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Only Human

2011-05-09T04:29:30Z

68.107.18.101:

{{episode|
|series=G1toon
|ep=88
|series2=2010
|ep2=22
|prev2=The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)
|next2=Money is Everything
|image=TitleOnlyHuman.JPG
|caption=-I'm flesh and blood, a man!
|title="Only Human"
|production code=700-108
|airdate=[[November 13]], 1986
|written by=[[Susan K. Williams]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[AKOM]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''When several Autobots interfere with his "business", a powerful crime lord has their minds placed into synthoid bodies, with the help of the strangely familiar "Old Snake".'''

:''Japanese title:'' 人間トランスフォーマー (''Ningen Transformer'', "Human Transformers")
:''German title:'' '''Nur ein Mensch''' (''Only Human'')

==Synopsis==
[[Image:CC-OldSnake01.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Doing a crossover... in style!]]

As buildings explode, [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] attempts to save as many people as he can. At the docks, crime lord [[Victor Drath]]'s men, led by [[Dutch (G1)|Dutch]], attempt to steal a canister of [[newtronium]]. [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] stop them; however, Dutch shoots the canister which explodes in Rodimus's hands, allowing the criminals to escape in their flying car.

Tired of the [[Autobot|Autobots]] interfering with his operations, Drath contacts the mysterious [[Old Snake]] who apparently ran some kind of terrorist organization in the past. Drath purchases Old Snake's assistance and technology, setting up a laboratory at his home. Lured to the laboratory, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] are trapped and their minds transferred into newly created [[synthoid]] human bodies. While the human [[Autobot]]s are taken away to be disposed at the junk yard, Snake suggests that Drath can make use of the Autobots' former robot bodies.

[[Image:ArceeSpringerHuman.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Hey Arcee, biologically we can...you know." "What? Huh?" "Nevermind."]]

The four Autobots manage to escape from the crusher in the junk yard before they're pulverised. They find clothing in a nearby building and swiftly realise what has happened. They split up—Magnus and Arcee decide to attempt to contact [[Autobot City]] while Rodimus and Springer go after Drath. Once the pair reaches Drath's house, Rodimus attempts to draw the guards away, but is wounded. He is given refuge by Drath's girlfriend [[Michelle]]. Springer spots Drath's men taking the Autobots' robot bodies for a test drive, taking the opportunity to rob a jewellery store. He is offers to help operate his old body, claiming that he has experience with heavy machinery, and gains the thugs' confidence.

Meanwhile Arcee and Ultra Magnus are having no luck contacting the police chief they'd worked with after the earlier bombings. They notice a nearby warehouse is owned by Drath and break in, discovering it's full of weapons. Unfortunately Arcee trips a silent alarm, and they're interrupted by thugs driving their old bodies. Magnus threatens them with a grenade, giving Arcee time to escape on a stolen motorcycle, but he is captured by Dutch a short time later.

[[Image:OnlyHuman Rodimus Michelle breakfast.jpg|left|200px|thumb|]]

Rodimus shares breakfast with Michelle, who confides that she knows who he is, but will help him get into Drath's house. Arcee makes it to [[Autobot City]], but the human security guards don't believe her story and instead place her in detention. Rodimus and Michelle enter Drath's home... only for Drath's men to spring the trap which Michelle has lured him into. Drath tells Rodimus that Snake has come up with a new plan — load the Autobots' robot bodies with explosives and use them to blow up Autobot City. Springer discovers the plan as well, when he drives his robot body to pick up the explosives. He and Ultra Magnus liberate both his old body, though it is damaged in the escape. The three remaining Autobot forms are dispatched for Autobot City.

[[Image:OnlyHuman Thugs in Rodimus.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]

Rodimus manages to get free of the goons and take down Drath himself. Drath gloats that Autobot City is still doomed. Indeed, Drath's thugs are nearing the city in the three purloined Autobot forms. Springer and Ultra Magnus fly Springer's robot form to catch up with the other three Autobots en route to Metroplex. Knowing that the Autobots in the city won't realize three Trojan horses are coming until it's too late, Ultra Magnus tells Springer to attack the city himself. Their firing on [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] alerts the inhabitants, and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] has time to activate the city’s defenses and waylay the oncoming Autobots.

Later, after the Autobots have put together the pieces, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] rigs the equipment at Drath's former hideout and transfers Rodimus Prime and the other's minds back to their rightful place. When asked about their adventure, Rodimus gives extra consideration to Michelle as she's led away along with Drath's other men. Meanwhile, safely away, Old Snake muses to himself how they just don't make terrorists like they used to. He also tries to yell out the rallying cry of his former organization but breaks down into coughing, so it's absolutely impossible to tell what group he used to run.
{{-}}
==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (2)
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] (3)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (4)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (10)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (11)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (12)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Dutch (G1)|Dutch]] (1)
*[[Chief Turan]] (6)
*[[Victor Drath]] (7)
*[[Michelle]] (8)
*[[Old Snake]] (9)
*Rodimus Prime (5)
*Ultra Magnus (4)
*Springer (2)
*Arcee (3)
}}

==Quotes==
"Yer 'trash' got up an' took a hike before I could squash 'em!"
:—'''Junkyard goon'''

'''Victor Drath:''' "Does that technology still exist, Snake? Is it for sale?" 
'''"Old Snake":''' "This is the world, Mr. Drath. ''Everything'' is for sale." 
:—Often from toy companies!

"The Path to True Humanity! Only $4.95, tax deductible!" 
''[Springer shoves him aside]'' 
"Sorry, pal, I'm a ''robot'' at heart. ...Terrific. I already need a shave."
:—'''Street proselytizer''' and humanized '''Springer'''

'''Springer''': "Need a hand? I, uh...operate heavy equipment. 
'''Goon #1''': Uh...yeah. 
'''Goon #2''': But dere's only room for ''two'' in here! 
''[#1 boots #2 out the hatch]'' 
'''Goon #1''': Yeah! Yer right!
:—Springer gets a lift from his own body.

"Don't think for a moment that I haven't the nerve to use this—I ''have!''"
:—Even humanized, '''Ultra Magnus''' is a badass.

"What's this?" 
"It's called breakfast, dummy." 
"Mph. Smells better than it tastes."
:—Humanized '''Rodimus''' discovers coffee, courtesy of '''Michelle'''

"Snake pointed out to me a problem with eliminating only the four of you...namely, an entire city of Autobots who might be tempted to vengeance. I believe in solutions, not problems. You can watch the destruction of Metroplex before you die."
:—'''Victor Drath''' rubs Rodimus's nose in it.

"Well, did you enjoy your sojourn, Rodimus?" 
"Maybe a little ''too'' much, Perceptor."
:—'''Perceptor''' innocently asks a very loaded question of '''Rodimus''', as the camera pointedly zooms in on Michelle.

"Poor Mr. Drath. Not quite smart enough, were you? They simply don't make terrorists like they ''used'' to! COOOOOBRA-ha-*hackcoughcoughcough*"
:—"'''Old Snake'''" gets away scot-free.

==Notes==
In general, this episode is ''really'' rushed, storywise. Scenes are raced through at a pretty breakneck pace, and on the whole, there's a tremendous sense of the episode having to hold back from actually ''doing'' anything with the potential-laden concept of the Autobots becoming human. Many of the ideas in the episode only seem half-developed, and what few subtleties do manage to break through the constant hurtle towards the final scene are often blunted by the complete lack of even just a reflective second or two to let them sink in. The episode really cries out to be a two-parter, which is a real shame, since the annotations for the episode included amongst the original documentation featured on [[Metrodome]]'s DVDs suggest that the production staff were ''really'' excited and enthusiastic about it.

[[Image:OnlyHumanlineup.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Ultra Magnus didn't want to admit he wanted the pink overalls.]]

* While not an error, since the reason for it is clear enough, it is a fun coincidence that once human, our four heroes find overalls to wear that perfectly match their former bodies' color schemes. It was also convenient for the new synthoid bodies to form complete with tee shirts and pants. This is a children’s show, you know.

[[Image:Only Human Rodimus (synthoid) breaks door.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Rodimus the Terminator.]]
* The humanized Autobots' synthoid bodies are much stronger than humans are. For example, during their escape from the junkyard, synthoid Rodimus is able to break through padlocked metal doors, an impossible feat for a human. In another example, humanized Ultra Magnus and Arcee push a container which is taller and heavier than they are and jump on it to penetrate into Drath's warehouse.

[[Image:Michelle.JPG|right|150px|thumb|I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.]]

* Michelle’s motivation is a little murky. She seems genuinely upset when the Autobots are supposedly killed by Drath, and later she saves Rodimus from his pursuers—yet later, she happily turns him over to Drath. Was she actually attracted to Rodimus and changed her mind, or was she just luring him into a trap all along? If she was working for Drath from the get-go, why didn’t she just let his men capture him when they asked for him earlier? It couldn’t have been because she wanted to snuggle with Rodimus that night, could it? This is a children’s show, you know.

* Also, the Autobots adapt to being human REALLY easily. Other than Springer needing a shave, there’s very little attention paid to the new problems with suddenly being biological. Shouldn’t the Autobots have problems understanding such concepts as going to the bathroom or breathing? Then again, that stuff veers into uncomfortable territory. This is a children’s show after all.

* In hindsight, just what was Victor Drath’s plan with the Autobots? He obviously has no trouble capturing the Autobots on his own, but purchased the synthoid equipment and went through all the trouble to set it up anyway to transfer the Autobots' minds into human bodies which he would simply dispose of. He also is going to take their former robot bodies and also simply dispose of them. It’s Ol’ Snake that gives him the idea actually to use the robot bodies. Why couldn’t he just capture the Autobots and simply dispose of them intact? Then again, maybe that’s overthinking it. This is a...well, you know.

===Animation or technical glitches===
* Outdated animation models end up being used frequently in this episode. Most notable is Arcee's, especially since her shoulder-thingies change orientation and her head changes shape several times. (The sub-par animation makes her look even worse.)

* During the rescue at the start, Springer, in helicopter mode, somehow catches a falling human on his nose, despite the fact the human would have to pass through his spinning rotors. A few shots later, his arms separate from his helicopter body without the transformation sound effect.

* As he runs up to the waterfront, Rodimus' spoiler is all-yellow when it should be orange in the middle. This error occurs throughout the episode.

* When he warns Rodimus about the Newtronium, the inside of Magnus' mouth is blue.

* There are several instances when the backgrounds switch from day to night to day again.

* Old Snake wasn't "pacing," as his subordinate said. When Drath finds him, he appears to be sitting on a curb.

* The commercial bumpers have a couple extra seconds' worth of music.

* As the humanized Autobots plan their first move, Magnus's voice comes out of Rodimus's mouth.

* Despite being human, there are occasions when the Autobots' voices are still synthesized to sound robotic.

* "And risk our both getting caught?" - Rodimus' mouth isn't moving.

* When Old Snake first has the Autobots transform, Rodimus is missing his trailer (so he looks like Hot Rod).

* When human Springer offers to pilot his robot form, the guy saying there's only room for two is on the right, then the shot changes and he's on the left.

* When human Springer climbs into his robot form, his crotch clips over a control rod.

* As the vehicle modes of Springer and Rodimus pull up to Drath's warehouse, Rodimus is missing his trailer (so he looks like Hot Rod). It reappears and disappears again during the scene.

* When Springer grabs the map of Autobot City, his glove is brown, but the next shot shows it (correctly) in white.

* As Springer and Magnus escape, Springer's body converts from car to helicopter without the transforming sound, or even any visible transformation sequence.

* After Rodimus hits Drath, the display shows Magnus' cab with blue on top instead of all-white.

* When Blaster sees the first three Autobots approaching Autobot City, Springer is shown instead of Arcee.

* Blaster's voice is way over synthesized.

* Arcee mouths part of Blaster's dialogue in her cell.

* Blaster has one big switch instead of three individual ones in a few shots.

* Perceptor is shown cheering for the returning Autobots. His chest is red instead of white, and his Autobot logo is framed in black instead of white (throughout the episode).

* As Blaster observes Springer opening fire on Autobot City, the laser beams are coming right out of the screen.

* Springer crashes on a concrete road, then is shown on a dirt path leading to Autobot City.

* Perceptor vanishes from the scene as the Autobots leave Drath's house, replaced by Magnus and Springer.

* As the Autobots leave Drath's house, a doorway (with outer space behind it) is seen ''behind'' them. They were in an enclosed room.

* One scene has Ultra Magus and Rodimus Prime next to each other transforming into robot mode. They both leave their trailers sitting behind them. With Rodimus, this is unusual for the cartoon but toy accurate. However, this was a missed opportunity for an appearance by Ultra Magnus's inner robot since he transformed wearing his trailer armor anyway.

===Continuity errors===
* Where is the Matrix during all this body-switching anyway?
* How do Rodimus' robot eyes look similar enough to his human eyes that Michelle was able to recognize him?
* What are all these humans suddenly doing in Autobot City? There were never any humans around before.
* Not an error per se, but it seems perhaps too convenient that the Autobot bodies have controls to allow a human pilot to control them fully, even being able to trigger the transformation and control the robot form.
* The humans also climb into and out of Rodimus' hood, not his cockpit.
* This episode and "[[The Killing Jar]]" (not to mention [[Hector Ramirez]]), without flat out stating it, establish the GI Joe: RAH cartoon and Transformers as being in the same continuity. How exactly then did we never see them cross paths in the 80's, given all the near world-ending events in their respective shows?

===Transformers references===
* This episode, along with "[[Forever Is a Long Time Coming]]" and "[[Madman's Paradise]]", is one of the few episodes to not feature Decepticons. In fact, this episode marks the only time in the G1 cartoon where all of the antagonists are human (or [[Cobra Commander|humanoid]]). Of course, they still get the Decepticon logo during the scene transitions.
* This episode might answer a question [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] asked at the end of the Season 2 episode "[[Autobot Spike]]" about what would happen if an Autobot's mind were placed in a human's body.

===Japanese version===

*'''Cut:''' The scene where the informant tells Victor Drath that Old Snake is down the street pacing back and forth, then gets punched in the face as payment, was cut for time.

===Trivia===

* Rodimus totally gets some in this episode. Wow.

* This episode uses a number of common cartoon sound effects for helicopter rotors and laser beams that had not been heard on ''Transformers'' before...but which were very common on its contemporary competitor, ''[[Tonka GoBots#Cartoon|Challenge of the GoBots]]''.

[[Image:OnlyHumanJap1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Oh so accurate.]]

*In Japan, this episode was very heavily promoted in the pages of ''[[TV Magazine]]'', featuring two pieces of unique promotional art by [[Ban Magami]] across two separate issues (a rarity for episode promos). Oddly, neither promo seemed to describe the contents of the episode accurately. The May 1987 issue boasted a "special news" emblem, indicating its importance over other episodes promoted that issue. The blurb described the episode, then tantalized children with the reveal that Cobra Commander, "the archenemy of [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]", would be leading his [[Cobra]] army in a fight against the Autobots. The June 1987 issue continued this misinformation campaign, even going so far as to feature a full-page promo of the episode with artwork depicting "Ole Snake" ominously leading a number of Cobra [[Rattler]]s and F.A.N.G.s. Whoever wrote the promotional summaries and told Magami what to draw either hadn't actually ''watched'' the episode or was just flat-out ''lying'' about its contents in order to snooker a larger audience with false claims of massive Autobot vs. Cobra action. Of course, it's also possible that the promos were penned with only an outdated story summary to work with, a la their promo artwork for "[[Starscream's Ghost]]" mistakenly featuring [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] instead of [[Octane]].

* This episode was lampooned at [[BotCon 2005]]'s [[MSTF]] presentation, as part of a "theme show" where all of the ''Transformers'' episodes featured had (sometimes really tenuous) ties to ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]''. Because this was the first year of [[Fun Publications]]' take on BotCon, and they run the Joe convention, you see.

*The "NYPD" markings on the police car suggest that the newtronium theft takes place in a futuristic [[New York City|New York]].

*For some reason, human Arcee doesn't look like Princess Leia. Even her hair is different.

*Human Arcee rides a motorcycle in this episode. She turns ''into'' one in the Michael Bay movies.

*If you look at "Ole Snake's" fingers, visible through his torn-up gloves, you'll notice that they're covered in yellow scales. This would appear to be a reference to ''G.I. Joe: The Movie'', in which Cobra Commander was mutated into a yellow-scaled snake-man and then an actual cobra. He was eventually restored to his yellow-scaled, snake-man form in the ''G.I. Joe'' miniseries "Operation: Dragonfire", though that story was conceived and produced many, many years after this episode.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1992 — ''Transformers'' — Only Human ([[Tempo Video|Tempo Kids Club]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 3 Part 2 & Season 4 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 3 and Season 4 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 5: Series 3.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season's Three & Four {{sic}} (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2010 — ''The Transformers'' — Seasons Three & Four: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/only_human.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicles]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Only Human

2011-05-09T04:27:36Z

68.107.18.101:

{{episode|
|series=G1toon
|ep=88
|series2=2010
|ep2=22
|prev2=The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)
|next2=Money is Everything
|image=TitleOnlyHuman.JPG
|caption=-I'm flesh and blood, a man!
|title="Only Human"
|production code=700-108
|airdate=[[November 13]], 1986
|written by=[[Susan K. Williams]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[AKOM]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''When several Autobots interfere with his "business", a powerful crime lord has their minds placed into synthoid bodies, with the help of the strangely familiar "Old Snake".'''

:''Japanese title:'' 人間トランスフォーマー (''Ningen Transformer'', "Human Transformers")
:''German title:'' '''Nur ein Mensch''' (''Only Human'')

==Synopsis==
[[Image:CC-OldSnake01.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Doing a crossover... in style!]]

As buildings explode, [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] attempts to save as many people as he can. At the docks, crime lord [[Victor Drath]]'s men, led by [[Dutch (G1)|Dutch]], attempt to steal a canister of [[newtronium]]. [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] stop them; however, Dutch shoots the canister which explodes in Rodimus's hands, allowing the criminals to escape in their flying car.

Tired of the [[Autobot|Autobots]] interfering with his operations, Drath contacts the mysterious [[Old Snake]] who apparently ran some kind of terrorist organization in the past. Drath purchases Old Snake's assistance and technology, setting up a laboratory at his home. Lured to the laboratory, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] are trapped and their minds transferred into newly created [[synthoid]] human bodies. While the human [[Autobot]]s are taken away to be disposed at the junk yard, Snake suggests that Drath can make use of the Autobots' former robot bodies.

[[Image:ArceeSpringerHuman.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Hey Arcee, biologically we can...you know." "What? Huh?" "Nevermind."]]

The four Autobots manage to escape from the crusher in the junk yard before they're pulverised. They find clothing in a nearby building and swiftly realise what has happened. They split up—Magnus and Arcee decide to attempt to contact [[Autobot City]] while Rodimus and Springer go after Drath. Once the pair reaches Drath's house, Rodimus attempts to draw the guards away, but is wounded. He is given refuge by Drath's girlfriend [[Michelle]]. Springer spots Drath's men taking the Autobots' robot bodies for a test drive, taking the opportunity to rob a jewellery store. He is offers to help operate his old body, claiming that he has experience with heavy machinery, and gains the thugs' confidence.

Meanwhile Arcee and Ultra Magnus are having no luck contacting the police chief they'd worked with after the earlier bombings. They notice a nearby warehouse is owned by Drath and break in, discovering it's full of weapons. Unfortunately Arcee trips a silent alarm, and they're interrupted by thugs driving their old bodies. Magnus threatens them with a grenade, giving Arcee time to escape on a stolen motorcycle, but he is captured by Dutch a short time later.

[[Image:OnlyHuman Rodimus Michelle breakfast.jpg|left|200px|thumb|]]

Rodimus shares breakfast with Michelle, who confides that she knows who he is, but will help him get into Drath's house. Arcee makes it to [[Autobot City]], but the human security guards don't believe her story and instead place her in detention. Rodimus and Michelle enter Drath's home... only for Drath's men to spring the trap which Michelle has lured him into. Drath tells Rodimus that Snake has come up with a new plan — load the Autobots' robot bodies with explosives and use them to blow up Autobot City. Springer discovers the plan as well, when he drives his robot body to pick up the explosives. He and Ultra Magnus liberate both his old body, though it is damaged in the escape. The three remaining Autobot forms are dispatched for Autobot City.

[[Image:OnlyHuman Thugs in Rodimus.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]

Rodimus manages to get free of the goons and take down Drath himself. Drath gloats that Autobot City is still doomed. Indeed, Drath's thugs are nearing the city in the three purloined Autobot forms. Springer and Ultra Magnus fly Springer's robot form to catch up with the other three Autobots en route to Metroplex. Knowing that the Autobots in the city won't realize three Trojan horses are coming until it's too late, Ultra Magnus tells Springer to attack the city himself. Their firing on [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] alerts the inhabitants, and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] has time to activate the city’s defenses and waylay the oncoming Autobots.

Later, after the Autobots have put together the pieces, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] rigs the equipment at Drath's former hideout and transfers Rodimus Prime and the other's minds back to their rightful place. When asked about their adventure, Rodimus gives extra consideration to Michelle as she's led away along with Drath's other men. Meanwhile, safely away, Old Snake muses to himself how they just don't make terrorists like they used to. He also tries to yell out the rallying cry of his former organization but breaks down into coughing, so it's absolutely impossible to tell what group he used to run.
{{-}}
==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (2)
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] (3)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (4)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (10)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (11)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (12)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Dutch (G1)|Dutch]] (1)
*[[Chief Turan]] (6)
*[[Victor Drath]] (7)
*[[Michelle]] (8)
*[[Old Snake]] (9)
*Rodimus Prime (5)
*Ultra Magnus (4)
*Springer (2)
*Arcee (3)
}}

==Quotes==
"Yer 'trash' got up an' took a hike before I could squash 'em!"
:—'''Junkyard goon'''

'''Victor Drath:''' "Does that technology still exist, Snake? Is it for sale?" 
'''"Old Snake":''' "This is the world, Mr. Drath. ''Everything'' is for sale." 
:—Often from toy companies!

"The Path to True Humanity! Only $4.95, tax deductible!" 
''[Springer shoves him aside]'' 
"Sorry, pal, I'm a ''robot'' at heart. ...Terrific. I already need a shave."
:—'''Street proselytizer''' and humanized '''Springer'''

'''Springer''': "Need a hand? I, uh...operate heavy equipment. 
'''Goon #1''': Uh...yeah. 
'''Goon #2''': But dere's only room for ''two'' in here! 
''[#1 boots #2 out the hatch]'' 
'''Goon #1''': Yeah! Yer right!
:—Springer gets a lift from his own body.

"Don't think for a moment that I haven't the nerve to use this—I ''have!''"
:—Even humanized, '''Ultra Magnus''' is a badass.

"What's this?" 
"It's called breakfast, dummy." 
"Mph. Smells better than it tastes."
:—Humanized '''Rodimus''' discovers coffee, courtesy of '''Michelle'''

"Snake pointed out to me a problem with eliminating only the four of you...namely, an entire city of Autobots who might be tempted to vengeance. I believe in solutions, not problems. You can watch the destruction of Metroplex before you die."
:—'''Victor Drath''' rubs Rodimus's nose in it.

"Well, did you enjoy your sojourn, Rodimus?" 
"Maybe a little ''too'' much, Perceptor."
:—'''Perceptor''' innocently asks a very loaded question of '''Rodimus''', as the camera pointedly zooms in on Michelle.

"Poor Mr. Drath. Not quite smart enough, were you? They simply don't make terrorists like they ''used'' to! COOOOOBRA-ha-*hackcoughcoughcough*"
:—"'''Old Snake'''" gets away scot-free.

==Notes==
In general, this episode is ''really'' rushed, storywise. Scenes are raced through at a pretty breakneck pace, and on the whole, there's a tremendous sense of the episode having to hold back from actually ''doing'' anything with the potential-laden concept of the Autobots becoming human. Many of the ideas in the episode only seem half-developed, and what few subtleties do manage to break through the constant hurtle towards the final scene are often blunted by the complete lack of even just a reflective second or two to let them sink in. The episode really cries out to be a two-parter, which is a real shame, since the annotations for the episode included amongst the original documentation featured on [[Metrodome]]'s DVDs suggest that the production staff were ''really'' excited and enthusiastic about it.

[[Image:OnlyHumanlineup.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Ultra Magnus didn't want to admit he wanted the pink overalls.]]

* While not an error, since the reason for it is clear enough, it is a fun coincidence that once human, our four heroes find overalls to wear that perfectly match their former bodies' color schemes. It was also convenient for the new synthoid bodies to form complete with tee shirts and pants. This is a children’s show, you know.

[[Image:Only Human Rodimus (synthoid) breaks door.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Rodimus the Terminator.]]
* The humanized Autobots' synthoid bodies are much stronger than humans are. For example, during their escape from the junkyard, synthoid Rodimus is able to break through padlocked metal doors, an impossible feat for a human. In another example, humanized Ultra Magnus and Arcee push a container which is taller and heavier than they are and jump on it to penetrate into Drath's warehouse.

[[Image:Michelle.JPG|right|150px|thumb|I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.]]

* Michelle’s motivation is a little murky. She seems genuinely upset when the Autobots are supposedly killed by Drath, and later she saves Rodimus from his pursuers—yet later, she happily turns him over to Drath. Was she actually attracted to Rodimus and changed her mind, or was she just luring him into a trap all along? If she was working for Drath from the get-go, why didn’t she just let his men capture him when they asked for him earlier? It couldn’t have been because she wanted to snuggle with Rodimus that night, could it? This is a children’s show, you know.

* Also, the Autobots adapt to being human REALLY easily. Other than Springer needing a shave, there’s very little attention paid to the new problems with suddenly being biological. Shouldn’t the Autobots have problems understanding such concepts as going to the bathroom or breathing? Then again, that stuff veers into uncomfortable territory. This is a children’s show after all.

* In hindsight, just what was Victor Drath’s plan with the Autobots? He obviously has no trouble capturing the Autobots on his own, but purchased the synthoid equipment and went through all the trouble to set it up anyway to transfer the Autobots' minds into human bodies which he would simply dispose of. He also is going to take their former robot bodies and also simply dispose of them. It’s Ol’ Snake that gives him the idea actually to use the robot bodies. Why couldn’t he just capture the Autobots and simply dispose of them intact? Then again, maybe that’s overthinking it. This is a...well, you know.

===Animation or technical glitches===
* Outdated animation models end up being used frequently in this episode. Most notable is Arcee's, especially since her shoulder-thingies change orientation and her head changes shape several times. (The sub-par animation makes her look even worse.)

* During the rescue at the start, Springer, in helicopter mode, somehow catches a falling human on his nose, despite the fact the human would have to pass through his spinning rotors. A few shots later, his arms separate from his helicopter body without the transformation sound effect.

* As he runs up to the waterfront, Rodimus' spoiler is all-yellow when it should be orange in the middle. This error occurs throughout the episode.

* When he warns Rodimus about the Newtronium, the inside of Magnus' mouth is blue.

* There are several instances when the backgrounds switch from day to night to day again.

* Old Snake wasn't "pacing," as his subordinate said. When Drath finds him, he appears to be sitting on a curb.

* The commercial bumpers have a couple extra seconds' worth of music.

* As the humanized Autobots plan their first move, Magnus's voice comes out of Rodimus's mouth.

* Despite being human, there are occasions when the Autobots' voices are still synthesized to sound robotic.

* "And risk our both getting caught?" - Rodimus' mouth isn't moving.

* When Old Snake first has the Autobots transform, Rodimus is missing his trailer (so he looks like Hot Rod).

* When human Springer offers to pilot his robot form, the guy saying there's only room for two is on the right, then the shot changes and he's on the left.

* When human Springer climbs into his robot form, his crotch clips over a control rod.

* As the vehicle modes of Springer and Rodimus pull up to Drath's warehouse, Rodimus is missing his trailer (so he looks like Hot Rod). It reappears and disappears again during the scene.

* When Springer grabs the map of Autobot City, his glove is brown, but the next shot shows it (correctly) in white.

* As Springer and Magnus escape, Springer's body converts from car to helicopter without the transforming sound, or even any visible transformation sequence.

* After Rodimus hits Drath, the display shows Magnus' cab with blue on top instead of all-white.

* When Blaster sees the first three Autobots approaching Autobot City, Springer is shown instead of Arcee.

* Blaster's voice is way over synthesized.

* Arcee mouths part of Blaster's dialogue in her cell.

* Blaster has one big switch instead of three individual ones in a few shots.

* Perceptor is shown cheering for the returning Autobots. His chest is red instead of white, and his Autobot logo is framed in black instead of white (throughout the episode).

* As Blaster observes Springer opening fire on Autobot City, the laser beams are coming right out of the screen.

* Springer crashes on a concrete road, then is shown on a dirt path leading to Autobot City.

* Perceptor vanishes from the scene as the Autobots leave Drath's house, replaced by Magnus and Springer.

* As the Autobots leave Drath's house, a doorway (with outer space behind it) is seen ''behind'' them. They were in an enclosed room.

* One scene has Ultra Magus and Rodimus Prime next to each other transforming into robot mode. They both leave their trailers sitting behind them. With Rodimus, this is unusual for the cartoon but toy accurate. However, this was a missed opportunity for an appearance by Ultra Magnus's inner robot since he transformed wearing his trailer armor anyway.

===Continuity errors===
* Where is the Matrix during all this body-switching anyway?
* How do Rodimus' robot eyes look similar enough to his human eyes that Michelle was able to recognize him?
* What are all these humans suddenly doing in Autobot City? There were never any humans around before.
* Not an error per se, but it seems perhaps too convenient that the Autobot bodies have controls to allow a human pilot to control them fully, even being able to trigger the transformation and control the robot form.
* The humans also climb into and out of Rodimus' hood, not his cockpit.
* This episode and "[[The Killing Jar]]" (not to mention [[Hector Ramirez]], without flat out stating it, establish the GI Joe: RAH cartoon and Transformers as being in the same continuity. How exactly then did we never see them cross paths in the 80's, given all the near world-ending events in their respective shows?

===Transformers references===
* This episode, along with "[[Forever Is a Long Time Coming]]" and "[[Madman's Paradise]]", is one of the few episodes to not feature Decepticons. In fact, this episode marks the only time in the G1 cartoon where all of the antagonists are human (or [[Cobra Commander|humanoid]]). Of course, they still get the Decepticon logo during the scene transitions.
* This episode might answer a question [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] asked at the end of the Season 2 episode "[[Autobot Spike]]" about what would happen if an Autobot's mind were placed in a human's body.

===Japanese version===

*'''Cut:''' The scene where the informant tells Victor Drath that Old Snake is down the street pacing back and forth, then gets punched in the face as payment, was cut for time.

===Trivia===

* Rodimus totally gets some in this episode. Wow.

* This episode uses a number of common cartoon sound effects for helicopter rotors and laser beams that had not been heard on ''Transformers'' before...but which were very common on its contemporary competitor, ''[[Tonka GoBots#Cartoon|Challenge of the GoBots]]''.

[[Image:OnlyHumanJap1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Oh so accurate.]]

*In Japan, this episode was very heavily promoted in the pages of ''[[TV Magazine]]'', featuring two pieces of unique promotional art by [[Ban Magami]] across two separate issues (a rarity for episode promos). Oddly, neither promo seemed to describe the contents of the episode accurately. The May 1987 issue boasted a "special news" emblem, indicating its importance over other episodes promoted that issue. The blurb described the episode, then tantalized children with the reveal that Cobra Commander, "the archenemy of [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]", would be leading his [[Cobra]] army in a fight against the Autobots. The June 1987 issue continued this misinformation campaign, even going so far as to feature a full-page promo of the episode with artwork depicting "Ole Snake" ominously leading a number of Cobra [[Rattler]]s and F.A.N.G.s. Whoever wrote the promotional summaries and told Magami what to draw either hadn't actually ''watched'' the episode or was just flat-out ''lying'' about its contents in order to snooker a larger audience with false claims of massive Autobot vs. Cobra action. Of course, it's also possible that the promos were penned with only an outdated story summary to work with, a la their promo artwork for "[[Starscream's Ghost]]" mistakenly featuring [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] instead of [[Octane]].

* This episode was lampooned at [[BotCon 2005]]'s [[MSTF]] presentation, as part of a "theme show" where all of the ''Transformers'' episodes featured had (sometimes really tenuous) ties to ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]''. Because this was the first year of [[Fun Publications]]' take on BotCon, and they run the Joe convention, you see.

*The "NYPD" markings on the police car suggest that the newtronium theft takes place in a futuristic [[New York City|New York]].

*For some reason, human Arcee doesn't look like Princess Leia. Even her hair is different.

*Human Arcee rides a motorcycle in this episode. She turns ''into'' one in the Michael Bay movies.

*If you look at "Ole Snake's" fingers, visible through his torn-up gloves, you'll notice that they're covered in yellow scales. This would appear to be a reference to ''G.I. Joe: The Movie'', in which Cobra Commander was mutated into a yellow-scaled snake-man and then an actual cobra. He was eventually restored to his yellow-scaled, snake-man form in the ''G.I. Joe'' miniseries "Operation: Dragonfire", though that story was conceived and produced many, many years after this episode.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1992 — ''Transformers'' — Only Human ([[Tempo Video|Tempo Kids Club]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 3 Part 2 & Season 4 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 3 and Season 4 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 5: Series 3.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season's Three & Four {{sic}} (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2010 — ''The Transformers'' — Seasons Three & Four: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/only_human.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicles]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

The Gambler

2011-05-09T03:54:35Z

68.107.18.101:

{{episode
|image=The Gambler title shot.JPG
|caption="On a warm summer's evenin', on a train bound for nowhere..."
|series=G1toon
|ep=47
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=36
|prev2=The Secret of Omega Supreme
|next2=The Girl Who Loved Powerglide
|title="The Gambler"
|written by=[[Michael Charles Hill]]
|production code=700-46
|airdate=[[November 11]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''On the return journey from Aron's world, the Autobots are captured by a gambling-addicted alien and traded away, leaving Smokescreen and the Autobot bounty hunter Devcon to rescue them.'''

:''Japanese title:'' ギャンブル惑星モナカス (''Gamble Wakusei Monacus'', "Monacus, the Planet of Gambling ")
:''Italian title:'' '''Il giocatore''' ("The gambler")

==Synopsis==
{{note|This episode follows the events of "[[Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play]]".}}
[[Image:Gamblerautosintubes.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin' is knowin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep.]]
The Autobots are returning to earth after their adventure on [[Aron]]'s planet, when their "toy rocket" space ship suddenly comes to a halt. They are captured by an alien captain named [[Bosch]]. Bosch deactivates them and intends to sell the Autobots as slaves in exchange for energon. However, [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]'s tube malfunctions and he remains functional, though temporarily immobilized.

Smokescreen learns that Bosch is a gambler. After demonstrating his ability to manipulate a slot machine, he takes Bosch's proposition to go to [[Monacus]], a gambling asteroid, and win enough energon to repower Bosch's ship in exchange for the freedom of the rest of the Autobots.

Bosch and Smokescreen end up at the "Pit of Destruction" arena of [[Gyconi|Lord Gyconi]], a local swindler, where they use the Autobots as collateral for a very high-interest loan of energon chips. At a casino, Smokescreen builds up quite a stack of winnings and lets it all ride on one last bet. But one of the casino workers breaks his link with a slot machine and he loses everything. Unable to buy back his friends, Smokescreen vows that Gyconi hasn't seen the last of him.

[[Image:Gamblersmokescreenbets.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.]]

Meanwhile, [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] arrive on the planet in [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and head towards the city. They are followed by a mysterious blue Autobot.

In a local tavern, Smokescreen meets the mysterious Autobot, who introduces himself as [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]]; he's a bounty hunter searching for Decepticons.

[[Image:Gamblerdevconslizardo.jpg|left|200px|thumb|For a taste of your whiskey, I'll give you some advice.]]

In Gyconi's lair, Ramjet and Dirge shake down the big green frogman for a share of his profits. He invites the two Decepticon planes to stay and watch the upcoming battle in his arena: the Autobots versus the Animaliens. Before the show, Gyconi fixes the fight by giving the Autobots unstable energon which will wear off and make them defenseless.

The fight begins as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], under Gyconi's control, takes on an ugly red lizard animalien. At first the Autobot leader holds his own, prompting a lot of patrons to bet on him, but then his power runs out and he's overcome. [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] is forced into the arena for the next match, but before it starts, Smokescreen fills the place with smoke and forces everyone out. Ramjet and Dirge chase him down, but he's saved by Devcon.

[[Image:Gambleranimalianfight.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.]]

Gyconi and the Decepticons load up Astrotrain with energon cubes in order to make a getaway, but Smokescreen, Devcon and Bosch confront them. During a fierce firefight, Smokescreen uses his smoke again to confuse the Decepticons. They take off aboard Astrotrain and Devcon chases after them.

The Autobots are returned to normal and Bosch offers to take them back to earth, but only after a quick stop at casino row.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (1)
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (2)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (4)
* [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (5)
* [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] (14)
|c2=
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (11)
* [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (12)
* [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (13)
|c4=
* [[Bosch]] (6)
* Monacan loan shark (7)
* [[Animalien]] (8)
* [[Slizardo]] (9)
* [[Gyconi]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Arrrgh! I can't even beat my own machine anymore, and I had it fixed so I could cheat!"
:—'''Bosch''' has a stroke of bad luck.

"The name is Smokescreen, and I never walk when I can drive."
:—'''Smokescreen'''

"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight for the first time anywhere in the galaxies, you will witness the pugilistic spectacle of the millennium!"
:—'''Lord Gyconi''' talks up his gladiator show.

"Now, prepare to meet my friend, Mr. Ionic Displacer."
:—'''Astrotrain'''

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
*When the autobots are captured and Smokescreen's tube breaks, he's miscoloured. He's back to blue and red as he gets paralyzed by the guard.
*The animation of the tubes opening to release the brainwashed Autobots is just the shot of them closing played backwards — unfortunately this means that Smokescreen appears to be in one of the tubes when he shouldn't be.
*As the Autobots are returned to their original size, shouldn't the container they were in shatter? There's no breaking sound effect.
*The lowering platform in Gyconi's room is left unanimated, making the Autobots seem to lower into a paving stone.
*As Smokescreen goes "all in" at the casino, one shot shows the energon chips as all-black (rather than glowing pink). The same thing happens as the patrons at the arena grab their chips, and as the Autobots load Astrotrain with energon cubes.
*After Smokescreen loses the chips, the next shot of him (in Gyconi's room) has him colored entirely in blue.
*When Slizardo and Bosch approach Astrotrain, Slizardo's animation cell does not change, resulting in him appearing much smaller than Bosch.
*When Bosch and Smokescreen are walking together, they are about the same height, however, when Smokescreen transforms, Bosch rides inside him. Then again, mass-shifting is nothing new here

===Continuity errors===
*In terms of airdates, this episode is ''definitely'' played out of order, as we've seen several of the characters that are still trying to escape from Aron's planet in "[[Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play]]" on Earth prior to this one.
*Apparently the Decepticons on Earth make trips to far away planets to take their cut of energon from their business partners. If Megatron's been (mostly) on Earth for 4 million years, when did he set these deals up?
*Both times Smokescreen shoots his smoke out, the Decepticons are shown coughing (even though, again, transformers are robots and don't have real throats or lungs).
*At any point after the "temporary" paralyzing effects of Bosch's gun wears off, Smokescreen is given ample opportunities to simply force Bosch to free his friends. He is clearly more interested in this gambling trip than saving his friends... good thing for him that Prime was comatose when it all happened!

===Transformers references===
*Slizardo would eventually return in the season 3 episode "[[Grimlock's New Brain]]" alongside the [[Skuxxoid]].
*Devcon would later be featured in the [[Universe (2003 comic)|''Wreckers'' comic]].
*Astrotrain refers to his ionic displacer rifle by that name.

===Real-world references===
*[[wikipedia:Sheol|Sheol]], the name of Lord Gyconi's part of town, is a Hebrew word that means "the grave", and is sometimes used as a synonym or euphemism for Hell.
*When an alien turns down Bosch's offer of the Autobots as collateral, saying he's "got robots up to [his] eyeballs", he advises Bosch to go see someone named Asimov. [[wikipedia:Isaac Asimov|Isaac Asimov]] was a science-fiction writer known for his stories about robots (duh).
*Monacus is named for the real-world sovereign state of Monaco, famous for its casino.

===Trivia===
* This is one of the only two pre-movie episodes in which [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] does not appear, the other being "[[The God Gambit]]". Both have Astrotrain and two Seekers in them.
* Before the Botcon comic, the overwhelming majority of the fandom spelled Devcon's name Defcon, which is closer to the pronunciation given in the episode and has a real world meaning. Many in the fandom were up in arms about the spelling; however, the comic spelling is based on the original script and is now considered the "correct" spelling.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2: Vol. 5 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 3: Series 2.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 05: Stagione Due Parte Terza ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part Two (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume Two: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/the_gambler.html Dossier on the Cybertron Chronicle]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gambler}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

The Ultimate Weapon

2011-05-09T03:01:13Z

68.107.18.101:

{{disambig2|the episode|the eponymous device|Ultimate Weapon}}
{{episode|
|series=G1toon
|series2=2010
|ep=84
|ep2=20
|prev2=The Quintesson Journal
|next2=The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=23
|prev3=Ghost in the Machine
|next3=Fight or Flee
|image=G1 UltimateWeapon Oldlady.jpg
|caption=Rejected from Hell's Grannies.
|title="The Ultimate Weapon"
|production code=700-104
|airdate=[[November 10]], 1986
|written by=[[Arthur Byron Cover]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''While Galvatron threatens the Autobots with a vague and mysterious "ultimate weapon", First Aid leaves the Autobots.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 究極の武器 (''Kyūkyoku no Buki'', "The Ultimate Weapon")
:''German title:'' "'''Das Transformationsmodul'''" ("The Transformation-Modul")
:''German'' Generation 2 '' title:'' "'''Der große Bluff'''" ("The big Bluff")
:''Latin American title:'' "'''El Arma Mortífera'''" ("The Deadly Weapon")
:''Russian title:'' "'''Glavnoye orujiye'''" (''Главное оружие'', "The Main Weapon")
==Synopsis==
[[Image:G1 UltimateWeapon civilunrest.jpg|left|170px|thumb|The stripes are to help them blend into the herd.]]

In the far-flung future of 2006, the Netherlands is the most violent nation on Earth. Bands of roving French street gangs throw grenades into windmills for no obvious reason. Unable to rely on the police, old ladies begin arming themselves in their gardens. Desperate, the police turn to the Autobots, who seek to stem the fighting. The [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], after some harshing on the part of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], roll out to stop the violence. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] tries to calm Rodimus, saying he's just as good a commander as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was. Rodimus, however, feels that he will never live up to the legendary [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]]'s legacy. Who could?

Arriving in the city, the [[Decepticon]]s attack, and [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] is injured. [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] takes him to Metroplex to get repairs, while Galvatron attacks. Retreating, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] taunts Rodimus with the threat of the [[Ultimate Weapon]]. At [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] breaks in and manages to steal Metroplex's transformation cog. First Aid tries to reason with Swindle, but the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] merely shoots the Autobot medic, then leaves. Amid a fleet of naval destroyers, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] rises from the sea and eats a ship before destroying the rest. Galvatron tells Trypticon to hurry to Metroplex, but realizes when and when not to push the dinosaur. Swindle arrives and attempts to haggle for the cog. Galvatron offers him a limited-time deal: Hand over the cog, or see his life get ended.

[[Image:G1 UltimateWeapon Defensorcatchestrain.jpg|right|170px|thumb|It's just a flesh wound—er, armor wound.]]

At Metroplex, First Aid is feeling guilty over his pacifism. While Rodimus maintains that he would never force First Aid to violate his beliefs, First Aid decides to leave to clear his head. Learning that Trypticon is coming, the Autobots roll out. Reaching a nearby city, Trypticon menaces a train, but [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] manages to save it, even with only one arm. The [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] move in to attack. [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] gets shot down, while [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] flies into Trypticon's stomach through his mouth, firing all the while. Injured, Trypticon is forced to retreat. However, it's only bought them time, as Metroplex is still the only one who can fight Trypticon, and he's locked in city mode. Even with the cog, First Aid is the only one who understands Metroplex's systems enough to fix him. [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] decides to track down his AWOL teammate.

[[Image:G1 UltimateWeapon TrypticontacklesMetroplex.jpg|left|170px|thumb|City rivalry takes on a whole new meaning.]]

Rodimus and Magnus head for Trypticon's hiding place, with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]] posing as repairmen. [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]], nearly duped, realizes that the cars are Autobots due to the pollution-free fuel that they are using. Daniel is thrown off a cliff, but Magnus saves him. Rodimus and Magnus distract the Decepticons while Spike and Daniel steal Trypticon's cog. Returning to Metroplex, they install Trypticon's cog in Metroplex, while the Decepticons install Metroplex's cog in Trypticon. (It's easy to get lost, but just pay attention and it will make sense.) Convinced that he "can still smash", Trypticon heads for battle. Metroplex [[Transformation|transforms]] from [[Alternate mode|city mode]], but both cities are suffering problems.

[[Image:G1 UltimateWeapon UltimateWeapon%21.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Behold: the label gun of DOOM!]]

At a junkyard, First Aid is keeping [[NUL-A]], a junkyard robot, company while fixing abandoned refrigerators in an effort to think about something other than the Autobots. Hot Spot finds him and informs him of Metroplex's problem. Though still unsure of rejoining the Autobots, First Aid realizes that Metroplex's danger is more important. Meanwhile, Trypticon has gained the advantage and thrown Metroplex into a nearby lake. (Talk about irony.) Heading for Metroplex, First Aid manages to get inside and properly align the transformation cog, allowing Metroplex to transform fully. Metroplex throws Trypticon deeper into the lake, and the dinosaur sinks. Galvatron threatens to use the Ultimate Weapon, but Rodimus realizes that the weapon is a bluff. Out of options, Galvatron retreats. First Aid's faith in his work is restored, and Rodimus's confidence is emboldened, at least until the next time he has a crisis of faith.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (1)
* [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (2)
* [[Rodimus Prime (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (4)
* [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (5)
* [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (6)
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (7)
* [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] (14)
* [[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]] (15)
* [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (16)
* [[Scamper]] (18)
* [[Slammer]] (19)
* [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] (22)
* [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (29)
* [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (30)
* [[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (31)
* [[Slingshot]] (32)
* [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (33)
|c2=
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (8)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (9)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (10)
* [[Predaking]] (11)
* [[Octane]] (12)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (13)
* [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] (17)
* [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (20)
* [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (21)
* [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] (23)
* [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] (24)
* [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (25)
* [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] (26)
* [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (27)
* [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (28)
|c3=
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (34)
* [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] (35)
|c4=
* [[NUL-A]] (36)
}}

==Quotes==
'''First Aid''': I'm taking him back to Metroplex for emergency repairs! 
'''Galvatron''': Better get ''used'' to the trip, Autobot. 
'''Rodimus''': Why don't you get used to ''losing'', Galvatron? It's all you ever do!
:—Rodimus Prime hits the Decepticons where it hurts: in the war record.

"Hey! Wait a second! Who are you? Where'd you come from? How'd you get in?!?" 
''[Swindle shoots the floor from under Scamper and Slammer, causing the Autobots to crash]'' 
"No time to answer stupid questions!"
:—'''Scamper''', the world's worst security guard, is blasted by '''Swindle'''.

"I heard you were a pacifist, but I don't believe there's a Transformer who won't fight for his life!" 
"I don't believe in fighting. I'm a medic, not a warrior." 
"Then you'll ''die'' for your beliefs!"
:—'''Swindle''' taunts '''First Aid'''.

[[Image:Ultimate Weapon Trypticon hungry.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Never play Battleship with Trypticon]]

'''Trypticon''': Best humans can do? 
''[Trypticon tosses battleship halves at attacking ships]'' 
'''Galvatron''': Come, Trypticon, stop trifling with that! Metroplex awaits. 
'''Trypticon''': Trypticon hungry!
:—Trypticon finds that naval destroyers taste great ''and'' are less filling.

''[Spike runs into Cyclonus]'' 
'''Cyclonus:''' ''Humans...''" 
'''Spike:''' Uh, everything's fine in there. Uh, the problem must be somewhere else. 
'''Cyclonus:''' Then don't dawdle, human. Trypticon must be repaired at once... for the greater glory of Galvatron! 
'''Spike:''' You got it, you got it... sheesh, dunno why anybody'd wanna work for such a bunch of grumpy employers.
:— A rather clueless Cyclonus lets Spike and Daniel get away with Trypticon's transformation cog.

"Hey, keep it down! This is a residential area!" 
"Trypticon turn Metroplex into slum!"
:—'''Metroplex''' and '''Trypticon''' discuss urban renewal in a whole new way.

'''Galvatron''': I still have my ultimate weapon, Rodimus! Surrender now, or I'll unleash its force upon you all! 
'''Rodimus Prime''': ''[to Ultra Magnus]'' You know, I think I've finally started to wise up. If such a weapon existed, he'd have used it a long time ago! 
'''Galvatron''': I tell you for the last time, Rodimus. Surrender, or there won't be an Earth left to protect! Surrender! This is your last chance, or— 
'''Rodimus Prime''': You're bluffing, Galvatron. 
'''Galvatron''': I tell you this is the end! 
'''Rodimus Prime:''' You're right. It is, because I used the real 'ultimate weapon'...my ''mind''! 
'''Galvatron''': Stay back! 
''[Rodimus Prime continues walking towards Galvatron]'' 
'''Galvatron''': I said stay back! 
''[Rodimus Prime continues walking; Galvatron throws the "ultimate weapon" control device on the ground]'' 
'''Galvatron''': Aarh! There will be another day, Rodimus! 
''[Galvatron retreats]'' 
'''Rodimus Prime''': And we'll be ready.
:—Galvatron's less-than-impressive bluff is called by Rodimus Prime.

==Notes==
* It is unclear what species of robot [[NUL-A]] is, as his speech and mannerisms clearly demonstrate him to be sentient rather than some kind of human-built drone.

* When Trypticon attacks Metroplex, the animation is of a noticeably higher quality than the rest of the episode and the norm of the overall series.

*The interior of Metroplex looks ''really'' dilapidated. Every shot when the Autobots are inside shows broken pipes, cracks in the walls and other defects. It looked fine [[Starscream's Ghost|the last time we saw him]].

===Animation or technical glitches===
*The guns carried by the rebels disappear when they run up to the windmill and throw their grenades, and reappear as they run away.

*[[Nightmare Planet|Once again]], Rodimus is missing the line on his head crest in many shots.

*The laser beam the old woman fires from her pistol is red, but the laser beam that actually hits the car tires is blue.

*When Blades flies towards another damage and gets shot down by the Decepticons, the front part of his [[Alternate mode|altmode]] is colored white instead of the usual red.

*When Galvatron transforms after shooting Blades, he's missing his Decepticon logo.

*When Ultra Magnus orders Steeljaw and Ramhorn to attack, he wields a completely different gun than the one he normally uses. His normal gun reappears in subsequent shots.

*Metroplex actually opens his outer wall ''before'' he's asked to by First Aid.

*When Galvatron responds to Rodimus Prime's question during the village battle, Cyclonus's mouth is missing. Similarly, in the end of the episode, when First Aid declares his return to the Autobots, Rodimus' mouth is missing, too, but reappears when he starts talking.

*Adding to this, and turning the whole mouth-animation-thing into a complete mess up, when First Aid declares he's leaving the Autobots, Hot Spot is depicted as actually ''having'' a mouth in several shots, including close-ups and speaking lines, despite the fact that normally he is shown with an Optimus Prime-like moving [[mouthplate]].

*Swindle's gun sounds like Galvatron's cannon.

*The basket of oranges the farmer drops disappears in subsequent shots.

*Trypticon grabs a monorail and tosses it in the air, yet an interior shot shows the people sitting perfectly calm!

*Thanks to Roger C. Carmel's inconsistency with his characters, we have a Motormaster with a weak voice that actually sounds a lot like Regis Cordic's Menasor, making it difficult to compare.

*As Silverbolt exits Trypticon's mouth, he's coloured like Air Raid.

*As the Decepticons leave the Autobots when Trypticon is wounded, it can be seen that Defensor had dissasembled as the Protectobots can be seen separately. A few moments later, Defensor separates before the camera. Huh?

*First Aid can be seen in the error above when Decepticons retreat. Also the some parts of Blades's back plating is miscolored.

*As the Decepticons retreat, Galvatron's shoulders are missing the red squares on top.

*As Rodimus talks to Magnus about needing First Aid back, his Autobot logo's "eyes" are red.

*Spike's eyebrows are brown in this episode. They were black in "Nightmare Planet."

*When Spike and Daniel run into Cyclonus, he's missing the orange rectangle on his chest. It reappears two shots later.

*When Spike and Daniel run into Cyclonus, he's "clean shaven." When he notices Trypticon's missing cog, he's got the purple chin again.

*Daniel is unusually tall in this episode. When he and Spike are involved in the clandestine operation to steal Trypticon's transformation cog, he is almost as tall as his dad.

*When Spike tells Daniel that they'll be just in time for their rendezvous, Spike is not carrying the toolbox containing the transforming cog. It reappears when they exit Trypticon.

*Just before a scene transition, Metroplex transforms into base mode, then after a flash of light he's suddenly in robot mode again.

*When Hot Spot is trying to convince First Aid to come back into the Autobots, the visible wheels on First Aid are colored as white, not black.

*Trypticon completely misses Metroplex when they fire on each other, yet Metroplex falls down.

*Greeting First Aid's return, Ultra Magnus holds the medic's hands. Oddly, instead of letting go as he did with Rodimus Prime, First Aid appears to continue to hold Ultra Magnus's hands throughout his dialogue about agreeing to help the Autobots.

*Metroplex's face is briefly colored black as he and Trypticon wrestle.

*First Aid's visor is colored black as he finishes modifying Metroplex's new cog.

*After the cog is modified, Metroplex is mouthing something but Trypticon is talking.

*When Galvatron declares that while Trypticon may have been defeated he still lives, his laser cannon is enormous (and again, his shoulders are missing the red squares...until Rodimus is next to him).

*As Rodimus Prime tells Ultra Magnus that he has finally wised-up to Galvatron's bluff, Ultra Magnus' left shoulder overlaps Rodimus' rear wing, even though Rodimus is standing closest to the viewer and should instead overlap Ultra Magnus.

*In one shot of Galvatron, the "Ultimate Weapon" remote is missing (we see only Galvatron's closed fist). In another, the remote is blue instead of grey.

*In one of the final shots of the episode, Rodimus' spoiler is burgundy in the middle instead of orange.

===Continuity errors===
*How did the Decepticons get to Earth in the first place? How did they get Trypticon there ([[Ghost in the Machine|last we saw]], he was on Cybertron)? What happened to the Earth Defense Command satellites?

*When the monorail train was endangered during Trypticon's initial rampage, wouldn't it have been a hell of a lot easier to have a ''two-armed'' Superion catch it rather than a ''one-armed'' Defensor?

*Galvatron acts a whole lot saner in this episode then he usually is in the third season. He's not as sane as in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', of course, but it's something. Of course in the same vein, it seems unlikely that the usually gun crazy Galvatron would try to bluff anything.

*During their initial assault in the village, [[Octane]] is seen among the firing Decepticons, even though Galvatron had placed a price on his head in "[[Starscream's Ghost]]".

*Similarly, [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] is hovering next to Galvatron during Trypticon's attack on the naval fleet, even though he was banished from the Decepticons following "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]".

===Trivia===
*While not an out-and-out mistake, the Autobots' assertion that ''only'' First Aid could adjust the transformation cog for Metroplex seems a little dubious. [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]], who was seen installing the thing in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]", surely would've been able to, if not Perceptor or the load of other Autobot handymen running around. Of course, it is possible that those guys were all off Earth at the time. ''Coincidentally'' though, as seen in "[[Scramble City: Mobilization]]", First Aid ''was'' one of the original workers on Metroplex.

*Vortex almost finds out about Spike and Daniel's plan merely from the clean Autobot fumes of Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus' exhaust, but does not seem to notice that the vehicles are quite obviously the two Autobot leaders nor the fact that Daniel is way too young to drive (which might be okay, as Transformers may not necessarily be aware of human laws, or even know there's a difference between adult and underage humans, but whatever).

*Somehow, [[NUL-A |NUL-A]] knows who [[Wreck-Gar (G1) |Wreck-Gar]] is.

*How the mighty have fallen part 1: This episode suggests that the Decepticons operating on Earth now hire legitimate human workers for repair duties, instead of just enslaving them as they would have done in the past.

*How the mighty have fallen part 2: Menasor [[To sell toys|is defeated by a single blast]] from the Autobots, despite previous outings that showed him to be one of the most powerful Decepticon combiners. Later, the entire Stunticon team are soundly and totally defeated (off-camera) by Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, despite previous outings depicting them as a serious threat to the Autobots.

*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] seems ''really'' upbeat in this episode, for some reason.

*Taking into account how often Decepticons have attacked an Autobot base in the past, does anyone else think that positioning Metroplex near a human residential area is a ''really'' bad idea?

* You'd think that Galvatron's [[Cyclonus (G1)|second-in-command]] would know who the [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|two]] [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|humans]] that are always with the Autobots are.

* GI Joe: RAH's second season ran concurrently with this season of Transformers. Both had nearly the same subplot of the medic who was a pacifist, Lifeline in RAH and First Aid. Despite the timing and near identical similarities in plotting, it seems to be coincidence, as the episodes in question in both series were written by different people (though perhaps the write up for both characters in their respective series' bibles came from the same person?).

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1989 — ''Transformers'' — Carnage in C Minor / The Ultimate Weapon ([[Tempo Video]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 3 Part 2 & Season 4 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 3 and Season 4 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 5: Series 3.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season's Three & Four {{sic}} (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2010 — ''The Transformers'' — Seasons Three & Four: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/the_ultimate_weapon.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Weapon}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

The Ultimate Weapon

2011-05-09T02:59:15Z

68.107.18.101:

{{disambig2|the episode|the eponymous device|Ultimate Weapon}}
{{episode|
|series=G1toon
|series2=2010
|ep=84
|ep2=20
|prev2=The Quintesson Journal
|next2=The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=23
|prev3=Ghost in the Machine
|next3=Fight or Flee
|image=G1 UltimateWeapon Oldlady.jpg
|caption=Rejected from Hell's Grannies.
|title="The Ultimate Weapon"
|production code=700-104
|airdate=[[November 10]], 1986
|written by=[[Arthur Byron Cover]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''While Galvatron threatens the Autobots with a vague and mysterious "ultimate weapon", First Aid leaves the Autobots.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 究極の武器 (''Kyūkyoku no Buki'', "The Ultimate Weapon")
:''German title:'' "'''Das Transformationsmodul'''" ("The Transformation-Modul")
:''German'' Generation 2 '' title:'' "'''Der große Bluff'''" ("The big Bluff")
:''Latin American title:'' "'''El Arma Mortífera'''" ("The Deadly Weapon")
:''Russian title:'' "'''Glavnoye orujiye'''" (''Главное оружие'', "The Main Weapon")
==Synopsis==
[[Image:G1 UltimateWeapon civilunrest.jpg|left|170px|thumb|The stripes are to help them blend into the herd.]]

In the far-flung future of 2006, the Netherlands is the most violent nation on Earth. Bands of roving French street gangs throw grenades into windmills for no obvious reason. Unable to rely on the police, old ladies begin arming themselves in their gardens. Desperate, the police turn to the Autobots, who seek to stem the fighting. The [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], after some harshing on the part of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], roll out to stop the violence. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] tries to calm Rodimus, saying he's just as good a commander as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was. Rodimus, however, feels that he will never live up to the legendary [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]]'s legacy. Who could?

Arriving in the city, the [[Decepticon]]s attack, and [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] is injured. [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] takes him to Metroplex to get repairs, while Galvatron attacks. Retreating, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] taunts Rodimus with the threat of the [[Ultimate Weapon]]. At [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] breaks in and manages to steal Metroplex's transformation cog. First Aid tries to reason with Swindle, but the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] merely shoots the Autobot medic, then leaves. Amid a fleet of naval destroyers, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] rises from the sea and eats a ship before destroying the rest. Galvatron tells Trypticon to hurry to Metroplex, but realizes when and when not to push the dinosaur. Swindle arrives and attempts to haggle for the cog. Galvatron offers him a limited-time deal: Hand over the cog, or see his life get ended.

[[Image:G1 UltimateWeapon Defensorcatchestrain.jpg|right|170px|thumb|It's just a flesh wound—er, armor wound.]]

At Metroplex, First Aid is feeling guilty over his pacifism. While Rodimus maintains that he would never force First Aid to violate his beliefs, First Aid decides to leave to clear his head. Learning that Trypticon is coming, the Autobots roll out. Reaching a nearby city, Trypticon menaces a train, but [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] manages to save it, even with only one arm. The [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] move in to attack. [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] gets shot down, while [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] flies into Trypticon's stomach through his mouth, firing all the while. Injured, Trypticon is forced to retreat. However, it's only bought them time, as Metroplex is still the only one who can fight Trypticon, and he's locked in city mode. Even with the cog, First Aid is the only one who understands Metroplex's systems enough to fix him. [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] decides to track down his AWOL teammate.

[[Image:G1 UltimateWeapon TrypticontacklesMetroplex.jpg|left|170px|thumb|City rivalry takes on a whole new meaning.]]

Rodimus and Magnus head for Trypticon's hiding place, with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]] posing as repairmen. [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]], nearly duped, realizes that the cars are Autobots due to the pollution-free fuel that they are using. Daniel is thrown off a cliff, but Magnus saves him. Rodimus and Magnus distract the Decepticons while Spike and Daniel steal Trypticon's cog. Returning to Metroplex, they install Trypticon's cog in Metroplex, while the Decepticons install Metroplex's cog in Trypticon. (It's easy to get lost, but just pay attention and it will make sense.) Convinced that he "can still smash", Trypticon heads for battle. Metroplex [[Transformation|transforms]] from [[Alternate mode|city mode]], but both cities are suffering problems.

[[Image:G1 UltimateWeapon UltimateWeapon%21.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Behold: the label gun of DOOM!]]

At a junkyard, First Aid is keeping [[NUL-A]], a junkyard robot, company while fixing abandoned refrigerators in an effort to think about something other than the Autobots. Hot Spot finds him and informs him of Metroplex's problem. Though still unsure of rejoining the Autobots, First Aid realizes that Metroplex's danger is more important. Meanwhile, Trypticon has gained the advantage and thrown Metroplex into a nearby lake. (Talk about irony.) Heading for Metroplex, First Aid manages to get inside and properly align the transformation cog, allowing Metroplex to transform fully. Metroplex throws Trypticon deeper into the lake, and the dinosaur sinks. Galvatron threatens to use the Ultimate Weapon, but Rodimus realizes that the weapon is a bluff. Out of options, Galvatron retreats. First Aid's faith in his work is restored, and Rodimus's confidence is emboldened, at least until the next time he has a crisis of faith.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (1)
* [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (2)
* [[Rodimus Prime (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (4)
* [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (5)
* [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (6)
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (7)
* [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] (14)
* [[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]] (15)
* [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (16)
* [[Scamper]] (18)
* [[Slammer]] (19)
* [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] (22)
* [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (29)
* [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (30)
* [[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (31)
* [[Slingshot]] (32)
* [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (33)
|c2=
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (8)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (9)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (10)
* [[Predaking]] (11)
* [[Octane]] (12)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (13)
* [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] (17)
* [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (20)
* [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (21)
* [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] (23)
* [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] (24)
* [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (25)
* [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] (26)
* [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (27)
* [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (28)
|c3=
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (34)
* [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] (35)
|c4=
* [[NUL-A]] (36)
}}

==Quotes==
'''First Aid''': I'm taking him back to Metroplex for emergency repairs! 
'''Galvatron''': Better get ''used'' to the trip, Autobot. 
'''Rodimus''': Why don't you get used to ''losing'', Galvatron? It's all you ever do!
:—Rodimus Prime hits the Decepticons where it hurts: in the war record.

"Hey! Wait a second! Who are you? Where'd you come from? How'd you get in?!?" 
''[Swindle shoots the floor from under Scamper and Slammer, causing the Autobots to crash]'' 
"No time to answer stupid questions!"
:—'''Scamper''', the world's worst security guard, is blasted by '''Swindle'''.

"I heard you were a pacifist, but I don't believe there's a Transformer who won't fight for his life!" 
"I don't believe in fighting. I'm a medic, not a warrior." 
"Then you'll ''die'' for your beliefs!"
:—'''Swindle''' taunts '''First Aid'''.

[[Image:Ultimate Weapon Trypticon hungry.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Never play Battleship with Trypticon]]

'''Trypticon''': Best humans can do? 
''[Trypticon tosses battleship halves at attacking ships]'' 
'''Galvatron''': Come, Trypticon, stop trifling with that! Metroplex awaits. 
'''Trypticon''': Trypticon hungry!
:—Trypticon finds that naval destroyers taste great ''and'' are less filling.

''[Spike runs into Cyclonus]'' 
'''Cyclonus:''' ''Humans...''" 
'''Spike:''' Uh, everything's fine in there. Uh, the problem must be somewhere else. 
'''Cyclonus:''' Then don't dawdle, human. Trypticon must be repaired at once... for the greater glory of Galvatron! 
'''Spike:''' You got it, you got it... sheesh, dunno why anybody'd wanna work for such a bunch of grumpy employers.
:— A rather clueless Cyclonus lets Spike and Daniel get away with Trypticon's transformation cog.

"Hey, keep it down! This is a residential area!" 
"Trypticon turn Metroplex into slum!"
:—'''Metroplex''' and '''Trypticon''' discuss urban renewal in a whole new way.

'''Galvatron''': I still have my ultimate weapon, Rodimus! Surrender now, or I'll unleash its force upon you all! 
'''Rodimus Prime''': ''[to Ultra Magnus]'' You know, I think I've finally started to wise up. If such a weapon existed, he'd have used it a long time ago! 
'''Galvatron''': I tell you for the last time, Rodimus. Surrender, or there won't be an Earth left to protect! Surrender! This is your last chance, or— 
'''Rodimus Prime''': You're bluffing, Galvatron. 
'''Galvatron''': I tell you this is the end! 
'''Rodimus Prime:''' You're right. It is, because I used the real 'ultimate weapon'...my ''mind''! 
'''Galvatron''': Stay back! 
''[Rodimus Prime continues walking towards Galvatron]'' 
'''Galvatron''': I said stay back! 
''[Rodimus Prime continues walking; Galvatron throws the "ultimate weapon" control device on the ground]'' 
'''Galvatron''': Aarh! There will be another day, Rodimus! 
''[Galvatron retreats]'' 
'''Rodimus Prime''': And we'll be ready.
:—Galvatron's less-than-impressive bluff is called by Rodimus Prime.

==Notes==
* It is unclear what species of robot [[NUL-A]] is, as his speech and mannerisms clearly demonstrate him to be sentient rather than some kind of human-built drone.

* When Trypticon attacks Metroplex, the animation is of a noticeably higher quality than the rest of the episode and the norm of the overall series.

*The interior of Metroplex looks ''really'' dilapidated. Every shot when the Autobots are inside shows broken pipes, cracks in the walls and other defects. It looked fine [[Starscream's Ghost|the last time we saw him]].

===Animation or technical glitches===
*The guns carried by the rebels disappear when they run up to the windmill and throw their grenades, and reappear as they run away.

*[[Nightmare Planet|Once again]], Rodimus is missing the line on his head crest in many shots.

*The laser beam the old woman fires from her pistol is red, but the laser beam that actually hits the car tires is blue.

*When Blades flies towards another damage and gets shot down by the Decepticons, the front part of his [[Alternate mode|altmode]] is colored white instead of the usual red.

*When Galvatron transforms after shooting Blades, he's missing his Decepticon logo.

*When Ultra Magnus orders Steeljaw and Ramhorn to attack, he wields a completely different gun than the one he normally uses. His normal gun reappears in subsequent shots.

*Metroplex actually opens his outer wall ''before'' he's asked to by First Aid.

*When Galvatron responds to Rodimus Prime's question during the village battle, Cyclonus's mouth is missing. Similarly, in the end of the episode, when First Aid declares his return to the Autobots, Rodimus' mouth is missing, too, but reappears when he starts talking.

*Adding to this, and turning the whole mouth-animation-thing into a complete mess up, when First Aid declares he's leaving the Autobots, Hot Spot is depicted as actually ''having'' a mouth in several shots, including close-ups and speaking lines, despite the fact that normally he is shown with an Optimus Prime-like moving [[mouthplate]].

*Swindle's gun sounds like Galvatron's cannon.

*The basket of oranges the farmer drops disappears in subsequent shots.

*Trypticon grabs a monorail and tosses it in the air, yet an interior shot shows the people sitting perfectly calm!

*Thanks to Roger C. Carmel's inconsistency with his characters, we have a Motormaster with a weak voice that actually sounds a lot like Regis Cordic's Menasor, making it difficult to compare.

*As Silverbolt exits Trypticon's mouth, he's coloured like Air Raid.

*As the Decepticons leave the Autobots when Trypticon is wounded, it can be seen that Defensor had dissasembled as the Protectobots can be seen separately. A few moments later, Defensor separates before the camera. Huh?

*First Aid can be seen in the error above when Decepticons retreat. Also the some parts of Blades's back plating is miscolored.

*As the Decepticons retreat, Galvatron's shoulders are missing the red squares on top.

*As Rodimus talks to Magnus about needing First Aid back, his Autobot logo's "eyes" are red.

*Spike's eyebrows are brown in this episode. They were black in "Nightmare Planet."

*When Spike and Daniel run into Cyclonus, he's missing the orange rectangle on his chest. It reappears two shots later.

*When Spike and Daniel run into Cyclonus, he's "clean shaven." When he notices Trypticon's missing cog, he's got the purple chin again.

*Daniel is unusually tall in this episode. When he and Spike are involved in the clandestine operation to steal Trypticon's transformation cog, he is almost as tall as his dad.

*When Spike tells Daniel that they'll be just in time for their rendezvous, Spike is not carrying the toolbox containing the transforming cog. It reappears when they exit Trypticon.

*Just before a scene transition, Metroplex transforms into base mode, then after a flash of light he's suddenly in robot mode again.

*When Hot Spot is trying to convince First Aid to come back into the Autobots, the visible wheels on First Aid are colored as white, not black.

*Trypticon completely misses Metroplex when they fire on each other, yet Metroplex falls down.

*Greeting First Aid's return, Ultra Magnus holds the medic's hands. Oddly, instead of letting go as he did with Rodimus Prime, First Aid appears to continue to hold Ultra Magnus's hands throughout his dialogue about agreeing to help the Autobots.

*Metroplex's face is briefly colored black as he and Trypticon wrestle.

*First Aid's visor is colored black as he finishes modifying Metroplex's new cog.

*After the cog is modified, Metroplex is mouthing something but Trypticon is talking.

*When Galvatron declares that while Trypticon may have been defeated he still lives, his laser cannon is enormous (and again, his shoulders are missing the red squares...until Rodimus is next to him).

*As Rodimus Prime tells Ultra Magnus that he has finally wised-up to Galvatron's bluff, Ultra Magnus' left shoulder overlaps Rodimus' rear wing, even though Rodimus is standing closest to the viewer and should instead overlap Ultra Magnus.

*In one shot of Galvatron, the "Ultimate Weapon" remote is missing (we see only Galvatron's closed fist). In another, the remote is blue instead of grey.

*In one of the final shots of the episode, Rodimus' spoiler is burgundy in the middle instead of orange.

===Continuity errors===
*How did the Decepticons get to Earth in the first place? How did they get Trypticon there ([[Ghost in the Machine|last we saw]], he was on Cybertron)? What happened to the Earth Defense Command satellites?

*When the monorail train was endangered during Trypticon's initial rampage, wouldn't it have been a hell of a lot easier to have a ''two-armed'' Superion catch it rather than a ''one-armed'' Defensor?

*Galvatron acts a whole lot saner in this episode then he usually is in the third season. He's not as sane as in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', of course, but it's something. Of course in the same vein, it seems unlikely that the usually gun crazy Galvatron would try to bluff anything.

*During their initial assault in the village, [[Octane]] is seen among the firing Decepticons, even though Galvatron had placed a price on his head in "[[Starscream's Ghost]]".

*Similarly, [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] is hovering next to Galvatron during Trypticon's attack on the naval fleet, even though he was banished from the Decepticons following "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]".

===Trivia===
*While not an out-and-out mistake, the Autobots' assertion that ''only'' First Aid could adjust the transformation cog for Metroplex seems a little dubious. [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]], who was seen installing the thing in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]", surely would've been able to, if not Perceptor or the load of other Autobot handymen running around. Of course, it is possible that those guys were all off Earth at the time. ''Coincidentally'' though, as seen in "[[Scramble City: Mobilization]]", First Aid ''was'' one of the original workers on Metroplex.

*Vortex almost finds out about Spike and Daniel's plan merely from the clean Autobot fumes of Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus' exhaust, but does not seem to notice that the vehicles are quite obviously the two Autobot leaders nor the fact that Daniel is way too young to drive (which might be okay, as Transformers may not necessarily be aware of human laws, or even know there's a difference between adult and underage humans, but whatever).

*Somehow, [[NUL-A |NUL-A]] knows who [[Wreck-Gar (G1) |Wreck-Gar]] is.

*How the mighty have fallen part 1: This episode suggests that the Decepticons operating on Earth now hire legitimate human workers for repair duties, instead of just enslaving them as they would have done in the past.

*How the mighty have fallen part 2: Menasor [[To sell toys|is defeated by a single blast]] from the Autobots, despite previous outings that showed him to be one of the most powerful Decepticon combiners. Later, the entire Stunticon team are soundly and totally defeated (off-camera) by Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, despite previous outings depicting them as a serious threat to the Autobots.

*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] seems ''really'' upbeat in this episode, for some reason.

*Taking into account how often Decepticons have attacked an Autobot base in the past, does anyone else think that positioning Metroplex near a human residential area is a ''really'' bad idea?

* You'd think that Galvatron's [[Cyclonus (G1)|second-in-command]] would know who the [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|two]] [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|humans]] that are always with the Autobots are.

* GI Joe: RAH's second season ran concurrently with this season of Transformers. Both had nearly the same subplot of the medic who was a pacifist, Lifeline in RAH and First Aid. Despite the timing and near identical similarities in plotting, it seems to be coincidence, as the episodes in question in both series were written by different people (though perhaps the write up for both character in their respective series bibles came from the same person?).

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1989 — ''Transformers'' — Carnage in C Minor / The Ultimate Weapon ([[Tempo Video]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 3 Part 2 & Season 4 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 3 and Season 4 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 5: Series 3.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season's Three & Four {{sic}} (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2010 — ''The Transformers'' — Seasons Three & Four: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/the_ultimate_weapon.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Weapon}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

The Touch

2011-03-13T03:50:04Z

68.107.18.101:

{{song
|title=The Touch
|image=Tftm1986e.jpg
|caption=If you don't know this song by heart, what the hell are you doing on this wiki?
|series=[[The Transformers: The Movie]]
|position=insert song
|performer=[[Stan Bush]]
|written by=Stan Bush and [[Lenny Macaluso]]
|production=[[Richie Wise]]
|arrangement=
}}

"'''The Touch'''" is a song by [[Stan Bush]], featured on the 1986 album ''[[The Transformers: The Movie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]]''. <s>It is possibly the pinnacle of human achievement.</s> It is fondly remembered by many fans for being featured in two climactic battles in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.

"The Touch" is first featured in ''The Transformers: The Movie'' when [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], having just arrived to [[Autobot City]], takes on several of the Decepticon forces by himself. It plays again, near the end of the feature, as [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] opens the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]. The song was used again during the climactic scene of the cartoon episode "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2]]".
{{TOCclear}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon===
At an undetermined time period following the creation of the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster|Targetmasters]] and the seeming defeat of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], [[Powermaster]] Optimus Prime spent a good deal of time relating Transformers stories to the human schoolboy [[Tommy Kennedy]].

After a series of stories wherein he described the events of the battle with [[Unicron]], Optimus Prime had to depart to attend an interstellar peace conference in the midst of a barrage of questions from Tommy. As he was blasting off, Prime declared "But until I return, I leave you with 'The Touch'!"

Following this, the music video for "The Touch" began, although how Tommy was able to view it in the barren wasteland where his meetings with Prime typically took place is unknown. {{storylink|The Transformers (cartoon)#Season 5|Season 5}}

{{note|As Stan Bush could not have written the song for the 1986 theatrical ''The Transformers: The Movie'' within the context of the cartoon timeline (as the events of the movie had not happened at that point in continuity), it is possible that the song was simply a general release that Prime was personally fond of.

Another possibility is that a fictionalized film account of the events surrounding the battle with Unicron was created sometime after the year 2005, and that Stan Bush's music video was produced to accompany that feature. This theory is not out of the realm of plausibility; in the UK comics, resident letter answerer [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] reviewed a Transformers film in an article entitled ''[[Letters page (Marvel UK)|Film 2006 With Grimlock]]''. The movie was also mentioned as being a product of the Autobots in the [[S.T.A.R.S. continuity]] flyer ''[[The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:]]''.}}

===''War for Cybertron===
Before the war spread to [[Earth]], and seemingly millions of years before Stan Bush would have even been born, the Decepticons were fighting the Autobots on Cybertron. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] asked [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] to transform into his stationary music-playing mode and play a recording of "The Touch". The inspirational anthem emboldened Shockwave in battle, but annoyed [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. Shockwave informed Starscream that the Air Commander could select the music when his hit percentage exceeded Shockwave's. {{storylink|Commercial#War for Cybertron|GameStop's commercial for their Shockwave multiplayer exclusive}} {{-}}

==Single releases==
[[Image:The Touch single.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
;7" single
#"The Touch"
#"[[Dare to Be Stupid]]"

'''Release date:''' August, [[1986]] 
'''Labels:''' [[Scotti Bros. Records]] (US/Canada), [[Epic Records]] (UK) 
'''Prod. codes:''' 7464-06207-7 (US), ZS4-06207 (Canada), A-7318 (UK)
{{-}}

----
[[Image:The Touch picture disc.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
;12" picture disc
#"The Touch"
#"Dare to Be Stupid"
#"[[The Transformers (Theme)]]"

'''Release date:''' 
'''Labels:''' [[Scotti Bros. Records]] (Germany), [[Epic Records]] (UK) 
'''Prod. codes:''' Int127.311 (Germany), WA-7318 (UK)
{{-}}

===Album releases===
*1986 — ''[[The Transformers: The Movie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack|The Transformers: The Movie — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]]'' ([[Scotti Bros. Records]])
*1987 — Stan Bush: ''Stan Bush & Barrage'' (Scotti Bros. Records)
*1997 — Stan Bush: ''[['Til All Are One: Featuring Stan Bush and Vince DiCola|Call to Action]]'' (LA Records/[[3H Productions]]) — 1997 Remix version.
*1998 — ''[[BotCon '97 - The Concert]]'' (3H Productions) — Live with [[Vince DiCola]].
*2007 — Stan Bush: ''In This Life'' (Frontiers Records) — New recording.
*2007 — ''The Transformers: The Movie — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: 20th Anniversary Edition'' ([[Legacy Recordings]])

===Merchandise===
*2009 — ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' — Bumblebee Plasma Cannon
:A role-playing toy based on [[Movie (franchise)|live-action movie]] [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]'s fist, transforming into a plasma cannon. When the Autobot insignia on the side of the cannon is pressed while the blaster is in its "Try Me" setting, the toy plays various sounds, including short clips from "The Touch".

==Notes==
{{quote|As [Prime] battles his way through the Decepticons, we HEAR an inspiring anthem of courage, strength and triumph, like "Eye of the Tiger". This theme will reprise during the film when the Autobots are battling at impossible odds.|The original movie script's request for the song that would be "The Touch".}}
*"The Touch" was originally written for the 1986 Sylvester Stallone movie ''[[Wikipedia:Cobra (film)|Cobra]]'', but the record company decided to switch it to the Transformers movie instead.<ref>http://totalscifionline.com/interviews/4062-stan-bush-still-got-the-touch</ref>
*In 2007, Bush recorded a new, updated version of "The Touch" together with "[[Till All Are One (Transformers Theme)]]" in a bid to get them onto the [[Transformers (2007)|live-action movie's]] soundtrack. [[Transformers: The Album|It didn't work]], but Bush released them both as bonus tracks on his own album ''In This Life''.
*In 2008, Bush launched a campaign to have the song included on one of the ''Guitar Hero'' or ''Rock Band'' games.<ref>http://kotaku.com/5059337/stan-bush-wants-the-touch-in-guitar-hero-rock-band</ref> It wasn't long before he announced the campaign's success, with the 2007 version of "The Touch" hitting ''[[Wikipedia:Guitar Hero: World Tour a|Guitar Hero: World Tour]]'' as free downloadable content and Stan put the song into Rock Band himself through Rock Band Network in 2010.<ref>http://kotaku.com/5173693/stan-bush-thanks-kotaku-readers-for-their-support</ref>
*As part of the media hype building up to the release of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', Bush released another reworked version of the song, this time with a more contemporary [[Linkin Park]]-inspired sound, renamed "The Touch: Sam's Theme". This is notable because, while completely unsanctioned or unrequested by Hasbro or Dreamworks, it is [[Holger Fath|totally hilarious]].
*In 2010, Bush released his 11th album, 'Dream the Dream', which featured the song "Sam's Theme (The Touch)", a rap-less version of "The Touch: Sam's Theme".
*"The Touch" has reappeared in numerous non-Transformers productions over the years, including the film ''[[Wikipedia:Boogie Nights|Boogie Nights]]'', the television series ''[[wikia:c:chuck-nbc:Episode 205: Chuck vs. Tom Sawyer|Chuck]]'' and even ''[[Wikipedia:American Dad!|American Dad!]]''.
*It is @#$%ing awesome!

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZKpByV5764 Video for "The Touch"]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3_EXxwDpq0 Video for the 2009 remake of "The Touch"]
*[http://video.yahoo.com/watch/7580334/20101050 Gamestop's ''WFC'' ad that includes "The Touch"]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Touch, The}}
[[Category:Songs]]