigantic.
* When Sky-Byte is half-buried in sand, his exposed flipper is wrongly coloured white instead of blue, and appears to be an uncomfortably large distance away from his main body.
* The children accompanying the Build Team in the finale are really, ''really'' small.

===Continuity errors===
* Optimus says they found Maximus in Sector 18 (which appears to be in Libya), but Maximus was found underneath Metro City!

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Humanelement_clear_sideburn.jpg|right|thumb]]
* Scourge announces he's going to crush the Autobots like [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]].
* When Side Burn super-charges, he first turns transparent. This brief appearance is based on the "clear" redeco of his toy released as an exclusive at a few Japanese conventions, featuring body panels that turn clear while their flames remain colored, and coloured interior components (like his robot limbs) visible beneath them. The one major difference is that this is a clear version of his regular coloration, featuring blue highlights and visible parts, whereas the toy itself is a clear version of his super coloration, with orange highlights.

===Real-world references===
* As Scourge pilots Maximus forward to achieve the aforementioned crushing, he quips that it's "one step for Maximus, one giant leap for the Decepticons", an obvious reference to [[Neil Armstrong]]'s first words upon setting foot on the moon. Except with somewhat more evil.

===Trivia===
* Dr. Onishi gets a ride to the desert in X-Brawn. He sits in the passenger seat next to X-Brawn's head, which appears to be driving. ([[Show-accuracy|Toy accuracy]]!) X-Brawn's head isn't always there, or else Kelly would surely have noticed it by now.
* Once again, Ultra Magnus's demonstrates his uncanny knack of coincidentally showing up at the right place at the right time. He was taking a nap in the middle of a desert in central Africa? Yeah.
* Corralling trainloads of children and teleporting them into a Libyan desert is something the Autobots can just do at short notice, it seems.
* This episode shows one of the only times a Transformer has switched to robot mode while carrying a human passenger. Rather than being squished to death, the passenger is ejected. The same thing happens in "[[The Secret of the Ruins]]". [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] survived inside [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] during his transformation in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 4]]," but was not ejected.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''Transformers: Car Robots'' — Vol. 9 ([[Pony Canyon]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Three-Disc Box Set: Part 2 of 2 ([[Maximum Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Season Two (Maximum Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Ultimate Collection (Maximum Entertainment)

==External links==
*[http://www.ridforever.info/transformers-transcripts/rid-episode-34-the-human-element.php "The Human Element" transcript on RiDForever.info]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Human Element}}
[[Category:Robots in Disguise episodes]]

John Malkovich

2010-12-17T05:44:35Z

24.202.105.245:

'''John Gavin Malkovich''' (born [[December 9]], [[1953]]) is an American actor and director.

Malkovich is well-known for his work in arthouse fare like ''The Killing Fields'' and ''Dangerous Liaisons'', and in big-budget blockbusters, like ''In the Line of Fire'', ''Con Air'', and that jewel thief movie. He even played himself (and several other people, sort of) in ''Being John Malkovich''. In nearly all of them, however, he plays scary guys with creepy voices.

He will play [[Sam Witwicky]]'s first employer in ''[[Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]].''

==External links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000518/ John Malkovich on IMDB.com]
* [https://michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/73978045c5496d5271c90be6884209a8-598.html "Transformers 3 Update from Michael Bay"]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Malkovich, John}}
[[Category: On-camera actors]]

Jeffrey Combs

2010-12-05T03:33:02Z

24.202.105.245:

[[Image:JeffreyCombsReanimator01.jpg|right|350px|thumb|"Please! I go through ''everyone's'' trash."]]

'''Jeffrey Combs''' (born [[September 9]], [[1954]]) is a film and voice actor. A horror movie icon, Combs is well known as Herbert West in the ''Re-Animator'' trilogy. He's also been in such horror films as ''From Beyond'', ''Necronomicon'' and ''Castle Freak''. Combs is also known for playing a variety of characters on three ''Star Trek'' TV series - ''Deep Space Nine'', ''Voyager'', and ''Enterprise''. With his feet in both the horror and science-fiction worlds, as well as outside the two popular genres, Combs enjoys a diverse and varied fanbase.

Among many voice acting roles, he has voiced the Scarecrow in ''The New Batman Adventures'', the Question in ''Justice League Unlimited'', the Leader in ''[[Avengers]]: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' and that really creepy janitor guy in ''Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go''.

==Roles==
===''Transformers: Prime''===

*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]

==External link==
*[http://www.jeffreycombs.com/ Official website]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001062/ Jeffrey Combs at IMDB]
*[http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Combs Jeffrey Combs on Memory Alpha, the ''Star Trek'' wiki]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Combs, Jeffrey}}
[[category:English voice actors]]

Dark Energon

2010-12-05T03:23:16Z

24.202.105.245: /* Effects */

{{picsneeded}}
:''Dark Energon is a form of [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] from the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron|War for Cybertron]] portion of the [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]] [[continuity family]].''

'''Dark Energon''' is a powerful, corrupted version of [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] which can be used as a violent weapon and explosive. As energon is the emanation of [[Primus]], from which all Transformer life and power is formed, Dark Energon is similarly the emanation of [[Unicron]], released after his first battle with the [[Thirteen original Transformers]]. Even the smallest particle of Dark Energon can corrupt any amount of regular energon.

{{quote|Dark Energon? I thought that was the stuff of legend!|[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

==Effects==
The violet-glowing Dark Energon supercharges any Transformer who ingests it, making them stronger, faster, more powerful...and more aggressive. It also acts as a powerful narcotic, filling the user with thrilling, dark sensations and causing addiction. It turns pain into pleasure, rendering the blows inflicted on a user futile. Dark Energon withdrawal turns the user into a raving brute desperate to do anything for more. A user who goes too long with out any reverts to a beast-like state and eventually dies.

Users who imbibe Dark Energon have been seen to project it from their bodies for various destructive purposes. When one user is killed, the energy acts like a sentient thing (a worrying aspect for a force originating from Unicron) and flies from their corpse to empower any other user nearby.

Pieces of Cybertron infected by Dark Energon tend to turn purple and explode upward into twisted, sharp spikes and growths of metal.

A Cybertronian corpse injected with Dark Energon will reanimate itself as a mutated [[zombie]], focused on destroying all in its path.

==Fiction==
===''Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron''===
The gathering and storage of Dark Energon aboard the newly constructed [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]] was organized by an early assembly of the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] that included [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]]. The station was guarded by [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s who were mostly unaware of the nature of Dark Energon. During the civil war, [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] claimed the station for the [[Decepticon]]s, but of fear he did not let [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] know about Trypticon's significance, and despite his allies' attempts they could not find much of the information about Trypticon on the [[DataNet]] had been censored (by [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]], who knew that knowledge of Dark Energon was dangerous).

During the last days of the war [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] found forgotten corners of the DataNet referring to "Sparks of Unicron". Megatron forgave Starscream, acknowledging his fears about Dark Energon's overly destructive use on the battlefield, and because the Air Commander had not tried to use it against him. [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] forced two of Starscream's scientists to ingest Dark Energon and the explosive result led to the Darkening of all of Megatron's soldiers. Megatron and Starscream both found the substance invigorating, but a deprivation study of the first two subjects showed they had become rabid, and Megatron vowed he would kill all his soldiers before he was deprived. The Darkened Decepticons attacked the remaining Autobot outposts on Cybertron, but to the Autobots' advantage, whenever a battle was prolonged, the Decepticons would have to flee or risk having the Dark Energon run out.

Soundwave learned of the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]], which could transport vast amounts of energon from Cybertron to Trypticon to be corrupted. Starscream activated it, but it proved futile in quenching the Decepticons' thirst. Soundwave recalled the [[Plasma energy]] Chamber within [[Teletraan-1]] and the [[Code Key]]s required to activate it. The Chamber would enable Megatron to corrupt Cybertron's [[core]] and flood the planet with Dark Energon. During the ensuing battle with [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]] for the Chamber, the more the Autobots killed the Decepticons, the more Dark Energon left their corpses to empower Megatron, who was able to knock Omega down and tear the Chamber from his chest.

After Megatron Darkened the core, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]], [[Jazz (Prime)|Jazz]] and [[Prowl (Prime)|Prowl]] launched a rescue of Sentinel Prime in [[Kaon]]. They were met with little resistance, aside from two gibbering guards. Optimus recognized the Dark Energon had taken its toll on Decepticon competence. Afterwards, he, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]] ventured to the core to rid it of the poisonous Chamber. The Dark Energon briefly tempted Jetfire to try some, while it distressed Bumblebee to the point he physically tore out the corruption spikes on the core, though it allowed Optimus to remove the Chamber. The core told Optimus the Autobots would have to leave Cybertron while it healed the planet, and gave him the [[Matrix of Leadership]], which would one day act in concert with the core to restore their world. While leaving, Optimus chastised Megatron for turning his soldiers into addicts just to win the war. Starscream also vowed never to use the substance again. {{storylink|Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{spoiler|Darkness Rising, Part 3|December 8, 2010}}
Dark Energon is a known material but is so rare it's practically non-existant. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}}

When Megatron returned from deep space after three years away, he revealed he'd found a new way to win the war: Dark Energon, a substance rumoured to be the blood of [[Unicron]] and possessing the power to raise the dead. A test with the corpse of [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] proved it could indeed do this, turning the dead into berserker [[zombie]]s; it could also turn machinery into animalistic robots, and merely touching it could render a Transformer ill. Megatron, being Megatron, thought it'd be a jolly good idea to shove some into his own [[spark]]. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}} He survived and began to gibber and rant about the power and how it was like he could hear Unicron's thoughts...

Optimus Prime recognised what Dark Energon was, and [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] was stunned to learn that's what they were facing. They went to the site of an old Transformer battle, knowing Megatron would plan to raise the fallen as an undead army with the Dark Energon... but got there too late to stop the tyrant! {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}}

==Games==
===''War for Cybertron''===
The existence of Dark Energon came over ten thousand years ago when the [[Cybertronian]] race uncovered it as well as its volatile nature. Shortly afterwards, it was sealed away in an orbital space station and placed under the watchful eye of the [[Seekers]] along with former [[Sky Commander]] Starscream who was aided by Jetfire. At some point, experimentation on Dark Energon began and a small quantity of the substance became unstable whereupon it exploded thus opening up an entire section of the space station to the vacuum of space with such level of destruction that was beyond any known weapon known to the Cybertronians. The horrors of Dark Energon were noted by many such as Jetfire and it was deemed too unstable to control with it being deemed that it must remain sealed for the rest of time. This continued to be the case for centuries and the existence of Dark Energon became a myth and eventually a legend that few believed.

After learning the existence of this substance, Megatron took a starcruiser and escorts to lay siege to the station whereupon he crashed into it in order to infiltrate it. Once inside, he had to battle the defending Cybertronians and Starscream who attempted to stop him. As Megatron drew closer to the storage chamber, Starscream attempted to destroy the last remnants of Dark Energon but he was too late and Megatron entered into the core. Where everyone else had failed in making use of it, Megatron believed himself to be worthy of such a weapon as he was the strongest of all Cybertronians. Starscream believed him to be foolish as it was believed that the Dark Energon would destroy him but he re-emerged and became more powerful than ever. Filled with power, he infused his Decepticons such as [[Brawl (Prime)|Brawl]] and [[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]] with Dark Energon; claiming it was their birthright. Seeing Dark Energon being tamed, Starscream offered his services to Megatron and claimed he knew of an Energon Bridge that could produce more of the substance. Seeing this as an act of betrayal, Jetfire escaped the station in order to inform [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Zeta Prime]] of this treachery.

Later, Starscream along with [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (Prime)|Thundercracker]] travelled into the depths of Cybertron in order to reactivate the Energon Bridge. Facing many troubles including defending [[Autobot]]s, they managed to corrupt the central machine whereupon it attempted to defend itself but was destroyed by the Seekers. This allowed the Energon Bridge to activate and beam its contents to the orbital station to be mass produced. With Dark Energon now under his command, Megatron sought to corrupt the whole of Cybertron by infesting the Core itself but he needed the [[Omega Key]] in order to get past the [[Omega Gate]] that barred entry to the centre of the Transformer homeworld. Thus, he assaulted [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]] in order to claim it from the [[Stellar Galleries]]. However, Zeta Prime learnt of this and spirited the key to his [[Vaults]]. During his journey to claim the Key, Megatron made use of regular amounts of his personal Dark Energon to corrupt doorways that blocked his entry as well as ammunition for bombing runs for his forces. He eventually claimed the Omega Key but this simply activated Omega Supreme who was the actual key to the Core of Cybertron. During the battle with the giant Autobot, Megatron managed to defeat Omega Supreme by corrupting him with Dark Energon and overpowering him. Using him to open the Omega Gate, the Decepticons placed Corruptors into position and infected the Core that spread Dark Energon all across the planet.

The effects were immediate as Dark Energon crystals began sprouting all around the planet. Megatron often made announcements to the Cybertronian population stating that he brought the gift of Dark Energon to them all and urged them to accept this power in order to become Decepticons whilst those that did not being killed for being unworthy of existence. Cybertronian repair arrays attempted to contain the damage but they could not slow down its effects and even the planetoids [[Space slug|self defense organisms]] were incapable of stopping it. In fact, Dark Energon even corrupted one such beast creating the corrupted slug that spread Dark Energon and fed on the Core. Upon his appointment to the position of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]] led the Autobots to combat the Decepticons. This eventually culminated in freeing Omega Supreme from the Decepticons and curing him of his Dark Energon infection. Gaining entry past the Omega Gate, they went into the depths of Cybertron in order to reach the Core where they aided the space slugs in not only clearing patches of Dark Energon crystals but also the defending Decepticons. Eventually, they reached the Core and killed the corrupted slug but the corruption had taken its toll on the Core. In order to preserve itself, it had to enter into a hibernation mode that would last for millions of years as a result of the Dark Energon infection which led to low quantities of Energon being produced that were insufficient for the current populace of the planet thus initiating a mass evacuvation of the inhabitants in order for them to survive. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

==Notes==
*Dark Energon shares several aspects of its nature with [[Angolmois]], though no connection between the two has been established as yet.

[[Category:Power sources]]
[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:Substances]]
[[Category:Unicron]]

Darkness Rising, Part 4

2010-12-05T03:15:44Z

24.202.105.245: /* Transformers references */

{{picsneeded}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]''
|ep=4
|prev=Darkness Rising, Part 3
|next=Darkness Rising, Part 5
|image=
|caption=
|title="Darkness Rising, Part 4"
|airdate=[[December 2]], [[2010]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Digitalscape]]
}}
'''While Optimus and Ratchet battle Megatron's zombie horde, the others attempt to rescue Agent Fowler.'''

==Synopsis==
As [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s army of [[Dark Energon]]-powered [[zombie]]s march, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] are horrified at the desecration. The Dark Energon flowing through Megatron gives him control over this new army, and he directs them to destroy the two Autobots. When the zombies keep getting up as fast as Optimus can blast them down, Ratchet discovers that dismemberment is a more effective way of dealing with them.

[[Image:darkrising4_botgroup.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Pretty sure war zones don't count for bring your daughter to work day Bulky.]]

At the [[Nemesis (Prime)|Decepticon ship]], [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] rescues [[Jack Darby|Jack]] and [[Rafael Esquivel|Raf]], who are under fire from the [[Eradicon|Decepticon sentries]]. They explain they were worried about [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]], who pops up from Bulkhead's back seat. Bulkhead drops everyone off behind some cover before driving under the Decepticon ship, scaling a nearby cliff, and jumping on board. After dealing with a bunch of Decepticons, Bulkhead realizes that Miko's not with the other kids, and she pops out of his chest, having stowed away. Miko finds herself in the middle of the fight between Bulkhead and the cons, which the Autobot swiftly terminates with the help of a piece of deck plating. While the pair move into the ship, problems are occurring outside; Jack and Raf are captured by the Decepticons and taken on board the ship, where [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] abruptly appear and rescue them. The two parties run into each other in a corridor, and Jack and Raf let Arcee know where [[William Fowler|Fowler]] is, having heard their guard talking.

[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]'s interrogation of Fowler is finally beginning to bear fruit when the distant sound of gunfire can be heard, and Fowler stops being helpful. Starscream gives him a jolt with the prod, stunning him into unconsciousness, and sends the two guards to find out what's going on.

Back at the zombie battle, Ratchet notes that exposure to the Dark Energon is sapping their strength. The fight on, but first Optimus, then Ratchet disappear under piles of zombies. Megatron laughs... but with a cry, Optimus breaks free and helps Ratchet up.

[[Image:DarknessRising4-Optimusshootsthroughzombie.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"Megatron has desecrated our ancestors and ''I'' wanted to do that!"]]

The Autobots clear out a room on the Decepticon ship for the kids to hide in. Miko and Jack immediately begin arguing over their situation, which upsets Raf. Jack and Miko try to reassure him, before Jack notices a huge computer display. Raf thinks it has important information on it.

Fowler's interrogation is complicated by the man's now-dazed state. It's further complicated when Bulkhead and Bumblebee appear in the doorway. They aim their guns at Starscream, who aims his at Fowler, only to feel a tap on the head — Arcee is balanced in a shaft right above his head, aiming her gun downwards.

The kids know they've found important information, but are at a loss as to how to get it back to Optimus. As Raf's contemplating using a flash drive, a Decepticon walks in. The kids dive for cover, but Raf goes back for his backpack and is spotted by the Decepticon.

The Mexican standoff in the brig is broken when Fowler distracts Starscream, and the Autobots start firing. Starscream decides discretion is called for, and flies off down the nearest corridor.

The Decepticon starts firing on Raf. Jack heroically runs out and tackles Raf behind one of the Decepticon corpses, before instructing Miko to take a picture. She snaps a picture of the Decepticon, before Jack redirects her at the computer screen. The kids leg it from the room, followed by the Decepticon which is promptly taken out by Bulkhead. Reunited, the kids and Autobots make their escape.

Optimus and Ratchet finish off the zombie horde, and Optimus starts climbing up to Megatron. Megatron boasts that the battle was simply a prelude to the main event, and flies off. Ratchet wonders ominously what Megatron has in store for them.

[[Image:darkrising4_phonesnap.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Kay th-enx bay-eye?"]]

Back at base, Ratchet's damaged arm is tended to, and Optimus tells off Bulkhead for letting the kids accompany him into battle. Miko defends Bulkhead and tries to claim they were doing "recon" by showing the snapped schematics, but Jack's upset about the fact they were all almost killed and decides he wants out of the whole affair. After some sad farewells (except from Ratchet), they send him home by [[ground bridge]].

Back on the Decepticon ship in orbit, Megatron abuses Starscream for disobeying his orders. Starscream manages to quell his master's anger by announcing he has a way to get their plans back on course.

Miko pays Jack a visit and tries to talk him into returning to the Autobots, but he's content to go back to his normal life.

Ratchet, meanwhile, is checking out the data Miko photographed, and realizes that it's the specs for a [[space bridge]] part. Bulkhead thinks it's great that Megatron's thinking of leaving, but Optimus points out that he's probably intending to bring an army to [[Earth]] with it, and there's only one place he can find enough Transformer corpses to build a new army — [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (8)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (10)
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (11)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (4)
* [[Eradicon|Decepticon drone]]s (5)
* [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (13)
* [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (14)

|c3=
* [[Jack Darby]] (6)
* [[Rafael Esquivel]] (7)
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (9)
* [[William Fowler]] (12)

|c4=
* [[Zombie]]s (1)

}}

==Quotes==
"Megatron has desecrated the resting place of our fallen ancestors, and his own!" 
"Not even the dead are free from his war mongering."
:—'''Ratchet''' states the obvious in a less-than-obvious sort of way while '''Optimus''' states the depth of Megatron's evil.

"I heaved on your floormats. Sorry!"
:—'''Miko'''

"Wake up, you pathetic lump of flesh!" 
"Grandma? Is it cookie time?"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Fowler'''

"I wouldn't." 
"Oh, but I MIGHT..."
:—'''Arcee''' threatens '''Starscream''', who doesn't feel very threatened.

"I like pie. Can we stop for pie?" 
"You found Fowler! ROCK ON!"
:—'''Fowler''' and '''Miko'''

"No point in long good-byes. Here's the door."
:—'''Ratchet''' showing he doesn't give a damn

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===

===Continuity errors===
*Did Optimus forget that Arcee was supposed to be in charge? He tells Bulkhead off, but Bulkhead wasn't supposed to be in charge in the first place. Of course, Optimus could simply have been referring to the fact Bulkhead got the kids in danger (which, admittedly, was in part his fault).

===Transformers references===
*As in part 1, Cybertron appears with the same model as that used in ''War for Cybertron''.
*Optimus's guns and swords look very similar to another [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]].
*Optimus's response to Jack wanting to leave is very similar to the response Optimus Prime gave to [[Theodore Galloway]] in ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''.

===Foreign dubbing===

===Real-world references===
* The children's slow-time reaction to the fighting on the ''Nemesis'' is reminiscent of [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''Saving Private Ryan''.

===Trivia===
*While not the first time [[Flame (Marvel)| someone]] has used zombies as soldiers, Megatron seems to intend to make them the bulk of his forces.
*The zombies Optimus and Ratchet fight do not seem to be as tough as Cliffjumper's was (seeing as how he was still functioning despite being cut in half), but that could be chalked up to Cliff's corpse being 'fresh'.

==Home video releases==
{{epstub}}

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Darkness Rising, Part 5

2010-12-05T03:12:43Z

24.202.105.245: /* Transformers references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]''
|ep=5
|prev=Darkness Rising, Part 4
|next=
|image=
|caption=
|title="Darkness Rising, Part 5"
|airdate=[[December 3]], [[2010]]
|written by=[[Joseph Kuhr]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Digitalscape]]
}}

==Synopsis==
[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] imagines in dread what will happen if [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] uses the [[Dark Energon]] to raise an army of [[zombie]]s on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and uses them to conquer [[Earth]].

[[Jack Darby|Jack]] arrives at [[KO Burger]], and encounters [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]], who says she's already lost one friend recently. The Autobots have pinpointed Megatron's [[space bridge]] in Earth orbit and must use the [[ground bridge]] to reach it, despite the risks this poses. Arcee and Jack arrive back in time for Arcee to join the mission, and Optimus leads the team (minus [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]) through the bridge. They land up on the space bridge terminal and look up to see the [[Nemesis (Prime)|Decepticon ship]] moving into position. Megatron observes their presence, but [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] says that [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is locking on to Cybertron's coordinates.

Optimus notes that ship is damaged, and the Decepticons will be unable to use it to aim the space bridge. Raf reasons that the Decepticons may be using a radio dish array in [[Texas]], but Fowler is still too out of it to alert the array staff of the danger. [[Rafael Esquivel|Raf]] attempts to hack in, but the array's firewalls are too good. Jack thinks they should go on site, and they talk Optimus into letting them do it.

Meanwhile Megatron sends out the Decepticon forces to attack the Autobots. Battle commences.

The kids ground bridge to the array and sneak in. In a small unused room, Raf finds a computer and determines that the Decepticons have also hacked in, but takes the opportunity to download their space bridge plans onto his flash drive. Little do the kids know that [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is in the very next room, plugged into the computer system as well. He aligns the array, which sets the space bridge ready to use, but Raf promptly realigns it. Responding to Starscream's requests to know what's going on, Soundwave taps into the installation's security systems and locates the three kids. While the kids are discussing what the Decepticons could do, Soundwave's tentacle slithers into the room behind them and attacks. As it goes after Raf, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] grabs an axe and strikes at it. She completely misses, and the tentacle strikes her backward before picking up the axe itself. Though the kids believe it's about to attack them with the weapon, the tentacle withdraws. The kids run to the next room, where they found Soundwave has realigned the dishes and used the axe to cut the hard line, making it impossible to realign the dishes again. Miko then takes a photo on her phone of Soundwave. Before Soundwave leaves, he takes a photo of them.

Starscream activates the space bridge and Megatron physically throws a huge chunk of Dark Energon through. The Dark Energon strikes Cybertron, swiftly covering the planet and turning millions of dead Transformers into millions of [[zombie]]s. Optimus realizes that the only course of action left to them is to destroy the space bridge. Raf supplies the specs he downloaded earlier, and Ratchet sets about working out a way to do so. As Optimus faces Megatron, Bulkhead, Arcee and Bumblebee go to implement some sabotage.

Megatron manages to defeat Prime, but as he raises his sword, Starscream alerts him to the actions of the other Autobots. Optimus takes advantage of the distraction to blast Megatron, but the Decepticon leader transforms and flies off to find the other Autobots. Arcee's team has succeeded in rigging the space bridge to blow when Megatron attacks and blasts Arcee off into space. The Autobots jump into the ground bridge, Bumblebee collecting Arcee on the way. Megatron realizes his ship appears to be absent, but before his army of zombies can come through, the space bridge explodes in his face.

A short distance away in the ship, Starscream notes that there's totally no way Megatron could have survived that, and he is leader now.

The Autobots make it back to their base, though Arcee's in a bad way. Optimus announces that there's totally no way Megatron could have survived the space bridge explosion. Fowler thanks the Autobots for saving him, and leaves. Optimus gives a big speech, and sends a signal into space to let the galaxy know that Earth is defended by the Autobots.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (2)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (3)
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (4)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (6)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (9)
* [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Eradicon|Decepticon drones]] (11)
* [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)

|c3=
* [[Jack Darby]] (1)
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (7)
* [[Rafael Esquivel]] (8)
* [[William Fowler]] (12)

|c4=
* [[Zombie]]s (14)

}}

==Quotes==
"Optimus, if you leave me on a planet teeming with humans, I'll never forgive you."
:—'''Ratchet'''

"Optimus Prime never disappoints. Unlike YOU, Starscream!"
:—'''Megatron'''

"Surely, Lord Megatron, the Autobots are up to something." 
"Really, Starscream?"
:—'''Starscream''' observes the Autobots and '''Megatron''' lays on the sarcasm.

"I hold no illusions of engaging your army, Megatron. But I might derail its objective... [[Decapitation|by removing its head.]]"
:—'''Optimus Prime's''' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|solution to most problems]].

"Starscream! Where is my ship?" 
"We would never make it, Lord Megatron! Don't be a fool! Take flight and retreat!"
:—'''Starscream''' fruitlessly tries to get '''Megatron''' to flee the detonating space bridge.

"Decepticons, it is with deep sorrow, that I note for the log, Megatron's spark has been extinguished. All hail Starscream."
:—Looks like '''Starscream''' is back to his old self again.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
===Continuity errors===

===Transformers references===
*There are two references which are directly related to [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 animated movie]]. First Ratchet says, "Then by all means, let us light our [[darkest hour]]." Later, Optimus exchanges with Megatron: "One shall stand" and "one shall fall."
*Megatrons have been known to survive space bridge [[Transport to Oblivion|accidents]] and [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|malfunctions]] and even [[Gone but Not Forgotten!|space bridge-related suicide attempts]]. Hope Starscream and Optimus don't expect to relax.
*Optimus's Energon blade and Megatron's hidden fusion cannon blade are references to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)| their movie]] [[Megatron (Movie)| counterparts]]
*Optimus' speech at the end is similar to the ones Movie Optimus gives at the end of both movies.

===Foreign dubbing===

===Real-world references===
* Miko tries to use an axe on [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]'s tentacle, which is the same tactic Tom Cruise's character tries on the Tripod tentacle in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''War of the Worlds''.

* Miko refers to Space as "The final frontier". "Space. The final frontier" is the first line of the opening credits of several ''[[Wikipedia: Star Trek|Star Trek]]'' TV shows. ''Prime'' show developers [[Alex Kurtzman]] and [[Roberto Orci]] are also the screenwriters of the current ''Star Trek'' movies.

===Trivia===
* Winged versions of the Eradicons make their appearance here.
* The Decepticons are unable to simply warp to Cybertron thanks to Bulkhead ripping off a vital piece of equipment in the previous episode.
* While it's unlikely anything from ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]'' applies to the cartoon, a number of Autobots including [[Ultra Magnus (Prime)| Ultra Magnus]], [[Omega Supreme (Prime)| Omega Supreme]] and the [[Wreckers (Prime)| Wreckers]] were left behind on Cybertron at the end of that book. Sure hope they weren't around when the zombies came crawling. In a similar vein, [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] is also still on Cybertron at the end of the novel. Given the established fact that the war had continued on other worlds after Cybertron's shutdown, though (as stated by [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] in the [[Transformers: Prime (comic)|prequel comic]]), it's probable that all of them have since moved on to less hostile locales in the intervening years.
* When Starscream tries to convince Megatron to retreat, there is a surprising tone of concern in his voice. Either that, or he's a much better actor than certain other [[Starscream (Animated)| Starscreams]].
* It ''seems'' to take a lot longer for the zombie army to come from Cybertron across the space bridge than it took for the Dark Energon to get there in the first place. [[Wikipedia:Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Must've been the sheer mass of all of them]].

==Home video releases==

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Digitalscape

2010-11-27T22:23:02Z

24.202.105.245:

[[image:DigitalscapeLogo01.jpg|thumb|200px|right|]]

'''Digitalscape''' is a Japanese-based animation and graphic design company who specialize in the CG animation, environments and models seen in video games. Some games they have contributed animation to have been ''[[Pokeformers|Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs'', ''PokéPark]]'', ''Sonic and the Black Knight'', ''[[Snake|Metal Gear Solid 4]]'' and ''Ninja Gaiden Σ''.

Digitalscape provided the CG animation for ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'', which they prepared for by throwing a job festival offering forty new positions to handle the workload.

==External links==

*[http://www.dsp.co.jp/ Digitalscape's official site]

[[category:Animation companies]]

Fred Tatasciore

2010-11-18T22:43:58Z

24.202.105.245:

{{disambig3|Fred}}

[[Image:Fred Tatasciore.jpg|thumb|right|"Push too far, and you may find I forget what is in the best interests of my people in favor of what would be most ... satisfying ... to myself."]]
'''Fred Tatasciore''' (pronounced Tata-shore) is an American voice actor and animator. He provides minor voices in ''Family Guy'', but he is quite well-known for providing the voices of Ripjaws, Waybig and Cannonbolt in ''Ben 10'' (which also stars [[Tara Strong]] and [[Paul Eiding]]), the Beast voice for the Beauty and the Beast Corps in ''[[Snake|Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot]]'', the Beast on ''[[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine and the X-Men]]'', Tuma in ''Bionicle: The Legend Reborn'', Gato's English voice in ''Naruto'', 8 in ''9'', and the [[Hulk]] in just about everything Marvel's released in the last few years.

==Voice roles==
===''Transformers: The Game'' (PSP)===
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]
*[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]]

===''Transformers: Autobots''===
*Ratchet

===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen''===
*Kitchen crew

===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Game''===
*[[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]]
*[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]]
*[[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]
*Additional voices

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron''===
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]
*[[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]]
*[[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]]
*[[MotorMaster]]

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851317/ Fred Tatasciore on the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatasciore, Fred}}
[[Category:Activision]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]

Optimus Prime (WFC)

2010-11-14T08:17:07Z

24.202.105.245: /* Prime cartoon */

{{faction|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Optimus Prime}}
:''Optimus Prime is an Autobot from the [[Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:PrimeOptimus.jpg|thumb|250px|Megatron awakened within him a secret yearning. The slashfic writes itself.]]

The robot who would become '''Optimus Prime''' was a lowly archivist, but it wasn't until he heard of a rogue gladiator named [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] and his call for an upheaval of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s society that he realized he was unsatisfied with his lot in life. Freedom to make your own choice should be the right of all sentient beings! Little did he realize that his boss, [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]], knew of a secret potential within the archivist, and that Cybertron's history was at a precipice. Once he and Megatron discovered they did not have as much in common as they once believed, the lowly archivist was promoted by the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] to be the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]].

The battle over Cybertron caused the planet to be lost to both sides, but Optimus is determined to ensure other worlds don't share the same fate. People on Earth may find him stern and not very cuddly, but he truly does care: he's just seen too many battles, and knows that more are coming...

{{bigquote|We will [[Theme song|wage our battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons]] wherever it may take us. And one day, we will go home.|Optimus Prime|''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''Exodus: The History of the War for Cybertron''===
Like all Cybertronians, when Orion Pax emerged from the [[Well of All Sparks]], he was taught how to transform, to select a natural [[alternate mode]], and was put in a [[caste system|caste]]. At the [[Hall of Records]], Orion would read and index information from the [[Communication Grid]], but was forbidden to analyze. That was [[Jazz (Prime)|Jazz]]'s job, and the two became friends. Orion began monitoring Megatron's transmissions, and began a secret correspondence with him because he agreed with his beliefs. They had intense but friendly debates over the nature of free will and the dangerousness of their ideals, and Megatron suggested Orion learn how to fight for his beliefs. Orion began training with Jazz, learning to fire an [[ion blaster|ion-cannon]] and to fashion his arms into an [[energon-axe|axe]] and a [[Dual Energon Swords|sword]].

Orion made his first trip to Kaon to meet Megatron in person at his base. Megatron was the only gladiator who gave Orion a warm welcome. Terrorists began bombings in Megatron's name, and he made his first public announcement on the Grid, stating he was not responsible for the attacks and would bring the perpetrators to justice. Orion followed him up with a speech of his own. Orion trusted Megatron, believing if he were responsible for the attacks, he would have wanted to be associated with them. Later, when [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] took him to meet Megatron at an arena beneath Iacon's Observatory, Orion was shocked to see Jazz in attendance, and that Megatron had heard rumors about the bombings but did nothing to prevent them.

[[Image:War for Cybertron comic - Orion testimony.jpg|right|thumb|300px| Lookin' awful buff and armored for an insignifigant young library clerk. One has to wonder if the [[Guilds of Cybertron|Guilds]] may have dropped the ball on this one.]]
When "[[Decepticon]]s" kidnapped [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]], Orion requested Alpha Trion arrange an audience with [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] for him and Megatron now that most Cybertronians. During their hearing in the [[High Council Tower]], Orion rigorously defended their ideals, even reviving the ancient philosophical phrase "[[Autobot]]s" to describe the autonomy his brethren sought. It was then Councillor [[Halogen]] declared Orion the new [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]: Optimus Prime. An outraged Megatron accused his brother of treachery, and then murdered Halogen. When Optimus ordered the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] to not harm Megatron, Megatron declared Optimus had fallen into the trappings of power the High Council had foistered upon him, and those in attendance dispersed, with the planet forever divided into Autobots and Decepticons.

Optimus forgoed the first engagement of the war, allowing the Decepticons to take [[Fort Scyk]] so he would gain time to recruit more Autobots. Optimus learned from Jazz after the fall of Scyk that he would have to learn to not mourn every soldier. Optimus fought for the first time during the next battle, the siege of the [[Hydrax Plateau]]. The first Cybertronian he ever killed was a former industrial drone named [[Drixco]]. Afterwards Optimus confided to Alpha Trion that the act of killing alone made him feel he was on the wrong side. Despite the efforts of Optimus and [[Ultra Magnus (Prime)|Ultra Magnus]] the Decepticons conquered the Hydrax Plateau. It was at the stalemate of [[Praxus]] that Optimus gained the indispensable allies [[Prowl (Prime)|Prowl]] and [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]]. The first Autobot victory was at [[Kalis]], a vital area due to its fusion reactor that powered Iacon. Optimus, Jazz and [[Sideswipe (Prime)|Sideswipe]] worked together to bring down the monstrous [[Bruticus Maximus (Prime)|Bruticus Maximus]], but the battle was mostly won due to the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s' absence. As Energon depleted, the war descended into a mere siege of Iacon lasting millions of cycles, and Optimus opted to eject the [[AllSpark (Prime)|AllSpark]] itself into space: during this battle Optimus gained another great friend in [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]].

Following a lull in the war, the Decepticons began using [[Dark Energon]] and routed the Autobots, but Optimus wisely predicted it was an inefficient resource that would run out soon. To his horror, Megatron and Starscream infiltrated [[Teletraan-1]] to steal the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]], and although Teletraan-1 awakened the legendary [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]] to ferry the Chamber to safety, the Dark Energon-powered Decepticons overpowered the Autobots and used the Chamber to corrupt the [[Core]] of Cybertron and infested the planet with Dark Energon. During the battle, Megatron revealed he had killed Sentinel Prime below the High Council Tower to gain access to the Chamber. Afterwards Prowl picked up a message from Sentinel on the Grid, and Optimus, realizing he had not found Sentinel's body in Iacon, deduced Sentinel was alive. When Optimus, Jazz and Prowl rescued him from Kaon Prison, they found the city strangely deserted. Optimus believed Dark Energon was having a severe effect on Decepticon morale. When they found Sentinel, he was dying. He regretted his overlong reign as Prime, and that the High Council had made the right decision in appointing Optimus Prime. He finally told him he had to go to the Core and purge its corruption of Dark Energon.

After Sentinel's funeral in Iacon, where Optimus was officially appointed Prime after holding the de facto position for so long, he journeyed to the Core with Bumblebee and [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]] and removed the Plasma Energy Chamber. It was then a voice from the Core told Optimus he was too late, and the Autobots would have to leave Cybertron as the planet healed itself. But it finally bestowed upon him the [[Matrix of Leadership]], the essence of [[Primus]], explaining that while Sentinel lived, he was still Prime, and that he had been unworthy of the Matrix. It told him that when the day came that they would return to Cybertron, the Core and the Matrix would restore the planet and Optimus would lead the Autobots in an "age of unimagined wonders". Afterwards, Optimus launched [[Ark (Prime)|Project Generation One]], to build a ship — that Jazz dubbed the ''Ark'' — to take them to the stars, a plan some Autobots objected to.

But before their exodus, Optimus planned to fool Megatron by gathering every spaceworthy vessel and having them rendezvouz at what was apparently the last remaining [[space bridge]] in orbit. Megatron ordered [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]] fire on the ships, but Optimus ordered a fallback as he, Jetfire, Jazz, Ironhide, Prowl, Sideswipe and Bumblebee flew the ''[[Eight Track]]'' to board the monster and knocked him from orbit by blasting his [[Spark]] containment field. Optimus's team returned to find the ''Ark'' ready at the Well of All Sparks, and bid goodbye to those—including Jetfire, Magnus and Omega—who stayed to fend off Trypticon as he transformed to attack. Optimus also bade farewell to Alpha Trion, who believed [[Vector Sigma]] would protect him when the rest of the planet would be unable to sustain life: it was then Optimus realized Alpha Trion was one of the [[thirteen original Transformers]].

Yet as the ''Ark'' took off the Decepticons overran Iacon and Megatron and his elite boarded Trypticon, who transformed into a ''Nemesis''-class cruiser and pursued the Autobots. Megatron used his and Orion's old frequency to inform Optimus that he would pursue him across the stars and eventually kill him. The ''Ark'' entered the last space bridge and emerged with the ''Nemesis'' gone. They were near a [[Milky Way|spiral galaxy]] and Prowl detected the AllSpark. Knowing the Matrix within would help them find a way home, Optimus vowed that the Autobots would continue to wage their battle across the stars. {{storylink|Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron}}

===''Prime'' comic===
From [[Earth]], Optimus sent an encrypted message directing the Autobots to their new world. When [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] landed, Optimus and Bumblebee detected them and came to retrieve them. For Optimus to find them under attack from [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] was no matter, for Optimus crushed the air commander and sent his brawny accomplice running. Optimus picked up the wounded Arcee, and took her through a [[ground bridge]] to his base for Ratchet to repair her, while informing Cliffjumper that while his journey was over, their battle was just beginning. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (comic)}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English)
[[Image:TFPrimeOptimustruck.jpg|thumb|So, it hasn't got [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|flames]]. [[Ruined FOREVER|It's still not a flat nose truck.]]]]
{{comingsoon}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian)

[[Image:WFC-OptimusPrimeconcept.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Steroids are the right of all sentient beings.]]
In the waning days of the war for Cybertron, Optimus spots a little yellow Autobot in trouble, and defeats the surrounding drone forces. [[Ratchet (Prime)| Ratchet]] arrives on the scene, and Optimus helps up the Autobot scout, who reveals his name is [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]. Bumblebee informs Optimus that the Decepticons have taken control of communication relays, so that the only way to contact Optimus is by messenger. Oh! And also their leader, [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]], is dead. Optimus suspects [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s hand, and is informed by Bumblebee that the [[Autobot High Council]] have gone into hiding because of this. Optimus believes that the Council will emerge during a safer time, and forms a team with Bumblebee and Ratchet.

They drive to the [[Decagon]], where they find [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]] battling the forces of [[Starscream (Prime)| Starscream]]. After assisting him in defeating Starscream's army, they confront Starscream himself within the Decagon. After the trio combat and drive off Starscream, a hologram of Zeta Prime's face appears in the center of the room, stating that he is being held in the [[Kaon]] prison complex. Optimus takes Bumblebee and Sideswipe to the Kaon prison, allowing themselves to be captured so that they can infiltrate the facility. The Decepticons prepare to execute them, but [[Air Raid (Prime)| Air Raid]] lends a hand so they can escape, though he himself is captured. While sneaking through the corridors, the three manage to free Air Raid, [[Arcee (Prime)| Arcee]], and others. They continue through the hallways, and finally locate the room where Zeta is being held, only to face [[Soundwave (Prime)| Soundwave]]. The Decepticon cowers behind a force field, sending [[Frenzy (Prime)| Frenzy]], [[Rumble (Prime)| Rumble]], and [[Laserbeak (Prime)| Laserbeak]] out to fight for him, only venturing out to administer needed repairs to his minions. As Soundwave's energy becomes low, he attempts to drain Zeta Prime, only to be interrupted by Optimus, who takes a shot meant for Zeta. Though Soundwave and his minions retreat, the damage is done, and Zeta Prime dies before Optimus can free him.

Optimus brings Zeta's corpse to the site of the hiding High Council, where he lays the dead body in the center of the room. Optimus states that the Autobots crave their guidance, but the Council states that their mission is to choose the Primes, not to lead them. They then tell him that Optimus himself is a Prime, and that he has changed the lives around him. Optimus was then told that Megatron had corrupted the core of Cybertron, and that he was the one that could remove this blight. He takes this burden and responsibility, then is told by the Council that he is now Optimus ''Prime'', the last Prime.

[[Image:WFC-OptimusPrimeAltmode.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Welcome to the ''Twilight Zone'' Prime.]]
For a new mission, Optimus selects Ironhide and [[Warpath (Prime)|Warpath]], and the team ventures to entrance of the core, where a corrupted [[Omega Supreme (Prime)| Omega Supreme]] is being tortured. After a prolonged battle, the Autobots defeat the torturers and free Omega Supreme from the Dark Energon influence. Omega Supreme escapes, and the Autobots find some [[Space slug| space slugs]] to use as steeds. One long journey later, they reach the core and defeat a corrupted slug. Unfortunately the core itself has become contaminated, and informs Optimus as much. The only solution is for the core to reboot, which will take millions of years, during which the planet will be unusable, and Optimus realizes that the Autobots will have to leave their home. Before shutting down, the core reveals the [[Matrix of Leadership]], which it installs inside Optimus Prime's chest.

Optimus arrives back at Iacon, where he orders all Autobots to evacuate the planet. Megatron announces that everyone must stay or face destruction, and fires a massive cannon installed in the Dark Energon space station. Optimus Prime orders his Air Commander [[Silverbolt (Prime)|Silverbolt]] to shut down the cannon with his team. They succeed, and the station crashes into Iacon. Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ironhide discover that the "space station" isn't a space station at all: it is the giant Decepticon, [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]]. They manage to defeat the heavily-armed menace, who plunges into a pool of energon. The Autobots celebrate their victory, but notice that ''they'' have to evacuate as well. Optimus reveals a massive starship they will use called the [[Ark (Prime)|Ark]], a ship still under construction that will allow them to take a part of Cybertron with them across the galaxy. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''===
:''Voice actor:'' Peter Cullen (English), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian)

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Cybertron Adventures}}

==Toys==
===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-CybertronianOptimusPrime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|It's ''[[War Within]]'' but with fewer chinstraps and handvents.]]
*'''Cybertronian Optimus Prime''' (Deluxe Class, 2010)
:*''Accessories: '' "blaster" rifle

: Based on his appearance in the video game ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'', Optimus Prime transforms from a red, blue, and silver robot into an "armored truck mode." His rifle transforms as well, folding and plugging into the roof of the vehicle mode. The rifle can also peg into his forearms, and, in its compact configuration, can attach to his shoulders via peg holes on the backs of his front tires. Optimus has a stylized Autobot insignia on his back, as seen in the game, but it is masked by [[kibble]].

:As with (it seems) every modern toy, the instructions don't include all the features of the toy. In this case, neither the instructions nor any promotional photography show that Optimus Prime's knees can rotate out to form a back bumper with tail lights in vehicle mode. Oddly, the toy itself and the cardbox art show Optimus Prime with 4 fingers on each hand, while in the video game Optimus Prime has 5 fingers. The picture above is slightly mistransformed; the step 26 exhaust stack rotation has not been done. On the plus side, for a Deluxe-class toy, it has a surprisingly complex [[transformation (toys)|transformation]], and mad levels of [[articulation]]. The instructions show the rifle being plugged in by its shorter peg, which causes it to resemble the ''Transformers Animated'' Voyager-class Optimus Prime, but the packaging depicts the rifle stored by its grip, which keeps the weapon higher off Prime's body, but is also more secure. Amusingly, the part where the gun plugs in in vehicle mode becomes his crotch in robot mode.

:Optimus Prime is part of the first wave of ''[[Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' Deluxes, but he and Cybertronian [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] shipped ahead of their two other wavemates via [[Toys"R"Us]].

::*''[http://tfu.info/2010/Autobot/GenerationsOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Cybertronian Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
*''Exodus'' and ''War for Cybertron'' are different continuities within the same "continuity family", so their difference on O.P.'s pre-Prime name is not a real contradiction in and of itself. However [[Hasbro]]'s [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=7fd5ecd9-19b9-f369-1041-a7635be83172 online timeline] - meant as prequel to ''War for Cybertron'' - refers to Optimus's pre-Prime name as "Orion Pax" like ''Exodus''. To confuse matters even more, in [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|War for Cybertron]]'' comic, [[Alex Irvine]], in adapting scenes from his novel, changes the character's name to "Optimus".
*Optimus is rather forgetful in ''Exodus''. Alpha Trion tells him twice that he had suggested to the High Council that Orion might be the Prime foretold in the [[Covenant of Primus]]. Then he tells Jetfire that the Core told him of Project Generation One, when it was a contingency plan Trion told him about, put in place since the Breaking of the Primes. Then again, leading an army for thousands or millions of years may take a strain on the bot's memory servers.

[[Category: Autobot leaders]]
[[Category: Generations]]
[[Category: Matrix bearers]]
[[Category: Prime characters]]

Nature Calls

2010-11-08T22:58:15Z

24.202.105.245: /* Real-world references */

{{episode|Ani|14
|title="Nature Calls"
|image=TFA Nature Calls barnacle monster attacks.JPG
|caption=Zoinks! Like, it's the Tar Monster!
|airdate=[[March 22]], 2008
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Bouakeo Thongkham]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}
'''Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious energy signal.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Nature Calls barnacles constructionbots.JPG|left|150px|thumb|The Constructicons have been smothered by lava before, but this is ridiculous.]]

Far outside of Detroit, a lone worker monitoring [[Constructicon (G1)|some oddly coloured]] mining machines hears a strange noise. Alerted, he looks around, but returns to his drink... only to be attacked by ''something''. The construction machines stop their work, and they too get attacked.

Outside Detroit, Prowl, in his [[alternate mode]], looks on at the snow-covered city before a plow comes along and rather rudely covers him in snow. [[Transformation|Transforming]], he rises from the snow with a sad look on his face.

[[Image:TFA Nature Calls mad kids.JPG|right|150px|thumb|You'll be sorry when the wind changes.]]

When Prowl returns to the base, he goes on a rant about Nature's beauty and how humanity destroys it at every turn. Bumblebee and Sari are playing a video game, ignoring his vent. Prowl looks down on Bumblebee and asks if he was listening, where Bumblebee retorts by noting that Prowl is "electrical components" too, nudging his Autobot insignia to activate a hologram of Prowl. Optimus Prime interrupts the friendly banter by noting that there is a strange energy signature coming from the forest, and he sends Prowl and Bumblebee to investigate. Bumblebee is horrified at the idea at venturing into the tech-less wilderness, while Sari uses the opportunity to go camping with the two Autobots.

[[Image:Camp site.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Nothin' says "unplug yourselves" like a little primitive camping.]]

The three of them head off into the woods, and Bumblebee laments unpaved roads, while Sari is excited, saying that they'll roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories and the like. When they prepare to proceed on foot, it's learned that Bumblebee brought a few entertainment devices... stored in a place that makes him a little ashamed. After finding a suitable camping site, Prowl sits quietly to commune with Nature while Bumblebee searches for an outlet to power his flatscreen TV. As campers, Sari and Bumblebee are miserable failures. They can't pitch a tent or get a fire going, and Sari is forced to admit that she's never been camping before, so Prowl does both within seconds. When Bumblebee commandeers Prowl's holographic imager to watch a movie, the ninja bot smashes Bumblebee's portable media player, much to the yellow bot's horror. Prowl 1, Bumblebee 0.

During the night, the trio is awoken by a crunching noise. Bumblebee cries monster. Prowl says it's a bear, which are [[wikipedia:Stephen Colbert (character)|hardly monsters]]. Lo and behold, a monstrous creature covered in purple tentacles and pink eyes ''does'' stomp out into the open and attack them. Bumblebee 1, Prowl 1. The creature absorbs Prowl's shurikens and holds its own against Bumblebee's stingers. What's more, Sari's [[AllSpark Key]] glows, indicating that the creature is Cybertronian in origin. Unable to fight it off, the trio retreat.

[[Image:Sari expression.jpg|right|150px|thumb|It just gets worse, Sari.]]

Losing the creature, Prowl tries to figure out what the creature was, despite Bumblebee's snide comments. They both determine the creature is made up of [[space barnacles]], scourge of space-going vessels everywhere. Normally, barnacles drain power and act like computer viruses, but these barnacles appear to have been mutated by [[AllSpark (Animated)|something]] and made more powerful. They decide to go back and destroy the barnacles, rather than risk the creature reaching Detroit and infecting other machines. Glowing in the direction of the Cybertronian energy, the AllSpark Key leads them to the mine shaft. When they're not looking, the creature drops a snowbank on them from above, sealing 'Bee and Sari inside.

Prowl fools the creature into smashing the entrance open, and Bumblebee uses his stingers to fry the barnacles. However, Prowl's prolonged contact with the creature has infected him and taken over, turning him into a barnacle zombie. 'Bee and Sari make a run for it, but they know they can't go back to the city because the barnacles may spread. They backtrack, hoping to lure Prowl to the mine and seal him inside, but end up sealing themselves inside too.

[[Image:Barnicle bots.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ve vant to suck your [[Energon (fuel)|energon]].]]

Now trapped, 'Bee and Sari seal themselves in a furnace room, and Sari hatches a plan to heat up water from a fire hose to scorch the barnacles off Prowl. However, Prowl's touch has infected Bumblebee as well. Sari tries to use the AllSpark Key on the furnace machinery, but it doesn't work (for once). She manages to light the furnace by scratching a spark (not [[Spark|that kind of spark]]) from the Key instead. The furnace heats the water, and Sari sprays her two friends, boiling off the barnacles. The two Autobots are restored, and the three return to the plant to recount their harrowing tale to Prime.

[[Image:Sumdac megatron's body.jpg|right|150px|thumb|FINALLY! I can resurrect the most ruthless warlord in the galaxy and damn my planet to untold suffering and horror! GO ME!!]]

Back in the woods, [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] arrives in a truck and finds the Cybertronian machinery that was formerly coated by the barnacles, machinery that bears the Decepticon insignia. Sumdac comments that he's finally found what he's been looking for for several years, and that Megatron will be pleased with his discovery. What, oh what, could it be?
{{--}}
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's body]] (6)
|c3=
*[[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] (1)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (3)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
}}

==Quotes==
[[Image:TFA Nature Calls Bumblebee shame.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Please show where you hid the equipment on this action figure."]]

'''Bumblebee''': At least I can get this junk out of me. I was feeling kinda bloated. 
''[Electronic devices suddenly fall out of him, Prowl gives him a look]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': What? You said to pack the bare essentials! 
'''Prowl''': Since when are surround-sound speakers, a strobe light, and a hand-held media player "bare essentials?" 
'''Bumblebee''': You should've seen what I left back at the plant. 
'''Prowl''': Where did you even find room for all of this junk? 
''[Bumblebee taps his fingers uncomfortably]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': [[Exhaust port|I'd... rather not say.]] 
:—Bumblebee and Prowl's conversation takes a decidedly uncomfortable turn.

"First we must determine this creature's intentions." 
''[Creature knocks Prowl aside without provocation]'' 
"I'm gonna go with 'hostile'." 
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Bumblebee''' meet the monster.

'''Bumblebee''': Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?! 
''[Creature swipes at Bumblebee and Sari]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay. Maybe we're a little unclear on the concept of "your own size". 
'''Sari''': Maybe you should stop talking logic to a ''creature that has no head!'' 
:—Bumblebee and Sari debate whether or not to open negotiations with the monster.

"What did I tell you about camping? ''Monsters''. TV is ''always'' right." 
"So, wait. Monsters ''are'' real? Tutor Bot is such a liar!" 
:—'''Bumblebee''''s faith in [[television]] is reinforced, while '''Sari Sumdac''''s faith in [[Tutor Bot]] is shattered.

"Attention, barnacle monster! Come out with your hands over your...well, you don't have a head. But you get the idea." 
:—'''Bumblebee''' instructs the creature to surrender.

"Your tire tracks!" 
"So I messed up the pretty white woods! You sound just like Prowl!" 
"No! We can follow them back to the mine and lure Prowl into it then seal him inside!" 
:—'''Sari''' and '''Bumblebee''' discuss the finer points of screwing with the scenery.

'''Sari''': And then, they were back to normal, like nothing ever happened. Meanwhile, I'm stuck riding home with no dry clothes and an Autobot whose car mode doesn't have a ''heater''! 
''[Sari sneezes]'' 
'''Optimus''': You showed a lot of courage and ingenuity, Sari. And hopefully, you'll stop...backfiring soon. 
'''Sari''': Hel-''lo'', it's called "sneezing". 
''[Sari sneezes, then blows her nose]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I don't even wanna know what ''that's'' called. 
:—The Autobots discover the concept of the common cold.

"Megatron will be so surprised!" 
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''', cheerfully dooming us all.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*When Bumblebee and Sari are playing a video game, Sari says "jump! jump!", and when Prowl shuts the game off, Bumblebee notes that he was on level 230... how this is possible when they play a racing game, nobody knows...
* If space barnacles are killed by heat, how did any survive atmospheric entry?
* Megatron's body clearly has the Decepticon emblem on it, and Isaac Sumdac... doesn't appear to notice, even though he should have noticed the differences between Autobot and Decepticons. Then again, he never noticed Megatron's eyes being red while all the Autobots have blue ones.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Aniconstructionvehicles.jpg|right|150px|thumb|They're so [[neon]].]]
* The construction drones are [[Constructicon (G1)|green and purple.]] [[Constructicon (Animated)|Foreshadowing much]]?
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] body ends up in the [[Megatron (Movie)|deep freeze.]]
[[Image:Anisparkplugwitwicky.jpg|right|150px|thumb|This kind of stuff never happened in [[Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma|Burma]]...]]
* The construction worker looks very [[Sparkplug Witwicky|familiar.]] (He's only credited as "Worker" and is voiced by [[Bumper Robinson]].)

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nature maudite'''" ("Damned Nature")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Ruf der Natur'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 10|10 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Zew natury'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:''

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''死を呼ぶ宇宙怪物！''' (''Shi wo Yobu Uchū Kaibutsu!'', "The Space Monster That Invokes Death!")
* For whatever reasons, this episode never aired in Japan, but is included in the ''Transformers Animated'' Vol. 4 DVD as episode 14.

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee and Sari play their racing game on a console shaped very much like an Xbox with a purple and gray palette swap.
* There are actually [[wikipedia:barnacle|barnacles ''not'' from space]]. Neat, huh?

===Trivia===
*If those space barnacles came from the Autobots ship and latched onto Megatron's body before it hit reentry, what were they doing for the past fifty years?
* The construction worker [[Sari, No One's Home|somehow survived]] being attacked by the space barnacle.
* What use could Bumblebee (and possibly Sari) have for a ''strobe light''?
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], and Megatron ('s head), while mentioned, make no appearances in this episode.
* [[Tutor Bot]] is mentioned, and is in the voice credits for the episode, but does not actually appear.
*...[[Tom Kenny|space]] [[Bill Fagerbakke|barnacles?]]
* Why didn't Sari get scalded by hot water when she soaked Prowl and 'Bee? Maybe it's because [[Transwarped|she's part robot]]?

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 4 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Fires of the Past

2010-11-08T01:30:41Z

24.202.105.245: /* Transformers references */

{{disambig2|the Beast Machines episode|the Wings of Honor story|Flames of Yesterday}}
{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=3
|image=Vehicons Fires of The Past.JPG
|title="Fires of the Past"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 2]], [[1999]]
|written by=[[Marv Wolfman]]
|directed by=[[John Pozer]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Stymied time and again by his Maximal foes, Megatron brings three new Generals online.'''

:''French title:'' '''Les Feux du Passé'''
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''L'Attaque du Passé''' ("The Past Attacks")
:''Japanese title:'' '''愛の古傷(しるし)''' (''Ai no Furukizu (Shirushi)'', "Mark of Love", literally "Wounds of Love")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Fuegos del Pasado'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Fires of the Past Maximals archives.jpg|left|200px|thumb|I'm telling you, Optimus, they were all out of bananas.]]
A fleet of [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] [[Tank Drone|Tank Drones]] roll towards the [[Cybertron Archives]]. A hiding [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] watches in horror as the tanks open fire, seemingly without provocation, on a [[Optimus Prime memorial|statue]] of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] holding a pair of [[Golden Disk (disambiguation)|Golden Disks]]. The tanks continue their barrage on the Archive center itself as Blackarachnia runs back to the rest of the hiding [[Maximal|Maximals]], who are there searching for clues to what happened to the missing Cybertronian population. [[Rattrap]] makes it out of the Archives, revealing that he's found... absolutely nothing. The Archives have been deleted in their entirety.

[[Image:Fires of the Past Blackarachnia dream.jpg|right|200px|thumb|In the jungle, the mighty jungle...]]
[[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] howls in rage, while a spying [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] chuckles to himself that he's starting history over; everything prior to his reign is now simply a rumor. Inside Megatron's control chamber, a [[Diagnostic Drone]] assures him that he has been "purged" of whatever organic traces remained in him that caused his outbreak into beast mode in the previous episode. More Tank Drones appear to attack the Maximals, and Optimus orders yet another retreat. During the battle, Blackarachnia is knocked out by a blast and has a vision of a beautiful sunset-lit Amazon forest, falling into a pit, and being saved by a shadowy silhouette of [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]].

In the waking world, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] is carrying the woozy Blackarachnia away from the battle while Optimus draws the majority of the tank fire. Rather than simply taking cover behind a building, he climbs straight ''up'' one while dodging more shots, and the accumulated damage causes the building to topple on the Tank Drone fleet, destroying almost all of them while Optimus leaps to safety. (Optimus planned it that way. Seriously.)

[[Image:Fires of the Past Megatron sparks.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Nope. Totally won't come back around to bite him in the ass.]]
Megatron is so enraged at this turn of events that he loses all control and again reverts to his dragon form, disconnecting from the control armor. He becomes further enraged when he realizes he still hasn't been cured of his beastial tendencies and takes it out on the Diagnostic Drone with some fire breath. Collecting himself and returning to robot form, he ponders why his elite army of drones is still unable to capture four rogue Maximals. The only reasonable answer is simply "free will," so, Megatron pulls out three [[Spark|sparks]] from an enormous bank of stored sparks...

Back at the Maximal hideout, Optimus chews out the rest of the Maximals for their extremely sloppy battle performance. Blackarachnia has another vision of Silverbolt while pretending to listen to Optimus' angry lecture. Afterwards she decides to sneak off to the [[Central Spaceport]], and Rattrap has decided to tag along with her. Before Rattrap can get her to explain why she's out there in the first place, they are attacked by three Vehicons. Unfortunately, these three are no Drones—each Vehicon has a spark of their own! They are [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]], a wisecracking Aerodrone General, [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]], a smoldering Cycle Drone General, and [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]], a Tank Drone General, whose only distinguishable personality traits are being very angry and stupid.

[[Image:Fires of the Past Blackarachnia Rattrap records.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"See, I told you the Omega-Delta shuttle toy came with six figures."]]
The three Vehicons pretty much blow up everything around Rattrap and Blackarachnia, completely outclassing them (as newly-introduced Transformers typically do). Blackarachnia reverts to Beast Mode and she and Rattrap scurry off. Neither of them yet realize it, but doing so saves them—the Vehicons are unable to detect them on radar while in Beast Mode. Getting inside the spaceport control building, Blackarachnia accesses the aerospace records, finding the records of the Autobot shuttle they came to Cybertron on. She discovers that the ship was shot down by Cybertron's own automated defense systems and that there were six of them on the ship, though their memories of the missing two Maximals are hazy. Blackarachnia then plans to get to the ship itself to find its own backed-up data files.

[[Image:Fires of the Past Blackarachnia ship computer.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Come on, Neo, get off the other line!"]]
The Vehicons again attack, having locked onto Blackarachnia's Maximal signature, and she and Rattrap are again forced to flee, with Blackarachnia heading for the Autobot Shuttle and Rattrap simply heading home (he's had enough of being shot at for one day). Rattrap finds out (by happy accident) that the Vehicons are unable to track him while he is in Beast Mode. He scuttles off to warn Blackarachnia. Megatron decides to call off the Vehicon attack once he realizes where Blackarachnia is headed, so he can tap into her mind when she accesses the Autobot ship's computer and find the Maximal base through her.

Rattrap warns her of this as well, and the two are forced to destroy the shuttle computer to prevent Megatron from finding out the location of their hideout. The Vehicons resume their attack, and Optimus Primal and Cheetor save the day, Batman-style, by crashing through a skylight and fending off the Vehicons long enough to get out of there before the rest of the Autobot Shuttle blows up. Optimus is, in a word, steamed that his teammates endangered themselves needlessly and got their only chance at easy answers destroyed, but nothing can be done about it now, and they all run back to their hideout.

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

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]
|c2=
*[[Tank Drone|Tank Drones]] (1)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Diagnostic Drone]] (7)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] (8)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (9)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"How is this possible? My battle drones are models of technological perfection. They possess superior firepower and manoeuvrability, and yet they are continually defeated by a small pack of lowly beasts. Why?" 
"Free will?" 
"Hmm, interesting notion."
:—'''Megatron''' and the '''Diagnotic Drone''' discuss the recent losses.

"I failed my people once. I will not fail them again."
:—'''Optimus'''. Who is wrong. On both counts.

"Three mindless drones, shouldn't be a problem." 
"Only three things wrong with that little theory: One, we're not drones, two, we're not mindless, and three, problem's my middle name."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' is introduced to '''Jet-Problem-storm''' and the new Vehicons.

"This is Captain Jetstorm speaking. Please feel free to move about the tarmac, and flee for your ''miserable little life!''"
:—'''Jetstorm''' enjoying himself way too much.

"They blew us out of the sky?" 
"Yes, stranding all six of us." 
"Why, those lousy— six?! Get real, Webs—if there were six of us then why don't we remember the other two?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Rattrap''' learn that their memories have been tampered with more than they realise.

"Well, well, well. Your situation exactly matches your location: TERMINAL!"
:—'''Jetstorm''' finding Rattrap and Blackarachnia.

"Now just stick to beast mode and those Vehicon goons will never find us! ...Unless they happen to be standing right here in front of us."
:—'''Rattrap''''s plan has one minor flaw.

==Notes==
===Technical/animation glitches===
*Glitch

===Continuity errors===
* Optimus Primal seems very insistent on Blackarachnia reverting back to beast mode despite not knowing the reason why she ''should'' until much later in the episode.
* Why would a Diagnostic Drone be so grossly inaccurate when he told Megatron that his organic purging was complete? He even chalks up the mistake to "random residual biological—", right before being blasted by Megatron's ''extremely'' biological beast mode.
* "Four million years of Cybertron history?" Is [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] for ''real''? [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] spent that long just sitting around waiting for the original Megatron to call while the latter was in stasis lock aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]! Obviously, given that fact, Cybertron is a lot older than Megatron makes it out to be.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Statue rockandrollhalloffame.jpg|right|180px|thumb|He won the spelling bee by correctly spelling "[[Hun-Gurrr]]" and "[[Rartorata]]".]]
*A [[Optimus Prime memorial|giant statue]] of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] holding two [[Golden Disk (disambiguation)|Golden Disks]] stands in front of the [[Cybertron Archives]].
{{note|Writer [[Bob Skir]] claims that neither the statue nor the golden disks in its hands were mentioned the script. However, he suggested that they were either the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|disks]] from the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, or that Optimus won them in the 2,395,989th Annual Cybertronian spelling bee.<ref>[http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Tue_12_Oct_1999.html Q&A from Bigbot's "bobskir.com"]</ref> We're betting on the latter.}}
*When Blackarachnia logs into the ship's computer, the animation models for [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]'s head are briefly seen.

===Real-world references===
*Jetstorm refers to Rattrap and Blackarachnia as "Beasties", a reference to the Canadian name for Beast Wars.

===Trivia===
* While Megatron is looking at computer screens, text in the Predacon version of the Cybertronix [[Cybertronian languages|language]] appears. Among the messages are such gems as "these flowers taste funny," "we are the mcanimators from mcmainframe," "smoke some ganja," and "if you can read this seek help."
* Though he says it much less frequently than in ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', this episode marks the first time Megatron utters "Yesssss," though in a much less hammy, more sinister manner than before.
* The animators avoid directly showing Megatron's unveiled Robot Mode out of its control harness—in the previous episode, we don't even see him transform, in this episode, any clear shot of it is obscured either by fast action or back-lighting. We do, however, see that his "cloak" is made up of his wings that would ordinarily arch out of his back in robot mode.
* Tankor, Jetstorm and Thrust's personality traits are the exact opposites of the characters whose sparks they possess. Instead of being kind of dense and chivalrous like Silverbolt, Jetstorm is sarcastic and sociopathic. Instead of being a gentle genius, Tankor's a violent idiot. And Thrust is slick and cool, instead of being... well... Waspinator.
*Since it's already clear that the Maximals are amnesiac, Rattrap's claim that they would remember their missing team members is a little inaccurate (but, then again, they did remember each other on the previous episodes).

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 1 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume One ([[Sony]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume One — Reformatting (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season One (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 1 (Sony) — French audio only.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Fumihiko Akiyama

2010-11-06T05:56:08Z

24.202.105.245:

[[Image:Akiyama.jpg|right|216px|thumb|Japan's answer to George Hamilton.]]
'''Fumihiko Akiyama''' (秋山文彦 (sometimes 穐山文彦) ''Akiyama Fumihiko'') is a noted Japanese ''Transformers'' fan who has worked on the brand in official capacities for [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]. He was also the chief organizer of the three extant Japanese [[BotCon]]s.

Akiyama is known to have photographed many toys from his extensive personal collection for the you-cannot-believe-how-awesome-this-is ''[[Transformers Generations]]'' guidebook, and did same for the spiritual counterpart of that book, ''[[Tonka GoBots|Machine Robo]] Wedge''. Moreover, Akiyama assisted [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]] to some degree with the ''[[Alternators|Binaltech]]'' technical write-ups, supplying him with real-world information on the automobiles into which the ''Binaltech'' Transformers converted.

He has a keen interest in foreign toy lines, particularly ''[[wikipedia:Dino-Riders|Dino-Riders]]'' and ''[[Tonka GoBots|GoBots]]'', the Westernized version of ''Machine Robo''. He has held GoBots panels at both a Japanese toy convention and [[Unofficial conventions#Iacon One|Iacon One]], and published an unofficial but highly informative ''GoBots'' fanzine.

The breadth of his self-publishing is actually rather extensive; he has produced many professional-quality ''Transformers'' fanzines, including a [[Unofficial guidebooks|lavish ten-year retrospective on BotCon]].

At [[BotCon 2004]], Akiyama gave a panel on the history of ''Transformers''' predecessors, the ''Diaclone'' and ''Microchange'' lines. <ref>[http://botcon.com/archive/2004/bc04events.html Photos and brief descriptions of BotCon 2004 panels at the archive of the official web site.]</ref>

==Works==
* [[Beast Wars Universe]] - Co-written with [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]]

==Footnotes==
<references/>

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akiyama Fumihiko}}
[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Writers]]

Jeff Kline

2010-11-06T05:51:44Z

24.202.105.245:

[[Image:Jeff Kline.jpg|right|thumb|Not Men in Black, he's IN the black.]]
'''Jeff Kline''' is old.

Alongside [[Alex Kurtzman]] and [[Roberto Orci]], he is a "show runner" for ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]''<ref>[http://adage.coverleaf.com/advertisingage/20100503?pg=64#pg64 Advertising Age article announcing Kline's involvement]</ref>. Specifically, he is the Executive Producer on the series.

Kline's previous credits include series development work for ''Extreme Ghostbusters'', ''Men in Black: The Series'', ''Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot'', ''[[Godzilla]]: The Series'' and ''Jackie Chan Adventures''. His more recent work includes serving as an executive producer on, er, a number of ''Winnie the Pooh''-related programs. Bother?

==Convention appearances==
*[[BotCon 2010]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0458807/ Jeff Kline at IMDB]

[[Category: Convention guests]]
[[Category: Producers]]

Make Prime Speak

2010-11-06T05:22:34Z

24.202.105.245:

The "'''Make Prime Speak'''" contest was run during production of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]]. Entrants were to submit a line and then voted upon then. The top thirty would advance to a "judging round", where the film crew then decided the winning top ten would be spoken by [[Peter Cullen]] for various endorsements while the most voted (and thus "true winner") would be included in the film. The winning line eventually was determined to be "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings".

== Entries ==
The following is list of all entries, as shown on the Make Prime Speak's site, in order of "most votes".

*"[[wikipedia:Star Fox 64|Do a barrel roll!]]"
*"Autobots, transform and [[roll out]]."
*"Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost."
*"Megatron, when I'm done with you, you'll be lucky if there's enough of you left to [[Megatron (G1)|transform into a handgun]]!"
*"These pretzels are making me thirsty!"
*"One shall stand, one shall fall"
*"That's how I roll."
*"[[Universal greeting|Bah weep gra-nah weep ninni bong.]]"
*"I can't explain the flames, they're just cool."
*"It is not our world, but it is our war. We must do what is right and protect the innocent. Autobots, roll out!"
*"It's prime time!"
*"Humans seem weak, but possess something stronger than anything Autobots or Decepticons can manufacture: spirit."
*"All sentient beings have the right to life, and these humans are no different. We must protect them, no matter the cost."
*"This is not our world, but it is now our responsibility."
*"I see the evils that men do. I am not blind. It's what they could do that I fight for."
*"There's a thin line between being a hero and being a memory."
*"Greatness is measured not by wealth, power, or strength, but by service, honor, and sacrifice."
*"Tyranny and injustice must always be fought, no matter how long the battle, or how far it may take you from home."
*"I thought you were made of sterner stuff, Megatron."
*"[[The Transformers: The Movie|First, we crack the shell... then we crack the nuts inside.]]"
*"[[Alpha Trion (disambiguation)|Alpha Trion]] said there'd be days like this."
*"Humans have a myth about a man called the Ferryman, Megatron. You're about to meet him."
*"Freedom is the right of sentient beings."
*"Now all we need is a little energon... and a lot of luck."
*"Survival of the fittest? You're on the wrong side of the blaster to champion that, Decepticon."
*"If you truly believe I'll go down that easily, Megatron, you've already lost!"
*"This world should learn from its own mistakes, not ours."
*"Be it machine or man, the defense of all that is good and sacred in the universe must be our common bond."
*"Autobots transform; let's roll."
*"As long as energon flows through these circuits, I will always be there to stop your attempts at tyranny."
*"In our search for relevance, we stumbled upon destiny."
*"If we fall here today, Earth will only be the first of many planets that will fall to the Decepticons."
*"We Autobots wage a battle to destroy the forces of the Decepticons. They ruin worlds. I won't let them have this one."
*"We fight together, we die together...Autobots for life."
*"Megatron! It's time we end this, right here, right now!"
*"The burden of leadership is its heaviest when you lead those you care about, but they help to bear the burden with you."
*"We draw the line here. If we die, we die for a cause bigger than any of us—freedom."
*"If man has put his faith on machines, our duty is to pay back the favor."
*"[[Thing|It's clobbering time!]]"
*"I... shall... not... fall!"
*"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and I will not be defeated."
*"Their shadow has been cast over the city; we must provide the light."
*"Are you a Decepticon or a Deceptican't?"
*"My strength lay not in my metal body, my fellow Autobots, but in the mettle of my soul."
*"You are powerful; you can destroy me! You can destroy the Autobots, but you can't destroy our will, our cause, our destiny"
*"War is nothing new to mankind. Perhaps our war will shine the way so humanity may finally accept the notion of peace."
*"There is more than meets the eye when dealing with us."
*"This is the end of the road, Megatron"
*"Our courage is their hope."
*"That is a question you should be asking yourself, Megatron"
*"The world may forget who have fallen here, but their ideals will live on forever."
*"I'll be back."
*"Now if could just transform this war into a time of peace."
*"It's time to send your spark back to Cybertron, and put your body on the scrapheap, where it belongs."
*"Every living being deserves freedom."
*"The universe deserves freedom and I will see that it gets it."
*"We kept silent for many for many years, but we cannot. They would deny our existence, but we've always been here."
*"Hold it right there, Megatron!"
*"Never let your past determine your future."
*"I've been fighting long before you were even assembled!"
*"The eternal light of good will always overcome the darkness of evil."
*"We can't stand by and watch the destruction of this beautiful planet."
*"The power of one is the power of many. Megatron knows this and will use his pawns to destroy your world."
*"Don't test me."
*"Megatron, you may have power, but you lack the courage of even the smallest of Autobots."
*"I must break you!"
*"Come on, let's see what you got!"
*"They've left us no choice...now we have to do what we've been trying to avoid all along."
*"The universe will lose one of its greatest champions today, Megatron. So my question to you is, is today your day?"
*"I am not human, but I feel your fear."
*"He's conquered worlds... enslaved countless civilizations across the universe... and now he's on Earth... it's Megatron!"
*"We may be machines but we still know right from wrong."
*"You or me, Megatron. This ends now. Your reign of terror and injustice will end with your demise."
*"We will not allow you to commit genocide."
*"Fear breeds hate."
*"Time is fast running out. Autobots, let us make this battle decisive. For if Megatron wins, Earth will be destroyed!"
*"Autobots, this is Cybertron's and Earth's darkest hour. If we don't stop the Decepticons now, all hope is lost."
*"This isn't a war between beasts, it's a war between machines."
*"It has ended for you"
*"You are going down, Megatron!"
*"Megatron won't get away with killing another planet. I would rather let myself die instead."
*"The fate of Earth is a dark uncertainty but we must do everything in our power to halt Megatron's heinous assault."
*"Put down the humans, Megatron. They are under my protection."
*"You will not pass."
*"I may be a machine, but as far as I am concerned, I have the heart of a human."
*"Autobots are not afraid to fall in the name of unity."
*"The only way you subjugate this planet is over my dead chassis!"
*"It is time to cease your blind pride, Megatron. There's no space in our Earth for your evil means!"
*"Battle begins."
*"Transformers, gear up!"
*"For Cybertron's sake, what is going on here?"
*"The world can only take as much as it can hold, it is time for us to finish this war."
*"I will stop you wherever you go, Megatron!"

==Notes==
* If you think some of the above entries are bad, be glad that [http://shortpacked.com/comic/book-4/03-whoremongering/injoke/ this] didn't happen.
*The contest went down poorly among fans<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17239&st=0 YTMND Blows] on the AllSpark.</ref><ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/113882-top-30-lines-make-prime-speak-contest-revealed.html Top 30 Lines From The Make Prime Speak Contest Revealed] on TFW2005.</ref><ref>[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=6727 Final Top 30 - Make Prime Speak Contest] on tformers.com.</ref>, particularly when it was revealed the line "Do a barrel roll" received the most votes because of users of the 4chan message board, who had pushed for the similar inclusion of the line "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" in ''X-Men: The Last Stand''.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Contests]]
[[Category:Movie]]

Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)

2010-11-03T01:54:23Z

24.202.105.245: /* Real-world references */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=28
|image=Coming of the Fuzors 1 Megatron fuzors.jpg
|caption="Say cheese!"
|title="Coming of the Fuzors" (Part 1)
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[November 2]], 1997
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Spittor (BW)#Toys|Transmetal Spittor]], [[Airazor (BW)#Toys|Airazor]], [[Razorclaw (BW)#Toys|Razorclaw]]
}}
'''Dinobot breaks into the Predacon base and steals the golden disks; meanwhile two oddly misshapen Transformers emerge from their stasis pods.'''

:''French title:'' '''Nouveaux Arrivants - 1re partie''' ("New Arrivals - Part 1")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Fuzors 1'''
:''Japanese title:'' 新戦士登場! ギッチョンチョンですっ! (''Shin Senshi Tōjō! Gitchonchon Desu!'', "Enter the New Warriors! Snippety-snip, Sir!")<ref>The second half of the Japanese title combines the speech quirks given to the Japanese versions of Quickstrike and Silverbolt.</ref>
:''Spanish title:'' '''La Llegada de los Fuzors (Parte 1)'''
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Los Recién Llegados Primera Parte'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Lo sbarco - Parte 1'''
:''Brazilian name:'' '''A Chegada dos Fuzores Parte 1''' ("The Arrival of the Fuzors Part 1")
:''Malaysian name:'' '''Fuzor Baru 1''' (New Fuzors Part 1)

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Dinobot sees moon.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Oh my God, I was wrong! It was Earth all along!"]]
At the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]], the ship's sensors detect two [[Stasis pod|stasis pods]] that have landed in [[Delta Quadrant]]. Desperate for troops, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] move out to secure them. Waspinator notices that there is only one moon now, and flies back into the base. [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], looking from afar, also notices the planet's single satellite. Sneaking into the base, Dinobot corners [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], who is looking at the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden]] [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Disks]]. Grabbed by the thorax, Waspinator points out that there is only one moon now, and Dinobot explains the significance. They're on [[Earth]], and the Disks can foretell the future. In a surprising show of ambition, Waspinator offers to join forces with Dinobot to steal the disks, but Dinobot uses Waspinator to deactivate the shield (by throwing him at it), then escapes and shoots the computers. [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], hauling the deactivated body of [[Tarantulas]] to his lab, makes a half-hearted effort to stop Dinobot. Having been reduced to a crushed cube, Waspinator is forced to drag himself to the [[CR chamber|restoration chamber]]. Poor Waspy.

[[Image:Coming of the Fuzors 1 Quickstrike Silverbolt.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Quickstrike and Silverbolt's datatrax on kissing were unfortunately damaged in the crash.]]
Meanwhile, the [[Maximal|Maximals]] have found another stasis pod. [[Tigatron]] and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] are heading out for a more extensive survey to see what other effects the [[Planet Buster]] has had on the planet. [[Rattrap]] says that they should open up the pod, but there is no [[spark]] within, and the [[protoform]] is a [[blank]]. Rattrap asks what the use of that is, and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] says there isn't a use—yet. Elsewhere, the two pods the Predacons are seeking activate their [[DNA scanner|DNA scanners]], but the scanners malfunction. Two Transformers emerge, one a wolf-eagle hybrid, the other a scorpion-cobra hybrid. Neither recognizes the other; the scorpion-cobra speculates that he could beat the wolf-eagle up, and attacks. Inferno arrives, and attacks. Megatron, observing, alters their [[Command code|command codes]] to become Predacons. Introducing himself, the Predacon leader shows them that they are Transformers. The scorpion-cobra names itself [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]], and the wolf-eagle names itself [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]].

[[Image:Dinobot GoldenDisk.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Can these chocolate coins tell me my destiny... or should I eat them?"]]
Elsewhere, Dinobot is talking to himself about the two disks. Do they hold the future, or just what might be the future? A quick look would confirm how he dies, but it could be used once, and Dinobot could not live unless he were master of his own fate. Destroying them would be a coward's act, so he resolves to know the truth, but later. Placing the original disk under a rock, he takes the alien disk back to the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]''. At the Maximal base, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] is sent to find Dinobot, while Rhinox hooks himself up to some equipment for an unnamed purpose. Cheetor spots the Preds, but is attacked and pursued. Cheetor calls in his predicament to Rattrap, who prepares to wake Rhinox for battle, only for the computer to inform him that any disturbance to Rhinox—or the base—will separate Rhinox's [[core consciousness]] from his body. Dinobot arrives (hiding the disk) and asks what's going on, noting that Sentinel is on full alert. As Rattrap explains the problems, Dinobot, carrying more armament than a small battleship, declares that they must take the fight away from the base.

[[Image:Coming of the Fuzors 1 Western.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The good, the bad, and Dinobot]]
At the Predacon base, Tarantulas's mind is restored to his body, but he has left a psychic link with Blackarachnia, in an attempt to control her. Megatron contacts the base. Waspinator, finally revived, tries to tell Megatron what happened earlier, but Megatron orders them to link up with other Predacons. As Rattrap and Dinobot meet up with Cheetor on a dusty plain, the Predacons, double the Maximal numbers, prepare to attack.

[[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)|To be continued...]]

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (4)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)
*[[Rattrap]] (8)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (9)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (10)
*[[Tigatron]] (11)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (2)
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (3)
*[[Tarantulas]] (5)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (6)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (12)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (13)

}}
==Quotes==
"Whoaaa..."
:—'''Dinobot''', reacting to Waspinator getting slagged by the force field protecting the Golden Disks.

"Oh, sure. Don't mind Waspinator. Waspinator just lie here and suffer. Drag him''self'' to CR tank..." ''(continues grumbling to himself)''
:—'''Waspinator''' after being ignored by Blackarachnia/Tarantulas

"Fool! Pain is my friend! Allow me to introduce ''you'' to it!"
:—'''Inferno''' to Quickstrike

"Teamwork and cooperation—those are the Predacon watchwords." 
"How about backstabbin' and treachery?" 
"Oh, we can be flexible..."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Quickstrike'''

"What're you looking at? Hey, get your [[Transmetal|shiny new butt]] skyward and see if you can find Chopper-Face before the Preds do." 
"You mean fly?" 
"Do I mean fly? No! I mean take a submarine. Of ''course'' I mean fly! Now get going." 
"All right!" 
''sigh'' "Optimus, how did you do it?"
:—'''Rattrap''''s problems ordering '''Cheetor''' around remind him of [[Chain of Command|the last time that he was in charge]].

"They're on my tail!" 
"Oh, pussycat, you really know how to tickle my joystick."
:—'''Cheetor''''s predicament provokes an unfortunate choice of words from '''Rattrap'''.

"To be or not to be; that is the question. These disks I hold, are they a record of what will be, or only what may? For if, the future is indeed imutably foretold, then my demise is but moments from the confirmation. For I, I could not live if not the master of my fate. But if the future can be changed, if these disks record merely one path of all the miriad ways the cosmos might conform, then their power is infinite, and yet, still limited. For they could be used but once, and in that change be rendered fiction, forevermore. I could destroy them! But no. T'would be a coward's answer. I will know the truth instead. Then, it will be either them, or me, that face oblivion. Till then!..."
:—'''Dinobot''', contemplating what to do with the disks.

==Notes==
* The remains of a third [[stasis pod]] can be seen near the two crashed pods. Shortly before Silverbolt and Quickstrike emerge, the remains of another robot can be seen, presumably the occupant of the wrecked pod. This may or may not be the same stillborn protoform seen at the end of last episode.
* As Rhinox explains about the blank protoform, the [[Cybertronix]] label on the stasis pod reads either as "dud" or "dod", depending how forgiving you want to be for flipped letters.
* This is the only episode of the series to not feature [[Optimus Primal]] in any capacity.

===Technical/animation glitches===
*When Megatron shoots Silverbolt the smoke from his shoulder gun barrels stay the same shape and in place even as he is moving.
*When Rattrap is explaining the events of the episode to a returning Dinobot, his left thumb is gold through the entire scene while the rest of his hand is silver.

===Transformers references===
*Silverbolt's line "I think my name is...Silverbolt. Yes! Pure, strong, and...and fast." mirrors the first line of the [[Silverbolt (G1)|original Silverbolt]].
* As he prepares to leave base, Cheetor's Maximal logo lights up and fills the screen to act as a [[scene transition|scene-wiping transition]], vaguely in the style of the Generation 1 cartoon.

===Real-world references===
* Dinobot makes his second ''[[wikipedia:Hamlet|Hamlet]]'' reference when contemplating the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden]] [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Disks]].
** Although more of a paraphrase than a quote, the immediately subsequent lines harken to [[wikipedia:Ebenezer Scrooge|Ebenezer Scrooge]]'s final plea to the last of the Ghosts in ''[[wikipedia:A Christmas Carol|A Christmas Carol]]''.
* The final scene of the episode is a reference to old Spaghetti Westerns, right down to the music and the tumbleweed.
* Dinobot covers himself in mud to avoid the autogun's infrared sensor, a la [[Predator (alien)|Predator]].

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals'' — We're Back! ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 5 ([[Universal]])
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Second Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==Footnotes==
<references />

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

Pack-in material

2010-11-02T21:11:37Z

24.202.105.245:

[[Image:Youhavebeenchosen.jpg|thumb|300px|The besotted [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] has chosen [[You|YOU]].]]
Since the very beginning of ''Transformers,'' [[Hasbro]] has been including '''pack-in material''' with toys. The first example was the [[Catalog|toy catalog]], simply advertising all the available Transformers. But soon these were accompanied with mail-order flyers for additional exclusive toys, then mini-comics, contests, and more. In more recent years, CD-ROMs and DVDs have come into vogue, containing cartoon episodes and various interactive features, though more "low-tech" items like stickers and collector cards are still common.
{{note|The term "pack-in material" is used here for lack of a better, official option. If Hasbro has a term for this kind of media, we are unaware of it.}}

==Catalogs==
{{main|Catalog}}
Hasbro has often used pack-in catalogs to advertise their range of available toys. In the days of ''Generation 1,'' they were expansive affairs that would document an entire year's worth of product. In more recent lines, they tend to have a more limited focus, though they do occasionally branch out into advertising for other toylines.

==Mail-order flyers==
In Generation 1, Hasbro sold certain toys exclusively via mail-order flyers included with retail toys. [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]], the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibots]], and the [[Powerdasher]]s are probably the most well-known of these. Mail-order flyers were also used to sell a few other Transformers that had been discontinued from the main line. Membership in the [[S.T.A.R.S.]] fanclub was also available, and many flyers contained story material related to this that constituted a [[S.T.A.R.S. continuity|distinct micro-continuity]].

;1984
[[Image:Lookinsideforaspecialoffer.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
*"[[Reinforcements from Cybertron!]]"

;1985
*"[[The battle is far from over!]]"
*"[[Earthlings: THE S.T.A.R.S. need your help now!]]"
*"[[Look Inside for a Special Offer!]]"
*"[[Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?]]"

;1986
[[Image:Decipherthedecepticon3a.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
*"[[Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?]]"
*"[[Decipher the Decepticon]]" Sweepstakes (4 different [[posters]])
*"[[You Have Been Chosen.]]"
*"[[Inside...a Transformer Not Sold in Any Store!]]"

;1987
*"[[Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.]]"
*"[[Transformers Combat Data]]"

;1988
*"[[The Autobots Are Under Attack!]]"

==Mini-comics==
Hasbro and Takara have been known to include mini-comics with toys, sometimes to tie in with a specific promotion, and sometimes to augment the line as a whole.

;''Generation 1''
*"[[Start Your Own Decoy Collection]]", packed alongside [[decoy]]s on certain carded Transformers

;''Generation 2''
*A series of 16 [[G-2 (pack-in comic)|mini-comics]] by [[Hidetsugu Yoshioka]] were packaged with the instruction manuals by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] for the line's Japanese release.

;''Beast Wars''
*"[[Optimus Primal vs Megatron!]]", included only with the two-pack of Basic-sized [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and [[Optimus Primal]].

;''Armada''
*[[Armada (mini-comic)|''Armada'' mini-comics]], four issues printed as part of that line's toy catalogs.

;''Energon''
*[[Energon (mini-comic)|''Energon'' mini-comics]], four issues printed as part of that line's toy catalogs.

;''Robot Masters''
*A series of 2 [[Robot Masters (pack-in comic)|mini-comics]] came packaged with early ''Robot Masters'' toys.

;''Henkei! Henkei!''
*Mini-[[manga]] were packaged with every toy in each wave, totaling [[Henkei! Henkei! (pack-in comic)|12 volumes]].

;''Universe (2008)''
*While not technically ''mini''-comics, reprints of [[Escalation (Dreamwave)|''The War Within: The Dark Ages'' #2]] and [[Target: 2006|Marvel UK #82]] were included with thematically-relevant two-packs.

*A reprint of [[Marvel Comics]]' [[The Transformers (issue)|''The Transformers'' #1]] was included with the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Generation 1 series|Universe 2008 re-issue of Optimus Prime]].
;''Animated''
*Also decidedly not mini, [[First (and Second) in Flight|the final issue]] of the ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' comic series ''[[The Arrival]]'' was included with the [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] toy twin pack.

==Collector's cards==
A common pack-in item, collector's cards are an easy way for Hasbro to give customers a little something extra with their purchases.

;''Generation 2''
{{main|Real Action Pop-Ups 3-D Transformer Trading Card}}
*Some toys in the ''Generation 2'' line came with a multi-fold card which featured the toy's [[bio]] and [[Tech Spec]] inside, and a pop-up version of the [[package art|character art]] on the outside.

;''Beast Wars''
*The Japanese editions of ''Beast Wars'' toys each came with a collector's card (alternately labeled a "DESTRON CARD" or "CYBERTRON CARD") featuring a faction symbol on one side, and character art, a bio and Specs on the other.

;''Beast Wars II''
*Toys from the ''Beast Wars II'' line each came with a collector's card featuring a rendering of the character on a photographic background on one side, and a toy photo, bio and Tech Specs on the other.

;''Beast Wars Neo''
*The ''Beast Wars Neo'' toys each came with a collector's card featuring character art on one side, and toy photos, a bio and Specs on the other.

;''Armada''
*''Armada'' toys came with a glossy, single-sided, playing card-sized sticker featuring character art by [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]].
*''Micron Legend'' toys came with a collector's card featuring package art on one side and toy photos, bios and Tech Specs on the other.

;''Heroes of Cybertron''
*Toys in the ''[[Super Collection Figure|Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line each came with collector's card with the character's package art on one side, and a bio and Tech Specs on the other.

;''Energon''
*Toys from the ''Energon'' franchise included a playing-card sized collector's card, with character art on one side, and tri-lingual Tech Spec ratings on the other.

;''Masterpiece''
*''Masterpiece'' toys each come with a collector's card featuring package art on one side with bios and Tech Specs on the reverse.

==VHS Tapes==
{{main|Hasbro}}
In [[1998]], Hasbro included VHS tapes of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' with [[redeco]]es of [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] and [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]] in the US and [[Claw Jaw]] and [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]] in the UK.

==CD-ROMs and DVDs==
In the modern era, compact-disc storage has become an economical way to include promotional material with toys, from mini-comics to games to full TV episodes.

;''Universe (2003)'' / ''Armada''
{{main|Universe CD-ROM}}
*The ''Transformers: Universe'' CD-ROM was included with select ''Universe'' and ''Armada'' toys.

;''Robot Masters''
{{main|Robot Masters (cartoon)}}
*DVDs were packaged with redecoes of ''Robot Masters'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Robot Masters|G1 Convoy]], [[Optimus Primal/toys#Robot Masters|Beast Convoy]] and [[Lio Convoy#Robot Masters 2|Lio Convoy]].

;''Cybertron''
*A DVD of the ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' episode "[[Hidden]]" was included with select ''Cybertron'' toys.

;''Classics''
{{main|Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle}}
*The ''Classics'' "[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Classics|Optimus Prime]] vs [[Megatron (G1)/toys#Classics (2006)|Megatron]]" toy twin pack came with a DVD recounting the events of the [[Unicron Trilogy]].

;''Beast Wars 10th Anniversary''
*The ''[[Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]'' toys each came with a DVD containing an episode of ''Beast Wars''.
**"[[Equal Measures]]" with [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Cheetor]]
**"[[A Better Mousetrap]]" with [[Rattrap#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Rattrap]].
**"[[The Spark]]" with [[Rhinox (BW)#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Rhinox]].
**"[[Spider's Game]]" with [[Tarantulas#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Predacon Tarantulus]].
**"[[Possession]]" with [[Waspinator (BW)#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Waspinator]] or [[Optimus Primal/toys#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Optimus Primal]] vs. [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Megatron]].
**"[[Code of Hero]]" with [[Dinobot (BW)#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Dinobot]].
*The ''[[Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]'' toys each came with a DVD containing a Japanese-dubbed episode of ''Beast Wars'' and a commercial for the toyline, along with advertisements for the 2007 movie. The toys also came with a collector's card with show-based character art on one side, and toy photos, bio and specs on the other.
**"[[Beast Wars (Part 1)|Super Lifeform Transformers Appear]]" and "[[Victory (episode)|Make a Dramatic Comeback, Destrons]]" with [[Optimus Primal/toys#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|DX Convoy]].
**"[[Beast Wars (Part 2)|Destroy the Destrons]]" with [[Optimus Primal/toys#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Convoy]].
**"[[The Web|Cheetas's Crisis]]" with [[Rhinox (BW)#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Rhinox]].
**"[[Equal Measures|Operation: Time Bomb Transfer]]" with [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Megatron]].
**"[[Chain of Command|Convoy Disappeared]]" with [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Cheetas]].
**"[[Power Surge|The Sky-Mountains Explode]]" with [[Waspinator (BW)#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Waspitor]].
**"[[Fallen Comrades|Solitary Warrior, Tigatron]]" with [[Tigatron#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Tigatron]].
**"[[Double Jeopardy|Kick of the Spider Woman]]" with [[Wolfang (Predacon)#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Wolfang]].
**"[[The Probe|New Weapons of Terror!]]" with [[Dinobot (BW)#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Dinobot]].
**"[[Gorilla Warfare|The Assassin Virus]]" with [[Blackarachnia (BW)#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Black Widow]].
**"[[A Better Mousetrap|Goodbye, Rattle!?]]" with [[Cohrada#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Cohrada]].
**"[[The Spark|Falcon Warrior, Airazor]]" with [[Gimlet#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Gimlet]].
**"[[The Trigger, Part 1|Floating Island Death Match, Part 1]]" and "[[The Trigger, Part 2|Floating Island Death Match, Part 2]]" with [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|DX Megatron]].
**"[[Dark Voyage|Around and Around the Jungle]]" with [[Archadis#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Archadis]].
**"[[Possession|The Immortal Starscream]]" with [[Motorarm (BWII)#Beast_Wars_Telemocha_Series|Motorarm]].

;''Generation 1''
{{main|The Transformers (cartoon)/home video}}
* A DVD of the three part episode "[[More than Meets the Eye (episode)|More than Meets the Eye]]" was included with the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Generation 1 series|Universe 2008 re-issue of Optimus Prime]].

;''Animated''
{{main|Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video#Pack-in disc}}
*A DVD titled "The Battle Begins" was included with the ''Animated'' "[[Optimus Prime (Animated)#Toys|Optimus Prime]] vs [[Megatron (Animated)#Toys|Megatron]]" deluxe toy twin pack.

==Contests==
Occasionally Hasbro has run contests based on pack-in material:

;Generation 1
{{main|Prizes in Disguise}}
*[[Iron-on patch]]es were included with the [[combiner]] limbs and 1986 [[Mini Vehicle]]s, promoting the Prizes in Disguise contest.

;''Cybertron''
{{main|Get Your Key To Cybertron}}
*Peel-off stickers and game pieces promoted the "Get Your Key To Cybertron" instant win game.

[[Category:Pack-in material| ]]

SectorSeven.org

2010-11-01T16:59:39Z

24.202.105.245:

:''SectorSeven.org is a website associated with the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action film]].
[[Image:S7 snupdesktop.jpg|thumb|250px]]

'''SectorSeven.org''' is an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, smothered with spicy bean paste and--- ''say that sounds '''good'''... someone call Chinchilos and see if they deliver...''

==Passwords==
*'''takara83'''
**Revealed, along with the existence of the game's website, in the movie's first teaser trailer.
**References the [[Takara Agreement]].
**Password no longer accepted. [http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.php?login=takara83 Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client].

*'''thefirst7'''
**Revealed in ad for the movie on ESPN.com
**References the [[First Seven]].
**Password no longer accepted. [http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.php?login=thefirst7 Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''NBETWO'''
**Revealed in an e-mail from [[Agent X]] to game participants.
**References [[N.B.E.]]-2 (In the game, this is [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] while in other materials, it is [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]].)
**Password no longer accepted. [http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.rpy5ntr4d.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''FWIFFO'''
**Revealed on the movie's MySpace page.
**References Master Fwiffo, the screen name of a game participant, a fan who posts at several online forums.
**Password no longer accepted. [http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.ac1903.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''BYEBYEPOWERS'''
**Revealed in a post on the Stop Sector Seven Buzznet group by [[Rebecca Howard| sciencehottie35]].
**References game character [[Alexander Powers]].
**[http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.AB5F29622B20.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''gravesen'''
**Revealed in Issue Four of the movie prequel comic.
**References game character [[Gravesen]].
**[http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.19140E4A463D.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''codeblack'''
**Revealed in online version of the movie's full theatrical trailer.
**[http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.2B543E4A809F.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''DECEPTIBOT'''
**Revealed in a text message sent to game participants.
**References [[DECEPTIBOT]], a group of guys from S7's IT department who think they're a band.
**[http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.D7FD3FF46909.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

The various story elements so far include:

*It was discovered to be founded by seven guys. Well, ...a [[B11-9981|pizza boy]] got inside, once.

*An experiment on the Allspark itself that created a [[AX9-8946-09SU-1|lifeform]] which almost escaped. The Allspark was used on low-power but the resulting life-form's near escape and murder of a Sector Seven scientist means these experiments on the Allspark have been put on hold.

*Scientists within Sector Seven arguing with the military that contact should be made with designate "N.B.E. 02" (Optimus Prime) to form an alliance. The military is refusing to listen to such suggestions when considering the danger of full-on contact with seriously threatening outerspace robots.

*Throughout all of this, a mysterious "Agent X" is hacking their system and 'leaking' the information to us, the masses.

*Actual email addresses exist and many have been bombarding the addresses with mail. Some have received replies along the lines of "Keep watching" and "Follow The Cube."

*The casting of [[Hugo Weaving]] as Megatron was "revealed" through the website. [[Sector Seven]] agent H. Weaving convinced [[Steven Spielberg|S.S.]], [[Michael Bay|M.B.]], [[Roberto Orci|R.O.]], and [[Alex Kurtzman|A.K.]] to put him in charge of the "[[Megatron (Movie)|Megaman]] issue."

*In the Sector Seven ARG, [[Transformers (2007)]] and all related fiction, materials, and promotional materials are actually a [[Hungry Dragon|counter-information campaign]], designed to discredit leaks and cover up the existence of [[N.B.E.|N.B.E.s]] by presenting the facts about them as fictional events. It is suggested that all of the popular [[Generation 1]] was a similar campaign. This is supported by hacked video file evidence of mechanoids designated "N.B.E. 08" ([[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] ''[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]''), "N.B.E. 115" (''[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]''), "N.B.E. 125" (a mass-shifted [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] ''[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]]''), and "N.B.E. 57" (a mass-shifted ''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'').

=="Hexagon" codes==
* '''9-5012-117''', MB (Blue) -[[Sector Seven Mobile Command Unit]] (used for events)
* '''E-7138-117''', GR (Red) - Sample logo from website
* '''ZEBRA-25-V33''', GR (Red) - XK Plasma1 report
* '''VECTOR-89-V55''', GR (red) - Discussing NBE 102

==External links==
*[http://www.sectorseven.org SectorSeven.org - Current password: Deceptibot]

[[Category:Websites]]

SectorSeven.org

2010-11-01T16:59:22Z

24.202.105.245:

:''SectorSeven.org is a website associated with the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action film]].
[[Image:S7 snupdesktop.jpg|thumb|250px]]

'''SectorSeven.org''' is an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, smothered with spicy bean paste and--- ''say that sounds '''good'''... someone call Chinchilos and see if they deliver...''

==Passwords==
*'''takara83'''
**Revealed, along with the existence of the game's website, in the movie's first teaser trailer.
**References the [[Takara Agreement]].
**Password no longer accepted. [http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.php?login=takara83 Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client].

*'''thefirst7'''
**Revealed in ad for the movie on ESPN.com
**References the [[First Seven]].
**Password no longer accepted. [http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.php?login=thefirst7 Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''NBETWO'''
**Revealed in an e-mail from [[Agent X]] to game participants.
**References [[N.B.E.]]-2 (In the game, this is [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] while in other materials, it is [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]].)
**Password no longer accepted. [http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.rpy5ntr4d.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''FWIFFO'''
**Revealed on the movie's MySpace page.
**References Master Fwiffo, the screen name of a game participant, a fan who posts at several online forums.
**Password no longer accepted. [http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.ac1903.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''BYEBYEPOWERS'''
**Revealed in a post on the Stop Sector Seven Buzznet group by [[Rebecca Howard| sciencehottie35]].
**References game character [[Alexander Powers]].
**[http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.AB5F29622B20.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''gravesen'''
**Revealed in Issue Four of the movie prequel comic.
**References game character [[Gravesen]].
**[http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.19140E4A463D.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''codeblack'''
**Revealed in online version of the movie's full theatrical trailer.
**[http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.2B543E4A809F.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

*'''DECEPTIBOT'''
**Revealed in a text message sent to game participants.
**References [[DECEPTIBOT]], a group of guys from S7's IT department who think they're a band.
**[http://www.sectorseven.org/remoteclient.D7FD3FF46909.html Direct link to unlocked Remote Access Client]

The various story elements so far include:

*It was discovered to be founded by seven guys. Well, ...a [[B11-9981|pizza boy]] got inside, once.

*An experiment on the Allspark itself that created a [[AX9-8946-09SU-1|lifeform]] which almost escaped. The Allspark was used on low-power but the resulting life-form's near escape and murder of a Sector Seven scientist means these experiments on the Allspark have been put on hold.

*Scientists within Sector Seven arguing with the military that contact should be made with designate "N.B.E. 02" (Optimus Prime) to form an alliance. The military is refusing to listen to such suggestions when considering the danger of full-on contact with seriously threatening outerspace robots.

*Throughout all of this, a mysterious "Agent X" is hacking their system and 'leaking' the information to us, the masses.

*Actual email addresses exist and many have been bombarding the addresses with mail. Some have received replies along the lines of "Keep watching" and "Follow The Cube."

*The casting of [[Hugo Weaving]] as Megatron was "revealed" through the website. [[Sector Seven]] agent H. Weaving convinced [[Steven Spielberg|S.S.]], [[Michael Bay|M.B.]], [[Roberto Orci|R.O.]], and [[Alex Kurtzman|A.K.]] to put him in charge of the "[[Megatron (Movie)|Megaman]] issue."

*In the Sector Seven ARG, [[Transformers (2007)]] and all related fiction, materials, and promotional materials are actually a [[Hungry Dragon|counter-information campaign]], designed to discredit leaks and cover up the existence of [[N.B.E.|N.B.E.s]] by presenting the facts about them as fictional events. It is suggested that all of the popular [[Generation 1]] was a similar campaign. This is supported by hacked video file evidence of mechanoids designated "N.B.E. 08" ([[Dinobot (G1)|Dinotbot]] ''[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]''), "N.B.E. 115" (''[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]''), "N.B.E. 125" (a mass-shifted [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] ''[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]]''), and "N.B.E. 57" (a mass-shifted ''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'').

=="Hexagon" codes==
* '''9-5012-117''', MB (Blue) -[[Sector Seven Mobile Command Unit]] (used for events)
* '''E-7138-117''', GR (Red) - Sample logo from website
* '''ZEBRA-25-V33''', GR (Red) - XK Plasma1 report
* '''VECTOR-89-V55''', GR (red) - Discussing NBE 102

==External links==
*[http://www.sectorseven.org SectorSeven.org - Current password: Deceptibot]

[[Category:Websites]]

Sector Seven (game)

2010-11-01T16:54:00Z

24.202.105.245:

{{nav-movie}}
{{disambig2|the alternate reality game based on the Sector Seven organization|the organization itself|Sector Seven}}

[[Image:S7arg credits.png|center|450px|thumb|Hollywood lies]]

The '''Sector Seven Alternate Reality Game''' is a viral marketing campaign for the [[Transformers (2007)|first]] [[live-action film series|live action movie]]. The game's story began in in February [[2007]] and concluded on [[July 6]] with a farewell message sent to user's cell-phones by the campaign protagonist.

The campaign was based on the premise that the entire [[Transformers brand]], from [[Generation 1 (franchise)|1984]] to the upcoming movie, was actually an elaborate cover-up designed to conceal the ''real'' presence of [[Transformer|alien machines]] on the planet Earth. Players used passwords concealed in the promotional material for the upcoming movie by [[Agent X|a rogue agent]] to access a 'secure online client' and read e-mails and explore files belonging to various agents in the organization.

The campaign sprawled to include the 'secure client', cell phones, several social networking sites, as well as live events and a touring troupe of actors.

{{chapters|style=2|title=''Sector Seven'' Alternate Reality Game components:|content=
*[[SectorSeven.org]]
*[[Stop Sector Seven]]
*[[Sector Seven Mobile Command Unit]]
*[[The Real Effing Deal]]
*[[GiantEffingRobots.com]]
}}

==Revenge of the Fallen==
The viral marketing campaign was re-established for the sequel in the form of two websites that continue to depict "real" events consisting of leaks of alien contacts. The film [[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]] could be easily seen as further misinformation designed to discredit the work of [[Robo-Warrior]] at [[GiantEffingRobots.com]] and [[Leo Spitz]] and his staff from [[The Real Effing Deal]].

The websites officially tied into the Sector Seven continuity when [[Agent X]] contacted Leo Spitz with information gathered from Sector Seven.[http://www.therealeffingdeal.com/blog/exclusive-mission-city-update/#more-1982]

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Sector Seven]]|c1=
*[[Alexander Powers]]
*[[Rebecca Howard]]
*[[Reggie Simmons]]
*[[James Farr]]
*[[Gravesen]]
|h2=[[Stop Sector Seven]]|c2=
*[[Agent X]]
|h3=[[NBE]]s|c3=
*[[Megatron (Movie)|NBE 01]]
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|NBE 02]]
*[[Grimlock (G1)|NBE 08]]
*[[NBE 57]]
*[[NBE 115]]
*[[NBE 125]]
*[[NBE A684]]
|c4=
*[[B11-9981]]
*[[AX9-8946-09SU-1]]
*[[Hiro Kurosawa]]
*[[Mario]]
*[[Freddy]]
*[[Robo-Warrior]]
*[[Leo Spitz]]
*[[Sharsky|Sharkatron3000]]
*[[Fassbinder|The Fassinator]]
*[[Vicki and Danielle]]
*[[Sgt. Power]]
}}

==External links==
*[http://www.sectorseven.org SectorSeven.org - Current password: Deceptibot]
*[http://ebucehtdnif.ws/ Agent X's podcasting website]
*[http://www.buzznet.com/groups/stopsectorseven Stop Sector Seven Buzznet group]
*[http://sector7.wikibruce.com/Home Sector Seven ARG wiki]

[[Category:Movie]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Sector Seven]]

Halloween

2010-11-01T03:01:48Z

24.202.105.245:

[[Image:Optimus Pumpkin.JPG|right|200px|thumb|We can all recognize [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Prime]], but who is that other guy? Is that supposed to be [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'s crazy face?]]
'''Halloween''' is an [[Earth]] holiday in which [[Human|humans]] dress up in strange outfits that make them look like other people or things. It is usually celebrated on [[October 31]], and is a ritual to celebrate the end of Summer which started in [[Ireland]] many centuries ago, although it has evolved significantly since then.

{{quote|So, the purpose of this "Halloween" is to disguise yourself in order to frighten strangers and extort sugar infused... nuggets.|[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] contemplates the true meaning of Halloween|"[[Along Came a Spider]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Legends'' anthology===
[[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]], [[Rad White|Rad]] and [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]] attempted to explain Halloween to their [[Mini-Con]] friends, and ended up resorting to taking the trio Trick-or-Treating with them. The Mini-Cons were confused by the human custom, and the way that Rad explained that they could "t.p." houses which didn't give out candy, but soon got into the spirit of the holiday. As a mark of their veneration of their [[human]] friends, the Mini-Cons took the tradition back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] with them, and thousands of years later, the Mini-Cons still went out Trick-or-Treating on Halloween. {{storylink|Something Robotic This Way Comes}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[Image:Saricostume.jpg|right|100px|thumb|In this town/ We call home/ Everyone hail to the Energon song]]
On Halloween night, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] went Trick-or-Treating with [[Sari Sumdac]]. They were in for a trick when [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] attacked, turning every dumb stubbie and... Um... leafie into older, wrinkly versions of themselves. Ew. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider|Along Came a Spider}}
{{-}}
==Toys==
===Universe (2003)===
*'''Nightprowler Vs. Waspinator'''(Halloween Horrorcon value pack, unreleased)
[[Image:Waspinator_unreleased.jpg|right|thumb|200px|”Wazzpinator want candy.”]]

:For a brief time, [[Hasbro]]'s official website checklist featured listings for two "Halloween [[Horrorcon (Universe)|Horrorcon]] Value Packs" that were to be Wal-Mart [[Exclusive|exclusives]]... which also likely explains why they were canceled. (Wal-Mart had taken a good half-dozen exclusives and released them more-or-less simultaneously, leading to a huge glut. A lot of other ''Transformers'' exclusives were canceled during the ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' era.)

:[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] was a redeco of [[Beast Wars (toyline)|''Beast Wars'']] Transmetal Waspinator with opaque-salmon wings and lavender insect legs. He was to come with [[Nightprowler]], a blue and yellow redeco of the original [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]] toy.
:*''[http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d75/binalternator/unreleased/nightprowler_vs_waspinator/ Gallery of Nightprowler vs. Waspinator test-shots]''
{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}
[[Image:Blackarachnia unreleased.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Of course, everyday is Halloween for Transformers.]]
*'''Leatherhide Vs. Blackarachnia''' (Halloween Horrorcon value pack, unreleased)
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

:Blackarachnia was a black, silver, and salmon-colored redeco of the ''Beast Wars'' Tarantulas/Blackarachnia mold. She was to come with [[Leatherhide]], a pale blue and light brown redeco of ''Beast Wars'' [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]] [[Soundwave (BW)|Soundwave]].
{{canceledtoy}}

{{-}}

===Disney Label===
[[Image:HalloweenMickey.JPG|right|thumb|300px|What? No Jack Skellington?]]
*'''Mickey Mouse Trailer Halloween Version''' (2009)

: Halloween Mickey Mouse is a redeco of the [[Mickey Mouse]] Trailer done up in orange and black and was an [[exclusive]] to 7-11 stores in Japan. The robot mode features a variety of Halloween-themed [[Paint operation|paint applications]], such as a jack-o-lantern face and skulls on its torso and spider webs on the trailer [[kibble]]. The little Mickey figure has a blue face and red eyes.
{{-}}
[[Image:Disneylabel halloween donald.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Donald Duck Holiday Vehicle Halloween Version''' ([[September 25]] 2010)
**''Accessories:'' Rocket-surfboard.

:Like Mickey Mouse, [[Donald Duck]] was also made available in a Halloween-inspired orange and black deco with jack-o-lantern patterns and more. He was exclusive to 7-11 stores in Japan, with a pre-order window opening on [[August 17]], 2010.
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Collegeville Costumes===
[[Image:Ultramagnus halloween costume.jpg|right|120px|thumb|Halloween, circa 1986.]]
* In 1986, [[Collegeville Costumes]] featured several [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Transformers]] Halloween costumes and masks for children. The masks were made of flat styrofoam and included a hinge to flip the mask up and down. The costumes consisted of a vinyl one-piece smock (featuring the character's [[package art]], name, and the ''Transformers'' brand name on the chest) and a simple plastic mask with an elastic band.

{{-}}

===BuySeason, Inc.===
[[Image: Optimuswomenscostumes.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Mikaela and Carly vie for Sam's love.]]
* For 2010, [[BuySeason, Inc.]] came out with various types of Transformers-based costumes for children and adults (including sassy versions of Optimus Prime and [[:Image: Bumblebeewomenscostumes.jpg|Bumblebee]] for adult women).

{{charstubtoys}}
{{-}}

==Notes==
* The comic issue "[[Ghosts]]" was advertised as a "Halloween Special Edition".
{{stub}}

[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Armada]]
[[Category:Earth culture]]

Talk:Latolata

2010-11-01T02:58:34Z

24.202.105.245:

Should this page be moved to have (BW) without the N? --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 03:47, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

: I suppose if that's how we're hangling all BW* series... --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 03:51, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

An Inpronouncable name? Sounds like Unicron was buying minions from Cthulhu at the time of Neo.

The Blentrons have a definate Lovecraftian influence; a cult of freakish monsters that can bend the fabric of reality, determined to revive a primordial God. One of the reasons why I loved those guys. --[[User:DrSpengler|DrSpengler]] 19:18, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

I have to ask, where can I get my hands on BW II and Neo cartoons? Can you buy it, or would I have to DL it? I'm having to get Region one DVDs for BW 1 since the English DVDs START at the end of Season 2(I live in the UK). It doesn't make a lot of sense. For some reason, I'm loving Transformers Animation more than ever recently. Has it even been translated (it sounds like they are Japanese Language) into English, or does all this info come from people who have learn Japanese?

*There have been some fandubs of Beast Wars II and Neo, but they're just getting started. You can download them at the usual places, but I don't know much about that so I can't really help you, there. I got mine in raw Japanese on bootleg VHS tapes many years.
To be honest, Beast Wars II is as awful as it gets and watching it is a real chore. Beast Wars Neo is a slight improvement but doesn't get really good until the Unicron Saga, and that's at the very end of the series. --[[User:DrSpengler|DrSpengler]] 00:44, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

I do support having humor in articles, but... is calling this character by a different retarded name every time actually funny? I think I'd prefer it just stick with Rartorarta, since that's the article name. --[[User:Steve-o|Steve-o]] 19:33, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

I thought it was funny, at least in so much as an expression of the authors disdain for the characters incomprehsible name. --[[User:UndeadScottsman|UndeadScottsman]] 19:38, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I was thinking about that, too. Perhaps we should just leave the goofy names in the "(also spelled...)" and leave the actual information within the article alone. --[[User:DrSpengler|DrSpengler]] 20:17, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
:I disagree. I think the new-name-every-time is both funny and a good reflection on the retardedness of the original name. He's the Lump Beefbroth, Fridge Hardmeat, Buck Plankchest, Blast Hardcheese of TF-dom. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 23:25, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

::I... have no idea what you are talking about. But regardless, maybe the problem is that I don't see what makes this name so ire-inspiring. It sounds just like any other nonsense name to me. It also bothers me that a lot of the false names in the article sound so little like the actual name. It all comes across, to me at least, as spiteful instead of being in good fun. --[[User:Steve-o|Steve-o]] 00:29, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

:::I don't think it's particularly funny, myself, but I can tell you the reason I have more ire for Rartorarta than almost anyone else is that it's impossible to tell what his name is supposed to be, which is frustrating. -[[User:LV|LV]] 00:35, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

::::It's a terrible fucking name. It makes no sense in Japanese, and even less sense in English. It deserves to be made fun of. Then again, I wrote the original article, so yeah, it's probably a leeetle spiteful. But fuck it, it's funny. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] 01:09, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

:::::So far, two votes for funny, two votes for not funny. I'm on the fence, so I can't be a real tiebreaker. I like the concept of the joke, but the execution seems to be overwhelming the article. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 01:20, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

::::::Perhaps reigning it in a little, so that the names seem to (for the most part) bear some vague resemblance to Rattoratcha? -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:09, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

:::::::Count me in with those who like the article as it stands. Tamper not with comedic genius lest ye be cast alive into the smelting pits of Dullsville! I think a huge part of the comedy here is that the names get stupider and stupider as the article goes on. MUST SAV FUNY! --[[User:Autobus Prime|Autobus Prime]] 13:46, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

::::::::I think I'd be more concerned about it if this was say, Rattrap or Starscream or Side Burn's article. Fartpaddle is an incredibly minor character in the TF mythos. It's like making fun of Zeebop Scandana or O's dad or someone else totally inconsequential. Who, honestly, gives a fuck about these guys? Doing something like this is the most attention they'll ever get. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] 18:41, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

::::::::::Plus his stupid names makes it bloody hard to find pictures of him. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 23:15, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::::Oh, are we in need of character art? I have a Neo guidebook somewhere with good pics. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 00:06, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
::::::::::::I like the article as written, though I think some of the more outlandish ones (like Brickabrack and Scarsborough) should be changed to things that bear at least a slight resemblance to his actual name. - [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] 00:31, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::::::I'll thrown in a vote for "funny" if someone puts in either Rad Rachel or Lardgargler. I don't think I can do it with clear conscience myself.--[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] 01:01, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

Scarborough ''does'' resemble the original name. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 01:09, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
:Plus, come on. Paul Simon reference. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 01:19, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

I find this article funny with the mess of names. Perhaps returning to the original name for the toy anf the link for some clarity, and then slipping back into the silliness of the names. ~ Ithekro
: I like names, but I should point out I meant his REAL name makes it hard to find pics of him to use in the article. So yeah Derik, I'd welcome some kind of profile picture, preferrably something that (alledgedly) makes him look badass and pathetic at the same time. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 05:04, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

Now that this character has a pretty visible role in an English-language story, I'd just like to renew my comment that I think the name-changing thing in this article is incredibly annoying and completely not-funny. --[[User:Steve-o|Steve-o]] 04:56, 19 October 2007 (UTC)
:I think that names that hold some similarity to his real name (Larrylatta) are good, but ones that are just jumbles (Galavanta) just make the article harder to understand, especially if the fake name could easily be used as the name of an actual Transformer.--[[User:Zodberg|Zodberg]] 05:09, 19 October 2007 (UTC)
::I agree entirely with this Steve-o character. It isn't funny or clever, and reads like a whiny transfan calling something names because he doesn't like it. Much like "Has-blow" and.. well, I can't think of another example, but it shouldn't have any place on a wiki anyway. --[[User:Specimen-17|Specimen-17]] 22:34, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
:::I really don't see the comparison between the whininess of "Hasblo" and the attempted humor in this article. It's trying to be funny, not spiteful. Don't care for the inclusion either way. [[User:Interrobang|Interrobang]] 22:51, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
The thing is, this ''isn't the only article to try to make this joke''. We've got a good half dozen articles that make the exact same cracks about bizarre Romanization of Japanese names. Kind of overkill, I think.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]] 22:55, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
::::You guys all suck. It's funny because "Rartorata" is a completely stupid, made up and pointless name. He might as well be called Thrakkorzog (which was, indirectly, what inspired the entire list of wacky mispronunciations). [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] 00:26, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

I have finally found an origin for his name! [[wikipedia:Kamen Rider OOO (character)#Latorartar Combo|It's a portmanteau of "''Ra''ion" (lion), "''Tora''" (tiger) and "Chī''tā''" (cheetah).]] [[Special:Contributions/24.202.105.245|24.202.105.245]] 22:58, 31 October 2010 (EDT)
== Throatwarbler Mangrove. ==

At the risk of belaboring the funny, here is why "Throatwarbler Mangrove doesn't have to sound ''anything'' like "Rartorata":

:'''Interviewer:''' Good evening. I have with me in the studio tonight one of Britain's leading skin specialists - Raymond Luxury Yacht.
:'''Raymond:''' That's not my name.
:'''Interviewer:''' I'm sorry - Raymond Luxury Yacht.
:'''Raymond:''' No, no, no - it's spelled Raymond: Luxury Yacht, but it's pronounced 'Throatwarbler Mangrove'.
:'''Interviewer:''' You're a very silly man and I'm not going to interview you.
And that as they say is that.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 23:00, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

:That reminds me - I need to buy the Monty Python DVD set. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 23:11, 16 December 2007 (UTC)

== His size ==

Considering how HUGE Razorbeast got because of the Anglomois in his system, would it be a safe bet to say that Rartorata became that big because of it as well? --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 19:23, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
:Quite likely. All three Blendtrons were behemoths.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 19:54, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Bridget

2010-10-30T21:34:53Z

24.202.105.245:

:''Bridget is a [[human]] character from the [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:DrBridget01.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Who wouldn't want to be trapped alone in the dark with her?]]
Doctor '''Bridget''' (ブリジット ''Burijitto'') is apparently a friend of [[Koji Onishi]]'s father, [[Kenneth Onishi|Doctor Onishi]]. What her job actually is has yet to be determined, but man, she can do whatever she ''wants''.

==Fiction==
===''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Brianne Siddall]] (English), [[Mariko Nagahama]] (Japanese)

After his father was kidnapped, Koji spent a brief time with Doctor Bridget, staying with her at (or near) the [[Los Bogus]] desert resort hotel. Together, the two visited [[Sherman Dam]], a hydro-electric power dam near the Los Bogus resort. The dam was subsequently attacked by [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] and the [[Commando]]s, causing the nearby city's power to go out. Koji and Bridget were trapped in the darkened dam control room throughout the duration of the assault.

The [[Autobot]]s ultimately foiled [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]]'s plot to blow up the dam, and all was well again. It is unknown how much longer Koji stayed with Dr. Bridget before returning home. {{storylink|Commandos}}

==Notes==
*Doctor Bridget's name was not given in the dialogue of the English ''Robots in Disguise'' dub. Her name is taken from the ''Car Robots'' version of the series.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridget}}
[[Category:Cartoon-only characters]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise characters]]
[[Category:Scientists]]

Moustache Man

2010-10-30T20:41:51Z

24.202.105.245: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticonfilm}}
:''Moustache Man is a [[Decepticon]] holographic avatar from the [[Movie (franchise)|Movie]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Movie MustacheMan.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The real reason they have mustaches is so that they can twirl something while contemplating the conquest of the universe.]]
The '''Moustache Man''' is a [[Hologram|holographic image]], and the means by which the Decepticon forces can operate within the military branches and law enforcement agencies of the [[United States]] without gaining the attention that an otherwise driver-less vehicle would obviously attract. While the Moustache Man can appear in different uniforms appropriate for the vehicle disguise his owner has assumed, the hologram appears to have only one face. With a fake mustache.

Moustache Man has a piercing, icy stare and the tendency to flicker before his owner carries out an operation.

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] were the first to scan and destroy [[Earth]] vehicles for disguises when arriving on-planet. It can be assumed that the original Moustache Man was the operator of one of these two vehicles, mimicked to complete the disguise. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 1}}

===''Transformers'' (2007) movie===
:''Actor:'' [[Brian Reece]]

[[Image:Movie Blackout holoavatar.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Where is Sarah Connor?!]]
[[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] projected the Moustache Man as his 'human' pilot when he arrived at [[SOCCENT Forward Operations Base]] in [[Qatar]], successfully fooling the human soldiers. Base commander [[Colonel Sharp]] ordered Moustache Man to power down Blackout and disembark his crew or risk being killed. Moustache Man flickered before Blackout transformed to lay waste to SOCCENT.

Later, after [[Air Force One]] was forced to make an emergency landing, [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] drove up to the plane with the Moustache Man activated, earning not a second glance from the many police officers and secret service agents protecting the aircraft. He reacted to [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy's]] complaints about being shot at by [[Human|stupid insects]] and his report of his failure to successfully access the information they were after with an ''icy stare''. Hey, better than [[dull surprise]].

[[Image:Movie Starscream holographavatar1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|No, really. Where is she? She owes me ten bucks.]]
Tracking down [[Sam Witwicky|ladiesman217]], Barricade's Moustache Man tricked the human adolescent into believing he was a real police officer. The human recounted his escape from his [[Bumblebee (Movie)|car that was following him]] and demanded the Moustache Man exit the vehicle. Needless to say, he didn't, but instead aped Barricade's movements as he bashed Sam with his car door.

After Frenzy reported the location of the [[AllSpark (Movie)|All Spark]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream's]] Moustache Man flickered and sat in his owner's cockpit impassively as the Decepticon second-in-command ordered the other Decepticons to move out. It is unknown if the Moustache Man was still being projected during the battle over [[Mission City]]. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)|Transformers}}

{{-}}

===Cyber Missions===
[[Image:MoustacheManCyberMissions6.jpg|left|thumb|100px]]

Seeking the deactivation codes for [[NEST]]'s defence systems, Barricade used the hologram to fool a face recognition scanner at a secure facility in [[Scramble City (city)|Scramble City]]. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 6}}

{{-}}

==Notes==
* The Decepticon holographic avatar is referred to as "Mustache Man" in the script, following the American English spelling. He is credited as "M'''o'''ustache Man" in the credits of the final film, following the more international British English spelling of the word.

* In the February 28, 2006 revision of the script, Bumblebee has the same holographic driver as the Decepticons! Although presumably removed from later drafts because it ''makes no sense'', Bumblebee's Moustache Man shows up in [[Transformers: The Movie Storybook]], and is mentioned by Barricade in the [[Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers Autobots]] DS game. Similarly, ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] uses a "moustache man" hologram in his vehicle mode, though with the series' trend of long [[chin]]s, as well as the "man's" face resembling Prowl's own.

* [[Brian Reece]], the actor who plays Moustache Man, was actually the real pilot of one of the two MH-53 helicopters used as [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout's]] alternate mode. [[Michael Bay]] and [[Steven Spielberg]] both agreed that he looked ''exactly'' what they had pictured Moustache Man to look like, and as a result, he had to change his wedding and honeymoon schedules so that he could film all of Moustache Man's scenes for the ''Transformers'' movie.<ref>Transformers DVD audio commentary by director Michael Bay</ref> <ref>[http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/jun/30/kirtland-air-force-base-pilots-icy-stare-earned-hi/ Albuquerque Tribune article on Reece and the Moustache Man]</ref>

* If you pause the film while Moustache Man is flickering, the image of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime's]] face is visible... yeah.
* Moustache Man's mustache serves a practical purpose... it conceals a swath of miniature antennae.<ref>2007 film novelization, pg 109</ref>

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Cyber Missions characters]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Movie characters]]

Home Soil

2010-10-30T03:54:46Z

24.202.105.245: /* Real-world references */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=19
|image=HomeSoil Maximal plant attack.jpg
|title="Home Soil"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[March 15]], 2000
|written by=[[Megeen McLaughlin|Meg McLaughlin]]
|directed by=[[Dennis Heaton]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''A spaceship crash-lands on Cybertron, releasing a tentacled alien monster. The Maximals and Vehicons both rush to take control of the vessel's secrets.'''

:''French title:'' '''Terre Natale''' ("Native Land")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Provenance''' ("Source")
:''Japanese title:'' 植物の反乱 (''Shokubutsu no Hanran'', "The Plant's Rebellion")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Su Tierra Natal'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:HomeSoil Silverbolt shipcrash.jpg|left|thumb|200px|My god, Bones. What have I done.]]
High above the planet of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], a mysterious spaceship and a cluster of asteroids prepare to make planetfall. But the automated space-cannons manage to destroy the asteroids and badly damage the ship, sending it plummeting towards the planet. Flying above the city streets, [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] sends word of the ship to base.

Underground, a worried [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] examines the wilting [[technorganic]] trees and ponders their survival and the future of Cybertron should they die. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] tries to console him, but to no avail. Suddenly, [[Rattrap]] bursts in, telling the [[Maximal]]s about the ship's crash. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] has also found out about the arrival of the ship and orders [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] to destroy any survivors of the crash. Thrust obediently heads towards the site, turning this into a race against time.

[[Image:HomeSoil Maximals head towards crash.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Not running ''away'' from something for once.]]
As the Maximals head towards the crash site, Thrust and his troops whiz by them. Several of the drones peel from the squadron and about-face, turning to fight the Maximals. Transforming into robot mode, the Maximals make short work of the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s, but they have lost time. Primal splits them into three teams: He and Cheetor will travel on the surface, Rattrap and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] will go underground, and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] will take to the sky.

In the air, Nightscream and Silverbolt destroy a squadron of Aero-Drones, but Nightscream still treats newcomer Silverbolt rudely, even after the latter compliments their teamwork together.

In the sewers of Cybertron, Blackarachnia laments to Rattrap of Silverbolt's lack of affection, even after she freed him from his Jetstorm slave form and reformatted him into his present condor form. However, the conversation is cut short as two [[Vehicon Mole|mole drones]] burst in from the sides. Blackarachnia destroys one and Rattrap commandeers another, and the duo head towards the site much quicker.

On the surface, Cheetor and Primal are surrounded by a group of drones. The two flying Maximals arrive to help them, and together they destroy the drones.

Eventually, the Maximals arrive at the ship. Stepping inside, they discover that the walls are covered with plant matter. They are suddenly attacked by a tentacled plant beast, but when they fight it, it turns tail and heads underground, towards the Oracle and the technorganic orchard. Primal fears that the fast-growing seeds the alien leaves in its wake will contaminate and destroy the orchard.

[[Image:HomeSoil Optimus prebotanica.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
However, he has a plan: Tapping the power of the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], he attempts to reformat the monster. Cheetor protests, seeing as only "Cybertronians" can be reformatted, but Primal goes ahead with his idea, and the alien is bathed in a white light. The organic components of the creature begin to merge with the technological, and a technorganic, sentient plant emerges. The creature explains that she too is of Cybertronian descent, and that several years ago, she and her crew embarked on a mission of exploration similar to the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s (except without all the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|guns, violence and killing]]). Reaching a [[Regalis V|planet]] covered with aggressive, mobile plants (in other words, "talking trees"), she and her crew took the natives' forms to study them and avoid predation. The plant says that Megatron's attack had "shorted out" both her ship and her higher mental functions, so she was merely acting out of self-preservation.

But the plant-bot is cut short as a phalanx of Tank Drones attack, beginning to ravage the orchard. The newest member of the Maximals takes action, transforming into her robot mode. Shooting one drone with electrical energy, she uses a "chain-lightning" attack, with the energy leaping from one tank to the next, until the deadly circuit is completed and the drones are destroyed.

[[Image:HomeSoil Optimus botanica plant.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Do you still have that baggy I gave you?]]
Examining the poor state of the plants, the robot notes that different plants need different lighting, and she throws a bomb-like device onto the lights currently used. As the light changes, the technorganic plants flourish, and the new Maximal introduces herself as [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]].

Above, Megatron (encompassed within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]]) notes the newest arrival and transforms into a "spaceship mode", destroying the remains of Botanica's ship and the rampant plant growth around it.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (1)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (2)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (3)
*[[Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (5)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (6)
*[[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] (13)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (7)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (9)
*[[Sonic Attack Jet|Sonic Attack Jets]] (10)
*[[Vehicon Mole|Mole Drones]] (11)
*[[Tank Drone|Tank Drones]] (12)

}}

==Quotes==
"Don't worry, legs, I know the drill."
:—'''Rattrap''', about to take out a mole drone.

"''Real'' fair. One of me, six of them." 
"''Seven''! ... now. As we remain static, the organics grow yet stronger. Clearly this infestation must be exterminated, once and for all."
:—'''Thrust''' groans about unfair odds, while '''Megatron''' makes with the foreshadowing.

==Notes==
* This is the only episode where Grand Mal Megatron transforms.

===Technical/animation glitches===
*Glitch

===Continuity errors===
*Primal doesn't suffer any weakness post-reformatting, as he did with Nightscream. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit|Forbidden Fruit}}
*Like Nightscream, Botanica is able to transform to robot mode immediately after being reformatted. Then again, like Nightscream, she was reformatted by Optimus Primal directly, instead of the Oracle, which might be a deciding factor in the new transformation process.
*Rattrap usually transforms into robot mode in order to interface with computers. In this episode, he transforms ''out'' of robot mode to do it.
*It apparently doesn't occur to Optimus to use his jet boosters to reach the downed spacecraft first. Plus, even if they have to stay in Beast Mode, why do they stick together rather than sending Cheetor out on ahead? Or are they seriously suggesting that every Maximal has the same top speed? (This isn't the [[Code of Hero|first time]] this has happened.)
*Why does a Maximal shuttle look exactly like a four million year old Autobot shuttle, instead of, say, the Axalon, one of its contemptories? It also has a very inconsistent size. Botanica fills the exit door when she leaves the ship in the flashback, whereas Rattrap and the other Maximals were tiny against it when trying to break in.
*Apparently Botanica (or at least one of her crew) can change her alt-mode just from receiving information from a DNA scanner, without the need for a CR Chamber.
*So, er, what happened to Botanica's crew then?

===Transformers references===
* NIghtscream wonders aloud if the new arrivials might "spread some sort of virus" while glaring at Silverbolt, a reference to the events of [[A Wolf in the Fold|last episode]].

===Real-world references===
* Nightscream and Silverbolt declare "Do not pass 'Go!' Do not collect $200!", a clear reference to the popular board game [[Monopoly]].
* Nightscream at one point refers to Silverbolt as "Typhoid Mary", a reference to both the previous episode and the infamous real-life carrier of the Typhoid virus.

===Trivia===
* The planet that Botanica and her crew were sent to explore is apparently Planet Jungle from Mainframe Entertainment's other toyline-based cartoon ''[[wikipedia:Shadow_Raiders|Shadow Raiders/War Planets]]''. Whether this is an intentional crossover or simply due to the recycling of backgrounds and animation models for budget reasons is unclear.
* For some reason, Blackarachnia checks herself out after Botanica gets reformatted. Jealous at no longer being the only girl, Legs? (She also has the most over-the-top look of shock on her face imaginable.)

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 5 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season Two: Volume One ([[Sony]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season Two (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 2 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Forbidden Fruit

2010-10-30T03:49:08Z

24.202.105.245: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=5
|image=ForbiddenFruit titlescreen.jpg
|caption=Yum! Mangoes!
|title="Forbidden Fruit"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 16]], 1999
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Trenton Carlson]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''A mysterious bat offers a strange new energy supply, but is it a blessing or a curse?'''

:''French title:'' '''Le Fruit Défendu'''
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Fruit Défendu'''
:''Japanese title:'' 禁断の果実 (''Kindan no Kajitsu'', "Forbidden Fruit")
:''Spanish title:'' '''El Fruto Prohibido'''

==Synopsis==
In the depths of Cybertron, the two [[technorganic]] warriors, Blackarachnia and Cheetor, mock-spar in their beast modes. They are being tutored by Optimus Primal on finding their still point during battle so they can transform. Cheetor objects to the new, "mystical" Optimus and proclaims that he trusts his instincts. All this unfolds while they are watched by an unfamiliar set of bat eyes. Beside the more advanced Blackarachnia and Cheetor, now learning to transform in combat, Rattrap is still struggling with the basics of his technorganic body and relearning the transformation process—unsuccessfully. Optimus Primal tells Rattrap to have patience and just let it happen. Frustrated with his new body and his liability in combat, the rat lashes out at his leader. According to him, Primal should save his advice for the still-missing Rhinox and Silverbolt.

[[Image:Forbidden Fruit Nightscream restrained.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Charlton Heston in a role that will surprise you!]]
Hurt, Primal leaves Rattrap, while the other two scold the rat for his behavior. Primal notices something up above and catches it. It's a bat, and Primal is shocked at the presence of organic life on Cybertron. Before he can examine it further, he is hit with a sonic pulse, and the creature flaps away. The Maximals pursue the bat in their beast modes through the lower regions of Cybertron before Cheetor transforms and catches the creature. As Cheetor holds the bat down, it speaks! Not only that, it—or rather, he—claims to be a Maximal.

At this point, Jetstorm and his Aero Drones appear and attack the Maximals. Primal, Cheetor, and Blackarachnia transform into combat modes, while Rattrap, unable to transform and devoid of weapons, hides. After a short clash, the Maximals run away, followed by Jetstorm, who fires a homing mine after the Maximals that the bat deflects with a sonic blast. While the Maximals take cover, the Aero Drones are destroyed by the bat, and Jetstorm vows to return.

[[Image:Bm soundwave.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Mainframe's compensation for [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s survival in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the movie]].]]
The creature, being the kind soul he is, leads the Maximals back to his hideout. On the way, Primal tells him a simplified story of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], their [[reformatting]], and basically all the events leading up to the present. The bat recounts how he found himself trapped in this new form when the first [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]] attacked Cybertron. As [[Soundwave (G1)|other robots]] were destroyed, he fell down a deep pit and awoke, he says, in his current, organic body. When the Maximals reach their destination, Primal is amazed at Nightscream's temporary home. It is a towering, organic fruit tree lodged in the metal world of Cybertron.

[[Image:Forbidden Fruit Optimus Primal tree.jpg|left|200px|thumb|I'm not really digging this new remake of ''[[King Kong]]''.]]
The creature explains that he has been eating from the tree since his transformation and offers its fruit to the others. While three of them accept, Cheetor is suspicious of the creature. While Primal tries the fruit, claiming that it may help their organic components, Cheetor retorts that he only processes [[Energon (fuel)|energon]], period. Cheetor interrogates the bat and demands answers. He wants to know if the newcomer's an agent for Megatron, but the bat denies it, as Megatron took everything he loved away from him. Cheetor and the bat go back to the others, but the Maximals seem unresponsive and strange. Primal beats his chest and speaks in a primitive way, while Rattrap and Blackarachnia squabble over the fruit, hissing and nipping one another. The organic fruits have magnified their bestial sides, creating a mental imbalance and the eventual dominance of their animal natures.

Amidst the chaos, Jetstorm reappears and attacks. Cheetor attempts to snap the others out of their beast mentality and get them transform. They ignore him, and he and the bat attempt to take the food away from the increasingly feral Maximals. Cheetor notices the trunk of the organic tree, transforms, and cuts it down, despite the bat's protests. This restores the affected Maximals to their old selves, and they transform and begin the fight. The bat is badly hurt by a blast from Jetstorm, and the only way to save his life is for Primal to reformat him.

[[Image:Nightscreambm.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Dammit, Mainframe. This is why nobody liked ''Beast Machines''!]]
From his chest, a brilliant white light shoots out. The bat's organic components are mixed with technology, and a technorganic bat emerges. Transforming into his new robot mode, he decimates the ranks of the Aero-drones and drains energon out of Jetstorm until the general crashes. But reformatting the creature has taken its toll on Optimus. He is severely weakened and requests Cheetor to lead while he recovers, as Cheetor was right to destroy the tree; its purely organic nature was creating imbalance in their technorganic bodies. Cheetor eagerly accepts and orders Optimus to be placed on a stretcher.

The new robot decides to travel with them and introduces himself as [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]. But as they leave, a fruit from the organic tree puts down roots into what appears to be organic soil!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (4)
*[[Rattrap]] (5)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (6)
*[[Sonic Attack Jet|Sonic Attack Jets]] (7)

}}
==Quotes==
"How do you expect to master your new body if you keep turning your back on the Matrix, the source of our very sparks."
:—'''Optimus''' preaches it.

"But that's impossible. How can it ''live'' down here?" 
"Eh, even with wings, a rat's a rat. And we're survivors."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Rattrap''' spot a bat.

"Well, well, well. Looks like what we have here is an unlawful assembly. I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you boys downtown—''in pieces!''"
:—'''Jetstorm'''

"That's it! I'm through working with a bunch of empty-headed tin-plated-" [''is interrupted by Maximals''] "Ganging up on me? Let's see how tough you are when I bring a whole battalion back!"
:—'''Jetstorm''' suffers from ADD.

"I was trying to remember how to transform. I thought I could learn by watching him. Like that would ever happen." 
"'''Like that would ever happen.'''"
:—'''Nightscream''' doesn't have a high opinion of '''Rattrap''' (or anyone else, actually).

"Sit! Eat! Get strong!"
:—'''Optimus Primal''', nutritional specialist on fruit

==Notes==
===Mistakes===
* Nightscream is introduced.

===Continuity errors===
* Nightscream cannot transform and is reformatted, then instantaneously transforms, unlike the other Maximals, who must relearn transformation. (Rattrap, who hasn't relearnt yet, is as surprised as the viewer, exclaiming "You gotta be kidding me!" at the sight)

===Transformers references===
* During his flashback, Nightscream is seen hiding behind a Transformer that resembles [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]].

===Real-world references===
* As the Maximals hold down Nightscream, he looks at Optimus and cries, "Get your stinking paws off me, you big, dirty ape!", semi-quoting the famous line from the Charlton Heston film ''Planet of the Apes''.

===Other notes===
* This episode was riffed on in [[MSTF]] fashion at [[BotCon 2000]]. It is one of two ''Beast Machines'' episodes to get the MSTF treatment, the other being "[[A Wolf in the Fold]]".

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 2 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume One ([[Sony]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume One — Reformatting (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season One (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 1 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Transform and Roll Out

2010-10-29T19:15:48Z

24.202.105.245: /* Part 3 */

{{disambig2|the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]] multi-part episode|the command|roll out}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg
|caption=''Epic''
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|next2=Sound and Fury
|ep=1, 2 and 3
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="Transform and Roll Out"
|airdate=[[December 26]], [[2007]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]] [[Minoru Yamaoka]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]}}
'''When a small crew of maintenance Autobots comes into possession of the powerful AllSpark, a battle with their long-forgotten enemies sends them crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

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

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

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Decepticonship.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yes, this is a scout ship. Way to go, Magnanimous.]]
On board [[Teletran-1|their ship]], Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

|c4=
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|The ''Orion'']] ()
*[[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] ()
*[[Tutor Bot]] ()
*[[Burger Bot]] ()}}

==History vid==
{{quote|Many millions of years ago, war raged between the forces of the heroic Autobots and the brutal Decepticons for control of the planet Cybertron. The Autobots battled valiantly in the name of honor—their courageous exploits bringing hope and glory to a beleaguered war-torn planet, and inspiring countless generations of robots yet to come on-line.|Narrator}}
Scene 1: Decepticon troopers attack led by their commander. Their numbers appear overwhelming. 
Scene 2: Two tetrajets pursue two Autobots over a Cybertronian highway. 
Scene 3: [[Omega Sentinel (Animated)|Omega Sentinel]]-like robots counter-attack the Decepticon troopers and appear to turn the tide. 
Scene 4: Transport trucks enter a storage facility. 
Scene 5: An inspired Transformer salutes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
*Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in space, there is no up and down (and to be even fairer, it's really hard to tell from the toys exactly what ''is'' the front of Megatron's Cybertronian spaceship mode), but that does not excuse the fact that any propulsion system used would be in the ''back'' of the mode.
*When the Autobot get into the stasis pods, Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet are on the left side, with Bumblebee, Prowl, and an empty pod on the right, in that order. Yet when they get out later in the episode, Prime, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead are on the left, and the empty one, Prowl, and Ratchet on the right.
*As pre-Earth Prime enters the chamber which will re-format his body into his Earth mode, he walks past Ratchet, who is drawn mostly in his pre-Earth mode, except for the fact that his Cybertronian gut is replaced with his ambulance gut. In the next scene, Ratchet is properly drawn, pre-Earth gut and all.
*When Sari says to the Autobots it is okay to put down their hands, Bulkhead's face is black.
*When Starscream tackles Optimus Prime through a building as the Autobot tries to escape with the AllSpark, Optimus's axe is missing from Starscream's left wing. It reappears moments later for Optimus to retrieve it.
*In at least one scene, Starscream's Earth-form wing is shown with a spike, in the same manner as his Cybertronian body.

===Continuity errors===
*The train Starscream blasts from the tower falls toward the ground very, very slowly.
*When we first meet Starscream, he states that he has been searching for the AllSpark for fifty ''solar'' cycles. In later episodes, a solar cycle is equivalent to a day and a ''stellar'' cycle is used for years. This is the only time a solar cycle has been used to reference years, so either Starscream entered some sort of temporal anomaly or someone messed up. For more <s>confusion</s> information, See [[Cycle|this page]].
*Sumdac is using Megatron's hand as a chair. However, he seems to be using the right hand, which was blown up by Starscream. (It ''could'' have fallen off the Autobots' ship, as it was still clinging to the hull when last seen, but that seems unlikely.)

===Transformers references===
*The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to past Transformers lore]].
*Footage from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as purely an in-joke, and should not be taken as linking ''Animated'' to G1, continuity wise.
*The [[Teletran-1|Autobot ship]] here bears a distinct resemblance to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], albeit with a colour scheme more reminiscent of [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. (As we learn [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|much later]], there is [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|a very good reason for that]].)
*Bumblebee says "[[Rattrap|We're all gonna die.]]"
*Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the ''Armada'' Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.
[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
*Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick. The characters went on to become recurring figures in the background cast of the show, and in "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]" it was revealed that their names were... [[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]], [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]].
*When Optimus Prime dies, his body fades to grays, just as [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] did in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. His spark chamber opens in much the same manner as well.
*Teletran-1 (spelled with only one "a" in this universe) dispatches a small satellite very similar to the [[Sky Spy]] satellite used on occasion by the Autobots in the ''Generation 1'' cartoon. The glowing energy "boxes" with which it scans vehicles for the Autobots to transform into are lifted wholesale out of "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
*At one point, Bulkhead refers to Optimus as "Boss-bot", echoing an epithet used for ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] by the [[Fuzor]] [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformar e Avançar!'''" ("Transform and Advance!")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformation'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformieren und Abfahrt'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 3|3 May]] [[2008]] (Part 1), [[May 10|10 May]] 2008 (Part 2), [[May 17|17 May]] 2008 (Part 3)

'''Japanese (Part 1)'''
:*''Title:'' '''新章！トランスフォーマー''' (''Shinshō! Transformer'', "A New Chapter! Transformers")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 3|3 April]] [[2010]]

*The episode begins with the entire [[Otoboto family]] gathered as Yūka and Tatsuya tell the viewers in unison to watch in a well-lit room (to prevent seizures and damage to your eyesight, you know).
*As the [[title sequence]] begins, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] asks how everyone is doing, then introduces himself as leader of the Autobots. When he realizes nobody knows who he is, he ''assures'' them that he's leader of the Autobots. Then the [[Transformers Evo.|theme song]] starts.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet and Optimus's conversation as they walk down a hall, where Prime refers to feeling like being meant for "more than just repairing space bridges", and Ratchet's snarky response about deleting that feeling "like a bad line of code".
*'''Cut:''' Bulkhead's comment on their medic being always grumpy, Ratchet responding to Bumblebee's "old man" comment with a smack upside the head and the retort of "I may have one servor in the scrapheap, but I can still hear!".
*The usual cries of "Transform!" and attack names are added in. ([[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s "stingers" are now called "Energy Stingers", for instance.) Perhaps most annoyingly, ''every single thing Optimus does'' has the prefix of "Ultra" added to it. In the span of ten seconds, he goes through his "Ultra Anchor", "Ultra Axe" and "Ultra Net" attacks.
*'''Cut:''' After shutting down the space bridge, the following sequence where Ratchet is repairing Bumblebee, Bulkhead commenting about Optimus's moves, Optimus reluctantly admitting that he used to train at the Academy, and Bumblebee saying that he should've been with the Elite Guard.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's poking back at Optimus wanting to see some action, Bumblebee pointing out they're repair bots, Optimus correcting on not without backup and Bulkhead in awe on them connecting with Cybertron Command Headquarters.
*[[Teletran-1]] now speaks as though "she" is in a state of perpetual orgasm.
*When the Autobots first happen upon the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' and all freak over [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], a new [[scene transition]] is added when transitioning into the discussion between the Decepticon forces. A guitar riff of the classic Generation 1 scene transition music is even used.
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'s "hothead" persona now speaks with a thick American accent, spouting English words like "Hey!" and "Man!"
*New [[commercial bumper]]s have been crafted, featuring stock art of the characters with their voice actors screaming their name, followed by "Transform!"
*'''Cut:''' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'s entire speech on the bridge ("This is a dark day...") followed by him getting caught in the explosion.
*When Bulkhead tumbles into Optimus, following his line "A little warning would have helped!", he screams out "Mommyyyyyyy!" Yeah, Japanese Bulkhead ain't so smart.
*'''Cut:''' After Megatron is kicked from the ship, the establishing shots of Paw Paw (the street sign, the outside of the barn and the scroll across [[Isaac Sumdac]]'s lab).
*'''Cut:''' Following Prime's line "Not until I've steered us clear of this populated sector!", the brief scenes of the Autobots being sealed in their stasis pods.
*'''Cut:''' As soon as the ship crashes into Lake Eerie and leaves a stream of upturned water on the surface, the scenes of the ship sinking and Teletran-1 "initiating emergency stasis mode" on the pods as they turn grey. The episode resumes at the long shot of the sinking ship slowly coming toward the camera, with a new voice-over of Teletran-1 telling the Autobots "good night".
*'''Cut:''' As Isaac Sumdac narrates the history of Detroit and automaton manufacturing, the scene of the trash-collecting automaton has been cut.
*'''Cut:''' The scenes of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] pulling the bubblegum off her face, eating it, the crowd reacting in disgust, Isaac Sumdac reacting in frustration, the kid asking Sari what its like to grow up around robots and [[Tutor Bot]] hauling Sari off.
*'''Cut:''' After the cockroach absorbs the nanobot liquid, all the scenes involving Isaac Sumdac explaining the nanobots to the children and the children looking through microscopes at the nanobots. The sequence cuts to the roach growing bigger.
*'''Cut:''' The close-up of Isaac Sumdac saying "Nothing to be concerned about, children!" and the kid remarking that "This accident doesn't look too happy". The sequence cuts to the roach crashing through the window behind him.
*The Otoboto Family segment features [[Hiroyuki Otoboto]] telling his son, [[Tatsuya Otoboto]], about ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]'', complete with clips from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]". Mr. Otoboto then produces a complete set of ''Animated'' Autobot toys. Tatsuya is thrilled, but wouldn't ya know it? [[Megumi Otoboto|Mrs. Otoboto]] comes in with dinner! During mealtime conversation, Mrs. Otoboto makes the mistake of using the word "transform", which inevitably causes Tatsuya to start talking about Transformers, much to the amusement of his father and the annoyance of his older sister, [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]. Tatsuya then causes a "freeze frame" so that he can introduce himself and his family (messing with his father's glasses in the process for his own amusement). Oddly, despite being "frozen", everyone proceeds to blink. As time resumes its normal pace, Hiroyuki wonders what happened to his glasses. He then digs into his dinner, except, oh no! It's too hot! ''Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!''
*During the "next episode" segment, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee proceed to have an argument. Bumblebee thinks Optimus's name is too long and hard to remember. Bumblebee suggests that "[[Convoy]]" would be better, but Prime shoots the idea down immediately. Bumblebee opts to call him "Opti" (''Oputi''), since it has fewer syllables. Prime refuses to be called such a name (more fitting for a dog), so Bumblebee settles on "Pu-Pu" after "Opera" (''Opura'') is also rejected for sounding weird. Prime refuses that too, thinking it sounds cute, but that it would be hard not to laugh instinctively at it. Bumblebee then tricks Prime into answering to it, which frustrates him even ''further''. The argument proceeds ''past'' the "next episode" segment and straight into the sponsor cards.

'''Japanese (Part 2)'''
:*''Title:'' '''英雄、その名はオートボット''' (''Eiyū, sono Na wa Autobot'', "The Heroes Are Called Autobots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 10|10 April]] [[2010]]

*Hiroyuki and Tatsuya Otoboto tell the viewers in unison to watch the episode in a well-lit room (with Hiroyuki giving a creepy wink at the end).
*Instead of Optimus introducing at the opening, Bumblebee introduces himself and tells viewers to listen to [[JAM Project]]'s [[Transformers Evo.|cool song]].
*'''Cut:''' The rush of emergency vehicles driving through the city, alongside the following scene of Fanzone getting into his car, preparing to enjoy lunch at Burger Bot, and receiving the emergency call before departing.
*'''Cut:''' Fanzone arriving at Sumdac laboratories, his little dilemma with the broken megaphone, and his first directions to the police force.
*Optimus now has "Ultra Jump" added to his "arsenal" as he distracts the nano-monster.
*Bulkhead now says "''dosukoi''" on occasion, a word usually used by [[Wikipedia:Sumo|sumo wrestlers]].
*'''Cut:''' The left-to-right pan of the ruined laboratory where the tour had taken place.
*'''Cut:''' Much of the flying debris from the monster falling into the ocean.
*During the [[trans-scan|trans-scanning]], Teletran-1 announces the type of vehicle being scanned and the Autobots as they are reformatted.
*'''Cut:''' Fanzone noticing the four vehicles confronting the monster and attempting to call them back before noticing that they are unmanned and include his own car.
*'''Cut:''' Immediately after the previous cut, the scene where Bulkhead and Bumblebee attempt to converse with the police drones while fighting the monster.
*The joke on Sari's name - "I'm Bumblebee." "I'm Sari." "Oh, don't be. I like my name." "No, I mean my name is..." - is somewhat altered. Instead, Bumblebee "corrects" her that ''he's'' not named "Sari" (the pun involving "I'm Sari" sounding like "I'm sorry" not working in the Japanese language, obviously).
*'''Cut:''' After Bumblebee takes Sari into the parking garage, Fanzone's and Dr. Sumdac's observation of Bumblebee and his unknown purposes, and the ordering the police drones to save Sari.
*Bumblebee counts off while disabling the police drones, and he has an extra line even though his mouth doesn't move.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's comment on Optimus being a "typical [[Autobot Academy|Academy Bot]]", along with a shot of the computer analysis of the monster.
*'''Cut:''' Sari's gasp when Bumblebee is jumping at the monster.
*When Sari reassures Ratchet that humans "don't usually blow up things" with emergency symbols, Ratchet comments about being treated kindly.
*'''Cut:''' After Dr. Sumdac shakes hands with Optimus at the ceremony, Optimus's comment regarding not being a hero, his question to Ratchet about things being "like this in your day", and Ratchet's rather ominous response.
*'''Cut:''' After the ceremony, the foreshadowing scene in which Starscream is seen monologuing in the crashed ''Nemesis'' on the Moon.
*For the Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki and Tatsuya are playing on the living room carpet with their toys (Hiroyuki and his Optimus Prime against Tatsuya and his Bumblebee). Filled with nostalgia, Hiroyuki begins describing the Autobots and the roles of each character to the audience, only to have Tatsuya beat him to the punch by ending all his sentences. Suddenly, they hear a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. Hiroyuki and Tatsuya rise to the occasion, shout "Transform!" and "change" into Optimus Prime and Megatron t-shirts (accompanied by their own dramatic "transformation" sequences). But before they can battle the forces of Evil stirring up trouble in the kitchen, they first have to sit back down on the living room floor and transform their toys into vehicle mode. (So, what if there was a burglar beating your wife, dude?) As Hiroyuki completes the transformation of his Optimus toy, we are assured that the "adventure" of the Otoboto family will be continued next episode.
*In the "next episode" segment, Bulkhead asks Ratchet about the name "Transformers Animated", and Bulkhead then mistakenly tells viewers to watch "Transformers Anime". Ratchet later jokes about shortening the title to "Tra-Ani" because the original title is a bit long.

'''Japanese (Part 3)'''
:*''Title:'' '''オールスパークの秘密''' (''AllSpark no Himitsu'', "Secret of the AllSpark")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 17|17 April]] [[2010]]

*This time, it's mother and daughter, Megumi and Yūka Otoboto, who tell viewers to watch the episode in a well-lit room.
*Starscream does the intro in a rather...perky manner.
*'''Cut:''' The ''whole'' sequence of the Autobots integrating themselves into Detroit: Bulkhead walking through rush hour traffic, Prowl's encounter with the birds' "present", Bumblebee ordering at Burger Bot, Ratchet getting ticketed for napping in a no-parking zone, Sari traumatizing Optimus on human reproduction, and the Autobots checking out their new "home".
*During the sequence in which the Autobots are responding to the building fire, there are some additional lines and a tweak: The entire team sound off their names while heading on scene; Bumblebee jokes about calling in [[Wikipedia:Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire|Rescue Fire]], to which Bulkhead responds by breaking the fourth wall, "That's a different show"; and the news reporter's coverage/praise of the Autobots doesn't mention "Detroit" by name and lasts until the scene changes to Starscream watching from the ''Nemesis''.
*Sumdac says "480" on introducing the F.A.R.T.S.'s speed, which makes sense, as Japan uses the metric system and 300 miles equals to 482.803 kilometers.
*'''Cut:''' Optimus commenting to Ratchet on being constantly called "heroes" and not feeling any different than repairing space bridges before, and Ratchet's response on the grim ends of the "heroes" he's known and his reluctance to share their fates.
*During Starscream's attack on the jet fighters, one of the pilots shouts additional "Mayday!"s, to which Starscream retorts that "It's not 'Mayday', it's Starscream! Remember it!"
*'''Cut:''' Panning shot from the top of Michigan Central Station down to the gathered Transformers.
*When Starscream claims he's the "new boss" (literally) of the Decepticons, Bulkhead corrects him instead of saying that he thought Megatron was in charge.
*Extra lines: both Ratchet and Prowl after the station crumbles; Starscream has one before Prowl tricks him with a hologram and another while dragging Optimus about after Prime uses his grappling hook.
*'''Cut:''' Optimus declaring his name after Starscream demands the AllSpark. Cuts right to Starscream tossing Bumblebee into the transit pod.
*Starscream's gloating while circling Sumdac Tower before Optimus baits him with the AllSpark.
*When Sumdac asks how Sari got up the tower, Prowl's line is changed from "Same way you're getting down," to "By me, father." Fanzone's "This is why I hate machines!" catchphrase during the trip down is also tweaked.
*Sumdac seems to be screaming for his grandfather as Prowl is dropping down to the blimp.
*Additional line for Starscream when Ratchet tries to stop him with his magnetic manipulators.
*Add "Ultra Spray" to Optimus's list of "Ultra" attacks when he sprays Starscream with fire retardant foam twice. Oy...
*Bumblebee has an extra line while trying to attack the Seeker when the latter realizes the jig's up.
*Prowl calls out to Bumblebee when the train is knocked over the edge, and Starscream shouts "Dual Sonic Blaster" on sending all three into free fall.
*Joining Bumblebee's ''"Ikimasu!"'' and Bulkhead's ''"Dosukoi!"'', Prowl's verbal tic is ''"De aru!"'' (Literally, "to be" in formal speech.)
*Bulkhead's rhetorical question on catching the train on the first bounce is changed to a vow to do his best.
*Instead of shock absorbers, Sari asks if Bumblebee has a parachute.
*Ratchet has "Magnetic Claw" as his attack call when he catches the youngest pair, Sari's "some shock absorbers" line is altered, Prowl has "It's floating." as an extra line, and Bumblebee thanks Ratchet. Optimus's "think fast" line is delayed to just as he throws the AllSpark, and the medic's "Aw, crud." line is changed to objecting on being called "gramps" by Bumblebee.
*While Sari calls the game "Keep Away" in English, here it's changed to Tag, or 鬼ごっこ (''oni-gokko'').
*Instead of going on how fast one can stop, Bumblebee talks about hitting the goal.
*Bulkhead's "I said, 'I ''got'' it.'" is altered after he clocks Starscream and gets the AllSpark.
*Starscream yells that the show isn't over yet when he attacks the Autobots again just as Optimus is contemplating on getting the AllSpark to a safe place. Breaking the fourth wall? Er...again?
*Instead of responding that it's Detroit when Optimus asks whether he's in the Well of AllSparks, Sari just welcomes him back. Another line change is that she tells Bulkhead that humans also cry when they're happy, instead of the Autobots having much to learn about humans.
*'''Cut:''' The news reporter covering the Autobots' rescue and repair efforts, Bumblebee commenting how they started out on fixing bridges, Sumdac's lament of his robotic empire's origin, and the camera pan to Megatron's head.
*In this Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki whips out his cellphone and goes into full chatting mode. Tatsuya wonders what kind of work his father does and whether it's actually work, as he usually sees Hiroyuki playing with Transformers figures almost all the time. Tatsuya then flashbacks to last week, when, after transforming their figures to vehicle mode, father and son are racing Optimus and Bumblebee before encountering Yūka's feet. Yūka thinks her father is quite the man-child and hands over a card from someone whom Hiroyuki thought passed away three years earlier.
*The Autobots discuss their favorite sports player during the "next episode" segment, Optimus citing [[Wikipedia:Shuzo Matsuoka|Shuzo Matsuoka]] as his favorite, much to the others' disappointment. As Prime waxes poetic about Matsuoka's passion and energetic character, he doesn't realize that his teammates have already left.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformacja i jazda'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 11|11 October]] [[2008]] (Parts 1 and 2), [[October 12|12 October]] [[2010]] (Part 3)

===Trivia===
*In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]], a major economic blunder of the 1930s.
*Bumblebee's voice is slightly different in this episode from how it sounds later, as is Lugnut's voice, which seems very metallic.
*When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
*A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]].
*When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else. Either that or he's just trying to make ''himself'' sound more impressive by building up the reputation of the one he's defeated.
*When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the [[Well of All Sparks]]?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'', in which Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), "Is this Heaven?" and Ray answers, "No, it's Iowa."
*According to responses at a panel at BotCon 2008, the unfortunate acronym for Fully Automated Rapid Transit System was totally unintentional...which makes it that much funnier.
*Ratchet is able to use his front windshield as a video screen.
*Several elements present in this opener were changed/dropped in the main series, including expressive vehicle modes, the replacement of solar cycles with stellar cycles in terminology, the recolouring of Ratchet's magnetism from yellow to pink, and Sari's Key changing shape. However, the expressions on vehicle mode were briefly used again by [[Wasp]] in the episode [[Predacons Rising]].
*During [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] "conversation" with the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], it shows her the faces of Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream, then the Cybertronian [[Alternate mode|vehicle modes]] for Optimus and Ratchet, the AllSpark's case and the [[Teletran-1|Autobots' ship]]. Then Sari unknowingly shows the AllSpark a man in a suit, a woman, a boy, the planet [[Earth]], pyramids, purple flowers, a horse, an aircraft with a giant cloud coming from the back, a cell and a DNA strand. The woman has dark skin and red hair like Sari.
*This movie was (lovingly) lampooned at the [[MSTF]] panel for [[BotCon 2008]], along with "[[War Dawn]]", the episode from which most of the "history vid" footage was taken.
*It's Detroit. There are guns everywhere. Why are the humans using ''water'' to take down the monster?
*In this episode, Starscream's engines use a sound effect borrowed from ''The Phantom Menace'': the sound made by Sebulba's podracer engines.
*In the Japanese dub, Bumblebee mentions ''Rescue Fire'', which is another [[TakaraTomy]] property that's based on Takara's Tomica toy car line. Prior to ''Animated''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Japanese debut, it aired in the same timeslot and channel as ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]]'' did.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of UN.png|20px|International release]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Battle Begins ([[Pack-in material|Hasbro]]) — Part 1 only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transformieren und Abfahrt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 1 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

== Footnote ==
<references/>

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

Transform and Roll Out

2010-10-29T19:14:21Z

24.202.105.245: /* Part 1 */

{{disambig2|the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]] multi-part episode|the command|roll out}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg
|caption=''Epic''
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|next2=Sound and Fury
|ep=1, 2 and 3
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="Transform and Roll Out"
|airdate=[[December 26]], [[2007]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]] [[Minoru Yamaoka]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]}}
'''When a small crew of maintenance Autobots comes into possession of the powerful AllSpark, a battle with their long-forgotten enemies sends them crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

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

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

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Decepticonship.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yes, this is a scout ship. Way to go, Magnanimous.]]
On board [[Teletran-1|their ship]], Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

|c4=
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|The ''Orion'']] ()
*[[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] ()
*[[Tutor Bot]] ()
*[[Burger Bot]] ()}}

==History vid==
{{quote|Many millions of years ago, war raged between the forces of the heroic Autobots and the brutal Decepticons for control of the planet Cybertron. The Autobots battled valiantly in the name of honor—their courageous exploits bringing hope and glory to a beleaguered war-torn planet, and inspiring countless generations of robots yet to come on-line.|Narrator}}
Scene 1: Decepticon troopers attack led by their commander. Their numbers appear overwhelming. 
Scene 2: Two tetrajets pursue two Autobots over a Cybertronian highway. 
Scene 3: [[Omega Sentinel (Animated)|Omega Sentinel]]-like robots counter-attack the Decepticon troopers and appear to turn the tide. 
Scene 4: Transport trucks enter a storage facility. 
Scene 5: An inspired Transformer salutes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
*Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in space, there is no up and down (and to be even fairer, it's really hard to tell from the toys exactly what ''is'' the front of Megatron's Cybertronian spaceship mode), but that does not excuse the fact that any propulsion system used would be in the ''back'' of the mode.
*When the Autobot get into the stasis pods, Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet are on the left side, with Bumblebee, Prowl, and an empty pod on the right, in that order. Yet when they get out later in the episode, Prime, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead are on the left, and the empty one, Prowl, and Ratchet on the right.
*As pre-Earth Prime enters the chamber which will re-format his body into his Earth mode, he walks past Ratchet, who is drawn mostly in his pre-Earth mode, except for the fact that his Cybertronian gut is replaced with his ambulance gut. In the next scene, Ratchet is properly drawn, pre-Earth gut and all.
*When Sari says to the Autobots it is okay to put down their hands, Bulkhead's face is black.
*When Starscream tackles Optimus Prime through a building as the Autobot tries to escape with the AllSpark, Optimus's axe is missing from Starscream's left wing. It reappears moments later for Optimus to retrieve it.
*In at least one scene, Starscream's Earth-form wing is shown with a spike, in the same manner as his Cybertronian body.

===Continuity errors===
*The train Starscream blasts from the tower falls toward the ground very, very slowly.
*When we first meet Starscream, he states that he has been searching for the AllSpark for fifty ''solar'' cycles. In later episodes, a solar cycle is equivalent to a day and a ''stellar'' cycle is used for years. This is the only time a solar cycle has been used to reference years, so either Starscream entered some sort of temporal anomaly or someone messed up. For more <s>confusion</s> information, See [[Cycle|this page]].
*Sumdac is using Megatron's hand as a chair. However, he seems to be using the right hand, which was blown up by Starscream. (It ''could'' have fallen off the Autobots' ship, as it was still clinging to the hull when last seen, but that seems unlikely.)

===Transformers references===
*The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to past Transformers lore]].
*Footage from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as purely an in-joke, and should not be taken as linking ''Animated'' to G1, continuity wise.
*The [[Teletran-1|Autobot ship]] here bears a distinct resemblance to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], albeit with a colour scheme more reminiscent of [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. (As we learn [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|much later]], there is [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|a very good reason for that]].)
*Bumblebee says "[[Rattrap|We're all gonna die.]]"
*Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the ''Armada'' Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.
[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
*Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick. The characters went on to become recurring figures in the background cast of the show, and in "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]" it was revealed that their names were... [[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]], [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]].
*When Optimus Prime dies, his body fades to grays, just as [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] did in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. His spark chamber opens in much the same manner as well.
*Teletran-1 (spelled with only one "a" in this universe) dispatches a small satellite very similar to the [[Sky Spy]] satellite used on occasion by the Autobots in the ''Generation 1'' cartoon. The glowing energy "boxes" with which it scans vehicles for the Autobots to transform into are lifted wholesale out of "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
*At one point, Bulkhead refers to Optimus as "Boss-bot", echoing an epithet used for ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] by the [[Fuzor]] [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformar e Avançar!'''" ("Transform and Advance!")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformation'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformieren und Abfahrt'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 3|3 May]] [[2008]] (Part 1), [[May 10|10 May]] 2008 (Part 2), [[May 17|17 May]] 2008 (Part 3)

'''Japanese (Part 1)'''
:*''Title:'' '''新章！トランスフォーマー''' (''Shinshō! Transformer'', "A New Chapter! Transformers")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 3|3 April]] [[2010]]

*The episode begins with the entire [[Otoboto family]] gathered as Yūka and Tatsuya tell the viewers in unison to watch in a well-lit room (to prevent seizures and damage to your eyesight, you know).
*As the [[title sequence]] begins, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] asks how everyone is doing, then introduces himself as leader of the Autobots. When he realizes nobody knows who he is, he ''assures'' them that he's leader of the Autobots. Then the [[Transformers Evo.|theme song]] starts.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet and Optimus's conversation as they walk down a hall, where Prime refers to feeling like being meant for "more than just repairing space bridges", and Ratchet's snarky response about deleting that feeling "like a bad line of code".
*'''Cut:''' Bulkhead's comment on their medic being always grumpy, Ratchet responding to Bumblebee's "old man" comment with a smack upside the head and the retort of "I may have one servor in the scrapheap, but I can still hear!".
*The usual cries of "Transform!" and attack names are added in. ([[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s "stingers" are now called "Energy Stingers", for instance.) Perhaps most annoyingly, ''every single thing Optimus does'' has the prefix of "Ultra" added to it. In the span of ten seconds, he goes through his "Ultra Anchor", "Ultra Axe" and "Ultra Net" attacks.
*'''Cut:''' After shutting down the space bridge, the following sequence where Ratchet is repairing Bumblebee, Bulkhead commenting about Optimus's moves, Optimus reluctantly admitting that he used to train at the Academy, and Bumblebee saying that he should've been with the Elite Guard.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's poking back at Optimus wanting to see some action, Bumblebee pointing out they're repair bots, Optimus correcting on not without backup and Bulkhead in awe on them connecting with Cybertron Command Headquarters.
*[[Teletran-1]] now speaks as though "she" is in a state of perpetual orgasm.
*When the Autobots first happen upon the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' and all freak over [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], a new [[scene transition]] is added when transitioning into the discussion between the Decepticon forces. A guitar riff of the classic Generation 1 scene transition music is even used.
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'s "hothead" persona now speaks with a thick American accent, spouting English words like "Hey!" and "Man!"
*New [[commercial bumper]]s have been crafted, featuring stock art of the characters with their voice actors screaming their name, followed by "Transform!"
*'''Cut:''' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'s entire speech on the bridge ("This is a dark day...") followed by him getting caught in the explosion.
*When Bulkhead tumbles into Optimus, following his line "A little warning would have helped!", he screams out "Mommyyyyyyy!" Yeah, Japanese Bulkhead ain't so smart.
*'''Cut:''' After Megatron is kicked from the ship, the establishing shots of Paw Paw (the street sign, the outside of the barn and the scroll across [[Isaac Sumdac]]'s lab).
*'''Cut:''' Following Prime's line "Not until I've steered us clear of this populated sector!", the brief scenes of the Autobots being sealed in their stasis pods.
*'''Cut:''' As soon as the ship crashes into Lake Eerie and leaves a stream of upturned water on the surface, the scenes of the ship sinking and Teletran-1 "initiating emergency stasis mode" on the pods as they turn grey. The episode resumes at the long shot of the sinking ship slowly coming toward the camera, with a new voice-over of Teletran-1 telling the Autobots "good night".
*'''Cut:''' As Isaac Sumdac narrates the history of Detroit and automaton manufacturing, the scene of the trash-collecting automaton has been cut.
*'''Cut:''' The scenes of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] pulling the bubblegum off her face, eating it, the crowd reacting in disgust, Isaac Sumdac reacting in frustration, the kid asking Sari what its like to grow up around robots and [[Tutor Bot]] hauling Sari off.
*'''Cut:''' After the cockroach absorbs the nanobot liquid, all the scenes involving Isaac Sumdac explaining the nanobots to the children and the children looking through microscopes at the nanobots. The sequence cuts to the roach growing bigger.
*'''Cut:''' The close-up of Isaac Sumdac saying "Nothing to be concerned about, children!" and the kid remarking that "This accident doesn't look too happy". The sequence cuts to the roach crashing through the window behind him.
*The Otoboto Family segment features [[Hiroyuki Otoboto]] telling his son, [[Tatsuya Otoboto]], about ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]'', complete with clips from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]". Mr. Otoboto then produces a complete set of ''Animated'' Autobot toys. Tatsuya is thrilled, but wouldn't ya know it? [[Megumi Otoboto|Mrs. Otoboto]] comes in with dinner! During mealtime conversation, Mrs. Otoboto makes the mistake of using the word "transform", which inevitably causes Tatsuya to start talking about Transformers, much to the amusement of his father and the annoyance of his older sister, [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]. Tatsuya then causes a "freeze frame" so that he can introduce himself and his family (messing with his father's glasses in the process for his own amusement). Oddly, despite being "frozen", everyone proceeds to blink. As time resumes its normal pace, Hiroyuki wonders what happened to his glasses. He then digs into his dinner, except, oh no! It's too hot! ''Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!''
*During the "next episode" segment, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee proceed to have an argument. Bumblebee thinks Optimus's name is too long and hard to remember. Bumblebee suggests that "[[Convoy]]" would be better, but Prime shoots the idea down immediately. Bumblebee opts to call him "Opti" (''Oputi''), since it has fewer syllables. Prime refuses to be called such a name (more fitting for a dog), so Bumblebee settles on "Pu-Pu" after "Opera" (''Opura'') is also rejected for sounding weird. Prime refuses that too, thinking it sounds cute, but that it would be hard not to laugh instinctively at it. Bumblebee then tricks Prime into answering to it, which frustrates him even ''further''. The argument proceeds ''past'' the "next episode" segment and straight into the sponsor cards.

'''Japanese (Part 2)'''
:*''Title:'' '''英雄、その名はオートボット''' (''Eiyū, sono Na wa Autobot'', "The Heroes Are Called Autobots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 10|10 April]] [[2010]]

*Hiroyuki and Tatsuya Otoboto tell the viewers in unison to watch the episode in a well-lit room (with Hiroyuki giving a creepy wink at the end).
*Instead of Optimus introducing at the opening, Bumblebee introduces himself and tells viewers to listen to [[JAM Project]]'s [[Transformers Evo.|cool song]].
*'''Cut:''' The rush of emergency vehicles driving through the city, alongside the following scene of Fanzone getting into his car, preparing to enjoy lunch at Burger Bot, and receiving the emergency call before departing.
*'''Cut:''' Fanzone arriving at Sumdac laboratories, his little dilemma with the broken megaphone, and his first directions to the police force.
*Optimus now has "Ultra Jump" added to his "arsenal" as he distracts the nano-monster.
*Bulkhead now says "''dosukoi''" on occasion, a word usually used by [[Wikipedia:Sumo|sumo wrestlers]].
*'''Cut:''' The left-to-right pan of the ruined laboratory where the tour had taken place.
*'''Cut:''' Much of the flying debris from the monster falling into the ocean.
*During the [[trans-scan|trans-scanning]], Teletran-1 announces the type of vehicle being scanned and the Autobots as they are reformatted.
*'''Cut:''' Fanzone noticing the four vehicles confronting the monster and attempting to call them back before noticing that they are unmanned and include his own car.
*'''Cut:''' Immediately after the previous cut, the scene where Bulkhead and Bumblebee attempt to converse with the police drones while fighting the monster.
*The joke on Sari's name - "I'm Bumblebee." "I'm Sari." "Oh, don't be. I like my name." "No, I mean my name is..." - is somewhat altered. Instead, Bumblebee "corrects" her that ''he's'' not named "Sari" (the pun involving "I'm Sari" sounding like "I'm sorry" not working in the Japanese language, obviously).
*'''Cut:''' After Bumblebee takes Sari into the parking garage, Fanzone's and Dr. Sumdac's observation of Bumblebee and his unknown purposes, and the ordering the police drones to save Sari.
*Bumblebee counts off while disabling the police drones, and he has an extra line even though his mouth doesn't move.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's comment on Optimus being a "typical [[Autobot Academy|Academy Bot]]", along with a shot of the computer analysis of the monster.
*'''Cut:''' Sari's gasp when Bumblebee is jumping at the monster.
*When Sari reassures Ratchet that humans "don't usually blow up things" with emergency symbols, Ratchet comments about being treated kindly.
*'''Cut:''' After Dr. Sumdac shakes hands with Optimus at the ceremony, Optimus's comment regarding not being a hero, his question to Ratchet about things being "like this in your day", and Ratchet's rather ominous response.
*'''Cut:''' After the ceremony, the foreshadowing scene in which Starscream is seen monologuing in the crashed ''Nemesis'' on the Moon.
*For the Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki and Tatsuya are playing on the living room carpet with their toys (Hiroyuki and his Optimus Prime against Tatsuya and his Bumblebee). Filled with nostalgia, Hiroyuki begins describing the Autobots and the roles of each character to the audience, only to have Tatsuya beat him to the punch by ending all his sentences. Suddenly, they hear a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. Hiroyuki and Tatsuya rise to the occasion, shout "Transform!" and "change" into Optimus Prime and Megatron t-shirts (accompanied by their own dramatic "transformation" sequences). But before they can battle the forces of Evil stirring up trouble in the kitchen, they first have to sit back down on the living room floor and transform their toys into vehicle mode. (So, what if there was a burglar beating your wife, dude?) As Hiroyuki completes the transformation of his Optimus toy, we are assured that the "adventure" of the Otoboto family will be continued next episode.
*In the "next episode" segment, Bulkhead asks Ratchet about the name "Transformers Animated", and Bulkhead then mistakenly tells viewers to watch "Transformers Anime". Ratchet later jokes about shortening the title to "Tra-Ani" because the original title is a bit long.

'''Japanese (Part 3)'''
:*''Title:'' '''オールスパークの秘密''' (''AllSpark no Himitsu'', "Secret of the AllSpark")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 17|17 April]] [[2010]]

*This time, it's mother and daughter, Megumi and Yūka Otoboto, who tell viewers to watch the episode in a well-lit room.
*Starscream does the intro in a rather...perky manner.
*'''Cut:''' The ''whole'' sequence of the Autobots integrating themselves into Detroit: Bulkhead walking through rush hour traffic, Prowl's encounter with the birds' "present", Bumblebee ordering at Burger Bot, Ratchet getting ticketed for napping in a no-parking zone, Sari traumatizing Optimus on human reproduction, and the Autobots checking out their new "home".
*During the sequence in which the Autobots are responding to the building fire, there are some additional lines and a tweak: The entire team sound off their names while heading on scene; Bumblebee jokes about calling in [[Wikipedia:Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire|Rescue Fire]], to which Bulkhead responds by breaking the fourth wall, "That's a different show"; and the news reporter's coverage/praise of the Autobots doesn't mention "Detroit" by name and lasts until the scene changes to Starscream watching from the ''Nemesis''.
*Sumdac says "480" on introducing the F.A.R.T.S.'s speed, which makes sense, as Japan uses the metric system and 300 miles equals to 482.803 kilometers.
*'''Cut:''' Optimus commenting to Ratchet on being constantly called "heroes" and not feeling any different than repairing space bridges before, and Ratchet's response on the grim ends of the "heroes" he's known and his reluctance to share their fates.
*During Starscream's attack on the jet fighters, one of the pilots shouts additional "Mayday!"s, to which Starscream retorts that "It's not 'Mayday', it's Starscream! Remember it!"
*'''Cut:''' Panning shot from the top of Michigan Central Station down to the gathered Transformers.
*When Starscream claims he's the "new boss" (literally) of the Decepticons, Bulkhead corrects him instead of saying that he thought Megatron was in charge.
*Extra lines: both Ratchet and Prowl after the station crumbles; Starscream has one before Prowl tricks him with a hologram and another while dragging Optimus about after Prime uses his grappling hook.
*'''Cut:''' Optimus declaring his name after Starscream demands the AllSpark. Cuts right to Starscream tossing Bumblebee into the transit pod.
*Starscream's gloating while circling Sumdac Tower before Optimus baits him with the AllSpark.
*When Sumdac asks how Sari got up the tower, Prowl's line is changed from "Same way you're getting down," to "By me, father." Fanzone's "This is why I hate machines!" catchphrase during the trip down is also tweaked.
*Sumdac seems to be screaming for his grandfather as Prowl is dropping down to the blimp.
*Additional line for Starscream when Ratchet tries to stop him with his magnetic manipulators.
*Add "Ultra Spray" to Optimus's list of "Ultra" attacks when he sprays Starscream with fire retardant foam twice. Oy...
*Bumblebee has an extra line while trying to attack the Seeker when the latter realizes the jig's up.
*Prowl calls out to Bumblebee when the train is knocked over the edge, and Starscream shouts "Dual Sonic Blaster" on sending all three into free fall.
*Joining Bumblebee's ''"Ikimasu!"'' and Bulkhead's ''"Dosukoi!"'', Prowl's verbal tic is ''"De aru!"'' (Literally, "to be" in formal speech.)
*Bulkhead's rhetorical question on catching the train on the first bounce is changed to a vow to do his best.
*Instead of shock absorbers, Sari asks if Bumblebee has a parachute.
*Ratchet has "Magnetic Claw" as his attack call when he catches the youngest pair, Sari's "some shock absorbers" line is altered, Prowl has "It's floating." as an extra line, and Bumblebee thanks Ratchet. Optimus's "think fast" line is delayed to just as he throws the AllSpark, and the medic's "Aw, crud." line is changed to objecting on being called "gramps" by Bumblebee.
*While Sari calls the game "Keep Away" in English, here it's changed to Tag, or 鬼ごっこ (''oni-gokko'').
*Instead of going on how fast one can stop, Bumblebee talks about hitting the goal.
*Bulkhead's "I said, 'I ''got'' it.'" is altered after he clocks Starscream and gets the AllSpark.
*Starscream yells that the show isn't over yet when he attacks the Autobots again just as Optimus is contemplating on getting the AllSpark to a safe place. Breaking the fourth wall? Er...again?
*Instead of responding that it's Detroit when Optimus asks whether he's in the Well of AllSparks, Sari just welcomes him back. Another line change is that she tells Bulkhead that humans also cry when they're happy, instead of the Autobots having much to learn about humans.
*'''Cut:''' The news reporter covering the Autobots' rescue and repair efforts, Bumblebee commenting how they started out on fixing bridges, Sumdac's lament of his robotic empire's origin, and the camera pan to Megatron's head.
*In this Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki whips out his cellphone and goes into full chatting mode. Tatsuya wonders what kind of work his father does and whether it's actually work, as he usually sees Hiroyuki playing with Transformers figures almost all the time. Tatsuya then flashbacks to last week, when, after transforming their figures to vehicle mode, father and son are racing Optimus and Bumblebee before encountering Yūka's feet. Yūka thinks her father is quite the man-child and hands over a card from someone whom Hiroyuki thought passed away three years earlier.
*The Autobots discuss their favorite sports player during the "next episode" segment, Optimus citing [[Wikipedia:Shuzo Matsuoka|Shuzo Matsuoka]] as his favorite, much to the others' disappointment. As Prime waxes poetic about Matsuoka's passion and energetic character, he doesn't realize that his teammates have already left.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformacja i jazda'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 11|11 October]] [[2008]] (Parts 1 and 2), [[October 12|12 October]] [[2010]] (Part 3)

===Trivia===
*In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]], a major economic blunder of the 1930s.
*Bumblebee's voice is slightly different in this episode from how it sounds later, as is Lugnut's voice, which seems very metallic.
*When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
*A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]].
*When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else. Either that or he's just trying to make ''himself'' sound more impressive by building up the reputation of the one he's defeated.
*When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the [[Well of All Sparks]]?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'', in which Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), "Is this Heaven?" and Ray answers, "No, it's Iowa."
*According to responses at a panel at BotCon 2008, the unfortunate acronym for Fully Automated Rapid Transit System was totally unintentional...which makes it that much funnier.
*Ratchet is able to use his front windshield as a video screen.
*Several elements present in this opener were changed/dropped in the main series, including expressive vehicle modes, the replacement of solar cycles with stellar cycles in terminology, the recolouring of Ratchet's magnetism from yellow to pink, and Sari's Key changing shape. However, the expressions on vehicle mode were briefly used again by [[Wasp]] in the episode [[Predacons Rising]].
*During [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] "conversation" with the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], it shows her the faces of Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream, then the Cybertronian [[Alternate mode|vehicle modes]] for Optimus and Ratchet, the AllSpark's case and the [[Teletran-1|Autobots' ship]]. Then Sari unknowingly shows the AllSpark a man in a suit, a woman, a boy, the planet [[Earth]], pyramids, purple flowers, a horse, an aircraft with a giant cloud coming from the back, a cell and a DNA strand. The woman has dark skin and red hair like Sari.
*This movie was (lovingly) lampooned at the [[MSTF]] panel for [[BotCon 2008]], along with "[[War Dawn]]", the episode from which most of the "history vid" footage was taken.
*It's Detroit. There are guns everywhere. Why are the humans using ''water'' to take down the monster?
*In this episode, Starscream's engines use a sound effect borrowed from ''The Phantom Menace'': the sound made by Sebulba's podracer engines.
*In the Japanese dub, Bumblebee mentions ''Rescue Fire'', which is another [[TakaraTomy]] property that's based on Takara's Tomica toy car line. Prior to ''Animated''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Japanese debut, it aired in the same timeslot and channel as ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]]'' did.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of UN.png|20px|International release]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Battle Begins ([[Pack-in material|Hasbro]]) — Part 1 only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transformieren und Abfahrt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 1 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

== Footnote ==
<references/>

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

Transform and Roll Out

2010-10-29T19:13:42Z

24.202.105.245: /* Part 2 */

{{disambig2|the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]] multi-part episode|the command|roll out}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg
|caption=''Epic''
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|next2=Sound and Fury
|ep=1, 2 and 3
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="Transform and Roll Out"
|airdate=[[December 26]], [[2007]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]] [[Minoru Yamaoka]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]}}
'''When a small crew of maintenance Autobots comes into possession of the powerful AllSpark, a battle with their long-forgotten enemies sends them crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

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

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

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Decepticonship.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yes, this is a scout ship. Way to go, Magnanimous.]]
On board [[Teletran-1|their ship]], Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

|c4=
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|The ''Orion'']] ()
*[[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] ()
*[[Tutor Bot]] ()
*[[Burger Bot]] ()}}

==History vid==
{{quote|Many millions of years ago, war raged between the forces of the heroic Autobots and the brutal Decepticons for control of the planet Cybertron. The Autobots battled valiantly in the name of honor—their courageous exploits bringing hope and glory to a beleaguered war-torn planet, and inspiring countless generations of robots yet to come on-line.|Narrator}}
Scene 1: Decepticon troopers attack led by their commander. Their numbers appear overwhelming. 
Scene 2: Two tetrajets pursue two Autobots over a Cybertronian highway. 
Scene 3: [[Omega Sentinel (Animated)|Omega Sentinel]]-like robots counter-attack the Decepticon troopers and appear to turn the tide. 
Scene 4: Transport trucks enter a storage facility. 
Scene 5: An inspired Transformer salutes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
*Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in space, there is no up and down (and to be even fairer, it's really hard to tell from the toys exactly what ''is'' the front of Megatron's Cybertronian spaceship mode), but that does not excuse the fact that any propulsion system used would be in the ''back'' of the mode.
*When the Autobot get into the stasis pods, Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet are on the left side, with Bumblebee, Prowl, and an empty pod on the right, in that order. Yet when they get out later in the episode, Prime, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead are on the left, and the empty one, Prowl, and Ratchet on the right.
*As pre-Earth Prime enters the chamber which will re-format his body into his Earth mode, he walks past Ratchet, who is drawn mostly in his pre-Earth mode, except for the fact that his Cybertronian gut is replaced with his ambulance gut. In the next scene, Ratchet is properly drawn, pre-Earth gut and all.
*When Sari says to the Autobots it is okay to put down their hands, Bulkhead's face is black.
*When Starscream tackles Optimus Prime through a building as the Autobot tries to escape with the AllSpark, Optimus's axe is missing from Starscream's left wing. It reappears moments later for Optimus to retrieve it.
*In at least one scene, Starscream's Earth-form wing is shown with a spike, in the same manner as his Cybertronian body.

===Continuity errors===
*The train Starscream blasts from the tower falls toward the ground very, very slowly.
*When we first meet Starscream, he states that he has been searching for the AllSpark for fifty ''solar'' cycles. In later episodes, a solar cycle is equivalent to a day and a ''stellar'' cycle is used for years. This is the only time a solar cycle has been used to reference years, so either Starscream entered some sort of temporal anomaly or someone messed up. For more <s>confusion</s> information, See [[Cycle|this page]].
*Sumdac is using Megatron's hand as a chair. However, he seems to be using the right hand, which was blown up by Starscream. (It ''could'' have fallen off the Autobots' ship, as it was still clinging to the hull when last seen, but that seems unlikely.)

===Transformers references===
*The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to past Transformers lore]].
*Footage from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as purely an in-joke, and should not be taken as linking ''Animated'' to G1, continuity wise.
*The [[Teletran-1|Autobot ship]] here bears a distinct resemblance to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], albeit with a colour scheme more reminiscent of [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. (As we learn [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|much later]], there is [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|a very good reason for that]].)
*Bumblebee says "[[Rattrap|We're all gonna die.]]"
*Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the ''Armada'' Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.
[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
*Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick. The characters went on to become recurring figures in the background cast of the show, and in "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]" it was revealed that their names were... [[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]], [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]].
*When Optimus Prime dies, his body fades to grays, just as [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] did in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. His spark chamber opens in much the same manner as well.
*Teletran-1 (spelled with only one "a" in this universe) dispatches a small satellite very similar to the [[Sky Spy]] satellite used on occasion by the Autobots in the ''Generation 1'' cartoon. The glowing energy "boxes" with which it scans vehicles for the Autobots to transform into are lifted wholesale out of "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
*At one point, Bulkhead refers to Optimus as "Boss-bot", echoing an epithet used for ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] by the [[Fuzor]] [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformar e Avançar!'''" ("Transform and Advance!")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformation'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformieren und Abfahrt'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 3|3 May]] [[2008]] (Part 1), [[May 10|10 May]] 2008 (Part 2), [[May 17|17 May]] 2008 (Part 3)

'''Japanese (Part 1)'''
:*''Title:'' '''新章！トランスフォーマー''' (''Shinshō! Transformer'', "A New Chapter! Transformers")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 3|3 April]] [[2010]]

*The episode begins with the entire [[Otoboto family]] gathered as Yūka and Tatsuya tell the viewers in unison to watch in a well-lit room (to prevent seizures and damage to your eyesight, you know).
*As the [[title sequence]] begins, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] asks how everyone is doing, then introduces himself as leader of the Autobots. When he realizes nobody knows who he is, he ''assures'' them that he's leader of the Autobots. Then the [[Transformers Evo.|theme song]] starts.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet and Optimus's conversation as they walk down a hall, where Prime refers to feeling like being meant for "more than just repairing space bridges", and Ratchet's snarky response about deleting that feeling "like a bad line of code".
*'''Cut:''' Bulkhead's comment on their medic being always grumpy, Ratchet responding to Bumblebee's "old man" comment with a smack upside the head and the retort of "I may have one servor in the scrapheap, but I can still hear!".
*The usual cries of "Transform!" and attack names are added in. ([[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s "stingers" are now called "Energy Stingers", for instance.) Perhaps most annoyingly, ''every single thing Optimus does'' has the prefix of "Ultra" added to it. In the span of ten seconds, he goes through his "Ultra Anchor", "Ultra Axe" and "Ultra Net" attacks.
*'''Cut:''' After shutting down the space bridge, the following sequence where Ratchet is repairing Bumblebee, Bulkhead commenting about Optimus's moves, Optimus reluctantly admitting that he used to train at the Academy, and Bumblebee saying that he should've been with the Elite Guard.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's poking back at Optimus wanting to see some action, Bumblebee pointing out they're repair bots, Optimus correcting on not without backup and Bulkhead in awe on them connecting with Cybertron Command Headquarters.
*[[Teletran-1]] now speaks as though "she" is in a state of perpetual orgasm.
*When the Autobots first happen upon the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' and all freak over [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], a new [[scene transition]] is added when transitioning into the discussion between the Decepticon forces. A guitar riff of the classic Generation 1 scene transition music is even used.
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'s "hothead" persona now speaks with a thick American accent, spouting English words like "Hey!" and "Man!"
*New [[commercial bumper]]s have been crafted, featuring stock art of the characters with their voice actors screaming their name, followed by "Transform!"
*'''Cut:''' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'s entire speech on the bridge ("This is a dark day...") followed by him getting caught in the explosion.
*When Bulkhead tumbles into Optimus, following his line "A little warning would have helped!", he screams out "Mommyyyyyyy!" Yeah, Japanese Bulkhead ain't so smart.
*'''Cut:''' After Megatron is kicked from the ship, the establishing shots of Paw Paw (the street sign, the outside of the barn and the scroll across [[Isaac Sumdac]]'s lab).
*'''Cut:''' Following Prime's line "Not until I've steered us clear of this populated sector!", the brief scenes of the Autobots being sealed in their stasis pods.
*'''Cut:''' As soon as the ship crashes into Lake Eerie and leaves a stream of upturned water on the surface, the scenes of the ship sinking and Teletran-1 "initiating emergency stasis mode" on the pods as they turn grey. The episode resumes at the long shot of the sinking ship slowly coming toward the camera, with a new voice-over of Teletran-1 telling the Autobots "good night".
*'''Cut:''' As Isaac Sumdac narrates the history of Detroit and automaton manufacturing, the scene of the trash-collecting automaton has been cut.
*'''Cut:''' The scenes of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] pulling the bubblegum off her face, eating it, the crowd reacting in disgust, Isaac Sumdac reacting in frustration, the kid asking Sari what its like to grow up around robots and [[Tutor Bot]] hauling Sari off.
*'''Cut:''' After the cockroach absorbs the nanobot liquid, all the scenes involving Isaac Sumdac explaining the nanobots to the children and the children looking through microscopes at the nanobots. The sequence cuts to the roach growing bigger.
*'''Cut:''' The close-up of Isaac Sumdac saying "Nothing to be concerned about, children!" and the kid remarking that "This accident doesn't look too happy". The sequence cuts to the roach crashing through the window behind him.
*The Otoboto Family segment features [[Hiroyuki Otoboto]] telling his son, [[Tatsuya Otoboto]], about ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]'', complete with clips from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]". Mr. Otoboto then produces a complete set of ''Animated'' Autobot toys. Tatsuya is thrilled, but wouldn't ya know it? [[Megumi Otoboto|Mrs. Otoboto]] comes in with dinner! During mealtime conversation, Mrs. Otoboto makes the mistake of using the word "transform", which inevitably causes Tatsuya to start talking about Transformers, much to the amusement of his father and the annoyance of his older sister, [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]. Tatsuya then causes a "freeze frame" so that he can introduce himself and his family (messing with his father's glasses in the process for his own amusement). Oddly, despite being "frozen", everyone proceeds to blink. As time resumes its normal pace, Hiroyuki wonders what happened to his glasses. He then digs into his dinner, except, oh no! It's too hot! ''Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!''
*During the "next episode" segment, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee proceed to have an argument. Bumblebee thinks Optimus's name is too long and hard to remember. Bumblebee suggests that "[[Convoy]]" would be better, but Prime shoots the idea down immediately. Bumblebee opts to call him "Opti" (''Oputi''), since it has fewer syllables. Prime refuses to be called such a name (more fitting for a dog), so Bumblebee settles on "Pu-Pu" after "Opera" (''Opura'') is also rejected for sounding weird. Prime refuses that too, thinking it sounds cute, but that it would be hard not to laugh instinctively at it. Bumblebee then tricks Prime into answering to it, which frustrates him even ''further''. The argument proceeds ''past'' the "next episode" segment and straight into the sponsor cards.

'''Japanese (Part 2)'''
:*''Title:'' '''英雄、その名はオートボット''' (''Eiyū, sono Na wa Autobot'', "The Heroes Are Called Autobots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 10|10 April]] [[2010]]

*Hiroyuki and Tatsuya Otoboto tell the viewers in unison to watch the episode in a well-lit room (with Hiroyuki giving a creepy wink at the end).
*Instead of Optimus introducing at the opening, Bumblebee introduces himself and tells viewers to listen to [[JAM Project]]'s [[Transformers Evo.|cool song]].
*'''Cut:''' The rush of emergency vehicles driving through the city, alongside the following scene of Fanzone getting into his car, preparing to enjoy lunch at Burger Bot, and receiving the emergency call before departing.
*'''Cut:''' Fanzone arriving at Sumdac laboratories, his little dilemma with the broken megaphone, and his first directions to the police force.
*Optimus now has "Ultra Jump" added to his "arsenal" as he distracts the nano-monster.
*Bulkhead now says "''dosukoi''" on occasion, a word usually used by [[Wikipedia:Sumo|sumo wrestlers]].
*'''Cut:''' The left-to-right pan of the ruined laboratory where the tour had taken place.
*'''Cut:''' Much of the flying debris from the monster falling into the ocean.
*During the [[trans-scan|trans-scanning]], Teletran-1 announces the type of vehicle being scanned and the Autobots as they are reformatted.
*'''Cut:''' Fanzone noticing the four vehicles confronting the monster and attempting to call them back before noticing that they are unmanned and include his own car.
*'''Cut:''' Immediately after the previous cut, the scene where Bulkhead and Bumblebee attempt to converse with the police drones while fighting the monster.
*The joke on Sari's name - "I'm Bumblebee." "I'm Sari." "Oh, don't be. I like my name." "No, I mean my name is..." - is somewhat altered. Instead, Bumblebee "corrects" her that ''he's'' not named "Sari" (the pun involving "I'm Sari" sounding like "I'm sorry" not working in the Japanese language, obviously).
*'''Cut:''' After Bumblebee takes Sari into the parking garage, Fanzone's and Dr. Sumdac's observation of Bumblebee and his unknown purposes, and the ordering the police drones to save Sari.
*Bumblebee counts off while disabling the police drones, and he has an extra line even though his mouth doesn't move.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's comment on Optimus being a "typical [[Autobot Academy|Academy Bot]]", along with a shot of the computer analysis of the monster.
*'''Cut:''' Sari's gasp when Bumblebee is jumping at the monster.
*When Sari reassures Ratchet that humans "don't usually blow up things" with emergency symbols, Ratchet comments about being treated kindly.
*'''Cut:''' After Dr. Sumdac shakes hands with Optimus at the ceremony, Optimus's comment regarding not being a hero, his question to Ratchet about things being "like this in your day", and Ratchet's rather ominous response.
*'''Cut:''' After the ceremony, the foreshadowing scene in which Starscream is seen monologuing in the crashed ''Nemesis'' on the Moon.
*For the Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki and Tatsuya are playing on the living room carpet with their toys (Hiroyuki and his Optimus Prime against Tatsuya and his Bumblebee). Filled with nostalgia, Hiroyuki begins describing the Autobots and the roles of each character to the audience, only to have Tatsuya beat him to the punch by ending all his sentences. Suddenly, they hear a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. Hiroyuki and Tatsuya rise to the occasion, shout "Transform!" and "change" into Optimus Prime and Megatron t-shirts (accompanied by their own dramatic "transformation" sequences). But before they can battle the forces of Evil stirring up trouble in the kitchen, they first have to sit back down on the living room floor and transform their toys into vehicle mode. (So, what if there was a burglar beating your wife, dude?) As Hiroyuki completes the transformation of his Optimus toy, we are assured that the "adventure" of the Otoboto family will be continued next episode.
*In the "next episode" segment, Bulkhead asks Ratchet about the name "Transformers Animated", and Bulkhead then mistakenly tells viewers to watch "Transformers Anime". Ratchet later jokes about shortening the title to "Tra-Ani" because the original title is a bit long.

'''Japanese (Part 3)'''
:*''Title:'' '''オールスパークの秘密''' (''AllSpark no Himitsu'', "Secret of the AllSpark")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 17|17 April]] [[2010]]

*This time, it's mother and daughter, Megumi and Yūka Otoboto, who tell viewers to watch the episode in a well-lit room.
*Starscream does the intro in a rather...perky manner.
*'''Cut:''' The ''whole'' sequence of the Autobots integrating themselves into Detroit: Bulkhead walking through rush hour traffic, Prowl's encounter with the birds' "present", Bumblebee ordering at Burger Bot, Ratchet getting ticketed for napping in a no-parking zone, Sari traumatizing Optimus on human reproduction, and the Autobots checking out their new "home".
*During the sequence in which the Autobots are responding to the building fire, there are some additional lines and a tweak: The entire team sound off their names while heading on scene; Bumblebee jokes about calling in [[Wikipedia:Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire|Rescue Fire]], to which Bulkhead responds by breaking the fourth wall, "That's a different show"; and the news reporter's coverage/praise of the Autobots doesn't mention "Detroit" by name and lasts until the scene changes to Starscream watching from the ''Nemesis''.
*Sumdac says "480" on introducing the F.A.R.T.S.'s speed, which makes sense, as Japan uses the metric system and 300 miles equals to 482.803 kilometers.
*'''Cut:''' Optimus commenting to Ratchet on being constantly called "heroes" and not feeling any different than repairing space bridges before, and Ratchet's response on the grim ends of the "heroes" he's known and his reluctance to share their fates.
*During Starscream's attack on the jet fighters, one of the pilots shouts additional "Mayday!"s, to which Starscream retorts that "It's not 'Mayday', it's Starscream! Remember it!"
*'''Cut:''' Panning shot from the top of Michigan Central Station down to the gathered Transformers.
*When Starscream claims he's the "new boss" (literally) of the Decepticons, Bulkhead corrects him instead of saying that he thought Megatron was in charge.
*Extra lines: both Ratchet and Prowl after the station crumbles; Starscream has one before Prowl tricks him with a hologram and another while dragging Optimus about after Prime uses his grappling hook.
*'''Cut:''' Optimus declaring his name after Starscream demands the AllSpark. Cuts right to Starscream tossing Bumblebee into the transit pod.
*Starscream's gloating while circling Sumdac Tower before Optimus baits him with the AllSpark.
*When Sumdac asks how Sari got up the tower, Prowl's line is changed from "Same way you're getting down," to "By me, father." Fanzone's "This is why I hate machines!" catchphrase during the trip down is also tweaked.
*Sumdac seems to be screaming for his grandfather as Prowl is dropping down to the blimp.
*Additional line for Starscream when Ratchet tries to stop him with his magnetic manipulators.
*Add "Ultra Spray" to Optimus's list of "Ultra" attacks when he sprays Starscream with fire retardant foam twice. Oy...
*Bumblebee has an extra line while trying to attack the Seeker when the latter realizes the jig's up.
*Prowl calls out to Bumblebee when the train is knocked over the edge, and Starscream shouts "Dual Sonic Blaster" on sending all three into free fall.
*Joining Bumblebee's ''"Ikimasu!"'' and Bulkhead's ''"Dosukoi!"'', Prowl's verbal tic is ''"De aru!"'' (Literally, "to be" in formal speech.)
*Bulkhead's rhetorical question on catching the train on the first bounce is changed to a vow to do his best.
*Instead of shock absorbers, Sari asks if Bumblebee has a parachute.
*Ratchet has "Magnetic Claw" as his attack call when he catches the youngest pair, Sari's "some shock absorbers" line is altered, Prowl has "It's floating." as an extra line, and Bumblebee thanks Ratchet. Optimus's "think fast" line is delayed to just as he throws the AllSpark, and the medic's "Aw, crud." line is changed to objecting on being called "gramps" by Bumblebee.
*While Sari calls the game "Keep Away" in English, here it's changed to Tag, or 鬼ごっこ (''oni-gokko'').
*Instead of going on how fast one can stop, Bumblebee talks about hitting the goal.
*Bulkhead's "I said, 'I ''got'' it.'" is altered after he clocks Starscream and gets the AllSpark.
*Starscream yells that the show isn't over yet when he attacks the Autobots again just as Optimus is contemplating on getting the AllSpark to a safe place. Breaking the fourth wall? Er...again?
*Instead of responding that it's Detroit when Optimus asks whether he's in the Well of AllSparks, Sari just welcomes him back. Another line change is that she tells Bulkhead that humans also cry when they're happy, instead of the Autobots having much to learn about humans.
*'''Cut:''' The news reporter covering the Autobots' rescue and repair efforts, Bumblebee commenting how they started out on fixing bridges, Sumdac's lament of his robotic empire's origin, and the camera pan to Megatron's head.
*In this Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki whips out his cellphone and goes into full chatting mode. Tatsuya wonders what kind of work his father does and whether it's actually work, as he usually sees Hiroyuki playing with Transformers figures almost all the time. Tatsuya then flashbacks to last week, when, after transforming their figures to vehicle mode, father and son are racing Optimus and Bumblebee before encountering Yūka's feet. Yūka thinks her father is quite the man-child and hands over a card from someone whom Hiroyuki thought passed away three years earlier.
*The Autobots discuss their favorite sports player during the "next episode" segment, Optimus citing [[Wikipedia:Shuzo Matsuoka|Shuzo Matsuoka]] as his favorite, much to the others' disappointment. As Prime waxes poetic about Matsuoka's passion and energetic character, he doesn't realize that his teammates have already left.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformacja i jazda'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 11|11 October]] [[2008]] (Parts 1 and 2), [[October 12|12 October]] [[2010]] (Part 3)

===Trivia===
*In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]], a major economic blunder of the 1930s.
*Bumblebee's voice is slightly different in this episode from how it sounds later, as is Lugnut's voice, which seems very metallic.
*When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
*A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]].
*When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else. Either that or he's just trying to make ''himself'' sound more impressive by building up the reputation of the one he's defeated.
*When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the [[Well of All Sparks]]?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'', in which Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), "Is this Heaven?" and Ray answers, "No, it's Iowa."
*According to responses at a panel at BotCon 2008, the unfortunate acronym for Fully Automated Rapid Transit System was totally unintentional...which makes it that much funnier.
*Ratchet is able to use his front windshield as a video screen.
*Several elements present in this opener were changed/dropped in the main series, including expressive vehicle modes, the replacement of solar cycles with stellar cycles in terminology, the recolouring of Ratchet's magnetism from yellow to pink, and Sari's Key changing shape. However, the expressions on vehicle mode were briefly used again by [[Wasp]] in the episode [[Predacons Rising]].
*During [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] "conversation" with the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], it shows her the faces of Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream, then the Cybertronian [[Alternate mode|vehicle modes]] for Optimus and Ratchet, the AllSpark's case and the [[Teletran-1|Autobots' ship]]. Then Sari unknowingly shows the AllSpark a man in a suit, a woman, a boy, the planet [[Earth]], pyramids, purple flowers, a horse, an aircraft with a giant cloud coming from the back, a cell and a DNA strand. The woman has dark skin and red hair like Sari.
*This movie was (lovingly) lampooned at the [[MSTF]] panel for [[BotCon 2008]], along with "[[War Dawn]]", the episode from which most of the "history vid" footage was taken.
*It's Detroit. There are guns everywhere. Why are the humans using ''water'' to take down the monster?
*In this episode, Starscream's engines use a sound effect borrowed from ''The Phantom Menace'': the sound made by Sebulba's podracer engines.
*In the Japanese dub, Bumblebee mentions ''Rescue Fire'', which is another [[TakaraTomy]] property that's based on Takara's Tomica toy car line. Prior to ''Animated''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Japanese debut, it aired in the same timeslot and channel as ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]]'' did.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of UN.png|20px|International release]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Battle Begins ([[Pack-in material|Hasbro]]) — Part 1 only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transformieren und Abfahrt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 1 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

== Footnote ==
<references/>

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

Master-Brace

2010-10-29T03:54:30Z

24.202.105.245:

:''Master-Braces are devices from the [[Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Masterbrace.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Tell her you'd become a colossal robot warrior for her all over again.]]
'''Master-Braces''' are (originally, at least) a product of the super-science of the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]], created to allow human beings to connect to [[Transtector]]s and effectively "become" [[Transformer]]s themselves.

Master-Braces take the form of a pair of shining, metallic bracelets, stored within spheres which split in two; once the human in question puts the bracelets upon their wrists, he or she will be unable to remove them. By crossing their arms, thereby touching the bracelets together, and shouting "Masterforce!" the human activates the bracelets; in a flash of light, their bodies are then transformed, infused with [[Chōkon Power]] that enhances their strength, agility and reflexes and surrounded by '''Master Suit''', a suit of armor. Most importantly, an ill-defined holistic conversion of their bodily cells allows them to actually physically transform into heads (in the case of the [[Headmaster Junior|Headmaster Juniors]]) or [[Iacon (Masterforce)|engines]] (in the case of [[Godmaster]]s) and connect to and control Transtectors. On a more mundane level, Master-Braces also act as communicators, patching the wearers into their respective faction's communications frequences.

==Fiction==
===''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon===
There are two distinct types of Master-Braces.

[[Image:Junior braces.jpg|left|180px|thumb|[[Thing]]-Ring, do your thing!]]
The first type introduced is that worn by the Headmaster Juniors. With nearly all the Autobots having left [[Earth]] after the defeat of [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], rumblings of Decepticon activity starting up again on the planet prompted the lone group of Autobots remaining on Earth—[[Metalhawk]]'s [[Pretender|Pretenders]]—to contact [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] of the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. They hoped to increase the presence of Autobots on Earth, but with the [[space bridge]] having been destroyed, quick access to and from the planet was limited, prompting the need for another solution. That solution was the creation of Master-Braces, six pairs of silver bracelets that would allow human beings to connect to Headmaster Transtectors, thereby increasing the Autobot ranks on Earth without compromising their forces in space.

The Master-Braces and Transtectors were dispatched by Chromedome aboard a transport shuttle, but en route to Earth, the craft was attacked and half of its cargo was stolen by the Decepticon Pretenders. The remaining three were successfully received by the Autobots, and warehoused by their human ally, [[Professor Gō]], until such time as it could be definitely confirmed that their use was necessary. A series of public attacks by the Decepticons convinced Metalhawk that the time had come, and he gave the Master-Braces and Transtectors to three human children that had become friends to the Autobots—Professor Gō's son [[Shūta Gō|Shūta]], south-sea island prince [[Cab]], and daughter of [[Mont Porte]]'s Japanese ambassador [[Minerva]]. At the same time, the Decepticons abandoned their attempts to empower humans [[Destroid|in other ways]] and created their own Headmaster Juniors with the stolen Master-Braces—former biker gang leader [[Wilder]], orphan martial artist [[Cancer]] and street thug [[Bullhorn]]. {{storylink|Birth! Headmaster Jrs}}

[[Image:Godbraces.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Best gashapon ever!]]
The second type of Master-Braces are those worn by the Godmasters (referred to on one occasion as "God-Braces"). These golden bracelets are infinitely more mysterious, which is par for the course, given that they are tied into the complicated origins of the Godmaster Transtectors. "God-Braces" debuted with the introduction of the Decepticon Godmasters, [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]] {{storylink|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers}}; they had been given their Master-Braces and Transtectors by [[Giga]] and [[Mega]], who were also Godmasters, and had in turn been given ''their'' bracelets by the alien super-energy being and self-styled Decepticon "god," [[Devil Z]]. {{storylink|Super Ginrai Gets Blown Away in the Desert!?}} Not long thereafter, a Japanese trucker named [[Ginrai]] discovered a sphere holding a pair of Autobot Master-Braces in the glove compartment of a truck he had just rented. Donning the bracelets, he decided they didn't suit him, but was distressed to discover that he could not remove them. It was at that point that the Autobot Pretender [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]], in his human identity, discovered Ginrai wrestling with the bracelets in his cab; shocked to see the Autobot [[insignia]] glowing on their surface, he had Ginrai take him back to the rental shop he got the truck from. Along the way, they were attacked by Hydra and Buster, and Ginrai discovered that he was a Godmaster, and that the truck was his Transtector. {{storylink|A Hero Is Chosen - His Name Is Ginrai}}

A short time later, while still deliberating over whether or not to join the Autobots, Ginrai discovered three additional sets of Master-Braces in his glovebox—scans performed on them at the Autobot base proved that they were definitely Godmaster bracelets when the sheer amount of power they contained caused the scanner to explode. {{storylink|A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva}} After making a televised appeal, Ginrai successfully located the three owners, who were all recruited to the Autobots—automotive engineering company heir [[Lightfoot]], {{storylink|Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter}} Canadian forest patrolman [[Ranger]] {{storylink|An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger}} and Grand Prix champion [[Road King]] {{storylink|Assemble! The Four Godmaster Gunmen}}. One more Godmaster was later revealed, [[Doubleclouder]], who possessed a unique pair of Master-Braces—one Autobot, one Decepticon. Depending on which bracelet was atop the other when they were crossed, he could adopt either an Autobot robot form, or a Decepticon falcon form. {{storylink|Appearance!! The Final Godmaster}} After briefly dallying with the Decepticons, he sided with the Autobots. {{storylink|Disaster! The Autobot Base Explodes}}

[[Image:Clouder brace.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Bastardforce.]]
The precise origins of Godmaster Master-Braces are undisclosed. Godmaster Transtectors were developed by the Transformers in a region of space known as [[G Nebula 89]], but as they were never intended for humans to combine with, there seems to be little reason for Master-Braces to have been made to go along with them. It is known that Devil Z stole the Godmaster Transtectors and brought them to Earth with the intent of bonding them to humans, and he would later claim that he was responsible for forging the connection between humans and their Transtectors, so it is possible that the Godmaster bracelets were created by him. Such a train of thought, however, would require some hand-waving to explain why so many of them had Autobot insignias and bonded to humans sympathetic to the Autobot cause, when this was contrary to Devil Z's wishes. Similarly, it is never explained how three pairs of bracelets spontaneously appeared in Ginrai's glovebox when they had categorically not been there before—one might theorise that Devil Z arranged for them to be placed there, in order to flush out the remaining Godmasters, but that's unashamed speculation.

During the final stages of the [[Masterforce War]], Devil Z transformed several Transtectors into true, living robotic beings, severing their connection to their human partners and causing their Master-Braces to simply disappear from their wrists in a glimmer of light. Wilder, Cancer, Bullhorn, Doubleclouder, Mega and Giga were all forcibly parted from their Transtectors in this manner, but Ginrai ultimately destroyed the villain. Adding credence to Devil Z's claim that he was responsible for creating the bond between human and Transtector, his death caused all the remaining Master-Braces to vanish from the wrists of their wearers—however, through their bond with humans, the Transtectors themselves continued to live on as true super-robot lifeforms. {{storylink|A Battle... and Then...}}

==Toys==
[[Image:Masterbrace toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Don it, and you'll become a Master Warrior!]]
*'''Headmaster-Braces—Goshooter''' (1988)

:Role-play toys for the little robots born in the bodies of children, this pair of chromed silver bracelets was sold exclusively in Japan, as you might expect. The bracelets are of the Autobot variety and are presented as being Shūta's, their packaging decorated with images of him in his various forms. Sadly, no Decepticon versions were available—because it would have been totally cool to role-play as the socially-maladjusted leader of a disbanded biker gang. Thankfully for all involved, these ones ''are'' removable. They are packaged with a role-play pin-on communicator.

*'''Godmaster-Braces—Ginrai''' (1988)

:Just the same as the Headmaster-Braces, but in Godmaster gold, these bracelets are presented as Ginrai's.

{{-}}

[[Category:Headmasters]]
[[Category:Masterforce]]
[[Category:Technology]]

Possession

2010-10-29T03:53:45Z

24.202.105.245: /* Real-world references */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=21
|image=Starscream ghost BW.jpg
|caption="Look, I'm a ghost, okay? Quit being such a jerk."
|title="Possession"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 3]], 1997
|packaged with=[[Waspinator (BW)#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Waspinator]], [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Optimus Primal vs. Megatron]], [[Motorarm (BWII)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Motorarm]]
|written by=[[Ian Weir]]
|directed by=[[Owen Hurley]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Waspinator finds himself possessed by none other than the original Decepticon traitor, Starscream!'''

:''French title:'' '''Possession'''
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Possession'''
:''Japanese title:'' 不死身のスタースクリーム (''Fujimi no Sutāsukurīmu'', "The Immortal Starscream")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Posesión'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Il traditore''' ("The traitor")
:''Brazilian title:'' '''Possessão'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Possession Waspinator.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Abra used Hypnosis!]]
A violent storm rages, causing significant damage and knocking out power to both the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal]] and [[Darksyde|Predacon bases]]. While the [[Maximals]] stash their extra ammo deeper in their ship's hold to prevent undue accidents, Waspinator attempts to get one of the Predacon base's computer consoles online...only to be greeted by a ghostly, shrill voice from it. A power surge hits the bug-bot soon afterwards, and when the other Preds begin to wonder what has happened to him, in he comes, announcing his return "at long last" in the same eerie voice.

The voice belongs to [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Air Commander of the [[Decepticon]] forces and [[second-in-command]] to the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], whose [[spark]] had been tumbling through time and space for an unknown number of years before settling within Waspinator. As he puts it, he was destroyed defending [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] from the Chaos Bringer [[Unicron]], but his spark endured. As a show of his good faith, he pledges his loyalty to the Predacon Megatron, revealing vital information about the state of the Maximal base due to the storm, intelligence Megatron could use to plan a sneak attack. Intrigued by the idea, Megatron accepts Starscream into his ranks, but warns Scorponok in private to watch their new ally closely.

[[Image:Possession Megatron victorious.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"B-3" "BINGO!!!"]]
The next day, as the Maximals are making repairs to their base, they are suddenly attacked by the Preds, and Starscream's intel proves very useful in catching them off-guard. In the ensuing firefight, Dinobot is injured and the Decepticon Air Commander flies rings round Optimus, forcing the Maximals to abandon ship and regroup outside. Happy with their victory, Megatron puts Starscream in charge of holding the ''Axalon'', with Scorponok and Blackarachnia under his command, while the rest of the Preds return to their base, in case the Maximals decide to go for a sneak attack of their own. Once they're alone, though, Blackarachnia shows off her knack for history by correctly pointing out to Starscream that he was [[The Transformers: The Movie|murdered by Galvatron (the Unicron-reborn Megatron) after he betrayed the Decepticon commander]]. She's willing to keep this a secret, though, if she's let in on his real plans: to destabilize Megatron's control and rule both factions.

Deep in the forest, as the Maximals recover, Optimus voices his confusion and concern over Waspinator's new personality. He isn't entirely convinced Waspinator is possessed by the spark of Starscream, but as the [[Maximal Elders]] had long since sealed the Decepticon's records, they're not able to confirm or deny it, either. Fortunately, Dinobot's as much of a military history buff as Blackarachnia is, commenting on how ''Webster's Cybertronian Dictionary'' has pretty much replaced all definitions of "traitor" with Starscream's name. [[Wikipedia:Pinky and the Brain|Are you pondering what I'm pondering]], Optimus?

[[Image:Possession Starscream point.jpg|left|200px|thumb|I want YOU for Predacon Army]]
He is. Returning to the ''Axalon'', the Maximals call Starscream out to announce their surrender, citing the need to use the ship's CR Chamber to repair Dinobot's (now exaggerated) wounds. Feeling generous, the Decepticon Air Commander allows Optimus and Dinobot to come on board, but as predictably as night follows day, betrays them and strips Optimus of his weapons and locks him up in the hold as soon as he steps on deck. With their leader now his prisoner, Starscream orders the other Maximals to attack the Predacon base, over the token objections of Scorponok. They comply, and the trap is set.

[[Image:Possession Starscream gunpoint.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I'm azzz mad azzz hell, and I'm not going to take thizzz anymore!]]
Unbeknown to the Air Commander, he's been duped by the oldest trick in the book; by allowing himself to be betrayed, Optimus has put himself and Dinobot in the perfect position to retake their base, which they do in a dazzling display that forces Starscream to retreat back to Pred territory. Optimus pursues and manages to best the Decepticon in an aerial dogfight, leaving him grovelling at the Maximal's feet...until Blackarachnia shows up, prompting Starscream to plead for her aid, believing they can still complete their coup. No dice; this new generation is much less gullible than [[Autobot|their]] [[Decepticon|ancestors]], and Blackarachnia has skillfully pulled off a double-cross on the double-crosser, igniting a small energon cache underneath Starscream to "exorcise" the Decepticon's spark from Waspinator's body.

At the end of the day, Megatron gets done fixing the back-to-normal Waspinator as Blackarachnia explains her betrayal; if she hadn't done it, she maintains, she wouldn't have been able to sniff out Starscream's true motives. Megatron reluctantly accepts this excuse, but warns her that it still doesn't invoke confidence in her loyalties. Back at the ''Axalon'', the Maximals are finishing up repairs of their own...everyone but Cheetor, who's slacking off with a bout of stargazing, quipping "Twinkle, twinkle, little Starscream," as the camera pans up to beyond the planet's orbit, showing Starscream's spark screaming mech fluid-drenched vengeance on all within the Beast Wars as he drifts away into the void.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (4)
*[[Rattrap]] (8)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (13)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (14)
*[[Tigatron]] (15)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (7)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)

|c4=
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (1)
* [[Unicron]] (12)

}}
==Quotes==
"Quickly, damage report!" 
"Moderate. Waspinator in pain, but still functional." 
"Not you, imbecile, the computer!"
:—'''Waspinator''' mistakenly thinking '''Megatron''' cares.

"What is this? Program does not respond! Waspinator does not understand!" 
"I'll bet Waspinator seldom does! But try not to let it depress you, bug-face."
:—'''Waspinator''', about to be possessed by '''Starscream'''

"Allow me to present myself: Air Commander Starscream of the Decepticon Battle Fleet!!!"
:—'''Starscream''' speaking through Waspinator, making his grand return.

"Starscream, perhaps the centuries of weightlessness have taken a toll on your neurological circuitry."
:—'''Megatron''' seems to forget that free-floating sparks don't ''have'' circuitry.

''[to Optimus]'' "Good. Now, you reap the appropriate reward for your trust and good faith." ''[to Scorponok]'' "Disarm him, force him to transform, and then chain him in the hold or somewhere!"
:—'''Starscream'''

"You're nothin' but a schemin' snake in the grass!" 
"Ehh, flattery will get you flattened, vermin."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Starscream'''

"I'd say [[Wikipedia:Thing (comics)|it's tramplin' time!]]."
:—'''Rhinox''', free to open a can of kick-keister.

"Ohhhh... Waspinator has a headache in his whoooole body."
:—'''Waspinator''', as he's put back together yet again. Awwwww...

"Ugh! Starscream and Blackarachnia! I'll have both their treacherous hides! Yeeessss...I'll-I'll melt them down and use them for aluminum siding! Oh, yes, indeed!"
:—'''Megatron''' finally learning of Starscream's traitorous nature. Odd...

"Cheetor, planning to help with the clean-up?" 
"Eh, just checkin' for new constellations. Twinkle twinkle little Starscream."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Cheetor'''

"I'll be back! Even if it takes a thousand years, I'LL BE REVENGED ON YOU ALL!"
:—'''Starscream''', as he drifts through space

==Notes==
===Animation and/or technical glitches===
* When Megatron "checks up" on Waspinator, his dino head inexplicably switches from his right hand to his left hand.

* Unicron's "ring" is not connected to his body.

* When Starscream points to the unguarded side of the ''Axalon'', he seems to have a finger pointing on both sides of his hand, as though the animators were unsure of which hand he was using to point at the screen. (From the looks of the previous scenes, it should be his left hand.)

* When Starscream/Waspinator is standing on top of the ''Axalon'' and instructing the Maximals to attack the Predacon base, his right foot clips straight through one of the autocannons.

* When the Maximals come to "surrender", as Optimus talks to Starscream, his head is hideously deformed, with the sides stretched down to the base of his neck, and his head sitting far too high. Additionally his mouth doesn't move while he's speaking. ''Argh...''

===Continuity errors===
* Looking at the intro sequence with Starscream's spark, he clearly touches down somewhere in the southwest United States, apparently Arizona. The terrain and creatures in ''Beast Wars'' clearly suggest that it takes place in Africa. On the other hand, it makes sense, since "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]" puts the ''Axalon'' and the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] within commuting distance.

* While free-floating sparks are usually depicted as spheres, Starscream's spark has the twiddly bits which are usually only present to attach a spark to a protoform. Then again, it has been stated that Starscream's spark is not normal, so this may have been a conscious alteration?

* Megatron knew a great deal about Cybertronian history, yet apparently did not know the real nature of Starscream and his demise. However, Megatron might have been playing dumb to lure Starscream into being bolder with his actions. On the other hand, both the Predacon and Maximal Elders had a large portion of his records sealed ''due'' to his history. Then again, Megatron DID tell Scorponok to watch Starscream...

* Despite being born from a Maximal Protoform, Blackarachnia refers to the Decepticons as "our" (the Predacons') ancestors.

* [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] is absent for the entire episode.

* Starscream apparently imprisons Optimus in shackles that he can break out of in about five seconds flat. However, in the episode commentary on [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars Season 1'' DVDs, story editor [[Bob Forward]] states that Primal originally had a very complex way of breaking free involving tools and the dexterity of his beast mode appendages, but the animators changed this to just him "busting out", possibly due to time and monetary constraints.

===Transformers references===
* Obviously, Starscream himself firmly ties ''Beast Wars'' to established Generation 1 history, though you could argue that Waspinator thinking he was [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] already did this.

* Starscream's spark—or "ghost", as it was then called—possesses several Decepticons (including [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]) in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 episodes]] "[[Starscream's Ghost]]" and "[[Ghost in the Machine]]". His actions [[Atari|don't stop]] [[Teletraan 15|there]].

* One of the Predacon insignias on the side of Waspinator's cranium changes into a Decepticon insignia while Starscream's spark is inhabiting his superstructure.

* And of course, Starscream's fate was from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.

* Starscream's head is white and his face is blue, making him resemble his appearance in [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel Comics]] instead of his [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] [[character model]].

===Real-world references===
* [[Optimus Primal]] says "Hasta la vista, Starscream", paraphrasing a famous line from the film "[[wikia:c:terminator:Terminator 2: Judgment Day|Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]".

* As he flies away immediately after saying this, Optimus Primal is seen wearing a pair of sunglasses, aping (ahem) Arnold Schwarzenegger's trademark look from the movie.

* Rhinox's line "It's tramplin' time" could be an homage to "It's clobberin' time!", the catchphrase of the [[Thing]] of the [[Fantastic Four]].

===Trivia===
* [[Doug Parker]] performs both [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (standing in for the late [[Chris Latta]]), and the very Starscreamy [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]. In fact, Parker's Starscream is basically Terrosaur with a metallic distortion a la G1 Soundwave. Perhaps Starscream should have possessed Terrorsaur instead — of course, nobody would notice the difference.
* According to fan consultant [[Ben Yee]] and story editor Bob Forward on the Madman DVD commentary track, the original idea for this episode was to have the spark of an Autobot possess one of the characters. This idea was abandoned early on because a model of Starscream had already been made for "[[The Web]]". Besides, Starscream had the experience.
* Also according to Forward, the angles used for Waspinator (when he is possessed by Starscream) are much more "heroic" than normal (views from slightly below him, extreme closeups, etc.), to reflect Starscream's personality.
* Apart from the Decepticon insignia on his head, Waspinator's only physical change when possessed is the addition of a yellow stripe along the upper edges of his "mandibles", similar to their inner edges.
* Additionally, Yee provided all of the original Starscream's [[tech spec]] [[Bio|biographies]] to writer Ian Weir as a reference for Starscream's character and personality. Yee was pleased that Weir incorporated Starscream's original "[[Air Commander]]" [[function]] as the character's rank and title.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Warning from Space ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Alert Dans L'Espace (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Starscream's Invulnerability ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 4 ([[Universal]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Pax Cybertronia

2010-10-29T03:36:02Z

24.202.105.245: /* Accords of surrender */

The '''Pax Cybertronia''' was the unilateral peace accord signed after the [[Autobot|Autobots]] defeated the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] in the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. Little is known about how it came into existence, but it is known that [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] played an incredibly significant role in making it happen.{{fact}}

==Accords of surrender==
When the Decepticons surrendered at the end of the Great War, terms were drawn up to keep the peace until a formal treaty could be written. Any Autobot or Decepticon criminals acting outside of this agreement was a fair target for military action.

Under the accords, the Predacon alliance was subject to such strict economic sanctions, the production of new [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Protoform|protoforms]] slowed to a bare trickle, and the [[Tripredacus Council]] feared that any overt confrontation with the Maximals could doom their entire race to extinction. During this period the Tripredacus Council began aggressively undermining the actions of Predacon rebels, hoping to shield them from destruction by the [[Maximal Imperium]] so that they might live to fight another day. This, combined with the original surrender, permanently soured the Council's reputation among their fellow Predacons, leading many to consider them self-interested opportunists and traitors to the Predacon cause.

The accords were in effect for 50 [[Stellar cycle|Stellar cycles]] before they were succeeded by the Pax Cybertronia. {{storylink|The Razor's Edge|The Razor's Edge}}

==Fiction==
===Beast Wars===
According to the known terms, it places the Decepticons (and later their descendants the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]) at great disadvantage, with the Autobots (and later the [[Maximal|Maximals]]) firmly in control. It kept the peace on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], while keeping much information away from the [[Transformer|Transformers]] about their ancestors.

Leading up to the [[Beast Era]], powerful factions within the [[Predacon Alliance]] such as the [[Tripredacus Council]] want to continue to build up their resources under the restrictions placed on them by the Pax Cybertronia before a new campaign of conquest. This is a major point of contention between the leadership of the Alliance and sub-factions that would prefer action today.

When arresting Predacon rebels, Tripredacus agents invoke the Pax Cybertronia. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

==Notes==
*The Pax Cybertronia appears to be based on the [[wikipedia:Pax Romana|Pax Romana]].
*The reluctance of the Predacons and their subservient role in the new world is also somewhat reminiscent of a [[Wikipedia:Weimar Republic|post-WWI Germany]], which was forced to pay excessive reparations and was restricted in its weapons development, or to the modern [[Wikipedia:Neo-Confederate|Neo-Confederate]] movement in response to the conclusion of the American Civil War.
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron's]] comment on the Predacons merely "biding their time", that and the covert schemes of the Tripredacus Council, shows evidence of them treating the era as a secretive, [[Wikipedia:Undeclared war|undeclared]] [[Wikipedia:Cold war (general term)|cold war]].
[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:History]]

Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers

2010-10-28T23:33:01Z

24.202.105.245: /* Beast Machines */

{{picsneeded}}
Over the years, many '''misconceptions and urban legends''' have sprung up within ''Transformers'' [[fandom]], often resulting from such factors as fuzzy childhood memories, inaccurate catalog illustrations, and mistranslations of foreign material.

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Transformers is (only) a cartoon from the Eighties that has been brought back into vogue recently.'''
: A misconception usually held by casual fans or nostalgic adults is that Transformers went away some time around 1986 (or 1987, or 1988—pick your year), and has only recently popped back up as an attempt to cash in on '80s nostalgia.
:In fact, the [[Transformers brand]] has been continuous since 1984 (there was a brief gap between 1990 and 1993 as far as the United States market was concerned, but the brand still continued with new products on other markets). It includes many [[Franchise|lines of toys, cartoons and comics]] that span over two decades, with no sign of stopping, as Hasbro considers it a core brand. Each line has experienced varying degrees of success, rebooting when its target audience gets too old or uninterested in the toyline and fiction.
:Some of this misconception is based on the fact that most of the original audience stopped watching and following the franchise after its cancellation, or even before (as it wasn't "cool" to be kiddy once puberty hit). Without any exposure to the market, the toyline and the new cartoons, they simply assume that ''Transformers'' has sunk in popularity, quality and/or sales, since it's not what they remember.
:It ''is'' true that Transformers hit a low point of popularity in the early 1990s, with the cancelation of Generation 1 and the unremarkable sales of ''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]''. But the successor ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' line re-established the brand for a new generation beginning in 1996, and Transformers has been a dominant toy franchise ever since.

*'''Generation 1 obviously has the best toys, cartoons and characters.'''
:Casual fans likewise tend to assume automatically that the original 1980s iteration of Transformers is the best and most successful line to date, with all other successors being unpopular and/or unsuccessful ventures.
:While it's hard to measure the overall success of every line in all its aspects, the original line has been surpassed in both quality and sales multiple times over. In factors such as realistic alternate forms, durability, articulation, action features, and complexity, various later toylines have all exceeded Generation 1. And while fiction can't be measured objectively, many fans will swear up and down by some of the later incarnations of ''Transformers''.
:Arguably, Transformers is in an endless cycle of creating [[true fan|new fans who share new opinions on what is "teh greatest"]].

*'''Powermaster Optimus Prime was the first, ''original'' Optimus Prime toy.'''

[[Image:G1 OptimusPrime toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|1984—the original.]]
[[Image:PowermasterOptimusPrime toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|1988—the Powermaster version.]]
:This one claims that the [[Powermaster]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] toy, originally released in 1988, is the ''original'', first Optimus Prime toy ever released, rather than the ''earlier'', non-Powermaster toy, which is an entirely different mold and was originally available in 1984. This phenomenon is particularly common in [[eBay]] auctions, where Powermaster Optimus Prime toys are frequently advertised as "ORIGINAL Optimus Prime".
:The reasons for this misconception are obvious: Numerous people arrived late to the party—that is, became fans of the original ''Transformers'' line after the ''real'' original Optimus Prime toy had vanished off the shelves in 1986 (the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] was still shown in reruns on TV). Any of them looking for a toy of the iconic [[Autobot]] leader would only find the Powermaster toy on store shelves starting in 1988. Fast-forward to 20 years later, and people who weren't really paying a lot of attention to the brand for the past few years, now looking to sell off their childhood toys, would naturally conclude that the toy they got as a kid was the ''original'' Optimus Prime toy.
:The phenomenon is even more widespread in countries such as Germany, where the cartoon wasn't officially shown on TV until 1989(!). By that point, the ''original'' toy, which had originally been released by [[Milton Bradley]] on the European market in 1985, was long gone off the shelves. Thus, the only Optimus Prime toy available to kids who had only just become fans because of the cartoon was the Powermaster version. Admittedly, gray imports of the Mexican version of the ''original'' toy by [[IGA]] were also available in European stores around this time, and Hasbro themselves would release the original toy again two years later as part of their European-exclusive [[Classics (Europe)|Classics]] line of reissues. However, the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy was still a lot more widespread.

*'''20th Anniversary Optimus Prime was the Optimus Prime toy available more than 20 years ago/Alternators are the same toys that were available 20 years ago.'''

[[Image:20thAnniversary OptimusPrimesm.jpg|left|125px|thumb|Sadly, this didn't exist until 2003.]]
:This misconception usually comes from people who, upon seeing the 20th Anniversary [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] toy (which was originally released in 2003/2004), honest-to-god swear it's the toy they had when they were a kid. Similarly, there are also people who believe that the toys from the ''[[Alternators]]'' line are the same toys they had as kids, when they're most likely confusing them with the original Autobot Cars, which are about half the size.
:The reasons for this aren't too hard to guess: People were a lot smaller when they were kids, so obviously the original Transformers toys seemed a lot larger to them. Since these fans didn't repeatedly hold or play with their Transformers while growing up, they weren't constantly adjusting to the toys' size in relation to their own. This resulted in blurred memories of outright ''gargantuan'' Transformers toys available in the 1980s. (One might wonder how tall those people would remember [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] being.)
:When confronted with the original toys—now relatively small because the fans have grown up—these people often reject them, insisting the "original" toys were ''larger'' (occasionally even accusing the ''real'' original toys of being downsized [[Knockoff|knockoffs]]). Showing them the Alternators or 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, on the other hand, will bring back warm (albeit incorrect) memories.

{{-}}

*'''A "giant"-sized Optimus Prime toy was available during Generation 1.'''
:A variant of the above of sorts. In at least a few cases, claims regarding a "giant" Generation 1 Prime may stem from dim memories of coming across [http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbyg2.html oversized Optimus Prime knockoffs that were made in Korea]—or because they had the ''normal'' Prime as kids, when they (the former kids) were about ''half'' the height they are now (see above). Other people also may have blurred memories of the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy's larger robot mode when combined with his trailer.
:The release of 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime didn't exactly help matters either (again, see above).

*'''"Bumblejumper" is a fan name for a yellow version of Cliffjumper./Bumblejumper was sold both on Bumblebee and Cliffjumper cards.'''
[[Image:G1Bumper toy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Bumper", who later would be known as "Bumper".]]
:As part of the launch of the [[The Transformers (toyline)|''Generation 1'' toyline]] in 1984, Hasbro released two Autobot [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] toys, [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], both of which had vehicle modes that used [[Choro-Q]]-like proportions. Bumblebee was based on a classic Volkswagen Beetle, whereas Cliffjumper was based on a Porsche 924 Turbo. In all the official advertising as well as the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon series]] and the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel comics]], Bumblebee was consistently colored yellow, whereas Cliffjumper was colored red (not counting one-off coloring and [[Animation error|animation errors]]). However, Hasbro also released a red Bumblebee and a yellow Cliffjumper, both of which used the same cardbacks as the regular versions.
:In addition, Hasbro also released a [[Bumper (G1)|''third'' mold]] using a similar body structure and transformation scheme, based on a Mazda Familia 1500XG. This toy had originally been available as part of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]'' line, but was not officially advertised as a ''Transformers'' toy. (Note that this toy is not to be confused with [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], a yellow [[retool]] of Cliffjumper released in 1986.) To this very day, only yellow samples of this toy in ''Transformers'' packaging have surfaced, all of them on "Cliffjumper" cards. The color variants for Bumblebee and Cliffjumper continued to be available with the 1985 assortment (which featured [[Rubsign|rubsigns]] and the Mini Vehicle toys packaged in robot mode rather than in [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode]]), whereas no samples of the Mazda Familia in 1985 packaging have surfaced thus far.
:Fans later started to refer to the Mazda Familia mold by portmanteau names such as "Bumblejumper", "Cliffbee" and "Bumper". The last of these names was eventually made official when a character based on the toy made appearances in the ongoing [[Generation One (Dreamwave comic)|''Generation One'' Volume 1]] comic series by [[Dreamwave Productions]] and in the ''[[Megatron Origin]]'' mini-series by [[IDW Publishing]]. However, fans who know about the Bumblebee/Cliffjumper color variants, but are unaware of the existence of the Mazda Familia mold, occasionally incorrectly assume that the name "Bumblejumper" refers to the yellow color variant of Cliffjumper... which is simply referred to as "yellow Cliffjumper" by most fans.

*'''A now-rare (and thus valuable) blue variant of Bluestreak was available during Generation 1.'''

[[Image:G1 Bluestreak boxart.jpg|right|150px|thumb|You had this as a kid. The picture, that is. Not the toy.]]
:The very earliest [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]] toy [[catalog]]s used a photo of a blue-sided ''[[Diaclone]]'' Fairlady Z to represent [[Bluestreak]]; photographs of the same toy were used for Bluestreak's own [[Instructions|instruction booklet]]. The same blue-sided color scheme was also used on his [[Package art|box art]]; Bluestreak's box art was in turn shown on ''every'' 1984 instruction booklet as a sample tech spec.
:All this gave rise to a long-standing myth that a blue Bluestreak toy was sold under the ''Transformers'' brand during Generation 1, with some people going so far as to "remember" owning blue Bluestreaks as children, or at least knowing someone else who did. Adding to the confusion, ''[[wikipedia:ToyFare|ToyFare]]'' magazine has a long history of listing the supposed blue Bluestreak as a "foreign [[variant]]" in its monthly price guide.
:However, actual samples of a blue-sided Bluestreak in a sealed ''Transformers'' box have ''never'' appeared, and the [[Karl Hartman|collectors who have been at it since the very beginning]] and [[Jon Hartman|amassed ''insane'' numbers of rare Transformers]] have never seen one.
: Oddly enough, numerous other Transformers toys from that era were depicted in both catalogues and packaging art with colors they were never released in —[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], for example— yet Bluestreak is the only one to be (mis)remembered in this manner, perhaps because his name is Bluestreak, so he had to have been blue, right?

*'''A show-accurate Skyfire toy was available during Generation 1.'''

[[Image:Jetfire-SkyfireModels.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Patience. You just have to wait 22 years.]]
:Due to some legal entanglements, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] was renamed "Skyfire" for the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]], with a [[character model]] that bore only a vague resemblance to the toy. Some confused viewers seem to have come away assuming that there had to be a [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] Generation 1 toy by the name of Skyfire. (The ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' Jetfire toy is actually designed as a mix between the original toy and the cartoon character model.)

*'''Some Generation 1 toy molds were in use as long ago as 1974.'''
:Some ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]''-derived toys have the text "©1974 TAKARA" stamped on them, and as a result are occasionally sold on eBay with descriptions such as "original 1974 [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]". However, the date 1974 refers to the introduction of the original [[Microman]] franchise due to the way Japanese IP law worked at the time; the first ''Microchange'' toys weren't even designed until the early 1980s.

*'''A winged variant of Sludge was available during Generation 1.'''
:A [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] [[knockoff]] that featured wings and a pterodactyl-like beast head was fairly commonplace during the Generation 1 era, and in some cases people who owned this knockoff as children seem to have misremembered it as being a [[Hasbro]] or [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]-produced [[variant]].<ref name="Sludge Knockoff">[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Sludge1.html http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Sludge1.html]</ref>

*'''A Unicron toy was available during Generation 1.'''
[[Image:Unicron Proto.jpg|thumb|200px|Seriously, aren't you glad your poor parents didn't have to waste like a hundred bucks on this back in '86?]]
:No toys of [[Unicron]] were available (or even produced beyond [[prototype]]) until 2003. In fact, the mere ''existence'' of those prototypes wasn't actually officially confirmed until many years later. The first official Unicron toy to be released came out as part of the ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' line in 2003 and was a brand new mold, not based on an old, unused prototype.
:The fictional existence of a ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' Unicron toy is likely based on schoolground one-upmanship: if one kid had a larger toy such as [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], a rival kid would claim to have a Unicron toy in order to appear cooler, but would most likely retire to his bed a sobbing mess, knowing in his heart that one day God would punish him for being a HUGE FIBBER.

*'''The Decepticon combiner team Seacons is pronounced "See-ih-cons" vice "See-cons."'''
:This belief stems from the fact that nearly all Decepticon teams before them had a "i" or "a" vowel break in between the prefix and "con" (Construct'''i'''cons, Combat'''i'''cons, Pred'''a'''cons, etc), with nearly all the teams having three or more syllables. To fit the pattern, some fans inserted an extra syllable into "[[Seacon (G1)|Seacon]]s", expanding the name to "See-ah-cons" or something similar. There was little to disprove this, since audio media mentioning the team by name is rare. However, fans have since found there was one toy commercial for the set and the narrator clearly calls them "See-cons."

*'''The reissue Soundwave toys released by Takara are reverse-engineered from Soundblaster because the original molds are lost'''
:Both the ''[[Transformers Collection]]'' and ''[[Encore]]'' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] releases have different tape buttons and hinges than the ones found on the vintage Hasbro release. While the vintage Hasbro Soundwave had inset controls and an internal tape deck hinge, the Takara reissues have a large button block that serves as a pivot point for an external tape deck hinge. The supposed reason for this is the mold for the original versions of the buttons and door are lost or worn out, so a new single tape door was made to work with the Soundblaster mold.
:In fact, the buttons and hinge used on the reissue Soundwaves were originally a [[retool]]ed running change [[variant]] of Takara's original 1985 release of Soundwave. The further Soundblaster retool was based on the later Japanese version of Soundwave, as were the reissues. Presumably, the original mold in its original condition ''is'' lost - but this happened ''long'' before Takara retooled Soundwave into Soundblaster.

===Generation 2===
*'''"Generation 2" means "after ''The Transformers: The Movie''."'''
:This common but explicitly false idea probably stems from the many casual fans who grew up with the original ''Transformers'' line but stopped paying much attention around 1986, when the animated ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' debuted and the ''Transformers'' craze began to die down. Many such fans regained some interest in ''Transformers'' many years later, particularly with hype surrounding the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]]. Seeing the phrase "Generation 2" batted around in fandom, it might seem natural to assume it refers to the big changeover that happened with the animated film. It certainly didn't help that, early in the life of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]], [[Pat Lee]] shared in this misconception, leading other new arrivals to the fandom to ape his use of the term.
:While the original animated movie certainly marked a change from one "generation" of toys to another, along with some new design trends, the phrase "Generation 2" refers to [[Generation 2 (franchise)|a very specific franchise]], marketed from 1992 to 1995—years after the animated film had come and gone. Its relative obscurity probably contributes to the mis-attribution of the term, as ''Generation 2'' marks a low point in popularity for ''Transformers'' as a whole.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline was known as "Transformers 2000" in Japan.'''
:As information about the then-new [[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|''Car Robots'' toyline]] began to trickle out of Japan in 2000, early rumors purportedly from Japanese sources indicated that it was officially named "Transformers 2000".<ref name="Transformers 2000">http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_frm/thread/e6436b92178f0c0a</ref> It's possible those Japanese sources were also going by early, inaccurate rumors or perhaps a soon-to-be-discarded working title for the line. The idea persisted with many Western fans well after the true name of the show was revealed, encouraged by online import retailers (who were equally misinformed) using the title to promote pre-orders on their sites.

===Alternators===
*'''A yellow version of Alternators Tracks was released to North American stores (but then recalled by Hasbro).'''

[[Image:YellowTracks.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Only in Japan, baby.]]
:When [[Hasbro]] (and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) originally announced the ''[[Alternators]]'' version of [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] in 2004, the toy's [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode's]] primary color was yellow. This caused the ire of a significant portion of the fandom, which insisted that the toy had to be ''blue'', like its ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' predecessor.
:However, while Takara did release their ''Binaltech'' version of the toy in yellow, stolen [[Prototype|samples]] of the Hasbro version eventually surfaced which were indeed blue rather than yellow. Hasbro eventually confirmed at [[OTFCC 2004]] that the initial idea had been to release the toy in yellow first, and then later as a running change [[variant]] in blue, like Takara would ultimately do. However, Hasbro had encountered problems at the test shot stage, where it became evident that some of the toy's innards were shining through the yellow plastic. As a result, plans for a release of the yellow version were scrapped, and it was decided to release the blue version from the get-go.
:However, around the time when the yellow version of ("Autobot") Tracks was originally supposed to arrive in stores, rumors started circulating that some stores (usually [[Walmart]]) had indeed received a shipment of the toy, but were then asked by Hasbro to send back the entire batch. Some variants of this rumor later even claimed having seen a cell photo from the friend of a friend depicting a yellow Alternators Tracks in packaging on top of a case sporting a "RETURN TO SENDER" note. Conveniently, circumstance always prevented these people from taking a photo and sharing it with the internet public.
:Needless to say, no substantial evidence has ever surfaced to back up these claims. Furthermore, there are several factors that make this story extremely doubtful: First, Hasbro—in their own words—discovered the problems with the see-through yellow plastic at the test shot stage (which is the entire ''point'' of this part of the production run). Why would they actually bother to continue the production run, print the packaging, pack the toy and send it to stores and ''then'' decide to recall it? Never mind that toy recalls are usually done due to safety concerns, not because of ''looks''. Also, we've seen "leaked" (read: stolen) packaged samples of pretty much every single Alternators toy several months prior to its official release. Yellow Tracks? The last thing we saw of him was an unpackaged, painted sample with (intentionally) off-color Autobot sigils and "NOT FOR SALE" markings. In all the years since the toy's alleged stealth shipment to stores, not a single packaged sample has surfaced.
:The only "packaged" versions of a yellow ''Alternators'' Tracks we ever got to see were internet pranks of the "yellow ''Binaltech'' Tracks in photoshopped Hasbro box" variety. Which, of course, didn't help matters at all.

*'''Hasbro omitted ''Alternators'' Windcharger's gun barrel for safety reasons.'''

[[Image:WindchargerOverdrive.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Castrated at the request of Honda.]]
:When the first stolen [[Prototype|test shots]] of ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] surfaced in 2004, the toy sported an extraordinarily long gun barrel (which doubled as the [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode]]'s drive shaft). However, when [[Hasbro]] finally officially announced the toy on their public website, the gun barrel was missing from all the official photos. Since Hasbro's photographers have a reputation of frequently depicting mistransformed toys in their official [[stock photography|promotional photos]], fans initially assumed that Hasbro was showing a "broken" toy—but then the first (stolen) packaged samples surfaced, which were also lacking the barrel.
:The toy was ultimately released without the barrel, which was not shown or mentioned anywhere on the packaging or in the instructions. Indeed, Windcharger's weapon accessory was officially identified as a "shield" on the back of the packaging (in addition to the actual, ragtop roof shield). [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], on the other hand, later released their own ''Binaltech'' version of the toy (named [[Overdrive]]) with the full barrel, prominently shown in the official promotional photos.
:The initial fan theory upon seeing the barrel-less toy was that Hasbro had gutted it [[for safety reasons]], since the long barrel might pose choking hazard. Even though this was refuted by actual experts on toy safety standards, the rumor still persisted. An official response of Hasbro's customer service department to an e-mail inquiry (published on a fan site's message board) confirmed that the reason for the barrel's omission was "so the accessory would not look like a weapon".<ref name="Windcharger gun barrel">"http://forums.tformers.com/talk/index.php?showtopic=13088 Response from Hasbro's customer service department regarding the lack of Alternators Windcharger's gun barrel.</ref> Some fans now shifted the blame from Hasbro (or toy safety laws) to Honda, since all ''Alternators'' toys were officially licensed vehicles (Honda wouldn't be the first company to have objections about their vehicles being depicted as "war toys", either), while others tried to ambiguously interpret the response mail, or even accuse Hasbro's customer service department of simply not actually knowing what they were talking about. The release of Takara's version with the full gun barrel intact didn't exactly help to resolve matters either.
:Eventually, Hasbro (in the presence of Takara representatives) would confirm the full story at [[BotCon 2005]]: It had indeed been Honda, specifically their North American branch, that had asked to remove the gun barrel and all references to "weapons" from the toy, its packaging and included paperwork. Honda's Japanese department, on the other hand, had no such concerns, which is why Takara were able to release the ''Binaltech'' version with the barrel intact.
:This didn't mark an end to the "for toy safety reasons" rumor, though: Some fans who are unaware of Hasbro's statement at the BotCon panel still assume the (seemingly) evident explanation, whereas some conspiracy theorists explicitly reject the official explanation by Hasbro, arguing that Hasbro would rather put the blame on Honda than openly admit that they had altered a toy in order to conform to toy safety regulations.

===Masterpiece===
*'''Masterpiece Convoy has more diecast parts than 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime/Masterpiece Convoy is made almost entirely out of diecast/20th Anniversary Optimus Prime is made entirely out of plastic'''
:This misconception ''might'' be extrapolated from the ''[[Alternators]]'' toys, which are made entirely out of plastic (except for the rubber tires) for their Hasbro releases, whereas their Japanese ''Binaltech'' counterparts feature a few parts made out of [[die-cast|die-cast metal]].
:In fact, however, the amount of die-cast metal parts versus injection-[[mold|molded]] plastic parts is the same between 20th Anniversary [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] and his Japanese ''[[Masterpiece]]'' Convoy counterpart. The only differences between the two toys (not counting the packaging) are the shortened smokestacks for Hasbro's 20th Prime and the addition of painted battle damage that is missing from the Takara version.

===Commemorative Series===
*'''Commemorative Series Side Swipe was found at Toys"R"Us stores in the USA'''
:In mid-2004, [[Toys"R"Us]] decided to discontinue the [[Commemorative Series]] line of ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Generation 1 reissues|reissues]] they had [[exclusive|exclusively]] carried up until that point due to low sales. This affected several planned releases, such as [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], which ultimately never came out. However, it ''also'' affected the ready-to-ship ''Commemorative Series'' VIII and IX: Series VIII [[Skids (G1)|Autobot Skids]] and Series IX [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] were still released; however, Series VIII [[Sideswipe (G1)|Side Swipe]] was ultimately released as a [[KB Toys]] exclusive over a year later, whereas Series IX [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ended up as a [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] exclusive shortly afterwards. Side Swipe ''did'', however, show up at ''Canadian'' and ''Australian'' Toys"R"Us stores at different points in 2004.

:Still, around the time when Side Swipe's intended series-mate Skids hit stores, rumors started to pop up that someone ''had'' indeed found Side Swipe at Toys"R"Us. Similar to the "yellow ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] at [[Walmart]]" rumor, however, nobody was ever able to provide evidence of having purchased the toy. Thus, any of these instances were likely either due to fans trying to get their ten minutes of internet fame, or misinterpretations of Canadian or Australian sightings as hailing from the US ('cuz, y'know, all ''Transformers'' fans are presumed to be Americans by default).

===Europe (all generations)===
*'''The Generation 1 Seacon Overbite was released under the name "Jawbreaker" on some European markets.'''
[[Image:JawbreakerComic.jpg|right|thumb|UK comic exclusive name variant!]]
:This appears to originate from the fact that [[Enemy Action!|issue 152]] of the Marvel UK comics, the first appearance of the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], refers to [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]] as "Jawbreaker", a name repeated in his appearance in [[Salvage!|issue 160]] and an "A to Z" profile in the [[Transformers Annual 1989]]. In the early days of the Transformers online fandom, when information about (and scans of) the UK comics were made available to a larger number of American fans for the first time, they concluded that this must mean that the toy had been released under a different name in Europe (which is not ''entirely'' unfounded: Generation 1 toys ''had'' been released under alternate names in Canada and Italy; and many of the tail-end G1 toys that were released following the cancellation of the line on the United States market were also available in several name variants on various European markets). A further variation of this rumor even cited legal (possibly [[trademark]]) reasons as an explanation for the alleged name change.
:However, no substantial evidence has ever surfaced to back up this rumor; in fact, European fans, when questioned, all claimed to recall that the toy was called "Overbite" when released in their respective countries (except for Italy, where [[GiG]] actually didn't release the Seacons ''at all''). Furthermore, the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] in [[City of Fear!|issue #164]] of the UK comic features a question by a confused (British) reader who inquires about the "Jawbreaker" name, since the toy was called "Overbite" when released in the UK (which then results in a made-up-on-the-spot explanation on behalf of the Marvel staff to reconcile both names).
:So, why ''did'' the story identify the character as "Jawbreaker"? It's likely that writer [[Simon Furman]] simply got a few names mixed up, since the Overbite toy's instructions refer to his ''weapon'' as a "Jawbreaker cannon". That, or "Jawbreaker" was an early working name for Overbite. Or, as his first appearance was very early in the year, when the story was written Marvel UK had received incomplete information about a toy that was not yet on sale.

*'''Some toys were exclusively (or predominantly) available in the United Kingdom (sometimes also the Netherlands)'''
:This likely stems from the fact that during the early days of the Transformers online fandom, when information from European countries was shared with American fans, two of the most active fanbases (or, at least, fanbases with members who were capable of, and interested in, engaging in conversations using the English language) as far as Europe was concerned were based in the UK and in the Netherlands. As a result, when information about toys (or toy variants) that were not available in the United States was spread, there simply were no fans from Germany or France around to confirm that the toys in question had also been officially available in their respective countries.
:As a result, the red variant of [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] was initially branded a "Netherlands" release, as were some the Mexican toys originally produced by [[IGA]] for the Mexican market that were later imported to Europe through gray channels and sold in at least half a dozen countries (most notably exotic variations such as blue versions of [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]). Meanwhile, tail-end G1 releases after the toyline had been cancelled as far as the United States market was concerned, such as the [[Action Master Elite|Action Master Elites]], the "[[Classics (Europe)|Classics]]" reissues, the [[Turbomaster|Turbomasters]] or the [[Obliterator|Obliterators]], were often referred to as "UK exclusives" (and are occasionally still to this very day), even though all of them were also available in numerous other countries—some of them even in Canada and Australia!
:Simply put, there are very few toys that were actually exclusive to a single European country. The bizarre red-footed variant of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|G1 Optimus Prime]] has only been confirmed for the UK and France thus far (apparently in two different packaging variations, no less), and ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Jazz (G1)|Meister]] and ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] have both only been released in Italy as far as the European (but not the American, or Australian, or Asian) market is concerned. Even the red "Powerlinx" version of ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]], which had originally been available as a "[[USA Edition]]" in Japan and was later found in Israel of all places, also has confirmed sightings for Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The toy was even found in ''Australia'', but only in stores that also occasionally sell toys imported from other countries, and again in European packaging, oddly enough.
:The first ''genuine'' "UK exclusives" were released as part of the accompanying [[Movie (toyline)|toyline]] for the 2007 [[Transformers (2007)|''Transformers'' live action movie]], namely a three-pack containing the Deluxe Class toys [[Jazz (Movie)|Autobot Jazz]], [[Protoform]] [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Brawl (Movie)|Decepticon Brawl]], and a two-pack, named "Towed to Safety", which contained the first of the two Deluxe Class [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] molds and [[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]] (''not '' to be confused with the Screen Battles "Final Stand" set, which was ''also'' available in the UK), both of them in their original decos. Meanwhile, other multi-packs or minor variants of toys from the 2007 movie toyline that were available in the UK but not in the United States were also available in other places, such as Japan, Hong Kong, Australia or other European countries again.

*'''A green variant of Trailbreaker was available in some European countries.'''
:This belief seems to stem from the fact that [[IGA]]'s Mexican version of [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (which, like most Mexican Transformers, was widely available on the European gray market circa 1989, as mentioned above) used the same head sculpt as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. But like the "Blue" Bluestreak, no samples of an actual green version of the Trailbreaker mold actually sold ''as'' "Trailbreaker" have been found.

===Other===
*'''Takara (alternatively, Hasbro) are ''solely'' responsible for designing, developing and manufacturing (all, or certain specific) ''Transformers'' toys.'''
: This was true only for the original [[The Transformers (toyline)|''Generation 1'' toys]], and possibly also the [[Generation 2 (toyline)|''Generation 2'' toys]]. Most of the toys from 1984 to 1986 were imported (and, occasionally, slightly altered) versions of already-existing Japanese toys originally designed and released by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]. Following that, Takara developed new toys both for the Japanese and the Western market, now specifically with ''Transformers'' in mind. The primary exceptions are a handful of toys licensed from other Japanese companies (Jetfire, Whirl and Roadbuster, for example), and the 1986 toys for the [[The Transformers: The Movie|animated movie]], which were mostly based on designs by [[Floro Dery]].
: However, at least since the time of the [[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]] toyline, most "main" line toys released both in Japan and the Western hemisphere (such as the [[Unicron Trilogy]], ''[[Alternators]]'', the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 Movie line]] and ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]/[[Henkei! Henkei! (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'') have been designed and developed in cooperation between [[Hasbro]] (or its subsidiary [[Kenner]]) and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] (now TakaraTomy). (For the specifics of this joint venture development process, see the article about [[Toy|toys]].)
: Still, numerous reasons have led some people to assume incorrectly that ''all'' ''Transformers'' toy lines were ''solely'' developed by only one of the two companies:
:* The Western public and mainstream media, naturally, tend to be unaware of the existence of Takara (TakaraTomy these days). It's therefore logical to assume that Hasbro, the company responsible for distributing Transformers toys outside Japan, is also solely responsible for developing and manufacturing the toys. The fact that Hasbro regularly chooses not to mention their Japanese business partner in official press releases and interviews hasn't exactly helped matters, either.
:* On the other hand, Western anime fans are used to Japanese companies being solely responsible for designing robot toys, which are then imported and sold by Western companies. For lack of better knowledge, those people then simply assume the same also applies to ''Transformers'' toys — namely, that Takara does ''all'' the design and engineering work on their own, and Hasbro is merely the Western ''distributor'' of those toys. The fact that the back of Hasbro's packaging for ''Transformers'' toys sports a small note saying "Manufactured under license from Takara Co., Ltd." (changed to "TOMY Company, Ltd." on more recent toys) is occasionally cited as "proof" that Takara is the sole manufacturer of ''Transformers'' toys as well. A long paper trail of evidence to the contrary<ref name="Hasbro Tour">[http://www.seibertron.com/events/gallery.php?event_id=70&size=0&start=272 Exemplary rundown] of the development process of ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' Leader Class [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], shown during the Hasbro tour at [[BotCon 2007]]. Of course, Hasbro just replaced the name "Takara" in some of the steps with "Hasbro" in order to convince fans that... yeah, riiiight.</ref> has not been able to convince those people of the flaws in their conspiracy theory — rather, some of them have even postulated the existence of a so-called "Hasbro PR machine", whose sole purpose is to convince ''Transformers'' fans that Hasbro actually has a larger part in the development of ''Transformers'' toys than is actually the case.<ref name="Propaganda">[http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?1,88668 ToyBoxDX thread with anime fanboys arguing that "Takara is an enormous toy '''manufacturing''' company. Hasbro doesn't manufacturer anything. The sole reason for its existence is for marketing the products of their partners and wholly-owned subs. Just to be clear here - Takara is bigger than Hasbro."] They wouldn't even believe that [[Joe Kyde]] actually worked at Hasbro. No kidding.</ref>
: That being said, there ''are'' indeed a few toys originally developed by either Hasbro or Takara without the other one's involvement, and then later picked up by the other company, but they're fewer than usually assumed: For Takara, those include the new molds for ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'', ''[[Beast Wars Neo (toyline)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' and ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Car Robots]]'', plus various mostly short-lived, collector-aimed, niche market lines (such as the new ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' molds, the ''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'', the ''[[Hybrid Style]]'' toys etc.); for Hasbro, those are mostly either toys originally based on fiction-based franchises that did not originate with Hasbro (such as [[Animorphs (toyline)|Animorphs]] or the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars Transformers]]'' and their later successor, ''[[Crossovers|Transformers Crossovers]]''), cross-brand lines ''within'' Hasbro where the Transformers toys only make up one part of the overall lineup (such as the [[Titanium Series]] and the [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] figures) and a few very rare "main" line Transfomers toys such as the ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Power Master|Power Masters]] and [[Grimlock (Energon)|Grimlock]], [[Swoop (Energon)|Swoop]], [[Alpha Quintesson]], [[Kicker Jones#Toys|Energon Kicker]] and [[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] from ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]''.

*'''Takara's Japanese-market releases are always of intrinsically better quality than their U.S. counterparts. (E.g., they have sweeter exclusives, and are always more show-accurate, have more accessories, and have tighter quality control.)'''
: This one depends a bit on the speaker, as it can either be a genuine misconception, a matter of opinion, or at worst, [[Personal canon|willful]] [[True fan|snobbery]]. But, like any broad generalization, it does have some basis.
:*"Better quality" can refer to the fact that Japanese versions of individual toys sometimes have clear plastic instead of painted-on windows like [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Movie Bumblebee]], or have vac-metallized parts where the equivalent U.S. release doesn't, like [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|''Energon'' Optimus Prime/Grand Convoy]]. Or, "better" quality can refer to the fact that Japan is a less litigious society, with different toy safety laws, and Takara can thus give [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Prime]] toys old-school long smokestacks, which are now shortened in the U.S. [[for safety reasons]]. These laws also mean that [[Megatron (G1)|Masterpiece Megatron]] is freely available in Japan, but hard to get in the U.S. (the exact opposite of ''real'' handguns, ironically).
:*"More [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] decos" does have some basis, as Takara frequently releases its toys later than Hasbro does Stateside, and thus they are better able to reflect discrepancies between late-run changes to a character's coloration in a show (such as with the original [[Rattrap]] or [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|''Armada'''s Tidal Wave]]). The most extreme example of this was ''[[Beast Machines (franchise)|Beast Wars Returns]]'', the Japanese release of ''Beast Machines'', which was ''years'' later than in the U.S., allowing Takara to add a lot of the deco that was added to the characters by [[Mainframe Entertainment]] that was not the original toys. (''See also'': [[Show-accuracy]])
:*"More accessories" mostly comes from the fact that ''some'' of Takara's releases have some extra accessories, but the only cases of this before the reissues were [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]'s two swords, Megatron's sword and bullets (even though the Japanese release lacked the barrel, scope and stock extensions) and clear cases from the various cassettes. Japanese reissues have included additional accessories from the cartoon (the axe, chain mace, Energon cubes and gun-mode Megatron in the [[Transformers Collection]] reissues of Optimus and Megatron, Insecticons and Starscream, respectively, the Matrix from New Year's Convoy). Some ''[[Energon (franchise)|Super Link]]'' releases came with [[Redeco|redecoed]] [[Energon weapon|Energon weapons]] as well. [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Henkei Hot Rod]] came with two missile launchers and missiles not included with [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys#Universe_.282008.29|Universe Hot Shot]] due to budget constraints, and consequently had a remolded rear bumper for their inclusion.
:*"Sweeter exclusives" is really a matter of taste. If endless redecos of Generation 1 toys as completely unprecedented Generation 1 characters, buying $40 worth of toys you got a month ago for a single [[Mini-Con]], and shelling out half your mortgage for [[Lucky Draw figure|Lucky Draw]] gold chrome figures is what floats your boat, then yeah, Japan has better exclusives.
:*"Tighter quality control" is a total myth. Takara products are manufactured under much the same production conditions as Hasbro's (pretty much everything for both markets is made in China), and their standards of quality control are just as likely to let mistakes creep through. Just ask any buyer of ''[[Henkei! Henkei! (toyline)|Henkei!]]'' [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] how well his weapons stay attached to the arms.
:*The fields in which Takara genuinely excels Hasbro are comparably minor: Takara's [[stock photography]] generally tends to be more impressive than Hasbro's, without obvious mistransformations and awkward poses, and at the same time looks more representative of the actual toy due to less reliance on blatant digital touch-ups. Likewise, Takara's [[instructions]] tend to be more detailed and useful than Hasbro's.

*'''"Repackaged" toys are ''literally'' unsold toys sent back to Hasbro, taken out of the old packaging, put into new packaging and then sent back to stores.'''

[[Image:SteamhammerEnergonUniverse.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Not literally a waste of packaging material.]]
:Every so often, a ''Transformers'' toyline features [[rebranding|rebranded]] toys; namely, toys that were originally released as part of a previous line, but are neither [[Redeco|redecos]] nor [[Retool|retools]]—they're virtually indistinguishable from the previous release other than the packaging. This happened most frequently during the final stages of the original ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' line, when it changed from being a line of redecos to a line of straight re-releases of toys from older lines, including Basic/Scout and Deluxe-sized toys from the ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' and ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' lines, [[Spy Changer|Spychangers]] and even the ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' "Ultimate Battle" two-pack, which were available from various "Dollar" store chains such as Dollar General, Family Dollar, Roses, Tuesday Morning or Big Lots.
:It also doesn't help that the [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] [[Universe (2008 franchise)|2008 ''Universe'']] [[Unicron]] is a virtually unchanged re-release of ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' Unicron. And, to further complicate matters, on the shelf tags for ''Universe'' Unicron, he is actually called "Armada Unicron."
:Because the common fandom term for those releases was "repackages", a popular misconception claims that those toys are ''literally'' "repackages", namely, unsold toys sent back to Hasbro, who took them out of their old packaging, put them into new packaging and then sent them back to (different) stores.
:Needless to say, that theory is dubious for various reasons: Generally, old unsold toys are ''not'' sent back to Hasbro. They either [[Shelfwarmer|sit on the store shelf]] (or hang on the peg) until someone finally decides to buy them, or the store somehow dumps them. And even ''if'' Hasbro did regularly get sent back huge shipments of unsold toys, they'd rather try to get rid of those toys in the old packaging rather than going through the effort of literally repackaging them.
:In addition, some of the Dollar Store exclusive ''Universe'' Basics and Deluxes were limbs and torsos from the ''Energon'' [[Combiner|combiners]] [[Superion Maximus]], [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] and [[Constructicon Maximus]]. The ''Energon'' combiners all sold out well, and now demand high prices on the aftermarket (with the exception of the ''Universe'' "repackages", ironically). So it's rather questionable that stores would have kept a huge unsold stock of those toys in numbers large enough to warrant the alleged repackaging business.
:Therefore, the most logical conclusion appears to be that those "repackages" are in fact a brand new production run simply using the same plastic colors and paint masks as the original releases of those toys, which is cheaper to produce (and therefore easier to sell for the lower "Dollar" stores price tags) than designing new decos. Hasbro confirmed this in January of 2009, stating that due to the toys being manufactured in Asia, it would be a waste of time and money to repackage them only to sell them at the same price-point.<ref>[http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=1934 SirStevesGuide.com, Tri-Weekly Hasbro Q&A - January 30th]</ref>
:This wouldn't be the first misconception based on popular fan terms, however: A common fan term for [[Redeco|redecos]] is "repaints", which has led to the misconception that those toys are ''literally'' toys from a previous production run ''painted over in new colors''. Obviously, however, the fact that most redecos are cast in differently colored plastic should be sufficient evidence for the absurdness of this assumption.

*'''A new toy that is vaguely reminiscent of an older toy is a retool of said toy.'''

[[Image:BumblebeeRRvsSB.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Screen Battles Bumblebee—remolded from scratch (not from Robot Replicas Bumblebee)!]]
:Hasbro like to [[redeco]] toys a lot (usually to recoup the R&D costs for developing the original [[mold]]). They also like to release redecos of toys from older lines in newer lines. In some instances, Hasbro also don't just redeco a toy, they [[retool]] it (or create new toolings for new parts that replace parts of the old version of the toy)—sometimes to improve a feature or fix an error, but sometimes also to give the toy new features or [[Gimmick|gimmicks]], or simply to make it different enough from the original version so owners of the original version would be interested in buying the "retool" as well.
:Some of those retools are comparably minor (such as [[Jazz (Movie)|Final Battle Jazz]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 Movie line]]), whereas others can be pretty elaborate. Sometimes the retools are so elaborate that the line between "retool" and "new [[mold]]" gets blurred. The most drastic instances in this regard would be [[K-9]] from ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' (based on [[Wolfang (Maximal)|Wolfang]] from the same line) and [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Dark Crumplezone]] from ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' (based on the original ''Cybertron'' Crumplezone toy), both of which have most, if not ''all'' of their parts entirely retooled. Another borderline case would be the ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Mini-Con|Mini-Cons]] [[Mirage (Armada)|Mirage]] and [[Swindle (Armada)|Swindle]], which were released around the same time and are based on the same basic design, share a similar body structure and have very similar [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]].

[[Image:SmokesniperStarscream.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The similarities are astounding. Especially those that aren't there.]]
:However, sometimes fans ''definitely'' get too far decrying a new toy a "retool" (or "remold"). Toys that share some superficial design similiarities, coupled with similar transformation schemes, are often mistaken for retools even though they're simply that: Similar toys based on the same general design, maybe even directly influenced by the older toy, but nothing more. Examples:
*Despite their very similar body constructions and transformation schemes, the original ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] toys are ''not'' retools of each other. And neither is [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] a retool of Cliffjumper. ([[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], however, ''is'' a retool of Cliffjumper.)
*Likewise, the [[Battlecharger|Battlechargers]] [[Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] aren't retools of each other either.
*And neither are the [[Jumpstarter|Jumpstarters]] [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] and [[Twin Twist]] retools of each other.
*''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] is not a retool of ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]], even though he was obviously inspired by the latter.
*Some fans actually seriously believed that ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Jazz (G1)|Meister]] is a retool of [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. (To be fair, the two actually share the same ''hand'' sculpts.)
*''Cybertron'' [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|Hardtop]] is not even ''remotely'' a "retool" of the ''Energon'' [[Sledge (Energon)|Sledge]]/[[Bonecrusher (Energon)|Bonecrusher]] mold.
*The legless [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bumblebee]] figure included with the Screen Battles "Final Stand" set from the 2007 [[Movie (toyline)|Movie line]] is not a retool of [[Robot Replicas]] Bumblebee.

*'''Hasbro lost the copyright to a lot of G1 Transformers names. That is why you see toys named "Autobot Jazz" or "Decepticon Brawl" these days. Takara is more competent than Hasbro and doesn't need to change their toys' names.'''
: First of all, this is not "copyright". Copyright refers to the expression of ideas. For example, the backstory for the Transformers, the specific plot of a comic or a TV episode are protected by copyright. The names these stories are sold under, however, are protected by [[trademark]]. The same also applies to the names toys are sold under.
:That being said, there are indeed a few instances where another company has snatched a trademark, making it unavilable for Hasbro for the time being. The reason for that is because trademarks need to be consistently used in commerce (at least once every year or so), or the trademark can be considered "abandoned", making it open for grabs. [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] is unavailable to [[Hasbro]] because Mattel holds several similar trademarks, [[Bluestreak]] is too similar to Gendron's "Toledo 'Blue Streak'" trademark, and a company named Lanard held the trademark "Shockwave" until a few years ago. This prompted Hasbro to use substitute names for toys based on these characters, such as "Rodimus Major" or simply "Rodimus" for Hot Rod, "Silverstreak" for Bluestreak and "Shockblast" for Shockwave (unlike the other two, Hasbro has since managed to reacquire the "Shockwave" trademark).
:Meanwhile, the names with prefixes such as "Autobot" or "Decepticon"? Those are usually non-compound single real words from the English language. Hasbro's legal department considers them too "generic" to be easily defendable as trademarks, hence the addition of prefixes such as "Autobot Jazz", "Decepticon Brawl "or "Constructicon Devastator" for better protection. This does ''not'' work with names already trademarked by another company–otherwise, [[Bandai]] could release a toy named "Megazord Optimus Prime" tomorrow, and Hasbro couldn't do anything about it.
:For a while, it seemed like these trademark quibbles were limited to Hasbro, and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] was somehow exempt due to different conditions in Japanese trademark law. However, the ''[[Classics (2006)#Henkei! Henkei!|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' line saw the emergence of quite a few "Cybertron", "Destron" and "[[Stunticon (G1)|Stuntron]]" prefixes, and for the ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen toyline]]'', Takara even uses "Autobot" and "Decepticon" prefixes the Hasbro versions of those toys ''don't'' have.

*'''Hasbro is responsible for your local store not having the newest toys right now.'''
: Hasbro actually has almost nothing to do with distribution (when Product A arrives in Store B) beyond making sure the manufactured product leaves the factories and shipyards of China at the desired time. Once the items arrive on US shores, they are almost immediately sent from the ships to the distribution centers for the retail chains that ordered them. From there, it's more truck rides to various regional warehouses, which is all controlled by the retailers, not Hasbro. After that, the schedule for taking product from those warehouses and putting it on shelves is dictated by each chain's inventory system.
: It's ''conceivable'' that Hasbro could take more control of the situation, but that would require chains like Wal-Mart to release the vise-like death grip they have on manufacturers' nuts that lets them dictate how the system works—and they're sooooooo not doing that.

*'''Hasbro should totally cater to the wishes of older collectors, as they purchase the most Transformers product.'''
: Fans would like to think they've got some sway over the direction of the [[Transformers brand]]. After all, they've been buying toys for many years (as opposed to the limited purchasing span of most children), and they buy many ''more'' toys than any individual child. And in truth, Hasbro does pay attention to the desires and discussions of its older buyers, even designing certain line segments like [[Alternators]] and [[Classics (2006)|''Classics'']] with collectors as the primary target audience.
: Collectors, however, simply can't compare to the vast numbers of children out there whose parents buy Transformers for them. The bulk of Transformers product is purchased for and/or by young children, and if it wants to stay in business and keep making money (and by extension, more toys), Hasbro must design and market its products accordingly. No accurate figures exist on the collector/children ratio, but estimates mentioned at BotCon panels range from around 10% to 20% of all purchases coming from older collectors—enough to be worth listening to, but not at all the driving force behind the brand. Past toylines have shown that betting ''too much'' on sales from adult collectors can be disastrous.
: Furthermore, it's not as though the fans speak with a unified voice. More often, for every fan pushing for one particular idea, there's another fan who thinks that same idea is boring or awful.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1===
====The original cartoon====
*'''The original ''The Transformers'' series was redubbed anime which originated in Japan, just like ''Battle of the Planets'', ''Voltron'', ''Robotech'' and other such shows screened in the '80s.'''
: Although most moderate-to-hardcore fans are well aware that this is a fallacy, there are those more casual fans (or those who have not rewatched the Generation 1 cartoon since childhood) who are under the misconception that [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'']] was an anime.
: Although the original toyline and thus the characters' basic visual designs were taken from Japanese-originated products, the original characters, names, factions and entire story premise of the whole ''Transformers'' franchise were developed in the United States by [[Hasbro]], [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and eventually [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]]. Although the animation was farmed out to [[Toei|Japanese]] (and later also [[AKOM|Korean]] and [[Unknown Filipino animation studio|Filipino]]) [[Tokyo Movie Shinsha|studios]], the writing and original voice recording of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|all four seasons of the original series]] plus ''[[The Transformers: The Movie|The Movie]]'' was entirely done in America.
: This misconception probably stems from distant childhood memories of the cartoon, coupled with the later realization that shows like the aforementioned ''Robotech'' were redubbed anime (presuming they didn't know this when they were kids) and, due to ''Transformers''' obvious Japanese influence, have made the assumption that it too was anime. This ''may'' also be due to passing exposure to ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' and the [[Unicron Trilogy]] shows which, viewed as an adult, are ''very'' obviously redubbed anime.
: This is in part related to the misconception that '''all''' ''Transformers'' toys are ''solely'' designed, developed and manufactured by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], and all [[Hasbro]] ever does is to put them in new packaging and distribute them on the Western market (see above). Because this is true for other Japanese robot toylines, and therefore it must also apply to ''Transformers''.

*'''''The Headmasters'' was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.'''
: In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled ''The Headmasters'' continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of ''The Headmasters'' series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.
: Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "[[Nebulos|Nebulan]]" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Rebirth]]", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.
: More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up. In all likelihood the rumor was probably a [[wikipedia:Chinese_whispers|Chinese Whisper]] from the fact that the Malay English language [[Omni Productions]] dub {or "Star TV" dub) was screened on UK satellite TV during the 1990s.

====The Transformers: The Movie====
*'''There exists an "uncut version" of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' containing all sorts of non-kid-friendly content.'''
: These stories stem mainly from the fact that many home-video releases of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' omit two relatively minor instances of characters using profanity, which during the 1990s resulted in some [[alt.toys.transformers]] posters advertising "uncut" VHS copies of the movie for sale, thus either intentionally or unintentionally creating the myth of a really foul-mouthed and ultra-violent alternate version of ''The Transformers: The Movie''. At least one poster claimed to have uncut reels of the original film showing a number of violent scenes, but, unsurprisingly, was unwilling to provide any form of proof. So have ended all claims of uncut footage from the film.
: Also two additions were made for the British release of the movie: The opening credits were replaced by a ''Star Wars'' style text scroll complete with narration, whilst the last scene of the Movie has an additional voice over declaring that the Transformers' adventures will continue and Optimus Prime will return. These additions have been seen in other international versions of the Movie but are less well known in the US.

[[Image:TFTM dead gray Prime.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Traumatizing enough as it is, frankly.]]
:A much stranger rumor, whose origins are unclear, claims that the original theatrical cut of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' depicted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] crumbling into dust after dying, and that that scene was cut by the distributor in mid-release because children were traumatized by the imagery. Interestingly, the "[[Death of Optimus Prime]]" track on the original soundtrack album does contain ten extra seconds of music. At the end, just before the song's final low-octave percussion sequence, there is a very distinct series of notes that appears nowhere else in the song and is not in the onscreen version. However, no other evidence of this "lost" animation sequence exists among the many storyboards, preliminary animations, interviews, varying formats, etc., that have come to light.
:The myth could be related to the death of Starscream, a few scenes later, where Starscream '''does''' indeed crumble to dust after being shot by Galvatron; time and distance could lead fans to confuse the two scenes.
:These claims should not be confused with the extra storyboarded scenes which have come to light over the years. A number of scenes were planned out at the storyboarding stage, but no evidence exists that they were ever animated. Given the expense of producing full animation, it is unlikely they ever made it past the level of storyboards.
::''See also: [[The Transformers: The Movie#Edits]].''

*'''''The Transformers: The Movie'' was never released in Japan.'''
: A widespread (but false) assumption among Western fans holds that ''The Transformers: The Movie'' is not part of Japanese Generation 1 [[canon]], and that ''[[Scramble City (episode)|Scramble City]]'' was effectively its Japanese replacement. ''The Transformers: The Movie'' went unreleased in Japan until August 1989, and the various discrepancies between it and subsequent Japan-only Generation 1 fiction are largely a matter of the Japanese animators and writers being unaware of the precise details of ''The Transformers: The Movie''.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?s=&postid=216153#post216153</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?s=&postid=216478#post216478</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?threadid=30800</ref>

*'''''The Transformers: The Movie'' was released in Japan under the title ''Matrix Forever''.'''
: ''[[Matrix Forever]]'' was actually the title of a 20-minute video created to promote the Japanese release of ''The Transformers: The Movie'', but some Western (and even Japanese) fans have been confused into thinking that ''The Transformers: The Movie'' itself was renamed ''Matrix Forever''.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/a5d29844863d2c29</ref>

====The Marvel comic====
*'''A Spider-Man story from the Clone Saga era confirms that Spider-Man's appearance in issue 3 of the Marvel ''Transformers'' comic isn't considered part of the mainstream Marvel Universe.'''
: Originally, the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''Generation 1'' comic]] was intended as a four-issue limited series. As was common with Marvel's licensed titles at that time, the early issues featured guest appearances by well-known Marvel characters, most prominently [[Spider-Man]] in [[Prisoner of War!|issue 3]]. However, when the title was expanded into an ongoing series, Marvel soon dropped all references to its established superhero universe (the [[Savage Land]] got named in [[Repeat Performance!|issue 8]], but that's about it). Likewise, no subsequent stories in Marvel's other non-licensed titles ever made mention of the Transformers existing in the same universe. Eventually, in 2006, the then-recent edition of the ''[[Wikipedia:Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe|Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe]]'' identified the Transformers' Earth (or, more precisely, the Marvel UK universe which [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] debuted in) as "Earth-120185" within Marvels own multiverse, versus the Mainstream Marvel Universe's "Earth-616".

:What's ''not'' true, however, is that a Spider-Man story published as part of the "[[wikipedia:Clone_Saga|Clone Saga]]" during the 1990s features a line where Peter claims that he had never been to Oregon, thus negating his appearance in ''Transformers'' issue 3 (where he ''does'' make a trip to Oregon). The issue in question is "Adjectiveless" ''Spider-Man'' #57 (1995), where Peter Parker (the <strike>clone</strike> guy who would have been active as Spider-Man at the time of ''Transformers'' #3) claims (in a monologue) having never been to '''Utah''', where Louise Kennedy (whose murder he was accused of) had been killed by [[wikipedia:Kaine|Kaine]] in ''Spider-Man: The Lost Years'' #3.

====Japanese Generation 1 fiction====
*'''In Japanese continuity, Megatron and Galvatron are two separate characters.'''
:There are a few instances of Japanese fiction (and advertising) that would seem to support this notion, all of which can be attributed to a lack of communication between [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] prior to the release of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. All of them were ultimately ignored by the "primary" fiction, namely as the (dubbed) third season of the cartoon (named ''Transformers: 2010'' in Japan) and the accompanying manga, which followed the Western story concept of Galvatron being a reformatted [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].
:There is also a ''Transformers: 2010'' [[manga]] story that depicts [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] commanding a legion of automatons created in [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s image, which some non-Japanese-speaking fans have interpreted as depicting Galvatron and Megatron co-existing.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=179</ref>

*'''In Japanese continuity, the Destrons (Decepticons) were invaders from a planet called Destron.'''
:The [[Autobot|Autobots]] were renamed "Cybertrons" in the Japanese translation, resulting in a misconception that the Destrons ([[Decepticon|Decepticons]]) must hail from somewhere other than the planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. However, the Japanese translation also used slightly different spellings for the faction, "Cybertron" (literally: サイバトロン, "Sa-i-ba-to-ro-n"), and the planet, (literally: セイバートロン, "Se-i-baa-to-ro-n"), commonly interpreted as "Seibertron" by Western fans, in order to avoid confusion, even though both words originally started out based on the English name "Cybertron".<ref name="tfa522">[http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=522 The Transformers Archive essay about various urban legends surrounding the Transformers franchise]</ref>
:This rumor presumably originates from an article a Thomas Wheeler had written for ''Attic's Collectible Toys and Values Monthly'' during the hiatus between the [[The Transformers (toyline)|G1]] and [[Generation 2 (toyline)|G2]] toylines. According to that article, Hasbro chose not to follow this element of the story because of the similarity between the term "Destron" and ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'''s "[[Destro]]" character. Of course, seeing as the story originated in America to begin with and was only dubbed into Japanese later on, this doesn't make a lot of sense. More recently, Wheeler has been writing toy reviews for Master Collector's website, which occasionally also display a certain lack of knowledge about various toys and the ''Transformers'' brand's overall history, so it doesn't seem entirely out of place for him.

*'''Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus are both members of a "Space Mafia".'''
:[[Black Shadow]] and [[Blue Bacchus]], two characters from ''[[Victory (franchise)|Victory]]'', both have their function listed as "Space Gangster". An early fan translation of their on-package [[Bio|bios]] misinterpreted the Japanese word for "gangster" to mean "Mafia", hence the belief that a "Space Mafia" exists in the Japanese Generation 1 universe.

*'''Metrotitan is a zombie version of Metroplex.'''
: [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] was a Destron [[redeco]] of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] from the ''[[Zone (franchise)|Zone]]'' portion of Japanese Generation 1 continuity. For unclear reasons, Western fans believe that Metrotitan was a "zombified" version of Metroplex, and a stranger variation on this rumor holds that Metrotitan was somehow "regrown" from one of Metroplex's legs.<ref name="tfa522" />

====European Generation 1 fiction====
*'''Starscream and Shrapnel are female characters in the French dub of Generation 1.'''
: This rumor is only partly true. The [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Transformers'' cartoon]] used three different dub teams for the French version: one for the TV show's dub broadcast in Quebec, one for the TV show's dub broadcast in France and one for the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 movie]] used in both countries. Neither of the TV show's dubs use [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] as a female as he uses a distinctively male voice;<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhOCYZRxypM YouTube: Doublage de France: Combaticons et Égo]</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMXCeXw5Vdo Doublage Québécois: Égo et Dr. Croc-en-ville]</ref> however, the movie's dubbing team used a female voice for Starscream, and at one point [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] calls Starscream "une imbécile" (articles in French are gender-specific), clearly cementing Starscream's movie status as a female.<ref>http://bigbot.com/mp3/transformers_mp3.shtml#Femmes</ref> (Although let's face it, he might just be insulting Starscream.) All the same is also true for [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], who is even referred to as "Mademoiselle Shrapnel" by [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] in the movie.

*'''The German version of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' was edited and didn't depict Starscream's death scene.'''
: German TV didn't air a dubbed version of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]] until 1989. ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' was aired for the first time on German TV in 1994, with only one repeat. For unknown reasons, a rumor was circulating for several years claiming that [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream's]] death was considered too "violent" for German TV standards for children's programs and had therefore been edited out.<ref>[http://www.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung&fid=7489&vid=38680 German movie database ''still'' listing the rumor about Starscream's "edited death" in TF:TM]</ref> However, recordings of the TV airing still exist, which don't feature any obvious edits other than [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike's]] infamous "swear" line. Furthermore, a German DVD edition of the movie released in 2004 that features an entirely different dub also depicts Starscream's death in all its glory.

*'''An Earthforce story was written to promote the non-combining Constructicon toys.'''
:The comic story "[[Desert Island Risks!]]" from issue 264 of the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel UK]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|G1 comic]] reveals that the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] have somehow lost their ability to combine into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. As a result, they try to build another Devastator as a new robot.

:Some fans mistakenly believe that this is somehow related to a re-release of the Constructicons (now in yellow) that were available in [[Generation 1 (European toyline)|Europe]] after the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' toyline had ended in the USA. Those Constructicons omitted the extra parts necessary to form Devastator; and furthermore, [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] and [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (neither of them officially named in this version; all six toys came on multi-purpose cardbacks simply named "Constructicon") were [[retool|retooled]] to omit the tabs that were necessary for combining them (and [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]]) when forming Devastator. Since the toys couldn't combine into Devastator anymore, fans believe that the [[Earthforce]] comic story was intended to serve as an "explanation" for this.

:The problem with this theory, however, is that the yellow "Euro" Constructicon toys were released in 1992; the comic story, however, had already come out in early 1990. If anything, "Desert Island Risks!" was based on the [[Action Master]] version of Devastator, which no longer consisted of six individual Constructicons.

===Beast Wars===
*'''In Japanese ''Beast Wars'' continuity, Optimus Primal and Megatron were the same characters as their Generation 1 namesakes.'''
: Although the Japanese dub of the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon originally did state that [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] were new incarnations of the Generation 1 faction leaders (possibly due to a communications breakdown with Hasbro and/or [[Mainframe Entertainment|Mainframe]]), the translators eventually backed away from that idea.<ref>http://www.bwtf.com/bw/toys/techspecs/primalultra.shtml</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=180" rel="nofollow</ref>

*'''In ''Beast Wars II'', Apache is a drunkard as part of a Native American stereotype.'''
: [[Apache]] did indeed get drunk in the first episode of the ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'' cartoon, but only in grief, believing (erroneously) that his actions earlier had caused the death of [[Lio Convoy]] (which didn't happen). He did not get drunk again for the duration of the cartoon, nor did he ever do so in the manga. Outside of that, the Native American stereotype "common" to Japanese fictions is a stoic, silent, and often mystical warrior—none of which could be used to describe Apache accurately at all.
: That's not to say there aren't [[Jointron|some ethnic stereotypes]] in BWII that could be considered pretty offensive.
: Amusingly enough, in the sixth installment of the [[Beast Wars II (manga)|''Beast Wars II'' manga]], ''Lio Convoy'' gets drunk for no apparent reason and ends up trashing Apache's room.

===Beast Machines===
*'''A ''Beast Machines'' writer said, "Real heroes don't use guns."'''
:''Beast Machines'' was the first (but not the last) ''Transformers'' series to explicitly avoid all hand-held projectile [[weapon]]ry. While the [[Vehicon (BM)|villains]] still had traditional "blasters" mounted on their bodies, some of the [[Maximal|heroes]]' weapons were more esoteric (such as [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]'s energy-web attack, activated by putting her hands on the ground, or [[Optimus Primal]]'s gauntlets, powered by absorbing enemy fire). According to story editor [[Bob Skir]], this creative decision was agreed upon between the story editors, [[Fox Kids]], [[Mainframe Entertainment]], and [[Hasbro]],<ref name="Skir">[http://www.bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html Archived Q&A from Bob Skir's now-defunct website,] where Skir responds to the gun controversy (question 7).</ref> and it is indeed reflected in the toys as well.

:Note that many Maximals had weaponry that was functionally no different from a "gun"—compare [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]]'s hip-mounted energy cannons, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]'s back-mounted sonic blaster, or Optimus Primal's chest-mounted energy disc launcher to [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]]'s shoulder-mounted ray guns or [[Strika (BM)|Strika]]'s wrist-mounted energy... tossing thingies.

:On his website, Skir also elaborated on his own position as a writer choosing if or how to portray gun use, including this statement: "Our heroes use their wiles and resourcefulness, plus a few cool weapons. Guns? I've never been a fan of them myself, and do not write heroes who need them."<ref>[http://members.aol.com/zobovor/guns.html Article on the fan Dave "Zobovor" Edwards' personal site,] quoting Bob Skir's original gun statement.</ref> Some fans interpreted Skir as condemning ''all'' gun use, even in the real world, no matter the circumstances. This led to the misquote, "Real heroes don't use guns,"<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/be5e55a90df944bb/b748601b997b3508#b748601b997b3508 Alt.toys.transformers thread] with the misquote and attendant assumptions right at the start.</ref> which remains a notoriously persistent error in the fandom. Skir, responding to the controversy, said on his site that "there '''are''' heroes who '''do''' need guns (such as the [[Punisher]]). Spider-Man doesn't need guns. Neither does the [[Hulk]]. And neither do Optimus, Cheetor, Black Arachnia{{sic}}, et al."<ref name="Skir" />
:Notably, the [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|series]] [[Unicron Trilogy|immediately]] [[Movie (franchise)|following]] ''Beast Machines'' did return to classic hand-held gun use among both heroes and villains. However, the more recent ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' series has again eschewed guns, probably because of its younger target audience.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The Japanese ''Car Robots'' cartoon was a direct sequel to ''Beast Wars Neo''.'''
: Some fans seem to have concluded, based on the similar animation style and overall tone, that the [[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|''Car Robots'' cartoon]] was meant to pick up where ''[[Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' had left off, but all indications are that ''Car Robots'' wasn't meant to take place in any pre-existing TF continuity. But now Takara says it's in the Generation 1 continuity. Along with the 2007 movie. Oooookay.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=490</ref>

===Transformers (2007)===
*'''''Transformers'' was nearly rated R by the MPAA.'''
: In the spring of 2007, it was reported that ''[[wikipedia:Disturbia|Disturbia]]'', a then-upcoming [[DreamWorks]] film starring [[Shia LaBeouf]] and produced by [[Steven Spielberg]], had received an R rating from the [[wikipedia:Motion_Picture_Association_of_America|Motion Picture Association of America]]. That film's rating was eventually lowered to PG-13 on appeal, but in the meantime some ''Transformers'' fans became confused and believed that it was ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' that had been rated R, leading to some heated discussion on ''Transformers'' message boards.

*'''Brawl is named in the credits.'''

[[Image:MovieCreditsNoBrawl.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Invisible credit.]]
: There's a huge controversy surrounding the name of the Decepticon tank, who was named "[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]" in [[Hasbro|Hasbro's]] [[Movie (toyline)|toy line]] but "Devastator" in a subtitle in the movie itself. Both Hasbro and the screenwriters, [[Alex Kurtzman]] and [[Roberto Orci]], have expressly favored the toy's name, referring to the name in the movie as an "error".
: Since the character has a "speaking" line in the movie (which sounds an ''awful'' lot like a garbled "''Brawl'' reporting"), fans keep claiming that the voice actor is named in the ending credits, and the character's name is stated as "Brawl" there. In fact, however, there's no credit ''at all'' for the character, under either name, as he has no voice actor.

{{-}}

*'''The Decepticons' hologram is Tom Banachek.'''

[[Image:BanachekMustacheMan.jpg|right|150px|thumb|One of these is not like the others.]]
: Several Decepticons in the movie ([[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]) are seen using a holographic "pilot"/"driver" based on the same mustache-clad human, only wearing different clothes matching the Decepticons' respective [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]].
: Since [[Tom Banachek]], the head of [[Sector Seven]]'s Advanced Research Division, also sports a mustache, many fans mistakenly believe that the Decepticons' hologram is meant to look like Banachek.
: There's only one problem with that: The "[[Moustache Man]]" (the Decepticons' hologram) is played by a real-life United States Air Force Major named [[Brian Reece]], whereas Tom Banachek is portrayed by established actor [[Michael O'Neill]].
: In essence, this is a phenomenon ''Lost'' fans [http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Apophenia#Similar_faces.2C_different_characters should be awfully familiar with].

{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===

*'''Barricade's return?'''
:A common misconception among fans is that [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade's]] Saleen Mustang alternate mode was spotted on the set of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. In fact, however, a truck transporting three "Barricade" prop vehicles was spotted in Culver City, California, in March 2008, more than ''two months'' before principal shooting for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' started.<ref name="vehspotted">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=6980 Superhero Hype reporting on the spotting of Barricade vehicles in March 2008]</ref>
{{-}}

===Prime===

*'''''War for Cybertron'' is a prequel to the G1 cartoon/War for Cybertron is part of G1'''
:With its designs aiming at a 20-something audience who grew up on the cartoon, many gamers would be forgiven for mistaking ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)| War for Cybertron]]'' for a prequel. More savvy fans would recognize that the game is generally irreconcilable with the cartoon (or any other Generation 1 continuity for that matter): the circumstances of [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s rise to power would contradict "[[War Dawn]]", and Optimus's [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|predecessor]] does not possess the Matrix, unlike his [[Sentinel Prime (G1)#Generation 1 cartoon|cartoon counterpart]]. The Autobots left Cybertron as energy sources were depleted, not because the [[Core]] had shut down, and characters like [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]], [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]], [[Cyclonus (Prime)|Cyclonus]], the [[Aerialbot (Prime)|Aerialbot]]s and [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]] wouldn't be on Cybertron or even ''exist''. Additionally, the game draws inspiration from other continuities, including characters not from G1 like [[Slipstream (Prime)|Slipstream]] and [[Demolishor (Prime)|Demolishor]]. The game does share a lot of similarities with Dreamwave's ''[[War Within (franchise)|War Within]]'' series (where Jetfire and Trypticon are present), but it cannot take place in that continuity either. The novel ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]'' confirmed ''War for Cybertron'' as a [[micro-continuity]] in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)| Prime]]'' franchise.

==Companies==
*'''Takara was taken over by Tomy'''
:In 2005, it was announced that Takara, longtime Japanese manufacturer/distributor of Transformers toys, and former competitor Tomy would merge into a new company, named [[TakaraTomy]], as of March 1, 2006. Some fans misinterpreted the media coverage, believing that Takara had been bought out by rival Tomy. This was not helped by official press releases declaring Tomy the "surviving company", Tomy having the majority of shares, and the merged company simply going by the name "Tomy" outside Japan.
:The name issue is easily explained, as it was done for purely pragmatic reasons. "Tomy" is an internationally established brand, since the company already had divisions in many other countries prior to the merger, and distributed their toys under their own name there. Takara, meanwhile, had mostly abandoned ventures into international markets years ago, and had its products distributed through other companies (such as [[Hasbro]]) instead. Thereby, the merged company decided to use the better-known name for its international business, while it would continue as "TakaraTomy" within Japan itself.
:Now, as for the specifics of the merger... Although the merger ratio was set at 0.356 of a Tomy share for each Takara share (including a split of Tomy's stock), and the companies announced a layoff of 15% of their combined workforce mostly on the Takara side, the term "merger" (as compared to "take-over") was prominently used in all the official announcements by the two companies, and twisting tiny details into a de facto "takeover" of Takara by Tomy is effectively splitting hairs.

*'''e-Hobby is owned by Takara (TakaraTomy)'''
:The [[e-Hobby]] shop is owned by Part One, Ltd. Although the company has had close ties with Takara for decades, the online store also sells toys by other companies, primarily TakaraTomy's rival [[Bandai]].
:The online store ''directly'' owned by TakaraTomy, meanwhile, is [[Toy Hobby Market]].

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=522 Ten popular but incorrect rumors about Japanese Transformers]

[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers

2010-10-28T23:29:26Z

24.202.105.245: /* Japanese Generation 1 fiction */

{{picsneeded}}
Over the years, many '''misconceptions and urban legends''' have sprung up within ''Transformers'' [[fandom]], often resulting from such factors as fuzzy childhood memories, inaccurate catalog illustrations, and mistranslations of foreign material.

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Transformers is (only) a cartoon from the Eighties that has been brought back into vogue recently.'''
: A misconception usually held by casual fans or nostalgic adults is that Transformers went away some time around 1986 (or 1987, or 1988—pick your year), and has only recently popped back up as an attempt to cash in on '80s nostalgia.
:In fact, the [[Transformers brand]] has been continuous since 1984 (there was a brief gap between 1990 and 1993 as far as the United States market was concerned, but the brand still continued with new products on other markets). It includes many [[Franchise|lines of toys, cartoons and comics]] that span over two decades, with no sign of stopping, as Hasbro considers it a core brand. Each line has experienced varying degrees of success, rebooting when its target audience gets too old or uninterested in the toyline and fiction.
:Some of this misconception is based on the fact that most of the original audience stopped watching and following the franchise after its cancellation, or even before (as it wasn't "cool" to be kiddy once puberty hit). Without any exposure to the market, the toyline and the new cartoons, they simply assume that ''Transformers'' has sunk in popularity, quality and/or sales, since it's not what they remember.
:It ''is'' true that Transformers hit a low point of popularity in the early 1990s, with the cancelation of Generation 1 and the unremarkable sales of ''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]''. But the successor ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' line re-established the brand for a new generation beginning in 1996, and Transformers has been a dominant toy franchise ever since.

*'''Generation 1 obviously has the best toys, cartoons and characters.'''
:Casual fans likewise tend to assume automatically that the original 1980s iteration of Transformers is the best and most successful line to date, with all other successors being unpopular and/or unsuccessful ventures.
:While it's hard to measure the overall success of every line in all its aspects, the original line has been surpassed in both quality and sales multiple times over. In factors such as realistic alternate forms, durability, articulation, action features, and complexity, various later toylines have all exceeded Generation 1. And while fiction can't be measured objectively, many fans will swear up and down by some of the later incarnations of ''Transformers''.
:Arguably, Transformers is in an endless cycle of creating [[true fan|new fans who share new opinions on what is "teh greatest"]].

*'''Powermaster Optimus Prime was the first, ''original'' Optimus Prime toy.'''

[[Image:G1 OptimusPrime toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|1984—the original.]]
[[Image:PowermasterOptimusPrime toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|1988—the Powermaster version.]]
:This one claims that the [[Powermaster]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] toy, originally released in 1988, is the ''original'', first Optimus Prime toy ever released, rather than the ''earlier'', non-Powermaster toy, which is an entirely different mold and was originally available in 1984. This phenomenon is particularly common in [[eBay]] auctions, where Powermaster Optimus Prime toys are frequently advertised as "ORIGINAL Optimus Prime".
:The reasons for this misconception are obvious: Numerous people arrived late to the party—that is, became fans of the original ''Transformers'' line after the ''real'' original Optimus Prime toy had vanished off the shelves in 1986 (the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] was still shown in reruns on TV). Any of them looking for a toy of the iconic [[Autobot]] leader would only find the Powermaster toy on store shelves starting in 1988. Fast-forward to 20 years later, and people who weren't really paying a lot of attention to the brand for the past few years, now looking to sell off their childhood toys, would naturally conclude that the toy they got as a kid was the ''original'' Optimus Prime toy.
:The phenomenon is even more widespread in countries such as Germany, where the cartoon wasn't officially shown on TV until 1989(!). By that point, the ''original'' toy, which had originally been released by [[Milton Bradley]] on the European market in 1985, was long gone off the shelves. Thus, the only Optimus Prime toy available to kids who had only just become fans because of the cartoon was the Powermaster version. Admittedly, gray imports of the Mexican version of the ''original'' toy by [[IGA]] were also available in European stores around this time, and Hasbro themselves would release the original toy again two years later as part of their European-exclusive [[Classics (Europe)|Classics]] line of reissues. However, the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy was still a lot more widespread.

*'''20th Anniversary Optimus Prime was the Optimus Prime toy available more than 20 years ago/Alternators are the same toys that were available 20 years ago.'''

[[Image:20thAnniversary OptimusPrimesm.jpg|left|125px|thumb|Sadly, this didn't exist until 2003.]]
:This misconception usually comes from people who, upon seeing the 20th Anniversary [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] toy (which was originally released in 2003/2004), honest-to-god swear it's the toy they had when they were a kid. Similarly, there are also people who believe that the toys from the ''[[Alternators]]'' line are the same toys they had as kids, when they're most likely confusing them with the original Autobot Cars, which are about half the size.
:The reasons for this aren't too hard to guess: People were a lot smaller when they were kids, so obviously the original Transformers toys seemed a lot larger to them. Since these fans didn't repeatedly hold or play with their Transformers while growing up, they weren't constantly adjusting to the toys' size in relation to their own. This resulted in blurred memories of outright ''gargantuan'' Transformers toys available in the 1980s. (One might wonder how tall those people would remember [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] being.)
:When confronted with the original toys—now relatively small because the fans have grown up—these people often reject them, insisting the "original" toys were ''larger'' (occasionally even accusing the ''real'' original toys of being downsized [[Knockoff|knockoffs]]). Showing them the Alternators or 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, on the other hand, will bring back warm (albeit incorrect) memories.

{{-}}

*'''A "giant"-sized Optimus Prime toy was available during Generation 1.'''
:A variant of the above of sorts. In at least a few cases, claims regarding a "giant" Generation 1 Prime may stem from dim memories of coming across [http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbyg2.html oversized Optimus Prime knockoffs that were made in Korea]—or because they had the ''normal'' Prime as kids, when they (the former kids) were about ''half'' the height they are now (see above). Other people also may have blurred memories of the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy's larger robot mode when combined with his trailer.
:The release of 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime didn't exactly help matters either (again, see above).

*'''"Bumblejumper" is a fan name for a yellow version of Cliffjumper./Bumblejumper was sold both on Bumblebee and Cliffjumper cards.'''
[[Image:G1Bumper toy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Bumper", who later would be known as "Bumper".]]
:As part of the launch of the [[The Transformers (toyline)|''Generation 1'' toyline]] in 1984, Hasbro released two Autobot [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] toys, [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], both of which had vehicle modes that used [[Choro-Q]]-like proportions. Bumblebee was based on a classic Volkswagen Beetle, whereas Cliffjumper was based on a Porsche 924 Turbo. In all the official advertising as well as the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon series]] and the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel comics]], Bumblebee was consistently colored yellow, whereas Cliffjumper was colored red (not counting one-off coloring and [[Animation error|animation errors]]). However, Hasbro also released a red Bumblebee and a yellow Cliffjumper, both of which used the same cardbacks as the regular versions.
:In addition, Hasbro also released a [[Bumper (G1)|''third'' mold]] using a similar body structure and transformation scheme, based on a Mazda Familia 1500XG. This toy had originally been available as part of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]'' line, but was not officially advertised as a ''Transformers'' toy. (Note that this toy is not to be confused with [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], a yellow [[retool]] of Cliffjumper released in 1986.) To this very day, only yellow samples of this toy in ''Transformers'' packaging have surfaced, all of them on "Cliffjumper" cards. The color variants for Bumblebee and Cliffjumper continued to be available with the 1985 assortment (which featured [[Rubsign|rubsigns]] and the Mini Vehicle toys packaged in robot mode rather than in [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode]]), whereas no samples of the Mazda Familia in 1985 packaging have surfaced thus far.
:Fans later started to refer to the Mazda Familia mold by portmanteau names such as "Bumblejumper", "Cliffbee" and "Bumper". The last of these names was eventually made official when a character based on the toy made appearances in the ongoing [[Generation One (Dreamwave comic)|''Generation One'' Volume 1]] comic series by [[Dreamwave Productions]] and in the ''[[Megatron Origin]]'' mini-series by [[IDW Publishing]]. However, fans who know about the Bumblebee/Cliffjumper color variants, but are unaware of the existence of the Mazda Familia mold, occasionally incorrectly assume that the name "Bumblejumper" refers to the yellow color variant of Cliffjumper... which is simply referred to as "yellow Cliffjumper" by most fans.

*'''A now-rare (and thus valuable) blue variant of Bluestreak was available during Generation 1.'''

[[Image:G1 Bluestreak boxart.jpg|right|150px|thumb|You had this as a kid. The picture, that is. Not the toy.]]
:The very earliest [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]] toy [[catalog]]s used a photo of a blue-sided ''[[Diaclone]]'' Fairlady Z to represent [[Bluestreak]]; photographs of the same toy were used for Bluestreak's own [[Instructions|instruction booklet]]. The same blue-sided color scheme was also used on his [[Package art|box art]]; Bluestreak's box art was in turn shown on ''every'' 1984 instruction booklet as a sample tech spec.
:All this gave rise to a long-standing myth that a blue Bluestreak toy was sold under the ''Transformers'' brand during Generation 1, with some people going so far as to "remember" owning blue Bluestreaks as children, or at least knowing someone else who did. Adding to the confusion, ''[[wikipedia:ToyFare|ToyFare]]'' magazine has a long history of listing the supposed blue Bluestreak as a "foreign [[variant]]" in its monthly price guide.
:However, actual samples of a blue-sided Bluestreak in a sealed ''Transformers'' box have ''never'' appeared, and the [[Karl Hartman|collectors who have been at it since the very beginning]] and [[Jon Hartman|amassed ''insane'' numbers of rare Transformers]] have never seen one.
: Oddly enough, numerous other Transformers toys from that era were depicted in both catalogues and packaging art with colors they were never released in —[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], for example— yet Bluestreak is the only one to be (mis)remembered in this manner, perhaps because his name is Bluestreak, so he had to have been blue, right?

*'''A show-accurate Skyfire toy was available during Generation 1.'''

[[Image:Jetfire-SkyfireModels.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Patience. You just have to wait 22 years.]]
:Due to some legal entanglements, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] was renamed "Skyfire" for the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]], with a [[character model]] that bore only a vague resemblance to the toy. Some confused viewers seem to have come away assuming that there had to be a [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] Generation 1 toy by the name of Skyfire. (The ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' Jetfire toy is actually designed as a mix between the original toy and the cartoon character model.)

*'''Some Generation 1 toy molds were in use as long ago as 1974.'''
:Some ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]''-derived toys have the text "©1974 TAKARA" stamped on them, and as a result are occasionally sold on eBay with descriptions such as "original 1974 [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]". However, the date 1974 refers to the introduction of the original [[Microman]] franchise due to the way Japanese IP law worked at the time; the first ''Microchange'' toys weren't even designed until the early 1980s.

*'''A winged variant of Sludge was available during Generation 1.'''
:A [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] [[knockoff]] that featured wings and a pterodactyl-like beast head was fairly commonplace during the Generation 1 era, and in some cases people who owned this knockoff as children seem to have misremembered it as being a [[Hasbro]] or [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]-produced [[variant]].<ref name="Sludge Knockoff">[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Sludge1.html http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Sludge1.html]</ref>

*'''A Unicron toy was available during Generation 1.'''
[[Image:Unicron Proto.jpg|thumb|200px|Seriously, aren't you glad your poor parents didn't have to waste like a hundred bucks on this back in '86?]]
:No toys of [[Unicron]] were available (or even produced beyond [[prototype]]) until 2003. In fact, the mere ''existence'' of those prototypes wasn't actually officially confirmed until many years later. The first official Unicron toy to be released came out as part of the ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' line in 2003 and was a brand new mold, not based on an old, unused prototype.
:The fictional existence of a ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' Unicron toy is likely based on schoolground one-upmanship: if one kid had a larger toy such as [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], a rival kid would claim to have a Unicron toy in order to appear cooler, but would most likely retire to his bed a sobbing mess, knowing in his heart that one day God would punish him for being a HUGE FIBBER.

*'''The Decepticon combiner team Seacons is pronounced "See-ih-cons" vice "See-cons."'''
:This belief stems from the fact that nearly all Decepticon teams before them had a "i" or "a" vowel break in between the prefix and "con" (Construct'''i'''cons, Combat'''i'''cons, Pred'''a'''cons, etc), with nearly all the teams having three or more syllables. To fit the pattern, some fans inserted an extra syllable into "[[Seacon (G1)|Seacon]]s", expanding the name to "See-ah-cons" or something similar. There was little to disprove this, since audio media mentioning the team by name is rare. However, fans have since found there was one toy commercial for the set and the narrator clearly calls them "See-cons."

*'''The reissue Soundwave toys released by Takara are reverse-engineered from Soundblaster because the original molds are lost'''
:Both the ''[[Transformers Collection]]'' and ''[[Encore]]'' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] releases have different tape buttons and hinges than the ones found on the vintage Hasbro release. While the vintage Hasbro Soundwave had inset controls and an internal tape deck hinge, the Takara reissues have a large button block that serves as a pivot point for an external tape deck hinge. The supposed reason for this is the mold for the original versions of the buttons and door are lost or worn out, so a new single tape door was made to work with the Soundblaster mold.
:In fact, the buttons and hinge used on the reissue Soundwaves were originally a [[retool]]ed running change [[variant]] of Takara's original 1985 release of Soundwave. The further Soundblaster retool was based on the later Japanese version of Soundwave, as were the reissues. Presumably, the original mold in its original condition ''is'' lost - but this happened ''long'' before Takara retooled Soundwave into Soundblaster.

===Generation 2===
*'''"Generation 2" means "after ''The Transformers: The Movie''."'''
:This common but explicitly false idea probably stems from the many casual fans who grew up with the original ''Transformers'' line but stopped paying much attention around 1986, when the animated ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' debuted and the ''Transformers'' craze began to die down. Many such fans regained some interest in ''Transformers'' many years later, particularly with hype surrounding the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]]. Seeing the phrase "Generation 2" batted around in fandom, it might seem natural to assume it refers to the big changeover that happened with the animated film. It certainly didn't help that, early in the life of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]], [[Pat Lee]] shared in this misconception, leading other new arrivals to the fandom to ape his use of the term.
:While the original animated movie certainly marked a change from one "generation" of toys to another, along with some new design trends, the phrase "Generation 2" refers to [[Generation 2 (franchise)|a very specific franchise]], marketed from 1992 to 1995—years after the animated film had come and gone. Its relative obscurity probably contributes to the mis-attribution of the term, as ''Generation 2'' marks a low point in popularity for ''Transformers'' as a whole.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline was known as "Transformers 2000" in Japan.'''
:As information about the then-new [[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|''Car Robots'' toyline]] began to trickle out of Japan in 2000, early rumors purportedly from Japanese sources indicated that it was officially named "Transformers 2000".<ref name="Transformers 2000">http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_frm/thread/e6436b92178f0c0a</ref> It's possible those Japanese sources were also going by early, inaccurate rumors or perhaps a soon-to-be-discarded working title for the line. The idea persisted with many Western fans well after the true name of the show was revealed, encouraged by online import retailers (who were equally misinformed) using the title to promote pre-orders on their sites.

===Alternators===
*'''A yellow version of Alternators Tracks was released to North American stores (but then recalled by Hasbro).'''

[[Image:YellowTracks.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Only in Japan, baby.]]
:When [[Hasbro]] (and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) originally announced the ''[[Alternators]]'' version of [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] in 2004, the toy's [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode's]] primary color was yellow. This caused the ire of a significant portion of the fandom, which insisted that the toy had to be ''blue'', like its ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' predecessor.
:However, while Takara did release their ''Binaltech'' version of the toy in yellow, stolen [[Prototype|samples]] of the Hasbro version eventually surfaced which were indeed blue rather than yellow. Hasbro eventually confirmed at [[OTFCC 2004]] that the initial idea had been to release the toy in yellow first, and then later as a running change [[variant]] in blue, like Takara would ultimately do. However, Hasbro had encountered problems at the test shot stage, where it became evident that some of the toy's innards were shining through the yellow plastic. As a result, plans for a release of the yellow version were scrapped, and it was decided to release the blue version from the get-go.
:However, around the time when the yellow version of ("Autobot") Tracks was originally supposed to arrive in stores, rumors started circulating that some stores (usually [[Walmart]]) had indeed received a shipment of the toy, but were then asked by Hasbro to send back the entire batch. Some variants of this rumor later even claimed having seen a cell photo from the friend of a friend depicting a yellow Alternators Tracks in packaging on top of a case sporting a "RETURN TO SENDER" note. Conveniently, circumstance always prevented these people from taking a photo and sharing it with the internet public.
:Needless to say, no substantial evidence has ever surfaced to back up these claims. Furthermore, there are several factors that make this story extremely doubtful: First, Hasbro—in their own words—discovered the problems with the see-through yellow plastic at the test shot stage (which is the entire ''point'' of this part of the production run). Why would they actually bother to continue the production run, print the packaging, pack the toy and send it to stores and ''then'' decide to recall it? Never mind that toy recalls are usually done due to safety concerns, not because of ''looks''. Also, we've seen "leaked" (read: stolen) packaged samples of pretty much every single Alternators toy several months prior to its official release. Yellow Tracks? The last thing we saw of him was an unpackaged, painted sample with (intentionally) off-color Autobot sigils and "NOT FOR SALE" markings. In all the years since the toy's alleged stealth shipment to stores, not a single packaged sample has surfaced.
:The only "packaged" versions of a yellow ''Alternators'' Tracks we ever got to see were internet pranks of the "yellow ''Binaltech'' Tracks in photoshopped Hasbro box" variety. Which, of course, didn't help matters at all.

*'''Hasbro omitted ''Alternators'' Windcharger's gun barrel for safety reasons.'''

[[Image:WindchargerOverdrive.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Castrated at the request of Honda.]]
:When the first stolen [[Prototype|test shots]] of ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] surfaced in 2004, the toy sported an extraordinarily long gun barrel (which doubled as the [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode]]'s drive shaft). However, when [[Hasbro]] finally officially announced the toy on their public website, the gun barrel was missing from all the official photos. Since Hasbro's photographers have a reputation of frequently depicting mistransformed toys in their official [[stock photography|promotional photos]], fans initially assumed that Hasbro was showing a "broken" toy—but then the first (stolen) packaged samples surfaced, which were also lacking the barrel.
:The toy was ultimately released without the barrel, which was not shown or mentioned anywhere on the packaging or in the instructions. Indeed, Windcharger's weapon accessory was officially identified as a "shield" on the back of the packaging (in addition to the actual, ragtop roof shield). [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], on the other hand, later released their own ''Binaltech'' version of the toy (named [[Overdrive]]) with the full barrel, prominently shown in the official promotional photos.
:The initial fan theory upon seeing the barrel-less toy was that Hasbro had gutted it [[for safety reasons]], since the long barrel might pose choking hazard. Even though this was refuted by actual experts on toy safety standards, the rumor still persisted. An official response of Hasbro's customer service department to an e-mail inquiry (published on a fan site's message board) confirmed that the reason for the barrel's omission was "so the accessory would not look like a weapon".<ref name="Windcharger gun barrel">"http://forums.tformers.com/talk/index.php?showtopic=13088 Response from Hasbro's customer service department regarding the lack of Alternators Windcharger's gun barrel.</ref> Some fans now shifted the blame from Hasbro (or toy safety laws) to Honda, since all ''Alternators'' toys were officially licensed vehicles (Honda wouldn't be the first company to have objections about their vehicles being depicted as "war toys", either), while others tried to ambiguously interpret the response mail, or even accuse Hasbro's customer service department of simply not actually knowing what they were talking about. The release of Takara's version with the full gun barrel intact didn't exactly help to resolve matters either.
:Eventually, Hasbro (in the presence of Takara representatives) would confirm the full story at [[BotCon 2005]]: It had indeed been Honda, specifically their North American branch, that had asked to remove the gun barrel and all references to "weapons" from the toy, its packaging and included paperwork. Honda's Japanese department, on the other hand, had no such concerns, which is why Takara were able to release the ''Binaltech'' version with the barrel intact.
:This didn't mark an end to the "for toy safety reasons" rumor, though: Some fans who are unaware of Hasbro's statement at the BotCon panel still assume the (seemingly) evident explanation, whereas some conspiracy theorists explicitly reject the official explanation by Hasbro, arguing that Hasbro would rather put the blame on Honda than openly admit that they had altered a toy in order to conform to toy safety regulations.

===Masterpiece===
*'''Masterpiece Convoy has more diecast parts than 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime/Masterpiece Convoy is made almost entirely out of diecast/20th Anniversary Optimus Prime is made entirely out of plastic'''
:This misconception ''might'' be extrapolated from the ''[[Alternators]]'' toys, which are made entirely out of plastic (except for the rubber tires) for their Hasbro releases, whereas their Japanese ''Binaltech'' counterparts feature a few parts made out of [[die-cast|die-cast metal]].
:In fact, however, the amount of die-cast metal parts versus injection-[[mold|molded]] plastic parts is the same between 20th Anniversary [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] and his Japanese ''[[Masterpiece]]'' Convoy counterpart. The only differences between the two toys (not counting the packaging) are the shortened smokestacks for Hasbro's 20th Prime and the addition of painted battle damage that is missing from the Takara version.

===Commemorative Series===
*'''Commemorative Series Side Swipe was found at Toys"R"Us stores in the USA'''
:In mid-2004, [[Toys"R"Us]] decided to discontinue the [[Commemorative Series]] line of ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Generation 1 reissues|reissues]] they had [[exclusive|exclusively]] carried up until that point due to low sales. This affected several planned releases, such as [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], which ultimately never came out. However, it ''also'' affected the ready-to-ship ''Commemorative Series'' VIII and IX: Series VIII [[Skids (G1)|Autobot Skids]] and Series IX [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] were still released; however, Series VIII [[Sideswipe (G1)|Side Swipe]] was ultimately released as a [[KB Toys]] exclusive over a year later, whereas Series IX [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ended up as a [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] exclusive shortly afterwards. Side Swipe ''did'', however, show up at ''Canadian'' and ''Australian'' Toys"R"Us stores at different points in 2004.

:Still, around the time when Side Swipe's intended series-mate Skids hit stores, rumors started to pop up that someone ''had'' indeed found Side Swipe at Toys"R"Us. Similar to the "yellow ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] at [[Walmart]]" rumor, however, nobody was ever able to provide evidence of having purchased the toy. Thus, any of these instances were likely either due to fans trying to get their ten minutes of internet fame, or misinterpretations of Canadian or Australian sightings as hailing from the US ('cuz, y'know, all ''Transformers'' fans are presumed to be Americans by default).

===Europe (all generations)===
*'''The Generation 1 Seacon Overbite was released under the name "Jawbreaker" on some European markets.'''
[[Image:JawbreakerComic.jpg|right|thumb|UK comic exclusive name variant!]]
:This appears to originate from the fact that [[Enemy Action!|issue 152]] of the Marvel UK comics, the first appearance of the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], refers to [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]] as "Jawbreaker", a name repeated in his appearance in [[Salvage!|issue 160]] and an "A to Z" profile in the [[Transformers Annual 1989]]. In the early days of the Transformers online fandom, when information about (and scans of) the UK comics were made available to a larger number of American fans for the first time, they concluded that this must mean that the toy had been released under a different name in Europe (which is not ''entirely'' unfounded: Generation 1 toys ''had'' been released under alternate names in Canada and Italy; and many of the tail-end G1 toys that were released following the cancellation of the line on the United States market were also available in several name variants on various European markets). A further variation of this rumor even cited legal (possibly [[trademark]]) reasons as an explanation for the alleged name change.
:However, no substantial evidence has ever surfaced to back up this rumor; in fact, European fans, when questioned, all claimed to recall that the toy was called "Overbite" when released in their respective countries (except for Italy, where [[GiG]] actually didn't release the Seacons ''at all''). Furthermore, the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] in [[City of Fear!|issue #164]] of the UK comic features a question by a confused (British) reader who inquires about the "Jawbreaker" name, since the toy was called "Overbite" when released in the UK (which then results in a made-up-on-the-spot explanation on behalf of the Marvel staff to reconcile both names).
:So, why ''did'' the story identify the character as "Jawbreaker"? It's likely that writer [[Simon Furman]] simply got a few names mixed up, since the Overbite toy's instructions refer to his ''weapon'' as a "Jawbreaker cannon". That, or "Jawbreaker" was an early working name for Overbite. Or, as his first appearance was very early in the year, when the story was written Marvel UK had received incomplete information about a toy that was not yet on sale.

*'''Some toys were exclusively (or predominantly) available in the United Kingdom (sometimes also the Netherlands)'''
:This likely stems from the fact that during the early days of the Transformers online fandom, when information from European countries was shared with American fans, two of the most active fanbases (or, at least, fanbases with members who were capable of, and interested in, engaging in conversations using the English language) as far as Europe was concerned were based in the UK and in the Netherlands. As a result, when information about toys (or toy variants) that were not available in the United States was spread, there simply were no fans from Germany or France around to confirm that the toys in question had also been officially available in their respective countries.
:As a result, the red variant of [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] was initially branded a "Netherlands" release, as were some the Mexican toys originally produced by [[IGA]] for the Mexican market that were later imported to Europe through gray channels and sold in at least half a dozen countries (most notably exotic variations such as blue versions of [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]). Meanwhile, tail-end G1 releases after the toyline had been cancelled as far as the United States market was concerned, such as the [[Action Master Elite|Action Master Elites]], the "[[Classics (Europe)|Classics]]" reissues, the [[Turbomaster|Turbomasters]] or the [[Obliterator|Obliterators]], were often referred to as "UK exclusives" (and are occasionally still to this very day), even though all of them were also available in numerous other countries—some of them even in Canada and Australia!
:Simply put, there are very few toys that were actually exclusive to a single European country. The bizarre red-footed variant of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|G1 Optimus Prime]] has only been confirmed for the UK and France thus far (apparently in two different packaging variations, no less), and ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Jazz (G1)|Meister]] and ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] have both only been released in Italy as far as the European (but not the American, or Australian, or Asian) market is concerned. Even the red "Powerlinx" version of ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]], which had originally been available as a "[[USA Edition]]" in Japan and was later found in Israel of all places, also has confirmed sightings for Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The toy was even found in ''Australia'', but only in stores that also occasionally sell toys imported from other countries, and again in European packaging, oddly enough.
:The first ''genuine'' "UK exclusives" were released as part of the accompanying [[Movie (toyline)|toyline]] for the 2007 [[Transformers (2007)|''Transformers'' live action movie]], namely a three-pack containing the Deluxe Class toys [[Jazz (Movie)|Autobot Jazz]], [[Protoform]] [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Brawl (Movie)|Decepticon Brawl]], and a two-pack, named "Towed to Safety", which contained the first of the two Deluxe Class [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] molds and [[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]] (''not '' to be confused with the Screen Battles "Final Stand" set, which was ''also'' available in the UK), both of them in their original decos. Meanwhile, other multi-packs or minor variants of toys from the 2007 movie toyline that were available in the UK but not in the United States were also available in other places, such as Japan, Hong Kong, Australia or other European countries again.

*'''A green variant of Trailbreaker was available in some European countries.'''
:This belief seems to stem from the fact that [[IGA]]'s Mexican version of [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (which, like most Mexican Transformers, was widely available on the European gray market circa 1989, as mentioned above) used the same head sculpt as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. But like the "Blue" Bluestreak, no samples of an actual green version of the Trailbreaker mold actually sold ''as'' "Trailbreaker" have been found.

===Other===
*'''Takara (alternatively, Hasbro) are ''solely'' responsible for designing, developing and manufacturing (all, or certain specific) ''Transformers'' toys.'''
: This was true only for the original [[The Transformers (toyline)|''Generation 1'' toys]], and possibly also the [[Generation 2 (toyline)|''Generation 2'' toys]]. Most of the toys from 1984 to 1986 were imported (and, occasionally, slightly altered) versions of already-existing Japanese toys originally designed and released by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]. Following that, Takara developed new toys both for the Japanese and the Western market, now specifically with ''Transformers'' in mind. The primary exceptions are a handful of toys licensed from other Japanese companies (Jetfire, Whirl and Roadbuster, for example), and the 1986 toys for the [[The Transformers: The Movie|animated movie]], which were mostly based on designs by [[Floro Dery]].
: However, at least since the time of the [[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]] toyline, most "main" line toys released both in Japan and the Western hemisphere (such as the [[Unicron Trilogy]], ''[[Alternators]]'', the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 Movie line]] and ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]/[[Henkei! Henkei! (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'') have been designed and developed in cooperation between [[Hasbro]] (or its subsidiary [[Kenner]]) and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] (now TakaraTomy). (For the specifics of this joint venture development process, see the article about [[Toy|toys]].)
: Still, numerous reasons have led some people to assume incorrectly that ''all'' ''Transformers'' toy lines were ''solely'' developed by only one of the two companies:
:* The Western public and mainstream media, naturally, tend to be unaware of the existence of Takara (TakaraTomy these days). It's therefore logical to assume that Hasbro, the company responsible for distributing Transformers toys outside Japan, is also solely responsible for developing and manufacturing the toys. The fact that Hasbro regularly chooses not to mention their Japanese business partner in official press releases and interviews hasn't exactly helped matters, either.
:* On the other hand, Western anime fans are used to Japanese companies being solely responsible for designing robot toys, which are then imported and sold by Western companies. For lack of better knowledge, those people then simply assume the same also applies to ''Transformers'' toys — namely, that Takara does ''all'' the design and engineering work on their own, and Hasbro is merely the Western ''distributor'' of those toys. The fact that the back of Hasbro's packaging for ''Transformers'' toys sports a small note saying "Manufactured under license from Takara Co., Ltd." (changed to "TOMY Company, Ltd." on more recent toys) is occasionally cited as "proof" that Takara is the sole manufacturer of ''Transformers'' toys as well. A long paper trail of evidence to the contrary<ref name="Hasbro Tour">[http://www.seibertron.com/events/gallery.php?event_id=70&size=0&start=272 Exemplary rundown] of the development process of ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' Leader Class [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], shown during the Hasbro tour at [[BotCon 2007]]. Of course, Hasbro just replaced the name "Takara" in some of the steps with "Hasbro" in order to convince fans that... yeah, riiiight.</ref> has not been able to convince those people of the flaws in their conspiracy theory — rather, some of them have even postulated the existence of a so-called "Hasbro PR machine", whose sole purpose is to convince ''Transformers'' fans that Hasbro actually has a larger part in the development of ''Transformers'' toys than is actually the case.<ref name="Propaganda">[http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?1,88668 ToyBoxDX thread with anime fanboys arguing that "Takara is an enormous toy '''manufacturing''' company. Hasbro doesn't manufacturer anything. The sole reason for its existence is for marketing the products of their partners and wholly-owned subs. Just to be clear here - Takara is bigger than Hasbro."] They wouldn't even believe that [[Joe Kyde]] actually worked at Hasbro. No kidding.</ref>
: That being said, there ''are'' indeed a few toys originally developed by either Hasbro or Takara without the other one's involvement, and then later picked up by the other company, but they're fewer than usually assumed: For Takara, those include the new molds for ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'', ''[[Beast Wars Neo (toyline)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' and ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Car Robots]]'', plus various mostly short-lived, collector-aimed, niche market lines (such as the new ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' molds, the ''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'', the ''[[Hybrid Style]]'' toys etc.); for Hasbro, those are mostly either toys originally based on fiction-based franchises that did not originate with Hasbro (such as [[Animorphs (toyline)|Animorphs]] or the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars Transformers]]'' and their later successor, ''[[Crossovers|Transformers Crossovers]]''), cross-brand lines ''within'' Hasbro where the Transformers toys only make up one part of the overall lineup (such as the [[Titanium Series]] and the [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] figures) and a few very rare "main" line Transfomers toys such as the ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Power Master|Power Masters]] and [[Grimlock (Energon)|Grimlock]], [[Swoop (Energon)|Swoop]], [[Alpha Quintesson]], [[Kicker Jones#Toys|Energon Kicker]] and [[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] from ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]''.

*'''Takara's Japanese-market releases are always of intrinsically better quality than their U.S. counterparts. (E.g., they have sweeter exclusives, and are always more show-accurate, have more accessories, and have tighter quality control.)'''
: This one depends a bit on the speaker, as it can either be a genuine misconception, a matter of opinion, or at worst, [[Personal canon|willful]] [[True fan|snobbery]]. But, like any broad generalization, it does have some basis.
:*"Better quality" can refer to the fact that Japanese versions of individual toys sometimes have clear plastic instead of painted-on windows like [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Movie Bumblebee]], or have vac-metallized parts where the equivalent U.S. release doesn't, like [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|''Energon'' Optimus Prime/Grand Convoy]]. Or, "better" quality can refer to the fact that Japan is a less litigious society, with different toy safety laws, and Takara can thus give [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Prime]] toys old-school long smokestacks, which are now shortened in the U.S. [[for safety reasons]]. These laws also mean that [[Megatron (G1)|Masterpiece Megatron]] is freely available in Japan, but hard to get in the U.S. (the exact opposite of ''real'' handguns, ironically).
:*"More [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] decos" does have some basis, as Takara frequently releases its toys later than Hasbro does Stateside, and thus they are better able to reflect discrepancies between late-run changes to a character's coloration in a show (such as with the original [[Rattrap]] or [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|''Armada'''s Tidal Wave]]). The most extreme example of this was ''[[Beast Machines (franchise)|Beast Wars Returns]]'', the Japanese release of ''Beast Machines'', which was ''years'' later than in the U.S., allowing Takara to add a lot of the deco that was added to the characters by [[Mainframe Entertainment]] that was not the original toys. (''See also'': [[Show-accuracy]])
:*"More accessories" mostly comes from the fact that ''some'' of Takara's releases have some extra accessories, but the only cases of this before the reissues were [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]'s two swords, Megatron's sword and bullets (even though the Japanese release lacked the barrel, scope and stock extensions) and clear cases from the various cassettes. Japanese reissues have included additional accessories from the cartoon (the axe, chain mace, Energon cubes and gun-mode Megatron in the [[Transformers Collection]] reissues of Optimus and Megatron, Insecticons and Starscream, respectively, the Matrix from New Year's Convoy). Some ''[[Energon (franchise)|Super Link]]'' releases came with [[Redeco|redecoed]] [[Energon weapon|Energon weapons]] as well. [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Henkei Hot Rod]] came with two missile launchers and missiles not included with [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys#Universe_.282008.29|Universe Hot Shot]] due to budget constraints, and consequently had a remolded rear bumper for their inclusion.
:*"Sweeter exclusives" is really a matter of taste. If endless redecos of Generation 1 toys as completely unprecedented Generation 1 characters, buying $40 worth of toys you got a month ago for a single [[Mini-Con]], and shelling out half your mortgage for [[Lucky Draw figure|Lucky Draw]] gold chrome figures is what floats your boat, then yeah, Japan has better exclusives.
:*"Tighter quality control" is a total myth. Takara products are manufactured under much the same production conditions as Hasbro's (pretty much everything for both markets is made in China), and their standards of quality control are just as likely to let mistakes creep through. Just ask any buyer of ''[[Henkei! Henkei! (toyline)|Henkei!]]'' [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] how well his weapons stay attached to the arms.
:*The fields in which Takara genuinely excels Hasbro are comparably minor: Takara's [[stock photography]] generally tends to be more impressive than Hasbro's, without obvious mistransformations and awkward poses, and at the same time looks more representative of the actual toy due to less reliance on blatant digital touch-ups. Likewise, Takara's [[instructions]] tend to be more detailed and useful than Hasbro's.

*'''"Repackaged" toys are ''literally'' unsold toys sent back to Hasbro, taken out of the old packaging, put into new packaging and then sent back to stores.'''

[[Image:SteamhammerEnergonUniverse.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Not literally a waste of packaging material.]]
:Every so often, a ''Transformers'' toyline features [[rebranding|rebranded]] toys; namely, toys that were originally released as part of a previous line, but are neither [[Redeco|redecos]] nor [[Retool|retools]]—they're virtually indistinguishable from the previous release other than the packaging. This happened most frequently during the final stages of the original ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' line, when it changed from being a line of redecos to a line of straight re-releases of toys from older lines, including Basic/Scout and Deluxe-sized toys from the ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' and ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' lines, [[Spy Changer|Spychangers]] and even the ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' "Ultimate Battle" two-pack, which were available from various "Dollar" store chains such as Dollar General, Family Dollar, Roses, Tuesday Morning or Big Lots.
:It also doesn't help that the [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] [[Universe (2008 franchise)|2008 ''Universe'']] [[Unicron]] is a virtually unchanged re-release of ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' Unicron. And, to further complicate matters, on the shelf tags for ''Universe'' Unicron, he is actually called "Armada Unicron."
:Because the common fandom term for those releases was "repackages", a popular misconception claims that those toys are ''literally'' "repackages", namely, unsold toys sent back to Hasbro, who took them out of their old packaging, put them into new packaging and then sent them back to (different) stores.
:Needless to say, that theory is dubious for various reasons: Generally, old unsold toys are ''not'' sent back to Hasbro. They either [[Shelfwarmer|sit on the store shelf]] (or hang on the peg) until someone finally decides to buy them, or the store somehow dumps them. And even ''if'' Hasbro did regularly get sent back huge shipments of unsold toys, they'd rather try to get rid of those toys in the old packaging rather than going through the effort of literally repackaging them.
:In addition, some of the Dollar Store exclusive ''Universe'' Basics and Deluxes were limbs and torsos from the ''Energon'' [[Combiner|combiners]] [[Superion Maximus]], [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] and [[Constructicon Maximus]]. The ''Energon'' combiners all sold out well, and now demand high prices on the aftermarket (with the exception of the ''Universe'' "repackages", ironically). So it's rather questionable that stores would have kept a huge unsold stock of those toys in numbers large enough to warrant the alleged repackaging business.
:Therefore, the most logical conclusion appears to be that those "repackages" are in fact a brand new production run simply using the same plastic colors and paint masks as the original releases of those toys, which is cheaper to produce (and therefore easier to sell for the lower "Dollar" stores price tags) than designing new decos. Hasbro confirmed this in January of 2009, stating that due to the toys being manufactured in Asia, it would be a waste of time and money to repackage them only to sell them at the same price-point.<ref>[http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=1934 SirStevesGuide.com, Tri-Weekly Hasbro Q&A - January 30th]</ref>
:This wouldn't be the first misconception based on popular fan terms, however: A common fan term for [[Redeco|redecos]] is "repaints", which has led to the misconception that those toys are ''literally'' toys from a previous production run ''painted over in new colors''. Obviously, however, the fact that most redecos are cast in differently colored plastic should be sufficient evidence for the absurdness of this assumption.

*'''A new toy that is vaguely reminiscent of an older toy is a retool of said toy.'''

[[Image:BumblebeeRRvsSB.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Screen Battles Bumblebee—remolded from scratch (not from Robot Replicas Bumblebee)!]]
:Hasbro like to [[redeco]] toys a lot (usually to recoup the R&D costs for developing the original [[mold]]). They also like to release redecos of toys from older lines in newer lines. In some instances, Hasbro also don't just redeco a toy, they [[retool]] it (or create new toolings for new parts that replace parts of the old version of the toy)—sometimes to improve a feature or fix an error, but sometimes also to give the toy new features or [[Gimmick|gimmicks]], or simply to make it different enough from the original version so owners of the original version would be interested in buying the "retool" as well.
:Some of those retools are comparably minor (such as [[Jazz (Movie)|Final Battle Jazz]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 Movie line]]), whereas others can be pretty elaborate. Sometimes the retools are so elaborate that the line between "retool" and "new [[mold]]" gets blurred. The most drastic instances in this regard would be [[K-9]] from ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' (based on [[Wolfang (Maximal)|Wolfang]] from the same line) and [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Dark Crumplezone]] from ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' (based on the original ''Cybertron'' Crumplezone toy), both of which have most, if not ''all'' of their parts entirely retooled. Another borderline case would be the ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Mini-Con|Mini-Cons]] [[Mirage (Armada)|Mirage]] and [[Swindle (Armada)|Swindle]], which were released around the same time and are based on the same basic design, share a similar body structure and have very similar [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]].

[[Image:SmokesniperStarscream.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The similarities are astounding. Especially those that aren't there.]]
:However, sometimes fans ''definitely'' get too far decrying a new toy a "retool" (or "remold"). Toys that share some superficial design similiarities, coupled with similar transformation schemes, are often mistaken for retools even though they're simply that: Similar toys based on the same general design, maybe even directly influenced by the older toy, but nothing more. Examples:
*Despite their very similar body constructions and transformation schemes, the original ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] toys are ''not'' retools of each other. And neither is [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] a retool of Cliffjumper. ([[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], however, ''is'' a retool of Cliffjumper.)
*Likewise, the [[Battlecharger|Battlechargers]] [[Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] aren't retools of each other either.
*And neither are the [[Jumpstarter|Jumpstarters]] [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] and [[Twin Twist]] retools of each other.
*''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] is not a retool of ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]], even though he was obviously inspired by the latter.
*Some fans actually seriously believed that ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Jazz (G1)|Meister]] is a retool of [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. (To be fair, the two actually share the same ''hand'' sculpts.)
*''Cybertron'' [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|Hardtop]] is not even ''remotely'' a "retool" of the ''Energon'' [[Sledge (Energon)|Sledge]]/[[Bonecrusher (Energon)|Bonecrusher]] mold.
*The legless [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bumblebee]] figure included with the Screen Battles "Final Stand" set from the 2007 [[Movie (toyline)|Movie line]] is not a retool of [[Robot Replicas]] Bumblebee.

*'''Hasbro lost the copyright to a lot of G1 Transformers names. That is why you see toys named "Autobot Jazz" or "Decepticon Brawl" these days. Takara is more competent than Hasbro and doesn't need to change their toys' names.'''
: First of all, this is not "copyright". Copyright refers to the expression of ideas. For example, the backstory for the Transformers, the specific plot of a comic or a TV episode are protected by copyright. The names these stories are sold under, however, are protected by [[trademark]]. The same also applies to the names toys are sold under.
:That being said, there are indeed a few instances where another company has snatched a trademark, making it unavilable for Hasbro for the time being. The reason for that is because trademarks need to be consistently used in commerce (at least once every year or so), or the trademark can be considered "abandoned", making it open for grabs. [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] is unavailable to [[Hasbro]] because Mattel holds several similar trademarks, [[Bluestreak]] is too similar to Gendron's "Toledo 'Blue Streak'" trademark, and a company named Lanard held the trademark "Shockwave" until a few years ago. This prompted Hasbro to use substitute names for toys based on these characters, such as "Rodimus Major" or simply "Rodimus" for Hot Rod, "Silverstreak" for Bluestreak and "Shockblast" for Shockwave (unlike the other two, Hasbro has since managed to reacquire the "Shockwave" trademark).
:Meanwhile, the names with prefixes such as "Autobot" or "Decepticon"? Those are usually non-compound single real words from the English language. Hasbro's legal department considers them too "generic" to be easily defendable as trademarks, hence the addition of prefixes such as "Autobot Jazz", "Decepticon Brawl "or "Constructicon Devastator" for better protection. This does ''not'' work with names already trademarked by another company–otherwise, [[Bandai]] could release a toy named "Megazord Optimus Prime" tomorrow, and Hasbro couldn't do anything about it.
:For a while, it seemed like these trademark quibbles were limited to Hasbro, and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] was somehow exempt due to different conditions in Japanese trademark law. However, the ''[[Classics (2006)#Henkei! Henkei!|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' line saw the emergence of quite a few "Cybertron", "Destron" and "[[Stunticon (G1)|Stuntron]]" prefixes, and for the ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen toyline]]'', Takara even uses "Autobot" and "Decepticon" prefixes the Hasbro versions of those toys ''don't'' have.

*'''Hasbro is responsible for your local store not having the newest toys right now.'''
: Hasbro actually has almost nothing to do with distribution (when Product A arrives in Store B) beyond making sure the manufactured product leaves the factories and shipyards of China at the desired time. Once the items arrive on US shores, they are almost immediately sent from the ships to the distribution centers for the retail chains that ordered them. From there, it's more truck rides to various regional warehouses, which is all controlled by the retailers, not Hasbro. After that, the schedule for taking product from those warehouses and putting it on shelves is dictated by each chain's inventory system.
: It's ''conceivable'' that Hasbro could take more control of the situation, but that would require chains like Wal-Mart to release the vise-like death grip they have on manufacturers' nuts that lets them dictate how the system works—and they're sooooooo not doing that.

*'''Hasbro should totally cater to the wishes of older collectors, as they purchase the most Transformers product.'''
: Fans would like to think they've got some sway over the direction of the [[Transformers brand]]. After all, they've been buying toys for many years (as opposed to the limited purchasing span of most children), and they buy many ''more'' toys than any individual child. And in truth, Hasbro does pay attention to the desires and discussions of its older buyers, even designing certain line segments like [[Alternators]] and [[Classics (2006)|''Classics'']] with collectors as the primary target audience.
: Collectors, however, simply can't compare to the vast numbers of children out there whose parents buy Transformers for them. The bulk of Transformers product is purchased for and/or by young children, and if it wants to stay in business and keep making money (and by extension, more toys), Hasbro must design and market its products accordingly. No accurate figures exist on the collector/children ratio, but estimates mentioned at BotCon panels range from around 10% to 20% of all purchases coming from older collectors—enough to be worth listening to, but not at all the driving force behind the brand. Past toylines have shown that betting ''too much'' on sales from adult collectors can be disastrous.
: Furthermore, it's not as though the fans speak with a unified voice. More often, for every fan pushing for one particular idea, there's another fan who thinks that same idea is boring or awful.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1===
====The original cartoon====
*'''The original ''The Transformers'' series was redubbed anime which originated in Japan, just like ''Battle of the Planets'', ''Voltron'', ''Robotech'' and other such shows screened in the '80s.'''
: Although most moderate-to-hardcore fans are well aware that this is a fallacy, there are those more casual fans (or those who have not rewatched the Generation 1 cartoon since childhood) who are under the misconception that [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'']] was an anime.
: Although the original toyline and thus the characters' basic visual designs were taken from Japanese-originated products, the original characters, names, factions and entire story premise of the whole ''Transformers'' franchise were developed in the United States by [[Hasbro]], [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and eventually [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]]. Although the animation was farmed out to [[Toei|Japanese]] (and later also [[AKOM|Korean]] and [[Unknown Filipino animation studio|Filipino]]) [[Tokyo Movie Shinsha|studios]], the writing and original voice recording of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|all four seasons of the original series]] plus ''[[The Transformers: The Movie|The Movie]]'' was entirely done in America.
: This misconception probably stems from distant childhood memories of the cartoon, coupled with the later realization that shows like the aforementioned ''Robotech'' were redubbed anime (presuming they didn't know this when they were kids) and, due to ''Transformers''' obvious Japanese influence, have made the assumption that it too was anime. This ''may'' also be due to passing exposure to ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' and the [[Unicron Trilogy]] shows which, viewed as an adult, are ''very'' obviously redubbed anime.
: This is in part related to the misconception that '''all''' ''Transformers'' toys are ''solely'' designed, developed and manufactured by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], and all [[Hasbro]] ever does is to put them in new packaging and distribute them on the Western market (see above). Because this is true for other Japanese robot toylines, and therefore it must also apply to ''Transformers''.

*'''''The Headmasters'' was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.'''
: In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled ''The Headmasters'' continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of ''The Headmasters'' series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.
: Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "[[Nebulos|Nebulan]]" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Rebirth]]", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.
: More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up. In all likelihood the rumor was probably a [[wikipedia:Chinese_whispers|Chinese Whisper]] from the fact that the Malay English language [[Omni Productions]] dub {or "Star TV" dub) was screened on UK satellite TV during the 1990s.

====The Transformers: The Movie====
*'''There exists an "uncut version" of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' containing all sorts of non-kid-friendly content.'''
: These stories stem mainly from the fact that many home-video releases of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' omit two relatively minor instances of characters using profanity, which during the 1990s resulted in some [[alt.toys.transformers]] posters advertising "uncut" VHS copies of the movie for sale, thus either intentionally or unintentionally creating the myth of a really foul-mouthed and ultra-violent alternate version of ''The Transformers: The Movie''. At least one poster claimed to have uncut reels of the original film showing a number of violent scenes, but, unsurprisingly, was unwilling to provide any form of proof. So have ended all claims of uncut footage from the film.
: Also two additions were made for the British release of the movie: The opening credits were replaced by a ''Star Wars'' style text scroll complete with narration, whilst the last scene of the Movie has an additional voice over declaring that the Transformers' adventures will continue and Optimus Prime will return. These additions have been seen in other international versions of the Movie but are less well known in the US.

[[Image:TFTM dead gray Prime.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Traumatizing enough as it is, frankly.]]
:A much stranger rumor, whose origins are unclear, claims that the original theatrical cut of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' depicted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] crumbling into dust after dying, and that that scene was cut by the distributor in mid-release because children were traumatized by the imagery. Interestingly, the "[[Death of Optimus Prime]]" track on the original soundtrack album does contain ten extra seconds of music. At the end, just before the song's final low-octave percussion sequence, there is a very distinct series of notes that appears nowhere else in the song and is not in the onscreen version. However, no other evidence of this "lost" animation sequence exists among the many storyboards, preliminary animations, interviews, varying formats, etc., that have come to light.
:The myth could be related to the death of Starscream, a few scenes later, where Starscream '''does''' indeed crumble to dust after being shot by Galvatron; time and distance could lead fans to confuse the two scenes.
:These claims should not be confused with the extra storyboarded scenes which have come to light over the years. A number of scenes were planned out at the storyboarding stage, but no evidence exists that they were ever animated. Given the expense of producing full animation, it is unlikely they ever made it past the level of storyboards.
::''See also: [[The Transformers: The Movie#Edits]].''

*'''''The Transformers: The Movie'' was never released in Japan.'''
: A widespread (but false) assumption among Western fans holds that ''The Transformers: The Movie'' is not part of Japanese Generation 1 [[canon]], and that ''[[Scramble City (episode)|Scramble City]]'' was effectively its Japanese replacement. ''The Transformers: The Movie'' went unreleased in Japan until August 1989, and the various discrepancies between it and subsequent Japan-only Generation 1 fiction are largely a matter of the Japanese animators and writers being unaware of the precise details of ''The Transformers: The Movie''.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?s=&postid=216153#post216153</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?s=&postid=216478#post216478</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?threadid=30800</ref>

*'''''The Transformers: The Movie'' was released in Japan under the title ''Matrix Forever''.'''
: ''[[Matrix Forever]]'' was actually the title of a 20-minute video created to promote the Japanese release of ''The Transformers: The Movie'', but some Western (and even Japanese) fans have been confused into thinking that ''The Transformers: The Movie'' itself was renamed ''Matrix Forever''.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/a5d29844863d2c29</ref>

====The Marvel comic====
*'''A Spider-Man story from the Clone Saga era confirms that Spider-Man's appearance in issue 3 of the Marvel ''Transformers'' comic isn't considered part of the mainstream Marvel Universe.'''
: Originally, the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''Generation 1'' comic]] was intended as a four-issue limited series. As was common with Marvel's licensed titles at that time, the early issues featured guest appearances by well-known Marvel characters, most prominently [[Spider-Man]] in [[Prisoner of War!|issue 3]]. However, when the title was expanded into an ongoing series, Marvel soon dropped all references to its established superhero universe (the [[Savage Land]] got named in [[Repeat Performance!|issue 8]], but that's about it). Likewise, no subsequent stories in Marvel's other non-licensed titles ever made mention of the Transformers existing in the same universe. Eventually, in 2006, the then-recent edition of the ''[[Wikipedia:Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe|Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe]]'' identified the Transformers' Earth (or, more precisely, the Marvel UK universe which [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] debuted in) as "Earth-120185" within Marvels own multiverse, versus the Mainstream Marvel Universe's "Earth-616".

:What's ''not'' true, however, is that a Spider-Man story published as part of the "[[wikipedia:Clone_Saga|Clone Saga]]" during the 1990s features a line where Peter claims that he had never been to Oregon, thus negating his appearance in ''Transformers'' issue 3 (where he ''does'' make a trip to Oregon). The issue in question is "Adjectiveless" ''Spider-Man'' #57 (1995), where Peter Parker (the <strike>clone</strike> guy who would have been active as Spider-Man at the time of ''Transformers'' #3) claims (in a monologue) having never been to '''Utah''', where Louise Kennedy (whose murder he was accused of) had been killed by [[wikipedia:Kaine|Kaine]] in ''Spider-Man: The Lost Years'' #3.

====Japanese Generation 1 fiction====
*'''In Japanese continuity, Megatron and Galvatron are two separate characters.'''
:There are a few instances of Japanese fiction (and advertising) that would seem to support this notion, all of which can be attributed to a lack of communication between [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] prior to the release of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. All of them were ultimately ignored by the "primary" fiction, namely as the (dubbed) third season of the cartoon (named ''Transformers: 2010'' in Japan) and the accompanying manga, which followed the Western story concept of Galvatron being a reformatted [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].
:There is also a ''Transformers: 2010'' [[manga]] story that depicts [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] commanding a legion of automatons created in [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s image, which some non-Japanese-speaking fans have interpreted as depicting Galvatron and Megatron co-existing.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=179</ref>

*'''In Japanese continuity, the Destrons (Decepticons) were invaders from a planet called Destron.'''
:The [[Autobot|Autobots]] were renamed "Cybertrons" in the Japanese translation, resulting in a misconception that the Destrons ([[Decepticon|Decepticons]]) must hail from somewhere other than the planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. However, the Japanese translation also used slightly different spellings for the faction, "Cybertron" (literally: サイバトロン, "Sa-i-ba-to-ro-n"), and the planet, (literally: セイバートロン, "Se-i-baa-to-ro-n"), commonly interpreted as "Seibertron" by Western fans, in order to avoid confusion, even though both words originally started out based on the English name "Cybertron".<ref name="tfa522">[http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=522 The Transformers Archive essay about various urban legends surrounding the Transformers franchise]</ref>
:This rumor presumably originates from an article a Thomas Wheeler had written for ''Attic's Collectible Toys and Values Monthly'' during the hiatus between the [[The Transformers (toyline)|G1]] and [[Generation 2 (toyline)|G2]] toylines. According to that article, Hasbro chose not to follow this element of the story because of the similarity between the term "Destron" and ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'''s "[[Destro]]" character. Of course, seeing as the story originated in America to begin with and was only dubbed into Japanese later on, this doesn't make a lot of sense. More recently, Wheeler has been writing toy reviews for Master Collector's website, which occasionally also display a certain lack of knowledge about various toys and the ''Transformers'' brand's overall history, so it doesn't seem entirely out of place for him.

*'''Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus are both members of a "Space Mafia".'''
:[[Black Shadow]] and [[Blue Bacchus]], two characters from ''[[Victory (franchise)|Victory]]'', both have their function listed as "Space Gangster". An early fan translation of their on-package [[Bio|bios]] misinterpreted the Japanese word for "gangster" to mean "Mafia", hence the belief that a "Space Mafia" exists in the Japanese Generation 1 universe.

*'''Metrotitan is a zombie version of Metroplex.'''
: [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] was a Destron [[redeco]] of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] from the ''[[Zone (franchise)|Zone]]'' portion of Japanese Generation 1 continuity. For unclear reasons, Western fans believe that Metrotitan was a "zombified" version of Metroplex, and a stranger variation on this rumor holds that Metrotitan was somehow "regrown" from one of Metroplex's legs.<ref name="tfa522" />

====European Generation 1 fiction====
*'''Starscream and Shrapnel are female characters in the French dub of Generation 1.'''
: This rumor is only partly true. The [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Transformers'' cartoon]] used three different dub teams for the French version: one for the TV show's dub broadcast in Quebec, one for the TV show's dub broadcast in France and one for the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 movie]] used in both countries. Neither of the TV show's dubs use [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] as a female as he uses a distinctively male voice;<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhOCYZRxypM YouTube: Doublage de France: Combaticons et Égo]</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMXCeXw5Vdo Doublage Québécois: Égo et Dr. Croc-en-ville]</ref> however, the movie's dubbing team used a female voice for Starscream, and at one point [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] calls Starscream "une imbécile" (articles in French are gender-specific), clearly cementing Starscream's movie status as a female.<ref>http://bigbot.com/mp3/transformers_mp3.shtml#Femmes</ref> (Although let's face it, he might just be insulting Starscream.) All the same is also true for [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], who is even referred to as "Mademoiselle Shrapnel" by [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] in the movie.

*'''The German version of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' was edited and didn't depict Starscream's death scene.'''
: German TV didn't air a dubbed version of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]] until 1989. ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' was aired for the first time on German TV in 1994, with only one repeat. For unknown reasons, a rumor was circulating for several years claiming that [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream's]] death was considered too "violent" for German TV standards for children's programs and had therefore been edited out.<ref>[http://www.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung&fid=7489&vid=38680 German movie database ''still'' listing the rumor about Starscream's "edited death" in TF:TM]</ref> However, recordings of the TV airing still exist, which don't feature any obvious edits other than [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike's]] infamous "swear" line. Furthermore, a German DVD edition of the movie released in 2004 that features an entirely different dub also depicts Starscream's death in all its glory.

*'''An Earthforce story was written to promote the non-combining Constructicon toys.'''
:The comic story "[[Desert Island Risks!]]" from issue 264 of the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel UK]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|G1 comic]] reveals that the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] have somehow lost their ability to combine into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. As a result, they try to build another Devastator as a new robot.

:Some fans mistakenly believe that this is somehow related to a re-release of the Constructicons (now in yellow) that were available in [[Generation 1 (European toyline)|Europe]] after the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' toyline had ended in the USA. Those Constructicons omitted the extra parts necessary to form Devastator; and furthermore, [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] and [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (neither of them officially named in this version; all six toys came on multi-purpose cardbacks simply named "Constructicon") were [[retool|retooled]] to omit the tabs that were necessary for combining them (and [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]]) when forming Devastator. Since the toys couldn't combine into Devastator anymore, fans believe that the [[Earthforce]] comic story was intended to serve as an "explanation" for this.

:The problem with this theory, however, is that the yellow "Euro" Constructicon toys were released in 1992; the comic story, however, had already come out in early 1990. If anything, "Desert Island Risks!" was based on the [[Action Master]] version of Devastator, which no longer consisted of six individual Constructicons.

===Beast Wars===
*'''In Japanese ''Beast Wars'' continuity, Optimus Primal and Megatron were the same characters as their Generation 1 namesakes.'''
: Although the Japanese dub of the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon originally did state that [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] were new incarnations of the Generation 1 faction leaders (possibly due to a communications breakdown with Hasbro and/or [[Mainframe Entertainment|Mainframe]]), the translators eventually backed away from that idea.<ref>http://www.bwtf.com/bw/toys/techspecs/primalultra.shtml</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=180" rel="nofollow</ref>

*'''In ''Beast Wars II'', Apache is a drunkard as part of a Native American stereotype.'''
: [[Apache]] did indeed get drunk in the first episode of the ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'' cartoon, but only in grief, believing (erroneously) that his actions earlier had caused the death of [[Lio Convoy]] (which didn't happen). He did not get drunk again for the duration of the cartoon, nor did he ever do so in the manga. Outside of that, the Native American stereotype "common" to Japanese fictions is a stoic, silent, and often mystical warrior—none of which could be used to describe Apache accurately at all.
: That's not to say there aren't [[Jointron|some ethnic stereotypes]] in BWII that could be considered pretty offensive.
: Amusingly enough, in the sixth installment of the [[Beast Wars II (manga)|''Beast Wars II'' manga]], ''Lio Convoy'' gets drunk for no apparent reason and ends up trashing Apache's room.

===Beast Machines===
*'''A ''Beast Machines'' writer said, "Real heroes don't use guns."'''
:''Beast Machines'' was the first (but not the last) ''Transformers'' series to explicitly avoid all hand-held projectile [[weapon]]ry. While the [[Vehicon (BM)|villains]] still had traditional "blasters" mounted on their bodies, some of the [[Maximal|heroes]]' weapons were more esoteric (such as [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]'s energy-web attack, activated by putting her hands on the ground, or [[Optimus Primal]]'s gauntlets, powered by absorbing enemy fire). According to story editor [[Bob Skir]], this creative decision was agreed upon between the story editors, [[Fox Kids]], [[Mainframe Entertainment]], and [[Hasbro]],<ref name="Skir">[http://www.bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html Archived Q&A from Bob Skir's now-defunct website,] where Skir responds to the gun controversy (question 7).</ref> and it is indeed reflected in the toys as well.

:Note that many Maximals had weaponry that was functionally no different from a "gun"—compare [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]]'s hip-mounted energy cannons, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]'s back-mounted sonic blaster, or Optimus Primal's chest-mounted energy disc launcher to [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]]'s shoulder-mounted ray guns or [[Strika (BM)|Strika]]'s wrist-mounted energy... tossing thingies.

:On his website, Skir also elaborated on his own position as a writer choosing if or how to portray gun use, including this statement: "Our heroes use their wiles and resourcefulness, plus a few cool weapons. Guns? I've never been a fan of them myself, and do not write heroes who need them."<ref>[http://members.aol.com/zobovor/guns.html Article on the fan Dave "Zobovor" Edwards' personal site,] quoting Bob Skir's original gun statement.</ref> Some fans interpreted Skir as condemning ''all'' gun use, even in the real world, no matter the circumstances. This led to the misquote, "Real heroes don't use guns,"<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/be5e55a90df944bb/b748601b997b3508#b748601b997b3508 Alt.toys.transformers thread] with the misquote and attendant assumptions right at the start.</ref> which remains a notoriously persistent error in the fandom. Skir, responding to the controversy, said on his site that "there '''are''' heroes who '''do''' need guns (such as the Punisher). Spider-Man doesn't need guns. Neither does the Hulk. And neither do Optimus, Cheetor, Black Arachnia{{sic}}, et al."<ref name="Skir" />
:Notably, the [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|series]] [[Unicron Trilogy|immediately]] [[Movie (franchise)|following]] ''Beast Machines'' did return to classic hand-held gun use among both heroes and villains. However, the more recent ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' series has again eschewed guns, probably because of its younger target audience.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The Japanese ''Car Robots'' cartoon was a direct sequel to ''Beast Wars Neo''.'''
: Some fans seem to have concluded, based on the similar animation style and overall tone, that the [[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|''Car Robots'' cartoon]] was meant to pick up where ''[[Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' had left off, but all indications are that ''Car Robots'' wasn't meant to take place in any pre-existing TF continuity. But now Takara says it's in the Generation 1 continuity. Along with the 2007 movie. Oooookay.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=490</ref>

===Transformers (2007)===
*'''''Transformers'' was nearly rated R by the MPAA.'''
: In the spring of 2007, it was reported that ''[[wikipedia:Disturbia|Disturbia]]'', a then-upcoming [[DreamWorks]] film starring [[Shia LaBeouf]] and produced by [[Steven Spielberg]], had received an R rating from the [[wikipedia:Motion_Picture_Association_of_America|Motion Picture Association of America]]. That film's rating was eventually lowered to PG-13 on appeal, but in the meantime some ''Transformers'' fans became confused and believed that it was ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' that had been rated R, leading to some heated discussion on ''Transformers'' message boards.

*'''Brawl is named in the credits.'''

[[Image:MovieCreditsNoBrawl.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Invisible credit.]]
: There's a huge controversy surrounding the name of the Decepticon tank, who was named "[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]" in [[Hasbro|Hasbro's]] [[Movie (toyline)|toy line]] but "Devastator" in a subtitle in the movie itself. Both Hasbro and the screenwriters, [[Alex Kurtzman]] and [[Roberto Orci]], have expressly favored the toy's name, referring to the name in the movie as an "error".
: Since the character has a "speaking" line in the movie (which sounds an ''awful'' lot like a garbled "''Brawl'' reporting"), fans keep claiming that the voice actor is named in the ending credits, and the character's name is stated as "Brawl" there. In fact, however, there's no credit ''at all'' for the character, under either name, as he has no voice actor.

{{-}}

*'''The Decepticons' hologram is Tom Banachek.'''

[[Image:BanachekMustacheMan.jpg|right|150px|thumb|One of these is not like the others.]]
: Several Decepticons in the movie ([[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]) are seen using a holographic "pilot"/"driver" based on the same mustache-clad human, only wearing different clothes matching the Decepticons' respective [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]].
: Since [[Tom Banachek]], the head of [[Sector Seven]]'s Advanced Research Division, also sports a mustache, many fans mistakenly believe that the Decepticons' hologram is meant to look like Banachek.
: There's only one problem with that: The "[[Moustache Man]]" (the Decepticons' hologram) is played by a real-life United States Air Force Major named [[Brian Reece]], whereas Tom Banachek is portrayed by established actor [[Michael O'Neill]].
: In essence, this is a phenomenon ''Lost'' fans [http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Apophenia#Similar_faces.2C_different_characters should be awfully familiar with].

{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===

*'''Barricade's return?'''
:A common misconception among fans is that [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade's]] Saleen Mustang alternate mode was spotted on the set of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. In fact, however, a truck transporting three "Barricade" prop vehicles was spotted in Culver City, California, in March 2008, more than ''two months'' before principal shooting for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' started.<ref name="vehspotted">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=6980 Superhero Hype reporting on the spotting of Barricade vehicles in March 2008]</ref>
{{-}}

===Prime===

*'''''War for Cybertron'' is a prequel to the G1 cartoon/War for Cybertron is part of G1'''
:With its designs aiming at a 20-something audience who grew up on the cartoon, many gamers would be forgiven for mistaking ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)| War for Cybertron]]'' for a prequel. More savvy fans would recognize that the game is generally irreconcilable with the cartoon (or any other Generation 1 continuity for that matter): the circumstances of [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s rise to power would contradict "[[War Dawn]]", and Optimus's [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|predecessor]] does not possess the Matrix, unlike his [[Sentinel Prime (G1)#Generation 1 cartoon|cartoon counterpart]]. The Autobots left Cybertron as energy sources were depleted, not because the [[Core]] had shut down, and characters like [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]], [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]], [[Cyclonus (Prime)|Cyclonus]], the [[Aerialbot (Prime)|Aerialbot]]s and [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]] wouldn't be on Cybertron or even ''exist''. Additionally, the game draws inspiration from other continuities, including characters not from G1 like [[Slipstream (Prime)|Slipstream]] and [[Demolishor (Prime)|Demolishor]]. The game does share a lot of similarities with Dreamwave's ''[[War Within (franchise)|War Within]]'' series (where Jetfire and Trypticon are present), but it cannot take place in that continuity either. The novel ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]'' confirmed ''War for Cybertron'' as a [[micro-continuity]] in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)| Prime]]'' franchise.

==Companies==
*'''Takara was taken over by Tomy'''
:In 2005, it was announced that Takara, longtime Japanese manufacturer/distributor of Transformers toys, and former competitor Tomy would merge into a new company, named [[TakaraTomy]], as of March 1, 2006. Some fans misinterpreted the media coverage, believing that Takara had been bought out by rival Tomy. This was not helped by official press releases declaring Tomy the "surviving company", Tomy having the majority of shares, and the merged company simply going by the name "Tomy" outside Japan.
:The name issue is easily explained, as it was done for purely pragmatic reasons. "Tomy" is an internationally established brand, since the company already had divisions in many other countries prior to the merger, and distributed their toys under their own name there. Takara, meanwhile, had mostly abandoned ventures into international markets years ago, and had its products distributed through other companies (such as [[Hasbro]]) instead. Thereby, the merged company decided to use the better-known name for its international business, while it would continue as "TakaraTomy" within Japan itself.
:Now, as for the specifics of the merger... Although the merger ratio was set at 0.356 of a Tomy share for each Takara share (including a split of Tomy's stock), and the companies announced a layoff of 15% of their combined workforce mostly on the Takara side, the term "merger" (as compared to "take-over") was prominently used in all the official announcements by the two companies, and twisting tiny details into a de facto "takeover" of Takara by Tomy is effectively splitting hairs.

*'''e-Hobby is owned by Takara (TakaraTomy)'''
:The [[e-Hobby]] shop is owned by Part One, Ltd. Although the company has had close ties with Takara for decades, the online store also sells toys by other companies, primarily TakaraTomy's rival [[Bandai]].
:The online store ''directly'' owned by TakaraTomy, meanwhile, is [[Toy Hobby Market]].

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=522 Ten popular but incorrect rumors about Japanese Transformers]

[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Dreamwave Productions

2010-10-28T02:40:59Z

24.202.105.245: /* The aftermath */

[[Image:Dreamwave.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"We're not saying you should buy Dreamwave comics, only that you'll regret it."]]

'''Dreamwave Productions''' was a fairly unknown independent comic book publisher when it obtained the ''Transformers'' license in 2001. For a time, there was gigantic buzz surrounding Dreamwave's relaunch of the Generation 1 title, even pushing it past Marvel and DC's top titles. Many comic book fans had been away from Transformers for a long time and were overjoyed to see highly detailed manga-style art driving a childhood favorite.

Dreamwave published a good deal of ''Transformers'' books, including many varied miniseries, before capitulating to the notoriously fickle comic-buying public. Towards the end of 2004 delays started getting more and more frequent. This was followed by rumors of writers and artists leaving because they weren't being paid, which were then confirmed. In early January 2005, Dreamwave declared bankruptcy, and there were no Transformers comics to be had for more than half of 2005.

{{quote|TO ME DREAMWAVE WAS MORE THAN JUST A WORD. IT'S MEANING TO ME FULLFILLS ALL OF WHAT I BELIEVE IN. SUCCESS, LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, HOPES ANS WISHES. WHEN ALL IS BAD HUMANS EXCLUDE THEMSELVES FROM REALITY ONLY TO FIND THEMSELVES IN THE REALM OF DREAMS. BECAUSE HERE IN OUR DREAMS WE FIND THE FREEDOM FROM THE SHACKLES THAT THIS SOCIETY HAS LOCKED US IN REALITY.|[[Pat Lee]] [http://www.angelfire.com/pa/infrarred/infrarred4.html]}}

==History==
===The beginnings===
Dreamwave Productions was originally launched by brothers [[Pat Lee|Pat]] and [[Roger Lee]] as a studio within [[Wikipedia:Image Comics|Image Comics]] in 1996, at the height of the Image boom.

In 1998, Dreamwave would start to publish various <strike>blatantly plagiarized</strike> originally created titles such as ''[[wikipedia:Ghost in the Shell|Darkminds]]'' and ''[[wikipedia:Record of Lodoss War|Warlands]]'', as well as accepting work-for-hire assignments for other publishers such as the four-issue limited series ''Wolverine/Punisher: Revelation'' for Marvel. Other titles such as ''Shidima'', ''Fate of the Blade'' or ''Arkanium'' would follow. Furthermore, Dreamwave also collaborated with [[wikipedia:VIBE (magazine)|VIBE]] and [[wikipedia:Wizard (magazine)|Wizard: The Comics Magazine]] on various projects, developed an advertising campaign for the [[wikipedia:Dr. Martens|Dr. Martens]] shoe label and created the production designs for the music video to [[wikipedia:Janet Jackson|Janet Jackson's]] song "Doesn't Really Matter".

Initially, the "hook" for Dreamwave's financial success was the drawing style of its president, Pat Lee, which many readers viewed as "manga-like" (although readers of actual Japanese mangas had a different opinion on this matter).

===Big 80s===
[[Image:Big80sWizard.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oh boy, were we naïve.]]
In October of 2000, issue #111 of ''Wizard: The Comics Magazine'' ran a feature named "Big 80s", featuring various popular properties of the 1980s in new interpretations by modern artists, such as ''Thundercats'' drawn by [[Jim Cheung]], ''Masters of the Universe'' drawn by Ed McGunness, ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' drawn by J. Scott Campbell, and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' drawn by Joe Madureira. Dreamwave submitted their own take on the ''Transformers'', one of Pat's personal favorites from his childhood days, with Pat Lee himself and Alvin Lee handling the art. ''Wizard'', making suggestions for a modern ''Transformers'' comic, named Mark Millar as their number one choice for the writer of the book, with Pat Lee (aka "Mr. Mecha") on art duties.

Needless to say, the modern-style "manga"-like ''Transformers'' artwork caused an uproar in the established fandom as well as among regular comic fans who remembered ''Transformers'' from their childhoods. Seven months later, Pat got another chance of drawing Transformers characters in a feature named "How to draw Mecha" for issue #118 of ''Wizard''.

===Splitting from Image and getting the Transformers license===
[[Image:WIZautobots.jpg|left|100px|thumb|How to draw a mess of lines that look like Transformers once the colorist has salvaged it.]]
Still in 2000, a group of Dreamwave employees (including Alvin Lee, who had worked with Pat on the ''Wizard'' piece) departed from their company to form their own business, UDON Studios.

A year later, [[Hasbro]] was offering the license for new Transformers comics, which had effectively remained unused since [[Marvel Comics|Marvel's]] ''[[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|Generation 2]] '' [[A Rage in Heaven!|issue 12]] in 1994. Several companies, including Marvel (with UDON being supposed to handle the art), were interested, but all of them used the piece of artwork Dreamwave had done for ''Wizard''. Dreamwave at one point intended to cooperate with Top Cow, but Top Cow rejected the offer. Ultimately, Dreamwave decided to get the license themselves instead of going through another company, claiming that Pat Lee would only handle the art if Dreamwave got the license. Marvel ultimately backed out because of the license fee Hasbro demanded.<ref name ="litgtfspec">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14153 Lying in the Gutters ''Transformers'' Special], July 2002</ref>

Dreamwave officially acquired the ''Transformers'' license in December of 2001<ref>[http://tformers.com/New-Transformers-Comic/130/news.html TFormers confirms that Dreamwave acquired the Transformers comic license]</ref>, although Hasbro would ultimately never get the license fee in full. To commemorate the new flagship title, Dreamwave officially cut all ties with Image and became an independent publisher on their own.
{{-}}

===Success of the Transformers titles===
Dreamwave's launch title, ''[[Prime Directive|Transformers: Generation 1 vol. 1]]'', written by [[Chris Sarracini]] and drawn by Pat Lee, became an instant hit, dominating Diamond's sales charts for months. Back then, rumors were circulating that Dreamwave had manipulated the market through a special deal with Diamond to ensure their success, or that Hasbro had set up an account to order large numbers of the ''Transformers'' comics. in fact however, Hasbro had apparently ordered less than 200 copies per issue, and primarily because they were not guaranteed free copies from their contract with Dreamwave.<ref name ="litgtfspec"/> Later that year, other companies also reported high sales of "nostalgia" titles, thus further challenging those rumors.<ref name="litgnostal">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14245 Lying in the Gutters], October 2002.</ref>

Dreamwave would soon expand their range of Transformers comics to include an ongoing ''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Transformers: Armada]]'' series (which later evolved into ''[[Energon (comic)|Transformers: Energon]]'' to accompany the respective toylines), initially also written by Sarricini. Although the [[War and Peace|second ''Generation 1'' volume]] was originally supposed to be written by Sarracini again, he was replaced by new writer [[James McDonough]] (who originally worked under the alias "Brad Mick"), thereby ultimately writing an entirely different story than what was originally intended<ref>[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=1051 TFormers citing a ''Wizard Edge'' article that hints at the originally proposed plot for Dreamwave's Transformers: Generation 1 vol. 2]</ref>. With [[Original Sin|issue #5]] of the [[Generation One (Dreamwave comic)|third ''Generation One'' volume]] (now an ongoing title), McDonough was joined by his longtime friend [[Adam Patyk]], now forming a writing duo, eventually shifting out his "Brad Mick" alias.

Furthermore, Dreamwave hired fan-favorite [[Simon Furman]] to pen various ''Transformers: The War Within'' mini-series, the first official Transformers fiction ever to be not directly based on an existing toyline. Furman would be joined by artist [[Don Figueroa]], whom Dreamwave had hired directly out of the fandom. More fan artists such as [[Guido Guidi]] and [[Joe Ng]] would soon follow Don into the professional comic book world. Meanwhile, Furman would later also take over the ''Armada'' title as a writer.

===Trouble on the horizon===
The first problems arose in late 2002, when it turned out that Dreamwave had only acquired the license for distributing ''Transformers'' titles in the USA, which resulted in a temporary hold in the international distribution until the matter was settled.<ref>[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=580 Newsarama reporting on problems resulting from Dreamwave's lack of a license for an international release of their ''Transformers'' titles]</ref> However, Dreamwave were far from being the only company suffering from that problem, as [[Devil's Due]] (then part of Image Comics) were also no longer allowed to distribute their ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' comic abroad, and other companies encountered similar problems.<ref name="litglicen">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14266 Lying in the Gutters], November 2002.</ref> The problem was eventually resolved, and comics were allowed to be distributed internationally again.

Following the success of their ''Transformers'' titles, Dreamwave put their own titles ''Warlands'' and ''Darkminds'' on hold, instead focussing on other licensed books such as ''[[wikipedia:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', numerous [[wikipedia:Capcom|Capcom]] franchises such as ''[[wikipedia:MegaMan|MegaMan]]'', and ''[[wikipedia:Duel Masters|Duel Masters]]'' (a [[Hasbro]]-backed Japanese import card game/toyline). None of those titles would last particularly long, however, and some (mainly numerous Capcom titles) never even got the first issue out. This was also when rumors of creators not getting paid first came up.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=litg&article=1760 Lying in the Gutters reporting on early rumors of Dreamwave artists not getting paid]</ref> Rumors about a rigid "house style" committing other artists to draw in a style close to company president Pat Lee started to circulate as well, most evident in the second ''War Within'' miniseries, where the original pencils by artist [[Andrew Wildman]] were drastically reworked by the inker, with rather disappointing results.

In mid-2004, Dreamwave announced the "addition" of new creators<ref>[http://www.brokenfrontier.com/headlines/p/detail/dreamwave-adds-transformers-creators The infamous "Dreamwave adds Transformers' creators" press release]</ref>, failing to mention that this also meant the departure of Adam Patyk and James McDonough from the company. Although Dreamwave tried to contain this delicate bit of information by asking websites to consider any public statements by the two regarding their current situation with Dreamwave as "private" and thus delete them<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=litg&article=2033 Lying in the Gutters reporting on Dreamwave's attempt to contain information about Patyk and McDonough's firing]</ref>, some sites ignored that request, thereby revealing that Patyk and McDonough were owed a significant amount of money for their work.<ref>[http://www.tformers.com/article.php?sid=3842 TFormers.com quoting a statement by Patyk and McDonough]</ref> At the same time, Pat Lee would start to do contractual work for Marvel and DC again, such as issues of ''House of M'' or ''Superman/Batman''.

===The end===

While other artists and writers, including Simon Furman, at least temporarily joined the fold of creators not getting paid by Dreamwave, Chris Sarracini was asked to rewrite the stories previously submitted by Patyk and McDonough.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=litg&article=2045 Lying in the Gutters reporting that even Simon Furman was temporarily not paid, and the stories by Patyk and McDonough were being rewritten]</ref> Likewise, a long-since announced ''Beast Wars'' title McDonough and Patyk had previously worked on was now supposed to be written by Furman instead. However, those stories would ultimately never be published, as Hasbro had already declined to renew Dreamwave's license to publish Transformers comics by this point. <ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14839 Lying in the Gutters reporting that Hasbro had revoked Dreamwave's ''Transformers'' license]</ref> Following numerous rumors, including one posted by [[Ben Yee]] on his own website [http://www.bwtf.com/ BWTF.com], Dreamwave officially declared bankruptcy on [[January 4]], 2005, blaming the weak United States Dollar and other scapegoats for the company's failure, including a vastly incorrect claim about Dreamwave being the "only Canadian independent comics publisher".<ref>[http://www.tformers.com/article.php?sid=4053 Dreamwave's final press release]</ref>

By this time, Pat and Roger had already spent four months secretly moving most of Dreamwave's assets to a new company named Dream Engine, whose website domain was registered to Roger's name. The existence of Dream Engine first became public in early January of 2005.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=litg&article=2059 Lying in the Gutters discovering the existence of Dream Engine]</ref>

===The aftermath===
The overall amount of Dreamwave's debt was far over a million dollars.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14886 Lying in the Gutters' list of Dreamwave's creditors]</ref> While former Dreamwave employees never saw a single cent of the money they were owed for their work, Pat Lee repeated the performance a year later with Dream Engine, ultimately resulting in him departing from the new company and once again starting a new business, ''Pat Lee Productions''. Meanwhile, a Canadian entrepreneur named Christian Dery acquired the remaining Dreamwave assets, including the name "Dreamwave" and the rights to their "original" titles such as ''Warlands'' or ''Darkminds'', in August of 2005. Ultimately, however, no new Dreamwave comics would ever see the light of day, and the "new" Dreamwave ended up not paying employees ''either''.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=litg&article=2765 Lying in the Gutters reporting on trouble with the "new" Dreamwave]</ref> Eventually, Dreamwave II would close shop in mid-2006, selling back the remaining Dreamwave properties to Roger Lee and Dream Engine.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=litg&article=2769 Lying in the Gutters reporting on the final fate of the "new" Dreamwave]</ref>

{{bigquote|Looking back, I'm glad I didn't do any work for Dreamwave... at the time, I'd have worked for free but it turns out everyone else at Dreamwave was doing that anyway.|[[Nick Roche]] <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIkqheta3GE Moonbase 2 interview with Roche]</ref>}}

==Series published==
=== Dreamwave G1 ===
*''[[Prime Directive|Prime Directive (G1 Volume 1)]]''
*''[[War and Peace|War and Peace (G1 Volume 2)]]''
*''[[Generation 1 (Dreamwave comic)|Generation 1 Ongoing (G1 Volume 3)]]''
*''[[The War Within]]''
*''[[War Within: The Dark Ages|The War Within: The Dark Ages]]''
*''[[The War Within: Age of Wrath]]''
*''[[Micromasters]]''

''See also:
* [[Dreamwave timeline]]
* [[Dreamwave continuity]]''

=== Unicron Trilogy ===
*''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Armada]]''
*''[[Energon (comic)|Energon]]''

=== Transformers/G.I. Joe ===
*''[[Transformers/G.I. Joe Vol. 1]]''
*''[[Transformers/G.I. Joe Vol. 2]]''

=== Other ===
*''[[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|More Than Meets The Eye]]''
*''[[More Than Meets The Eye (Armada)|More Than Meets The Eye: Armada]]''
* ''[[Dreamwave Summer Special|20th Anniversary Transformers Summer Special]]''

''See also: [[Unreleased Dreamwave issues]]

==Japanese release==

For better or worse (likely the latter), the Dreamwave comics hold the honor of being the very first Western ''Transformers'' comics to be officially translated and published in Japan. They were published by [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A3%E3%82%A4%E3%83%96 JIVE Ltd.] (JIVE American Comics Series) and translated by [[Hiroto Ishikawa]] and [[Katsuya Akitomo]]. Releases began in November of 2003 and ended in December of 2004.

The graphic novels released in Japan were identical to the ones released in the US (aside from language, of course). The following collections were released:

*[[Prime Directive#International printings|Generation 1 Vol. 1]]
*[[War and Peace#Japan|Generation 1 Vol. 2]]
*[[The War Within#Japan|The War Within Vol. 1]]
*[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)#International printings|Armada Vol. 1]]
*[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)#International printings|Armada Vol. 2]]
*[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)#International printings|Armada Vol. 3]]

This gave Japanese ''Transformers'' fans their very first glimpse, at least on an official level, of what Western ''Transformers'' comics were like. A very unfortunate first impression, to be sure.

== Footnotes ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [http://tfarchive.com/comics/dreamwave/ By-issue guides, G1 timeline and information (TFArchive)]
* [http://seibertron.com/comics/series.php Cross-referenced information about series and creators (Seibertron)]
* [http://tfarchive.com/community/showpost.php?p=509985&postcount=44 Unpublished Dreamwave G1 continuity timeline]
[[Category: Comics]]
[[Category: Companies]]
[[Category: Dreamwave| ]]

Pat Lee

2010-10-28T02:36:23Z

24.202.105.245: /* Notes */

{{disambig2|Pat Lee, the superstar comic book artist|the uncredited artist who actually draws all his stuff for negligible pay|Alex Milne}}
[[Image:Patlee.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Strength and Honor.<ref>[http://patleeart.deviantart.com/ PatLeeArt] at deviantART</ref>]]
'''Patrick C.K. "Pat" Lee''' (ミチヤメノテヒフナナ ''Michiyamenotehi Funana'') is a Canadian artist. He was the president of [[Dreamwave Productions]] and drew some of their ''Transformers'' comics, until most of his employees noticed he wasn't paying them. Subsequently, he was also the president of Dream Engine until all its employees noticed he wasn't paying them either. After that, he founded his own company, Pat Lee Productions, and briefly served as the "director" of a Hong Kong-based company named DeepSky Pictures (which appears to no longer exist). His return to comics was recently announced.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25747 Pat Lee Joins Dynamite for "Widow Warriors"]</ref>

:''Known titles, aliases and nicknames:'' '''Mr. Mecha'''<ref name="wizardbig80s">[http://www.tfbrasil.net/curiosidades_Wizard5.jpg "Big 80s" feature from issue 111 of ''Wizard Magazine''], October 2000</ref>, '''Paticus'''<ref name="litgtfspec">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14153 Lying in the Gutters ''Transformers'' Special], July 2002</ref>, "The '''[[Wikipedia:Transman|Transman]]''',<ref name="transman">[http://www.americandreamcomics.com/index.php?itemid=1490&catid=21 Dreamwave press release]</ref> '''Superstar Artist'''<ref name="creators">[http://www.brokenfrontier.com/headlines/p/detail/dreamwave-adds-transformers-creators The infamous "Dreamwave adds Transformers' creators" press release]</ref>, '''Mr. Talented'''<ref name="talented">[http://www.alivenotdead.com/rosannewong/A+MASTER+IN+DISGUISE-ANDREW+LIN+vs+PAT+LEE-MR.+TALENTED+(round+2-2)-profile-113669.html Rosanne Wong about Pat Lee painting a mural on her apartment wall]</ref>

{{bigquote|Over my dead body.|[[Simon Furman]] on if Pat Lee will do work for [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]|[[BotCon 2008]]}}

==History==
===Before the Transformers===
[[Image:Dreamwave.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Chillingly prophetic.]]
Pat Lee was born in Montreal on [[June 28]], 1975<ref name="bio">[http://www.angelfire.com/pa/infrarred/infrarred2.html Pat Lee's own biography on his old Angelfire website]</ref>, and raised in Toronto. At the age of 16 (or 17)<ref name="patwizarddraw">[http://www.alivenotdead.com/patlee/How-to-draw-Transformers-Wizard-Magazine-profile-678562.html Pat Lee using an old Wizard article about himself as a reason to ponder about he got into the comic book industry]</ref>, right after graduating from high school, Lee was eager to find a job as a "proffesional"{{sic}} in the comic book industry<ref name="patwizarddraw"/>, sending over 150 pages of sample artworks to [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and [[Wikipedia:DC Comics|DC]]. Unfortunately for Lee, both publishers realized what a shoddy artist he was. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, however, Lee eventually managed to catch the attention of infamous [[Wikipedia:Image Comics|Image Comic]] co-founder [[wikipedia:Rob Liefeld|Rob Liefeld]] at a Toronto convention in 1994, who would hire Lee (now aged 19) to work as a penciller on various titles for Liefeld's Image studio [[Wikipedia:Awesome Comics|Extreme Studios]]. After that, Pat Lee would also work for [[Wikipedia:Jim Lee|Jim Lee's]] Image studio [[Wikipedia:Wildstorm Productions|Wildstorm Productions]], as well as accepting work-for-hire assignments from Marvel (who had now apparently changed their mind regarding his artwork).

In 1996, Pat and his brother [[Roger Lee|Roger]] decided to start their own studio within Image Comics, [[Dreamwave Productions]], with Pat acting as the company's president. With Dreamwave, Lee would continue accepting contractual work for other publishers (such as the four-issue limited series ''Wolverine/Punisher: Revelation'' for Marvel), but also started to publish his own <strike>blatantly plagiarized</strike> originally created titles such as ''[[Wikipedia:Ghost in the Shell|Darkminds]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:Record of Lodoss War|Warlands]]''. Collaborations with various magazines and advertising campaigns helped to further advance Dreamwave's reputation. Initially, the "hook" for Dreamwave's financial success was Pat's drawing style, which many readers viewed as "manga-like" (although readers of actual manga had a different opinion on this matter).

===Transformers by Dreamwave===
[[Image:Big80sWizard.jpg|right|150px|thumb|His art only went downhill from here.]]In 2000, Pat and Dreamwave submitted a contribution for a feature named "Big 80s" that was published in issue #111 of ''Wizard: The Comics Magazine'', depicting Pat's own take on one of his favorite properties from his childhood days, the ''Transformers''. Proving to be a huge hit among fans, [[Hasbro]] would consider the general art style a benchmark when they were offering the license for a new ''Transformers'' comic a year later.<ref name="litgtfspec"/> Unsurprisingly, it was Dreamwave themselves who finally acquired said license, commemorating this as a turning point in the history of their company by officially cutting all ties with Image and becoming an independent publisher on their own.

[[Image:Fallenpatlee.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Why do Pat Lee's Transformers look like they're about to take a poop?]]
In addition to providing the art for various adverts, [[posters]] and covers, Pat would draw the first two ''Generation 1'' limited series, [[Prime Directive|Vol. 1]] (aka "Prime Directive") and [[War and Peace|Vol. 2: War and Peace]]. Subsequently, he would concentrate on controlling Dreamwave as its president and spend more time on his biggest hobby, fast cars, assigning art jobs to other artists (many of them hired directly out of the fandom) instead. Lee's only other major contribution in terms of art would ultimately be some of the character profiles published in the eight-issue [[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|More Than Meets The Eye]] limited series.

Despite having dominated Diamond's sales charts for several subsequent months with the ''Transformers'', Dreamwave eventually ended up in dire financial circumstances. Coinciding with rumors of unpaid freelancers, Pat Lee started to accept contractual work for Marvel and DC again, such as issues of ''House of M'' or ''Superman/Batman''. Dreamwave eventually declared bankruptcy on January 4, 2005, blaming the weak Canadian Dollar and other scapegoats for the company's failure.<ref>[http://www.tformers.com/article.php?sid=4053 Dreamwave's final press release]</ref>

===After Dreamwave===
With Dream Engine, Lee would work on various projects such as an ''X-Men/Fantastic Four'' crossover for Marvel, issues for the ''Batman/Superman'' series for DC and a relaunch of [[Wikipedia:Cyberforce|Cyberforce]] for [[Wikipedia:Top Cow Productions|Top Cow]], another Image studio.

Eventually, Pat Lee parted ways with Dream Engine again and started his new enterprise, Pat Lee Productions.<ref name="plp">[http://www.patleeproductions.com/ Pat Lee Productions website, no longer functioning]</ref> He was also listed as the "director" of a Hong Kong-based company named DeepSky Pictures, which appears to be defunct now. Pat Lee is currently residing in Hong Kong.

===Return to official ''Transformers'' work===
In mid-2008, three and a half years since the collapse of Dreamwave, Lee was commissioned to do a series of illustrations for Hasbro Hong Kong to use for promotional purposes as part of their appearance at Ani-Con 2008.<ref>[http://www.alivenotdead.com/patlee/Transform+and+ROLL+OUT--profile-225643.html Pat Lee showcases his illustrations for Hasbro on his blog.]</ref> Let's hope that art stays in Hong Kong.

In spite of the [[Transformers (2007)|movie]] having been out for about a year, he couldn't even be bothered to look up recent art and stills and drew [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] with his unused concept art head.

==Published Transformers works with Pat Lee credit==
===Comics===
* ''[[Prime Directive|Transformers: Generation 1 (vol. 1)]]'': [[Prime Directive Preview|Preview]], [[Prime Directive issue 1|#1]], [[Prime Directive issue 2|#2]], [[Prime Directive issue 3|#3]], [[Prime Directive issue 4|#4]], [[Prime Directive issue 5|#5]], [[Prime Directive issue 6|#6]]
* ''[[War and Peace|Transformers: Generation 1 vol. 2: War and Peace]]'': [[New World Order|#1]], [[Brothers' Burden|#2]], [[Cold War|#3]], [[Passive Aggression|#4]], [[Countdown to Extinction (issue)|#5]], [[Revelation (War and Peace)|#6]]
* ''[[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye (G1)]]'' #1, #3, #6 (assorted profiles)
* ''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Transformers: Armada]]'': [[Dreamwave Armada issue 6|#6]], [[Dreamwave Armada issue 7|#7]]
* ''Transformers Armada: More Than Meets The Eye (Official Guidebook)'': #1, #2, #3 (assorted profiles)
* ''20th Anniversary Transformers Summer Special'': Individual story "[[Welcome to the Jungle]]"
* assorted covers for nearly all the Dreamwave Transformers series

{{note|With the revelation of [[Alex Milne]] ghosting for Pat Lee on Top Cow's ''Cyberforce'', artist [[Edwin Garcia]] being credited for "backgrounds" on the ''Generation 1'' titles, [[Sigmund Torre]] being rumored to have ghosted on parts of the first ''Generation 1'' volume, and at least one of his covers actually being done by a ghost artist, it's uncertain how much of the art credited to Pat Lee has actually been his work at all.

Various artworks originally created by Lee for the covers of the first ''Generation 1'' limited series were also used by both [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] for their "[[Commemorative Series]]" and "[[Transformers Collection]]" series of reissues. Following the demise of Dreamwave, Hasbro would also continue to use cover artwork drawn by Lee for promotional images and various pieces of merchandise, such as a ''[[Monopoly|Transformers Monopoly]]'' board game. The reason for this is simply because the art has already been paid for, and is therefore cheaper to use for Hasbro than newly solicited artwork.}}

===Packaging art===
====Alternators====
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Side Swipe]]

{{note|The packaging artwork for [[Alternators]] Smokescreen was also used for the profile card of Takara's ''Binaltech'' counterpart.}}
====Commemorative Series====
* Series III [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Autobot Jazz]]
* Series IV [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]
* Series IV [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]
* Series V [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]
* Series V [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]
* Series VI [[Grapple|Autobot Grapple]]
* Series VII [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]
* Series VII [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]
* Series VIII [[Sideswipe (G1)|Side Swipe]]

{{note|The artwork for Hoist, Inferno, Grapple, Rodimus Prime and Dirge was done specifically for these reissues; the rest was recycled from covers of Dreamwave's first ''Generation 1'' limited series.}}

====Transformers Collection====
* No.0 [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Convoy]] (Optimus Prime)
* No.1 Meister (Jazz)
* No.2 Prowl
* No.6 [[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]]
* No.7 Lambor (Sideswipe)
* No.10 [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]]
* No.12 [[Mini Vehicle|Minibot Team]]
* No.16 [[Insecticon (G1)|Insectrons]] (Insecticons)

{{note|None of these artworks were created specifically for these reissues, but were instead recycled from old promotional posters or covers of Dreamwave's first ''Generation 1'' limited series.}}
===Other===
* Hasbro Hong Kong Ani-Con 2008 [[Movie (toyline)|Movie]] Commemorative boxset certificate

==Criticism and controversy==
===Art style===
[[Image:Patleehowtodrawoptimus.jpg|left|250px|thumb|1) Draw a circle. 2) Draw Optimus Prime. 3) Give him scraplets. 4) Give him leprosy.]]
Pat Lee's artwork has often been the target of criticism among fans. While he was initially praised by many fans for his "manga-like" drawing style (which is heavily inspired by the character designs and visual cues used by [[Studio Ox]]), others criticized his tendency for exaggerated proportions, emphasis on rounded robot body parts, making the characters look "inflated" and marshmallow-like, hands reaching out to the reader [http://www.shortpacked.com/blog/2005/08/31/detail/ "as if you just stole his purse"], a general lack of sequential storytelling skills and the overall look of his human characters (see "[[dull surprise]]" for more on ''that''). Even his critics often admitted that his work for covers and posters was better than his actual comic book interior artwork; however, that would change soon when even his cover artwork saw a severe decline in quality starting with the [[War and Peace|second ''Generation 1'' limited series]]. The introduction of [[Don Figueroa|other]] [[Guido Guidi|artists]] who would draw Transformers characters in a similar style, while avoiding many of the problems Lee was criticized for, would further shift the public opinion against Lee's artwork.

[[Image:DWPrimewhatthe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|When you're being compared to Rob Liefeld, maybe it's time to quit<ref name="leefeld">[http://www.shortpacked.com/blog/2006/12/13/buttons/ Shortpacked!]</ref>]]
Lee's response to that was enforcing an internal "house style" that would force other artists to follow Pat Lee's own style more closely. [[Don Figueroa]] confirmed in an interview having received such requests from Dreamwave art director [[Rob Ruffolo]], a guideline which Figueroa declined.<ref name="dontrans">[http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_figueroa.php Interview with Don Figueroa]</ref> Fellow artist [[Guido Guidi]] confirmed having received similar requests.<ref name="guidtrans">[http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_guido.php Interview with Guido Guidi]</ref> Ruffolo himself also later confirmed the existence of an internal "house style", without specifically referring to Lee.<ref name="ruftrans">[http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_ruffolo.php Interview with Rob Ruffolo]</ref>

Even though many fans preferred other artists over Pat Lee, official Dreamwave press releases and solicitations would often titulate the company's president as a "superstar artist".<ref name="dwadds">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/dreamwave-adds-transformers-creators-2492/ The infamous "Dreamwave Adds Transformers Creators" press release]</ref>

===Business practices===
The demise of Dreamwave didn't come overnight. The first rumors of freelancers not getting paid date back as far as October of 2003.<ref name="litgffreel">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14548 Lying in the Gutters reporting on early rumors of Dreamwave artists not getting paid]</ref> Following the closure of Dreamwave, former freelance writers [[Adam Patyk]] and [[James McDonough]] reiterated their claims that Dreamwave (not explicitly referring to Lee himself) had stopped paying them even before declaring bankruptcy. They had then filed a lawsuit against their former employer, and when that became public, they had allegedly also heard from other Dreamwave employees and freelancers who were supposedly also complaining about not being paid anymore.<ref name="pmdnram">[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=39073 Newsarama nterview with writers Adam Patyk and James McDonough]</ref>

Aside from Patyk and McDonough, no other former Dreamwave employees or freelancers were nearly as explicit on the issue. Artist Don Figueroa only stated that Dreamwave was "getting really behind with the check" and pointed out that he "was also assured everything was cool" when he met Pat Lee in person only a month prior to the closing of Dreamwave.<ref name="dontrans">[http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_figueroa.php Interview with Don Figueroa]</ref> The latter complaint was also repeated by writer [[Simon Furman]].<ref name="furmtrans">[http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_furman3.php Interview with Simon Furman]</ref> Likewise, artist [[Guido Guidi]] merely accused Dreamwave of a lack of "[g]ood communication", and even revealed an ambivalent attitude towards Pat Lee and his brother Roger.<ref name="guidtrans">[http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_guido.php Interview with Guido Guidi]</ref> Artist James Raiz, meanwhile, claimed that he was "one of the very few who came out of Dreamwave with all [his] money.<ref name="raiztrans">[http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_raiz.php Interview with James Raiz]</ref>

Prior to declaring bankruptcy, Pat and his brother Roger had spent four months secretly transferring most of Dreamwave's assets to a new company named Dream Engine, whose website domain was registered to Roger's name.<ref name="litgdreame">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14844 Lying in the Gutters discovering the existence of Dream Engine]</ref> In addition, it would turn out that Lee had made sure to transfer ownership of his formerly company-owned Porsche to himself before giving up Dreamwave,<ref name="porsche">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14968 Lying in the Gutters reporting on the Pat Lee Porsche story]</ref> and had spent half a million Canadian dollars on a new luxury apartment even before the Dreamwave bankruptcy.<ref name="apartment">[http://comicbooks.org/columns/index.cgi?column=litg&article=2203 Lying in the Gutters reporting on Pat Lee's new apartment]</ref> The overall amount of Dreamwave's debt was far over a million dollars.<ref name="litgmillion">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14886 Lying in the Gutters' list of Dreamwave's creditors]</ref>

A former Dreamwave employee later suggested that Pat and Roger had known about the looming demise of Dreamwave a full year before declaring bankruptcy, but instead of coming clean to their employees, they named their parents secured creditors and then kept the company going for another year, because Canadian law required people to be named secured creditors for at least a year before bankruptcy in order to be given priority over other creditors (this is meant to prevent someone being given secured creditor status a week before bankruptcy and then getting away with all the company's money). Teddy and Anne Lee were granted $141,000 for alleged "furniture lease", even though they were financially supported by their sons for most of their adult lives.<ref name="parents">[http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/showthread.php?17163-Pat-Lee-Starts-Interview-Tour-Of-Forgiveness&p=83125#post83125 Allegations by a former Dreamwave employee], May 2010</ref>

In addition, Guido Guidi and Don Figueroa later confirmed that they were additionally charged by FedEx for having shipped artwork to Dreamwave prior to the company's closure.<ref name="fedex">[http://web.archive.org/web/20050507073425/http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/thread73039.html Archived TFW2005 thread with Guido Guidi and Don Figueroa confirming the FedEx story]</ref>

Pat Lee himself gave several interviews following the closing of Dreamwave, presenting himself as a victim of circumstance while completely dodging the issue of unpaid creators and the existence of Dream Engine.<ref name="patwiz">[http://web.archive.org/web/20061120012852/http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/000230624.cfm Archived Wizard interview with Pat Lee]</ref><ref name="patnram">[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=39738 Newsarama interview with Pat Lee]</ref><ref name="jazma">[http://www.jazmaonline.com/interviews/interviews2.asp?intID=318 Jazma Online interview with Pat Lee, April 2006]</ref>

While working with Dream Engine, Pat Lee spent a significant amount of the company's funds on the campaign of his girlfriend [[Wikipedia:Aimee Chan|Aimee Chan]], who would eventually win the title of Miss Hong Kong in 2006. This ultimately resulted in Pat being asked by Dream Engine and his brother Roger to leave the company.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=15349 Lying in the Gutters reporting on Pat Lee's involvement with Aimee Chan]</ref> In the fall of 2007, Aimee Chan changed her status on her alive not dead social networking page<ref>http://www.alivenotdead.com/aimeechan/details.html</ref> to "single". Oops!

===Failure to give proper credit===
During the Dreamwave days, several artists confirmed that Pat Lee had only been drawing the robot characters, leaving the backgrounds entirely to (credited) assistants such as Edwin Garcia. However, comic book journalist Rich Johnston reported rumors that [[Sigmund Torre]] had been ghosting for Pat, who was too busy with promotion and signing tours, as early as July 2002, when ''[[Prime Directive|Generation 1 vol. 1]]'' was still in production.<ref name="litgtfspec"/>

In 2007, it would turn out that Lee's personal involvement in his girlfriend's beauty pageant campaign had resulted in him being unable to meet deadlines for issues of Top Cow's ''Cyberforce'' series. As a consequence, Pat had asked [[Alex Milne]] to draw those issues in his stead. After a few issues, what little credit was initially given to Milne was dropped entirely, with Pat submitting the artwork under his own name instead, paying Milne merely a fragment of the money Top Cow was paying him.<ref name="litgmilne1">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=15355 Lying in the Gutters reporting on Alex Milne ghosting for Pat Lee]</ref> In addition, Lee later asked Milne to draw artwork for DC's ''Superman/Batman'' #34 as well, again giving his underpaid ghost artist no credit.<ref name="litgmilne2">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=15547 Lying in the Gutters reporting on Alex Milne ghosting for Pat Lee even more]</ref> Eventually, Top Cow found out, resulting in Pat Lee not paying Milne ''at all'' for over 20 pages of artwork.<ref name="deviantmilne">[http://hombreimaginario.deviantart.com/art/Interviews-06-Alex-Milne-64254823 Interview with Alex Milne on DeviantArt]</ref>

In late 2008, former Dreamwave editor [[Matt Moylan]] confirmed that the Silver Snail exclusive variant cover for Dreamwave's [[Generation One (Dreamwave comic)|''Generation One'' (ongoing)]] [[Night of the Combaticons|issue 1]] that had been credited to Pat Lee had actually been drawn by a ghost artist as well.<ref name="g1ghost">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/2407689-post83.html Matt Moylan confirming that the Silver Snail exclusive G1 vol. 3 #1 cover had been drawn by a ghost artist too.]</ref>

===Attempts at cover-up===
In March and April of 2008, a newly registered Wikipedia user repeatedly tried to remove any reference to the controversies surrounding Pat Lee in his own article, instead replacing them with more PR-friendly resume details.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Hyrocomics Contributions by Wikipedia user "Hyrocomics"]</ref><ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/219.78.200.95 Contributions by IP 209.70.200.95]</ref> (The critical content in the Wikipedia article ''was'' later purged for other reasons, but not reverted to the blatant self-advertising Pat's own version was.)

==Notes==
* Before the launch of Dreamwave's ''Transformers'' comic books, Pat expressed a certain level of ignorance with regard to the brand's history. For example, he claimed that, in retrospect, the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|Transformers cartoon]] was so amazing that it was only a matter of time before the [[The Transformers (toyline)|toys]] were made.<ref name="animefringe">[http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/01.03/feature/2/index.php3 Interview with animefringe.com]</ref> In the same interview, he also admitted liking [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], whom he considers a "wicked character", regretting that he "died" in the [[The Transformers: The Movie|movie]].<ref name="animefringe">[http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/01.03/feature/2/index.php3 Interview with animefringe.com]</ref>

* During Dreamwave's heyday, Dreamwave press releases would constantly titulate the company's president as a "superstar artist", even after the company had started hiring various other artists, including [[Don Figueroa]], most of whom would prove to be vastly more popular among fans than Lee.

[[Image:FuNaNa.jpg|right|216px|thumb|Those fancy Japanese characters look AWESOME. Too bad I can't read them.]]
* Fans discovered an old personal website Pat had set up prior to the big breakthrough with Dreamwave.<ref name="infrarred">[http://www.angelfire.com/pa/infrarred/ Infrarred] {{sic}} Pat Lee's Angelfire homepage</ref> In retrospect, many of the quotes and graphics featured on the site would prove to be either hilariously ironic or frighteningly prophetic, such as a promotional image depicting Pat, his brother Roger and then-Dreamwave exec Alvin Lee walking away from a nuclear explosion (see [[:Image:Dreamwave.jpg|Image:Dreamwave.jpg]]); or a header graphic that features his name, "Patrick Lee", replaced by random Katakana characters (ミチヤメノテヒフナナ), which read "''Michiyamenotehi Funana''". Soon, this would become his new nickname among fans, used exclusively in a mocking manner.
** The cause for this is almost certainly a character-replacement Katakana font (WordPerfect TrueType Japanese to be exact), as used by someone who has no damn clue how Katakana works, never mind an ability to read it.
***If Pat Lee had any damn clue how to transliterate, the Katakana would be パトリックリー (''Patorikku Rī'').

* Pat Lee once set a hill on fire.<ref name="infrarred">[http://www.angelfire.com/pa/infrarred/ Infrarred] {{sic}} Pat Lee's Angelfire homepage</ref>

* After the launch of Dream Engine, Lee's resume at the company's website claimed that he was responsible for relaunching "X-Men, Batman and more", thereby implying that those franchises had long lingered in a near-dead state until Superstar Funana blessed them with his divine reanimating powers.<ref>Pat's resume at the now defunct Dreamengine website.</ref>

* Comic book gossip journalist Rich Johnston, who has done a fair share of coverage on the subject of Pat Lee, has made use of the fact that the URL [http://www.deepskypictures.com Deepskypictures.com] was a dead link (since the "company" Pat briefly served for as a "director" is now apparently defunct), but still linked to on several of Pat's social networking pages... by purchasing the URL and redirecting it to his coverage of Pat's past and involvement with Dynamite Entertainment at Bleeding Cool Comics.<ref name="badman">[http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/06/05/punking-pat-lee/ Bleeding Cool Comics]</ref>

* All of the above is ''absolutely true''. We're not kidding.

==Memorable quotes by and about Pat Lee==
{{bigquote|It is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success; they much oftener succeed through failures.|Pat Lee<ref>[http://www.jazmaonline.com/interviews/interviews2.asp?intID=318 Jazma Online Interview]</ref>}}

{{bigquote|If he ever wants out of comics, Pat Lee's got a heck of a career as an auto mechanic.|''Wizard Magazine''<ref>Verbatim quote from a <strike>[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/dailyraider/patlee.jpg butt-kissing advert]</strike> article published in an issue of ''Wizard Magazine''.</ref>}}

{{bigquote|I remember working with Pat Lee and how kind of disappointed I was to find how little of the art was actually him. He gave me an original art page of Armada, and there’s so little art on it!|Simon Furman<ref>Talking about memorable experiences, [http://idwpublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=42871#42871 http://idwpublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=42871#42871]</ref>}}

{{bigquote|If Pat had been some faceless bureaucrat it maybe wouldn’t now seem such an acute betrayal, but he looked me square in the eye and said everything’s hunky-dory. That’s what still, even now, burns.|Simon Furman<ref>Online interview talking about the collapse of Dreamwave</ref>}}

{{bigquote|Probably the richest guy I know.|Don Figueroa <ref>Word Association with the name "Pat Lee" from an [http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_figueroa.php interview] with TransFans.co.uk</ref>}}

{{bigquote|A guy that really knows how to pitch himself.|Guido Guidi<ref>Word Association with the name "Pat Lee" from an [http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_guido.php interview] with TransFans.co.uk</ref>}}

{{bigquote|Cars are expensive.|Guido Guidi<ref>Word Association with the name "Dreamwave" from an [http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_guido.php interview] with TransFans.co.uk</ref>}}

{{bigquote|Can we get our money?|Adam Patyk<ref>Patyk's response to the question "If you could talk to Pat directly right now, what would you ask of him?" in an [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=39073 interview] with Newsarama.</ref>}}

{{bigquote|Some of the shapes and lines are a little misshapen. When you draw your lines, sketch them out in layout mode, and try to get as accurate as possible before making any final lines.|Pat Lee, not practicing what he preaches. <ref>[http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m190/PatLeeProductions/?action=view&current=page3.jpg Quote from Pat Lee's "How to draw Mecha" article from Wizard #118, July 2001.]</ref>}}

{{bigquote|To anyone who wants to break into comics- learn to love drawing backgrounds and study technical work, never have an ego, and treat your fans with respect!|Pat Lee, still not practicing what he preaches. <ref>[http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/796425.html#cutid1 Parting words from Pat Lee in "Extreme Scenes" from Extreme Comics.]</ref>}}

==See also==
* [[Dull surprise]]

==External links==
* [http://www.angelfire.com/pa/infrarred/infrarred2.html Infrarred]
* [http://www.myspace.com/patleeart PatLeeArt] at MySpace
* [http://www.alivenotdead.com/patlee Pat Lee's alive not dead profile blog site]
* [http://patleeart.deviantart.com/ Pat Lee's deviantART page.]
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/PatLeeArt Pat Lee's Youtube account]
* [http://twitter.com/patleeart Pat Lee's Twitter feed]
* [http://patleeart.blogspot.com/ Pat Lee's Blogspot blog]
* [http://patleeart.squarespace.com/ Pat Lee's Squarespace blog]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Pat}}
[[Category:Colorists]]
[[Category:Designers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave]]
[[Category:Executives]]
[[Category:Illustrators]]
[[Category:Pencillers]]

Marissa Faireborn

2010-10-28T02:19:39Z

24.202.105.245: /* Kiss Players */

{{featured}}
{{factions|autobot|edc|kiss}}

:''Marissa Faireborn is a [[human]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Marissafaireborne.jpg|right|300px|thumb|When it comes to [[Transformer romance|dating robots]], she's a viking.]]
'''Marissa Faireborn''' is an officer in the [[Earth Defense Command]]. Hailing from a family with a history [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|in]] [[Lady Jaye|the]] [[Nathaniel Faireborn|military]], Marissa is tough, headstrong and independent. She's a take-charge woman who's always calm in a crisis and performs her duties with strict professionalism. She may be small and squishy, but her boldness, strength of heart and skill with many weapons from blaster to knife mean she is respected by both Autobots and Decepticons alike. When a Decepticon looks upon Marissa Faireborn, they see a genuine adversary, while the Autobots know her as a trusted ally and friend... and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|some]] [[Jazz (G1)|cases]], even an unlikely romantic partner!

Also, she's great at surfboarding.

:''Japanese name:'' '''Melissa Faireborn'''

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Susan Blu]] (English), [[Kazue Komiya]] (Japanese)

[[Image:FFOD3 marissa woman of action.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Barbarella, eat your heart out.]]

In the year 2005, Captain Marissa Faireborn was stationed at the EDC's base on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] when a call for aid came through from [[Autobot]] communications officer [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]. Marissa had been tracking an Autobot shuttle which had come under attack by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and the [[Decepticon]]s in the vicinity of [[Jupiter]], and Blaster requested that she provide back up to the stricken craft. Marissa deployed immmediately, but before she could make it onto the scene, the shuttle was destroyed by a cosmic storm, and its occupants—[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] and the new [[transformation cog|transforming cog]] for [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] that they were couriering to [[Earth]]—were blasted to the planet's moon [[Io]]. Tracking their trajectories, Marissa set course for the moon, {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} and arrived to witness the two Autobots being terrorized by a swarm of the moon's native [[lipole]]s. Blurr was able to clear the swarm with cog in hand, and the militaristic Marissa set her ship down and instructed him to come aboard. Unwilling to leave Wheelie behind, the speedy Autobot raced back into the heart of the swarm in order to save his friend, an action that Marissa seemed unable to comprehend, deeming her digital wristwatch capable of better decisions. Nonetheless, she disembarked her ship and entered the fray herself with a jetpack, firing at the lipoles with a [[null-ray]] blaster. Marissa was able to thin the swarm out enough for Blurr and Wheelie to get clear, but before they could get aboard her ship, several of the lipoles transformed into their missile forms and fell upon the craft, blowing it up.

[[Image:FFOD5 marissa leaps.jpg|right|thumb]]

Marissa quickly took stock of the situation and stopped Blurr from panicking so they could examine the wreckage and see if the ship's radio was still working. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} The radio was, indeed, still functional, and Marissa used it to contact Blaster on Earth as the trio were again set upon by the lipoles. Blaster tried to assuage her fears by assuring her that [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] was on his way, but Marissa didn't even know who or what that was, so it didn't raise her spirits much. Soon after, the powerful Sky Lynx arrived on Io and blasted the lipoles to bits, but before Marissa, Wheelie and Blurr could board his cargo pod, they were set upon by the newest Decepticon warriors, the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. Marissa could do little in the battle that ensued, but was at least able to escape injury, nimbly vaulting over [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] as he charged at her. After Sky Lynx had successfully dispatched the Predacons, the team headed for Earth at top speed, and successfully delivered the transforming cog in time for Metroplex to transform and fend off an attack by [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. Soon after, Marissa stood beside her allies and watched as [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] addressed the Autobot forces on their concurrent victory over the [[Quintesson]]s. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[Image:Killingjar marissa and monster.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Luckily, she didn't inherit her fathers skeletal looks]]

As 2006 settled in, Marissa was aboard the EDC's space station in orbit above Earth when an unexpected EDC shuttle started an approach. Marissa demanded an identification from the shuttle's pilot, and was overjoyed to discover that was it was actually her [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|father]], come to visit. As the shuttle touched down in the landing bay, Marissa boarded quickly and embraced her father, but before she could lead him off the ship, its doors shut behind her and it quickly took off again. The shuttle was, in actuality, a disguised Quintesson vessel, and her "father" was nothing more than a solid hologram which abruptly transformed into a monstrous shape and attacked her. With a few quick martial arts kicks and chops, Marissa had downed the simulation, and then discovered she was not the Quintesson scientist's only captive: [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] had also been abducted to participate in the Quintesson's experiments. Knocked out by a [[submission device]], Marissa was to be the Quintesson's first examination subject, but Wreck-Gar was able to deactivate the submission device, allowing her to overpower the feeble Quintesson scientist.

[[Image:Killingjar negative wreckgar marissa quint.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Alternate universe that changes color or too much drugs? You decide!]]

Chaos ensued when the ship passed through an [[electron storm]], and Marissa used the fighting as a cover to reach the ship's controls, intending to plot a course back to Earth. Unfortunately, the ship was now caught in the gravity of a [[black hole]], and Marissa had to stop everyone from fighting so they could work together to assess the situation. The Quintesson scientist attempted to flee aboard the ship's lone working escape pod, but Ultra Magnus hauled him from the pod and attempted to send Marissa to safety in his place. Unfortunately, interference from the Quintesson's [[Allicon|guard]] delayed Marissa from boarding, and the whole ship was sucked through the black hole, into a [[negative universe]]. Only through finally putting aside their differences and working together, were Marissa, the Transformers and the Quintessons able to repair the ship and return to their universe of origin, where Sky Lynx soon arrived to take Marissa, Wreck-Gar and Ultra Magnus home. {{storylink|The Killing Jar}}

[[Image:Marissababy.jpg|left|thumb|The inspiration for Kiss Players.]]
Marissa was engaging in a bout of regular target practise at an EDC gun range on Earth, trying out "level 3" in her pursuit of a challenge. After blasting a target of Cyclonus, she was suddenly struck by a wave of chronal energy released into the universe by a malfunctioning Quintesson [[Time Window]]. The energy caused Marissa to regress into a crying infant, much to the shock of the EDC trooper on watch at the time. Luckily, the Autobots, working with the Quintessons, were able to shut down and destroy the time window, undoing the effects of the chronal energy. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

[[Image:Marissadirk.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"You like me because I'm a scoundrel."]]
Teamed with the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] as part of a science unit, Marissa and her Autobot allies were called into action to rescue <s>smuggler</s> "free trader" [[Dirk Manus]] when his ship, the ''[[Lazy Sue]]'' was attacked by the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]]. A mutual attraction between Marissa and Manus sprang up immediately, but Marissa did not trust the trader entirely when he claimed that he had found a Quintesson base on the moon of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]]. As [[Computron (G1)|Computron]], the Technobots supported investigation of his claims, but until the ''Lazy Sue'' could be repaired, Marissa resolved not to let Manus out of her sight, leading to a romantic evening of dinner and dancing. This did not win Marissa over entirely, however, and she soon confirmed her suspicions when she tracked Manus back out into the desert where he had crashed, and discovered that he was actually attempting to transport a highly-experimental [[Recreator|molecular recreator]] to the Quintessons. Marissa attempted to arrest Manus, but he pulled a concealed weapon on her and shot the blaster from her hand before overpowering her in a struggle, knocking her out and tying her up. She was not found until the next morning, by [[Afterburner (G1)|Afterburner]] and [[Nosecone (G1)|Nosecone]]—the rest of the Technobots had already departed for Titan with Manus.

[[Image:Moneyiseverything marissa dress uniform.jpg|left|thumb|Marissa in her little-seen dress uniform.]]

Marissa, Afterburner and Nosecone quickly made their way to Titan, and discovered that Manus had been double-crossed by the Quintessons, and a team of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] were now on his and the other Technobots' tails. Marissa and her companions disposed of the Quintessons, but purely to rescue the other Technobots: Marissa slugged Manus in the jaw and was prepared to leave him to rot. Manus spun the situation around, informing Marissa of the molecular recreator and promising to disable it, forcing her to keep him around. As they trekked back to the Quintesson base, Marissa and Manus confessed their attraction to each other, but both also admitted that their jobs came first... not that that stopped them from getting rather hot and heavy in the middle of the jungle floor when Manus helped save Marissa from some living vines. But even that was a ruse: Manus used their closeness to grab Marissa's blaster, and walked her and the Technobots into the Quintessons' base as his prisoners. Marissa was horrified when Manus used the recreator to molecularly disassemble the Technobots, and when she attempted to rush the smuggler, she was downed by the Terrorcons. Yet again, however, Manus's actions had a hidden purpose: while the Quintessons were distracted by Marissa's outburst, he reassembled the Technobots, having always intended to double-cross the Quintessons himself in just this manner. With their injuries healed by the process, the Technobots formed Computron and battled the Terrorcons while Marissa argued with Manus that he could have trusted her with his plans. With the villains dispatched, Marissa took possession of the recreator, and everyone returned to Earth. Marissa regretted that she could not give Manus the credits the Quintessons had duped him out of... until [[Lightspeed (G1 Technobot)|Lightspeed]] came racing up to inform her that the credits had disappeared from the EDC coffers. Marissa turned to Dirk, and before she could even finish accusing him, he kissed her, threw her to the ground, and escaped aboard the ''Lazy Sue''. Out in space, however, Manus discovered that Marissa had replaced the credits with [[mimic dust]], and he could only laugh at the prim and proper EDC captain having pulled a con of her own. {{storylink|Money Is Everything}}

[[Image:Burdenhardest marissa finds rodimus.jpg|thumb|Oh god not again... Rodimus is drunk on energon again!]]

In her final recorded appearance, Marissa accompanied the Autobots to [[Japan]] during a series of Decepticon attacks upon the country. Rodimus Prime was feeling the burden of leadership particularly heavily at the time, and Marissa's request for yet more help after the latest Decepticon assault had been squashed proved to be the last straw for the troubled Autobot. Telling Marissa to leave him alone, Rodimus departed to blow off some steam. Understanding what he was feeling, Marissa followed in order to offer Rodimus someone to talk to, but Rodimus told her he would rather race, and Marissa decided to play along. As the pair raced, however, they were attacked by [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider]] and run off the road. By the time Marissa had got her car back on the road, the two [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] had plucked the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from Rodimus's body, reverting him to Hot Rod. Marissa called in the other Autobots, who were shocked to discover what had happened, but Hot Rod himself cared little, happy to be young and carefree again. The Matrix, meanwhile, wound up in the hands of [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], who led a Decepticon attack on Japan; Marissa alerted the Autobots to the appearance of the Decepticons through an EDC [[Warp Gate]], and Hot Rod was able to defeat Scourge, reclaim the Matrix, and accept his burden. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as detailed above, except that the events of the third season, in which Marissa appears, occur in 2010, rather than over 2005/2006. Japanese continuity inserts several new stories in the resultant gap in the timeline; notably in Marissa's case, she features prominently in the storyline of ''Kiss Players'', which takes place before her appearance in the Generation 1 cartoon, but which simply cannot occur in American cartoon continuity, as the time-gap during which it takes place does not exist there.}}

=====''Kiss Players''=====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Lyrian]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Marissa and prime in childhood.jpg|left|210px|thumb|Remember, a giant, sentient death machine is for life, not just for Christmas.]]

As a child in the 1990s, Marissa lived in [[New York City|New York]], where she met and became friends with [[Shaoshao Li]], who developed an extremely strong attachment to her. The young Marissa resented her [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|military father]], so when one of his missions went awry and she and her father had to be rescued by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], she quickly came to view the Autobot leader as a surrogate father figure... and perhaps a little bit more. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #34}} Shaoshao didn't take Marissa's friendship with Prime very well, resenting the Autobot for, in her eyes, stealing Marissa away from her, and Shaoshao was forced to move back to [[Japan]] with her family before reaching an understanding with her friend. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #23}}

[[Image:KP marissa in commando gear.jpg|right|thumb|Her chest must be freezing.]]

Shortly after [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime's death]] in 2005, the body of the new [[Decepticon]] leader [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] crash-landed on [[Earth]], decimating [[Tokyo]] and utterly shattering [[Transformer]]-[[Human]] relations. A governmental organization known as the Earth Defense Command, headed up by the rabid anti-Transformer fanatic [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]], was quickly established to force the Transformers off Earth, but support for the movement was not universal, and Marissa was amongst its opponents. Alas, these voices went unheard, and by 2006, Earth was Transformer-free, and the embittered Marissa decided that rather than try to fight the EDC with peaceful protests, she'd have a go at fighting them with big, pointy knives, as part of a female commando resistance group.

When Earth Defense Command brought Optimus Prime's corpse to Japan, Marissa secretly observed the arrival of the cargo plane carrying the Autobot leader's body. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 1|Kiss Players #1}} She and her commando unit were quick to attack the convoy transporting the body, only to discover that the cadaver was a decoy concealing an EDC [[Autorooper]] that slaughtered them all, save for Marissa herself. Recognizing an unassuming trailer amongst the other vehicles in the convoy, Marissa sliced it open with her knife, revealing that it contained the remains of the real Optimus Prime. The exposure of Prime's body, however, had a bizarre effect on the Autorooper, which ejected [[Kayu Michikusa|its Kiss Player partner]] and begin to fuse with the Autobot's corpse. [[Image:Marissafairebornekissplay.jpg|left|thumb||220px|Marissa buys [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] because she wants a GERM FREE toy.]] As if to bid farewell to her friend, Marissa kissed Prime, but with this action, she discovered that she was a "[[Kiss Player]]"—a human being who had been infused with the scattered cells of Galvatron, giving them the ability to fuse with other beings. Her Kiss Player powers unleashed, Marissa fused with Prime, triggering a transformation that restored him to life and converted his body into a new Dodge SRT-10 form. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 2|Kiss Players #2}}

Marissa and Prime promptly made themselves scarce, and began travelling together, battling the monstrous creatures known as [[Legion]] that Galvatron's dispersed cells had also produced, while also eluding the EDC. Marissa thought of Prime as [[Transformer romance|her boyfriend]], {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #1}} and Prime himself certainly cared for the girl, unwilling as he was to put her in harm's way, despite the prodigious knife-wielding skills that she could share with him via their kiss-fusion. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #4}}

[[Image:Kissplayers2 prime marissa.jpg|right|225px|thumb|If Hi-Q made you that little bit awkward...cover your eyes now.]]

Knife skills were not Marissa's only attribute, however: she was also a talented surfer, and wondered if she could share ''that'' ability with Prime via their fusion. As it turned out, Prime was actually [[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3|already quite skilled in that area]]. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #7}} Prime soon found a better use for Marissa's surfboard when he used his new powers to transform it into a knife so he could make use of the skills Marissa's fusion gave with him. Marissa was not very happy, {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #10}} but took it in stride, and dubbed the new weapon the "[[Surfblade]]". In response, Prime named her shirt "The Three Skull Brothers," after the image on it. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #16}}

Prime and Marissa had a close relationship, as the girl washed Prime in "intimate" spots like his gas tank, {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #19}} and they would go on "dates" together, at one point visiting the seaside, only to wind up in battle with a Legion created from the fusion of an octopus and a shipwreck. Prime regretted that these activities had to be carried out under the cover of night, and vowed that he and Marissa would visit the beach under the light of the sun. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#CD_collections_and_special_episodes|Someday, Under the Sun}}

Marissa later crossed paths with a girl named [[Atari Hitotonari]], and quickly became friends with her. Sadly, Marissa soon discovered that Atari was actually a member of the EDC, and realized regretfully that this would likely mean they would have to fight. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #13}} Nevertheless, when Atari found herself in danger, Marissa and Prime rescued her on several occasions. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #9}}

[[Image:KP prime turns on marissa.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Hands, Mister!]]

Soon, Optimus Prime found himself suffering from a recurring nightmare filled with visions of his old enemy, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. In the grip of one of these hallucinations, Prime lost control of himself and almost crushed Marissa in his fist, but was thankfully able to regain his senses before he hurt her. Marissa and Prime subsequently fused, and were able to corral a legion of Legion for an attack upon the EDC headquarters. They found their way barred by a pair of most unexpected opponents: [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] had returned to Earth and become Kiss Player partners with Marissa's old friend, Shaoshao. Hot Rod believed Prime to be an impostor, and Shaoshao wished to see him dead so that she might "reclaim" Marissa as her friend, and so Prime and Hot Rod began battling. The tide shifted when Atari entered the battle, the attack was broken off, and Prime and Marissa now found they had to elude Hot Rod and Shaoshao as well as the EDC's force. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}} Marissa could likely never have predicted that Hot Rod would steal her underwear for Shaoshao, though. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #28 & 29}}

Marissa spent a lot of time reflecting on things after that, thinking back on the summer she had spent with Prime, {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #22}} on Prime's own past, {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #25}} and his current nightmares. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #31}} After viewing a seaside fireworks display for their "last date", {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #34}} Marissa and Prime again launched a Legion-backed attack upon the EDC. This time, however, Marissa, Shaoshao, Atari, Prime and Hot Rod all decided to set their differences aside in order to discover the true, dark secret lurking within the EDC. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #37}} Venturing into the mysterious [[Genital System]] facility hidden beneath the EDC headquarters, the team discovered a mad plot by EDC Comander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]] to resurrect her daughter, who had died in Galvatron's impact. Thanks to the efforts of Marissa and her friends, the plan was foiled, the [[anti-electron]] field keeping Transformers off Earth was deactivated, and Galvatron's cells were extracted from the Legions and Kiss Players and reconstituted within his body, which was launched off into space. As a result, Marissa lost her Kiss Player powers, and Prime slipped back into death once more. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#CD_collections_and_special_episodes|You, I and the Spinning Earth}}
{{-}}

=====Kiss Players Position=====
[[Image:15gogo_sparkbots_appear.jpg|right|215px|thumb]]

Following the deactivation of the anti-electron field, the Autobots returned to Earth in early 2007, but Transformer-human relations were still in tatters. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] came up with the idea of a Transformer-human singing group to try and repair relations and spread goodwill between the two races, and to that end, Marissa joined with Shaoshao, Atari and [[Mini-Cassette|cassette Transformers]] [[Glit]], [[Sundor]] and [[Rosanna (KP)|Rosanna]] to form this group, the "[[Kiss Players (singing group)|Kiss Players]]".

While on their world goodwill tour, the Kiss Players arrived in North America to perform at [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]] but just before the concert began, three mysterious glowing orbs appeared before the Kiss Players, and telepathically spoke to them. Introducing themselves as the [[Sparkbot]]s, [[Star Dust]], [[Angela]] and [[Zangetsu]], they instructed the three girls to kiss them. When they did so, the girls and Brave Maximus were suddenly whisked off through time, rematerializing at [[Sherman Dam]] in the year 1985, where they witnessed Optimus Prime's historic battle with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] atop the structure. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #39}}

[[Image:KPAngela.jpg|left|225px|thumb]]

At Angela's behest, Marissa kissed the Sparkbot to transform her and rode the flying lion to Prime's side, where, unseen by the combatants, she was instructed to kiss the Autobot leader. Marissa complied, and a fragment of what the Sparkbots called the "[[Allspark]]" emerged from his chest. This, the Sparkbots explained, was the Kiss Players' mission—to recover all the fragments of the Allspark, scattered throughout space and time. Marissa regretted that she could not stay and try to avert Prime's deadly fate-to-come, but continued voyaging through the timestream with the rest of her friends to accomplish this task. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #40}}

[[Image:MarissaSailor.jpg|right|thumb|Flint would be so proud.]]
The Kiss Players traveled from past to future, collecting Allspark fragments along the way. Their adventures soon led them to the year 2011, where they fell into the clutches of the [[Quintesson]]s. Even the power of [[wikipedia:Moe (slang)|Moe]], despite transforming Marissa into a sailor-suited bunny girl, was not enough to spare them from the Quintesson judge's verdict of "not guilty." Fortunately, Optimus Prime and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]] came to their accidental rescue, and the Kiss Players' voyage continued. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Tokyo_Toy_Festival_live_performance|Tokyo Toy Festival live performance}}

On her next mission, Marissa witnessed a robot she believed to be Optimus Prime being brutally beaten in combat in a desert by the Decepticon warrior [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]. Marissa hastily kissed what she thought was her longtime robotic beau, but as the Allspark fragment emerged, Angela explained that this was not Prime, but [[Ginrai]], a human man who had bonded with a [[Transtector]] intended for Prime's use. Marissa was horrified that she had kissed someone other than Prime, and made Angela promise not to tell anyone. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #43}}

Things were proceeding smoothly until the Kiss Players began obtaining Allspark fragments from Transformers participating in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. At the point of the Allspark fragments' emergence, an enigmatic, invisible force began appearing to steal the fragments away, starting with the fragment Atari recovered from [[Optimus Primal]], and carrying on with those Marissa recovered from [[Lio Convoy]] and [[Big Convoy]]. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #46}} The Kiss Players gave chase across the timestream, but Brave Maximus wound up crashing into the "[[Wall of Time]]", {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #47}} and the team was scattered across the multiverse. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #48}}

[[Image:Kissplayers adventures end.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"Let us go boldly forward!" "Shut up, you cow!"]]

Marissa found herself transported to the parallel reality of the "[[Unicron Trilogy]]", during the height of the Transformers' [[Energon (cartoon)|war for energon]]. There, she met the native [[Mini-Con]] [[Blackout (Armada)|Blackout]], who had become separated from his partner [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] after the larger 'bot's death. Having felt a similar loss when Optimus Prime died, Marissa empathized with Blackout, and told him that their partners lived on their hearts. As the Transformers battled in space overhead, the mysterious force suddenly seized Marissa and dragged her off through time and space, {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #49}} bringing her to prehistoric Earth in her home universe, where she was reunited with the other girls. It transpired the intangible force that had been plaguing their adventures was, in actuality, the power of [[Primus]], god of the Transformers, and that the Sparkbots were in fact, servants of his nemesis, [[Unicron]]. The "Allspark" that the Kiss Players had been gathering was, in fact, Unicron's shattered [[Angolmois|lifeforce]], and the Sparkbots were attempting to resurrect their deceased master. Thankfully, Primus was able to trap Unicron's lifeforce within the Earth, but he would not answer the Kiss Players questions on what their own future would be. As his last act before he transformed into a [[Vector Sigma|golden sphere]], Primus returned the Kiss Players to the present day 2007, mere moments after they had left on their adventure. Realizing that her future was not defined by Primus or any god, Marissa vowed to make her own future, and enlisted in the reformed, restructed EDC. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #51}}
{{-}}

=====''Story of Binaltech''=====
In a parallel universe which was diverged off from the mainstream timeline by the powers of a mysterious entity known as the [[Optimus Primal|Protector]], Marissa was stationed at the EDC's Mars base in 2005 when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and his Decepticons attacked. Marissa watched as [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] appeared on the scene and challenged Megatron to battle for control of Earth's solar system. {{storylink|Kill Switch}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
In 2011, Marissa was briefly mentioned by [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] as a human candidate for the mission to stop [[Metamorpho]], but he was informed by [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] that the Earth Defense Command couldn't get involved in the situation. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Marissafairebornedw2.jpg|right|225px|thumb|She covers up better than her mom.]]

Marissa was the grand-daughter of [[Nathaniel Faireborn]], founder of the Earth Defense Command.

As [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] attempted to haul the deactivated bodies of [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]], and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] out of an [[Oregon]] lake, they were arrested by Commander Marissa Faireborn and a legion of [[Earth Defense Command|EDC]] troops. {{storylink|The Omega Effect}} Bumper and Warpath were rendered unconscious, and the seven Autobots were taken to the EDCs subterranean headquarters in the Nevada desert. {{storylink|Atonement}} Contrary to first appearances, the EDC actually helped to repair the damaged Autobots, hoping for their aid in investigating a mysterious Cybertronian energy signature emanating from the deserted town of [[San Desto]]. Marissa recruited Jazz, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Bumper for the job, and led them and the [[EDC Night Force Unit]] into action.

[[Image:Marissafairebornedw.jpg|left|thumb|Oh, BURN! Jazz likes GIRLS!]]
Even before they touched down in San Desto, Marissa had established a good rapport with Jazz, with both parties mutually respecting the other's skills. As such, when a sweep of the town turned up no civilians, Marissa instructed her troops to follow Jazz's orders as they would hers, as they began a more thorough search. Soon enough, they were attacked by an army of [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] clones, who killed off most of the EDC soldiers and captured Bumper. {{storylink|Infestation (Dreamwave)|Infestation}} Jazz and Marissa managed to escape to [[Crothers Auto-Body|a garage]], where they found a veritable abattoir of human and bovine remains. The Insecticons tracked them down, forcing them to flee into a subterranean egg chamber, which Jazz promptly torched. This prompted an attack from an enraged [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], but Sideswipe and Sunstreaker managed to cover Jazz and Marissa's escape back to the surface. Once there, they were confronted with yet more Insecticon clones and the [[cerebro-shell]]-controlled human citizens of San Desto. While the Autobots were unwilling to risk killing the helpless thralls, Marissa waded into the army with fists flying. Further bloodshed was prevented, however, when Bumper took out [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]], neutralizing both clones and slaves. {{storylink|Extermination}}

Soon after, back at EDC headquarters, Marissa shared a few parting words with Jazz as he and the other Autobots waited for their comrades to pick them up. Marissa assured Jazz that he was not to blame for the loss of the entire Night Force, and seemed about to bring up the [[Transformer romance|strange relationship]] that had bloomed between the pair of them, until Wheeljack interrupted. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}}

Sometime later, Marissa was chewed out by [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|her superior]] over the loss of Night Force, who blamed the involvement of the Autobots for the mission going sour. Marissa defended the Autobots (and left the colonel distinctly unimpressed in the process, particularly when he learned that she was on a first-name basis with Jazz), but the colonel demanded that she reinstate her grandfather's [[Project Centurion]], in order to put the EDC on a more equal footing with the Transformers, in terms of power. Marissa objected vocally, but could not sway her commanding officer. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
{{-}}
{{note|Dreamwave subsequently went out of business, and Marissa's story was left unfinished.}}

==Toys==
===Kiss Players===
[[Image:Marissafairebornkptoy.jpg|right|215px|thumb|EDC Casual Fridays; Note: She's supposed to be 20 YEARS OLD]]
* '''Convoy x Melissa''' (Kiss Players, 2006)
** ''Accessories:'' Four arms, two pairs of legs, stand, "[[Surfblade]]"
: Available only as part of the headliner ''[[Kiss Players (toyline)|Kiss Players]]'' set, Marissa's first-ever toy is a soft-plastic PVC figurine with a permanent pucker, designed mainly to sit demurely on the robot-mode shoulder of her partner [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Convoy]]. Marissa comes with several interchangeable limbs; a pair of legs bent at the knee to allow her to perch on Prime's shoulder or sit in his driver's seat, a pair of straight legs to allow her stand upright (but only with the aid of the small stand included), a set of straight arms, and a set of arms bent at the elbow to allow her mime the act of placing her hands on Prime's steering wheel while she's sitting in him. She comes with a surfboard (that she really can't use) that becomes either Optimus Prime's "Surfblade" sword or a pair of long serrated knives. The set also comes with a CD containing the first 5 episodes of the ''Kiss Players'' radio drama and the exclusive 10-minute audio story, "Someday, Under the Sun".

: This set was originally intended for release in the ''Binaltech Asterisk'' line as "[[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Black Convoy]] meets Marissa", but was cancelled due to low sales of the previous toys before it was even ''officially'' solicited. How much difference there is between the planned ''Asterisk'' version of Marissa and the final ''Kiss Players'' version is currently unknown. (Although it could be assumed she was likely originally wearing some pants.)
{{--}}

==Notes==
*Although Marissa's father has long been accepted to be the [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] member [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] (aka Dashiell Faireborn), there were no statements as to the identity of her mother until recently. In an interview on the Sony BMG re-release of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', former Transformers writer and story editor [[Flint Dille]] confirmed fellow G.I. Joe member [[Lady Jaye]] as Marissa's mother.

*''Kiss Players'' designer/illustrator Yūki Ōshima based Marissa's black leather battle outfit on that of the [[Baroness]]. He originally wanted her to infiltrate [[Cobra]], but had her join an anti-government resistance team when the idea was shot down.

*Early previews of ''Kiss Players'' implied Marissa to be a current or former EDC member, going so far as to feature an EDC logo on her shirt in early images. The idea was discarded, and the EDC logo was replaced with the set of three eyepatch-wearing skulls referenced above.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faireborn, Marissa}}
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Kiss Players characters]]
[[Category:Earth Defense Command]]
[[Category:Pilots]]

Devastator (ROTF)

2010-10-24T22:28:25Z

24.202.105.245: /* Combiner Class toys */

{{factions|decepticonfilm}}
{{disambig3|Devastator}}

:''Devastator is a [[Decepticon]] [[combiner]] from the [[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen franchise]] in the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:ROTF_Devastator_promo.jpg|thumb|400px|[[City of Steel|King Kong]] ain't got nothin' on me!]]

{{bigquote|Mean robots suck...|[[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]]| ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]''}}

Whether he's formed from six, seven, or even nine [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicon]]s, '''Devastator''' is a giant among giants. He is in fact so huge that his body simply cannot support itself when carrying his weight upright, forcing him to lumber on all fours.

Devastator is a tormented being, his very formation wracking his component Constructicons with pain and stressing them to the breaking point both physically and mentally. The imperfect fusion process produces a mind that's very much less than the sum of its parts; rage and pain are all he knows, pushing aside whatever intelligence he might possess. Devastator relies on almost pure instinct in battle.

Devastator is named after [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron's]] unwithstandable and terrifyingly destructive [[Devastator Winds]], due to his intimidating strength. Devastator can also create powerful gravity wells by generating an artificial [[black hole]] with his [[Vortex Grinder]], located in his mouth.<ref>Devastator's [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/Battle-Bios.cfm Battle Bio] at Hasbro.com</ref> Nearby objects are drawn into his gaping mouth to be crushed.

Devastator is made up of:
*[[Scavenger (ROTF)|Scavenger]] (torso)
*[[Hightower (ROTF)|Hightower]] (left arm)
*[[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]] (right leg)
*[[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]] (head)
*[[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]] (left leg)
*[[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] (right arm)
;Sometimes omitted
*[[Overload (ROTF)|Overload]] (lower waist)
*[[Unknown Constructicon dump truck|Yellow dump truck]] (left leg)
*[[Unknown Constructicon shovel|Second bulldozer]] (left hand)
;Other configurations
*[[Hook (ROTF)|Hook]] and [[Bonecrusher (ROTF Constructicon)|Bonecrusher]] sometimes replace [[Hightower (ROTF)|Hightower]] and [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]]

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

Devastator (the Devastator? ''A'' Devastator?) was involved in a battle with [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]], thousands of years ago. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 2}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie===
:Voice actor: [[Frank Welker]] (English), [[Yasuyoshi Hara]] (Japanese)
[[Image:Devastator-ROTFvsLeoSpitz.jpg|thumb|left|300px|He's like a giant puppy! Who wants to eat you.]]

Upon arrival in [[Egypt]], the Constructicons that made up Devastator combined and attacked [[Leo Spitz]], [[Seymour Simmons]], [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. It rampaged through the construction facility, sucking up anything not anchored down, such as sand, cars, and Mudflap. Despite the powerful vacuum, Mudflap held out for a while before being sucked further in. Seeking vengeance, Skids clambered up Devastator for revenge. However, Mudflap had survived, and he blasted a hole through the giant Decepticon's eye to climb out before further attacking the combiner and slowing it down.

[[Image:ROTF Devastator death.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Hi ho, hi ho-HOLY SLAG!]]

[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] yelled Devastator's name from atop the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] to end the twins' distraction. Devastator clambered out of the construction pit and grappled his way to the peak of the pyramid, where he used his vortex grinder to suck up the stones that hid the [[solar harvester]] inside. By this point, Simmons had made his way to the pyramid, and he radioed a nearby navy ship to fire its experimental [[rail gun]], which had been developed based on studies of Megatron during his captivity at [[Hoover Dam]]. The gun's projectile hit Devastator, blasting off an arm and the lower half of his leg, making him lose his balance, causing him to shatter into many pieces as his body tumbled down the pyramid. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{--}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
[[Image:Rotf devastator vs stratosphere.jpg|left|thumb|275px|''The CLAAAAAWWWW!'']]

The Decepticons recovered Devastator's remains, and brought them to the peaks of British Columbia, [[Canada]], so that the behemoth could be repaired by a squad under the watchful optics of [[Skywarp (ROTF)|Skywarp]]. Hiding the construction site with a dense, artificially-generated cloudbank, the Decepticons proceeded with repairs until the unfortunate Autobot [[Stratosphere]] stumbled across their location while on a routine patrol in the area. The partially functional Devastator lashed out at the airborne Autobot, smashing off one of his wings and causing him to crash. Stratosphere survived the hit and fought his way past Skywarp to co-opt the Decepticons' communications array, using it to call in an air-strike on Devastator's position. Stratosphere and his fellow Autobots wondered if Devastator could have survived the massive blast that followed, but they decided not to wait around to find out. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.14|Head in the Clouds}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Fred Tatasciore]] (English)
====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC====
=====Autobot campaign=====
[[Image:ROTFgame_360PS3PC_Devastatorbattle.jpg|thumb|300px|Don't think about how out of scale the limbs are...and lets sink in the awesomeness of this picture.]]

After the Autobots defeated Megatron and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], the Decepticons' ultimate weapon, Devastator, was unleashed upon [[Cairo]]. [[William Lennox|Major Lennox]]'s [[NEST]] forces as well as the local military were unable to hold back the titanic Decepticon, and were relegated to a supporting role once the Autobots arrived in the city. However, NEST helicopters provided invaluable assistance by laser-painting critical weapons subsystems for the Autobots to attack, such as his back-mounted missile launchers, his hip-mounted cannons and his arm-mounted guns, before they could attack his head-mounted armored node. Once the node was breached, Devastator collapsed in the streets of Cairo. {{Storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Revenge of the Fallen===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:ROTF Devastator ezcollectiondx.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The one you will actually buy.]]
*'''Constructicon Devastator''' (Legends, 2009)

:Like the on-screen combiner, but unlike the Supreme class Devastator toy, the Legends class Devastator comprises seven Constructicons, including the elusive [[Overload (ROTF)|Overload]], each with individual robot modes. Because of this, he is a lot more complex than the Supreme class toy, with a more "layered" look than his movie counterpart had. Devastator is (roughly) Deluxe sized while standing up. The only real drawback he has is that he almost has no articulation. But hey, you can't have everything, right?

:In [[Hasbro]]'s markets, this Devastator set was available as a [[Walmart]] [[exclusive]] in North America and a Argos exclusive in the UK, packaged in a currently-unique clear box in gestalt mode. A huge two-sided instruction sheet explains transformation in both directions from gestalt to vehicles and vehicles to robots, with the curious note that "Some poses may require hand support".

:In [[Japan]] the Constructicon team members were available individually. Unlike the usual EZ collection toys, the Constructicons are not blind packed but packed in much the same way as Hasbro Legends class releases.

{{-}}
[[Image:Image-ROTF Devastator ezcollectiondxG1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bet yer ''green'' with envy.]]

*'''EZ Collection Devastator - G1 Colors Version''' (Legends, 2010)
:Takara reissued the seven Legend class Constructicons in G1 inspired green and purple color schemes. He even comes packaged in the same clear box set the Hasbro version used.

:This configuration of Devastator includes:
:*[[Scavenger (ROTF)|Scavenger]] (torso)
:*[[Hook (ROTF)|Hook]] (left arm)
:*[[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]] (right leg)
:*[[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]] (head)
:*[[Bonecrusher (ROTF Constructicon)|Bonecrusher]] (left leg)
:*[[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] (right arm)
:*[[Overload (ROTF)|Overload]] (lower waist)
{{-}}

====Combiner Class toys====
[[Image:ROTF Devastator combiner toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Actually movie accurate... [[Overload (ROTF)|NOT.]]]]
*'''Constructicon Devastator''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RD-16'''

:Devastator is formed from the combination of six transforming construction vehicle toys that do not have individual robot modes. Unlike [[Duocon|prior]] [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Energon|cases]] of this format, Devastator's vehicles represent separate Transformers, [[Scavenger (ROTF)|and]] [[Rampage (ROTF)|most]] [[Long Haul (ROTF)|of]] [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|them]] have other non-combiner toys that ''do'' have robot modes.

:Despite the figure's complex appearance (from the front anyway), the limbs' transformations into combined mode are rather simple. Fortunately, this makes him a lot easier to muck with than some of the other larger-scale ''Revenge of the Fallen'' toys. This is good, because Devastator is ENORMOUS. His smallest limbs (his legs) are the size of Deluxe-class toys, and his largest components are bigger than Leader-class toys. While the legs can not be swapped (unless for some reason you want a backwards walking Devastator), the arms can be swapped around.

[[Image:ROTF_Supreme_Devastator_japanese.jpg|thumb|left|150px|You've got red on you.]]

:The toy's electronics are all in the Mixmaster component. Pressing the button makes Devastator's mouth open and activates voice clips and engine sounds, as well as green lights in his mouth and eyes. Pressing the button for a few seconds activates his "Vortex grinder". However, the button trigger is so sensitive that he ''never shuts up''. In Devastator mode, his mouth can be locked into the open position by clicking his lower jaw sections into the large tank treads that form his shoulders. His mouth is enormous, and it lights up all pretty and green. He can easily swallow any Legends-class toy and spit it out the other side by opening up the back of his head. Covering Devastator's head when separating him from the torso and turning him back into Mixmaster's vehicle mode activates the transformation noise, and after that somehow makes engine stalling noises without pulling the trigger.

:Sadly, Devastator has a hard time standing on all four of his limbs, and is most stable standing on his hind legs. This is mainly because the most weight is located in the head, and his fingers are not made to hold that weight. He will also look straight to the ground unless you lock his head in place with the lower jaw.

:The Japanese [[TakaraTomy]] release of this figure has extra paint applications on Devastator's face, for a better resemblance to the final CG model.
{{-}}

====Mega Power Bots====
[[Image:ROTF MegaPowerBots Devastator.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Not a Power Rangers Megazord.]]
*'''Constructicon Devastator''' (2009)

: [[Mega Power Bots]] Devastator is a simple toy for younger children, featuring plenty of playing sounds and flashing lights. His limbs have limited swivel articulation and do not detach into separate vehicles. He has a distinctly more humanoid stature than normal.

: Unlike regular [[Power Bots]], and unlike other portrayals of the character in general, Devastator features a transformation! It consists of putting his arms up and laying him flat on his stomach, which lets him roll around using the wheels on his limbs.

: Pressing down the Decepticon shield on his crotch (!) spins the vortex in his chest, lights up his eyes and makes him utter one of many Welker-recorded phrases, including [[Transformers: The Movie|"Prepare for extermination!"]], "Crush Autobots!" and "I am Devastator!" Pressing on the crane of his excavator arm makes a cannon blast sound effect, while pressing the cab of his loader arm turns the scoop into claws.

{{-}}
===Transformers (2010)===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:TF2010-toy_GreenDevastator.jpg|thumb|right|250px|I DARE you to spot any purple in this picture.]]
*'''Constructicon Devastator''' (Legends, 2010)

:A [[Toys"R"Us]]-exclusive Generation 1-themed redeco of Legends Devastator and his components. Unlike the Takara's go at the same idea, this Devastator only uses purple for the Constructicons' windshields, and as a result is mostly lime green and gray. The individual Constructicons also have brown [[paint operation]]s on and around their wheels to simulate dirt.
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===Revenge of the Fallen===
====Burger King====
[[Image:ROTFMerchandise-BurgerKingDevastator.jpg|right|200px|thumb|What? No wrecking ball testicles? LAME. ]]
*'''Constructin' Devastator''' (2009)
:Burger King Devastator consists of five parts — a head and body, and simplified versions of the vehicle modes for Long Haul, Scrapper, Rampage and Hightower, which connect to the torso on [[ball joint]]s. The generic connectors mean that they can be attached in any configuration, however the intended layout is marked with letters from A to D. The ball joints are loose enough to allow limited articulation.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/BKDevastator/devastator.htm More information on Devastator at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

{{-}}
====RPMs - Robot Powered Machines====
=====Track Set=====
[[Image:ROTF RPM Devastator Showdown Playset.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Rejected name: Escape The Teabag.]]
*'''Devastator Showdown''' (2009)
**'''Includes:''' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] [[Mini-Vehicle]].

:The Devastator Showdown track set is a [[retool]] of the ''Indiana Jones'' race track. This playset is compatible with the other Hot Wheels-like miniature cars. It fires the car on a track to an area that (when a car goes over it) releases a "wrecking ball" and the Devastator head lights up and makes sounds. The wrecking ball will follow the car down the track until the tracks stop.

:Yes, that means he fires his testicles at you.

{{-}}

====Robot Heroes====
*'''Desert Devastation''' (Multi-pack, 2009)

[[Image:rotf_desertdevastation_rh.jpg|right|thumb|300px|D'awwwvstator.]]

:"Desert Devastation" Devastator is a super-sized ''[[Robot Heroes]]'' figure, at least twice as big as other toys in the line. He is only available in a multi-pack with [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] in their vehicle modes and [[William Lennox]].

==Notes==

{{quote|[[Steven Spielberg|Spielberg]] saw [Devastator] and said, 'This is [expletive] awesome!' It's always nice when you can make him swear.|[[Michael Bay]]|"[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-04-01-transformers-first-look_N.htm First look: Robo-brawlers big, small in new 'Transformers']" in ''USA Today'' ([[April 3]], [[2009]])}}

[[Image:ROTF Devastator and components concept art.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Six?! What happened to seven?!" "Just kidding."]]
* In the film, none of Devastator's components are shown as individual Transformers. This might vaguely justify why the components of his Supreme class toy lack individual robot modes.

* Devastator's final CGI head differed from that used for his promotional images, including more red panels and several pulleys and wires, four highly pronounced horns, and a trio of throat gears lit like a furnace instead of a single complex vortex machine lit green like his eyes.

* In the film, there are ''nine'' vehicles that form Devastator! A [[Unknown Constructicon shovel|yellow bulldozer]] is seen unfolding and is then scooped up by Devastator's left arm, which has been formed by Hightower. Another [[Unknown Constructicon dump truck|yellow dump truck]] lines up next to Rampage and helps him form the leg. This means two things: It explains why Devastator's left arm has scoops on it while Hightower's vehicle mode has no such equipment, and also why none of the Devastator toys are movie-accurate.
** Hasbro's [[Hasbro_Q%26A/December_2009:_Answers|''official'' line]] is that there are seven Constructicons that form Devastator. [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade's]] [[Transformers Comic issue 2.13#Law and Disorder|official line]] is that Devastator can be formed by any number from six to nine.

* Devastator is made up of 52,632 geometric pieces and 11,716,127 polygons. The total length of all the pieces is 13.84 miles. <ref>Robertson, Barbara (2009). Weighty Matters. Computer Graphics World, 32(7), 20-29</ref>

* Devastator is made up of 6467 total textures, taking up 32 gigabytes of computer space. <ref>Robertson, Barbara (2009). Weighty Matters. Computer Graphics World, 32(7), 20-29</ref>

* When Devastator punches the pyramid, its hand is traveling at 390 miles per hour. <ref>Robertson, Barbara (2009). Weighty Matters. Computer Graphics World, 32(7), 20-29</ref>

[[Image:Devastator-ROTFenemyscrotum.jpg|right|thumb|250px|NSFW]]
* Devastator's got [[Humanization#Nuts, Bolts and Screws|brass balls]]. Exactly ''how'' is pretty questionable; even the crane Hightower would only have one wrecking ball as a counterweight meaning this was just another cheap, throw-away gag. When Hasbro was asked if there ever will be a Devastator toy with wrecking balls, they replied straight out "no".

:* The Devastator Showdown track set does, however, feature one wrecking ball that chases cars down the track. Hmmm.

* According to [[Shawn Kelly]], the [[ILM]] lead animator for ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Devastator caused a computer to catch fire spontaneously and its insides to melt. <ref>''Nickelodeon Magazine'', issue 153, published June 2009</ref> One assumes he was exaggerating for the purposes of publicity, as it is improbable for modern computers to actually catch fire under operations for which they are designed, such as rendering an extremely complex model. The special features on the DVD do (indirectly) show one of the computers blowing, with lots of black smoke and the poor animator (and his keyboard) covered in soot. (This was all done as a prank, leading to said animator asking "What the hell, man?") Not quite melting, but still.

*Interestingly, despite the supreme class toy being formed from vehicles similar to his [[Devastator (G1)|''Generation 1'' counterpart]] (dump truck, bulldozer, front end loader, crane, excavator, mixing truck), none of them form the same component in both versions.

*In [[Transformers Generations 2009]], volume 3, a very early Devastator mock-up is pictured that places more emphasis on height than width (being rather creepily lanky) and includes among other things, a [[Blackout (Movie)|Sikorsky]] helicopter as a component. It was [[kitbash]]ed together from various figures from other lines, including some from Spawn and Kamen Rider.

* Massive Black's concept art is totally different from the film version: a red mining truck forms the torso, an excavator and timber harvester form the arms, and the legs are formed by a military plow and bulldozer. The resulting robot is human in posture.<ref>[http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2483869&postcount=2179 Massive Black post of their ROTF concept art]</ref>

*Devastator has a [[tongue]], which is cool and disturbing-looking at the same time.

*According to a [[catalog]] included with ROTF toys, the ONLY way for the Autobots to defeat Devastator is by combining Optimus Prime and Jetfire.

*Given that the film establishes multiple sets of Constructicons, it seems entirely possible that more than one "Devastator" could be formed.

*Devastator was in an early draft of [[The Reign of Starscream]], but was dropped at Hasbro's request.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/members/mowry-73165.html#vmessage167559]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Combined forms]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Constructicons]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers 2010 toyline characters]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Cliffjumper (WFC)

2010-10-24T01:27:19Z

24.202.105.245: /* Prime comics */

{{faction|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Cliffjumper}}
:''Cliffjumper is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:CliffArcee_ognpreview.jpg|thumb|300px|Cliffjumper will take you down to the corner of Know Your Role Boulevard and Jabroni Drive and check you directly into the Smackdown Hotel!]]
'''Cliffjumper''' isn't your run-of-the-mill Autobot freedom fighter: armed with six-cylinder ion cannons, a quantum sensitive multiphase targeting system that would make [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] jealous, and of course, the old school technique of pummeling [[Decepticon]]s with his fists, Cliffjumper prefers to liven up the day with firefights while retrieving enemy intelligence.

==Fiction==
===''Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron''===
Cliffjumper concurred with [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]] that while [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]] was not an Autobot, he deserved to be rescued. He and [[Ultra Magnus (Prime)|Ultra Magnus]]'s [[Wrecker]]s later escorted [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]], [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]] to the [[Well of All Sparks]] when they made their journey to purge Cybertron's [[core]] of [[Dark Energon]].

{{note|Cliffjumper is only mentioned twice, and it is not even said if he boarded the ''[[Ark (Prime)|Ark]]'' or stayed with the Wreckers.}}
{{storylink|Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron}}

===''Prime'' comics===
Regardless, when the Decepticons returned to their dead homeworld, Cliffjumper went in all guns blazing to investigate. The [[Eradicon]]s piled onto him, grappling him until he was unconscious. He awoke to find himself in their base, which Cliffjumper commented looked like the sort of lair [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] would design. An Eradicon said Cliffjumper would live until he was no longer useful, and asked him to decode an offworld Autobot signal. It came from none other than Optimus himself, ordering his forces to gather on a planet called [[Earth]]. Awed, Cliffjumper then turned to his interrogator and said all the decoded message simply said "[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] smells like [[Unicron]]'s armpit", making the infuriated Decepticons ordered Cliffjumper's demise, before [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] burst in, slaughtering the Decepticons.

Cliffjumper tried to greet his old colleague, but she told him to be quiet, coldy informing him she had not come to rescue him, but to tap into the Decepticons' communications. Finding the coordinates of the enemy's weapons lab in [[Kaon]], she was prepared to go by herself until Cliffjumper convinced her that Kaon was too dangerous for her stealthy ways, and that she needed his brawn to back her brain. Entering the city through its maintenance tunnels, Arcee opened a secret passage. Travelling up an ancient staircase, Cliffjumper's suspicions were confirmed when he saw Starscream overseeing the reactivation of a [[space bridge]]. Arcee wanted to destroy the device, but Cliffjumper saw it as their ticket to Earth. He distracted Starscream by going straight to him and his Eradicons, claiming he wanted to join them. Arcee activated the device, and when Starscream noticed, Cliffjumper jumped his pretense and started a fight, and jumped with Arcee into the space bridge.

Falling, Cliffjumper momentarily wondered if he was one with the [[AllSpark (Prime)|AllSpark]], but Arcee confirmed they had fallen onto Earth. Finding a ghost town, they [[scanning|scanned]] their alternate modes: Cliffjumper passed on a passing travel trailer—which he found too ugly—and a truck—which was too bulky—before selecting a muscle car, which Arcee found suitably noisy. He added horns on the hood of his new alternate mode as a finishing touch. Driving to find Optimus, Starscream—who had also jumped into the space bridge—attacked the duo, blasting off Arcee's arm. Cliffjumper fought Starscream and buried him under a pile of rocks, when [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] appeared. It seemed like the end, but Optimus and Bumblebee came and fought off the two Decepticons, before opening a [[ground bridge]] to their base, sending Arcee for repairs. Optimus told Cliffjumper his journey was over, but a new battle was just beginning. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (comic)}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor'': [[Dwayne Johnson|Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson]]
[[Image:TfprimeCliffjumperCar.jpg|thumb|No, seriously, he's going to take you down to Jabroni Drive. Hop in already, he wants to beat the rush hour traffic.]]
{{comingsoon}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Prime}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Steve Blum]] (English)
Following the unleashing of [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]], Cliffjumper spotted a party of [[Decepticon]]s preparing to assault the giant. He attempted to slow their advance with force fields and gun turrets, and when that didn't work, led them on a high-speed chase while trying to shoot them. They eventually caught up with him when he crashed into a wall and, though his spirit was still defiant, he was unable to stop them passing him. Of course, they immediately ran into [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]]... {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)}}

{{charstubfiction|Story content from the Autobot version.}}

== Toys ==
===Generations===
*'''Cliffjumper''' (Deluxe, 2010)
:*''Accessories: '' handgun
[[Image:Cliffjumper_Prime_toy.jpg|350px|thumb|]]

: Part of the fifth wave of [[Generations (toyline)|''Generations'']] Deluxe class toys, Cliffjumper is a [[retool]]/[[redeco]] of [[Bumblebee (Prime)#Toys|Cybertronian Bumblebee]] with a new head, transforming into a round "Cybertronian courier mode." His toy comes with a handgun and features two wrist-mounted flip-out blades. The handgun can be stored inside his rear bumper in either robot or vehicle mode.

: The instructions for Bumblebee actually depicted him with Cliffjumper's new head mold, thus revealing the retool before it was officially announced.

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Prime characters]]

Soundwave (ROTF)

2010-10-21T06:46:49Z

24.202.105.245: /* Games */

{{faction|decepticonfilm}}
{{disambig3|Soundwave}}
:''Soundwave is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]] portion of the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Rotf soundwave satellite mode.jpg|thumb|right|375px|Just wait till he tentacle rapes that other satellite!]]

'''Soundwave''', the Decepticon communications officer and one of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s staunchest supporters, doesn't just master the frequencies that carry information across our planet, he revels in them. Stationed high in the upper atmosphere and capable of processing millions of data streams at once, he is fully capable of taking over communications on a planetary scale. Whether he uses this to direct civilization or destroy it remains to be seen.

Soundwave has two extremely powerful weapons: his spread of [[Sonic Cannon]]s... and Megatron. If any Decepticon crosses him, he does not hesitate to send a full record of said Decepticon's failures to Megatron, almost certainly ensuring an untimely demise. His lofty position has made [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] suspicious, so Soundwave has his minion [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] keep an eye on the [[Air Commander]] if he gets out of hand. Soundwave is also nearly defenseless in space, as his devastating Sonic Cannons only work within the atmosphere.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/Battle-Bios.cfm Hasbro Soundwave Battle Bio]</ref>

{{quote|Nothing moves on the orb below without '''my''' being aware of it. I see and hear everything, be it out the open or behind closed doors. My reach is invisible, intangible. My grip...cast-iron.|Soundwave sees and hears all|[[Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1]]}}

== Fiction ==
=== Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics ===
[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] was in talks with Soundwave to get him to join in the attack on Earth and be in [[Michael Bay]]'s next documentary. Soundwave is known for talking in several frequencies at once, apparently just to be annoying. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|#15's Star Screams}} Starscream doesn't trust Soundwave but notes his intelligence, and so views him as a worthy successor in the event of his death. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 21|#21's Star Screams}}

=== IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics ===
[[Image:Defiance4Soundwave.jpg|thumb|left|100px|No full body shot in the movie or comics.]]
Soundwave was assigned by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] to take command of the newly built ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' with the sarcophagus containing [[The Fallen]]. Soundwave's task was to find a planet with a star [[Solar harvester|harvester]] that could be used to free their mysterious benefactor. Soundwave left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] just before the outbreak of war. {{storylink|Defiance issue 4}}

[[Image:SoundwaveAllianceIssue2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Alas, poor Dreadwing. I knew him, Ravage.]]

Presumed dead for years, Soundwave arrived on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] one month after Megatron's death. He quickly took stock of the situation, scanning both [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing's]] remains, and an imprint of [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy's]] body. He contacted [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] after his battle with [[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]], learning of the loss of Megatron and the AllSpark, while informing Starscream that he had sent troops from his ship to Earth, with more waiting in stasis. As Starscream headed for the ship, Soundwave informed him he still had orders to follow. {{storylink|Alliance issue 2}} As more and more Decepticons made planetfall on Earth's surface, Soundwave assumed the form of a satellite and silently observed their operations from orbit. {{Storylink|Alliance issue 4}}

{{-}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
Soundwave appears unknown to the Autobots.{{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.4|New Tricks}} He commanded a small Decepticon cell, based out of [[Mars (planet)|Mars]]' moon [[Phobos]]. While nominally under the command of [[The Fallen]], The Fallen is merely in ''contact'' with the Decepticons and currently incapacitated. This left Soundwave free to do his ''own'' thing... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}

[[Image:Titan4_Soundwaveinterrogate.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only... Oops, wrong movie.]]

One of his goals was to find the location of the [[Tomb of the Primes]]. The aging [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seeker]] [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]] knew it but would only tell it to The Fallen. ''Strangely'' unwilling to put The Fallen and Ransack in touch and ''oddly'' prefering to personally know the location of [[Matrix of Leadership|the key to a monstrous superweapon]] himself {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}, Soundwave turned to the dormant Seekers instead. He directed [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] to [[Las Vegas]] to carve up one such Seeker for its "memory tree". He refused to explain the reason ''why'' to Grindor. When [[NEST]] showed up, Soundwave appeared contemptuous of them and their [[Human|whole species]], noting Transformers owned this world ''long'' before mankind. To Grindor, he simply said to get the memory tree to him and not get captured. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}}

Later, [[Transformers Comic issue 2.2|on The Fallen's orders]], he directed [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] to find [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], find out what they knew about The Fallen's plans and who they'd told it to, and then terminate them. When Ravage had cornered Mudflap, Soundwave talked through him and attempted to interrogate the Autobot; this failed, with Mudflap not even being bothered about who Soundwave was. While the hit was a bust, Soundwave ensured the base was bugged. As a result, he discovered [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] distrusted the twins.

[[Image:Titan6_SoundwaveIAm.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"[[Sanctuary|There you go]], fellas!"]]

This was something Soundwave found interesting {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.4|New Tricks}} and he hatched a plan to ensure the twins were believed to be traitors: which would ensure nobody would follow up on their intell! Somehow, he got [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] to [[Diego Garcia]] at the same time the twins were there. He then had [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] get captured, so that when he was taken to [[Diego Garcia]] Scorponok would free him. With the Decepticon attacking at the same time the twins were distracting Optimus and on top of previous acts, they seemed guilty and were taken into custody. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}} Soundwave sent [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] to blow up the soldiers escorting the twins to orbitary exile, and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] parachuted in to convince them to defect. When [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] tracked down the twins - who had kidnapped [[Sam Witwicky]] in a failed attempt to convince him to speak to Optimus on their behalf - Soundwave finally landed on Earth and blasted the scout. Soundwave told the twins The Fallen would offer them sanctuary, something they seemed happy to accept... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

[[Image:Titan7_Soundwave_GO!.jpg|left|thumb|200px|]]

Poor Soundwave soon had to put ''up'' with the twins, as they insisted on chatting through his briefings and dissing the other 'cons. He ''just'' about, through ominous glares, got them to pay attention to their mission: to capture Ransack and bring him in to be "re-educated". This, however, was all a big con on the twins: he just wanted them as expendable bait to draw out Ransack, so Grindor and Sideways could knock him out. Soundwave also spoke for the entire Decepticons when he said that if the twins survived any encounter, ''kill them anyway''. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.7|Turnabout}}

[[Image:Titan8_Soundwave_FWATT.jpg|right|thumb|200px|KERPOW!]]

Once Ransack was in his hands, Soundwave beat the snot out of him and demanded the location to the Tomb of the Primes. The Seeker still refused to talk, and insulted Soundwave as being a mere cog who could barely understand the big picture. He almost killed Ransack for that, having to be held back by Starscream (don't want The Fallen ''knowing'' you've killed his Seeker!), but the elder continued to mock him for believing he had freedom of action just because The Fallen was absent.

When the twins, revealed to have been faking their defection, returned to beat the crap out of the Phobos base, an annoyed Soundwave ended their brief success with overwhelming violence. Unfortunately, before he could kill the Autobots, Ransack took the opportunity to leg it; desperate to stop The Fallen from being informed of what he'd been up to, Soundwave gave chase and the Phobos base was abandoned. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}} As he's still around later, it seems Soundwave made ''sure'' Ransack never made it to The Fallen...

{{note|The following events occur in the Law and Disorder continuity.}}

[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] considers Soundwave to be an untrustworthy jerk who ''never'' pulls his weight in a fight. Megatron, however, loves the guy. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.7|#7's Law and Disorder}}
{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Frank Welker]] (English, French, Italian), [[Horst Lampe]] (German), [[Daisuke Gōri]] (Japanese)

[[Image:ROTF-Soundwaveface.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Next time, Gadget. Next time.]]
Soundwave received a transmission from [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]], who was tailing [[Mikaela Banes]], and instructed him to obtain a surviving shard of the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]] in her possession. He found a satellite transmitting a conversation between [[NEST]] and the [[United States military]]. Tapping into it with his tentacles to listen, Soundwave overheard [[Theodore Galloway]] mention another shard of the AllSpark in storage at [[Diego Garcia]], and of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s burial in the [[Laurentian Abyss]].

[[Image:ROTF Soundwave ejects Ravage.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Ravage: Eject. Operation: [[Ruined FOREVER|Childhood rape]].]]

Formulating a plan, Soundwave waited until it would be nightfall on Diego Garcia, then ejected [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] (who was equipped with [[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]] and the [[Microcon (ROTF)|microcons]] comprising [[Reedman]]) to Diego Garcia to steal the shard. Once they had stolen the shard, they reunited with some [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]] and managed to resurrect their leader.

Soundwave remained in space, tapping into the satellite he had found. When Megatron decided to reveal the Transformers presence on Earth after killing [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], Soundwave issued the mobilization order to the waiting troops on the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]''. As the Decepticons streaked toward Earth, Soundwave tracked down [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] and [[Judy Witwicky]] in [[France|Paris]]. He called Judy on her cellphone, demanding to know where Sam was, which the human dismissed as a crank call by a pervert. This allowed the Decepticons to track them down and capture them to use as bait for Sam.

[[Image:SoundwaveSatellite.jpg|thumb|300px|Yes, yes, you fans all thought about ''[[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'' when you saw me do this.]]

When the CIA discovered that Sam was in [[Egypt]], Soundwave relayed the information to the Decepticons. During [[Operation: Firestorm]], Soundwave blocked the satellites covering the Egyptian area, making things appear normal. General [[Morshower]] was unconvinced though and got other local informants to know what was happening at the [[pyramid]]s. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}

{{note|In the comic, Megatron rendezvous with Soundwave after killing Optimus, making the demand for Sam Witwicky himself, which Soundwave broadcasts through the satellite he clutches. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen Movie Adaptation issue 2}}}}

{{-}}

===IDW post-''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
Soundwave detected [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] was alive and active, and was furious someone else was ordering his pet around. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 5}}
{{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}}
{{storylink|Nefarious issue 2|Nefarious #2}}
{{storylink|Nefarious issue 3|Nefarious #3}}
{{storylink|Nefarious issue 4|Nefarious #4}}
{{charstubfiction}}

===Cyber Missions===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bronco D. Jackson]]

[[Image:CyberMission1-Soundwave.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Through the dark, to the light, it's a super sonic flight!
Gotta keep it goin'!]]

{{quote|No! Too many sonic booms! I can't absorb—!}}

When Soundwave and [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] descended on [[Diego Garcia]], they interrupted an Autobot mission briefing. While Ironhide headed outside to face Bludgeon, Bumblebee remained inside to guard the Autobots' precious [[datatrax|data tracks]] from Soundwave. Bumblebee fired shot after shot, but Soundwave was able to simply use his sonic powers to repel the attacks back towards Bumblebee. However, Bumblebee gambled that Soundwave would be unable to repel a great number of attacks simultaneously, and the Decepticon was overwhelmed by Bumblebee's automatic weaponry. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 1}} Bumblebee confined Soundwave inside a vacuum-sealed electromagnetic bubble, where his sonic weaponry would be useless. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 2}}
{{-}}

===Titan Magazines post-''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

Instructed by Megatron to "hound" humans and "get up close and personal" in his attacks, Soundwave cut a swathe of destruction across the North Atlantic, destroying ships as he headed on a course towards Florida. Identifying his pattern, [[William Lennox]] and [[Robert Epps]] staged an ambush, laying out a cargo ship for Soundwave to attack and then blindsiding him with a volley from a hidden warship. Badly damaged in the surprise assault, Soundwave was forced to retreat, venturing into the confines of...the [[Bermuda Triangle]]! (Dun dun dunnnn!)

[[Image:Titan15_Soundwaveghostship.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bustin' makes ghosts feel good!]]

Amidst the storm clouds, Soundwave discovered another ship that he decided to attack out of spite, but faltered when his databanks identified it as a [[United States Navy]] vessel that had been lost in 1918. Caught off-guard by a volley of primitive weaponsfire (even for humans!) and damaged even further, Soundwave tried to limp away, only to cross paths with ''another'' mystery ship, this one allegedly from 1941! Pelted from both sides and unable to get a handle on his situation, Soundwave fled high into the air, out of the ships' range...and right in the path of a squadron of [[World War II]] bombers! Rattled by their machine gun fire and unable to overcome their superior flying skills, Soundwave decided to break upwards...''all'' the way upwards. Whatever strange chronal chaos he had encountered in the depths of the Bermuda Triangle, Soundwave concluded that the solar radiation, meteor showers and space debris he would face on the ''[[Moon (moon)|moon]]'' would be ''much'' safer! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.15|Making Waves}}

{{-}}

==Games==
===''Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game (Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Jessop]] (English)

=====Autobot campaign=====

{{charstubfiction}}

=====Decepticon campaign=====
[[Image:ROTF_360PS3PC_DLC_Soundwave.jpg|thumb|250px|]]

{{charstubfiction}}

{{Note|On [[August 27]], [[2009]], Soundwave was made available as a playable character (for multiplayer games) as optional downloadable content for Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 owners. However, instead of the silver colour scheme established on his regular release toys and movie appearance, the character model was coloured blue, like [[Generation 1]] [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the [[Toys"R"Us]]-[[exclusive]] Soundwave figure from the ''Gathering at Nemesis'' figure pack. His special attack consisted of a deployable turret that generated earthquakes, a reference to [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], who was one of Generation 1 Soundwave's tape minions.}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Revenge of the Fallen===
====Legends Class toys====
*'''Soundwave''' (Legends, 2009)
[[Image:ROTFLegends Soundwave.jpg|right|300px|thumb|No matter what mode you put him in, he is always ready to get down and dirty with unsuspecting satellites.]]

: Part of the fifth wave of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Legends Class]] figures, Soundwave transforms into a simplified version of his satellite alt mode which is notable for being more movie-accurate than his Deluxe Class toy. The satellite head is completely covered in blue, however.

{{-}}

*'''Infiltrator Soundwave''' (EZ Collection, 2010)

: In Japan, Legends class Soundwave was [[redeco]]ed to match the colors of Deluxe Infiltration Soundwave (see below). He was part of the Japanese ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' promotion, and was only available to those who bought the Voyager "[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] VS [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]" set at amazon.jp and Yamada Denki stores.

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:Soundwaverotfpreviewtoy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|War fork!]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RD-04'''
**''Accessories:'' 1 Ravage missile

:Part of the initial Movie Preview wave, Soundwave is a [[Triple Changer]], transforming into a satellite and a Cybertron jet, which are not exactly what could be described as "distinct" from one another. In all three modes, Soundwave features a spring-loaded missile launcher which fires a missile intended to resemble [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], in reference to the scene in the film in which he launches the feline fiend down at Earth. In his (rather stocky) robot mode, Soundwave has blue light piping in his visor, but it is disabled, having been painted over in red; his other modes feature a second, armored version of his face, which is stored on the back of his robot mode. Probably to avoid giving the toy a very obviously two-headed robot mode, the alternate face lacks any paint details, and has an unpainted blue visor. Soundwave features numerous red and gold [[Paint operation|paint application]]s which are ''very'' cleverly and subtly positioned around his body to replicate similarly-colored and -positioned details on the [[Soundwave (G1)|original Soundwave toy]].

:The configuration for the satellite mode depicted in the toy's instructions is not the way Soundwave appears in the film, featuring a different angling for the panels on his shoulders. It's not a big change, but transforming the toy in accordance with his movie appearance ''does'' help to distinguish the jet from the satellite a little, since otherwise, virtually the only difference is in the positioning of the large panel "wings".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/Soundwave/soundwave.htm More information on Soundwave at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|GatheringNemesis}}
[[Image:ROTFtoy-GatheringattheNemesis.jpg|right|thumb|300px|You can get him in blue, but you gotta get those other guys, too!]]
*'''Gathering at Nemesis''' (Figure multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' 1 Ravage missile

: A [[Toys"R"Us]]-[[exclusive]] three pack (technically four pack if you want to count the Ravage missile), also featuring The Fallen, and a silver Voyager Class Megatron from the first movie toyline. Soundwave is [[redeco]]ed in predominantly blue as an homage to the [[Soundwave (G1)|original Soundwave]]. The Fallen was unchanged from his original release.

{{-}}{{anchor|BlackVersion}}
[[Image:CharaHobbyROTFSoundwaveBlack.jpg|thumb|300px]]
*'''Soundwave Black Version''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' 1 Ravage missile
:Exclusive to the 2009 "C3 X Hobby Chara Hobby" show that ran across [[August 29]]-[[August 30|30]] in Japan, Soundwave Black Version is a redeco of the deluxe ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Soundwave toy in black and red with orange highlights. Following the convention, remaining quantities of the figure were made available to purchase via lottery through the [[E-Hobby|e-Hobby]] website.

::*''[http://www.e-hobby.co.jp/cgi-bin/omc?port=33301&req=PRODUCT&code=tf_ev_07 Soundwave Black Version at e-Hobby]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Infiltration}}
[[Image:ROTFtoy-SoundwaveNESTAlliance.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Look out for Escalation Soundwave, Devastation Soundwave, and Soundwave Loves Drift-Chan.]]
*'''Battlefield Bumblebee Vs. Infiltration Soundwave''' (Deluxe 2-pack, 2010)
**''Accessories:'' 1 Ravage missile

:Part of the [[NEST Global Alliance]] campaign, Infiltration Soundwave is another redeco of the Deluxe Class Soundwave mold, this time in dark blue and dark gray, plus bright red that simulates the intense heat of orbital reentry. He comes with Battlefield Bumblebee, a retooling of Cannon Bumblebee with a new battlemask head. Also included in the packaging is a "Mission Guide" catalog and ordering form for the mail-in exclusive Recon Ravage, a "starter sticker" for said ordering form, and a NEST Global Alliance iron-on patch. Two additional stickers from specially-marked NEST Global Alliance products and $4.95 shipping are required for the promotion. Sadly, this promotion does not exist in Europe or Australia, but Recon Ravage was made available in the latter country as a Toys R Us exclusive. Surprisingly, the package does not recognize his Cybertron jet mode, instead only acknowledging his satellite mode.
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Burger King===
[[Image:ROTFMerchandise-BurgerKingSoundwave.jpg|thumb|right|200px|I spy with my little eye.....impending tentacle rape.]]
*'''Seeking Soundwave''' (2009)
**'''Accessories:''' 2 blue solar panels
:The [[Burger King]] version of Soundwave is a representation of the communications satellite which Soundwave hacked into in the movie. The dishes have tendril details added to them. Peering into an opening in the top gives a sort of periscope effect, although as there is only one mirror, everything looks backwards.

{{-}}

===RPMs—Robot Powered Machines===
====Metal Heroes====
*'''Soundwave''' (2010)
*''Number:'' '''04 of 08''' (only 6 released)

:''[[Robot Powered Machines]]'' Soundwave is a small, non-transforming pseudo-Scion XB with his robot mode sculpted underneath. Said robot mode resembles [[Soundwave (Prime)|another Soundwave]] for some reason. The car's wheels feature through-axle construction for speedy racing on flat surfaces. Unlike other RPMs, Soundwave, along with the rest of the Metal Heroes, is made of [[die-cast]] metal.

:This toy features many differences in comparison to the [[SpeedStars]] release. Namely, the SpeedStars version lacks paint in the doors and roof, as well as the chest, arms, legs and face of the "robot" mode, unlike the RPM release that has this fully painted. The plastic in the bottom of the car is cast in a different color: the RPM version is bronze while the SpeedStars version is golden. In addition, the RPM release has "Soundwave-Audio" written on the inferior part of the doors as well as having the tail lights painted (in red).

:RPM Soundwave is probably the most contradictory Transformer ever produced: he has [[Soundwave (Animated)|''Animated'' Soundwave]] alt mode and a mix between his regular and Electrostatic incarnations "tattoos", [[Soundwave (Prime)|''War for Cybertron'' Soundwave]] robot mode (which in turn was heavily based in [[Soundwave (G1)|G1 Soundwave]]) and despite this, the bio and toyline clearly identifies him as ROTF Soundwave. You can try and add [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Cybertron Soundwave]] to the list if you want, but that would be overkill.

:This toy's American release and the rest of the Metal Heroes were canceled in favor of the [[SpeedStars]] versions of the toys. They have been released in the Philippines, New Zealand and Mexico (at a discounted price compared to past RPM releases), however.

===SpeedStars===
====Metal Heroes====
[[Image:SpeedStars_Soundwave_toy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
*'''Soundwave''' (2010)
*''Number:'' '''04 of 08'''

:SpeedStars Soundwave is a [[redeco]] of the RPM vehicle. All differences between the two releases are listed above.

{{-}}
====Stealth Force====
[[Image:SpeedStars_StealthForce_Soundwave_toy.jpg|thumb|right|200px|]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Basic, 2010)

:This Soundwave toy is part of the "Stealth Force" subline, consisting of vehicles without robot modes, but with plenty of flip-out panels with hidden weapons. Like the smaller Metal Heroes toy, Soundwave has ''Animated'' Soundwave's Scion XB altmode and features ''War for Cybertron'' Soundwave on his packaging. He features non-firing weapons hidden all throughout the toy, activated by pulling part of the roof back.

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:EarlyMovieBlackout.jpg|right|200px|thumb|A Soundwave-headed Blackout from an animatic.]]
[[Image:ROTFEarthSoundwaveConcept.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Soundwave, before losing his weight.]]
* Soundwave was originally supposed to feature in [[Transformers (2007)|''Transformers'']]; he fulfilled both [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]]'s roles, hacking into the CIA headquarters as a portable stereo, then [[size changing|morphed]] into a Humvee to track down [[Sam Witwicky]].<ref>Details from an early script draft [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2213120&postcount=297 summed up here], [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2214148&postcount=303 confirmed as authentic by Roberto Orci here].</ref> [[Michael Bay]]'s decision to minimalize the amount of morphing in the film resulted in a change to a helicopter who openly attacks the army. Soundwave and [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] were changed to [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] as the film's location was changed from a jungle to a desert.<ref>[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=234188&postcount=2008 Roberto Orci confirms that Ravage was replaced by Scorponok at the official movie boards]</ref><ref>[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=234188&postcount=2008 Roberto Orci confirms that Ravage would have appeared in a different terrain at the official movie boards]
</ref> Soundwave's name remained attached to the separated portable stereo character for a while, but Hasbro felt the resulting character did not properly represent the original Soundwave—he was first renamed Soundbite, but eventually ended up with the name Frenzy.

*According to the trade paperback, Soundwave was a major character in the third draft of ''[[The Reign of Starscream]]''.

* In early drafts of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Soundwave came to Earth and scanned a black Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck form. Artist [[Paul Ozzimo]] created a visualization of this idea, and Hasbro based the Cybertronian satellite form's robot mode on this abandoned concept, particularly a Cybertronian version of the Chevy grill and small headlights on the lower torso. They then combined Ozzimo's body design with an unused, heavily G1-esque head design that had been created by artist [[Josh Nizzi]] (although Soundwave's finalized head design was also incorporated into the toy's satellite mode, in a manner akin to [[kibble#Faux parts|faux parts]]).

*Hasbro's description and arrangement of Soundwave's toy as a triple changer runs counter to the filmmakers' intent to introduce the technology in the next film.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen-will-not-feature-triple-changers-165854/ News from TFW2005.com on September 23, 2008,] detailing [[Roberto Orci]]'s confirmation that there would be no triple-changers in ''Revenge of the Fallen''.</ref>

*Even though [[Frank Welker]] returned to voice Soundwave for the movie, his voice was not vocoded, but rather synthesized in the same way all the other Transformer voices in the movie were. Because of this, the voice he uses is much closer to that of "The Cave of Wonders" from [[Wikipedia:Aladdin (film)|Walt Disney's ''Aladdin'']] and Darkseid from The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, both voiced by Welker. However, in the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' video game, Soundwave's voice ([[Peter Jessop]]) is vocoded in a manner similar to that of ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]'s first voice, only with a more musical tone.

*[[Frank Welker]] voiced Soundwave not only in the English version of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', but also in a large number of foreign dubs, including the Italian one. Welker described the process as "very hard".<ref name="welkernewsarama">[http://www.newsarama.com/tv/090915-Animated-Shorts-Welker.html Newsarama interview with Frank Welker], September 2009.</ref> Althouth Welker is also credited in the German dub of the movie, German dubbing insiders insist that the voice heard in the actual movie is by someone else ([[Horst Lampe]], who also dubbed ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]), presumably as a last-minute decision because Welker's "German" performance was considered sub-standard.<ref name="germandub">[http://215072.homepagemodules.de/t511643f11775323-Transformers-Die-Rache-Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen-7.html German dubbing board thread about ROTF, with a discussion about Soundwave's voice]</ref>. Welker is also credited in the Spanish dub (which character he voiced is not listed, but it was most likely Soundwave).

* Soundwave is unique among the Decepticons introduced in ''Revenge of the Fallen'' because he survives. ([[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]]'s fate is ambiguous in the film itself but he was clearly scrapped in the [[Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|two]] [[Revenge of the Fallen issue 2|adaptations]]). All the others are presumably killed, meaning if all our information only came from the films, then the only Decepticons alive are the original triad of Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave, along with the oft-overlooked [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]].

* Soundwave was included as a downloadable addition to the roster of the Revenge of the Fallen Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 video game, along with several ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' homages and fellow movie character [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]]. Soundwave's special abilities deploy an aerial jammer pod that looks suspiciously like [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], and an AOE pod that continuously smashes the ground with piledrivers; undoubtedly a nod to Generation 1 [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s minion [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]. According to concept artist [[Ken Christiansen]], his appearance was based more closely on the Deluxe class toy than his movie design.

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Communications specialists]]
[[Category:Cyber Missions characters]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen characters]]
[[Category:Spies]]
[[Category:Triple Changers]]

Bumblebee Blast (Slurpee)

2010-10-15T01:04:07Z

24.202.105.245:

[[Image:Rotf-slurpeecups.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Galvatron has a vision where he travels the universe, collecting instruments of power, gobbling up resources, dominating species, declaring wars, ravaging planets, and drinking from the goblet of <s>strife</s> Slurpee.]]

'''BUMBLEBEE Blast Slurpee Flavor''' will transform your mouth into refreshment mode! Bumblebee Blast is a mango passion fruit flavor of the frozen Slurpee drink, sold at [[7-Eleven]]s nationwide during June of 2009. The custom flavor was specially commissioned and christened to celebrate the then-upcoming release of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. It came served in one of four special plastic cups, each bearing the 3D likeness of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] or [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]].

According to the manufacturers of the Slurpee brand, it is so packed with flavor, your biceps will exhaust themselves merely contemplating the effort of lugging it from the dispenser to the register.

Bumblebee Blast was sold as part of 7-Eleven's Superhero Summer, an ongoing series of movie tie-in promotions celebrating films such as ''X-Men Origins: [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]]'' and ''Terminator Salvation''. It was replaced in July 2009 by "Liquid Ammunition", in honor of the live-action ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' movie.
{{-}}
===Related merchandise===
[[Image:Rotf-prime-mugshot.jpg|thumb|right|150px|That head would make a great coffee mug.]]

Additional Transformer-themed merchandise released alongside Bumblebee Blast includes:

* Character straws, featuring Bumblebee, Megatron, Optimus Prime and [[The Fallen]], wherein tiny plastic figurines of our heroes are clipped onto a long, thin, hollow plastic cylinder. A scoop at the bottom of the straw assists in eating Slurpees!

* A refillable 28-ounce cold beverage mug in the shape of Optimus Prime's head.

* A 12-ounce cup with removable stickers.

* A special two-disk release of ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'', with a special "transforming" package featuring Megatron, in a similar style to the [[Target]]-exclusive transforming Optimus Prime package.

==External links==
* [http://www.zimbio.com/Transformers/articles/128/Transformers+Head+to+7+11 Additional photos] at Zimbio.com

[[Category:Licensed food]]
[[category:Revenge of the Fallen]]

Garry Chalk

2010-10-13T22:34:55Z

24.202.105.245:

[[Image:GaryChalk1.jpg|right|225px|thumb|Garry Chalk: Man-at-Arms]]
'''Garry Chalk''' (born [[November 13]], 1953; also known as '''Gary Chalk''' or '''Gary Chaulk''') is a British-born Canadian voice actor and screen actor. In addition to his ''Transformers'' work, Chalk has also played Donkey Kong and King Hippo in ''Captain N: the Game Master'', Guts Man in ''Mega Man'', [[Dum Dum|Dum Dum Dugan]] in ''[[Nicholas|Nick Fury: Agent of Shield]]'', Grounder in ''The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'', and [[General Blitz]] in the ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' offshoot ''Sgt. Savage and His Screaming Eagles'', among numerous other roles.

He sounds like every awesome grandfather and uncle you ever had and shakes the hands of fans at [[BotCon]], too. Chalk once secretly video taped Eric Stoltz having sex and as a result was broken in two by a [[Fly|giant fly monster]].<ref>The [[1989]] film ''[[Wikipedia:The Fly II|The Fly II]]''</ref>

==Voice roles==
===''Generation 2''===
* [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]/[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (same voice) in a toy [[commercial]]
* [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]], also in a toy commercial
* Narrator for Season Two cartoon commercials

===''Beast Wars''===
{{collist|2|
*[[Megatron (G1)|G1 Megatron]] (recorded message)
*[[Onyx Primal]] (script reading)
*[[Optimus Primal]]
*[[Leader Neanderthal]]
*[[Protohuman]]s
}}

===''Beast Machines''===
{{collist|2|
*Optimus Primal
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (hologram)
}}

===''Armada''===
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]/Jet Optimus

===''Energon''===
*Optimus Prime/Optimus Supreme

===''Cybertron''===
*Optimus Prime
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (Ep 39 [[Giant]])

==Convention guest==
{{collist|2|
* [[BotCon 1998]]
* [[OTFCC 2003]]
}}
{{-}}
==Notes==
* During the audio commentary for "[[Beast Wars (Part 2)]]" on [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars'' Season 3 DVD, Garry's cell phone suddenly rings, forcing him to step outside.

* He has voiced Optimus Prime/Primal in more episodes than any other actor.

* Chalk is the first ([[David Kaye|but not the only]]) actor to voice both an [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] and a [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (but in different series).

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0149942/ Garry Chalk at the Internet Movie Database]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/tfw2005-interviews-transformers-voice-actor-garry-chalk-164728/ TFW2005 Interviews Transformers Voice Actor Garry Chalk]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalk, Garry}}
[[Category:Convention guests]]
[[Category:Mainframe]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]