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Masquerade

2011-12-14T20:02:38Z

71.22.247.52: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|image=Masquerade Menasors.JPG
|caption=Menasor crush...destroy knockoff.
|series=G1toon
|ep=64
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=61
|prev2=War Dawn
|next2=Fire in the Sky
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=21
|prev3=The Revenge of Bruticus
|next3=Ghost in the Machine
|title="Masquerade"
|written by=[[Donald F. Glut]]
|production code=700-63
|airdate=[[December 16]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''After defeating the Stunticons, five of the Autobots pose as the crazed combiners to learn of Megatron's newest plan.'''

:''Japanese title:'' マスカレード (''Masquerade'')
:''German'' Generation 2 ''title:'' "'''Perfekte Tarnung'''" ("Perfect Disguise")
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''I falsi Stunticons''' ("The fake Stunticons")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''Sotto copertura''' ("Undercover")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Masquerade prime vs mmaster.jpg‎|left|thumb|Shortly after this, Menasor threw up.]]
[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] sends the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] on a mission to find components for an unrevealed purpose, including the world's largest, most perfect ruby. While searching for their components, the actions of the Stunticons catch the attention of the [[Autobot]]s, who track their movements and their crimes. Breakdown and Wildrider get the first component: laser lenses from a scientist. Dead End and Drag Strip get the second component: an experimental generator from the Army. Motormaster gets the last one: a perfect ruby from a museum.

The Autobots split into teams and manage to be extremely effective at capturing the Stunticons in the middle of their capers. [[Grapple]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] take on [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] and [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]]. [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] take on [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]]. Finally, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] go for [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]], who challenges the [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]] to a game of “chicken” and ends up in a head-on collision. Spike, Bumblebee, and Blaster peer through the dust to see who survived, and it turns out that Optimus is the clear victor with merely a minor headache, while Motormaster lies in a wreck.

[[Image:Masquerade Wheeljack Optimaster.jpg|right|200px|thumb|No Motormaster disguise is complete without a hunk of Big League Chew.]]

Although all five Stunticons have been captured, the Autobots still don’t know what their plans were for the components they stole for Megatron. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] guesses that the parts are going to be made into a weapon. (Nooo, really?) Optimus hatches a scheme to disguise Autobots using [[camouflage paint]] and penetrate the Decepticon camp disguised as Stunticons: Optimus Prime as Motormaster, [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] as Dead End, [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] as Breakdown, [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] as Drag Strip, and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] as Wildrider.

[[Image:Sideswipe FakeBreakdown.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Sideswipe? I, Breakdown, have never heard of such a being!]]

The disguised Autobots infiltrate the Decepticons, although their arrival causes some raised eyebrows because they are driving too "safely". They deliver the stolen components to Megatron without being detected.

Back at the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Stunticons manage to shimmy and shake their way out of their cells, merge into [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] and overcome their Autobot captors. They then head back to the Decepticon base.

[[Image:Masquerade Megatron manning gun.jpg|right|200px|thumb|We've been here before.]]

The Constructicons complete Megatron’s new weapon, and he reveals its power, but just then Menasor arrives and declares the Autobots as infiltrators. Using Windcharger’s electric field ability and Mirage’s illusion power, the Autobots merge into their own Menasor. The two giants battle it out, and the Autobots are overcome. Megatron trains the new weapon on the Autobots, but the device blows up in his face after a few scattered shots.

Autobot reinforcements arrive, and the Decepticons flee without their usual promises for revenge. It is revealed that Ironhide had made adjustments to the ruby back at Autobot HQ, which caused the device to explode. The Autobots head for home, victorious.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (9)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (10)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (12)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (13)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (14)
* [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (18)
* [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (19)
* [[Grapple]] (20)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (21)
* [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (22)
* [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (23)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (24)
* [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (25)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (26)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (27)
* [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (28)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (29)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (30)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (31)
* [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (32)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (1)
* [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] (2)
* [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (3)
* [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (4)
* [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] (5)
* [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] (6)
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (7)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (8)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (33)
* [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]
* [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (34)
* [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (35)
* [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (36)
* [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (37)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (38)
* [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (39)

|c3=
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (11)
* Dr. [[Rickel]] (15)
* US Army troops (16)
* Museum guards (17)
}}

==Quotes==
"A near miss deserves a couple o' near-missiles!"
:—'''Inferno'''

"I'll probably hate myself in the morning, but..."
:—'''Inferno''' before he douses the flames on the Stunticon Breakdown

"Blam! Boom! Pow! I'll make that hot rod even hotter. HA HA HA!"
:—'''Warpath''' firing on the Stunticons Dead End and Drag Strip

"Well, look who's here! The old King of the Road! When I'm finished with ya, you'll be King of the Junkyard!"
:—'''Motormaster''' taunting '''Optimus Prime''' into a game of chicken

"You did it! You did it, Optimus! You stuffed that loudmouth once and for all." 
"I...hope so, Spike, because I'd hate to go through that again."
:—'''Spike''' congratulates a shaken '''Optimus''' as he recovers from a head-on collision with Motormaster.

''[The Autobots are towing the defeated Stunticons to the Ark]'' 
'''Wheeljack''': Here they come. 
'''Ratchet''': I won't bother asking who won. 
'''Breakdown''': ''(taking note of the Autobots looking at them)'' They're gawking at us! How mortifrying! 
'''Dead End''': The word, Breakdown, is mortiFYing, my sentiment exactly. 
'''Motormaster''': I'm in no mood for your big words, Dead End. 
'''Ironhide''': For you, Motormouth, this '''IS''' a dead end.
:—Motormaster complains about Dead End's SAT-level vocabulary

"Man, Optimus. You're a dead ringer for Motormaster." 
"Did you have to say ''dead'' ringer, Spike?"
:—'''Spike Witwicky'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s vocabulary causes '''Optimus Prime''' to wince.

"All right, then...ah...Stunticons, let's roll for it. "
:—'''Optimus Prime''' disguises as Motormaster.

"Everybody out on bad behavior!"
:—'''Breakdown''' after freeing himself and taking out Inferno, Grapple, and Hoist.

"Imagine my turning that ray on the Autobots' headquarters. Perhaps when it's gone, someone will put up a memorial parking lot. Mwahaha!"
:—'''Megatron'''

"Machine appears unstable. Suggest abandoning it." 
"Suggestion noted—and ignored!"
:—'''Soundwave''' warns '''Megatron''', for all the good it does.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
[[Image:Huge Ironhide and Small Ratchet.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Introducing Ultra class Ironhide and Scout class Ratchet.]]
* Early on, the Stunticons land on a beach and each of them kicks up sand when they land. A few moments later, they transform and drive off, and no sand is disturbed by their tires.
* Ratchet's voice actor in this episode is [[Wally Burr]], not the usual [[Don Messick]], and it shows. Burr uses the same generic deep voice he used for Thundercracker in "[[War Dawn]]" and Jazz in "[[Kremzeek!]]".
* Motormaster somehow transforms into (a ''tiny'') truck mode while still inside the museum. Also, a moment later as he drives away, he has a dark gray stripe on his trailer that shouldn't be there.
* As Tracks goes into flight mode, the sandy beach suddenly has squares on it for one shot (as if it were pavement).
* As Motormaster comes into view before the crash with Prime, his bumper extends to the sides of his trailer rather than the sides of his cab.
* After the crash, just before Optimus transforms into robot mode, his cab's grille is missing the vertical line in the middle. His subsequent transformation looks very crude, especially around his legs.
* Blaster contacts the other Autobots and his chest lights up, but during Warpath's report it's no longer flashing.
* Optimus strokes his faceplate during the discussion of the Stunticons' plans, and his finger disappears for a moment.
* The broadcast of the doctor's announcement shows a building with the word "OPTCS" behind him. Earlier it was correctly shown as "REPUBLIC ''OPTICS'' COMPANY".
* The doctor's bow tie has grown to twice the size when he appears on TV.
* As Optimus gets his idea after watching the broadcast, the triangles on his waist are gray instead of yellow.
* When approaching the crater, Jazz appears to be driving above and not under rocks, and as Windcharger breaks formation to test their disguises, he clips into the cliff edge above them.
* "Looks like Megatron is trying to outdo his worst." His worst ''what'', Optimus?
* As Laserbeak returns to Soundwave, Soundwave is missing his Decepticon insignia.
* As "Motormaster" (Optimus) drives up to Megatron, his door is colored purple like his windows. A shot later, it's back to black, but the ''next'' shot (Starscream asking about his voice) shows his grille as black instead of gray. The same thing happens as the real Motormaster busts out of the Autobot cell.
* As a result of animation cels being stacked incorrectly, Ratchet appears teeny-tiny in the front of a crowd shot, making Ironhide look colossal by comparison. The tiny Ratchet should, of course, be (barely visible) at the ''back'' of the crowd.
* When the real Menasor takes off to warn Megatron, he has a purple[[ Autobot]] insignia.
* As Bumblebee says, "Great Cybertron," Spike is mouthing the words.
* Just after dismissing the Constructicons, Megatron's face is white.
* As "Motormaster" (Optimus) asks about the weapon, Megatron's forehead colors are reversed (black forehead with gray triangles).
* As "Motormaster" (Optimus) says, "Too many head-on collisions!," his headlights are black instead of white.
* The Autobot Menasor gets knocked to the ground, but one who delivers "The generator..." line in Optimus' voice is the one standing up (with the sky behind him).
* When Megatron first grabs the laser, he's colored in reverse (light gray body with a dark gray face).
* When "Motormaster" reverts back to Optimus Prime, his headlights aren't colored white and he's missing the horizontal lines on the crest of his helmet.
* When the Autobots begin firing on Menasor, his face is entirely black.
* Just before Megatron fires the laser, Windcharger is miscoloured in green and gray (with yellow stripes on his arms, like Hound).

===Continuity errors===
* During their construction in “The Key to Vector Sigma”, Megatron notes that he has outfitted the Stunticons with “automatic force fields that make their hulls impenetrable”, which accounts for how well they did in battle. Yet in this episode they are easily taken down by second string Autobots, including non-fighters such as Grapple & Hoist. Warpath even manages to simply punch right through Dead-end! Clearly they have been skimping on their scheduled maintenance.

* The Autobots account for their ability to merge (Windcharger's magnetic field) and for the fake Menasor's face (Mirage's hologram). But where do they get working ''hands'' for their fake Menasor?

* Although both are similar in size, Motormaster's transforming method greatly differs from Optimus Prime's transforming method, yet during the episode, after donning the disguise, Optimus transforms exactly like Motormaster does.

* After the Stunticons were captured, Breakdown stated that their vehicular modes are busted, yet after Wildrider frees the Stunticons, they all start driving out of their cells.

* The Stunticons were still heavily damaged and not repaired after being captured and placed in the cells, yet they were able to not only form Menasor and take on several Autobots at the Ark, but fly and battle the 5 Autobots disguised at Stunticons with near invulnerability (and [[Subspace|a cool sword that appears out of nowhere]])?

===Sci-Fi Channel edits===
* In the mid-1990s, many G1 episodes were aired on the [[SciFi Network]]. To allow expanded advertising time, they were edited down, cutting "unnecessary" dialog and scenes out. Some of the "unnecessary" dialog cut from this episode included parts of Grapple and Inferno's lines, resulting in them collectively uttering "Time to add firobably hate myself in the morning, but..."

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:Soundwave fly.jpg|right|200px|thumb|In fact, Soundwave can fly in his alt mode, too.]]
* Gadgets and powers:
** Soundwave can fly in his tape deck mode! When the Decepticons retreat, he transforms and then flies off behind Starscream. It is tempting to assume that the animators took a script direction like "the Decepticons transform and fly off in retreat" a bit too literally.
** Mirage can project a hologram of Menasor's face. This runs contrary to his usual schtick, which is invisibility. His original bio described him as being able to create "the illusion of a different appearance" for up to six minutes, but this is the only time it pops up in the cartoon (presumably because holograms were Hound's gimmick... though per the bio, Hound's great power is to create ''maps'', and simple images on rare occasions.)

* Megatron's line "Suggestion noted...AND IGNORED!" when Soundwave warns him would be revisited during the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' episode "[[Nemesis Part 2]]" when his [[Megatron (BW)|namesake]] utters those exact sentiments to [[Dinobot II]] on board the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''.

*Two scenes deleted from this episode feature the individual Stunticons talking with each other ''while'' combined as Menasor, only for Menasor himself to then silence all of his components, because their chatter is confusing him!

===Trivia===
* In case you missed it, the Autobots chosen to impersonate the Stunticons aren't random, but based pretty specifically on alternate mode. Although the specific models don't line up, Prime and Motormaster both transform into semi trucks, Jazz and Dead End are both Porsches, Breakdown and Sideswipe are Lamborghinis, Mirage and Drag Strip are both race cars (albeit very different-looking ones), and.... weeeeell, Windcharger's a Pontiac Firebird and Wildrider's a Ferrari, but the plot demanded Windcharger for his magnetic abilities. Indeed, given this attention to detail, it's not infeasible to think that the plot of this episode may have originally called for the Autobots to simply have their alternate modes painted, since they consistently refrain from transforming once in the Decepticon camp.
* A coincidence or not, ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' Menasor is a [[redeco]] from ''[[Legends Class|Legends of Cybertron]]'' [[:Image:LOC_CybertronPrime.jpg|Optimus Prime]], while ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[:Image:Universe2008_DragStrip.jpg|Drag Strip]] is made from [[:Image:Classics_Mirage_toy.jpg|''Classics'' Mirage]] redeco. At one point there was intended to be a ''[[Alternators|Binaltech]]'' [[Wildrider (G1)#Notes|Wildrider]] created from ''[[Alternators]]'' [[:Image:AltWindcharger_toy.jpg|Windcharger]] (or rather, his [[:Image:Binaltech_Overdrive_Toy.jpg|''Binaltech'' counterpart]]), but that never eventuated. [[IDW Publishing]] used [[:Image:Universe2008_SideSwipe_toy.jpg|''Universe'' Sideswipe]] as a basis for a new version of Breakdown, and the toy's mold was used for the [[BotCon 2010]] G2 Breakdown! We bet Dead End feels really miserable about being left out, but then, that's Dead End fer ya. [[Dead End (ROTF)|Oh]] [[Jazz (Movie)|wait]] [[Dead End (Animated)|a]] [[Jazz (Animated)|minute]].....

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1990 — ''Transformers'' — Cosmic Rust / Masquerade ([[Tempo Video]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1995 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Megatron Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers'' — Decepticon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 2 (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. 8 (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 06: Stagione Due Parte Quarta ([[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/masquerade.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicles]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

The Transformers: The Movie

2011-12-10T19:46:46Z

71.22.247.52: /* Animation errors */

{{disambig3|Transformers: The Movie}}

{{quote|Conceived in the epic tradition of ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''...|[[Victor Caroli]] ain't just whistling Dixie|[[The Transformers: The Movie promo|''The Transformers: The Movie'' promo]]}}

{{episode|
|seriess=[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]
|prev=B.O.T. (episode)
|next=Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1
|seriess2=[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]
|prev2=Scramble City: Mobilization
|title=''The Transformers: The Movie''
|image=Transformersanimatedfilmposter.jpg
|caption=Featuring the [[death]]s of all your favorite Transformers characters.
|production code=
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|writer=[[Ron Friedman]]
|directed by=[[Nelson Shin]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|release date=[[August 8]], [[1986]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''''The Transformers: The Movie''''' is an animated feature film based on the original Transformers toyline. It was released in the United States on Friday, August 8, 1986.

The film's storyline follows the same continuity as the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Transformers]]'' cartoon. It introduces a [[Scale|planet-sized Transformer]] called [[Unicron]] who eats other planets, and is approaching [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As part of their continuing wars, the Autobots and Decepticons have a [[Battle of Autobot City|fierce battle]] on Earth which sees both Optimus Prime and Megatron mortally wounded. Prime passes the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to Ultra Magnus and dies, and Megatron is transformed by Unicron into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (briefly) assumes leadership of the Decepticons, but is killed when Galvatron arrives at Cybertron. Galvatron then chases the surviving Autobots on Earth across space, splitting them up and taking the Matrix. The Autobots find their way back to each other, and follow Galvatron to Cybertron just as Unicron transforms into robot mode and begins to eat their world. Travelling inside Unicron, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] recovers the Matrix, transforms into Rodimus Prime, and uses the Matrix to destroy Unicron.

Often referred to by fans simply as "the movie" or "TFTM", the movie was a step up in almost every area from the television series, with a more sophisticated plot, more serious treatment of war and violence, a hugely ambitious scope and a greatly increased animation budget with well-known celebrities providing voice work. For these reasons the film remains very popular with children of the 1980s.

The film opens with characters who had been featured in the first two years of the toyline and associated media (cartoons, comic books, etc.), but quickly introduces new characters and kills many of the old ones to make room. In particular, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] are all destroyed during the course of the film.

{{quote|The Japanese have funded a full-length animated cartoon about the doings of these toys, which is all bad outer-space stuff. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen.|Orson Welles<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=KlqsYy512WIC&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Orson Welles: A Biography"] page 522</ref>}}

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFTM_Unicron_Lithone.jpg|left|200px|thumb|That's no moon.]]

A mechanical planet travels through the depths of space, attacking [[Lithone (planet)|a metal planet]] which has [[Lithone (species)|robotic inhabitants]]. Robots, vehicles, buildings, and even large chunks of rock are sucked off the surface and devoured by the monstrous planet.

It is the year 2005, and the [[Decepticon]]s are now in control of Cybertron. The [[Autobot]]s are preparing to launch an assault to retake the planet from hidden bases on two of Cybertron's moons. The Autobots launch a [[Autobot shuttle|shuttle]] to pick up a final shipment of [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] from [[Earth]] before they strike.

[[Image:Tftm1986a.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I have a bad feeling about this.]]

Plans for the attack are overheard by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who reports back to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. The Decepticons attack the Autobot shuttle en route to Earth, wiping out its crew (including [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]). Using the Autobots' own shuttle, the Decepticons are able to get very close to the Autobots' base on Earth, [[Autobot City]], before they are detected, and begin a devastating surprise attack on the unprepared city.

During the battle at Autobot City, both [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and Megatron suffer mortal injuries, and a number of others are also killed. Eventually the Decepticons retreat, but the damage suffered by the Autobots has been severe.

{{note|For an extensive synopsis of the battle, see [[Battle of Autobot City]].}}

[[Image:Tftm1986b.jpg|left|200px|thumb|If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.]]

Shortly after the battle, Prime lies on his deathbed. He passes the reins of leadership to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and gives him the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. (Though Hot Rod actually touches the Matrix before Magnus does.) Prime relates a prophecy: "One day, an Autobot shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix to light our [[darkest hour]]." He then gives the oath, "[['Til all are one]]", and [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|dies]]. This sequence of events is observed remotely by Unicron, who appears unusually concerned by the survival of the Matrix.

The Decepticons are making their escape aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], but are too heavy for him to get them all home under his own power. After putting the matter to a fair vote, the Decepticons decide to throw their injured members off the ship to better the chance of survival for the rest. One of the most severely injured Decepticons is Megatron. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] tosses him out and claims leadership of the Decepticon army.

Megatron and the other adrift Decepticons then encounter Unicron in interstellar space. Unicron offers to rebuild Megatron and his minions in exchange for their service. Megatron agrees, and is [[Reformatting|reformatted]] into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The other Decepticons are turned into [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], and the [[Sweep]]s. Unicron provides them with a [[Revenge (G1)|ship]], and sends them to kill Ultra Magnus and destroy the Matrix, stating that the Matrix is the only thing which can stand in his way.

[[Image:Tftm1986c.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed.]]
Galvatron first stops at Cybertron to take his revenge by killing Starscream and reclaiming leadership of the Decepticons. Almost immediately afterwards, Unicron arrives in Cybertron's vicinity and devours at least two moons—both of the Autobots' moon bases are destroyed. Under coercion by Unicron, Galvatron finally heads to Earth to kill Ultra Magnus, but Magnus and the other surviving Autobots flee in a pair of shuttles. Eventually Galvatron manages to cause one shuttle to crash on yet another metal planet ([[Quintessa]]), and detonates the other with a volley of missiles. However, the Autobots in the second shuttle escape unnoticed by separating the front portion of their shuttle just before impact.

The Autobots in the crashed shuttle, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], find themselves separated and in a hostile environment. Hot Rod and Kup are captured by a squad of [[Allicon]]s and taken before a [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson#Judges|judge]] and his court. While being held there, they learn the name and nature of Unicron from [[Kranix]], a survivor of the planet destroyed in the opening of the film, which he calls [[Lithone (planet)|Lithone]]. Meanwhile, the Dinobots encounter and befriend a young, wild Autobot named [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] who has been living alone on Quintessa. Together, they crash the trial just as Hot Rod and Kup are fighting losing odds against the Quintessons' [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. The tide is turned, and the Autobots commandeer a [[Quintesson spacecraft#Quintesson_Cruiser|Quintesson Cruiser]].

[[Image:Tftm1986d.jpg|left|200px|thumb|What an incredible smell you've discovered!]]
The other group of Autobots has landed on the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] to make repairs, but are attacked yet again by Galvatron, who was tipped off to their survival by Unicron. During the battle, Ultra Magnus tries to open the Matrix to use its power, but is unable to do so, and instead is killed. Galvatron absconds with the Matrix, taking it away to Unicron. The remaining Autobots—[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike's]] son [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]]—are then ambushed by [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], the eponymous natives of Junkion, who are also giant transforming robots. This battle is cut short, however, by the arrival of Hot Rod's group in their Quintesson ship. After exchanging the [[universal greeting]] they all make friends, and the Junkions restore Ultra Magnus to life. Together, the whole group travels to Cybertron to try to recover the Matrix.

[[Image:TFTM Unicron smashes cybertron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Rebel base in range. You may fire when ready.]]
Galvatron attempts to open the Matrix to use its power against Unicron, but is also unable to get it open. Unicron, not pleased with this attempted treachery, shocks Galvatron by transforming from a planet into a [[Scale|planet-sized robot]]. Unicron plucks Galvatron off his chest and swallows him, Matrix and all, and then begins attacking Cybertron itself. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] scrambles the Decepticon forces to defend the planet, but they are ineffective against so large an enemy. Shortly the Autobots arrive from Junkion, and fly the Quintesson ship straight through Unicron's eye. This impact destroys the ship, and the Autobots fall out inside Unicron. Hot Rod, separated from the others, eventually runs into Galvatron. During their fight, Hot Rod gets his hands on the Matrix and hears Optimus's voice speak the words, "Arise, Rodimus Prime." Hot Rod grows in stature, adopts a much sterner demeanor, and quickly dispatches Galvatron by tossing him through Unicron's hull out into space. He then opens the Matrix, which fills Unicron with light and begins destroying him.

[[Image:Tftm1986e.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Use the Force, Luke.]]
In the meantime, the other Autobots inside Unicron have located some of their comrades from the moon bases who had been presumed dead, including [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and Daniel's father, Spike. The Autobots, including Rodimus, escape through Unicron's remaining eye just as he begins to fall apart and explode. The scene then immediately shifts to the surface of Cybertron, where—for unclear reasons—the Autobots seem to be in charge again. Rodimus predicts an era of peace and prosperity, and the film closes with a shot of Unicron's severed head still floating in orbit around Cybertron.

[['Til all are one]].
{{-}}

==Quotes==
"Such heroic nonsense."
:—'''Megatron''' coldly finishes off Ironhide. The 'Cons always get the best lines.

"I've got better things to do tonight than die!"
:—'''Springer''', telling it like it is.

"One shall stand. One shall fall."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' uttering the most quoted line of the Movie. An ass kicker cometh.

"You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of '''''sterner stuff'''''."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s trash talk is actually [http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/sterner-stuff a lot cooler than it sounds]

"Until that day...'til all are one..."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s final words

"Oh, how it ''pains'' me to do this." 
"Wait! I still function!" 
"Wanna ''bet''?"
:—'''Starscream''' fights back the tears as he throws '''Megatron''' out of Astrotrain.

"I have summoned you here for a purpose." 
"Nobody summons Megatron!" 
"Then it pleases me to be the first."
:—'''Unicron''' shows '''Megatron''' who's the boss.

"Who disrupts my coronation?" 
"Coronation, Starscream? This is bad comedy." 
"Megatron? Is that you?" 
"Here's a hint!"
:—'''Galvatron''' drops "hints" for '''Starscream''' like others drop anvils.

"Did we ''have'' to let them detonate three quarters of the ship?" 
"Seeing as how they would have detonated ''four'' quarters, I think it was a good choice."
:—'''Arcee''' and '''Springer'''

"For a time... I considered ''sparing'' your wretched little planet Cybertron. But now... you shall witness... its ''dismemberment''!"
:—'''Unicron''' really needs to work on his anger management skills...

"Let this mark the end of the Cybertronian Wars as we march forward into a new era of peace and happiness! 'Til all are one!" 
:—'''Rodimus Prime''' announces the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]... yeah, right.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]/Rodimus Prime ([[Judd Nelson]])
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] ([[Robert Stack]])
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] ([[Lionel Stander]])
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] ([[Susan Blu]])
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] ([[John Moschitta]])
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] ([[Gregg Berger]])
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] ([[Paul Eiding]])
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] ([[Buster Jones]])
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] ([[Scatman Crothers]])
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] ([[Dan Gilvezan]])
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Casey Kasem]])
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] ([[Don Messick]])*
*[[Auto-combatant]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Eject]]
*[[Rewind]]
*[[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]]
*[[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]]
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
*[[Grapple]]
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]** ([[Walker Edmiston]])
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] ([[Leonard Nimoy]])
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] ([[Chris Latta]])
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] ([[Stan Jones]])
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] ([[Arthur Burghardt]])
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] ([[Don Messick]])
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] ([[Hal Rayle]])
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] ([[Clive Revill]])
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ([[Jack Angel]])
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] ([[Bud Davis]])
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] ([[Ed Gilbert]])
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Sweep]]s
*[[Cyclonus's Armada]]
|h3=[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]|c3=
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] ([[Eric Idle]])
*[[Scrapheap (G1)|Scrapheap]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Rubbish]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Re-Cycle]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Trashbin]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Junkyard (G1)|Junkyard]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[HAZMAT]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Ashtray]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Wasteoid Gamma]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Greasestain]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
|h4=Others|c4=
'''[[Human]]s'''
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] ([[David Mendenhall]])

'''[[Lithone (species)|Lithones]]'''
*[[Kranix]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])
*[[Arblus]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])

'''[[Quintesson]]s'''
*[[Quintesson]] leader ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Quintesson#Judges|Quintesson judge]] ([[Regis Cordic|Rege Cordic]])
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]
*[[Allicon]]s

'''Other'''
*[[Unicron]] ([[Orson Welles]])
|nonumbering=true
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Credited, but may or may not have appeared.

<nowiki>**</nowiki>Credited, but did not appear.

==Animation errors==
* When Unicron is approaching Lithone at the start of the movie, at the line "Look, it's Unicron!", a [[Animation error#Sizing errors|cel stacking error]] results in Unicron's ring appearing in front of a building arch, [[Distribution|making Unicron look very tiny]] in that shot. In the next shot, it is clear that Unicron is several times larger than the entire planet of Lithone.
* The inside of one of the Lithonian ships being devoured by Unicron is visible for a couple of frames. The pilot of the ship appears to be Kranix, even though he apparently screams out Kranix's name, and Kranix appears later in the Quintesson prison.
* When Optimus Prime asks Jazz to report security status, it shows both Jazz and Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper is seen twiddling knobs above the actual drawn computer, as if a section was supposed to be present.
*When the closeup of Cliffjumper doing his countdown is shown, his shoulders are blue (like his windows) instead of red.
* When the Decepticons blow a hole through the Autobot shuttle to get in, it is a clean break. However, Megatron is still shown ripping through random ship components to get in.
* Scavenger's head is white instead of black as he ducks from Prowl's shot.
* When the Decepticons are killing the Autobot shuttle crew, there is one of the common Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker miscolors. Megatron transforms into gun mode and Starscream catches him, killing Brawn. When they cut back to the Decepticons, Starscream is in front of the Constructicons without Megatron and is firing one of his arm rifles (this probably should have been Skywarp or Thundercracker). When they cut back to the Decepticons for the third time, Starscream has Megatron again and is finishing off the rest of the Autobots. In the shot of Starscream firing his own lasers, his wings are red instead of gray.
* When the Decepticons fly to the shuttle's controls, all of the Autobots have changed positions from when they fell—Brawn is now on his back, for example, while Prowl is now face-down. Ironhide's chest is also completely intact, despite having a bunch of holes blown in it.
* When Hot catches a fish, it is barely the size of his finger. When he releases it's [[Scale|suddenly huge]].
* Hot Rod has at least two totally different transformation schemes during the course of the film.
* When Kup and several Autobots at the roadblock react to Hot Rod's attack on the hijacked Autobot shuttle, Bluestreak is represented by Prowl's [[Character model|animation model]], in Bluestreak's grey and black colours.
* Sunstreaker appears with Kup's group on Earth as they observe Hot Rod firing on Ironhide's shuttle. Sunstreaker later appears as Optimus Prime's co-pilot when they arrive on Earth with the Dinobots, and is seen disembarking the shuttle along with Optimus Prime and Hound.
* In a wide aerial shot of the city under attack, a Reflector flies by in Ironhide's color scheme. Shockwave also makes his only appearance in the battle; considering both his role as Cybertron's guardian and his absence from any other scenes during the battle, his presence is probably an animation error. Rumble also flies past, despite being inside Soundwave at this point.
* Blaster's forehead is red instead of white after his "look out and shout!" line, and again after he returns to robot mode.
* A laser blast that should be behind Blaster is instead layered in front of him as he acknowledges Perceptor's orders.
* In the big lineup of firing Decepticons, Soundwave's cheek guards are blue instead of white.
* When [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] sends out his cassette troops, [[FIRRIB|Rumble is the same color as Frenzy]].
* Blaster first ejects what looks like Eject, who stays blue up until he gets to the edge of the screen. He then turns black like Rewind. Then Blaster ejects another blue cassette, which after about a second turns black. This one gets through half his transformation colored black, then turns blue for a split second then turns black again. Then, when the cassettes are fighting each other, Eject runs in from the left and jumps over Perceptor. And then he runs in from the left ''again'' to shoot Ravage.
* As Springer runs up to the launcher, Wheeljack's body is visible, but he's in red, white and blue colors.
* While Springer and Arcee are trying to move the launcher into place, Springer's face is the same color as his helmet.
* When Devastator forms in Autobot City, his chest plate is the same green as the rest of him. In the next shot, it's the usual purple. However, it promptly turns green again in the next shot.
* As Devastator lays into the walls, Shrapnel is white where he should be black.
* While Perceptor and Grapple are shooting, Swoop's lower half runs by in the foreground, long before the rest of him gets there.
* Megatron's pelvis is white instead of black as he gives the "let the slaughter begin!" order.
* Prime's dramatic transformation sequence far outlasts the transformation sound that's supposed to go with it. It's also the wrong sound (ascending pitch) for his robot-to-vehicle transformation. His trailer is also missing the Autobot logo, which reappears for the rest of the scene.
* When Prime drives up behind the Decepticons, Blitzwing's head is tan instead of purple. It becomes purple when he turns it, then goes back to tan again as he turns it back.
* Prime is missing the transformation sound as he blasts back to robot mode.
* The gun Megatron uses to fatally injure Optimus is blue and white for most of the shots it is seen in, but when Megatron screams "Fall! FALL!" while shooting Prime again, it is black.
* The gun Megatron fires uses the same sound effect as his fusion cannon.
* Prime's antennae are white as he tries to stand after knocking Megatron off the ledge.
* As he orders Astrotrain to take off, Starscream's face is gray instead of black.
* Starscream's whole nosecone, rather than just the canopy, is yellow as he looms over Megatron.
* When Optimus Prime takes the Matrix out of his chest to give to Ultra Magnus, there is another Matrix beneath it in his chest. (On which note, see also ''[[Matrix of Leadership#Universe|Matrix of Leadership, Universe comic]].'') Also, he initially grabs just the core of the Matrix, while the rest of the scene shows the entire assembly.
* When Ultra Magnus accepts the Matrix, he's seen inserting it into his chest twice, or at best readjusting its "fit".
* As the other Decepticons prepare to push him out, Bombshell's chest is rendered as a shapeless gray mass, rather than with its yellow canopy.
* The voice that says, "Brothers! Don't!" is nowhere close to the voices of any of the five Decepticons shown getting thrown out of Astrotrain.
* Starscream's got an extra yellow segment on his canopy as he nominates himself for leadership. Man, even the A-list animation team couldn't keep this straight.
* Most of Megatron's chest emblem isn't colored in as he first speaks to Unicron. It might pass for battle damage, but a few shots later it's fully purple.
[[Image:Coronation .jpg|thumb|right|250px| *''trumpet fanfare''* ]]
* Even after the [[Battle of Autobot City]], characters who are supposedly dead continue to appear in crowd shots and battles. Shrapnel's role in the fight on [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] is the most noticeable (and he was called for by name in the original script), but Thundercracker, Skywarp and Kickback can all be seen at Starscream's coronation. The two jets are later seen again, flying into Unicron's mouth.
* Hook has two eyes instead of a visor as he looks around in confusion during the trumpet scene.
* An early establishing shot clearly shows Cybertron with two and ''only'' two moons in low orbit. Yet a third moon is visible right after Unicron finishes eating the two Autobot bases.
* When Galvatron introduces himself to the Coronation party, Soundwave's chest window is drawn far too small.
* When Cyclonus is strafing the Autobot shuttle in space, he briefly flies offscreen, and during that time his laser blasts come from a point that in no way matches his flight path.
*During the wide shot of the Autobots in the crashed ship on Junk, Blurr's entire head is white.
* Daniel's lips don't purse when he whistles.
* Wreck-Gar's mouth doesn't move at all during his first lines, despite the camera pushing in all close on his face.
* The pistol Ultra Magnus fires uses the same sound effect as Optimus Prime's rifle.
* Shrapnel's lower legs are white when he lands on Junk, instead of black. Must be a side effect of being dead.
* During the Junkion chase scene, Trashbin attacks Arcee. When she fights him off his motorcycle, his model is switched for Junkyard's when he falls down.
* When Hot Rod tells the Junkions the universal greeting, the Autobot insignia on his chest is coloured black.
* When Grimlock gets kissed, his eyes are round instead of triangular.
* When Unicron transforms, the first hand we see (his right) is backwards relative to how the arm is shown on screen.
* After transforming, Unicron has all-white hands (instead of white with gold knuckles) and a white, rectangular chin (instead of the double-triangular chin with a goatee) he has later.
* As Hot Rod falls off one of Unicron's inner spikes, his lower body isn't drawn in. It looks like it should be blocked by our view of the spike, but is layered above it instead.
* Hot Rod's missing his Autobot symbol as he regains his footing inside Unicron.
* During the same sequence, we see a standard-looking control panel next to Hot Rod. It's unlikely Galvatron had time to create one inside Unicron, so where did it come from?
* As the Dinobots fly around Unicron, both his eyes are intact. (The left one had been shattered.)
* As the Dinobots fly away from Unicron, the spikes on Grimlock's right arm are gray instead of gold.
* The third smelting victim (who looks a lot like another Bumblebee) doesn't fall from the conveyor belt; he simply vanishes.

== Continuity errors ==
[[Image:G1TFTM Snarl cameo.JPG|thumb|right|250px|He used to bulls-eye womp-rats in his T16 back home.]]

* The Dinobot [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] is mysteriously absent from almost the entire movie, even though the Dinobots as a group are featured prominently. Copies of the script which have come into fans' hands repeatedly list the Dinobots, but never make mention of Snarl by name. In fact, at one point the script refers to "the four Dinobots". Despite this, Snarl does appear in three very brief shots{{m-}}in which at least one other Dinobot (Swoop in one, Sludge in another) is entirely absent. Hmm.
* Also curiously absent are the 1985 Autobot cars and Mini-Vehicles, such as Inferno, Smokescreen, Cosmos, Warpath, etc. It would seem that these characters were available at the time of the movie:
** Perceptor and Blaster both debuted at the same time in the cartoon as the 1985 cars, and both play prominent roles in the movie.
** Grapple is [[:Image:BattleAutobotCity.jpg|seen ''very'' briefly]] during the battle for Autobot City.
** The 1985 Decepticons (Astrotrain, Dirge, etc.) appear in the film.
** [[:Image:TFTM-SideswipeRedAlertTracks.jpg|Tracks]], [[:Image:TFTM-RedAlertDown.jpg|Red Alert]] and Smokescreen (who was supposed to be the corpse in place of Wheeljack next to Windcharger) all appeared in storyboards but not the finished film.
* Devastator is treated as ''the'' ultimate threat, while in the cartoon, his role (and apparent power) was already being [[Starscream's Brigade|severely diminished]], presumably because several other combiners had been introduced. In story terms, the absence of these newer combiners, not to mention the mighty Omega Supreme, is inexplicable. In real-life terms, those characters didn't exist when the film commenced production. (The [[Transformers: The Animated Movie]] adaptation shows Omega Supreme, Superion and Defensor guarding the Ark against an attack by Bruticus and Menasor, attempting to [[retcon]] the problem away.)
[[Image:Cyclonus armada tftf.jpg|thumb|right|250px|We'll be safe enough once we make the jump into lightspeed.]]
* The existence of Cybertron's moons is contentious ''at best''.
** On the one hand, in numerous close and distant shots of the planet throughout the first two seasons, not a single moon was seen. Ever. Even after it got knocked out of Earth's orbit.
** On the other hand, Megatron ''does'' refer to Cybertron as "land of the metal moon" (note the singular) during "[[Microbots]]", suggesting otherwise. The fact that he was overenergized at the time and lost consciousness in mid-sentence - just before he ''might'' have specified a plural number of moons, (in)conveniently enough - makes it unclear just how much credence we should lend this statement.
** The movie promptly introduces two (possibly three) moons over the planet. In continuity terms, they must either have highly elliptical orbits with periapsides (points in their orbits that bring them closest to the planet) that just happened to coincide with the timeframe of the movie or they were constructed sometime after 1986.
* During the Battle of Autobot City, Starscream gets his leg caught. He shoots downward and gets away while screaming "My foot!", but it's his shin that's smoking while his foot looks fine. Later he kicks Megatron with the same foot. Shouldn't that hurt, according to him? Note there is a time lapse between the "foot shooting" and the kicking, leaving the option of a battlefield repair.
* So Ultra Magnus just happens to have a ready-made Matrix chamber installed in his chest cavity? Is this standard issue for all Autobots?
* The cartoon had already established that Astrotrain increases his size when he transforms to shuttle mode, being large enough to carry a pair of Decepticons in his cockpit. However, within the movie itself, his size is [[scale|noticeably inconsistent]]: When he leaves Autobot City, he's just large enough for the Decepticon army to cram themselves in; later, he's so huge that the Constructicons can quite comfortably form Devastator inside him.
* Speaking of Astrotrain, his entire body flips over when he transforms from train to space shuttle to escape from Autobot City. The Decepticons inside must have ''loved'' that!
* Soundwave is loyal enough to pick up a wounded Megatron and save him, but when Starscream goes to throw Megatron out, Soundwave doesn't try to intervene. He even tries to steal the leadership once Megatron is gone. The "loyalty" attribute that has pertained so strongly to Soundwave seems to be alienated from the character in this scene.
* The number of minions created by Unicron changes throughout the film, with more Sweeps appearing as the story progresses. A second Cyclonus ("Cyclonus, the warrior, and [[Cyclonus's Armada|his armada]]") is shown being created but disappears shortly thereafter. At least ''seven'' new characters are shown at one point, created from only ''six'' Decepticons thrown from the shuttle.

[[Image:SSBQ.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"I've been looking forward to this for a long time." "Yes, I bet you have."]]
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is capable of reducing [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] to ashes with a single shot from his cannon mode. Though in later episodes Galvatron is shown blowing up even small ''[[Thrull|planets]]'' with his cannon, his extraordinary killing power seems to be gone—like when he scores a direct hit in cannon mode on Ultra Magnus in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]" and Magnus isn't especially hurt at all, or how a similar blast against Scourge in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]" only leaves the latter temporarily incapacitated. [[Marvel Comics]] bios explain this by suggesting that Galvatron had nearly limitless power through Unicron... but then again, Galvatron himself claims to be "more powerful than ever" after Unicron is dead in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2]]". [[To sell toys|Who knows.]]
* Why didn't anyone notice Unicron until he was within devouring distance of Cybertron's moons?
* Despite running out of energon goodies on Quintessa, Hot Rod has at least one to offer to the Junkions. Maybe he got some on the ship. It's also possible that, when he told the Allicons "No more," he meant that he wasn't going to ''feed'' them any more energon goodies, not that he didn't ''have'' anymore.
* Daniel, who was just learning how to use his exo-suit, had to knock down the acid cover inside Unicron to save his loved ones. Why couldn't the more experienced Spike do the same with his suit from above? He had both of his arms free and a clear shot at the cover. On the other hand, the clamp holding him may well disable his exo-suit's weapons and movement abilities-if it didn't, Unicron probably wouldn't have eaten half as many victims by now...
* It's not clear how Rodimus Prime (carrying two humans) and the other Autobots survived their jump out of Unicron's eye and their plunge towards the surface of Cybertron.
* It's also unclear just how the dozen or so Autobots (and one shipload of Junkions) managed to retake the whole planet of Cybertron. Did Unicron really wipe out ''that'' many Decepticons?
* When the Autobots are repairing Autobot City, Blaster is present, but a few minutes later, he's nowhere to be seen. And he isn't seen getting on one of the shuttles. It is possible that they took off without him, but Daniel noticed Arcee was not on board. Guess he cares more about Arcee than Blaster.
* Ultra Magnus blows up, but later his parts are just in individual sections. The Junkions place them together and shine him up, and he's fine! No welding or reprogramming, no replacing damaged parts...
* Makes you wonder why they couldn't fly Prime's body over and repair it, too. At the end of season three, we find out the Matrix can be given back to him, so that's not the issue...

===Not necessarily errors===
* Fans have noted throughout the years that Astrotrain, in his flight through zero-gravity space, should not have needed to "jettison some weight" in the literal sense. However, since the ejected Decepticons quickly fall behind Astrotrain instead of floating alongside him, he must still have been accelerating and thus would have needed to burn a greater amount of fuel in order to push a larger payload. Perhaps he should have said "jettison some ''mass''", but then again, just being a spaceship doesn't make him a rocket scientist.
* Starscream is shown just inside Astrotrain's cargo bay when he commands him to take off, but in the next shot (Astrotrain's door closing as his rocket engines ignite), Starscream is nowhere to be seen. It's possible that he walked further in, but he should still be at least partially visible.

==Continuity notes==
* The Movie has had a huge effect in shaping the mythos. Among the elements and characters which would reappear in many other iterations of Transformers are:
** The notion that Cybertron has moons
** The Matrix as a physical object, rather than the computer program previously depicted in the Marvel Comics. Even the Marvel Comics would eventually shoehorn this one in.
** Autobot City
** Unicron
** The notion of Megatron becoming Galvatron
** And it killed off Optimus Prime before it was cool!
* Gadgets and powers:
** Springer deploys a small flip-out twin laser from his wrist during the Autobot City battle.
** Arcee and Hot Rod both activate a long-distance scanner of some sort by lowering a red visor from under their helmets over their eyes.
** Hot Rod uses a saw blade that extends from his retracted wrist.
** Blurr has the same kind of hooked welding tip used by various Autobots as far back as "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]".
** Arcee unleashes a nasty barbed post from her fender to fend off a Junkion.
** Grimlock shows the never-before seen ability to shoot lasers from his fists.
* '''[[The Revenge of Bruticus|< <]]''' What makes Starscream the leader? Megatron's <s>dead</s> almost dead!

==Real-world references and Easter eggs==
[[Image:TFTMUnicronSkyscrapers.jpg|thumb|300px|]]
* When the inside of Unicron is shown after he devours Lithone, the "blinking energy" effect of Unicron's innards was apparently achieved by recycling backgrounds from other animated TV shows or movies. A frame by frame viewing reveals what appear to be several images of post-apocalyptic buildings inside Unicron, some of which are upside-down.
* When Sludge gets haymakered by Devastator, his eyes pop out of their sockets in ''[[Wikipedia:Looney Tunes|Looney Tunes]]'' fashion.
* Kup's storytelling sequence aboard the shuttle is drawn from the novel ''[[Wikipedia:Of Mice and Men|Of Mice and Men]]'', complete with Grimlock in the Lenny role asking Kup to "tell Grimlock about petrorabbits again".

* The Quintesson jail cell includes robot debris ''strongly'' resembling the mobile suits [[Wikipedia:Gundam Mk-II|RX-178 Gundam MK II]] and the [[Wikipedia:Z Gundam|MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam]] from 1985 Japanese animation ''[[Wikipedia:Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam|Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]''.

* The Junkions speak almost entirely in pop culture quotes and pastiches. Littered among the generic phrases like "operators are standing by!", "Film at eleven" and "eliminate even the toughest stains" are more specific references, such as:
** "Don't look behind door #2, Monty!" - a reference to the game show ''[[Wikipedia:Let's Make a Deal|Let's Make a Deal]]'' and its host, [[Wikipedia:Monty Hall|Monty Hall]].
** "Ger-ronny-doo-ron-ron-ronny-mo!" - both the famous "[[Wikipedia:Geronimo (exclamation)|Geronimo!]]" war cry, and the 1963 hit "[[Wikipedia:Da Doo Ron Ron|Da Doo Ron Ron]]".
** "You check in, but you don't check out" - a parody of the tagline for [[Wikipedia:Roach Motel (insect trap)|Roach Motel]] insect traps.
** "Happy motoring!" - the slogan of gas company [[Wikipedia:Esso|Esso]].

* ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' sound effects (yes, even the high-budget Movie uses them):
** The ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' engine burst noise is used extensively throughout the film, over and over and over, almost any time a Decepticon takes flight.

** [[Luke Skywalker]]'s deactivating [[lightsaber]] is used as the sound of the Quintesson ship's ramp extending.
** Clashing lightsabers are used as Unicron fires eye-blasts at the attacking Transformers.

** An igniting lightsaber is used as Rodimus opens the Matrix.
* The ''Star Trek'' sliding door sound is used as Wreck-Gar pulls out his <s>iPhone</s> mini-TV.
* Also, the sound used for the communicators on Star Trek was used when Daniel was activating his blaster to save Spike

==Adaptations==
*[[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel comic)|A comic adaptation of the movie]] was published by [[Marvel Comics]] in 1986, concurrently with the movie's theater run. It was based off a non-finalized version of the script, and differs in many details from the final film. Additionally, most of the major character models (and possibly their unedited original character write-ups) appear in issue #4 of the ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]'' series.
* [[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|A storybook adaptation]] was released in the UK by [[Ladybird Books]].
*A four-part adaptation was released in 2006/2007 by [[IDW Publishing]], as part of the film's 20th anniversary celebration. It was titled ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' to differentiate it from the [[Michael Bay]] [[Transformers (2007)|live-action film]]. Unlike its predecessor, it adheres rigidly to the script and plot of the finished movie.

==Soundtrack==
{{main|The Transformers: The Movie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack}}

==Promotions==
* Early in the movie's production, a [[The Transformers: The Movie promo|promotional trailer]] was made to sell the project to potential investors.
* The movie was advertised on related 1986 toy packages via the [[Decipher the Decepticon]] Sweepstakes, which included a pack-in poster and contest.
* The movie was heavily advertised directly by TV [[commercial]]s, and tail-end segments on Transformer toy ads. Portions of its story were also retold in altered fashion by animation segments of commercials for the movie character toys, such as a spot showing Springer doing battle with Wreck-Gar.

==In the comic continuity==
The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK comic]] made extensive use of the Movie as the basis for a series of stories involving the Transformers in the future. However there are several differences between the events seen on screen and those referenced in the comic:

*The comic always dates the movie to 2006, following the date given in a treatment that was all [[Simon Furman]] had when he wrote [[Target: 2006]].
*In Target: 2006, [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] states that he was previously "[[Life Spark]]".
*The Matrix is always called the "Creation Matrix" in the comic, a name that predates the "Matrix of Leadership" but which is now used for the same physical object.
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] both survive the events, both later appearing in [[Space Pirates!]] (set in 2008).

In addition, Shockwave definitely survives the attack by Unicron.

The US comic almost completely ignored the events of the Movie, though later in the run an alternative future is briefly shown in "[[Rhythms of Darkness!]]" and "[[A Savage Circle]]". In this timeline at least some of the events of the Movie took place such as the creation of Galvatron from Megatron, which is dated to 2005, though Prowl's death was overlooked. [[Prowl II|Wouldn't be the first time. Or the last.]]
*The US version of the future story [[The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006]] implicitly has the events of the movie as part of its backstory. However, since the rest of the US series ignored the movie, this issue's place in the continuity is questionable.

==Edits==
Several English-language versions of the film exist, with the following differences in content from the American theatrical run:

* In some versions (notably the European version) the opening credits are replaced with a scrolling text ("''Star Wars'' style") which provides backstory.
* In some versions (notably the European version) the film ends with [[Victor Caroli|a narrator]] reassuring the audience that Optimus Prime will return.
* Instances of swearing in the film (there are two) were edited out; sometimes one, sometimes both. Those instances are: Spike yelling, "Oh shit, what are we gonna do now?" after the self-destructing Moon Base 2 fails to scratch Unicron, and Ultra Magnus growling, "Open, damn it, open!" while trying to open the Matrix to fend off Galvatron and the Sweeps on Junkion. The United Kingdom cinema version had the swearing included but, when it was released on VHS in the United Kingdom, Spike's line was cut ("damn" not being considered offensive in the UK). However it has been restored on all United Kingdom DVD releases.
* In some early FHE video releases, the shot of the Matrix falling out of Optimus Prime's hand and being caught by Hot Rod is edited so that it appears that Ultra Magnus simply takes the Matrix from Prime. Why this was done is not known, and the replay of the Hot Rod catch on Unicron's monitors was left intact.
*Instead of DEG, the [[wikipedia:Rank Organisation|Rank Film]] "gong man" appears before the film, as Rank were the United Kingdom distributors.

None of these edits significantly affect the story. They should not be confused with various other sequences which were changed before the film's final release:

* Originally, Ultra Magnus's "death sequence" on Junkion called for him to be lassoed and drawn and quartered by the Sweeps' energy beams, but this was deemed too graphic for audiences, hence the less disturbing "shot to death" sequence seen instead. There is evidence that the original sequence had been fully animated when the decision was made, however; the Sweeps still kept their solid energy lassos when they fire upon Magnus, and Magnus is seen visibly straining against what appears to be said lassos (edited out and replaced with laser fire) before exploding.
* A number of other sequences were illustrated as [[storyboard]]s but dropped, presumably without ever being animated. Among them were:
** A short scene showing Ironhide piloting the Autobot shuttle through ''huge chunks of ice'' from the tail of a passing comet, explaining how the Decepticons caught them unawares. In response to a reprimand by Prowl who prickishly disapproves of Ironhide's piloting shenanigans, Ironhide exclaims, "I can sure as shootin' dodge a couple of ice chunks". When the Autobots are suddenly jolted by the Decepticon strike force as Megatron and his troops attempt to enter the shuttle, Ironhide tells the others on board, "That was no ice chunk...". Heroic nonsense ensues...
** An extended sequence with Hot Rod and Daniel outside the city.
** A sequence of Mirage blasting Bombshell and being fired on by Megatron.
** The Autobots finally bringing down Devastator with a barrage of missiles (and the Constructicons subsequently shooting Red Alert in the back).
** The Decepticons dogpiling Optimus Prime, explaining why he seems to be standing up just before his fight with Megatron, and no longer holding his rifle. According to storyboards, Prime gets bum-rushed by Blitzwing (who causes Prime to drop his gun), Starscream, Astrotrain, and Skywarp. While it is not clear how Prime defeated the first four hand-to-hand combatants, Dirge is later shown attempting one final sneak attack (and gets his can handed back to him) as Prime is talking to Megatron before the two leaders' final fight.
** Trailbreaker is shown dead among the wreckage of Autobot City as the Decepticons begin their retreat.
:Some of these concepts were in earlier versions of the script, and hence made it into the comic adaptation.
* Rumors have occasionally circulated in the fandom of additional animated footage that was dropped from the film, such as ultra-violent battle scenes. No evidence has ever surfaced to back these claims; the only known edits are those listed in this section.
:{{see|Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#The Transformers: The Movie|Urban legends about ''The Transformers: The Movie''}}

==Reception==
{{quote|''The Transformers'', in which Orson Welles plays a planet, is pure headache material. Target audience of cartoon-watchers also will probably find the film unintelligible, noisy and unoriginal. Boxoffice prospects are dismal.|2=[http://books.google.com/books?id=DHNZAAAAMAAJ&q=Hasbro+Transformers&dq=Hasbro+Transformers&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1983&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=2005&num=50&as_brr=0&cd=69 Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19]}}

{{quote|Obnoxious animated feature about the title good guys, who defend the universe against an evil planet (which has a voice of its own... provided by Orson Welles.) That deafening rock score certainly doesn't help. Little more than a feature-length toy commercial.|Leonard Maltin, ''1987 Movie & Video Guide''}}

{{quote|While all this action may captivate young children, the animation is not spectacular enough to dazzle adults, and the Transformers have few truly human elements to lure parents along, even when their voices are supplied by well-known actors. |2=[http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/09/movies/screen-transformers-animation-for-children.html The New York Times]}}

{{quote|Transformers -- The Movie, a feature-length animated film inspired by the syndicated TV cartoon series inspired by the Hasbro toy imported from Japan, is utterly uninspired entertainment. |2=[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CE8EA8D40CCA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM The Dallas Morning News]}}

{{quote|If you can swallow, without gagging, a large measure of sentimental and offensive religiosity - lines like "Do not grieve. Soon I will be one with the Matrix," whispered by a failing hunk of Autobot metal - then you have a better than even chance of leaving the theatre on your own two feet. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=01kiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W6gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2445,1286000&dq=transformers&hl=en The Montreal Gazette]}}

{{quote|Everything is poorly drawn and - when it's in focus - one dimensional. It is terribly hard to separate the robots from the backgrounds, and there is no easy way to tell the good guys from the bad guys. In an earlier movie based on the same sort of robot toys - "Go-Bots: The Battle of the Rock Lords" - the good guys were either white or colorful and the bad guys were dreary, and they had distinct personalities. Not this movie; everyone looks and sounds alike, except one pink robot who is a female good guy. Her tin voluptuousness makes her stand out. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kw4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OgMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6957,6334152&dq=transformers&hl=en The Toledo Blade]}}

{{quote|Even with an all-star cast doing the voice overs... and a rock music score, this is still nothing more than a ripoff of a successful toy line. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AYckAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dtsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4192,1494652&dq=transformers&hl=en The Palm Beach Post]}}

{{quote|The great animated villains, like the Wicked Queen in Disney's "Snow White," had motivations as compelling as any live-action character. Unicron apparently destroys entire worlds because it has nothing else to do. |2=[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/57996397.html?dids=57996397:57996397&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+8%2C+1986&author=CHARLES+SOLOMON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=8&desc=%60THE+TRANSFORMERS%27%3A+STRETCHING+A+POINT The LA Times]}}

''The Transformers: The Movie'' was almost universally panned by professional critics upon its release.

Well-known film critic and animation enthusiast, Leonard Maltin, gave it a rating below 1 1/2 stars in his ''1987 Movie & Video Guide'', regarding it as a "bomb", then proceeded to write an unflattering blurb denouncing the film as a "feature-length toy commercial" (well, he was ''right'').

Caryn James of the ''New York Times'' admitted in the [[August 9]], 1986 edition of the paper that the film was intended for young children, pointing out that the kids in the audience were having a grand ole time with the ''Transformer'' toys and comics they brought with them to the theater, but derided the film as having little to no appeal to adults (''man-children'', on the other hand...).

''Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19 '' was far less even-handed in their review, claiming the film had no appeal to adults ''or'' children. They predicted the film would perform poorly in the box office (and were correct, in that regard).

Carrie Rickey of the ''Dallas Morning News'' chided the film in the [[August 13]], 1986 issue of the paper, describing it as "essentially a cartoon ''Star Wars'' about robots from a toybox galaxy far, far away". She then went on to say that the film "never takes off" and derided it as "uninspired".

Janice Kennedy of the ''Montreal Gazette'' verbally disemboweled the film in the [[August 23]], 1986 edition of the paper, criticizing it as overly commercial, profane, loud, violent, humorless, heavy-handed in its religious messages and chaulk-full of gratuitous celebrity voice-overs. Her only compliment: "But ''The Transformers: The Movie'' does have at least one good thing going for it, a howlingly appropriate song by [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]. It's title? ''Dare to be Stupid''." ''Ouch''.

Nanciann Cherry in the August 13, 1986 edition of the ''Toledo Blade'' claimed the robots in the movie had little personality and faded into the background. She even went on to say that ''Challenge of the GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords'' was a superior film! Her review was filled with inaccuracies, however, citing characters such as "Unicon" and claiming that the destruction of Cybertron's moons by "Unicon" is what caused the Autobots to travel to Autobot City, at which point Megatron attacked. To be fair, she readily admits, "About 20 minutes into the film, I gave up on the plot and tried to count all the ideas that were stolen from other sources. Now that kept me busy." So she wasn't really paying attention, anyway.

Kathryn Buxton in the [[August 22]], 1986 edition of the ''Palm Beach Post'' gave the film a whopping ''one'' star, calling it "a ripoff of a successful toyline", whatever ''that'' means. In the same article, she also gave David Cronenberg's ''[[Fly|The Fly]]'' one star, just for reference.

In the August 8, 1986 edition of the ''LA Times'', critic Charles Solomon made clear his dislike for the film centered primarily on the fact that none of the characters had interesting or believable motivation. He stated, "Not even the best actor can create a character out of nothing. Not one of the robots has a reason for doing what he does." Solomon then pointed to Unicron specifically as an example of the lack of deep, multi-dimensional motivations in the characters.

Over time, however, the movie has acquired something of a cult following beyond the core base of [[fandom|Transformers fans]], particularly among children of the 80s. It is sometimes screened as a midnight movie at colleges. Online, it is not hard to find amateur reviews lauding everything about it as utterly awesome, from the premise to the soundtrack, and dismissing more critical views out of hand.

To date, the budget of the film has not been disclosed—at least, not in any place the [[fandom]] has found. According to most box office tracking sites,<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers.htm</ref><ref>http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1986/0TRTM.php</ref> ''The Transformers: The Movie'' made $5,849,647 in domestic (e.g., United States) theaters. Comparing this with other animated films of 1986, the results are not particularly charitable; while it did better financially than ''[[GoBots (franchise)|GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gobots.htm</ref> ($1,338,264) and ''Heathcliff: The Movie''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=heathcliff.htm</ref> ($2,610,686), it performed worse than the ''[[My Little Pony]]'' movie<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mylittlepony.htm</ref> ($5,958,456) and the '''second''' ''Care Bears'' movie<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=carebearsmovie2.htm</ref> ($8,540,346). Bringing up ''The Great Mouse Detective''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=greatmousedetective.htm</ref> ($25,336,794) and ''An American Tail''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americantail.htm</ref> ($47,483,002) would really just be overkill.

==Significance in Transfandom==
''The Transformers: The Movie'' remains one of the most important elements of the entire Transformers brand, both within the fiction and from the perspective of the brand's popularity and "mindshare".

Fictionally, it established several story concepts that have been used repeatedly in the years since 1986, some of which—such as Unicron and the Matrix—are now central to the entire Transformers mythos. The movie is also the centerpiece of the most well-known Transformers continuity: the Generation 1 animated universe. The ''Transformers'' cartoon is split into "pre-movie" and "post-movie" sections which feature different characters and settings, and even somewhat different visual styles. (Most pre-movie episodes were animated by the studio [[Toei]], while most post-movie episodes were animated by [[AKOM]].)

On a practical note, it was widely available on videotape, and remained so long after the ''The Transformers'' cartoon had gone off the air. Only a [[Family Home Entertainment|handful of series episodes]] were available on video, making ''The Transformers: The Movie'' the logical choice for someone looking to pick up a ''Transformers'' cartoon; this made it far more well-known among fans than any particular cartoon episode.

To an entire generation of young fans, the movie was the most visually spectacular and narratively epic ''Transformers'' experience of their entire youth. Events such as the death of Optimus Prime are widely reported to have reduced many kids to tears. It is hardly a surprise that these emotional experiences embedded themselves deeply in many fans' memories.

==Criticisms==
[[Image:TFTM Ratchet dies.jpg|180px|left|thumb|Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise.]]

All this is not all to say that the movie is a "masterpiece", exactly. The film met with extremely harsh critical reviews on its release, and some of those criticisms still ring true today.

The film displays an arguably cynical attitude towards itself as [[To sell toys|a vehicle for advertising toys]], especially in the way beloved characters are killed—sometimes gratuitously—for sake of justifying the story's focus on a new group of toys. (Note that with the exception of Laserbeak and possibly Buzzsaw [http://www.flickr.com/photos/42232106@N06/3893688802] the poster at the top of this article features ''only'' new characters.)

Further, the two primary plot devices—[[Unicron]] and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]—have no prior establishment in the fiction. Unicron is given no backstory ([[Call of the Primitives|until season 3]]) or justification; he simply exists, is very dangerous, and is afraid of the Matrix, all for no adequately explained reason. The introduction of the Matrix itself is a heavy [[retcon]]. The story asks the audience to accept that this cosmically powerful artifact has been in Prime's possession all along (even though an X-ray of Optimus Prime's innards in the second season episode "[[A Prime Problem]]" show absolutely no signs of said Matrix), but has somehow never been relevant before. In fact, this lack of prior establishment is what led [[Simon Furman]] to develop the divinity backstory of Unicron and [[Primus]] in the UK comics run.

[[Image:Megatronlightsaber.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Your powers are weak, old man!]]
The movie bears many similarities to ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'': There are several character-parallels ([[Springer (G1)|Springer]] is a [[Han Solo]]-type and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] even has Princess Leia's hairdo!), the primary threat is similar (it's the [[Death Star]]... [[Unicron|but it transforms!]]), and both feature a climactic battle where the [[Hot Rod (G1)|young hero]] hears the voice of his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|dead, wise mentor]] one last time before saving the day.

To be a bit more fair to ''The Transformers: The Movie'', however, most of these similarities are either superficial (Arcee's Leia-hair; Megatron's "lightsaber" he briefly uses in his duel against Optimus Prime) or can be seen as elements common to thousands of years worth of epic storytelling through human history, not just common to ''Star Wars''. As a simple example, the phenomenon of two charismatic leaders dealing each other mortal injuries in battle hearkens back to some versions of the "King Arthur" myth; in their final battle, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arthur]] and his arch-enemy [[Megatron (G1)|Sir Mordred]] deal one another lethal injuries and both apparently expire—though Arthur according to the legend will [[The Return of Optimus Prime|return]] when [[Cybertron (planet)|England's]] need [[Darkest hour|is greatest]].

==Formatting==
[[Image:Tftm widescreenesque.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The "widescreen" picture (left) actually ''cuts off'' the top and bottom of the fullscreen picture (right).]]
Although it was billed in some advertisements before its theatrical release as being "widescreen", the movie was in fact animated in a 4:3 (fullscreen) aspect ratio. For its theatrical screenings, the film was matted down in the projector by the projectionist to a 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen), chopping the top and bottom off the picture, but all video transfers of the movie were done without mattes, meaning that there was actually more picture visible in the fullscreen video and DVD releases than there would have been in theaters. Across 2006 and 2007, new editions of the DVD of the film were released by Sony BMG and [[Metrodome]] which applied the mattes in order to replicate the original theatrical presentation of the film for the first time in home entertainment. Some fans, however, didn't realize that the film wasn't actually ''animated'' in widescreen, and, hearing that the DVD was to be in widescreen, expected to see the fullscreen image with additional footage at the sides, causing them to complain that the top and bottom were cut off, thereby totally missing the point.

==International versions==
{{main|The Transformers: The Movie/dubs}}

==Commercial Releases==
[[Image:Tftm laserdisk cover.jpg|right|thumb|The cover image from the original Japanese home media release of the movie.]]
* The movie was originally released in North America on home video in 1987 by [[Family Home Entertainment]], minus Spike's swear. Not long after, it was released in the UK by [[Video Gems]]. This version featured the opening text crawl and closing narration inherent to the UK version of the film. In Australia, the film was released on video by RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts. In Japan, Hillcrane released a Laserdisc version alongside a VHS copy, both sporting a gorgeous painted cover that decorated many a fan's desktop back in the day.
*The movie was released spottily in the '90s, beginning with a budget VHS by Avid Home Entertainment in 1991. [[Malofilm]] released a VHS in Canada in 1995, notable for being the first home entertainment version to include Spike's swear. In 1998, Japanese company Pioneer produced another pair of Laserdisc and VHS releases. In 1999, things kicked off when American company [[Kid Rhino]] secured the Transformers license and released the film on VHS once again.
*The 21st century's flirtation with ''The Transformers: The Movie'' started with a UK budget VHS release of that country's version by [[Sony|Sony Wonder]], distributed by [[Maverick Entertainment]]. A Japanese company called CatCo followed this up with a VideoCD, and Malofilm—now Seville—were the first to release a DVD version of the film, though it was just a dump of their VHS version.
*In November 2000, ''The Transformers: The Movie'' got its first, full professional DVD release from Kid Rhino. This edition, labelled a "Special Collector's Edition", is the first to feature remastered video and audio, and several special features, including storyboards and an interview with [[Vince DiCola]]. Rhino concurrently released this version on VHS, sans extras.
*In 2001 in the UK, Sony Wonder released their own much-delayed DVD version of the film. It was the UK version of the film, but included Spike's swear. However, the release was burdened by badly interlaced video, though it notably included the [[Omni Productions]] dub version of the ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' episode "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]" as an extra. This version (including the ''Headmasters'' episode) was simultaneously released on VHS.
*The movie was released on DVD in Australia in 2003 by [[Madman Entertainment]], using the same video as the Maverick version, but distinguished by some nifty new cover art by [[Don Figueroa]], and special features not seen on other editions, such as ''[[Stan Bush|The Touch]]'' music video and 80s TV spots.
[[Image:Tftm uk covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The UK poster art (left) has been the most common DVD and VHS cover in its home country, but the Ultimate Edition featured new art by Andy Wildman (right).]]
*After acquiring the license to release ''Transformers'' DVDs in the UK, [[Metrodome]] focused on completing their run of series box sets before turning their attention to the movie properly, releasing only a cheap budget DVD of the UK version through Prism Leisure with no extras, and a UMD of the same version.
*In 2005, Metrodome released ''Transformers: The Movie - Reconstructed'', a new version of the film designed to expose as much of the animated picture as possible. This, however, only resulted in exposing the rough, unfinished edges of the animation, and an overly pale remaster was compounded by excessive interlacing due to an unnecessary NTSC to PAL transfer. This, coupled with a 5.1 remix from [[Magno Sound & Video]], featuring the same extra sound effects that they added to Rhino's season box sets, made this release both controversial and disappointing to many. This was the first time that the US version of the movie was released in the UK, and the first to feature the US poster art as a cover (although a Silverscreen store exclusive version of the disc included a reversible cover with the UK poster art as well). Extras include trailers, TV spots, the character biographies from the Madman release, and a subtitled version of "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]".
[[Image:Tftm sony covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Sony's covers, by Don Figueroa.]]
*For the movie's 20th anniversary in 2006, new license holder [[Sony|Sony BMG]] released a two-disc special edition of the film, featuring both a high-quality widescreen remaster and the original fullscreen version, audio commentaries from crew and fans, several new featurettes interviewing those involved in the movie's production, storyboards, tv spots, American and Japanese commercials and more. Most notably, this version included the first Western release of "[[Scramble City: Mobilization]]", albeit silent and unsubtitled, featuring only audio commentary. This release featured two covers by Don Figueroa: one is of the '84-'85 cast that appear in the movie, and one is of the movie's new characters, available either as a lenticular hologram that switches between the two, or as a reversible sleeve with the images printed on either side.
[[Image:Tftm madman covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Madman's 2003 DVD cover (left), and their 2007 Special Edition cover (right).]]
*Delayed a bit to coincide with the hype for the 2007 [[Transformers (2007)|live-action movie]], Metrodome also released a two-disc "Ultimate Edition" with a different widescreen master. Like "Reconstructed", this version used the US edition of the film, but this time, the UK version was also included, in fullscreen, on the second disc. Extras include TV spots, commercials, the Madman biographies, storyboards, commentary, "Scramble City" (with audio and subtitles), featurettes with [[Flint Dille]] and [[Peter Cullen]], and more. The double-disc edition was sold in a steel case featuring new art by [[Andrew Wildman]], with the UK poster art adorning the standard case inside. Various store exclusives were available, including postcards from Play.Com, a reversible cover with the US poster art from HMV, art cards from Virgin Megastore and [[posters]] from Woolworths and [[Toys"R"Us]]. It was also available in an extra-less single-disc version. This version was premiered at the Mid Ulster Film Festival in Ireland which was the only cinema showing of the remastered version of the film to date.
*The film was released in Full HD 1080p on Blu-ray in the UK in October 2007. The Blu-ray is not region-locked, so it will play anywhere in the world. It features a 2.0 soundtrack, 5.1 Dolby Digital track, and a full bitrate DTS 5.1 track. The master used was the same used by Sony for their US DVD. The picture is quite stunning and the sound very good. Sadly, there are no extras on the DVD. The version of the film on the Blu-ray is the US one, complete with swear word.
*Madman produced their two-disc special edition through some collaboration with Metrodome, and consequently it features much of the same content, with additional extras taking the form of The Touch music video and a bonus episode of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''. This release again features cover artwork by Don Figueroa, specifically the cover of [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' adaptation.

==Television Broadcasts==
Following an airing during Season Five in parts, the feature film was only ever aired on American television in 1989 via the Fox stations. Air dates and times were June 17 at Noon, July 30 at 11 A.M. and September 2 at 10 A.M. Of course, this was the language-edited video release from Family Home Entertainment.

==Notes==
* According to [[Buzz Dixon]], Hasbro's decision to kill off Optimus Prime was actually an attempt to maintain some brand-storytelling parity with ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'', as Dixon had just convinced them to allow the death of [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] in ''[[wikipedia:G.I. Joe: The Movie|G.I. Joe: The Movie]]'' and both films were in production at the same time.<ref>http://www.joeheadquarters.com/interviews_dixon.shtml</ref>

* This film was the last professional performance by [[Orson Welles]], who died only a month later. According to production materials shown at [[BotCon 2000]] by Tim Finn, the voice recording sessions for ''The Transformers: The Movie'' were done on [[September 10]] and [[September 11|11]] of 1985. Welles died on [[October 10]] of that same year. It has often been speculated that Unicron's last line ("Destiny… you cannot destroy my destiny!") was recorded by another actor—possibly [[Leonard Nimoy|Nimoy]]—because it sounds different than the other lines. This speculation has been quashed by statements by Transformers voice director [[Wally Burr]].<ref>http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/60-astrominutes/wally-burr/wally_burr_3.html</ref>
[[Image:Windcharger wheeljack otp.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!!]]

* With the exception of Starscream and possibly Shockwave, only the Autobots suffered fatalities in the movie. All of the other "dead" Decepticons from the Autobot City battle were rebuilt into Galvatron's new troops, and although more Decepticons were shown taking heavy damage and suffering huge casualties while fighting Unicron, their identities and their final condition are uncertain. Additionally, both Starscream and Unicron survived in the post-movie series in some form or another. Shockwave's death in the finished film is highly uncertain, although in the script it is fairly strongly implied. He does make some miscolored appearances in crowd shots in later cartoon episodes, but these are probably examples of the fairly common animation errors in those episodes.

* Somewhat ironically, though only three of the original eighteen Autobots - [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] - are definitively shown to have survived the movie, two would quite literally never be heard from again: [[Scatman Crothers]] passed away (though this didn't stop Jazz from making any number of background cameos) while Casey Kasem [[Casey Kasem#Notes|quit the show early in the third season]]. Fate's finger is fickle indeed.

*[[:Image:TFTM-MaybeBeachcomber.jpg|A robot resembling Beachcomber]] appears alongside Spike and the Autobots inside Unicron seconds before Daniel blasts the acid cover. Whether this was actually meant to be Beachcomber or just coincidental coloring is unknown, but regardless, Beachcomber shows up alive and well in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]".

==External links==
* [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers.htm ''The Transformers: The Movie'''s box office domestic gross.]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080426020409/http://www.tftm.net/ ''The Transformers: The Movie'' "Unofficial Fansite", an extremely thorough site about the movie]
* [http://www.wombatking.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=4 ''The Transformers: The Movie'' deleted storyboards]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: The Movie}}

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 1 media]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

Megatron (WFC)

2011-10-15T19:25:36Z

71.22.247.52: /* Notes */

{{faction|decepticon|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Megatron}}
:''Megatron is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:PrimeMegatron.jpg|thumb|250px|Lord of the [[Dark Energon]] wraiths.]]
The awesomely powerful '''Megatron''' is, in many ways, a fallen hero. He rose up from the oppressed lower working castes of [[Kaon]] to become a champion in the region's illegal [[gladiatorial combat|deathmatches]], cast aside his designation of '''D-16''' and took the legendary name '''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'''<ref>Megatron was an abbreviation, so it'd be easier for the masses to chant his name; ''Transformers: Exodus'', Chapter 3</ref> as his own, he called for an end to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s decrepit [[caste system]] and told the downtrodden that freedom of self-determination was the right of all sentient beings!

But power corrupts and Megatron's Decepticon revolution, like many such movements, ended up becoming a whole new tyranny. Powerful, charismatic, violent, and full of rage for any who would stand in the way of his ambition and drive, Megatron brought Cybertron ''past'' the brink of destruction. Now he and his former brother-in-arms [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] fight on other worlds. Megatron will never forgive Optimus for "betraying" him, stealing from the Council the rank of Prime which was rightfully his. He has reserved for his old friend the greatest honor possible: glorious death at his hands.

Megatron has been gone for three years, but now he's returned. He's brought the monstrous [[Dark Energon]] to Earth, and quite possibly left his sanity in space.

{{quote|I... am the Dominator, I... am the Destroyer, I am Megatron!|Megatron|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''Exodus''===
[[Image:WFCcomicD16.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Alright! What's the square root of pi?! What's the capital of Sierre Leone?! What's... awww, this 'ask questions later' thing doesn't work at ''all''."]]
Megatron nicknamed himself D-16 after the sector of the mine where he performed demolition operations. As a gladiator, in killing others he began to appreciate the value of life, and in between matches he became something of an intellectual, debating the castes with other miners. After bosses requested he lose a few fights, D-16 killed them and took over Kaon and [[Slaughter City]]. After murdering one boss in front of his employees, D-16 declared himself Megatronus, whom he considered the greatest of the [[Thirteen original Transformers|Thirteen]]. After hearing his preaching on the [[Communication Grid]] against the [[Guilds of Cybertron]], the concerned [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]] sent [[Bumper (WFC)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (WFC)|Fastback]] to investigate. Megatronus killed them, believing two lives were worthless compared to the millions doomed by the castes Sentinel created.

After a victorious battle with the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s, in which the crowd redubbed him Megatron, the gladiator was contacted by the [[Iacon (polity)|Iaconian]] [[Hall of Records|records monitor]] [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]], and they began exchanging their ideas in intense but friendly philosophical discussions. Megatron encouraged Orion to learn self defense and invited him to visit Kaon, which he did to a warm welcome from Megatron (and from none of his gladiators). By this point Megatron was planning to call his movement the Decepticons, and he had begun sending his followers on a search for artifacts of the Primes, as their discovery would be signs their cause was just. His followers began bombing Cybertron, and Megatron distanced himself from their extremism to gain credibility. Orion and his mentor [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]] believed him, but the latter was well aware Megatron might have gained a taste for violence after the attention it earned him. Soon enough, Megatron accepted the gift of a kidnapped Sentinel Prime from [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]].

[[Image:WFCcomicHalogendies.jpg|thumb|250px|]]

Alpha Trion organized a hearing for Orion and Megatron with the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]]. They protested involvement in Sentinel's disappearance. When confronted with the phrase "Decepticon", Megatron denied any knowledge of it but accepted his followers' term wholeheartedly, stating deception was necessary sometimes for the corrupt to see the truth. When [[Halogen (WFC)|Halogen]] revealed Megatron's followers had been trying to locate the [[Matrix of Leadership]], he declared that Orion should become the Prime that he desperately wanted to lead Cybertron into the new [[Golden Age]], and find it. Incensed, Megatron killed Halogen, and when Optimus prevented the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] from attacking Megatron, the ungrateful gladiator declared Optimus had fallen into the trap of power the High Council had given him. He declared Optimus was no longer his brother (though he would continue to refer to him as such privately), and that the Matrix would be his.

In the subsequent war with Optimus' [[Autobot]]s, the Decepticons took control of eighty-five percent of the planet. Wherever Starscream's [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] aided, they were victorious. Megatron was initially merciful to neutrals, but he let Shockwave take control of [[Tarn]] and torture Autobot sympathizers there. When the [[Praxus|Praxians]], a progressive city-state who were disappointed with the direction Megatron took, allied with the Autobots, Megatron decided he would no longer try to convert followers and launched the first genocide of the war, slaughtering all in [[Nova Cronum]] who would not submit to the Decepticons as they attacked.

As the war dragged into a siege of Iacon, Soundwave's spying bore fruit as he discovered [[Dark Energon]], the essence of [[Unicron]], was aboard [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]]. Megatron forgave Starscream for hiding its existence from him, acknowledging its potentially dangerous nature. To ensure loyalty, Megatron's gladiators stormed the Station slaughtering and maiming Starscream's scientists. He forced Starscream to pick two test subjects to be Darkened, and following an astonishingly successful result, Megatron absorbed some, invigorating him. Soon Darkened Decepticons appeared on the battlefield, but it proved to be an inefficient resource and they would have to flee if a battle was prolonged. Megatron needed more, and even Starscream's activation of the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]] didn't provide enough. Megatron felt he would kill all the Decepticons before he was deprived of Dark Energon and turn rabid.

Fortunately, Soundwave revealed the existence of the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] within [[Teletraan-1]], which required the [[Code Key]]s of Power and Justice to activate it. Starscream recovered the Key of Power, while Megatron and his best soldiers searched for the Key of Justice below the [[High Council Tower]]. Sentinel Prime emerged, to Megatron's surprise. Sentinel confronted him about Bumper and Fastback, and the two dueled. Megatron disarmed and sliced open Sentinel, revealing the Key of Justice within. Starscream made a grab for it, exposing that he had released Sentinel to kill Megatron and take leadership for himself. After fighting Starscream to a standstill, Megatron pardoned him as he found him a better soldier than would-be example, and used the Keys to open Teletraan-1: which activated [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] to fly the Chamber to safety.

The Seekers shot Omega Supreme out of the air, causing him to crash. Optimus's Autobots arrived to fight the Decepticons, but the more they killed them the more Dark Energon left their bodies and empowered Megatron. He was able to knee Omega Supreme and turn him on his back, tearing the Chamber out of his chest. Using the Chamber, Megatron poisoned the [[core]] of Cybertron and Darkened the entire planet. But then the core stopped producing Dark Energon, and Megatron learnt Optimus had gone to the core and received the Matrix. As the Autobots attempted to flee Cybertron via the last [[space bridge]], Megatron used Trypticon to fire on their ships, and used his and Orion's old frequency to criticize Optimus for fleeing. He added he never believed in individual freedom for every Cybertronian, only the illusion of freedom that he as leader would provide and that the Guilds did not. Optimus responded that Megatron had turned his soldiers into addicts and they would turn on him, and used the ''[[Eight Track (WFC)|Eight Track]]'' to board, sabotage and crash Trypticon.

As the Autobots left on the completed ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'', the Decepticons fully invaded Iacon. Megatron ordered Trypticon to transform into the ''Nemesis'', boarding it with Starscream, Soundwave, [[Lugnut (WFC)|Lugnut]] and other elite soldiers, leaving Shockwave in charge. He used his old frequency once again to warn Optimus that he would hound him through the stars and finally kill him for the Matrix. He explained they were still brothers, as they were bonded for life despite their enmity. Optimus was just glad his hunt would get him off Cybertron. The two ships entered the last [[space bridge]] together, and when the ''Ark'' emerged, the ''Nemesis'' was gone. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

===''Exiles''===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor'': [[Frank Welker]] (English), [[Sean Long]] (BotCon 2011), [[Juan Carlos Lozano]] (Spain-Spanish), [[Ja-hyeong Gu]] (Korean), [[Antonio Fuochi]] (Italian), [[Hans-Jürgen Wolf]] (German)

[[Image:DarknessRising2-Megsflashback.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Things were very red in those days.]]

At the beginning of the war on Cybertron, Optimus and Megatron were as close as brothers and fought side-by-side... but Megatron's ideals were corrupted by the war, and turned to evil. During the Great War, Megatron also developed the [[Cybonic plague]], which killed millions. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} He and Optimus fought many a battle, such as the [[Battle of Technar]] where Megatron ordered [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] to assassinate Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} After his failure, Megatron came to believe only he should finally terminate Prime. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}
[[Image:DarknessRising2-MegatronDarkEnergon.jpg|right|thumb|250px|We can relate. We're just like this with our [[BotCon]] toys.]]

The Transformers' war eventually brought Megatron and Prime's teams to Earth, where, after an initial clash, Megatron withdrew to space to search for more troops, leaving Starscream in charge. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} Searching the void for three years, Megatron found something better than mere warriors: he discovered a new source of Dark Energon, the "blood of [[Unicron]]", with which he could reanimate fallen Transformers as an army of the undead. Returning to Earth and resuming command of the Decepticons, Megatron tested the Dark Energon on the deceased Autobot [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]], reviving him as a [[zombie]] "[[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcon]]" that slaughtered several [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]], but which posed no threat to Megatron himself. Unfortunately for Megatron, this partial reactivation of Cliffjumper's lifesigns drew Optimus Prime's Autobots to the Decepticons' mining operations. Deciding it was not yet time for a confrontation with Prime, Megatron withdrew aboard the [[Nemesis (Prime)|''Nemesis'']], and continued to brood over the Dark Energon.

[[Image:darknessrising3_Megatronglowy.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Megatron, you fool! Rave glowsticks aren't candy!]]
Megatron's inability to control the zombie Cliffjumper convinced him that he needed to integrate the Dark Energon into his own body in order to control the undead legions he planned to create. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}} Thrusting a shard of the material into his spark, he was filled with its power, feeling as thought he was connected to Unicron's very thoughts. Requiring a test run for his new power, Megatron headed for the site of an ancient Cybertronian battle on Earth, full of the remains of fallen warriors, where he was confronted by Optimus and [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]. Using Dark Energon to raise the dead Transformers as Terrorcons, Megatron successfully found he had complete control of the undead horde, and send them against the two Autobots. [[Image:DarknessRising4-Megatron.jpg|right|thumb|250px|I chew scenery while the zombies chew ''you''.]] {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}} Optimus and Ratchet fought their way through the Terrorcons, only for Megatron to fly off before they could reach him, satisfied with his test results and ready put his plan into action—to open a [[space bridge]] to Cybertron and use Dark Energon to revive the entire planet's dead. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}} Despite the Autobots' best efforts to damage the ''Nemesis'' and prevent the bridge from opening, Megatron succeeded in his plans, and then had his showdown with Optimus Prime atop the bridge itself as he waited for the Terrorcon legions to pass through to Earth. While the two old foes battled, the other Autobots sabotaged the bridge, causing it to explode and destroy both the Terrorcon army, and seemingly, Megatron himself. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}}[[Image:Masters&Students-Megatronstasis.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Well, it's better than just [[Megatron (Animated)|being a head]] I suppose.]]
The Autobots were not so lucky, however: the Dark Energon in his spark allowed Megatron to survive the explosion, but just barely. When Starscream found his leader floating in space, he tore the Dark Energon from his body in the hope that he would expire, but was caught in the act by [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]'s [[Deployer (Prime)|Deployer]], [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] and forced to to take Megatron back to the ''Nemesis'', where he was placed in [[Stasis lock|stasis]] in the sick bay. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} Starscream was content to leave Megatron in this state to recover or expire as fate saw fit, but the crew of the ''Nemesis'' disagreed, and voted to bring in the Decepticon medic [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] to help heal their wounded leader. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}} Even with Knock Out's expertise, it seemed unlikely that Megatron would recover, but his assistant [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] gave his body a good buffing nonetheless; Starscream approved, as it meant their ex-leader would look his best for the memorial service. {{storylink|Speed Metal}}

[[Image:SickMind megs and bee.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]]

When Optimus Prime was infected by cybonic plague, Arcee and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] board the ''Nemesis'' to search for an antidote. While they failed to find one in the database, the two Autobots did discover Megatron in stasis, and Bumblebee mind-linked with the Decepticon leader via [[cortical psychic patch]] to try and pluck the cure from his sleeping brain. Bumblebee found himself within Megatron's mind, which took the form of [[Kaon]], where the Decepticon's subconscious was spending its time killing endless visions of Optimus Primes; unfortunately, Bumblebee's intrusion only caused Megatron to become aware of his situation, when he found he was unable to kill Bumblebee. Learning what had befallen Optimus, Megatron initially refused to give up the cure until Bumblebe convinced him that he would gain greater satisfaction from finishing his enemy off with his own two hands. Megatron offered the cure in exchange for Bumblebee's help in escaping his mental prison, but Bumblebee double-crossed him, withdrawing from his mind as soon as the cure was in Autobot hands. At the last moment, Megatron was able to effect his own escape, leaping into Bumblebee's mind along with him. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} [[Image:OutofhisHead megatron revived.jpg|left|thumb|250px]] Recalling the sliver of Dark Energon Starscream had removed from his body, Megatron took full control of Bumblebee's body a short time later and used the GroundBridge to return to the ancient battlefield where he had raised his original Terrorcons, recovering the Dark Energon shard he had used to do so. He returned to the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]], where he dealt with Ratchet and [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] before again GroundBridging to the ''Nemesis'' and using the Dark Energon to restore his body and return his mind to it. Storming out of the ''Nemesis'' to find Starscream, Megatron snatched his subordinate out of the air in the middle of a battle with Optimus Prime and took back for his punishment. {{storylink|Out of His Head}}

[[Image:Shadowzone-MegsStarscream.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]] Despite his treason, Megatron decided not to terminate Starscream, viewing him as no real threat and taking perverse amusement in his repeated failures. {{storylink|Rock Bottom}} Instead, Megatron proceeded to beat Starscream only to ''near'' death, then had him placed in the infirmary, occasionally visiting to gloat. {{storylink|Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone}}

When Breakdown was captured by the humans of [[MECH]], Megatron refuted Starscream's suggestion that they rescue him, announcing that if Breakdown had allowed himself to be captured by those weaker than him, then he deserved whatever he got. {{storylink|Operation: Breakdown}} Breakdown did manage to escape, however, insisted his wounded pride saw him volunteer to recover a [[polarity gauntlet]] for Megatron, in order to prove his worth. Megatron was disappointed when his minion returned without the gauntlet, but was placated with the revelation that he had instead brought back [[Airachnid]]. {{storylink|Metal Attraction}}

[[Image:RockBottom-Starscreamprays.jpg|thumb|250px|left|]]

Discovering that Starscream was still attempting to mine energon for him personal use without his knowledge, Megatron determined that the amusement had come to an end. Taking him to the mine in question, Megatron revealed that he had been aware of Starscream's previous transgressions the whole time thanks to Soundwave, and was about to execute his grovelling lieutenant when [[Jack Darby]] and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] walked in. In the firefight that followed, stray shots from Megatron's fusion cannon brought the mine down on top of them all, with Megatron being completely pinned by rubble. Jack happened upon the Decepticon leader with a mining drill, and Megatron, knowing that the human would not help him, instead urged Jack to finish him off. Jack refused, saying that wasn't what Optimus would do, and left, but the opening he had created allowed Megatron to begin his escape. After finally extricating himself, Megatron came upon Starscream trying to keep a large rock from crushing him. Starscream insisted that he had come to rescue Megatron, and begged the Decepticon leader to spare him, and Megatron acquiesced with a smirk. {{storylink|Rock Bottom}}

Though Megatron allowed Starscream to live and continue as his second-in-command, he was furious to learn from Airachnid that Starscream had kept the location of the ''[[Harbinger]]'' from him. He ordered Starscream to lead Airachnid to the crash site and retrieve an [[Immobilizer|experimental weapon]] that was inside. Much to Megatron's fury, Airachnid returned not only without the weapon, but with the news that Starscream had been captured by the Autobots as well. {{storylink|Partners}}
[[Image:StrongerFaster-KnockOutMegatronRatchet.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]
When a formula for [[Synthetic Energon]] was transferred from a [[Cybertronian data cylinder]] into the mind of the Autobot [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]], Optimus Prime petitioned Megatron for the return of the cylinder so they could extract the formula, after which they would willingly hand it over. Megatron briefly considered the proposal, but instead sent Knock Out and Breakdown to capture Bulkhead and dared Prime to fight for the cylinder. When his Vehicon troops were defeated, Megatron simply crushed the device and took flight. {{storylink|T.M.I.}} The synethetic energon formula helped the Autobots counter Megatron's next tactic: causing the Autobots to burn through their energon supplies at an accelerated rate by leading them on wild goose chases. Juiced up on the "SynthEn", Ratchet attacked Megatron and Knock Out while they were surveying an energon mine, and sent the Decepticon leader flying with one punch. Unfortunately for Ratchet, it turned out to be a luck shot: Megatron swiftly recovered and subdued the Autobot medic with ease. {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}}

[[Image:PrimeEp23-Megatronjetmode.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Hold still, jet mode, so we can screencap you, dammit!]]

Convinced by Dark Energon-induced visions that an impending prophecy detailed his own destiny, Megatron stepped up the Decepticons' work in constructing a new space bridge so they could obtain more Dark Energon. When they located the last component they needed, Megatron went in personally, grievously wounding Raf with a blast of Dark Energon on the way and creating an unintended distraction that allowed him to make off with the power source he needed. Soon after, Megatron lured Optimus Prime to a volcano he had seen in his visions, and during their battle, it erupted with Dark Energon, imbuing Megatron with the power he needed to fell Prime. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}}[[Image:OneShallFall-visionfulfilled.jpg|thumb|255px|right|Look, Prime! Look at the fireworks! Aren't they splendid?!]] The intervention of the other Autobots saved Prime's life, but this was of little concern to Megatron, who now had all the Dark Energon he needed and set his miners to work gathering it up. When Soundwave detected a spark-beat coming from within the Earth, Megatron felt it pounding through his brain and realized what his visions had meant: the lifeforce of Unicron himself dwelt within Earth. Leaving Airachnid in command, Megatron flew into the volcano to address Unicron, but received not the power he hoped the chaos-bringer would bestow on him, but instead Unicron's displeasure at the fact that Optimus Prime still lived. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

{{spoiler|One Shall Rise, Part 2|October 15, 2011}}
Spurned, Megatron instead went to the aid of Optimus and his Autobots, who were under attack from Unicron's stone avatars. He offered Optimus his services—he intended to lead them to Unicron's real form so that Optimus could use the [[Matrix of Leadership]] on the Chaos God. While the Autobots returned to base, Megatron kept the giant stone Unicrons busy, and Prime eventually accepted Megatron's offer. On arrival in the Autobot base, Megatron encountered a couple of humans he recognized, Raf and Jack, as well as a [[Miko Nakadai|new loud one]]. Megatron was first to step through the GroundBridge into the Earth's core, and as the Autobots followed, he warned them that Unicron already knew they were there. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}}
{{-}}

===Commercial appearances===
Megatron, [[wikipedia:Dan Vs.|Dan]], and [[My Little Pony|Pinkie Pie]] sang a collaborative group song while the scene quickly shifted between a variety of strange alternate universes. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime|The Hub summer promo 2011}}
{{quote|Are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the hot <strike> nuts </strike> nights?|Megatron}}

At some point he ended up in detention at a school because he had "anger issues". {{storylink|Commercial/Prime|The Hub promo}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
:''Voice actor'': [[Fred Tatasciore]] (English), [[Oliviero Corbetta]] (Italian), [[Juan Carlos Lozano]] (Spain-Spanish)
[[Image:WFC_Megatron.jpg|thumb|350px|He wants the whole world in his hand.]]
During the early war on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Megatron found reference to an energy source called [[Dark Energon]], which had impressive potential as a weapon, and became determined to claim it for himself. One of the few places it was made was in a station in orbit around Cybertron, guarded by a politically neutral force led by [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]. With this knowledge, he took a ship and launched an assault on the station.

The ship was badly damaged in the attack, and so he ordered [[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]] and [[Brawl (WFC)| Brawl]], piloting it, to ram the station. He and many of his soldiers survived the impact and escaped the core's detonation. They were then confronted by Starscream, who informed them that they would not allow them to take what he had guarded for ten thousand years. After surviving a trap of sentry guns, Megatron, Barricade, and Brawl were reinforced by more of Megatron's troops, and set out on their way to find the station's Dark Energon stores and claim them for the war effort. They encountered significant resistance, but managed to shoot their way through, with directional aid from [[Soundwave (Prime)| Soundwave]]. Barricade noted that the station itself seemed quite primitive; Megatron noted it was very old, and that he intended to modernize it... At one point, the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] confronted Megatron nonviolently, asking him to give up his quest, as Dark Energon would result in only horror, death, and destruction, to which Megatron sneered, "You say that as if it were a bad thing."

[[Image:WFC-MegatronmeetsStarscream.jpg|left|thumb|300px|At last we meet, my punching bag.]]

Along their way to the Dark Energon, they found that a large portion of the station had been blasted clean off, the debris field traversable but sparse enough to allow easy viewing of Cybertron itself. Soundwave soon found records indicating that a small amount of Dark Energon lost containment and was the sole cause of the destruction, underscoring Megatron's desire for it. When Barricade asked how he expected to control it when no other had, Megatron said that such power was only for the strong, that he was the strongest, and not to question him again.

When they finally reached the storage chamber, and Megatron averted Starscream's destruction of it, he calmly entered into a container full of raw Dark Energon, while Starscream watched and gloated at his imminent destruction...only for him to walk out, not only unscathed, but crackling with power, which he further bestowed upon Barricade and Brawl. A single blast of Dark Energon was enough to destroy an entire company of station security forces, the last line of defense between Megatron and Starscream and his companions.

Jetfire again tried to warn Megatron about the dangers of Dark Energon, but Starscream interrupted, asking to join the Decepticon leader. Megatron asked what Starscream could offer that he could not simply take. Starscream revealed the station's supply of Dark Energon was almost spent, and he knew how to manufacture more—and as luck would have it, there was a dormant [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]] which could be used to power it. Jetfire retreated to inform [[Sentinel Zeta Prime| Zeta Prime]]; Megatron let him go, seeming pleased by the notion of letting the Autobots tremble in advance of their actions, and sent Starscream, [[Thundercracker (WFC)| Thundercracker]], and [[Skywarp (WFC)| Skywarp]] to activate the bridge.

Megatron repeatedly mocked what he perceived as Starscream's slowness in his simple mission, but the Seeker did what he said he could. With a steady supply of Dark Energon, Megatron launched an attack on Iacon City, intending to take a device called the [[Omega Key]] and use it to enter the Core of Cybertron. This time, he took [[Breakdown (Prime)| Breakdown]] and Soundwave with him. The trio took the less-guarded way in—which, since the Autobots were not complete fools (as even Megatron would admit), still had significant military presence. During the attack, Starscream noted that Dark Energon was proving every bit as potent as Megatron had promised. Breakdown let Megatron know of his misgivings about the Sky Commander; Megatron admitted he was treacherous and untrustworthy, but he had useful talents, and his cunning and ambition was intriguing.

The Omega Key had been taken from its normal resting place, however, by Autobot leader Zeta Prime, and so Megatron took his squad on an assault on Zeta's headquarters. They met Brawl, leading an attack on the doors to Zeta Prime's armory, along the way. Even Megatron's touch of Dark Energon could not breach the vault doors, however, and so he called in [[Dark Energon Bombers]]. When they were shot down, Brawl suggested they take out the Autobots' air defense guns, after which bombers were called in again; Megatron's troops then held off a massive assault from what seemed like the entire Autobot army while waiting for the bombing run to finally arrive.

[[Image:WFC Megatron Vs ZetaPrime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Zeta Prime, you might be more egotistical than me. I mean really, a huge holographic version of you and smaller holograms doing what you can't do without your pointy stick thing?]]

After the vault doors were breached, they reached Zeta Prime himself, who had constructed several layers of security while he waited. An invincible energy field protected him, while he could drop portions of the ceiling with pistons to crush anything beneath them, and construct endless holographic clones of himself outfitted for melee combat, which Megatron personally found nauseating. However, his defenses were not without flaw: periodically, the power core would need to disperse waste heat, and Megatron's team survived long enough to destroy it during this stage. Zeta fell, buried under the wreckage of his own defenses, and Megatron took the device he'd carried...which started to make electronic chirping noises. Zeta, with black humor, noted that the device was not the Omega Key. It merely ''activated'' the Key, which would come to them...

Searching for the Key in the skies aboard another ship, Megatron, with Soundwave and Breakdown at the controls, were abruptly confronted by a massive ship, [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]], who knocked them out of the sky, causing them to crash back in Iacon. There, they played a cat-and-mouse campaign in a desperate attempt to survive the enormous Autobot's vast firepower, though Soundwave noted that the weaponry they bore had little chance of penetrating Omega Supreme's armor. Megatron, for his part, at least contrived to appear unafraid, claiming that if it came to a real fight, the brute wouldn't stand a chance against Megatron's intellect. However, Omega's attacks drove them underground and left them unable to immediately transmit counter to Starscream, who declared Megatron dead and announced he was taking control. Even when they re-established contact, Starscream's aerial forces only briefly distracted Omega, who dispensed large numbers of troops, sucked up Decepticons with a tractor beam, fired weapons of mass destruction, and mined the roads Megatron and his squad were using.

Soundwave, however, had come up with a suggestion—there were weapons emplacements higher up that had the ability to damage Omega Supreme. Taking them from the Autobots was a battle in and of itself, but nothing compared to the fight against Omega Supreme, who could unload entire squadrons of Aerialbots. Nonetheless, Megatron's boldness and tactical acumen finally shot Omega Supreme out of the sky.

[[Image:WFC-hearmynameandtremble.jpg|left|thumb|300px|I stand on your crotch!]]

Gloating, Megatron found that the behemoth was still not defeated, and indeed was drawing power from Cybertron itself to repair his systems, making him stronger, if anything. However, by corrupting the energon batteries with which he was using to feed himself with Dark Energon charges, they were able to weaken him to the point where they could finally blast away his last defenses and brought him to heel. With Omega Supreme defeated, Megatron went underground, directly to the Core, and corrupted it with a massive infusion of Dark Energon, finally bringing Cybertron itself more completely under his control.

At this point, Megatron was clearly convinced, and for good reason, that he'd won, making propaganda broadcasts extolling his greatness and how he had taken away the Autobots' burdens of "liberty" and "choice". When Starscream was defeated and the Decagon retaken, however, he realized the Autobots were not yet going to roll over for him, and sent a distress signal from Zeta Prime, whom he had kept alive in the Kaon prison camp, in order to provoke a rescue attempt from the Autobots. His old acquaintance Optimus took the bait, and Megatron confronted him, telling him that the war could be over tomorrow if Optimus took the Autobots and left. Optimus refused, so Megatron consigned him and his team to the prisons. When they managed to stage a mass breakout, an enraged Megatron ordered his troops to prevent their escape at any cost, to the point of tearing apart portions of Kaon.

This was not enough, however, and they escaped, journeying to the Core, where they kickstarted the cleansing of Megatron's corruption. Doing so, however, would take the Core millions of years of shutdown, rendering Cybertron uninhabitable. Whether Megatron knew this or not, when he saw the Autobots leaving after Optimus's refusal of his earlier offer, he apparently took offense. His earlier plans of renovating Starscream's station had come to fruition; now, it mounted a powerful superweapon, capable of destroying entire structures in one shot. He had it fire upon the Autobot transports as they left. When a team of Aerialbots attempted to disable or destroy it, he called Jetfire, now one of them, and taunted him about his past. He further mocked them when they destroyed the plasma coolant system without apparently having accounted for backups. Finally, during the attack he came into possession of information on Optimus Prime's location, and ordered Trypticon—the name of the weapon, for it was actually a Cybertronian—to fire upon it.

Trypticon, however, was forced into his natural form and defeated after he crash-landed on Cybertron. Megatron's reaction to this went unrecorded. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
Megatron was the Decepticon Leader during the final days of the Great War. After capturing an Autobot facility, and killing a cadet, Megatron revealed his plan to his troops. Megatron intended to conquer Trypticon Space Station, which had the means and power to manufacture Dark Energon: a variant of Energon which greatly increased the stamina and strength of its host. Megatron fought his way through the station to its commander, the Autobot Starscream. Upon Starscream's defeat, Starscream offered his services and the Dark Energon if he was spared. Megatron agreed, and Starscream joined the Decepticons.

After a test run of the Dark Energon in Kaon Prison, Soundwave deduced the element would only kill the host, but Starscream was able to find a way to fix it. Megatron then decided the time was right, and led his army to the inner levels of Cybertron. He was able to activate the uplink to channel energy from the Core of Cybertron itself to Trypticon Station, but he needed the Omega Key to access it once it was shut down with a firewall.

[[Image:WFCDS Defeat Omega Supreme.jpg|thumb|left|256px|Simple enough... OH GOD BULLETS.]]
Megatron learned through a recording from Laserbeak that Autobot Leader Zeta Prime had the Omega Key in his possession and had holed up deep within Iacon. Megatron led a full-scale assault on the city, totally devastating Iacon, until he found Zeta Prime at last. After a hard battle, Zeta fell, and Megatron obtained the Omega Key. However, immediately upon taking it, alarms went off, and Iacon itself was shaking. Zeta Prime, despite being mortally wounded, laughed at Megatron's face, saying the Omega Key was only the key to the ''true'' key: the city-sized Autobot Omega Supreme.

Omega immediately attacked the victorious Decepticons, and quickly decimated their presence in Iacon, save for Megatron's team and a few others. By this point, Megatron was absolutely furious at Starscream: Megatron declared it was he who led them to Omega Supreme and the devastating onslaught he carried out. Starscream bitterly retorted even if Megatron killed him, Omega Supreme would still be out for his blood, helping nothing whatsoever. Megatron angrily let it go for the time being, and led his army to battle. His troops' confidence beginning to falter, Megatron declared they would either be kicking themselves for not acting for the rest of their lives, or heroes in a historic event. His men followed him to battle Omega, and the titan fell. Megatron was free to corrupt the Core of Cybertron with Dark Energon, and obtain near-supremacy of Cybertron.

That kind of went downhill when the new Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, extinguished the Dark Energon and destroyed Trypticon Space Station, didn't it?
{{Storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''===
:''Voice actor'': [[Fred Tatasciore]] (English), [[Oliviero Corbetta]] (Italian)

Early in the war, when the Autobots learned of the existence of the orbiting superweapon [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]], Megatron sent waves of Decepticon forces to keep them from discovering more about it. Megatron, happy to see the destruction Trypticon was creating, ordered Starscream and Skywarp at gunpoint to return to Trypticon and clean up after it, while he took his troops into battle to scour the area for Autobots to kill. Few Autobots other than the medic, [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]], were spared Megatron's initial assault.

When Megatron found out that Starscream had left his post at Trypticon, Megatron grew angry. But the Autobots had infiltrated the [[Datacore]], so Megatron focused his efforts there instead. Bumblebee was captured, and information useful for the taking of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] was pulled from his mind. Megatron assigned Skywarp the task of the initial Iacon assault. The traitorous Starscream returned to Megatron's focus, and the Air Commander was ordered to infiltrate the Core of Cybertron to reactivate the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]]. But Starscream took too long, discovering Megatron had already reached the Core by the time he arrived. In a foul mood, Megatron would test Starscream's loyalty by putting him on the Iacon assault's front lines.

The assault went as planned, and Iacon crumbled. As Barricade and Starscream reached an empty Council Chamber, Megatro alerted them to the evacuation of the surviving Autobots. Three Autobot ships positioned themselves to escape, and so Megatron ordered Thundercracker and Skywarp to take them down.

Though Iacon fell, the Trypticon orbiting superweapon was destroyed by the Autobots... but not before Megatron ripped the datacore from its brain so as to salvage its information on Dark Energon. Megatron was pleased. Despite his loss, he still had the upper hand. {{storylink|Transformers: Cybertron Adventures}}

==Toys==
===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-CybertronianMegatron.jpg|thumb|right|300px| Fashionably asymmetrical.]]
*'''Cybertronian Megatron''' (Deluxe, 2010)
:*''Accessories'': clear purple missile, fusion cannon

: This toy is based on Megatron's appearance in the video game ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'', transforming into a Cybertronian self-propelled gun. The treads of his vehicle can be positioned in either a vertical configuration like a traditional tank or in a horizontal, hovertank configuration. Megatron's spring-loaded cannon can attach to either arm. He also has an insignia on his back, but unlike Optimus, his is not hidden by kibble. Like [[Soundwave (Prime)|''War for Cybertron'' Soundwave]], his head has a light-piping gimmick that has been neutered by his painted eyes.

: Some units of the figure have Megatron's left internal shoulder strut misassembled, preventing that side of the tank-mode from becoming properly flush to the body when transforming. This can be corrected by unscrewing and separating the outer shoulder structure, flipping the strut 180 degrees, and reassembling the shoulder covering.

: Also, the packaging image for his tank mode is flipped.

: This mold was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers United|United]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#United|Megatron Cybertron Mode]] and [[Darkside Megatron]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Decepticon/GenerationsMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Cybertronian Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Prime===
[[Image:Primetoy-MegatronEP.jpg|right|thumb|300px|His jet mode needs a little scarf attached to the robot head.]]
*'''"Entertainment Pack"''' (5 figure gift set, 2011)
: A Deluxe-sized Megatron comes with a similarly-scaled [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] and PVC figurines of [[Miko Nakadai]], [[Jack Darby]] and [[Raf Esquivel]]. Megatron converts from his alien jet mode to his robot mode.
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

*'''Megatron''' (Cyberverse, 2012)
**'''Accessories''': "Cyber sword"
: This Cyberverse scaled Megatron is cast partly in translucent plastic so that the toy can be lit using the electronic lights featured in the larger playsets. He also comes with a translucent "cyber sword" weapon and a pack-in file card.
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
*'''Rage over Cybertron''' (Multipack, 2011)
:*''Accessories'': clear blue missile, fusion cannon

:A translucent [[redeco]] of Cybertronian Megatron, collected together with Cybertronian Optimus Prime and Cybertronian Bumblebee in a three-pack [[exclusive]] to [[Toys"R"Us]].

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Tfprimemegatronjet.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Too fast for screen caps.]]
*Megatron's designation as an energon miner was "D-16".<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=7fd5ecd9-19b9-f369-1041-a7635be83172 War for Cybertron timeline].</ref> Megatron's original [[Japanese ID number list|Japanese ID number]] was "16". Takara would eventually change the numbering system using a "D" to denote [[Decepticon|Destrons]]. So Megatron's Japanese ID number could retroactively be considered "D-16".
*In ''Transformers: War for Cybertron'', Megatron has multiple glitches when controlled by the computer, among them shrinking (quite hilariously), losing his Fusion Cannon, and having his Tank mode cannon stick straight up (also humorous). He may be the most glitchy character in the game.
*Optimus Prime's recollections in ''Darkness Rising'' have him and Megatron fighting side-by-side at the start of the Great War. This is the first time a Megatron has been involved in a Great War that he ''didn't'' start, never mind one where [[Megatron (SG)|he used to be a goodie]].
*The show design of this version of Megatron takes visual cues from both G1 (the ever-famous [[Megatron (G1)| buckethead]]) and [[Megatron (Movie)|the Movie version]] of the Decepticon leader (the sharp angles and bits on his shoulders, along with two-toed feet and a demonic-looking face with sharp teeth), even including the jet mode the latter version appeared in: the ''Prime'' staff used the same rationale that Megatron would not scan an Earth mode out of disgust at humans.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/botcon-2010-transformers-prime-panel-coverage-170054/ BotCon 2010 Transformers Prime Panel Coverage]</ref> According to Cybertronian Megatron's packaging bio, Megatron often changes his altmode, probably in an attempt to explain why he's a tank in the game and a jet in the cartoon.
*At a video shown at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, Welker explained his ''Prime'' voice for Megatron would be mostly toned down from his G1 counterpart, to give the character more range.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/san-diego-comic-con-33/transformers-prime---peter-cullen--frank-welker-behind-the-scenes-170264/ Transformers Prime - Peter Cullen & Frank Welker Behind the Scenes] TFW2005</ref> When the show aired, Megatron indeed had a more quiet, sinister version of his voice than the iconic shouty one.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category: Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category: Generations]]
[[Category: Gladiators]]
[[Category: Hall of Fame]]
[[Category: Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Decepticons]]
[[Category: War for Cybertron Decepticons]]

Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1

2011-09-03T00:53:22Z

71.22.247.52: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=37
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=28
|prev2=Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2
|next2=Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=39
|prev3=The Girl Who Loved Powerglide
|next3=Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
|image=DesertionDinobots1 resignation.JPG
|caption=Like nobody saw this coming miles away.
|title="Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1"
|production code=#700-36
|airdate=[[October 21]], 1985
|written by=[[Earl Kress]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Dinobots abandon the Autobots as both the Autobots and Decepticons begin to suffer malfunctions.'''

:''Japanese title:'' ダイノボットの逃亡 PART I (''Dinobot no Tōbō PART I'', "Desertion of the Dinobots PART I")
:''Portuguese name:'' '''A Deserção dos Dinobots Parte 1'''
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''I Dinorobots disertano-Parte 1''' ("Deserting Dinobots-Part 1")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''La diserzione dei Dinobots - I''' ("Desertion of the Dinobots - I")

==Synopsis==
At a laboratory, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the [[Autobot]]s are being shown [[Ultra Plane|a new drone fighter]] by a human professor. However, [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] is out to steal the fighter's blueprints from the laboratory. [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], who are inside [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], provide a distraction, while [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] destroys the drone. Prime orders the Autobots to inspect the wreckage for any clues. Shortly after this, the [[Decepticon]]s attack the lab, but the Autobots arrive and are able to send them packing.

[[Image:G1 Grimlock Megs bite.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Me Grimlock want to munch Megatron!]]

After some fun at the [[Fun A Rama Park]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], [[Carly]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] go to pick [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] up at the airport. While there, they discover a Decepticon base in an [[Hangar|airplane hangar]]. Bumblebee calls Prime for reinforcements, but the Autobots with Prime are too far away. Contacting the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] sends the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] to assist. The Dinobots quickly trash the Decepticons. In retaliation, Megatron orders the Decepticons to blast the planes, causing a massive explosion that damages the Dinobots and allows the Decepticons to retreat. [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] arrive to put out the fires and take the Dinobots back to base. [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and Wheeljack begin repairs on the Dinobots, while the other Autobots rebuild the airport.

[[Image:DesertionDinobots1 Rumble Megs.JPG|right|200px|thumb|What is it, little buddy? Are you lost? Timmy fell down the well?]]

Meanwhile, the Decepticons are flying through the air back to [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|their base]]. All of a sudden, Ravage ejects from Soundwave, transforms and lands on the ground below. Megatron demands an explanation, but Soundwave says that Ravage initiated the ejection without a reason. Soon, however, the Decepticons fall from the sky, and [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] begins attacking Megatron, though he doesn't know why and he can't stop himself. Megatron flicks him away and concludes that they are suffering from bad [[Energon (fuel)|energon]]. The group heads off to get some new [[Energon cube|cubes]] from a powerplant to refuel themselves.

At the Autobot base, the Dinobots are repaired, and Prime, still rebuilding the airport, tries to send them to stop the Decepticons. [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] angrily refuses, saying he's tired of taking the Autobot leader's orders and saving the Autobots whenever they need help. The Dinobots leave the base, intending to fight whenever they want to. At the power plant, the Autobots arrive to stop the Decepticons, but both factions begin to suffer from debilitating malfunctions. After an indecisive battle, Megatron orders the Decepticons to retreat.

[[Image:DesertionDinobots1 Autobots tired.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Cybertonium chairs seemed like a good idea at the time, but now...]]

Back at the base, the Autobots are suffering power failures now, as well as other problems (Wheeljack can't move, [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]'s legs are stuck in [[alternate mode]], and [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] is holding his own severed head!). [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] concludes that they are suffering from [[Cybertonium]] depletion. However, Cybertonium only exists on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Fortunately, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] is sending a shipment over the [[space bridge]], but the Autobots are in no condition to retrieve it themselves. Sparkplug, Spike, and Carly decide to track down the Dinobots.

As the three look for the Dinobots, they find that they have been discovered by the Dinobots. Grimlock is less than pleased to have been followed by the humans, and decides to crush them. Sparkplug lays it on thick when he says they need the Dinobots' "brilliant help." [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]], however, saves the humans from getting smushed because he wants to hear about the "brilliant" part. Sparkplug explains the situation, but Grimlock doesn't care. However, when Spike mentions Cybertonium, Grimlock realizes the Cybertron connection, and decides to help (despite [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]'s refusal and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]'s confusion). The Dinobots attack the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], who are retrieving the Cybertonium, but the Dinobots simply get into the space bridge and head for Cybertron. Shockwave attempts to stop them. Guess what happens.

[[Image:DesertionDinobots1 car fly.JPG|right|200px|thumb|WHEEEEE!]]

At the Autobot base, Sparkplug contacts Grimlock, who refuses to return and help the "bossy Autobots". Carly resolves that she and Spike must head for Cybertron themselves. Prime attempts to stop them, but finally succumbs to the effects of Cybertonium depletion. Sparkplug stays to man [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] to help the kids. Spike and Carly manage to drive past [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] using Carly's car, but Shockwave is waiting for the two humans on the other side.

[[Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2|To be continued...]]
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (2)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (6)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (8)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (13)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (18)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] (19)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (20)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (21)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (22)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (23)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (27)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (28)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (29)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (30)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (31)
*[[Grapple]] (32)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (33)

|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (7)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (9)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (11)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (16)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (17)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (24)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (25)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (26)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (34)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (35)
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (36)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (37)
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (38)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (39)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (40)
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (41)

|c3=
*[[Greene]] (5)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (12)
*[[Carly]] (14)
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Wheeljack''': Dinobots, we got a job for you. 
'''Grimlock''': Me Grimlock no like orders. 
'''Slag''': Me Slag no like ''anything''. 
'''Wheeljack''': We really need your help. Why won't you give us a hand? 
'''Grimlock''': Me don't know why not. So we help. This time. 
'''Wheeljack''': I've ''got'' to work on their personality circuits. 
:—Wheeljack learns that even the Dinobots don't know why they have a bad attitude.

"So much for your secret hideout, Megatron; even the moronic Dinobots found it!"
:—'''Starscream''' as the Dinobots attack the Decepticons' airbase.

"Decepticons, CHARGE!"
:—'''Megatron''' decides to try a new tactic when losing.

"I warned you guys there was trouble!" 
"You always say there's trouble, Red."
:—'''Red Alert''' and '''Hoist'''

"It's the Aurobrroughs... THE AURRROOBBRRURURRUGHRRR!!!!"
:—'''Megatron''' after the effects of Cybertonium depletion busted his vocal circuits

"Hey, I'm stuck! I can't transform! [''Ironhide kicks him; Jazz transforms''] OW! Thanks...I think."
:—'''Jazz'''

'''Sparkplug''': The Autobots are dying, and only you can save them. 
'''Grimlock''': No care about Autobots! Me Grimlock Dinobot! 
'''Spike''': If you don't help, the Decepticons will get all the Cybertonium they need. 
'''Grimlock''': Cybertonium? Cybertron! Okay, us do it! 
'''Slag''': No! Us no want to. 
'''Sludge''': What he say? 
'''Grimlock''': Me Grimlock. Me leader! Me say us do it!
:—Grimlock's unassailable logic convince the Dinobots

[[Image:DesertionDinobots1 Shockwave Dinobots.JPG|right|150px|thumb|You Shockwave not so tough without black sticky stuff.]]
"Stowaways?! Stand back!" 
"WE NO STAND BACK!"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Grimlock''', right before the Dinobots kick Shockwave's [[Diode|diodes]].

"It's...too...risky! Ohh..."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' warns Spike and Carly of the danger of traveling to Cybertron alone, right before he nearly crushes them while passing out.

"I feel kinda stupid talking into my thumb."
: —'''Spike''' in agreement with the audience for the first and last time.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* Despite the variety of engine sound effects, the experimental plane is just flying in a straight line in the first shot.
* Blaster's forehead is red (like the rest of his helmet) instead of white as Optimus gives the order to [[roll out]].
* Starscream's face is white instead of medium gray as he enters the lab facility.
* The scientist that Starscream tosses aside gets up and runs away, despite having been ''thrown'' a good 15 or 20 feet to the floor.
* Blaster's arm phases through Mirage's box-of-turning-invisible. While not physically impossible, he appears to be standing far enough in front of Mirage that the box should be behind him.
* After grabbing Megatron's cannon, Mirage reappears without his customary energy sound effect.
*The merry-go-round at the fair features horses that are suspended from the roof, rather than attached to floor-to-ceiling posts like a real carousel.
* The outside of the airport, where Bumblebee discharges his passengers and transforms, is ''completely deserted''. They seem to have wandered into the loading docks or something.
* Slag's face and head are gray instead of red as he says his "no like anything" line.
* The top of Starscream's cockpit cowling is yellow instead of gray as he scolds Megatron for retreating.
* Snarl appears to tear the entire hangar door apart, but after he moves past the "camera", we see that half the door is still intact.
* As Slag tears though the hangar door, by rights his hind end should be visible through the hole Snarl just made, but it only magically becomes visible as he walks through the hole he made.
* Blitzwing's head is purple instead of yellow just before he transforms to attack Bumblebee.
** And again after he falls out of the sky.
*** And again as Soundwave ejects Ravage at the power plant.
**** And ''again'' as the Decepticons try to retreat from the power plant. Was this an alternate color scheme or something?

* Megatron's audio appears to drop out for a second or two as he tosses Rumble aside; he says "Get... ...fool!" with timing that would be just right for the more explicable "Get off me, fool!"
*Thundercracker is miscolored as Starscream when Swoop attacks him.
* Spike, Carly and Sparkplug are inside the terminal when Megatron gets thrown into it. A second later, they're back on the flightline with the Dinobots.
* The sound crew missed the part where Hoist is ''towing'' the derelict airliner carrying the Dinobots; they applied what sounds like an idling jet engine noise over the scene.
* The building that Powerglide and Ironhide construct changes shape between shots, and doesn't appear to have any doors or windows. There's also a parked airplane practically on top of the foundation before they start laying bricks. Ironhide's method of brick-laying fails to put any mortar into the vertical brick joints. The bricks also go from regular bricks to concrete blocks between shots.
* Megatron's Decepticon symbol is missing after he bashes Rumble aside in the desert.
* Slag's head guards are white instead of red as he agrees with Grimlock's refusal of orders. (Should they be white? Yes, yes, no!)
* The energon cubes at the power plant are semi-glowing in a strange purple color, rather than the usual bright pink.
* Prime clips through the concrete fence at the power plant as the Autobots arrive to stop the Decepticons.
*Jazz is colored as Red Alert when the Autobots transform at the power station.
*Megatron's gun mode is entirely white when Starscream is about to shoot Optimus.
[[Image:Dotd1 sparkplug repairs wheeljack.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Just one little vertical line. Supposed to be over there on the right.]]
* Wheeljack is missing the little windshield line on the top/side of his chest as Prime answers Ironhide's question about what is happening to them. It's missing again as Sparkplug repairs him in the next scene.
* Red Alert has white tires on his shoulders in the first pan of the disabled Autobots at Autobot Headquarters.
* As Wheeljack says that Cybertonium is only found on Cybertron, his whole helmet is light gray instead of dark gray, rather than just his three "fins".
* Scrapper's vehicle mode ''bends'' like rubber as he backs away from the Dinobots.
* Scrapper has two eyes instead of his usual single visor as he turns to track Swoop.
* Long Haul's portion of Devastator is shown plopping into place... long after both he and Hook (who forms the part that comes ''after'' Long Haul) have already driven up and transformed.
*When the Dinobots first appear on Cybertron, Shockwave has both his hands. In the next scene, however, his left hand blaster is there. He was last seen with two hands back in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
* Improbable viewpoints:
** Teletraan I kindly provides Sparkplug with a view of Grimlock ''inside [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Cybertron)|Decepticon Headquarters]] on Cybertron''!
* So... the sound guys have never seen a car before? They don't know what a car does? 'Cause they put in a flight sound effect as Carly's car vaults over Devastator's foot and into the space bridge ring.
* The animation of Shockwave reacting to and turning toward the space bridge elevator is recycled when Spike and Carly arrive. Not an explicit error by itself, but it creates a continuity disjoint with the next shot, as Shockwave abruptly goes from empty-handed to holding a blaster.
* There's nothing in the space bridge elevator when Shockwave blasts it.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Dotd1 sneakiest soundwave.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Seriously, Blaster doesn't recognize this guy by now?]]
[[Image:DesertionDinos1 BlastergrabsRavage.jpg|thumb|right|200px|And yet he doesn't seem surprised at all when this happens.]]
* The opening scene is bizarre. Soundwave is sitting in Ironhide's cargo compartment. Ironhide somehow failed to notice Soundwave climbing into him, and continues to fail to notice him sitting there. Blaster somehow fails to notice Soundwave sitting ''right in front of him''. Of particular note, in "[[Heavy Metal War]]" Ironhide is apparently able to detect the Decepticons by himself, without relying on Teletraan I.
*Considering the ultra plane was in full view of the Autobots and Dr. Green the whole time, how did none of them see Starscream flying over the fighter and dropping a bomb on top of it?
* We never do find out where Sparkplug is coming home from or what he was doing there in his snazzy blue suit.
* Bumblebee and Spike apparently just wander onto the airport's flightline, unquestioned, to investigate the Decepticon hangar.
* Superhumans Spike, Carly, and Sparkplug:
**Neither Spike nor Carly and Sparkplug are harmed by Megatron flying through a huge plate glass window right in front of them. (As noted above, they shouldn't even be there.)
* On a related note, though Bumblebee and the three humans are standing right next to the Dinobots, none of them are harmed by the planes exploding, while the Dinobots get blown to kingdom come.
* The Autobots lament having to repair the Dinobots using only tools available to them on Earth, despite having easily built them on Earth with those same tools.
* For some reason, Blitzwing blasting Jazz in the side causes a huge crevasse to open up beneath Jazz.
* The space bridge must have been seriously fine-tuned since its first appearance. The Dinobots make the trip just fine, despite appearing to flail about randomly as they make the trip. Even an Earthen automobile makes it through (and its human passengers survive, which means the space bridge portal has a pressurized atmosphere.) Previously, an unpiloted test vehicle vanished into the ether because it lacked guidance.
* Shockwave blasts the elevator door as Spike and Carly arrive on Cybertron, creating a huge explosion. They are only saved by power of retcon, as the next episode decides that the immediate firing and huge explosion simply didn't happen.

===Kid Rhino release===
*On the [[Kid Rhino]] DVDs, the visuals drop out completely for a second or so, replaced by a black screen, after Blaster's fight with Ravage. This error is also on the Madman Region 4 DVD.

===Continuity notes===
*This episode throws some confusion on the origin of the newer second-season characters such as Perceptor, Blaster, Blitzwing, etc. Previously it could be assumed they had simply arrived from Cybertron or some other planet. But the fact that their Cybertonium deteriorates in exact sync with the earlier characters suggests that they were also aboard the Ark and went through the same four million year slumber as the 1984 characters. Why we didn't see any of them for the first year is therefore a bit of a mystery within the context of the stories.
* The Dinobots' discontent was previously hinted at in "[[Atlantis, Arise!]]" and "[[Day of the Machines]]". They seemed much happier in the later two-parter "[[Dinobot Island]]".
* Apparently the Dinobots just stand around in their own little cubby hole in the Ark, waiting patiently for someone to open the door and talk to them. Which is strangely placid of them.
[[Image:Dotd1 malfunctioning ironhide.jpg|thumb|right|200px|You've got the touch! ]]
[[Image:DesertionDinobots1 Powerglide no head.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Some parts are made to detach if excessive force is applied. ]]
[[Image:G1Cartoon37 Generic.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A [[generic]] Transformer from Mirage's flashback. Perhaps one of his [[Mirage's friends|friends]]?]]
* Gadgets and powers:
** To prepare the viewer for the forthcoming mechanical failures of the Autobots, several of them use their stock powers, such as Jazz's [[sound and light show]] and Mirage's invisibility.
** To inspect the vault door, Soundwave retracts his hand and brings forth a three-pronged wirey sensor thing. It's only [[Soundwave (ROTF)|slightly creepy]].
** Carly switches off Bumblebee's equilibrium circuits by pressing a button inside his chest armor (which sure pops open easily. Bee had better hope the Decepticons don't find out about that feature.)
** Bumblebee uses a wrist communicator to radio Optimus. Though a common device for both sides, this one looks different than the more rectangular ones Bumblebee has used in the past—spheroid and with a little antenna on top.
** Inferno fires [[fire-retardant foam]] (or something like it) from a nozzle that emerges from a hatch on his cab (even though Inferno already sports several ''visible'' nozzles designed to serve the same purpose.)
** The deterioration of the Transformers' [[cybertonium]] leads to a series of mechanical failures:
*** Grapple apparently loses his fine motor control.
*** Megatron's audio circuits malfunction.
*** Soundwave spontaneously ejects Ravage.
*** The Decepticons lose their flight abilities.
*** Rumble can't stop himself from attacking Megatron.
*** Jazz can't transform, and later winds up half-car, half-robot.
*** Ironhide's hand won't retract to fire his liquid nitrogen.
*** Mirage only becomes semi-transparent instead of invisible.
*** Ravage spontaneously returns to cassette mode in mid-battle.
*** Jazz's sound and light show fails to activate.
*** Blitzwing can't stop his own forward motion in tank mode.
*** Powerglide's head... falls off??
*The Constructicons appear to be functioning perfectly well in this episode. What this says about their origin controversy is unknown.
* We get treated to the one-time appearance of a uniquely designed Transformer on Cybertron. He's medium brown and appears to have Snarl's dinosaur tail halves on his back; he transforms to a purple flying saucer-like thing.
[[Image:ShockwaveDesertionOfTheDinobots1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It is not logical to not have a blaster when you turn into that model of blaster.]]
*In the final scene, Shockwave fires a gun that looks exactly like his own [[alternate mode]]. (Presumably, the animators mistook his weapon mode for a hand-held weapon.) He also is shown with two hands in one shot, just like his very first appearance. Can he retract one and replace it with his familiar gun arm? Or is it just an animation screwup? You be the judge!
*This episode establishes that the Dinobots are better-armored in their beast modes.
* '''[[Dinobot Island, Part 2|< <]]''' What makes Starscream the leader? Megatron's blown his vocal components! '''[[Triple Takeover|> >]]'''

===Real world references===
* EJK, the facility where all the information on the Ultraplane is stored, is named for episode writer Earl J. Kress.
* This episode contains enough ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' sound effects to make you think you're watching events in a galaxy far, far away:
** The opening shots of the experimental jet are soundtracked with diving X-Wings and the TIE Fighter engine roar.
** After exiting Ironhide's cargo compartment, Soundwave launches with the ''Millennium Falcon'' engine burst.
** Some ''Falcon'' ambient engine noise (flying over the surface of Yavin IV) is heard as Starscream flies toward the ultra plane.
** The ultra plane explosion is soundtracked with the Death Star firing sequence noise.
** ''Falcon'' engine burst as Megatron retreats from the lab.
** Death Star firing/Alderaan exploding again, as Thundercracker and Thrust take off to attack the Dinobots, followed by more X-Wings diving.
** ''Falcon'' engine burst again as the Transformer on Cybertron that Mirage watches on a monitor takes off.
** ''Falcon'' engine roar as Swoop dives to snatch Carly's car out from under Grimlock's foot.

===Trivia===
* The hangar that the Decepticons are hiding in is labeled "hangar" in huge white letters. This is so you know that it is, indeed, a hangar and not a [[Giant Decepticon insignia|well hidden Decepticon base]].
* Mirage totally goes toe-to-toe with Megatron and manages to hold his own for a bit. Impressive!
* Slag sounds strangely ''upbeat'' when he says "Me Slag no like anything."
* When the Dinobots leave the Autobot base, Sludge and Snarl appear much shorter than the others. If the Dinobots were at all consistent with the dinosaurs they are based on, Sludge should be much larger than the others.
* A faint female voice can be heard moaning as Blaster and Soundwave rock the [[Ironhide (G1)|van]]...

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1986 — ''The Transformers'' — Desertion of the Dinobots ([[Video Gems|A.M.T. Video Gems]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1986 — ''Transformers'' — Desertion of the Dinobots ([[Channel 5]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1988 — ''The Transformers'' — Desertion of the Dinobots ([[Video Gems|V.I.P. Video Gems]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1990 — ''Transformers'' — Desertion of the Dinobots 3-D (Channel 5) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''The Transformers: Generation 2'' — Desertion of the Dinobots ([[Malofilm|Behaviour]])
;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]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 4 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 04: Stagione Due Parte Seconda ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (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'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/desertion_of_the_dinobots_part_1.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

Dinobot Island, Part 1

2011-08-22T17:36:14Z

71.22.247.52: /* Real-world references */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=30
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=18
|prev2=Enter the Nightbird
|next2=Dinobot Island, Part 2
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=8
|prev3=The Core
|next3=Dinobot Island, Part 2
|image=DinobotIsland1 Spikevsdinosaur.jpg
|caption=Think they'll have that on the tour?
|title="Dinobot Island, Part 1"
|production code=#700-29
|airdate=[[September 25]], 1985
|written by=[[Donald F. Glut]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Dinobots are sent to a mysterious, prehistoric island for training. But the Decepticons intend to plunder its energy resources.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 対決!! ダイノボット PART I (''Taiketsu!! Dinobot PART I'', "Showdown!! Dinobots PART I"
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Die Insel der Dinobots, Teil 1'''" ("Island of the Dinobots, Part 1")
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''L'isola dei Dinorobot-Prima parte''' ("Dinobot Island-Part One")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''L'isola dei Dinobots - I''' ("Dinobots Island - I")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:DinobotIsland1 Landing on Dinobot Island.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Powerglide, I've a feeling we're not in the Ark any more.]]

[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] are dispatched to investigate mysterious energy readings emanating from the sea. What they discover is an island filled with lifeforms thought to be long extinct, including [[dinosaur]]s. Further investigation is cut short, however, when the Autobots are attacked by the natives, and they decide to retreat.

[[Image:Dinobotislandgrimlockslipup.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"And now," cried Grimlock, "Let the wild rumpus start!"]]

Returning to the [[Ark (G1)|base]], they inform [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the [[Autobot]]s of their findings. [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] is fascinated, but [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] dismisses it, what with the problems the Dinobots cause them. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] defends the Dinobots, and brings [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] out to show them.

Grimlock displays his "finesse" by using his fire breath to turn on [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], impressing Prime and causing [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] to grimace in pain. Hearing the commotion, [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] investigate, and cause Grimlock to mess up, sending his fire breath all over the place.

[[Image:Dinobotislandratch%26spark.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"I can't get Jurassic Park back online without Dennis Nedry."]]

Grimlock angrily orders his subordinates to go away, but Sludge steps on Slag's tail, causing him to breathe fire. [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] also come to investigate, and the Dinobots collide with each other, resulting in a brawl. [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] is nearly destroyed, but Trailbreaker's force field manages to protect the computer, while [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] put out the fires.

The Autobots are prepared to fight the Dinobots to a standstill, but Optimus orders Grimlock to bring the other Dinobots under control. Grimlock succeeds, and apologizes to Prime. The [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]] accepts, but also realizes that the base is too small for the Dinobots to train in, and decides to have Powerglide lead them to [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], as Spike has called the island. However, [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] overhears this, and [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] sends [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] to follow them.

[[Image:Dinobotislandspikeinnest2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Hurry boys! The eggs are hatching!"]]

Arriving at the island, the Dinobots are impressed with the wide open spaces. However, Spike gets into trouble with the local fauna, nearly getting eaten twice. Spike decides to go home with Powerglide, while the Dinobots work on their skills, such as Slag's "fire stuff", Snarl's "tail stuff" and Swoop's "flying stuff". However, Laserbeak reports his findings back to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], who decides to plunder the island's multiple energy sources.

[[Image:Dinobotislandmammoth.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Conan the Barbarian was really confused when he came on modern day Earth.]]

Spike, having had enough of real dinosaurs, decides to check out [[Ere Cenozoique Periode Tertiaire|some books]] with Bumblebee. However, while at the library, they see a temporal distortion, out of which comes barbarians riding woolly mammoths. They begin randomly attacking things, destroying the library and burying Spike and Bumblebee under a ton of rubble. At Dinobot Island, the Dinobots discover the Decepticon presence, and attack. However, Megatron causes the native dinosaurs to stampede toward the Dinobots, causing them to fall into a tar pit, which they sink into.

[[Dinobot Island, Part 2|To be continued...]]
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (1)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (4)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (5)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (6)
*[[Grapple]] (7)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (8)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (9)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (10)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (11)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (12)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (15)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (16)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (17)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (19)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (20)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (21)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (22)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (23)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (24)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (25)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (26)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (27)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (28)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (29)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (30)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (31)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (32)

|c2=
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (33)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (34)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (35)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (36)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (37)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (38)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (39)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (40)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (41)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (43)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (14)
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (13)
*Barbarian (42)
}}

==Quotes==
"Hang in there, Bumblebee. Prepare for a daring rescue maneuver!" 
"Can't he just save a guy without doing a commercial?"
:—'''Powerglide''' narrates his rescue of '''Bumblebee'''. He must want [[Victor Caroli]]'s job.

"Beryllium baloney, Wheeljack. Once a dino-klutz, always a dino-klutz."
:—'''Huffer''' being both hungry and skeptical at the same time.

"What that is, Sludge?" 
"Uh, Sludge not know. Maybe time to do our thing?"
:—'''Slag''' and '''Sludge'''.

"Very impressive, Wheeljack. But what about the other Dinobots?"
:—'''Optimus Prime''', about to regret what he said.

"Slag, Sludge, go away! Me Grimlock demonstrating finesse. Whatever that mean."
:—'''Grimlock''' really needs a thesaurus. Get it? Thesaurus?

"It's a jet, it's a rocket, no! It's Powergliiiiiide!"
:—'''Powerglide''' being Powerglide.

"Oh wow! I think I'll call it... Dinobot Island."
:—'''Spike''', showing an incredible lack of creativity.

"What is this bird planning on hatching out of these eggs... battleships?"
:—Yes, '''Spike'''. The pterosaur is planning on hatching tiny, human-sized battleships.

"Bye, Grimlock! Bye, guys! I'd write, but you can't read." 
:—'''Spike Witwicky'''. He should be thankful that the Dinobots didn't take offense.

"Swoop! Do flying stuff!" 
"...Slag! Do fire stuff!" 
"...Snarl! Do tail stuff!" 
"...Getting better... but still not more better enough."
:—'''Grimlock''' shows his mastery of both military tactics and grammar.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
[[Image:DinobotIsland1 jetpack Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
* Bumblebee's nose is yellow instead of white as he reacts to his first sighting of the island.
* Bumblebee's vocal reaction to the T. Rex doesn't line up with the animation; he doesn't go "yee-ah!" until after it's been menacing him for several seconds.
* There's no crunch sound effect when the ''Rex'' crushes Bumblebee's jetpack.
* Blaster's voice lacks the reverb effect that it would have in nearly all his later appearances.
* Grimlock's robot head is white instead of black when he transforms to "end this chaos".
* Wheeljack's launcher is orange instead of light gray during the pan of him and Ratchet repairing equipment.
* Swoop gets a Decepticon laser effect when he scares off the Pterosaur that's trying to eat Spike.
* Look! There's one of those [[Shattered Glass (franchise)|red Decepticon faction symbols]] again (Megatron's [[insignia]] when the Decepticons review Laserbeak's recordings).
* The Dinobots get the ascending-pitch transformation noise when they convert to dino mode for Grimlock's "harder tests", rather than the normal descending-pitch version. The same miscue happens as they move out to "get rid of Decepticons".
* The reptile that growls at Slag for burning away its cover has the same synthetic electronic growl as the Dinobots themselves. So does one of the dinosaurs in Megatron's stampeding herd.
* Sludge's dino-mode back is red when he gets hit by Snarl's tail-stuff debris.
*When Megatron unleashes the dinosaur stampede, the Dinobots are facing the Decepticons, who are perched on the edge of a cliff. Grimlock looks back at the dinosaurs, and in the immediate next frame the Dinobots are suddenly standing on the edge of the cliff themselves. After the Dinobots sink into the tar pit, the Decepticons and their energon cubes are back on the edge of the cliff.

===Continuity errors===
* Prime uses his wrist radio to communicate with Bumblebee. It would really make more sense to use Teletraan I, since he's inside Autobot Headquarters. Megatron does the same thing with Soundwave, using his wrist communicator instead of the resources of [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|Decepticon Headquarters]].
* Powerglide has a proper single-seater cockpit in this episode, like a real A-10. Later episodes like "[[Blaster Blues]]" show him with a much larger side-by-side two-seater cockpit (technically, ''those'' episodes are the ones with the error.)
* Superhuman Spike:
** Shouldn't the pterosaur's claws leave some kind of mark on Spike?
** After getting picked up, tossed, thrown, jerked around, and held in the toothy mouth of the plesiosaur, Spike should really be a sack of broken bones and bloody pulp; instead, he's totally fine.
* The energon cube that Thundercracker fills shows a bizarre ability, sending out a pink energy beam into the lava stream even though it's ''empty'', before being filled with energy ''from'' the lava.
* There's pretty much no reason for Swoop to have fallen into the tar pit with the other Dinobots; he's not even near them in the last shot before they fall.

===Jurassic errors===
Paleontology weeps in the presence of this episode:
*An unnamed Pterosaur (with an appearance that fits the description of a ''Dimorphodon'', only much, much larger) somehow manages to catch Spike and fly with him to her nest. There, Spike founds himself among three giant eggs... that are bigger than the animal that laid them. The mother actually looks like a newly hatched chick next to them.
* A plesiosaur grabs Spike, but it seems pretty unlikely that it would actually seek such large prey. It is also highly unlikely a plesiosaur would occur in an inland lake, as the animals have only been found in marine environments. The above-water gymnastics that the plesiosaur performs with its neck are debatable, as while the neck possessed a huge number of vertebrae and must therefore have been highly flexible, there is some uncertainty over whether the vertical posture the animal assumes here would have been possible.
* The dinosaurs in general seem to be oversized. This is so much more noticeable in part II.
* A sauropod is shown wading in a lake while feeding on aquatic plants. Sauropods were almost certainly terrestrial animals that acted as grazers or browsers. The neck posture would also have been considered wrong, but recent studies support the notion that at least some could have held their necks vertically.
* A theropod (presumably ''Ceratosaurus'', only over-sized) is shown in an upright pose. In order to achieve this pose in museums, curators frequently broke the backs of their specimens. They can't even claim the true posture wasn't known at the time either, as books showing horizontal bipedal dinosaurs had begun appearing in the late '70s. A similar situation is seen with the hadrosaurs, who are now believed to be facultative quadrupeds (primarily four-legged, with a two-legged option).

===Continuity notes===
* Gadgets and powers:
** Bumblebee and Optimus Prime communicate by small pop-up radios that emerge from their wrists. Soundwave and Megatron use similar devices.
** Powerglide can shoot a light beam from his forehead that fixes things. Convenient.
** Blaster transforms into boom box mode without shrinking at all.
** Trailbreaker "fires" his force field from his gun arm, and uses it to protect Teletraan I without actually being near it.
** Ratchet replaces his right pointer finger with a large welding tip.
** Laserbeak uses one of the series' few recurring gadgets, a video camera that emerges from the top of his head (most famously used in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''). He also demonstrates the ability to fire lasers from his eyes, nonchalantly scaring off an inquisitive reptile.
** Swoop also fires lasers from his beast-mode eyes.
* Flying Autobots:
** In this episode, Bumblebee pretty explicitly requires a jetpack to fly; the convention of "Autobots can't fly" was pretty well solidified by this point in the series.
** Despite this, Powerglide appears to fly a short distance in robot mode when he hears Spike calling for help, complete with jet sound effects.
** The Dinobots fly in robot mode, an ability they consistently retain throughout the show.
* Bumblebee makes mention of the images of prehistoric Earth that he and the other Autobots viewed back in "[[S.O.S. Dinobots]]", prior to the construction of the Dinobots.
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] uses the term "[[beryllium baloney]]" in this episode, which would later be used again by Slag in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the movie]], in much the same way.
* This is the ''second'' episode in which the Dinobots nearly destroy [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], the first being "[[S.O.S. Dinobots]]".
* First appearances:
** Autobots [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], [[Grapple]], [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]
** Decepticons [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]].

===Real-world references===
* ''Star Wars'' sound effects:
** Laserbeak flies into Megatron's hand with the ''Millennium Falcon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engine burst noise.
** Swoop takes off for his "flying stuff" with the [[Death Star]] firing/Alderaan exploding sounds, then flies through a grove of trees with the sound of the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' flying past.
** As he spots the Decepticons, Swoop gets some combined X-Wing fighter and TIE fighter engine noises from the battle over the Death Star.
* The title of one of Spike's books is ''[[Ere Cenozoique Periode Tertiaire]]'', derived from an actual paleontology text.
* When Spike is dropped into a pteradon's nest and thinking it might hatch battleships may (or may not) be a reference to ''[[Wikipedia:The Giant Claw|The Giant Claw]]''.

===Trivia===
* This episode and [[Dinobot Island, Part 2|its conclusion]] introduce a large number of new characters from the 1985 toy assortment, and seem to have been written [[To sell toys|specifically to do so]]. Many of them have short but fairly explicit [[Introdump|introductory lines/scenes, seemingly intended to sum up their personalities or abilities]], and thus help sell their toys. Given this, it's a bit odd that several random members of the 1985 cast started showing up in earlier episodes (in terms of production order) which otherwise featured the Season One cast (Beachcomber and Inferno in "[[The Insecticon Syndrome]]"; Powerglide and Warpath in "[[A Prime Problem]]"), particularly since those same characters each get their own scenes in this episode.
* So the Autobots discover a unique island, with undisturbed natural beauty and filled with species that have been extinct for millions of years... and they unleash the Dinobots on it? Considering how choked up [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] got over a [[The Golden Lagoon|couple of trees]], you'd think they'd be a little more environmentally conscientious...

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1986 — ''The Transformers'' — Dinobot Island, also includes The Revenge of Bruticus ([[St. Michael Video Library]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1987 — ''Transformers'' — 1: The Revenge of Bruticus / 2: Dinobot Island (Parts 1 and 2) ([[Entertainment UK|Starvision]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1988 — ''The Transformers'' — The Revenge of Bruticus and Dinobot Island Parts 1 & 2 ([[Video Gems|V.I.P. Video Gems]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1991 — ''Transformers'' — 1: The Revenge of Bruticus / 2: Dinobot Island (Parts 1 and 2) ([[Entertainment UK|The Fun House]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''The Transformers: Generation 2'' — Dinobot Island ([[Malofilm|Behaviour]])
;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]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 04: Stagione Due Parte Seconda ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (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'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/dinobot_island_part_1.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

Optimus Prime (Movie)

2011-06-30T19:35:07Z

71.22.247.52: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobotfilm|{{factions/icons|custom=Cyberglyphics Prime Symbol.png|cLink=Dynasty of Primes|cPretty=Prime}}|NEST|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Optimus Prime}}{{suite}}

:''Optimus Prime is the [[Autobot]] leader from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[Continuity family|continuity family]]. He has [[Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots|sometimes]] used the codename '''10-22'''.''

[[Image:Movieprime meettheautobots.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hello, pretty bird. GIVE ME YOUR FACE.]]

'''Optimus Prime''' is the leader of the [[Autobot]]s. Long ago, he was the humble leader of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s science division, which studied the [[AllSpark]], and were protected by [[Lord High Protector]] [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s military. When Megatron was corrupted by [[The Fallen]], Optimus discovered that he was the last of the [[Dynasty of Primes]], hidden away when The Fallen destroyed their lineage. In response to Megatron's attempts to seize the AllSpark and conquer other worlds, Optimus assumed his proper [[Prime (rank)|title]] and rallied the Autobots to stand against the [[Decepticon]]s.

As obsessively as Megatron strives to achieve his objective, Optimus is equally as dedicated to stopping him, even at the cost of his life, his world, and—if necessary—his own people. It was on his order that the AllSpark was jettisoned into space, dooming Cybertron to a slow death and his people to a nomadic life. The sacrifices he has made weigh heavily on his [[spark]], but they must be done, for there is no other choice. He knows the ambitions that lurk in Megatron's spark, and they must never see the light of day. Lives must be kept free from the threat of Megatron's tyranny, no matter the cost.
This obsession with the defeat of Megatron has robbed Optimus of some of his early idealism. This has created a certain ruthlessness beneath his otherwise honest and caring personality. Prime is not one for second chances and is willing to consider any action that might lead to victory, short of directly sacrificing those he cares about.

{{bigquote|Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.|Optimus Prime reflecting on his past|''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''}}

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie prequel comics===
It was Optimus Prime's [[Prima|ancestor]] who finally vanquished [[the Fallen]] to another [[sarcophagus|dimension]] in the battle for the [[Matrix of Leadership]], {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 4|Tales of the Fallen #4}} but his orphaned descendant who was hidden away from the Fallen grew up with no knowledge of what he was. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen issue 3|Revenge of the Fallen #3}}

[[Image:Foundation1-literaldawn.jpg|left|thumb|300px|He's right, an actual literal dawn ''was'' involved. Put those knives away, English majors.]]

Eons after the [[Dynasty of Primes]] were vanquished, Cybertron fell into dark times. The AllSpark had been buried somewhere within Cybertron and been dismissed as a legend, and the planet itself lacked a star to orbit. As energy became more and more scarce, Cybertronians segregated into tribes. [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]], a being who claimed to be descended from [[Primus]] himself, found Optimus and recruited him into his cause. {{storylink|Foundation issue 1|Foundation #1}} Optimus and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] helped Sentinel Prime locate the AllSpark and harness a star for Cybertron to orbit, and these fantastic acts united Cybertron for the first time in known history. But Sentinel Prime had grown old and weary and refused to lead the Cybertronians, and, in confidence, he revealed to Optimus that he was a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], and that he ought to succeed him as leader. But Optimus could not believe he was a Prime. Sentinel, understanding Optimus's skeptical attitude, encouraged him to investigate the Primes so he would truly believe in his lineage. Sentinel redrew his plans for Cybertron, having Optimus lead the archaeological [[Science Division]], while placing Megatron in charge of Cybertron's [[Defense Force]]. {{storylink|Foundation issue 2|Foundation #2}} Little did they know that Megatron had been eavesdropping, and Optimus's brother came to a jealousy-inspired conclusion. He didn't believe Optimus Prime had the ability to competently lead Cybertron, and that this series of events would one day pit the two against each other, until one was dead. Megatron vowed that it would not be him. {{storylink|Foundation issue 1|Foundation #1}}

[[Image:Defiance1 Megs Prime argument.jpg|right|350px|thumb|"Hey, I wanted a mouthplate!"]]

For two generations, Optimus and Megatron ruled Cybertron together. The two personalities created a balance; Prime was fair while Megatron was firm. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 1|Movie Prequel #1}} After an increase in [[Malcontent]]s disrupting Sentinel's order, Megatron intimidated Optimus into giving him supreme power in defense of the planet. {{storylink|Foundation issue 2|Foundation #2}} When ''Lord'' Protector Megatron toured the excavation site near the temple at [[Simfur]], he and Optimus clashed over several issues. While Optimus wanted to take the investigation slowly, all Megatron cared about was whether the site contained power similar to the AllSpark. Optimus nettled Megatron when he reminded the Protector that the science sector was in charge of scientific and archaeological discoveries, and that the defense forces had a tendency to treat such discoveries as hostile, to which Megatron responded that if and when he was leader, he could make such decisions. When a [[The Fallen|mysterious relic]] was uncovered, Optimus disagreed with Megatron's order for it to be removed from the ground. Just as the two were about to launch into yet another argument, aliens previously encountered by Commander [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] attacked Cybertron. Megatron blackmailed Optimus into moving the relic into his personal quarters by reminding the science leader that the science division would like to protect the only intact relic from harm. {{storylink|Defiance issue 1|Defiance #1}}

Optimus ordered his science teams to help the survivors on both sides, in the hopes of finding out who was responsible and why they attacked. While he went off to find Megatron, he ordered the others to continue searching for survivors while [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] examined the alien remains. Optimus was shocked and appalled when Megatron ordered him to marshal his forces for war. Optimus objected, as his science division was not trained for combat, but Megatron retorted that the scientists should have known that aliens were after the AllSpark. He endured Megatron's insane fury when he accused the Protector of betraying that upon which their society was built. Later, Optimus called upon a meeting with his science division to ask them to stay by his side and continue on with their mission of peaceful research, as they were protectors, not soldiers. While the aerial-based Cybertronians followed Megatron into space, Optimus confided in [[Prowl (Movie)|Prowl]] and [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] that Megatron sought to divide their planet, and he asked the former for help breaking into the High Protector's personal quarters. {{storylink|Defiance issue 2|Defiance #2}}

[[Image:Defiance3_OptimusPrime_battle.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Man...Prime ain't foolin' around.]]

After noting that Megatron had restored the artifact to pristine condition, Optimus had to leave the military leader's quarters just before he returned. Back at [[Burthov]], he came upon [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], Arcee, and [[Elita-One (Movie)|Elita-One]] scanning the pieces of the other artifacts. Arcee then discovered that the pieces all contained the same symbol on them, and that the same symbol was on Optimus' head. Ratchet declared that the symbol was proof of the [[Dynasty of Primes]], and it indicated Optimus himself was a [[Dynasty of Primes|Prime]]. Ratchet and the other Autobots began to dub him "Optimus Prime", although a humble Optimus noted they did not know what it meant and for all they knew, he could just be from a line of record clerks. As they discussed the revelations, Prowl was forced by Megatron to arrest Optimus, but this turned out to be a trap to kill him. Optimus bested Starscream and blew up [[Metrotitan (ROTF)|Metrotitan]], while Megatron formed his new faction, the [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|Defiance issue 3|Defiance #3}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Foundation issue 3|Foundation #3}}

[[Image:Ark Bridge Defiance4.jpg||thumb|300px|right|]]
Retreating to Burthov with his fellow scientists and Prowl's security officers, Optimus was acknowledged as the leader of the group, with Prowl serving as his lieutenant. He and Prowl were discussing sites for a new base when Jazz informed them that Captain Ironhide of the [[Defense Force]] wanted to see Optimus. Learning of Megatron's new starship, the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'', Optimus Prime was convinced by his advisers that their side needed a [[Ark (Movie)|ship of their own]] to prepare for any eventualities. The Autobots found themselves at an advantage when the ''Nemesis'' left Cybertron with the balance of the Decepticon forces, and Optimus himself took the fight to their enemies.

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Foundation issue 3}}{{storylink|Foundation issue 4}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Foundation issue 1}}{{storylink|Foundation issue 2}}{{storylink|Foundation issue 3}}{{storylink|Foundation issue 4}}

However, years of bloody war devastated the planet, and Optimus saw no end in sight, unless the main reason for fighting was removed from the conflict. He revealed his plan to capture the AllSpark, and most assumed the Autobots would somehow take it aboard their ship. But Optimus's real plan was to blast the Cube into deep space, away from Cybertron and away from Megatron. {{storylink|Defiance issue 4|Defiance #4}}

[[Image:Optimusprimemovieprequel.jpg|left|200px|thumb|All Primes are required to have window boobs.]]

The AllSpark was successfully ejected into space at [[Tyger Pax]], where [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] distracted Megatron. Prime and the Autobots were held up in [[Simfur]] during the launch. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 1|Movie Prequel #1}} As they prepared to leave Cybertron on board the ''[[Ark (Movie)|Ark]]'' to go after the AllSpark, Optimus Prime had some doubts about his decision, feeling that in buying them some time in the war, he had sentenced their world to death. [[Prowl (Movie)|Prowl]] disagreed, pointing out that had Megatron been able to claim the Cube, all those that opposed him would have been destroyed, and that Prime had turned death into a fighting chance for the Autobots. Bolstered by Prowl's words, Prime resolved to rebuild their shattered home once they retrieved the AllSpark. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 1|The Reign of Starscream #1}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beginnings''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

Bumblebee remembered Optimus Prime's orders that they must launch the AllSpark into space, for it was better to lose it to the depths of space than allow Lord Megatron to corrupt it with his evil. For wherever there is hope, there is life. {{storylink|Transformers: Beginnings}}

{{note|Transformers: Beginnings is a condensed, flash-animated retelling of the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] [[Movie Prequel]] that is detailed above this section.}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:OptimusMovie_GeoffSenior.JPG|250px|thumb|Starting as he means to go on.]]

When war broke out, Optimus studied the entire history of intergalactic warfare from any datatrack he could find—he studied whole campaigns to desperate last stands, gaining a focused "playbook" of warfare strategy. He understands warfare on a practical and psychological level, and in desperate battles knows to show no mercy to opponents beyond a swift death. <ref>''Autobot VS Decepticon Smackdown! - Megatron V. Optimus Prime'', #4</ref>

Optimus was the focus of constant attacks by assassin drones and killed them all. In the aftermath of one, he witnessed a prophetic vision of the [[Mission City]] battle and realised the AllSpark's ejection could spread war to other planets—but too late to stop the launch... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 1|Prelude: Optimus Prime}}

{{note|The following event is unique to the Titan Magazines comics continuity, and thus does not occur anywhere else.}}

Almost immediately after the final battle against Megatron, Optimus Prime had to lead the Autobots against a horde of [[Zombie|zombie]] Decepticons. Despite having no idea how they could be stopped and having had his power drained by fighting Megatron, Optimus continued to fight the monsters rather than let them run amok. Ratchet worked out a solution just in time before Optimus fell. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 7|Starscream's Militia}}

{{notetitantlg}}

In the alternate reality, Megatron defeated Optimus and took the AllSpark at [[Mission City]]. Prime's body was now partially frozen and in Decepticon hands. He was the last and only hope of the Earth resistance, and so Bumblebee and [[Mikaela Banes]] were not happy to find him offline. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 9|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1}}

She thawed him out while Bumblebee distracted Megatron, and the revived Prime challenged Megatron to a solo duel... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 12|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 4}} Unfortunately, Megatron's link to the AllSpark meant Optimus could not do any lasting damage and was never going to win. Luckily, Bumblebee and Mikaela saved the day, hitting the distracted Megatron with an old [[Sector Seven]] nanovirus. (Which means ''they'' were the last and only hope, but oh well.) Despite Megatron dying as a result and the AllSpark being destroyed elsewhere, Prime could take no satisfaction in victory: this battle was won, but the war remained... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 13|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5}}

[[Image:Optimus_Titan12.JPG|left|250px|thumb|"Megatron's face must be cut off...no MATTER THE COST!"]]

He became resigned to the fact that Humanity, battered by Decepticon occupation, would view both Autobot and Decepticon as hostile invaders. When [[NATO]] was manipulated into attacking the Autobots, Optimus refused to allow his men to return fire, and after the crisis passed, he was sure that [[Starscream (Movie)|the Decepticons' unknown new commander]] was up to something bigger. Optimus also placed the last AllSpark fragment in the care of Ratchet, though he was worried exposure to Megatron might have corrupted it. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 14|Aftermath Part 1}} {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|Aftermath Part 2}} He was ''not'' happy when Ratchet "took care" of the fragment by bringing [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] back with it, who was left corrupted and amoral by it. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 16|Dark Spark}}

Optimus Prime soon worked out that while the AllSpark's transformation of Earth had been halted, the damage had been done: the organic Earth and the technological transformation were now fighting for supremacy, killing the planet in the process. He called in a specialist team to investigate and limit the damage, while working with [[President of the United States|President Allen]]. In secret, he organised for [[Nucleon]] to be retrieved from the dead Cybertron and brought to Earth, as there was a long shot it could save the planet. He didn't tell the humans out of concern that if they knew about the plan and it failed, their hopes would be raised and dashed. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Return to Cybertron: Part 1}} It was bad enough that Nucleon was so unstable it could turn destructive... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 18|Return to Cybertron: Part 2}}

When the team on Cybertron sent a distress signal and reported [[Stockade (Movie)|Stockade's]] Decepticons had captured the Nucleon, Optimus led the entirety of the Earth-bound Autobots (save Camshaft's team) to Cybertron as back-up. He was then surprised to see Cybertron coming to ''them'', looking [[Unicron|a lot meaner these days]]. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 19|Return to Cybertron: Part 3}} The planet's possessor, Unicron, shot down the Straxus and the Autobots survived only by evacuating it in time in [[protoform]] modes.

Optimus landed next to Stockade's old equipment and, after being filled in by [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], he effortlessly formed an alliance with Stockade against Unicron. His plan was to drain the Nucleon away so Unicron couldn't use it as a power source, while the bulk of the Transformers provided a distraction, which turned out to be going underground and shooting up Unicron's body. The plan worked, Nucleon was secured for Earth, and Optimus extended an offer for Stockade to join them on Earth whenever he wished. Optimus was left optimistic that Autobots and Decepticons had come together in a common cause. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 20|Return to Cybertron: Part 4}}

On returning to Earth, he found the Decepticons had seized the Autobot base and six hundred square miles around it; he made the decision to withdraw to [[Washington, D.C.]], knowing that this meant leaving Mikaela in Decepticon hands. Upon landing at an air base, the Decepticon-controlled President Allen lured him into a trap, and he found himself fighting Jazz, now a Decepticon hired gun. Optimus lured him away from humans and prepared to engage him, but when a second assassin named [[Kullt]] turned up, Jazz gunned it down out of annoyance. Optimus had viewed Jazz as a lost cause but now stated there was still some Autobot in him: he ''could'' have let Kullt do the work for him and then killed him, but he saved Prime instead.

The battle made it clear to Optimus that Allen was under Decepticon mental control. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 21|Hard Target}}

[[Image:Optimus Titan22.JPG|200px|thumb|Freedom is not dispensed here, sentient fools, only DEATH!]]

As he'd promised Bumblebee, Optimus took the Autobots to get Mikaela back; he himself went first, launching himself in [[Protoform|protoform]] mode to land in Savannah like a bomb and tearing his way through [[Swindle (Movie)|drone hordes]]. He was quickly gunned down by aerial units and about to be killed by Starscream, but this whole flashy attack had been a diversion—allowing other Autobots a chance to hit the distracted air forces and nab Mikaela. After the battle, Optimus remarked Starscream was no Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself}}

Optimus seemed to quickly bond with [[General Seward]], his military liaison at Andrews Air Base, but that didn't help when the mind-controlled President Allen had the government order the Autobots out of America. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Revolution Part One}} However, Prime had anticipated this. Almost two weeks before, he'd had Ironhide task [[Tom Banachek]] to identify all the Decepticon puppets for him. With Allen making the expected move, he dispatched Ironhide and Bumblebee to set things up so that the following day, when the Autobots all departed, Allen would try to nuke them out of the sky and be fooled by a decoy ship into thinking he'd killed them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|Revolution Part Three}}

To protect the Earth while they were undercover on Cybertron, Optimus had made a deal with Stockade to start a [[Decepticon Civil War]]. Optimus didn't trust Stockade to not renege on the deal and just take control of Earth for himself, {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Revolution Part Two}} but he ensured the Decepticons were set up for the Autobot's final strike: forcibly teleporting all of the enemy to Cybertron via Unicron's leftover teleportational engines, then stranding Cybertron in a remote solar system. Optimus led the troops to Earth and witnessed Megatron's return from the dead... only to ''thwack'' him flying. The next minute, both Megatron ''and'' Stockade (why wait for him to renege?) were teleported away, along with their forces.

This left the Autobots stranded on Earth and with a lot of clean-up to do. But Optimus had ''finally'' brought about the end of the war... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|Revolution Part Three}}
{{-}}

===''Ghosts of Yesterday''===
Optimus Prime led the search for the AllSpark in the ''[[Ark (Movie)|Ark]]'', a transport vessel. When they came across an abandoned solar system, they located [[Ghost 1|a vessel]] of strangely Cybertronian design, seemingly of Decepticon make. When the vessel fled to the surface of a planet, Prime dispatched Bumblebee to investigate while he and the other Autobots battled Decepticons from the ''[[Nemesis (Movie)|Nemesis]]''. Prime managed to defeat [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], and [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] all on his own. After losing touch with Bumblebee, Prime went down to locate him on the planet, where they were attacked by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and the alien ship. They fell into a cavern network, where they were further attacked by [[Worm-thing|indigenous worms]].

During their flight from the creatures, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee came across the alien vessel. Prime realized that they were trying to surrender, so the Autobots communicated with its crew. Optimus explained that they came in peace, "freedom is the right of all sentient beings," Starscream tricks everyone, and so on. However, the creatures, who called themselves "[[Human|humans]]", explained that they held Megatron, whom they called the Ice Man, on their home world, [[Earth]]. Realizing the destruction Megatron would wreak upon the humans if he escaped, and that the humans would be unable to defend themselves effectively, Prime vowed to see them return to their world to warn it. Prime was able to blast an opening in the cavern, and the group escaped. As they returned to the ''Ark'', Prime began to speculate that the AllSpark was what drew Megatron to Earth.

In the ensuing battle with the Decepticons, Prime was in the difficult position of fighting Starscream and protecting the human ship. His distractions allowed Bonecrusher to spear him with his tail. The difficult state nearly gave Starscream the chance to kill him, but the humans saved Prime's life by damaging Starscream, who destroyed them. Optimus Prime was inspired by their courage and sacrifice, and resolved to locate Earth before the Decepticons did—and hopefully before Megatron came back online. {{storylink|Ghosts of Yesterday}}

===''Transformers'' (2007) film===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Tesshō Genda]] (Japanese), [[Guilherme Briggs]] (Brazil), [[Reiner Schöne]] (German), [[Alessandro Rossi]] (Italian), [[Blas Garcia]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Guy Nadon]] (French-Canadian)

{{bigquote|A necessary sacrifice to bring peace to this planet. We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes.|Optimus Prime on sacrificing his life to destroy the [[AllSpark]]}}

[[Image:Movie OptimusPrime protoform.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Having overenergized the previous night, Prime woke up abandoned in a field, with his wallet and clothes stolen.]]
The leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, came to Earth shortly after [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] sent his comrades a beacon. Upon atmospheric reentry, Prime managed to land outside of [[Tranquility]]'s inhabited areas. While Sam and Mikaela watched, Optimus transformed and left his landing place. From atop a hill, he quickly scanned the form of an Earth truck, thus configuring his body to transform into it. Prime, [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] met up with Bumblebee and his human friends, [[Sam Witwicky]] and [[Mikaela Banes]] in an alley. In one of the most extended [[Transformation|transformations]] in the multiverse, Prime assumed his robotic form before the stunned humans. After confirming Sam's identity, Prime introduced himself and his team. When Mikaela asked of the Autobots' intentions, Prime explained the search for the AllSpark, the betrayal of Megatron, and why Sam was important to their search.

[[Image:Movie PrimeSam parentsfreakout.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Optimus Prime will watch you fornicate. And there is nothing you can do about it.]]
Glasses that belonged to Sam's ancestor, [[Archibald Witwicky|Captain Archibald Witwicky]], contained the location of the AllSpark encoded across its lenses, so Optimus Prime ordered his troops to wait outside Sam's house while Sam and Mikaela searched inside for the glasses. Much to Sam's exasperation, Optimus Prime, in his impatience, clumsily ruined his parents' garden, and the Autobots' heavy footsteps convinced them there was an earthquake. Prime's attempts to hide, such as having the Autobots transform into vehicle mode right in the backyard, were also less than satisfactory. Ultimately, Sam came so close to a panic attack that Prime was forced to order the Autobots to fall back. As Prime lectured his team on their supposed inability to remain quiet, Ratchet got himself shocked by walking into some powerlines, causing further problems. When [[Ron Witwicky|the]] [[Judy Witwicky|parents]] came to investigate, Prime's attempt to avoid discovery caused the house to shake, though this was to their benefit, as the father assumed that the damage to the yard was the result of an earthquake. Ironhide suggested that they kill the parents, but Optimus scolded his old friend. Despite all this, their presence remained undetected until [[Sector Seven]] arrived (in a convoy of GMC Yukons) and abducted Sam, Mikaela, and Sam's parents.

[[Image:Movie Optimus Prime S7 mad.JPG|right|300px|thumb|Get out of the car...what's left of it anyway!]]
Optimus Prime sent the Autobots in pursuit of the SUV that contained Sam, Mikaela, and Sector Seven's director, [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]]. Prime intercepted the vehicle carrying their young human friends, ripping the roof of the vehicle off, with the other Autobots disarming the agents, and made it perfectly clear to Simmons how pissed off he was at him for trying to apprehend the two children, regarding this as a bad move on Simmons' behalf. Optimus then ordered his comrades to relieve the agents of their weapons, and attempted to interrogate Simmons. The agents' lack of surprise at their appearance indicated that they had seen Cybertronians before, but Simmons refused to reveal any information. With a Sector Seven backup team en route, Prime ordered the Autobots to scatter, while he took Sam and Mikaela. While hiding under a bridge, Mikaela and Sam slipped and fell off Prime's shoulder. Bumblebee managed to catch them before impact, but was captured, and Sam and Mikaela recaptured, by the organization after their retreat. Now in possession of the glasses which could tell him the location of the AllSpark, Optimus regretfully left Bumblebee in Sector Seven's hands, knowing that if they went after him, they would have to use deadly force.

After regrouping the next day, Prime used the glasses to locate the AllSpark. Jazz again raised objections to leaving Bumblebee behind, but Prime remained firm in his belief of not harming the humans. Ironhide seemed okay with using deadly force, stating the humans were too violent, but Prime countered that when their time had come, the Cybertronians had been [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|little different]]. Going on to explain the potential he saw in the humans, as well as reminding them that "freedom is the right of all sentient beings", Prime revealed to the Autobots his real plan for the AllSpark: if they could not defeat the Decepticons, Prime intended to merge the Cube with his [[Spark|spark]]. Though this would destroy the AllSpark, Ratchet cautioned Prime against this, as it would also kill him. Prime believed that this was acceptable, vowing not to let another race suffer the mistakes of the Transformers. The glasses placed the AllSpark at [[Hoover Dam]] where, luckily, Bumblebee and the young humans were taken.

[[Image:Movie2007 Prime sword.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Swiss army Prime.]]
Optimus Prime's team met up with Sector Seven, Bumblebee, Sam, and Mikaela en route, who had planned to hide the AllSpark in nearby [[Mission City]]. While on the highway, he was attacked by [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], who managed to tackle Optimus and drag him over the edge of a freeway overpass. During the battle, Optimus struck the rage-filled Transformer so hard his [[Optic|optic]] popped out. As the Decepticon swung his claw wildly, Optimus drew his sword from his right arm and sliced off one of Bonecrusher's arms, before brutally finishing off his enemy by [[Decapitation|driving the blade through]] Bonecrusher's neck, severing his head.

Optimus arrived at Mission City just in time to observe Megatron discarding the remains of Jazz, and challenged him. Millennia in the ice had done nothing to lessen Megatron's hatred of his brother, and he launched himself in jet mode at the Autobot leader. Optimus leaped and grabbed hold of the wings, which was a really bad idea, as Megatron drove himself and Prime through an office block. As they flew out of the building onto the street below, Megatron transformed and leapt on top of Prime, declaring the humans undeserving of life. Prime rejected his claims, saying that they deserved to choose for themselves. Megatron threw Prime across the street, declaring that if he wished to defend the humans, Prime could die with them. He then formed his [[Fusion cannon|fusion cannon]] from his forearms. The power up time allowed Prime to draw his [[Ion blaster|ion blaster]] and fire, hitting Megatron. The Decepticon used the momentum to spin around, then used the fusion cannon to blast Prime across the street into another building. Megatron then resumed the hunt for Sam and the AllSpark.

[[Image:Movie2007 Prime truck.jpg|right|300px|thumb|He knows he's a sexy truck.]]
Tracking Megatron to the deserted building, Prime barely managed to catch Sam after Megatron knocked him off the roof. Telling the boy to hold onto the Cube, Prime attempted to scale down the building, but Megatron jumped on Prime, causing them both to fall down hard onto the street below. Sam survived, however, and Optimus told the boy that if he could not defeat Megatron, Sam must put the AllSpark into his chest which would destroy it. As Sam sought cover, Optimus faced down Megatron, and informed him that, "At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall". Unfortunately, Megatron, even after years of stasis, proved to be far too powerful for Prime to defeat alone. The unit led by Lennox and the Raptor squadron laid down suppressing fire as Megatron reached for the AllSpark, until Optimus finally took him down by sweeping his legs. Still, Megatron continued, crawling toward the cube. Believing he had lost, Optimus implored Sam to put the AllSpark into his chest. Sam instead thrust it into Megatron's chest, killing the Decepticon leader and destroying the AllSpark.

[[Image:Movie2007 Prime AllSpark shard.jpg|left|300px|thumb|The Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership|Dorito of leadership]]]]
As Optimus watched his brother die, he regretfully said there was little other choice. He also told Sam he owed him a debt of gratitude for saving his life, but was then informed that Jazz had not survived (Jazz was flapping around disrespectfully like a ragdoll during this sequence). Prime briefly eulogized his comrade, then commented that they had gained new comrades in the humans, and was honored by their bravery. Bumblebee, who had finally regained his voice, requested permission to remain with Sam Witwicky, to which the young human eagerly agreed, and Optimus approved. He noticed a fragment of the AllSpark in Megatron's chest cavity and removed it, then permitted the humans to dispose of the Decepticon corpses by dumping them into the deepest part of the ocean.

[[Image:Movie Optimus ending.JPG|right|300px|thumb|[['Til all are one]]!]]
Though Megatron was killed and his Decepticons were defeated, the AllSpark was destroyed, leaving the Autobots unable to restore Cybertron. The Autobots elected to remain on Earth, and Prime sent a message into deep space to any surviving Autobots in the Galaxy to come to their new home on Earth, their long years of searching having finally having come to an end. As the other Autobots rested (and watched Sam and Mikaela make out on Bumblebee's hood) Optimus Prime looked to the sky, hoping his message had been heard. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)|Transformers}}
{{-}}

{{note|The [[Movie Adaptation Issue Number Four|comic book adaptation]] depicts Optimus Prime also defeating [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] during the highway altercation with Bonecrusher. However, the later comic [[The Reign of Starscream issue 1|''The Reign of Starscream'' #1]] depicts Ironhide doing the deed.}}
{{-}}

===Toy bios===
{{notemoviebio}}

That truck he transcanned was ''the coolest thing he ever saw''. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Voyager Class toys|Robo-Vision Optimus Prime}}

When the AllSpark was destroyed, Optimus was ''bathed'' in its power and became a living receptacle: he could destroy or heal with the merest thought. He still remained dedicated to peace, and altered his exterior decorations to match the ones he bore as a young leader, before the beginning of the war. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Voyager Class toys|First Strike Optimus Prime}}

When the war turned out to ''not'' be over though, and with more Decepticons appearing on Earth, he was forced to alter himself to be used for stealth missions—something he finds dishonourable but knows has to be done. He is now sensor transparent and silent. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Leader Class toys|Nightwatch Optimus Prime}} In this form, he came under surprise attack by an equally stealth-modified Starscream, leader of the new Decepticons! {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Legends Class toys|Nightwatch Optimus Prime vs. Stealth Starscream}}

Once the Decepticons were beaten on Earth, Optimus was given intelligence by [[Sector Seven]]. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Fast Action Brawlers|Fire Blast Optimus Prime}}

===Beast Wars Diorama Story===
[[Beast Wars (event)|On Earth in the past and in another universe]], a contingent of [[Maximal]]s, led by [[Optimus Primal]], battled a group of [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] in a forest. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Convoy Chapter}}

Some time into the battle, a warp opened, bringing with it [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], Optimus Prime, and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]. Optimus Prime made fast friends with [[Optimus Primal]]; they joined their forces and double-teamed the injured [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], who had just taken a blast to the face from [[Tigatron]]. Starscream then joined the Predacons. The two Optimuses commemorated their accomplishment of teamwork by shaking hands. The Maximals and Ratchet looked up with approval. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Tigatron Chapter}} [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] later appeared and joined the Predacons. As the battled raged, the [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] from Prime's universe came in through the warp. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Gimlet Chapter}}

The Decepticon Megatron brought along [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]], and the two Megatrons combined their troops into a fearsome force against the Autobots and Maximals. Fortuantely for the Autobots and Maximals, [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]] arrived to assist. The two factions then took formation against each other with the intention of combining their energies to attack the opposing side. With [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]] leading the charge, the Maximals and the Autobots attacked first. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Motorarm Chapter}}

===IDW ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
[[Image:AllianceOptimusHoloDriver.jpg|right|250px|thumb|[[Peter Cullen|Optimus Prime]] driving Optimus Prime! Sheer awesomeness!]]

Following the battle of [[Mission City]], and the destruction of Megatron and the AllSpark, Optimus Prime was left to ferry the body of his first lieutenant [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] out of the city in an abandoned trailer. Trusting [[William Lennox|Captain Lennox]] and his men, Prime asked the human soldiers to help the Autobots escape from the city, before [[Sector Seven]] and other untrustworthy humans could arrive. A month later, [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]] managed to convince Lennox and [[Robert Epps|Sergeant Epps]] to call upon the assistance of Optimus Prime and the Autobots to escort the Decepticon remains, thereby hopefully reactivating the Decepticon [[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]] somehow. {{storylink|Alliance issue 1|Alliance #1}}

Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet and Bumblebee arrived at Sector Seven's Nevada desert base to escort to a naval base at [[California|San Diego, California]]. Optimus insisted on escorting Jazz's remains personally, and thanked Lennox for arranging a proper burial-at-sea for his fallen lieutenant. When he noticed the AllSpark shard seemingly reacting to the Decepticon bodies, he handed the fragment to [[Vine|Professor Vine]] for safekeeping until he returned. Shortly after leaving the base, Optimus had second thoughts about leaving the fragment in Sector Seven's possession, and ordered Bumblebee and Ironhide to turn around and retrieve the only remaining piece of the AllSpark. {{storylink|Alliance issue 2|Alliance #2}}

[[Image:Alliance3_OptimusPrime_Lennox.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"So erm, want to go back to my place?" "Prime, are you trying to get onto me?" "No dude, I just want to show you my collection of faces and heads!"]]

The convoy returned to the Sector Seven base after learning of Wreckage and Starscream's attacks. [[Salani]] retrieved the AllSpark shard and returned it to Optimus Prime, who felt the last piece of their heritage should stay with him. Weeks later, the Autobots and the soldiers with whom they served traveled aboard a [[United States Navy|US Navy]] carrier for Jazz's burial-at-sea and to observe the disposal of the Decepticons. Optimus deeply appreciated the humans' paying last respects to their fallen comrade, though he was concerned that even the great depths of the [[Laurentian Abyss]] were not enough to keep the Decepticon bodies hidden. Below deck, Optimus and Lennox agreed to a formal [[NEST|alliance between the Autobots and humans]] as the first line of offense and defense against the Decepticons. During training on the island of [[Diego Garcia]], Optimus Prime reminded the Autobots that they must work together with the humans as a team, never forgetting that division was what caused the war on Cybertron in the first place. When they were alone, Optimus Prime and Major Lennox complimented each other's leadership and the dedication of their respective troops. When Lennox commented that it was because of the Autobots that he and his soldiers were alive today, Optimus refuted this, saying it was because of humans such as Lennox and Sam, and that the Autobots were only part of the problem. Soon, both [[NEST]] leaders learned that the Decepticons had returned to Earth. {{storylink|Alliance issue 3|Alliance #3}}

By November 2008, Sideswipe had arrived on Earth, but was recklessly pursuing the Decepticon Demolishor in South America. Optimus was chastised by Admiral Morshower for this "grey area" in the Autobot ranks, but the Autobot leader assured Morshower he would settle it. Human relations were so strained the exasperated Optimus decided to forcibly bring Sideswipe in to end his rampage; however, Ironhide requested he go calm his former student down. Optimus agreed, but made his position clear: if Sideswipe could not be negotiated with... he would be ''dealt'' with. Ironhide eventually was able to calm his student, but not before Demolishor was let loose upon human civilians, AND the authorities were attacking Cybertronians on sight. Luckily, Optimus and a strike team had already arrived and had the authorities stand down, and Sideswipe joined the Autobot ranks. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 2|Tales of the Fallen #2}}

[[Image:Alliance4_Prime_killingspree.jpg|thumb|300px|Freedom is the right of all '''non-Decepticon''' sentient beings.]]

NEST was deployed to [[San Francisco]], where the Decepticons [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] and [[Dead End (Movie)|Dead End]] were wreaking havoc. Flushed out of hiding, the Decepticons managed to evade the other Autobots, but Optimus Prime quickly put down Dead End by ramming him head-on. When asked by Prime, he commented that he was fine, but he wasn't sure if Dead End was. On the way back to base, Lennox and Optimus Prime discussed Swindle's last words and were concerned that this was just the first wave of Decepticons coming to Earth, and that they were after [[Sam Witwicky]]. Optimus convinced Lennox that no matter what, it was Sam's destiny to become involved in this conflict, and they agreed to send Bumblebee back to the States to resume his role as the boy's guardian. Later, when Optimus observed the distrust for the Autobots held by Lennox's superiors, he suggested that they must work harder and that continued success would satisfy those above them. During the subsequent hunt for Decepticons around the world, Optimus Prime personally destroyed [[Jetstorm (Movie)|Jetstorm]], [[Dropkick]] and [[Incinerator (Movie)|Incinerator]]. As NEST's ranks grew, together they celebrated their victories and mourned those who made the ultimate sacrifice. One event brought joy and hope to the team: The arrival of Autobot refugees who were eager to protect their new homeworld. This joy was tempered by the fact more and more Decepticons were being sighted on Earth, and Optimus believed that there was some unknown that threatened their new home, their species and their alliance with the humans. {{storylink|Alliance issue 4|Alliance #4}}
{{-}}

===''The Veiled Threat''===
{{Note|The events of ''The Veiled Threat'' take place during [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Alliance (comic)|Alliance]]'' comic.}}

{{bigquote|I know Megatron. I know all of you. You would not have taken the AllSpark and left this world in peace. You would have subdued it and made slaves of its people. Even in the absence of the AllSpark, my conscience and that of my friends could not have allowed that.|Optimus Prime to [[Macerator]]}}

Optimus attended an initial [[NEST]] briefing about sightings of Starscream in [[Zambia]], and was placed in joint command with Lennox of a team to go there to investigate. He also advised some new Autobot arrivals about how best to fit in on Earth. In Zambia, they quickly tracked down three Decepticons, [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]], [[Macerator]] and [[Dropkick]] waiting at the Zambezi River. Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet waded in to face their opponents, unaware that it was a trap — as they fought, they were dragged downriver towards Victoria Falls. Although the other two Autobots escaped the trap, Optimus was held fast by Macerator and plunged off the falls. While Macerator was caught mid-air by Starscream, Optimus managed to cling to an outcropping. He was rescued by the other Autobots present, utilizing [[Beachbreak]]'s tow line. Enraged by the rescue, Starscream killed Beachbreak, something Optimus regarded as a result of his own failure to lead. The team tracked Payload, Macerator and Dropkick downriver to the Kariba dam, where Optimus rammed two of the Decepticons and then fought with Macerator at length. He eventually triumphed, decapitating the Decepticon. As Dropkick retreated, Optimus stopped Ironhide from firing as he might have hit some of the humans nearby. They instead went to look for Payload, who had been swept away by raging waters from the dam emergency release.

Back at [[Diego Garcia]], two more Decepticon contacts were made in [[Australia]] and [[Peru]]. Optimus opted to lead the team checking Australia. After exploring the Outback for a number of days, the team discussed whether the Decepticons might be hunting for energy to resurrect Megatron, but Optimus doubted there was an energy source on the planet that could do so. They eventually encountered [[Kickback (ROTF)|Kickback]], [[Trample]] and [[Tread]], three [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicon]]s mining for minerals. Optimus found Kickback's sonic charge weapon to be a challenge, but with some help from Lennox, killed the Decepticon.

After they returned to base, Optimus's input into the conversation on how the Decepticons might revive Megatron was for the most part unhelpful. The subsequent appearance of [[Jolt (Movie)|Deadend]] and [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] in [[Rome]] led the Autobots to take another trip, but Optimus found Rome's narrow streets frustrating as he was unable to navigate them in his truck form. After [[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knockout]] dealt to the two Decepticons, a furious Starscream challenged Optimus to one-on-one combat in the nearby Colosseum. Naturally it was a trap — Starscream had allied himself with a human, [[Bruno Carrera]], and together they trapped Optimus in a pit and set Barricade on him. With the help of four humans, Optimus broke free, threw Barricade into the pit and sealed him there. He then had only to show his face outside to where Starscream was fighting Ironhide, Ratchet and [[Salvage (Movie)|Salvage]], and the would-be Decepticon leader fled. {{storylink|The Veiled Threat}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

[[Image:Titan5_Optimustwins.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Your slang is bad and you should ''feel'' bad!"]]

Since coming to Earth, Optimus has had to strive daily to gain credibility with the human powers-that-be. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}}

Even Optimus doesn't believe [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap's]] stories anymore! When those same twins arrived, Optimus was absent on a 'need to know' mission {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}} in [[Australia]] with [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]]. When [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] landed on the continent, the two Autobots interrupted their mission to bring the bot in. It proved far more difficult than you'd expect, with the Decepticon able to outdistance them in the long run and better suited to the terrain. Optimus was knocked offroad when Sideways blasted him with exhaust, and Arcee reported her alt mode was too out of its comfort zone to keep up... which gave Optimus an idea.

That idea was to take ''away'' the terrain, blasting Sideways off the road and into the grass with projectile weaponry. Violence works!

Optimus took the prisoner to Diego Garcia, and on arrival was greeted with the sight of the twins brawling on the runway. He bawled them out over improper conduct, but before he could go further [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] made an attack. Taking fire, Optimus began barking out orders... only to be tripped up by Skids. Once he was up, Scorponok and Sideways had both done a runner. Knowing that the enemy could ''not'' have got this close without NEST security being compromised, Optimus was convinced by [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe's]] argument that the twins had turned traitor and had them taken away for questions. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}}

When the twins were sprung by Decepticons, Prime agreed with [[Theodore Galloway]] that the Autobots would make finding the twins a number one priority. However, Optimus was left suspicious when a [[Soundwave (ROTF)|mysterious "friend"]] tipped the Autobots off about the twins. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}} Soon, it came out that the twins were being framed and by tracking the two, Optimus and his men found out about a Decepticon base near [[Mars (planet)|Mars]]. Optimus led a raid on it, taking down the [[Purple generic drones|drone army]] stationed there. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}
{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Tesshō Genda]] (Japanese), [[Guilherme Briggs]] (Brazil), [[Reiner Schöne]] (German), [[Alessandro Rossi]] (Italian), [[Blas Garcia]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Guy Nadon]] (French-Canadian)

[[Image:ROTF-DemolishorPrime.jpg|thumb|right|250px|With the Legends and Voyager toys, this scene is ''just'' possible.]]
After the events in [[Mission City]] two years ago, Optimus Prime and the Autobots became part of a Transformer/human military group called [[NEST]], which hunted down the remaining Decepticons across the world. When [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] and [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] were detected in [[Shanghai]], NEST was deployed there, including the Autobots [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. Once Demolishor made himself known by transforming into robot mode and crushing dozens of cars along the highway, [[Robert Epps|Sergeant Epps]] radioed an overhead C-17 to release the Autobot leader. Optimus Prime parachuted out of a NEST cargo plane and landed in vehicle mode. He leapt off a bridge onto the Decepticon's head as he plowed through it. When the massive Constructicon refused his order to pull over, Optimus unleashed several blasts of his [[ion blaster]] into Demolishor's head. These shots, coupled with Ironhide destroying his tires, sent the titan crashing to the ground and into a warehouse. As he and Ironhide approached the dying Decepticon, Optimus asked if he had any last words. With his dying breath, the Constructicon stated that [[The Fallen]] would rise again. Optimus responded in the negative and unceremoniously executed him.

Returning to [[Diego Garcia]], Prime entered a briefing with [[Theodore Galloway]], the National Security Adviser who had been appointed liaison by the [[President of the United States|President]], and [[Morshower|General Morshower]], the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was watching by satellite feed. Prime relayed the warning of The Fallen to them, but Galloway made no effort to conceal his hostility toward the Autobots. He noted that while they had given them intelligence and the sole remaining AllSpark fragment, Galloway took issue with their refusal to share weapons technology and their continued sending of transmissions into space. Prime told Galloway that the Autobots were aware of humanity's history of warfare, and Morshower said that all the transmissions had been vetted by NEST officers. Galloway also pointed out that despite Megatron's death and burial in the Laurentian Abyss and the destruction of the AllSpark, the Decepticons had not left Earth as Optimus had hoped, leading him to conclude that the Autobots were the ones who the Decepticons were after. When asked if the Autobots would leave Earth peacefully if told to, Optimus replied that they would honor their request, but warned Galloway to consider what would happen if the Autobots left but the Decepticons did not.

Unknown to Prime, the Decepticon [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] had been monitoring transmissions and spied on the briefing. Dispatching [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] to the island, he had his agent steal the remaining AllSpark fragment, killing several soldiers in the process. The incident left the Autobots with rather chilly relations with the United States. Seeking outside help, Optimus dispatched Bumblebee to retrieve Sam Witwicky from college in an effort to secure his testimony on the Autobots' behalf. Meeting Sam at an abandoned cemetery near his college, Optimus explained the situation. Sam was not receptive; in fact, he was quite hostile, saying that he had just started college and was trying to have a normal life. Knowing that fate often called at inconvenient times, Optimus impressed upon Sam the importance of what was going on, but Sam reiterated that the Cybertronian War was not his, and that they didn't need him. Optimus relayed his fear that it soon would be, and silently said that they needed him more than he realized.

[[Image:ROTFPrimevsMegsandScreamer.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Stick em' up!]]
Prime's fear soon came to pass, but in the last way he could imagine: the Decepticons had used the AllSpark shard to resurrect Megatron, who had learned that the knowledge of the AllSpark had been passed to Sam by a fragment Sam had touched, and soon captured him, Mikaela, and Sam's college roommate [[Leo Spitz]]. Heading to rescue the three humans, Optimus and Bumblebee ambushed the Decepticons in the [[Broadwater Metal Works|abandoned industrial complex]] where the teens were being held, just as [[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]] was about to perform fatal neurosurgery on Sam. Knocking Megatron and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] out of the building, Optimus managed to whisk Sam away from the plant. Optimus made it as far as the nearby forest when Megatron arrived. Going one-on-one with the Decepticon leader, Prime managed to hold his own, all the while trashing talking Megatron. Megatron then called for Starscream and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]], who quickly arrived. Prime was forced to run interference between Megatron and Starscream, who pursued Sam.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus vs Grindor.jpg|thumb|right||250px|''Frenzy is red,'' '' Rumble is blue,'' ''this poem doesn't rhyme,'' ''NOW GIVE ME YOUR FACE !'' ]]
As the battle raged, Megatron told Prime that the boy was the key to finding another energon source, then shattered his [[mouthplate]] and sent him flying back with a point blank shot from his [[fusion cannon]]. Megatron asked if the boy's life was greater than the future of their race, but Prime knew that he would never stop with a single life. Declaring that he'd take them all on, Optimus Prime unsheathed his [[Dual Energon Swords]] and fought a three-on-one fight against the Decepticons. Surprisingly, not only did he manage to hold his own, he was actually winning, managing to stab Megatron multiple times, slice off Starscream's arm and use it as a club, and rip apart Grindor's head. However, Megatron managed to stab his own sword through Optimus Prime's chest, following with a point blank shot through his injured back. Critically injured, Optimus implored the still-observing Sam to run. Although the rest of the Autobots soon arrived and drove off Megatron and Starscream, Optimus Prime was [[The_many_deaths_of_Optimus_Prime|dead]].

[[Image:ROTF Optimus death.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"You're so weak!" "Then why have I spent this whole fight kicking your a—"*BOOM*]]
Soon after, The Fallen made his presence known and demanded Sam Witwicky be turned over to him or the world would be destroyed. Galloway used this as a reason to shut down NEST and ordered the Autobots returned to Diego Garcia under guard, along with Prime's corpse (which Galloway callously denounced as a piece of scrap metal). Fortunately, Bumblebee, and [[Skids (ROTF)|the]] [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Twins]] managed to spirit Sam, Mikaela, and Leo away before The Fallen made his announcement. With help from their former enemy Seymour Simmons and the Decepticon-turned-Autobot [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]], the group discovered that Sam's mind contained the Language of the Primes, to which group The Fallen had once belonged. The human/Autobot group managed to locate the Seeker [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], who told them of how the [[Dynasty of Primes]] forged a [[star harvester]] to use a star's energy to replenish the AllSpark, and the [[Matrix of Leadership]], needed to activate the harvester, until they were betrayed by The Fallen, who tried to harvest [[Sun|Sol]] in defiance of the Primes' rule of the sanctity of life. Sam hit upon the idea to use the Matrix to restore Optimus to life, similar to how the Decepticons had used the AllSpark fragment to resurrect Megatron. Having been teleported to [[Egypt]] by Jetfire, the group managed to relay the information to Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps, who faked engine trouble over Petra, where the [[Tomb of the Primes]] was located. Unfortunately, the Matrix had turned to dust in the thousands of years since its entombment, but Sam still believed that it could be used to revive Optimus.

[[Image:ROTF movie Powered-Up Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|right|250px|I'm bringing sexy back.]]
However, the Decepticons were still looking for the harvester and the Matrix needed to activate it. Sam was technically killed in the [[Operation: Firestorm|battle]], during which he communed with the six Primes from the tomb, who restored the Matrix. Jamming it in the fallen Autobot's chest, Sam used the Matrix to restore Optimus Prime to life. Unfortunately, The Fallen soon arrived and stole the Matrix. Having been fatally injured by [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], Jetfire offered his parts to Optimus, as only a Prime could defeat The Fallen, and snuffed out his own spark. After Ratchet and [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] finished attaching Jetfire's wings and thrusters to Prime's body, Optimus hurried to the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], which had been constructed around the harvester, and damaged the machine before it could destroy Earth's sun.

[[Image:TheFallen-ROTFfacegotten.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Your face is insufficient. GIVE ME YOUR SPARK!]]
Optimus Prime then faced Megatron and the Fallen. This against the odds battle went far better for Optimus, as he used Megatron's own fusion cannon to shoot off half his face and his afterburners to send him through some ruins. Optimus then battled the Fallen, using his Energon Sword to slice through his face. The Fallen countered by ripping off his left wing and striking him with it, but Optimus managed to grab the Fallen's own spear and impale him with it. Telling the traitorous Prime he had picked the wrong planet, Optimus used the spear to rip off The Fallen's face plate. As The Fallen tried to flee, Optimus Prime punched through his abdomen and crushed his spark core, killing The Fallen and forcing Megatron and Starscream to retreat.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus Sam ship.JPG|thumb|right|250px|"So why did you want his face?" "Okay, I'll tell you."*cuts to credits*]]
On the return voyage home, Optimus thanked Sam for saving his life, as the boy thanked the Autobot leader for believing in him. Following this, Optimus Prime sent another transmission into space, detailing recent events so that the pasts of both races would be remembered, and also declaring that Humanity and the Autobots would face the future together. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{--}}

===Titan Magazines post-''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

Following the later Fallen incident, Optimus continued operations against the Decepticons. [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt's]] over-enthusiasm began to muck that up, causing damage and getting NEST into trouble, despite Optimus' attempts to point this out to him. Optimus had to confine him to base. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.9|Culture Shock}}

[[Image:Titan10_Optimusgetsout.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Never had a human face before. GIVE ME IT ANYWAY!]]

Soon after that, he was drawn out into a trap by [[Trophy White]] and the [[Free Men]], who wanted to take his head as a trophy. Optimus worked out their plan and allowed himself to be captured by the deranged hunter, in order to keep the fight away from civilians. He pretended to be securely chained down and listened to White's sociopathic ravings, before (at the moment he considered funniest) breaking free and taking White prisoner. Shockingly, he found keeping the severed heads of animals as trophies to be ''bad'', and destroyed Trophy's trophies. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10| Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}}

When there was a Decepticon breakout in [[South Africa]], Optimus ordered his men to let the prisoners flee: a battle outside [[World Cup|a major sports event]] would cause unacceptable civilian casualties. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.13|Inside Out!}} This led to a major collapse in Autobot popularity, and open battles with Decepticons in cities were just risking further alienation. In response, Prime created of a secret covert unit (even under NEST's radar) that would monitor the Decepticons, wait for windows of opportunity out of the public eye, and then hit hard and fast. While this worked, Optimus was left disquieted: the tactics he was using were too akin to the Decepticons, and a fine line was being walked. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.18|Shadow War}}

{{-}}

===Cyber Missions===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Eric Edwards]] (English), [[Blas Garcia]] (Latin-American Spanish)

[[Image:CyberMissions1 Optimus.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]]
Optimus Prime recorded some information on the Autobot-Decepticon war for preservation in [[Vector Sigma]]. Bumblebee and Ironhide were reviewing it when [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] and [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] launched their attack. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 1}} The next morning, Optimus had been informed of the attack and Soundwave's capture, and he ordered Ironhide to wait for reinforcements to assist in pursuing Bludgeon. Bludgeon made that difficult for Ironhide. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 2}} Later, Optimus contacted Ratchet to inform him that [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] was causing chaos in [[Mission City]], and he reminded the Autobot medic to be careful. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 3}}

He and Sideswipe tracked Megatron to a disused factory, only to lose the scent. Megatron, having cloaked his spark signature, jumped out of hiding to attack them, and Optimus used his swords to attack the Decepticon. An appeal for Megatron to surrender was answered by a blast from Megatron's cannon bringing the roof down on the two Autobots, and the Decepticon escaped. Optimus promised that Megatron would no longer be able to hide. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 4}}

When Ironhide went missing after the incident with Bludgeon, Optimus searched for him, and Bumblebee revealed he was last near a cave with a load of [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]]. That same cave happened to be where [[Mindwipe (ROTF)|Mindwipe]] was hiding. As Optimus went to rescue his friend, Mindwipe tried to hypnotize the Autobot leader, but Optimus was able to resist the hypnosis and defeat Mindwipe, leaving a confused Ironhide to wonder what was going on. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 5}}

Reports of [[Smolder]] attacking a building in [[Scramble City (city)|Scramble City]] resulted in Optimus dispatching Bumblebee and Ratchet to investigate. He filled them in on the situation en route. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 9}} During another mission, Optimus warned Sideswipe and Ratchet that they were being tracked, moments before the pair were attacked by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and Mindwipe. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 10}}

Bumblebee reported to Optimus that he'd managed to pinpoint the location where Megatron and Starscream were meeting, leading Optimus to confront the two Decepticons in an Arctic region. When Megatron expressed surprise that he'd come to fight them without backup, Optimus assured him that the Autobots were never far from their leader's side. While Starscream went to attack the others, Optimus and Megatron continued to fight, with Optimus emerging the eventual victor. As Megatron tried to goad him into finishing the fight, Optimus announced that the Autobots protected all sentient life, and that included the Decepticons. He subsequently allowed Megatron to flee. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 12}}

{{quote|By showing even one such as him the power of mercy, Megatron might realize that we'll never give up, no matter the cost.|Optimus Prime|"Cyber Missions 12"}}

Prime set up an elaborate trap involving a hologram of Soundwave to lure the Decepticons to a spot in the wilderness. The ploy worked, and Optimus attacked Megatron while his men attacked Megatron's troops. At one point during the battle, Megatron threw a train car at him, and he simply somersaulted along its length. Though Megatron boasted that the Decepticons would win through sheer determination, Optimus knocked him to the ground and gave a speech about building alliances, which was the cue for the [[human]]s to turn up in force and surround the Decepticons. Optimus informed Megatron that he could either leave the planet peacefully or be destroyed. Once the rest of the Decepticons fled, Megatron delivered a final threat before taking off. Prime celebrated with another speech, before admiring the huge Autobot [[insignia]] Bumblebee had stomped into the ground. {{storylink|Decepticons Attack}}

===Transformers Annual 2011===
An alert of Decepticon activity in [[Tokyo]] sent Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet and Sideswipe to investigate. He intervened in Sideswipe and Barricade's battle to lift the Decepticon into the air, only to find himself under attack by Grindor. Ordering Sideswipe and Ratchet to cover him, Optimus scaled the side of a nearby office block so he could punch the helicopter out of the air. Standing over the two Decepticons, Optimus was surprised when they informed him that they were simply providing a diversion. Optimus realised that Sam was in danger, and rushed back to America in time to find Starscream attempting to abduct the boy. He jumped on Starscream's back, causing the Decepticon to flee and saving Sam from a kidnapping. {{storylink|Sam in Danger}}

===IDW Post ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
[[Image:Nefarious2 Prime on Soundwave.jpg|thumb|left|350px|Ass-whooping. Noun. To have your posterior presented to you with overwhelming force.]]
Lennox reported to Optimus via videolink on the halting of [[Alice]]'s rampage. Optimus mentioned that they should be more aggressive in tracking down Decepticons, but Lennox reminded him that NEST was low on resources. They decided on some "improvisations" in the form of newly-arrived Autobots. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}} Optimus was witness to Galloway balling out Lennox over the battle at [[Kingdom Petrochemicals]], but kept quiet. Afterwards, Lennox and Optimus discussed the [[Initiative|mysterious humans]] who had been seen at the petrochemical plant. When [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] came under attack from [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], Optimus parachuted in and bested Soundwave. Soundwave attempted to persuade Prime to let him go, but Prime decided that instead they would take him into NEST custody for interrogation. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 2|Nefarious #2}}

Optimus oversaw the preparations of the facilities for holding Soundwave, rather than face having to tell Major Lennox what they'd done. He was only delaying the inevitable, and Lennox was even more annoyed when the plane carrying Soundwave was shot down. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 3|Nefarious #3}} When NEST received a distress call from Galloway, who was under attack from [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]], Optimus sent [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] to assist. He also reminded Ironhide that just because the man was a "pain in the aft" didn't mean they could avoid helping him. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 4|Nefarious #4}}

[[Image:Nefarious5 Prime already too late.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"They've already put the bomp in the bomp-a-bomp-a-bomp"]]
Soundwave led the Autobots to the location of the [[Initiative]] base in [[California]], but the base was gone. Despite this, Optimus still trusted Soundwave as he believe the organization they faced had access to Cybertronian technology. Soundwave pinpointed the mobile base as being in [[Utah]], so the Autobots headed there. Part way, Optimus felt the power of something very like the [[AllSpark]] being used and began to realize what they were up against. They reached Utah and began an assault on the [[Initiative base]], only to find themselves facing brainwashed Transformers. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 5|Nefarious #5}}

As the battle continued, Optimus tried to call out for their foe to surrender the AllSpark they possessed, however [[Carter Newell]], head of the Initiative, responded by trying to use the artifact to terminate all Cybertronian life. An injury courtesy of [[Reedman]] aborted the attempt, and Newell tried to flee. Optimus was forced to ram the truck he was in to obtain the AllSpark, but realized the only way to halt the rapidly-destabilizing Cube was to
feed it his own [[spark]]. Luckily that turned out to be unnecessary, as [[Fortress (ROTF)|Fortress]] took the AllSpark from him and carried it into space, where it exploded. Optimus later noted that the Initiative data banks had been [[Soundwave (ROTF)|picked clean]] and wondered if anyone else could make an attempt to recreate the AllSpark. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 6|Nefarious #6}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Rising Storm issue 1|Rising Storm #1}}{{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}}{{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}}
{{-}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===
:''Voice actor:'' Peter Cullen (English), [[Blas Garcia]] (Latin American-Spanish)
{{spoiler|Dark of the Moon (film)}}

{{charstubfiction}}

{{storylink|Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots}}

===''Transformers'' (Glu)===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers (Glu)}}

===''Transformers'' - The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC/Wii/PS2====
====Autobot campaign====
Optimus Prime provided intelligence and missions to Bumblebee in his search for the AllSpark. Eventually, the clues led the Autobot to Sam Witwicky. After saving Sam from Barricade, Bumblebee finally completed preparations for the Autobots to arrive on Earth.

Once on Earth, and having informed the two teenagers of their mission, Prime and the Autobots were discovered by Sector Seven. Optimus sent Jazz on a high-speed <strike>destruction</strike> distraction mission, then sent Ironhide to rescue Jazz from a double-threat posed by the government agents and various Decepticon scouts.

When Bumblebee was captured, Optimus Prime transformed and chased the helicopter which from which the small Autobot was tied. After a lengthy pursuit, Optimus managed to catch the net, only to be thrown off by another Cybertronian [[transition form|meteor]]. As Bumblebee was carried away, Optimus promised he would not fail him again. Jazz informed him that the meteor was not an Autobot and Optimus confronted the new threat, who turned out to be the Decepticon triplechanger [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]. The two battled it out across [[Tranquility]] before Optimus finally destroyed him, and in doing so, overheard [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s transmission revealing the location of the AllSpark.

Optimus then returned to an intel role as he guided Bumblebee in his mission to retrieve the AllSpark from Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, the Decepticons managed to free Megatron, leading to the final battle in Mission City.

As the Autobots engaged in an all-out urban war with the Decepticons to protect Sam and the AllSpark, things seemed to take a turn for the worse as Megatron finally arrived. But before the Decepticon leader could claim the Cube, Optimus Prime attacked.

The two leaders duked it out until Megatron was finally on the ground, seemingly devoid of life. Optimus knelt to take the AllSpark as Sam handed it to him, but Megatron suddenly awoke, leaping at the Autobot with his chain-flail out, and making one last attempt at defeating his adversary. Optimus grabbed the chain, pulling Megatron in closer, and with the AllSpark clutched in his fist, delivered a punch through Megatron's spark. As Megatron died Optimus reflected on the losses and rewards of this battle, as the Autobots have a new home. Optimus planned to guard the humans in secret, "For freedom is the right of all sentient beings." {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)|Transformers The Game}}

====Decepticon campaign====
After all the Autobots we´re killed on Mission City, Sam and Mikaela informed the deaths to Prime, Optimus decided to defeat Megatron, In the final battle, Optimus Prime was beaten to the ground, and as he desperately crawled for the AllSpark, Megatron smashed his head with his flail, before using the Cube to destroy humanity. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)|Transformers The Game}}

====''Transformers: Autobots''====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

Arriving late on Earth, Optimus meets up with the other Autobots to give further commands to his troops. [[Create-A-Bot (Autobot)|Create-A-Bot]], the new rookie, is eager to help in the cause, but Optimus tells him to sit back while the grown-ups take care of business. Getting fed up with the bureaucracy, Create-A-Bot finally defies orders and completes a mission against Optimus's counsel. After nearly getting himself and the other Autobots killed, Create-A-Bot apologizes to Optimus personally. Taking pity on the newcomer, Optimus lets him off with a stern warning, and they move out together to face Megatron. During the fight, Create-A-Bot sacrifices himself to save his commander. Megatron defeated, Optimus commends the young Autobot as a war hero, and sends out an interstellar message to any Cybertronians living among the stars. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Autobots}}

====''Transformers: Decepticons''====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

Landing on Earth, Optimus Prime quickly joins the other Autobots to attempt to stop the Decepticons. Prime didn't appear on the battlefield until Megatron himself was released and Starscream escaped with the AllSpark. He stepped in to thwart the maniacal leader of the Decepticons, but alas, was struck down, left in the streets while Megatron gave chase to his traitorous second-in-command. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Decepticons}}

====''Transformers: The Game'' (PSP)====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English)
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers The Game (PSP)}}

===Datafile Decoder===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Datafile Decoder}}

===AllSpark Wars===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|AllSpark Wars}}

===Allspark Highway===
The Autobots needed to race the Allspark to safety, and Optimus Prime teamed with his fellow Autobots to drive through the Decepticon defenses and get their prize to a secure location. {{storylink|Allspark Highway}}

===Autobot Stronghold===
The Decepticons were invading an Autobot stronghold in the city, and Optimus Prime and the Autobots placed themselves at key positions to defend it from attack. {{storylink|Autobot Stronghold}}

===Transformers: Battle for the Matrix===

{{Note|Battle for the Matrix is a simplified retelling of the events of [[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]. It can be played from the perspective of either Bumblebee or Optimus Prime.}}
[[Image:Optimusprime battleforthematrix.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
{{storylink|Transformers: Battle for the Matrix}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Game''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English) [[Dariusz Odija]] (Polish)
====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC====
=====Autobot campaign=====
[[Image:ROTF game Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|One shall stand, one sha— oh, you know the drill.]]
Optimus Prime served as the Autobots all around fighter. Weapons wise, he possessed dual laser rifles and dual shell cannons. In melee combat, he possessed [[Dual Energon Swords|Dual Energy Swords]] in each hand. Finally, with his valiant leader ability, he could generate a shield around himself which would prevent his energy from dropping past 1%.

After overseeing Ironhide's defeat of [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] and Ratchet's rescue of Ironhide, Optimus Prime took to the field when a previously unknown Decepticon named [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] began attacking the [[Shanghai]] waterfront. Optimus was finally able to defeat him, but Demolishor gave a single warning before he was killed: "The Fallen shall rise again". Optimus and the Autobots were at a loss as to what he meant. Back in the United States, Sam Witwicky gave Mikaela Banes a fragment of the AllSpark that he had discovered, which the Decepticons soon sought. Prime dispatched Bumblebee to rescue her. Following this, the Decepticons launched a raid on the city's oil refinery, where Ratchet rescued several engineers. Finally, Ironhide escorted a NEST team to safety in the city's canals.

Their victories were short lived. The Decepticons soon learned about the AllSpark shard on Diego Garcia, stealing it to revive Megatron. Although [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]] managed to save the fleet, Megatron was reborn. He soon made an attack on Sam, trying to access information in his mind downloaded from the AllSpark. Bumblebee managed to rescue him. In light of these attacks, Optimus decided to give NEST the [[Axiom Gun]] to better defend themselves against the Decepticons. The escort came under Decepticon assault, but Prime was able to beat back the attackers and deliver the Axiom Gun to NEST. Soon afterwards, Bumblebee escorted Sam to meet with [[Seymour Simmons]], who told him of Jetfire, who then took the boy to Egypt.

While there, Jetfire explained what was going on: Eons ago, Optimus's ancestors, the [[Thirteen original Transformers|13 founders]] of the [[Dynasty of Primes]], built a star harvester to convert the energy of the sun into [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]]. When they discovered the humans, they upheld their rule of the sanctity of life, but one of the Primes defied the rule and murdered his twelve brothers. This Prime was known as The Fallen, but the star harvester was hidden from him. While Sam made inquires to the [[Tomb of the Primes|Tomb of the Twelve]], Megatron and Starscream arrived in an attempt to learn the harvester's location and kill Sam. Optimus Prime was able to defeat both Decepticons with Jetfire's help, but Jetfire was stabbed in the back by Megatron. Dying, Jetfire offered his parts to Optimus, as only a Prime could defeat The Fallen.

Finding the harvester at the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], Optimus challenged The Fallen. Despite The Fallen's powerful command of telekinesis and pyrokinesis, Optimus Prime was able to get past his defenses and kill The Fallen by stabbing him through the face. On the return trip home, Sam expressed gratitude at seeing the sunrise, and told Optimus he would have to trust him on it. Optimus Prime replied that he had always trusted Sam, and always would. {{Storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)}}

=====Decepticon campaign=====
When the revenant Megatron and the Decepticons rampaged across the United States of America, Optimus Prime faced him in a major city on the East Coast. The two leaders engaged in a titanic struggle that shook the city, but despite being aided by many Autobot drone units, Optimus was seemingly destroyed. However, much later, Optimus Prime reappeared when Megatron's master, The Fallen, activated the Star Harvester to drain Earth's Sun. The Autobot leader revealed that The Fallen's promise to make Megatron a Prime was a lie, as Primes were born, not made. When Megatron demanded his reward, The Fallen reneged on his promise. As the master and disciple of evil began to fight, Optimus left to find a way to disable the Harvester. {{Storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)}}
{{-}}

===Transformers Battle Universe===
At the edge of time, when the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] needed a new host, Optimus Prime was among several warriors (and [[Optimus Prime|Prime]]s) summoned from the multiverse to battle for control of the prize. {{storylink|Transformers Battle Universe}}

===Starscream Showdown===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Starscream Showdown}}

===Transformers RPMs: Devastator's Demise===
[[Image:Devastatorsdemise optimus.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Optimus Prime is both fast and sturdy. His firepower blows obstacles to smithereens.

In order to defeat [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]], Bumblebee, Optimus and Ironhide must drive through Cairo and avoid obstacles.{{storylink|Transformers RPMs: Devastator's Demise}}
{{-}}

===Hunt for the Decepticons===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Hunt for the Decepticons}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Game''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

====(Xbox 360/PS3)====

{{comingsoon}}

==Commercial appearances==
* As part of the hype buildup to the movie's release, Optimus Prime made a brief cameo at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, interacting with host Sarah Silverman. The scene spliced Silverman into pre-existing movie footage, but featured new dialogue recorded for the event by Peter Cullen. Prime heavily hinted that he wanted to present an award, but was rejected for a regular MTV fan.

* According to a tie-in advertisement for [[Burger King]], Prime likes his Whoppers with no onions, no cheese, extra pickles, with a side of ????. However, due to a cruel twist of fate, he can never enjoy the sweet taste of beefy victory (and all because he needed a driver for him to receive his order). He saved the world from the Decepticons, and still he can't even have it his way? Where's the justice?

* Optimus Prime (in truck mode) made an appearance at [[BotCon 2007]], alongside the [[Sector Seven Mobile Command Unit]]. He was available for pictures all weekend. He made a second appearance at [[BotCon 2009]].

* Optimus threw a trailer during his appearance on an [[M&M's]] commercial.

* On [[July 6]]th 2009, Optimus appeared on ''The Late Show With David Letterman'' to declare the "Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Said By A Giant Robot". Optimus said it was nice to be there, although David was ''clearly'' concerned by having an 28-feet tall robot in the studio because of a bad history of robots messing up the place, and during the presentation Letterman decided there was something about Prime he didn't like. Anyway, the top ten was:
<ol>
<li value="10">"Jergens lotion leaves my hands silky smooth."</li>
<li value="9">"Do you have these khakis in size 114?"</li>
<li value="8">"My perfect night involves a pint of Haagen-Dazs and season three of ''Sex and the City''."</li>
<li value="7">"Man do I love me some 'taters."</li>
<li value="6">"It was so hot in Central Park, I saw a squirrel rubbing sunblock on his nuts."</li>
<li value="5">"You seemed a little pitchy, dawg."</li>
<li value="4">"Brody Jenner has added you as a friend on Facebook."</li>
<li value="3">"Live from New York, it's Saturday night."</li>
<li value="2">"My parents wanted me to be a Rabbi."</li>
<li value="1">"All the slammin' shorties in the house say 'Yeah'."<ref>[http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/video_player/index/php/991507.phtml Lateshow CBS archive video of Optimus's guest spot.]</ref></li>
</ol>

* To promote the DVD and Blu-ray release of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Paramount set up a website where US fans could request Optimus call up their friends, warning them of Starscream's attempts to recruit human civilian allies.

*In the Discovery Channel promo, "The World Is Just Awesome," Optimus made a brief cameo, singing the words "boom-de-ya-da, boom-de-ya-da."<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0jZzBEKIMc Discovery commercial] on YouTube.</ref>

*Prime (voiced by Cullen, but not animated by ILM) appeared to promote a NASA competition to vote for videos made by children about NASA's impact on commonplace technology.<ref>[http://ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov/optimus/ NASA Optimus Prime]</ref>

*Optimus appeared in truck mode at [[Toy Fair 2011]]. He got a $115 parking ticket.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357327/Transformers-truck-gets-parking-ticket-toy-fair.html ''Daily Mail'' article on Prime's fine.]</ref>

*Optimus was seen firing a basketball from his blaster in an ESPN commercial with [[Mark Cuban]].<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZwdQYvSXl4&feature=player_embedded Mark Cuban looking for Optimus Prime to be his new "big man." Transformers 3 ESPN]</ref>

==Toys==
{{main|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
:''Main article: [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Merchandise|Merchandise]]''

==Notes==
[[Image:moviecullen.jpg|right|150px|thumb|GIVE ME MY FACE]]

[[Image:Movie Primetruck before.jpg|right|150px|thumb|8:30 pm: "Trick My Truck". Tonight's guest: [[Alpha Trion (disambiguation)|Alpha Trion]].]]
* When Optimus' design was first revealed, [[GEEWUN|many fans of the Generation 1 series objected to the flames seen on Prime's body]]. When asked in an interview why he put the flames on, [[Michael Bay]] claimed he liked them because it was "cool". It was later revealed on a special featurette on the DVD that the flames were added because, apparently, red is not very good to film on camera, so Bay chose a blue truck but used the flames so that when Optimus transformed, the layout would result in maintaining his iconic red chest.

* The announcement of [[Peter Cullen]] as Prime's voice actor in the movie is credited by some fans as alleviating many fan tensions about the movie. Not all tensions, mind you, as there are some who just will never be satisfied, but it put the fans in a good mood.

* Prime's ''Rise of the Chevy Autobots'' codename, "10-22", is [http://www.truckercountry.com/cb-terminology.html#10c CB radio slang] for "report in person to." As in "Bumblebee, 10-22 to 10-22." Cute, huh?

* [[TakaraTomy]] officially recognizes Optimus Prime's vehicle mode as a [http://www.kenworth.com/2100_vir_w900.asp Kenworth W900 truck], even though the vehicle used for filming was a modified Peterbilt 379, a different model from a different brand, although both are made by the PACCAR company.<ref>[http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=121424?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..2.* Article at Edmunds.com on some of the vehicles used in the movie]</ref>
[[Image:Movie OptimusPrime truckrear.jpg|right|150px|thumb|]]

* Prime's truck mode is apparently intended to haul a flatbed trailer, based on the presence of the large silver "headache rack", a piece of optional equipment that protects the driver in case a flatbed load breaks free during braking. It is generally not installed on trucks hauling enclosed container trailers.

[[Image:Movie Prime Trucklogomistake.jpg|right|150px|thumb|In the darkness, a PA will misread "Truck A" as "Truck B", and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth — Revelation 11:7.]]

* When Optimus Prime scans a truck for his new body, the passing truck has what appears to be an Autobot sigil on its grill, but the actual truck that Prime turns into at the end of the scene has a much wider, flatter symbol on the grill, which looks rather more like that of Peterbilt. Then, Prime has an Autobot sigil on his grill while driving to meet the other Autobots.

* According to the free trading cards from the Boston Globe, Optimus is 28 feet tall, weighs 4.3 metric tons, and his primary weapon is an [[Ion blaster|ion blaster]]. (Considering Optimus's height, however, this weight would seem implausible.)

* In the Japanese dub of the movie, he is given his original western name of Optimus Prime rather than the Japanese equivalent, Convoy. Just as Peter Cullen voiced Prime in the English version of the film, Tesshō Genda (the voice of G1 Convoy) reprised his role for the Japanese dub.

[[Image:MBMovieOptimusAttacks.jpg|thumb|250px|Maybe it's, uh, [[jet judo]].]]

*The [[Milton Bradley]] [[Transformers Battling Card Game]] depicts Prime with a unique a magnetic grapple attack, fired from the side of his arm. It also declares his forearm gun to be a chain gun (it's an ion blaster in other sources), and has him using a "judo kick", which... while it may not be out of the realm of plausibility for Prime to have learned an Earth martial art, judo does not actually '''use''' kicks, being focused on throwing moves. Oops.

* The Optimus Prime computer generated model consisted of 10,108 individual parts, 1,830,898 polygons, 27,744 rig nodes, and 2336 texture maps. The volume of all pieces combined came to 5445 cubic feet.<ref>Robertson, Barbara (2007). Heavy Metal. ''Computer Graphics, 30''(7), 12-17.</ref>

* It said in the Autobots game in the DS, Prime's father was killed by Megatron. However, since it is also widely known that Prime and Megatron were brothers, Megatron killed his own dad. Not that this is surprising, though.

* In Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' comics, Optimus's Cybertronian robot mode is exactly like his Earth mode, but with different weapons, yet his Cybertronian mode is a mostly silver protoform—with no truck windows. Odd.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus trailer super mode.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"One shall be scrawny...One shall be brawny"]]
* Optimus was supposed to combine with a trailer for ''Revenge of the Fallen'', something for which [[Ben Procter]] and [[Josh Nizzi]] drew up designs. In the end, Nizzi designed the combination with Jetfire.

* This incarnation of Optimus Prime doesn't do the best burials in the world, either—giving what can at best be described as a half-hearted goodbye to his [[Jazz (Movie)|first lieutenant]] at the end of the first movie, and unceremoniously dumping the parts of [[Jetfire (ROTF)|the converted Decepticon who had given him the power to defeat the Fallen]] at the conclusion of the second film. This is offset by how he's treated by humans when ''he'' dies.

* Of the Optimus Primes in all the existing continuities, this one is probably the most aggressive incarnation. Additionally, he seems obsessed with destroying the heads of his opponents. In ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'', Prime [[Decapitation|decapitates]] [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] and tries pulling off [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s head. In ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of The Fallen]]'', Optimus severely damages [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]]'s head before putting the lethal bullet in it, he tries pulling off [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream's]] head with his foot, ''rips apart'' [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor's]] head with hooks, shoots off part of Megatron's face, and ''rips off'' [[The Fallen]]'s face before killing him. (He also slices or tears off Megatron, Starscream and Grindor's arms in the second film, but this was not immortalized with a classic one liner.) Maybe he took Jazz's death hard after all? And he totally finished off Megatron by stabbing him in the face and rip it off in ''Dark of the Moon''.

* According to [[TakaraTomy]] marketing director [[Masahiko Yamazaki]], for the Japanese dub of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'', the [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] featured in that show would become a young version of this one. However, nothing in the show-itself has happened to support his claims.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (オプティマス・プライム ''Oputimasu Puraimu'')
*''Cantonese:'' '''O Baak Man''' (Hong Kong, 柯柏文)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Optimusz Fővezér''' ("Prime Leader Optimus")
*''Indonesian:'' '''Optimis Prima'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Kē Bó Wén''' (Taiwan, 柯博文), '''Qíng Tīan Zhù''' (China, 擎天柱, "Pillar that Supports the Sky")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Optimus Naikrashchiy''' (Оптимус Наiкращий, "Optimus the Best")

{{--}}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2007/Autobot/ProtoformOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm Optimus Prime at TFU.info]
* [http://www.seibertron.com/toys/index.php?f_series=40&f_name=optimus&f_type=exact&Submit=Search Galleries of various different Optimus Prime toys from the Movie]

[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Convention guests]]
[[Category:Cyber Missions characters]]
[[Category:Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Live-action film ARG characters]]
[[Category:Movie Autobots]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]

Autobot Spike

2011-06-20T04:33:28Z

71.22.247.52: /* Real-world references */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=17
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=11
|prev2=Heavy Metal War
|next2=Changing Gears
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=37
|prev3=The Search for Alpha Trion
|next3=The Girl Who Loved Powerglide
|image=AutobotSpike Autobotx concealed weapon.jpg
|caption=That kid's gonna need a lot of therapy.
|title="Autobot Spike"
|production code=#700-16
|airdate=[[September 23]], 1985
|written by=[[Donald F. Glut]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''A wounded Spike is turned into an Autobot Frankenstein's monster to save his life.'''

:''Japanese title:'' フランケンシュタイン・スパイク (''Frankenstein Spike'')
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''Il mostro Frankenstein''' ("The Frankenstein Monster")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''L'Autobot Spike''' ("The Autobot Spike")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:AutobotSpike-AutobotXTabled.jpg|left|200px|thumb|In the future, Autobot X will be revived to systematically battle groups of eight [[Predacon (G1)|animal-themed robots]].]]

The Autobots gather around [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]'s worktable in [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]] for a demonstration. Using spare parts and human ingenuity, Sparkplug has cobbled together a large robot he has dubbed [[Autobot X]], and with a flip of a switch sets him loose. He immediately runs amok—groaning, growling and smashing everything in sight. It takes [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] to bring him down. Sparkplug apologizes to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] for the mess and recommends Autobot X be put in storage.

Before this can be done, the party is interrupted by an alarm. Decepticons are attacking the new Air Force rocket base. The Autobots roll out to the base and engage the Decepticons. During the battle, the rockets and their fuel are inadvertently destroyed, and [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] orders a retreat.

To cover their escape, Megatron creates a diversion for the Autobots; he blasts [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] while [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] is riding in him. The attack leaves Bumblebee damaged and Spike comatose. Spike is taken to Metro Hospital, where the doctors suggest that if Spike's mind could be transferred somewhere else, they would be able to operate on his fragile body.

[[Image:BotX.JPG|right|200px|thumb|This happens whenever you see [[Kiss Players (franchise)|certain things]].]]

[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and Sparkplug transfer Spike's mind into Autobot X's body. However, as a side effect of the transferral process, Spike's mind is in an extremely unstable state. Angry and confused about his new body, Autobot Spike rampages, destroying several computers and machines in Wheeljack's shop.

Optimus Prime is able to subdue Autobot Spike without damaging his mind. To keep Spike calm, Wheeljack tunes [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] to a television station, where cruel Fate just happens to have scheduled an airing of a movie featuring [[Frankenstein|Doctor Frankenstein]]'s unholy attempt to create life. Spike is roused to anger, convinced that he, like [[Frankenstein's monster|the Doctor's creation]], is a "monster." He again rampages throughout the Ark, then escapes.

[[Image:AutobotSpike-Moping.jpg|left|200px|thumb|At least he's not a Headmaster.]]

Alone in the wilderness, Spike suffers from the conflict between his own mind and what there is of Autobot X. Will he use his new body and powers to help the world like Optimus Prime, or conquer all Humanity?

[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] informs Megatron of Spike's new Autobot body and unstable mind, and Megatron forms a plan to trick Autobot Spike into destroying the Autobots. Megatron soon finds Spike with [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]'s help. Autobot Spike attacks, but Megatron has other plans. Spike's unstable mind makes it hard for him to think, and he is easily twisted by Megatron to side with him against the Autobots.

Bumblebee brings the Autobots to Spike's location, but they are unable to fight against the vengeful being for fear of destroying Spike's mind. Only after Autobot Spike shoots his father off the edge of a cliff does he realize what he has done. At once, he saves his father and turns on the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]].

Finally, Spike's mind is returned to his [[human]] body after the surgical operation is successfully completed.

Spike will never be placed in a robot's body again. [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Never?]]

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (7)
*[[Autobot X]] (8)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (9)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (10)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (11)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (12)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (20)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (21)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (25)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (26)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (27)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (28)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (14)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (15)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (16)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (17)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (18)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (22)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (23)
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] (24)

|c3=
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (2)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (4)
*Air Force General (13)
*Spike's doctor (19)

|c4=
'''On TV'''
*[[Frankenstein]]
*[[Igor]]
*[[Frankenstein's monster]]
}}

==Quotes==
"Another Autobot? Even if it works, who needs it?"
:—'''Ratchet''' is a [[GEEWUN|1984 purist]].

"It's not supposed to do that!"
:—'''Sparkplug''' referring to Autobot X destroying Autobot headquarters

"So you Decepticreeps like to fly, eh? Well, take off!"
:—'''Brawn''' after kicking Soundwave

"Hmmm...if only there were a way of separating Spike's mind from his body while we work..."
:—'''Spike's doctor''' clumsily moves the narrative along within earshot of Autobot X's creator.

"He wants a battle—let's give him one!"
:—'''Starscream''', referring to the now-mechanized Spike

"I must say, you've improved your appearance since our last encounter, Spike!"
:—'''Megatron''', upon meeting Spike in Autobot form

'''General''': Aren't they a gorgeous sight? 
'''Optimus Prime''': Impressive. ''[To Ironhide]'' For primitive rocket technology.
:—Only Optimus Prime could both praise and diss humanity at the same time.

[[Image:Autobotspike spike and bee.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
[''Crazed laughter'']"Man, I've got powers I haven't even discovered yet!"
:—A mentally-deteriorated '''Spike''' as he fires on the Autobots.

"Hmmm, I wonder—I wonder what it would be like for a robot mind to be transferred to a human?"
:—'''Bumblebee''', being [[Only Human|eerily prophetic]]

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
All in all, remarkably few errors:

* The beginning of Sparkplug's line "It's not working" is cut off, as if the sound dropped out for a split second.

* ''Technically'' it's not an error, but Ratchet maintains his "who needs it?" arm gesture for a ''very'' long time after he finishes speaking.

* Bumblebee can be seen rolling out from Autobot Headquarters along with Prime's team, even though he wasn't called out by Prime to be part of the attack force. He ''does'' arrive at the rocket base after the battle is over, so... maybe he just fell behind?

* Skywarp has an all-yellow chest as the Decepticons prepare to retreat from the rocket base. Only his cockpit canopy should be yellow.

* Spike's hospital room is hilarious. Not only is it completely devoid of any medical equipment whatsoever (not even so much as an IV drip), but Spike's ancient-looking dormitory-style bed is placed ''directly in the middle of the room''. Despite this, the ticking of a heart monitor can be heard.

* Sideswipe's voice is off as he and Sunstreaker rush to contain Autobot X. The delivery's a bit off, too: he sounds like he's discussing the weather, not rushing into battle.

* The docking tower for [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|Decepticon Headquarters]] is right off of a rocky coast. Usually it's in open water.

* Spike's second round of fire on the Decepticons hits ''[[generic|three]]'' Thundercrackers.

* When Autobot X says, "The way I see it, I've become a monster... like you!", the white portion of his upper body changes to black as he turns to his side.

* Okay, it's a cartoon and all, but... when Spike blasts him off the cliff, Sparkplug falls for an ''incredibly'' long time.

* As he flies out of Spike's hand, Megatron's gun-mode handle is colored gray instead of black.

* Just before Megatron orders a retreat, Soundwave has Skywarp's colors, and Skywarp is firing a laser beam that somehow passes in front of Starscream's air intake, even though Starscream is in the foreground.

===Continuity errors===
* Throughout the episode, Spike struggles with unpredictable destructive urges and freaks out at the slightest provocation. Sparkplug and the rest repeatedly assume that this is a side-effect of the mental transfer process, rather than the fault of the body they put it in. Did they forget that the body itself goes on similar rampages even ''without'' Spike's mind in it? Spike even says himself that it feels like "something" is telling him to do "bad things."

===Continuity notes===
* The three Reflector components, while speaking in unison, refer to themselves as "I".

* It's also the last time Reflector has a speaking part in an episode. The rest of his appearances are silent cameos.

* Autobot X/Spike demonstrates a few abilities that his component parts have never shown. None of the 1984 Autobots shoot lasers from their fingertips; Trailbreaker's gun arm has never been shown to be an extendable grappling hook; Bluestreak has never fired lasers from the headlights on his chest.

* When Optimus Prime tries to subdue Autobot X/Spike, he fires his ion blaster from his shoulder, like an RPG launcher.

* [[Furmanism|Furmanism]] alert: The phrase "What's that?" is said not once ... not twice ... but ''three times'' in this episode alone - First by the rocket general, then by Bumblebee hanging from cliff, and then by Ironhide at the rocket base.

[[Image:AutobotSpike Brawn's almighty foot.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
* [[Fire on the Mountain|<<]] '''Brawn vs. Soundwave:''' Round 2 goes to Brawn. Tally: Brawn 2, Soundwave 0 [[Attack of the Autobots|>>]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Autobot spike - dr frankenstein.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"Abby Someone. Abby who?" "Abby Normal."]]
* When talking about Autobot-X, Spike correctly makes the reference to "Frankenstein's monster", who is usually mistakenly called "Frankenstein".
* Autobot Spike watches the movie ''[[Frankenstein's monster|Frankenstein]]''. Nice going Wheeljack...have an unstable guy who's a patchwork of parts watch a movie about a monster who is semi-unstable and patchwork of parts. That won't cause problems. (To Wheeljack's credit, he probably wasn't familiar with Earth literature.)
* The scene he watches doesn't correspond to any film adaptation of Frankenstein. The writers scripted the scene from whole cloth.

===Trivia===
[[Image:AutobotSpike Prime firing from shoulder height.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I'm shooting him gently!]]
* While this episode originally aired in the United States on [[September 23]], 1985, it aired in Japan on [[September 14]], 1985, making it the only episode of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original series]] to be aired in Japan ''before'' the United States.

* The episode begins with a narrative voice-over from [[Victor Caroli]]. Most such narratives recap events from previous episodes; however, this one is solely to introduce the episode's opening events. After a couple more tries ("[[Day of the Machines]]", "[[Atlantis, Arise!]]"), this convention would be dropped entirely.

* Ratchet is standing behind Wheeljack when Wheeljack "volunteers" him to help improve Autobot X. Ratchet has a comical surprised reaction to the news. Wheeljack later looks visibly depressed that his mind transfer device has burned itself out.

* This episode features a curiously large amount of extreme close ups with the camera constantly going straight into characters' faces for no reason.

* The episode finally addresses that it's incredibly unsafe to bring a teenager to a battle between two factions of giant robot killing machines. Except that Spike continues to tag along in the future...

==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]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 1 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Bumper Collection Special (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (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'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

B.O.T. (episode)

2011-06-15T21:52:14Z

71.22.247.52: /* Trivia */

{{featured}}
{{disambig2|the worst episode of Transformers ever|the titular character of the worst episode ever|B.O.T. (robot)}}
{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=65
|next=The Transformers: The Movie
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=59
|prev2=Neverending Struggle
|next2=War Dawn
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=44
|prev3=The Ultimate Doom, Part 3
|next3=Aerial Assault
|image=B.O.T.jpg
|caption=Smarter than a race of multimillion-year-old robots. ''Using Brawl's brain.''
|title="B.O.T."
|production code=#700-64
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|airdate=[[January 9]], 1986
|written by=[[Earl Kress]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''After Swindle sells the components of his fellow Combaticons, three kids get their hands on Brawl's brain, using it to make a robot.'''

Or...

'''Worst. Episode. Ever.'''

:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''Giovani inventori''' ("Young inventors")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:BOT-Road.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Here we come…drivin' down the street…]]
The [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] enter an unidentifed city for no discernible reason, then all transform to vehicle mode for no discernible reason. While transforming, [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] knocks over [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] for no discernible reason. Brawl expresses his displeasure for an obvious reason. They then drive (yes, even [[Vortex (G1)|the]] [[Blast Off (G1)|flyers]] ''drive'') about ten feet down the street and form [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] for no discernible reason. He is immediately destroyed with a single shot by [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] (who's there for no discernible reason). Defensor just leaves the pile of parts alone and unsupervised, apparently not bothering to alert the other [[Autobot]]s or anything. This enables Swindle—who has somehow survived ''without a scratch'' the explosion that reduced all the other Combaticons to a pile of parts—to gather up the bits. No human authorities are involved either.

Swindle then visits the generically evil foreign guy "[[El Presidente]]" on his ship filled with weapons in order to buy parts to repair the Combaticons.

Meanwhile, [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] is running a simulation of his new [[orbit disruptor cannon]]. After [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] whines, Megatron explains that once the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]] is knocked from orbit, they will use [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]'s new device to control the tides. They will then use this colossal power to flood a single canyon, creating "a limitless source of power". What?

At the [[Combaticons' headquarters]], El Presidente's men load up the weapons and more advanced computer systems from the wrecked robots, as apparently Swindle forgot about that whole "repair" thing. Swindle then leaves to take the remaining parts to a dump. Shortly after they all leave, [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] arrives, noting no one seems to be home. He discovers a piece of one of the Combaticons, then notices there's a trail of them. Confused, he asks Megatron what to do.

[[Image:BOT-Luigi.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Giant turtles out to get him, creepy crabs are right behind.]]

Swindle arrives in a junkyard, where he threatens a junkyard worker before he starts to dump the leftovers. Starscream and Skywarp discover him in the act and capture him as he tries to escape. Back at the [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|Decepticon base]], Soundwave installs a bomb in Swindle's head; he has 15 hours to reassemble the Combaticons before it goes off. Swindle takes the parts back from various mid-'80s evil foreign stereotypes and reassembles the team. However, they are unable to combine into Bruticus because Brawl's [[personality component]] is missing. Swindle is charged with getting the component back or the bomb will still go off.

Meanwhile, at [[Benjamin Franklin Pierce High School]], [[Mr. Robbins]]'s demonstration of a laser is sabotaged by two sociopathic students, [[Martin and Roland]], who boost the laser's power output so high it instantly burns a hole through steel. Rather than involve the authorities, Mr. Robbins threatens them with an "F" in his class if they don't win a blue ribbon at the science fair, and assigns [[Elise Presser]] to assist them for no discernible reason.

Outside, the two assholes meet the meek and spineless Elise. They realize a high-rise is on fire across the street, and witness the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] coming to the rescue (well, four of them; [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] appears to blow two window-washers off their rig with the wind from his rotors—the bastard). This inspires them to build a robot for their project. The three rummage for parts in the same junkyard where Swindle dumped the Combaticons' leftover remains, and Elise discovers a random piece of machinery. They spend the night in the school's lab assembling their machine, and Martin dubs it "[[B.O.T. (robot)|B.O.T.]]". After several failures, Elise installs the random piece of machinery, which turns out to be Brawl's personality component. Naturally, Brawl-B.O.T. goes postal and starts trashing the place.

[[Image:BOT-CompRoom.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Unbeknownst to all, the school was secretly funded by a hideously gargantuan Richie Rich.]]

Martin grabs the laser and fires, and B.O.T. runs off. The kids run to the school's preposterously-advanced computer lab, and use it to call the Protectobots. [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] gets the SOS, and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] sends [[Gears (G1)|Gears]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] to investigate.

Swindle re-threatens the junkyard worker, who says that maybe some kids took the part Swindle is after. Swindle mutters "you better hope so"… then proceeds to rummage through the trash, seemingly instantly forgetting that whole "kids" angle.

The [[Autobot]]s arrive at the school. The kids seem disappointed that they didn't get the Protectobots, but quickly lead them to their runaway creation in the school's cafeteria. Brawl-B.O.T. knocks all three Autobots over with a single serving pan of corn on the cob (That high-school food, I tell ya, huh? Huh?), then deflects Gears's blaster-fire with a pot lid. Ironhide shoots molten lead at Brawl-B.O.T., but he leaps to grab a light fixture, avoiding the attack, and the now-weakened floor collapses under Ironhide. Brawl-B.O.T. runs for it, barricading the door out with remarkable speed, and heads for a seemingly abandoned building… as Swindle watches.

The Autobots follow, telling the kids to stay put. They enter the building, and find that Brawl-B.O.T. has taken an elevator thirty floors up. Ironhide wedges a stick into the doors, and the trio run up the stairs. Outside, the future serial killers grow instantly impatient, and drag Elise inside the building. They remove the stick, enter the elevator and head up.

A blast erupts ''behind'' the Autobots, and Ironhide orders them to shoot up. They shoot at absolutely ''nothing'', Ironhide declares they hit whatever it was, and they run right into Swindle. Meanwhile, the elevator has stopped. Roland is lifted up so he can open the emergency hatch, and discovers B.O.T. is trying to break the elevator cables.

Sadly, B.O.T. is prevented from snapping the cables by an energy blast to the back. The Autobots pick themselves up, seemingly having been soundly thrashed by Swindle all by himself. They all run outside to witness Swindle driving away. Back at Decepticon headquarters, Brawl is restored and the bomb removed, and Bruticus is formed again.

At the school, Elise inspects the remnants of B.O.T. to find that the "funny component" is gone. Martin decides to hunt it down by reworking the machine that read B.O.T.'s "brain response" so it can track the signal. The three drive to the ocean, and Elise rewires B.O.T.'s speech synthesizer so it receives and decodes signals rather than creating them, letting them hear what Brawl hears. Megatron insists on a test-run of the cannon, and picks Autobot headquarters as the target. (Because it's in orbit, you see. Wait, no, it isn't.) The kids rush off to warn the Autobots, who send a signal to the [[Protectobots' headquarters]].

The Autobots apparently just sit around and wait for Megatron to set up his giant cannon, get his troops into position just outside their base, and for the Combaticons to assemble Bruticus before starting to defend themselves. Bruticus basically stumbles around until he falls apart. The Protectobots arrive and random fighting ensues.

[[Image:Elisetape.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This is the light-hearted, end-of-episode comedy beat. No, seriously.]]

Inside the base, the kids think they need to help, and Elise has a rare moment of spine. Using Teletraan I, she sends B.O.T. out into the battlefield on a beeline to the disruptor cannon. The Protectobots combine into Defensor and generate a force field, protecting about four other Autobots. The Decepticons wait until the force field wears off, then one shot blasts Defensor to pieces. Bruticus re-forms and tries to fire the cannon, but it turns and blasts Starscream and Soundwave instead. B.O.T. is working the cannon using a conveniently-placed control panel at the base, and causes it to explode by hitting the clearly-marked "overload" button, sending Bruticus flying away and forcing a Decepticon retreat.

Back inside, the Autobots thank the kids for their help and offer their apologies for the loss of their robot. Elise asks if they have any spare parts so they can try again… and Roland and Martin duct-tape her mouth shut and drag her away while the Autobots just watch… ''argh argh argh''…
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] (7)
* [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (18)
* [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (19)
* [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (20)
* [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (21)
* [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (22)
* [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (24)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (25)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (26)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (27)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (28)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (29)
|c2=
* [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (1)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (2)
* [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] (3)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (4)
* [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] (5)
* [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] (6)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (9)
* [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (10)
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (11)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (12)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (13)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (30)
* [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (31)
|c3=
* [[El Presidente]] (8)
* [[Mr. Robbins]] (14)
* [[Martin and Roland|Roland]] (15)
* [[Martin and Roland|Martin]] (16)
* [[Elise Presser]] (17)

|c4=
* [[B.O.T. (robot)|B.O.T.]] (23)
}}

==Quotes==
"Call sanitation. There's junk all over the street!"
:—'''Defensor''', leaving his mess for the humans to clean up. He's humanity's defender, not their maid.

"Megatron, I-I-I couldn't find Brawl's personality component! I didn't think it would ''matter''…"
:—'''Swindle'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s high opinion of his teammate.

"Here, munch a little lead!"
:—'''Ironhide''' just before spraying oil (Or possibly acid, as it makes Ironhide fall through the floor. I don't know, whatever it was, it wasn't lead) at B.O.T.

"This is so degrading."
:—'''Gears''' on being beaten by Brawl-B.O.T. Or he was talking about the episode itself.

"We should've just taken the 'F' in Science."
:—'''Martin''', not knowing that if they did, we probably would have been spared this horrendous episode.

"If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll melt you down for scrap [[tutonium]]!"
:—'''Megatron''' threatens Swindle with gibberish

==Notes==
{{quote|The episode "B.O.T." was one I always remembered from when I was young. But the thing is, I had just remembered the story focusing on Swindle selling off the other Combaticons, and I had totally mentally blocked out the whole school science project part of the story! Wow was I disappointed when I went back and watched that one!|[[Derrick J. Wyatt]]<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/derrick-wyatt-interview-166415/ ''Transformers Animated'' Art Director Derrick Wyatt interview at TFW2005.com]</ref>}}

===Animation or technical glitches===
* Argh.

* The scenery in this episode is always ''huge''. In the opening scene, the five Combaticons are driving down a downtown street in a row (yes, ''even the fliers are driving on the ground'') with plenty of room. Humans are drawn tiny compared to the doors of their own buildings, and the Autobots fit easily inside human structures.

* The Bruticus scrap pile changes between shots; first it's a few scattered parts on the street, then it's a solid pile of them.

* Swindle pops out of the junk pile from beneath a yellow rectangle with wheels. The only yellow component on Bruticus is… Swindle.

* As Swindle drives past the guy with the radio on the docks, he's layered too far to the left and appears to be hovering above the road.

* There is no indication as to what jet-mode Starscream uses to capture jeep-mode Swindle.

* When Elise says "Maybe I wired the box in wrong." one of her legs is drawn way too short, almost as if she's missing her right thigh.

* When Mr. Robbins turned on the laser, it shot a continuous beam. When Martin uses it on B.O.T., it fires bolts.

* The first two times we see the Ark, it has two engines rather than three.

* The "SOS" Gears recieves is written in numbers rather than letters and isn't aligned to match the angle of Teletraan I's screen. Also, Gears is sitting in a human-looking chair we've never seen before.

* The kids create and lose B.O.T. in the middle of the night. When the Autobots reach the school, it's bright and sunny outside. If this ''isn't'' an animation error, then we are forced to assume that Brawl-B.O.T. spent several hours not doing much at all, staying inside the school the whole time, while the kids waited for the Autobots to arrive.

* Ironhide towers over the door to the kitchen, yet he fits inside a moment later. Three Autobots fit in the stairwell of the condemned building.

* As he delivers the line, "Well if that don't fry my circuits," Ironhide's left shoulder is missing.

* As everyone runs out of the kitchen, Ironhide clips through the door frame.

* The first shot of the front of the school shows it with two arches, but when the group chases after B.O.T., it's one big rectangular opening.

* The elevator in the condemned building has two rows of lights above it, but in the close-ups there's only one row (with 12 lights, far fewer than the thirty needed for the number of floors Bumblebee says are in the building).

* The "shooting at nothing upstairs" bit might be attributed to animation/script mismatch. The animation puts the Autobots in a circular staircase so they are plainly shooting at the clearly-lit curved wall directly ahead of them. It's ''possible'' the writer intended them to be shooting up a straight staircase into darkness… but that's pure conjecture.

* During a close-up, Elise's red VW Beetle becomes Swindle-colored (including a purple hood!), then changes back and remains red through the rest of the scene.

* When the Protectobots receive the signal, the lit-up part appears off to the side of the rest of the display.

* When the Protectobots leave their base, Blades is drawn huge compared to his teammates.

* Optimus and the Autobots attack from a cliff, but a few seconds later Optimus is standing in front of the Ark.

* Wheeljack's Gyro-Inhibitor appears to fire out of his left ear.

* A wall appears behind Megatron and Soundwave as they face down Hot Spot in the middle of the desert.

* As Megatron transforms into gun mode, his shoulder rest appears and disappears.

* Hot Spot's guns use the Decepticon laser sound effect.

* When the Combaticons combine during the final battle, Vortex and Blast Off are [[Scramble City (toyline)|switched]].

* As the Protectobots transform to Defensor, a huge wave of energy is shown (for no real reason).

* As Megatron orders Bruticus to fire the disruptor, his waist controls are colored in reverse (blue on the left and red on the right). This is corrected a few seconds later.

* As B.O.T. gains control of disruptor, Megatron is far to the right of the other Decepticons, but a few shots later Soundwave and Ramjet are right behind him.

===Continuity errors===
* ''Argh''.

* Why didn't the Combaticons just combine into Bruticus during the opening scenes, rather than driving, transforming, transforming back to vehicles, driving '''again''', transforming, and ''then'' combining?

* Swindle goes to El Presidente to ''buy'' parts to repair the other Combaticons. The next time we see them, he's ''sold'' the Combaticon parts— for ''what'', we don't know. There is no explanation as to why he suddenly completely changed his plan.

* Gears describes the high school as a "one-level structure", but it's pretty clearly two stories.

* The kids don't seem to recognize what Transformers are, but by this point in the series, they're internationally recognized, there are holidays and tributes to them, etc. Despite this, they seem to instantly accept the existence of Transformers.

* The Autobots seem to initially not understand what a high school is.. This is in spite of the fact that they have been on Earth for a couple of years now and are friends with 3 school-aged humans, at least two of which (Carly and Chip) we ''know'' have a formal education.

===Other errors===
* '''''Argh'''''.

* Megatron's plan seems… severely overwrought. Build a giant cannon to knock the Moon out of orbit, build a device to control the tides in the Moon's absence, and use all that power to flood a canyon that contains a hydroelectric generator that they ''also'' built. Considering that in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]" all they needed was the already-made Sherman Dam and [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] shaking up a river…

* Why does Megatron put a bomb in Swindle's head? If it goes off, he loses Bruticus for good.

* Why does Megatron have ''only'' Swindle go looking for the lost personality component? Why risk permanently losing Bruticus that way?

* How did Swindle know ''exactly'' where to find each and every Combaticon component across the globe once he sold them to ''El Presidente''?

* Fifteen hours seems like an impossibly tight deadline to track down dozens or hundreds of parts scattered ''all over the world'', retrieve them, reassemble them into complex high-tech robots, AND still have time left over to track down Brawl-B.O.T.

* Why did the Combaticons suddenly have to form a robot-pyramid to become Bruticus, when earlier and later in the episode they just floated up to their correct spots, like usual?

[[Image:Combaticon pyramid.jpg|right|225px|thumb|The Combaticons unveil their new routine as the Polyhex Cowbots cheerleaders.]]

* The teens completely fail to notice a hundred-story building that is almost completely engulfed in flames and surrounded by emergency vehicles until they hear somebody fifty stories up call for help.

* Groove claims to use liquid nitrogen to put out the fire. Liquid nitrogen evaporates at -198 °C (-320 °F), so it would completely boil away the second it gets near the flames.<ref>[[wikipedia:Liquid nitrogen|Liquid nitrogen at Wikipedia]]</ref> On top of that, liquid nitrogen is not pink.

* Streetwise catches the two falling window-washers with his ''metal'' arms after they've fallen about fifty stories, and somehow they're not splattered all over him.

* Three high school kids can build a robot out of junk bits and Brawl's brain that is ''stronger'' and ''smarter'' than the Autobots. (The latter would be a little more believable if it weren't for the "Brawl's brain" part.)

* When B.O.T. is first activated, Elise is forcefully flung off the ladder by its arm. Somehow, she lands with only a soft thud and no real injuries.

* The high school's computer is astounding. It is exceedingly and hugely sci-fi in design, plus, how the kids were able to use it to send an SOS to the Autobots over the phone is… [[magic]] or something.

* Autobots are weaker than kitchenware: Gears carries a blaster that was made to injure or kill alien beings made entirely of metal, but it can't shoot through a pot lid.

* Similarly, B.O.T. somehow knocks over Gears, Ironhide and Bumblebee with a tray full of corn!

* Benjamin Franklin Pierce High School packs its hallways with some seriously heavy furniture.

* There is a fully functional elevator within a seemingly condemned building. Speaking of which, a condemned building next to a high school seems like ''trouble''.

* How did Swindle get above the Autobots on the way up? And how'd he get past them on the way down again?

* The speech synthesizer is "rewired" so that instead of "synthesizing and transmitting," it "receives and decrypts". And this somehow lets the kids listen in on a conversation being held in the Decepticon base… yeah, when this can almost be considered one of the episode's ''more'' plausible elements, something is very, very ''wrong''.

[[Image:BOT-Overload.jpg|right|225px|thumb|"I assure you, there is zero chance of this coming back to bite us!"]]

* It's never really specified why Megatron specifically needs Bruticus to fire the cannon. If it's a size thing, he also has [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. Likewise, it isn't specified why Optimus Prime thinks Defensor is the only one who can face Bruticus, when he has the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] (for sheer size) and even [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (as a rival combiner) to do the same.

*But to handle the controls of the cannon, the size thing is debatable because the cannon has a human-level control panel on it. Oy.

* On that note, the human-level control panel has a great big button clearly marked "Over Load" in English. Why did he install that?

* No, really, why?

* Bruticus didn't notice B.O.T. fiddling with the controls?

* Apparently Roland and Martin carry duct tape around with them. Here, they use it to tape a girl's mouth shut. Who knows what they use it for the rest of the time!

* This episode was made.

===Real-world references===
* "Benjamin Franklin Pierce High School" is a reference to [[wikipedia:Hawkeye Pierce|Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce]], the character from ''[[wikipedia:M*A*S*H*|M*A*S*H*]]'' (who was also the inspiration for the [[Mini-Con]] [[Hawkeye]]'s bio).

===Continuity notes===
* Production-wise, it seems a bit odd to have three Season One Autobots respond to the kids' SOS, rather than showcasing the brand-new combiner team who would otherwise seem to be the spotlight buy-my-toy characters of the episode.

* This episode establishes that the Combaticons have their own separate base. As this was the last episode before the jump to 2005, this is never touched on again.

* Starscream says to Megatron "''Your'' stupid warrior" in reference to Bruticus, but Starscream was the one who made him.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' ブルーティカスの復活 (''Bruticus no Fukkatsu'', "The Revival of Bruticus")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''B.O.T.'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Trivia===
* '''''Argh'''''.

[[Image:BOT-ModelReuse.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Me an' my friends are Jem girls, especially Jimmy "The Legbreaker" Cianciulli!]]

* Mr. Robbins's class is made up of a ''very'' odd collection of students. The ''least'' odd are the two women who are just recolored character models from ''Jem'', [[Hasbro]]'s then-current cartoon-advertised foray into girls' fashion dolls. Towards the back, however, appear to be thugs in business suits.

* The class, by the way, lasts for about two minutes before the bell rings.

* The classroom itself appears to be ''huge'' in the initial shot. And why don't the desks have table tops? Only one girl is taking notes, holding a bunch of paper in her lap. There's no backpacks to be seen. And as Roland and Martin walk out, there's only an arch in front of them (with no actual ''doors'' attached to it!).

* This episode introduces the most loathsome ''Transformers'' characters ever, Roland and Martin. Boosting a laser to a level that could grievously injure or kill someone as a ''prank'', the misanthropic duct-taping of Elise's mouth and constantly dragging her places against her will, and a general smarmy smugness level that makes Starscream seem humble.

* Astrotrain appears in the simulation of the disruptor cannon knocking the Moon from orbit, but is never seen elsewhere.

* The original script's cast list for the episode notes that the "junkyard operator" is a spy, and that the only other thing we learn about him is that he gets taken away by the "Federal Authorities". Oh, and he has no lines.<ref>[[Metrodome]]'s Season 3 & 4 DVD set extras</ref> This bizarre plot twist obviously didn't make it into the final draft, but really, what's one more wad of nonsense at this point?

* The billboard over the [[Protectobots' headquarters|Protectobots' urban headquarters]] seems to be advertising for [[E Cola]]. Mmmmmmm. Another advertisement for the beverage would appear years later in the Japanese series, ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]'', in the episode "[[Heroism!! The Birth of Super Ginrai]]".

* This episode was lampooned at the [[BotCon 2006]] [[MSTF]] presentation, and as far as the writers are concerned, it is the single ''dumbest'' episode in the entirety of ''Transformers'' animation.

* It is also possibly the worst advertisement for the combiner teams possible. Bruticus is destroyed with ''a single shot'' from Defensor, and later stumbles around like a concussed baby as the Autobots shoot at him. Defensor's force field is rendered utterly pointless as the Decepticons just wait for it to run out (no more than 20 seconds), then he too is blasted to bits with ease.

* This was the last episode of season two. Can you imagine if this was the last episode of ''The Transformers'' ever?

* Good God, I need a stiff drink.

* Anyone who likes this episode... There's something wrong with you.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1995 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Megatron Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers'' — Decepticon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 2 (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. 8 (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 06: Stagione Due Parte Quarta ([[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)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Changing Gears

2011-06-10T04:51:50Z

71.22.247.52: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=18
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=12
|prev2=Autobot Spike
|next2=Traitor
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=27
|prev3=Roll for It
|next3=Attack of the Autobots
|image=ChangingGears Happy Gears.jpg
|caption=OMG! You guys! This is so awesome! Yay!
|title="Changing Gears"
|production code=#700-17
|airdate=[[September 23]], 1985
|written by=[[Larry Parr]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''In a plot to drain the Sun for power, the Decepticons capture and alter the grumpy Autobot Gears.'''

:''Japanese title:'' ソーラーエネルギーを盗め! (''Solar Energy o Nusume!'', "Steal the Solar Energy!")
:''Italian title:'' '''Energia solare''' ("Solar energy")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Changegearsskywarp.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Photograph taken immediately post-stair-pushing.]]
The [[Decepticon]]s attack [[human]]s working in a gold mine and take them prisoner. Just as [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] is about to blast a human calling for help on a radio, [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] backhands him, saying that he wants the human to bring the [[Autobot]]s.

At the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] orders the Autobots to assemble at once, which they do with lots of hustle. The only exception is [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] who complains the whole way. Prime orders his troops to head out to the mine to engage their enemies.

When they arrive a battle ensues, but Megatron lets the miners get in the way. Unwilling to endanger humans, Prime orders the Autobots to hold their fire. Megatron uses this chance to get the drop on the Autobots, then takes Gears captive for purposes unknown and retreats.

[[Image:Changegearsinahole.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Team Rocket traps Gears in a hole in order to steal his Pikachu.]]

In [[Africa]], Megatron has Starscream zap Gears with the [[null-ray]], then takes out a special circuit from Gears's body. The Decepticon leader explains that this circuit is the final component he needs for his energy absorbing [[Solar Needle]], a solar collector which his Decepticons have constructed to harness energy from the heart of the [[Sun]]. With the circuit in place in the needle, the device activates and causes world-wide earthquakes. Unbeknownst to Megatron, the Solar Needle is flawed, causing a dangerous instability within the core of the Sun.

[[Image:Changegearstakeitout.jpg|left|200px|thumb|KALI MA! KALI MA!]]

The effect on Gears is profound as well. The removal of this component from Gears corrupts his personality, turning him from a surly grump into a happy-go-lucky, ultra-polite guy who'll do absolutely anything for anyone. This allows Megatron to manipulate and control him. Mentally, Gears still knows the Decepticons are evil and doesn't want to help them, but he's been rendered so "nice" that he can't refuse any request.

The Autobots blast through the jungle and start firing at the Solar Needle, but it's protected by a [[force field]]. Prime concocts a dangerous plan to circumvent the field by jumping through the hole at the top where the Sun's energy is coming through. [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] say it’s too dangerous, but [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] drives past them, makes the attempt and shatters the force field.

[[Image:Changegearsmegatrontriumphs.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Let there be light!"]]

The 'Bots battle. Megatron gets the drop on Prime and orders the Autobots to surrender or he'll shoot their leader. Prime orders them to fight on, but the Autobots capitulate. Prime asks for one last request, which Megatron allows. The chief Autobot turns and asks Gears to do him a favor now. Gears obliges and shoots a component of the needle. Inspired by his change of heart, the Autobots fight back against the 'Cons, who retreat.

[[Image:Changinggearsautogroup.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"You heard Jeff Probst, now get off the island."]]

Prime orders Wheeljack and Ratchet to deactivate the device, but they argue over the correct solution. Out of time and with the Sun about to explode, Optimus just grabs at a wire inside the device and pulls. The needle shuts down and the Sun returns to normal.

Prime removes Gears's circuit card from the needle and hands it back to him, but [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] interrupts, saying that the rest of the Autobots like the new Gears over the old. Gears isn’t too happy about that, so Optimus returns the card and the surly, cranky hypochondriac is back. The Autobots roll on back to headquarters, leaving Gears to complain to himself.
{{-}}

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (10)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (11)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (14)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (15)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (16)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (17)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (18)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (19)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (20)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (21)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (22)
*[[Bluestreak]] (23)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (2)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (3)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (4)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (5)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (6)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (7)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (8)

|c3=
*Miners (1)
}}

==Quotes==
[[Image:ChangingGears Gears Bee acrobatics.jpg|thumb|250px|right|This act is illegal in 23 states and the District of Columbia.]]

'''Ironhide:''' "Action first, Gears; maintenance later." 
'''Gears:''' "Easy for you to say. Your pulleys don't squeak!" 
'''Bumblebee:''' "Your ''squeaking''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s not the problem—[''does a forward flip over Gears'']—it's your ''squawking!''"

"Go ding your diodes and get defunct Megatron. I’m not helping you do zilch."
:—Cranky, gutsy '''Gears'''

"Megatron is behind this. I’d bet my titanium torsion bars on it."
:—That's probably a safe bet, '''Optimus Prime'''

"I should be very angry at you Megatron. You ''are'' an evil son of a [[retrorat]], but for some reason, I just can't get too upset."
:—Cheery, nice '''Gears'''

"I should have destroyed you when I had the chance, but Megatron can't save you now!" 
"Heheheh, I really hate to disappoint you Starscream, but you better look behind you!" 
"Do you seriously expect me to fall for such a stupid trick?"
:—'''Starscream''' refuses to be distracted by '''Gears''' warning of an impending charge from Bumblebee.

"How can I help you, Megatron, heh heh, you rotten hunk of scrap?"
:—'''Gears''', piling on the flattery.

"What did you do to Gears, you monster? You turned him...''nice!''"
:—'''Ironhide''', at Gear's sudden change in personality.

"All right, now let's blast that Solar Needle and roll out." 
"I suppose you want me to do that." 
"Be my guest."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Gears''', grumpy once again.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* Missing Seeker insignia:
** Skywarp and Thundercracker are both missing their wing emblems as they dive to fire on the miners.
* The gold car ''explodes'' when it gets shot by a laser beam. Maybe what the miners really struck was TNT.
* Ravage is ''tiny'' when he tackles the trapped miner, not more than 4 feet long.
* Megatron's Decepticon symbol is a medium gray instead of purple when he bashes Starscream aside.
* Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker run past Gears twice in successive shots.
* The size and shape of the corridor that Gears is walking through changes radically between shots; it's much smaller when Ironhide chastises him. In the same shot, the corridor floor is sliding underneath both Autobots much faster than the pace of their walk.
* The shot of Prime transforming to roll out for the gold mine is recycled as the Autobots leave for Africa. This is not an error in and of itself; however, Cliffjumper being colored yellow is!
* Appearing/disappearing Autobots: Lots of Autobots come and go throughout the episode. The core Autobot cast is pretty consistent (Prime, Hound, Cliffjumper, Gears, Ratchet, Jazz, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, Bumblebee, Ironhide and Trailbreaker; this is, for example, the group that gathers to look down on the Solar Needle, and again after the Decepticons retreat.) But several Autobots just show up for one or two shots, infrequently enough that it's not clear if they should have been shown or not:
** Mirage is seen driving away from Autobot Headquarters (twice due to recycled animation), dodging rocks the second time, and again jumping over the crevasse. He's never seen in robot mode.
** Bluestreak and Brawn show up for a single shot at the mine. Later, Bluestreak is seen at Autobot HQ dodging boulders.
** Huffer's distinctive profile can be seen at the end of the Autobot convoy as they roll out first time.
** Sideswipe can be seen in the Autobot convoy just before they start blasting the jungle, and very briefly as the Autobots charge toward the Solar Needle.
* Ratchet's vehicle mode is missing some red detailing as he rolls out behind Hound.
* Despite Prime's warnings about not endangering the humans, the three miners are almost completely out of the Autobots' line of fire. Additionally, the Autobots make no attempt to move ''themselves'' out of the way.
* Megatron's transformation sequence is about half over by the time the corresponding transformation noise begins.
* Megatron reaches behind him to pull out his secondary gun. Given the angle of the shot, he pretty much has to have pulled it out of his...ahem...exhaust port.
* The running light housings on Prime's chest are white instead of red as he order the Autobots to "look sharp". The same error repeats later, as he reacts to the falling boulders outside Autobot Headquarters.

* The animation doesn't really do such a great job of demonstrating that ''all'' the Autobots have been taken out of the fight, but that's about the only conclusion, since ''nobody'' makes any effort to combat the Decepticons after the "energized boulders" incident.
* The electrified cage holding Gears just vanishes after Starscream gives him the [[null ray]] treatment.
* After Bumblebee says "Solar flares!", a quick shot shows the sun with the Solar Needle beam streaking into it, along with a locust-like energy sound effect. If the noise is audible when we're looking at the beam, shouldn't it be heard pretty much all the time everywhere on Earth?
* In the frequently-recycled shot of the destabilizing sun, some of the solar flares are flying past the camera. Given that they have blue sky behind them, that would mean Earth just got vaporized! In the same shot, the Solar Needle's energy beam is nowhere in sight.
* The shot of Starscream, Megatron, and Gears gaping at the newly-activated Solar Needle is recycled after the first commercial break. The next shot has them all in different places and poses.
* Jazz and Sunstreaker's weapons can ''vaporize'' trees? Whoa.
* The gray portion of Gears's chest is abnormally large as he says "I love being a slave!"
* The chunk of earth that breaks loose, endangering Bumblebee, is nowhere in sight in the previous shot.
* Wheeljack gets the "wrong" transformation noise as he returns to car mode after saving Bumblebee from falling into the crevasse.
* Cliffjumper has the wrong voice as he says "Let's stop gabbin' and start blasting!" It sounds like Don Messick.
* Multiple Autobots fire on the Solar Needle, but only one laser beam is shown hitting or getting reflected.
* Ironhide's mouth isn't moving as he declares that "It's a reflective energy shield!" Prime is waving his arm like he should be the one speaking.
* Cliffjumper is shown flying toward the center of the Solar Needle, where he's supposed to be going, but the next shot has him hitting one of the peripheral energy beams instead. (As Cliffjumper flies off after the impact, Megatron appears to be standing there waiting to catch him!)
* The Autobots leap downwards into the Solar Needle's periphery, but it's not really clear where they're leaping ''from''.
* When Starscream says the line "Oh, no, you don't. Your circuit stays right here," the voice saying the line is Skywarp's. The subsequent lines make it clear that this was supposed to be Starscream.
* Starscream's gun barrel has no interior as he aims it at Gears; it's just solid, uniform gray.
* As Soundwave ejects Ravage to attack Bumblebee, Laserbeak's cassette mode is shown (due to the scene being recycled from the previous shot of Laserbeak ejecting.)
* Starscream's shoulder intakes are light gray instead of red when Megatron says that time is running out for Prime.
* Starscream's laser beams aren't quite properly animated to glow as he shoots at Gears repeatedly.
* Megatron's elbow is gray instead of red as he threatens to destroy the universe.
* The boulder that smashes the jungle floor after Megatron retreats appears to have just fallen out of the sky; there's no hill or cliff visible at all.
* Wheeljack's "ears" aren't flashing as he celebrates with the other Autobots, nor as he laughs with them at Gears's threat.
* Trailbreaker has a light gray fist as he and the others listen to Gears complain. It should either be a light gray gun-arm or a black fist.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:ChangingGears Prime Sun being zapped.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Prime's standing outside Autobot HQ, and the bottom of that beam of energy is in Africa. Totally buying that.]]

* Would the miners really find an entire truckload of gold on their ''first strike''?
* "Energized those boulders"? Uh...really?
* Gears's personality is "modulated" by a circuit in his ''chest''?
* How can the sun be up in North America and Africa at the same time?
* The Autobots somehow '''drove''' from their base in the Western United States to the '''"geographic center of Africa"''' in '''"slightly less than 2 Earth hours"'''. After traveling through at least eight time zones, it appears to be roughly the '''same time of day''' as when the Autobots left their base.

[[Image:ChangingGears jungleclearing.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Seriously. No roots, stumps, stray rocks, or ''anything''.]]

* "Jazz! Sunstreaker! Laser us a road!" Prime apparently changes his mind on the flagrant destruction of flora some time between this episode and "[[Microbots]]", where he prevents Brawn from blasting a path through a South American jungle. Then again this situation is a little more time sensitive then that one and the whole universe is at stake here. Plus, Jazz and Sunstraking are inside Prime's cab.
* Despite Ratchet's assertion that "no one could survive up there", Cliffjumper disrupts the energy shield with little more than a slight hangover to show for it.
* Even with Prime disarmed, is Megatron pointing his cannon at Prime such a huge threat that the Autobots really have to surrender? He points that thing at Prime all the time!
* Gears produces two completely different guns from his arm: the one he pulls out when Prime is about to hit the pylon is round, while the one he pulls out to shoot the Solar Needle is square and has fins. In both cases, his fist slides out of his wrist ''holding the gun''. How does that even work??
* Does Gears ''really'' tip the odds that heavily in the Autobots' favor?
* What are these "battle stations" Megatron keeps ordering everyone to man? None of his troops do anything of the sort, probably because there are no "stations" anywhere in sight.
* Throughout the latter half of the episode, Optimus Prime and Megatron argue that the Solar Needle may/may not destroy the universe. While the Sun's exploding would obliterate our solar system, it couldn't destroy the universe in its entirety, unless the Solar Needle is some of the most advanced technology ever wielded by the Decepticons.

===Continuity notes===
* Gears's parts list: unlubed cable relays, squeaky pulleys (twice!), a cramped chronometer, a vibrating sequential camshaft, a trembling gyroscope, and besides that—
* Gears's special circuit board looks like an audio cassette tape. Whether it can [[Mini-Cassette|transform]] is not yet known.
* Gears uses the same hook-shaped welding tip that Brawn used to free Huffer, way back in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]".
* Where does the trailer go?
** At the end of the episode, Optimus Prime's trailer just randomly drives itself out of the jungle and connects to his truck mode. Seriously, where does that thing go when he's in robot mode?
* Yes, yes, we know, [[Solar Needle]], [[star harvester]] in ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', blah blah, we ''promise'' you that ''IT IS NOT AN ACTUAL REFERENCE.''

===Trivia===
* This episode features a ''ton'' of recycled shots: the Autobots leaving HQ; Megatron aiming his cannon at Prime (complete with a pan over to the Autobots); the unstable sun; Megatron & co. gaping at the Solar Needle. Soundwave ejecting Laserbeak/Ravage is used at least four times, and the shot is copied almost line-for-line from "[[Transport to Oblivion]]". And of course, there's the ol' stock Optimus Prime transformation sequence.
[[Image:G1 ChangingGears Ratchet karate.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind."]]
* Cameo locations: Pisa, [[Italy]]; Paris, [[France]]; [[New York City]] (or rather, Liberty Island, home of the [[Statue of Liberty]]).
* As the Autobots descend the cliffside to fight the Decepticons, Gears slides down on his butt, arms up in the air.
* When Megatron throws Optimus into the energy beam, Prime's [[ion blaster]] disintegrates (in a blink-and-you-miss-it bit of animation) and he remains weaponless for the rest of the episode. Wow, chalk one up for continuity.
* In another nice bit of continuity, the Solar Needle sphere that nearly crushes Wheeljack is still laying there broken when the Autobots prepare to blow up the Needle.
* Ratchet has the moves in this episode. First he Bruce-Lee-kicks Thundercracker. Then he kicks a boulder to knock a falling pylon in order to make it miss Wheeljack. While awesome, the latter move totally breaks the laws of physics. (Not necessarily, providing Ratchet could impart sufficient velocity to the boulder to give it enough energy to offset the superior mass of the falling pylon. Of course, in that case, why the boulder wasn't pulverized is another question...)
* Man, the Decepticons really get their tails whipped in this episode, huh? First the Autobots capture nearly all of them, then they get beaten so bad that they just up and flee without even getting the order from Megatron.
* Trailbreaker ''is'' joking about not giving Gears back his circuit card, right? There's definitely not enough time for the Autobots actually to take that vote!

==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]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 1 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Bumper Collection Special (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (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'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

Predacons Rising (Animated)

2011-06-07T16:30:37Z

71.22.247.52: /* Animation Errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=PredaconsRising-WaspinatorBlackarachnia.jpg
|caption=Battle of the arthropods.
|ep=36
|ep2=33
|prev2=Five Servos of Doom
|next2=Human Error, Part I
|title="Predacons Rising"
|airdate=[[April 11]], 2009
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]] [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Bumblebee''': Soooo, Wasp... -inator, you've gotten taller. And you can fly! That's-that's cool. 
'''Waspinator''': Wazzpinator megacool, thanks to new friend. 
'''Bumblebee''': Hey, speaking of friends, I wanted to say I'm sorry—you know, for everything I did and didn't do. 
'''Waspinator''': ''(with Wasp's voice)'' Wasp forgive Bumble-bot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh. Really? 
'''Waspinator''': ''(with normal voice)'' BUT WAZZPINATOR NEVER FORGIVE!
:—Bumblebee makes his final attempt to make amends with Wasp(inator)... and totally blew it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Expérience Techno-organique'''" ("Techno-organic Experience")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kanashiki Seimeitai'''" (悲しき生命体, "Sorrowful Lifeform")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 13|13 November]] [[2010]]

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

===Trivia===
*Bumblebee can drive up the sides of buildings! [[Spy Changer|He's not the only one]].
*When Optimus contacts Sentinel Prime to warn him about Dinobot Island, Sentinel shuts him off by tilting the 'antenna' on the left side of his head. [[Sentinel_Prime_%28Animated%29#Animated|His Deluxe toy actually does allow you to do this]], but backwards.
*Waspinator wasn't the only one damaged in the transwarp explosion. If you take a close look at Blackarachnia at the end of the episode, you'll notice that her 'stingers' (which act as her beast mode's front legs) have been blown off.
*When Optimus and Sentinel discuss Sentinel taking over from Ultra Magnus, observe Optimus as he says "...and for better or worse..." He appears to squint uncomfortably, almost as if it pained him to say what he's going to say. [[This Is Why I Hate Machines|Huh.]]
*Prowl continues to wear his new samurai armor even when he's not really needing it. [[To sell toys|Gotta sell that brand-spankin' new figure, you know?]]
*This episode marked the last appearance of Blackarachnia and Waspinator.
*The animals that observe Blackarachnia are roughly the same size she is. Unless they are on an alien world where the creatures are all over-sized, those animals are positively HUGE.

==Home video releases==
This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Death

2011-06-04T20:05:25Z

71.22.247.52: /* Human death */

{{disambig2|the end of life|the Horseman of Unicron|Airazor (Armada)}}

[[Image:Battleofautobotcity.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And lo, the children did weep.]]

''Transformers'' is a children's franchise, but at its core, it's a story of war. This means that the '''death''' of major and minor characters sometimes figures into the fiction.

Given the ambiguous nature of [[Transformer]] physiology, there is very little consistency regarding what is fatal to a Transformer, even within a single storyline. Damage that one Transformer might shrug off can prove fatal to another, or even to the same character in a different story. Sometimes just a laser blast or two will do the trick. Other times, characters survive being melted, crushed into cubes, and even utterly disintegrated. It does not take a terribly cynical viewer to conclude that the threshold of survival is generally determined by the needs of the plot.

The out-of-universe reasons for a character's death can vary from plot development to the arrival of [[To sell toys|new toys]]. Conveniently enough for writers who are beholden to the whims of a toy company, the majority of Transformers characters are machines, which means that death isn't necessarily permanent. Across the various universes, characters that appear to have been killed have been known to pop up alive again at a later date, or go through some sort of resurrection.

{{quote|"How can you all be so cold and unfeeling? He died a hero!" "Don't you even have mechanical hearts?" "The humans don't understand! Our form of life is vastly different from theirs!"|[[Spider-Man]], [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]|"[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

==In-fiction causes of death==
[[Image:DEATH.jpg|left|thumb|400px|[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] is just as puzzled as the rest of us.]]

There is little consistency in what can kill a Transformer. Sometimes it takes just a shot. Other times, even totally annihilating a Transformer's body still doesn't do the trick. Even the most basic method of killing, which is to destroy or otherwise cause the loss of a Transformer's [[spark]], varies quite a bit in its details from story to story, character to character, and series to series.
{{--}}
===Weaponsfire===
{{quote|This was almost too easy, Starscream!|[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (like the fandom) is surprised to find how easily Autobots die, ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

[[Image:Tftm1986a.jpg|right|200px|thumb|We're here aboard the Autobot shuttle, where we've secretly replaced Brawn's hyper-dense metal armor plating with styrene plastic. Let's see if anyone can tell the difference.]]

[[Image:TFTM UltraMagnus dies.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Prepare for your death today. Yer gonna die!!]]

[[Image:Magnusdeath.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ow! Hey! Cut it out, guys! That hurts!]]

[[Image:Blades1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Sorry, [[Outpost B-67 exo-structuring party|nameless guy]], your generic nature means you will never be miraculously resurrected.]]

Like humans, Transformers can be killed by damage caused by energy, projectile, and chemical weapons. Just how many shots it takes is widely variable, however.
* In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]]:
** Many casualties of the [[Battle of Autobot City]] (and its run-up), including [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], were victims of energy weapons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} This was quite a change from the cartoon's M.O., wherein the same characters routinely got shot and blasted all the time and shrugged it off, or at worst spent some time in the repair bay. Brawn and Prowl both went down after ''one shot''.
** [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently "dies" after being shot a few times by the [[Sweep]]s, exploding into pieces. He is soon revived by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], however. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** Ultra Magnus dies ''again'', for real this time, after [[Sixshot]] shoots him a few times. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}

* In the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel comics]]:
** [[Impactor]] was cut down by a single head shot from [[Macabre]]. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
** Most deaths in the ''[[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|Generation 2]]'' book occurred from energy weapons, such as [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} as well as numerous generics. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Quite a few victims exploded spectacularly after being shot, including [[Tantrum]], {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]], [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], {{storylink|New Dawn}} and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. {{storylink|Escalation!}}

* In the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon:
** [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] dies after incurring severe damage from numerous [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] weapons. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} The apparent cause of his demise is his refusal to enter protective [[stasis lock]], as other characters have survived similar or worse levels of damage.
** [[Tigerhawk]] is disintegrated by the main cannon of the starship ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. The same cannon subsequently blasts [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]], apparently killing them, though their "death" may be permanent simply because there was nobody around to put them back together. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] dies holding back the [[Hydra Cannon]], the damage causing him to [[:Image:Sshot-arm-39-4.jpg|crumble to dust]]. {{storylink|Crisis}}

* [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] G1 comics: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] is killed by an assassin's blast. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath issue 1|The Age of Wrath #1}} He got better. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}

* [[Movie continuity]]: [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] and [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] both died from weapons fire. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)|Transformers}}

* "[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] gets his face blown off/in by [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 4}}
{{--}}

* [[Universe (2003 comic)|Universe]]: [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] was shot and killed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] during the final battle of the [[Universe War]].

===Big explosions===
{{bigquote|They're going to blow us all to pieces! [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]]'s booby-trapped - packed with enough explosives to level this whole mountain!|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]"}}

Transformers characters often assume that explosions are more lethal than they really are; characters survive explosions all the time. An explosion's messy nature makes a good "out" for a writer to fake a character's death. {{storylink|The Wrath of Grimlock!}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Nevertheless, a few characters have been permanently killed by explosions. (This list omits characters who exploded from within, like Ultra Magnus up above.)
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] was the victim of an interdimensionally triggered explosion that destroyed his body. (In UK continuity, he survived as a raggedy, bodiless head.) {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}}
** In an alternate future, a wounded [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] died in the fiery explosion of a crashing shuttlecraft. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** [[Finback]] was presumably killed in the explosion of a huge gun battery. [[Misfire]] tried to warn him off, and may have been killed in the same explosion. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] was killed when a prototype [[pathblaster]] exploded in his face. {{storylink|Time Wars}}

* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon:
** [[Optimus Primal]] was blown to bits — terminally so — by the [[transwarp]] explosion that destroyed the [[Planet Buster]]. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
** [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] was killed by the explosion that resulted from [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]'s death (either his exploding spark, or the exploding energon shard that pierced it.) {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

* Several of the [[Beast Era]] [[Wrecker]]s ([[Sonar (BW)|Sonar]], [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]], the [[Deployer (BM)|Deployers]]) were destroyed when part of their ship exploded with them in it. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

* Energon: [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] and Storm Jet were killed when Storm Jet caused a massive explosion that engulfed them both.

* ''Prime'': [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] and the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s were blown up by a grenade attached by the Autobots. While it's likely the Vehicons were destroyed, whether Makeshift survived this explosion remains to be seen

===Impact trauma===
Falling off a cliff or mountainside or tall building is usually just as fatal to Transformers as it is to, say... Wile E. Coyote. Only on rare occasion does it result in death:
* ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' continuity: [[Hacksaw]] met his end by falling from a huge communications tower. {{storylink|The New World}}
* IDW G1 continuity: [[Doubledealer]] was shot, fell off a mountain and smashed to bits on impact. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}
* Movie continuity:
**[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] fell off the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] after losing his balance when his arm was shot off, and he shattered to pieces as he tumbled down. ''{{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}''
** [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] was smashed to pieces and killed by being flung into a freeway column. {{storylink|Movie Adaptation Issue Number Four}}
* The [[Beast (G1)|Beast]] fell off a cliff and shattered. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}} At least, we hope that's where and how it ended.
* ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)| Prime]]'': [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] crash-landed after [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] punched out vital components in his alternate mode, reducing his body to a partially transformed scrapheap.

===Crushing===
[[Image:Edgeofextinction-hardheadbombburst.jpg|thumb|right|175px|DO NOT WANT]]
[[Image:TFAni TransWarped LongArm Cliffjumper Cube.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Before time began, there was... THE CUBE.]]

Quite a few characters have been crushed into deactivation:
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] was smashed between [[Unicron]]'s palms, while [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] met a similar fate when they were stepped on by Unicron. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] is apparently killed when a very large building collapses on top of him. {{storylink|Escalation!}}

* [[Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons:
** [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] is killed when caught between two folding sections of Unicron's external armor. {{storylink|Union}}
** [[Shockblast]] is crushed by Unicron's hand on [[Blizzard Planet]]. {{storylink|The Power}}
** His brother [[Six Shot]] meets a similar fate, crushed under the heel of a super-sized Galvatron. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}

* IDW continuity:
** [[Roller (G1)|Roller]] was crushed when Megatron caused an avalanche to fall on him.
** [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]], [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]], and [[Skullcruncher]] were all crushed by [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]].

* ''Animated'' cartoon: [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] is (possibly) killed by a garbage compactor-like crushing device. (An "out" by writer [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick Wyatt]] was intended to show his still-pulsing spark within his cubified remains, but this did not make it into the show, leaving his fate ambiguous at best.) {{storylink|TransWarped}}

===Melting===
[[Image:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Even having a new toy couldn't save Terrorsaur!]]

[[Image:Fallout title.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Primal's diet had gone horribly wrong.]]

They're made of metal; therefore, with enough heat or sufficiently acidic material, they can melt. This is one of the more fool-proof methods of killing a Transformer; few if any have survived it.
* In the G1 cartoon:
** An acid vat would apparently have been enough to destroy Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
** Another acid vat was used to disintegrate living victims of Unicron. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

* In the Marvel comics:
** Victims of the Deception [[smelting pool]]s on Cybertron were reduced by intense heat into their base metals, including [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}
** It is possible that an acid bath from (naturally) [[Blot (G1)|Blot]] offlined [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] [[Makin' Tracks!|(for a while anyway)]]. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}
** [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was partially melted by Unicron's flame-breath and subsequently died. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]] used some kind of acid to rather messily eradicate some of their Decepticon ancestors, including [[Stranglehold]]. {{storylink|New Dawn}}

* In the Beast Era cartoons:
** [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] were apparently melted to death after tumbling into a lava pit within the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]]. {{storylink|Aftermath}}
** Optimus Primal's body was seemingly melted into the floor after his climactic face-off with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. Considering how many god-like forces were unleashed and conflicting during the battle, his demise may be due to more than simple temperature-induced melting. {{storylink|Fallout}}

===Incineration===
{{bigquote|I saw the end! They died in a cosmic funeral pyre!|[[Shawn Berger]], "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2]]"}}

[[Image:Armada 52 - Prime hangon to Galvatron.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Galvatron died to save everyone and came back ''twice''—you lose, [[Jesus]]!]]

Plasma, energy fields, and stellar atmospheres can all utterly destroy a Transformer's body. Like being melted, being reduced to one's component molecules would seem to be a surefire way of getting killed, but quite a few characters seem able to survive the process as ghosts and/or disembodied sparks:
* Generation 1 cartoon: [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s spectacular death at the hands of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] might be categorized as incineration. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

* Quite a few characters met this fate in the Unicron Trilogy, but all survived it in some fashion:
** [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]]'s spark persisted within his burnt-out body when he was dropped into the exploding Unicron. {{storylink|Mortal Combat}} {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}
** [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]]'s body was obliterated by an expanding energon grid, but his spark survived the process and was placed in a new body. {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}}
** [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] was destroyed when he threw himself into a star, but his spark was salvaged by the Autobots and, again, placed in a new body. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
** And finally, Megatron (Galvatron, whatever) threw himself into Primus's new energon sun to prevent Unicron from possessing him, killing himself yet again. {{storylink|The Sun}} This death was so inconsequential that his subsequent resurrection wasn't even explained! {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}}

===Consumption===
{{bigquote|...If we don't find the Matrix, some bad guy's gonna ''eat'' us! Right?|Longtooth, "[[Deadly Obsession]]"}}

[[Image:Wreckers Mutants.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The shocking death of the barely-seen guys with hardly any lines!]]
[[Image:Rocky mecannibal bartender marvel uk 240.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Cannibalism is hilarious, kids!]]

Quite a few critters in the multiverse are equipped to devour giant robots. Being eaten (and, presumably, digested) generally proves fatal:
* In the G1 cartoon:
** Various life forms were routinely devoured by the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s on Quintessa. This included [[Kranix]], a mechanical life form, though not a Transformer. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] would have suffered this fate as well, but fought their way free. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** Quite a few Transformers found their way into Unicron's gullet, though many survived the experience. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

* In the Marvel comic:
** The [[Mecannibal]]s ate robots routinely, including quite a few Transformers during their sojourn on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} {{storylink|Out to Lunch!}} There is some indication that they could actually reconstitute their victims from their "recycled" parts, though this is never explicitly shown. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
** Unicron skewered [[Brainstorm]] and ate him. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The subsurface-dwelling [[demon]]s devoured [[Runabout]]. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The Swarm "devoured" innumerable Cybertronian troopers and a handful of older-generation Transformers as well, though this was through a molecular process almost akin to incineration. {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} {{storylink|Total War!}} {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}

* The Sharkticons killed two of the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s by gobbling them up. Or ripping them apart. Or both. We don't really know. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* [[Flanker]] was eaten up and killed by the "Deluxe" Insecticons.

===Disassembly===
[[Image:Jazz DyingAction.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"HERE'S what I think of your resemblance to your G1 counterpart!"]]

Taking a Transformer apart into its component parts can occasionally kill them:
* Marvel comics:
**[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] met this fate in an alternate future, when Swoop used a machine to pull him apart into his component pieces. {{storylink|Another Time and Place}}
**A future version of Ultra Magnus may have been killed when a group of Decepticons mobbed him and ripped him up. {{storylink|Time Wars (issue)}}
* Movie continuity:
**Being ripped in half by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}}
**[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] was killed when Bumblebee ripped his spine out, tearing him apart.
* IDW comic continuity: [[Pyro]] was torn apart and killed while making a final stand against a mass of generic Decpticons. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}
* ''Prime'' cartoon: When fighting [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s zombie army, [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] recommended dissection to [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]] to "cut" them down to size. How this is more effective then just blasting the living slag out of them is still up for debate. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

===Decapitation===
{{main|Decapitation}}

[[Image:Cyclonus death.jpg|thumb|right|150px| "CHUK!" is good, but I could really go for a "Shakkooosh" right about now.]]

Sometimes cutting a Transformer's head off is fatal. Sometimes!
* In the Marvel comics:
** The Megatron clone killed Cyclonus by ripping his head off. {{storylink|Dry Run!}}
** Several of the Wreckers were killed by having their heads ripped or blasted off, including Twin Twist and Topspin, respectively. {{storylink|Time Wars (issue)|Time Wars}}
** [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had his head cut off by a propeller fired by [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]], presumably (given the ''Generation 2'' book's emphasis on body count) killing him. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}

* In the movie continuity:
** Characters frequently die by decapitation of some form: [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}} and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Decapitation was an inconvenience for [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] the first time. The second time, when the blow actually destroyed most of his head, was fatal.

===Vivisection===
[[Image:VictoryUKAnnual.JPG|thumb|right|150px| Ahhhh, there we go...]]

{{bigquote|I have no desire to be carved up into Auto-sushi.|Tracks, "[[Make Tracks]]"}}

Getting chopped in half is pretty graphic for a kids' story, even one about robots, so it doesn't happen very often.
* Marvel comics: In a dream sequence, [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] slices [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in half, killing him. {{storylink|Victory!}}
* Japanese G1 cartoon: [[Predaking]] gets sliced in half by Dai Atlas. The strike dissects what appears to be an organic brain in his head. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
* ''Beast Wars Metals'': Terrorsaur was killed by being sliced in half by Primal's mace. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}
* Movie continuity: [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] dies when [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] slices his car mode in two. [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] slices [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]] in half at the chest. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

===Destruction of brain===
{{bigquote|Next strike in the neural cluster, yes? Weakest spot on ''all'' Transformers...|[[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], "[[Fire on High!]]"}}

In the early days of the franchise, a Transformer's life force was sometimes understood to be entirely contained within their [[brain module]], most prominently in the Marvel comics. Destroying the brain would kill the Transformer. This premise was eventually passed over in favor of the more esoteric concept of [[spark]]s.
* In the Marvel comics:
** In an alternate future, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] is blasted by [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], who kills him by extracting and crushing his brain module. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** The [[Throttlebot]]s ''avoid'' death by having their brain modules removed from their bodies shortly before their bodies are destroyed (by crushing). {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}

===Destruction of spark===
{{bigquote|RAW energon! Right through your twisted spark!|Depth Charge to Rampage, "[[Nemesis Part 1]]"}}

[[Image:Skyfallwontbethereforit.jpg|thumb|right|200px|And then he hung Skyfall from his ceiling.]]

Getting stabbed right through the spark is almost always fatal:
* In ''Beast Wars'': The supposedly immortal Rampage was killed when Depth Charge pierced his spark with an energon blade. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* ''[[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]]'': [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] died when [[Alpha Trion (SG)|Alpha Trion]] rammed his sword right through his chest. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 6}}
*Energon: [[Constructicon Maximus]] was killed when [[Storm Jet (Energon)|Storm Jet]] impaled and crushed his spark.
* ''Cybertron'': [[Megatron (Armada)#Cybertron cartoon|Galvatron]] died after being impaled with [[Rhisling]] by [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Unfinished}}
* Movie continuity: Optimus Prime died from a stab wound through the chest, quickly followed by a cannon blast through the spark chamber from Megatron's swordcannon weapon.[[The Fallen]] also met his end when Optimus punched through his chest and crushed his spark. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* ''Beast Machines'' continuity: [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] - already reduced to a spark within the matrix - ceased to be when Megatron annihilated his spark from existence. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
* [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's Movie comics]]: Transformers have forcefields shielding their sparks, which can be externalized to protect bodywork. Jazz loved doing this, leaving him far more vulnerable to death by destruction of spark than he would otherwise be. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 6|Lost in Space 4: Jazz}}

===Loss of spark===
{{bigquote|Warning. Further expenditure will result in permanent loss of spark. Stasis lock ''must'' commence.|[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s internal computer, "[[Code of Hero]]"}}

Sometimes sparks can survive outside of a body; sometimes they cannot. In the Beast Era, there is some indication that a spark left outside a body will soon begin to return to the Matrix/AllSpark/another dimension.
* When Dinobot expires after his final battle, his Spark is seen exiting his body. The implication is that a sufficiently damaged body can no longer hold a spark within this dimension. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* ''Beast Machines'' subsequently showed living sparks existing outside of bodies on a regular basis. The sparkless bodies were simply considered shells, rather than "dead".
* ''Animated'' cartoon: Prowl dies when he intentionally relinquishes his own spark. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}
* Movie continuity: Jetfire rips out his own spark chamber to give Optimus a fighting chance. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

===Energy overload===
{{bigquote|We may need energon for power, but this is too much of a good thing.|[[Optimus Primal]], "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]"}}

[[Image:TFAnimated transformandrollout DEATH.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Death — the Optimus version of a power nap.]]
[[Image:Underbaseallmine.jpg|thumb|right|200px|He's got an Underbase in his underpants.]]

The average [[human]] needs a lot of [[water]] to survive. But too much water results in [[wikipedia:Water intoxication|a horrible death]]. Similarly, Transformers need energy to survive, but too much of it can be a very bad thing. Sometimes it's just plain old energy; other times it some special god-like force that does them in.
* In the Marvel comics:
** An [[Underbase]]-empowered Starscream slaughtered dozens of Transformers with energy blasts, {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}} which reportedly burned out millions of their [[microchip]]s. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}} Some Transformers were seen to recover from these attacks, either via conventional repairs {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} or through the power of [[nucleon]]. {{storylink|The Void! (US)}}
** Starscream himself was killed when he absorbed all the energies of the Underbase. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}
** [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] was apparently killed when struck by a blast of energy from the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], though the physical effect was more like being hit by an especially powerful laser blast. {{storylink|All Fall Down (issue)}}

* ''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon: [[Sixknight]] died from an overcharge of BlackZarak's Devil Power. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}
* IDW G1 continuity: [[Runabout]] dies when one of the [[Reaper]]s zaps him full of energy, causing him to explode from within. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
* Movie continuity: [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was killed when [[Sam Witwicky]] shoved the [[AllSpark]] into his chest. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)|Transformers}}
* ''Transformers Animated'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] got caught in an explosion of [[AllSpark]] energy that may have been sufficient to kill him, although he also fell off a very tall building immediately afterwards (Starscream was caught in the same explosion and survived, but was knocked offline for an unspecified period.)

===Energy depletion===
On rare occasion, Transformers can simply run out of energy completely and expire.
* Marvel comics: the ancient [[Overlord (rank)|Overlord]] died from a lack of energy. {{storylink|State Games}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] explains that a lack of energon causes the Transformer equivalent of aging, such as rusting joints, mental confusion, and pieces falling apart, followed by an indefinite period of stasis that can only be reversed by an infusion of Allspark energy. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

===Suicide===
Sometimes a Transformers kills himself for some reason.
* Marvel comics
** Megatron seemingly killed himself using a [[space bridge]] though it was later revealed that he survived.
** Dirge and Nightbeat self destructed and destroyed themselves in a last ditch attempt to destroy the Swarm.
* Beast Wars
** [[Tigerhawk]] sacrificed himself by hurling himself in the way of a fusion cannon blast from the Nemesis.
* Energon: Galvatron, Starscream, and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] threw themselves into a sun and vaporized themselves. [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] and Demolishor may have also done this.

==Non-fatal deactivation==
{{quote|"You mean he's still alive?!" "No! But neither is he what you would term 'dead'!"|[[Spider-Man]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], "[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

[[Image:Zombiesbackfromthedead.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Braiiiiiin mooooodulllllles....]]

For almost every single cause of death listed above, there's been one or more Transformers who have survived it, sometimes without so much as a period of unconsciousness.

In particular, "deactivation" is the Transformers equivalent of being in a coma. Numerous Transformers are seen to enter this state and eventually recover, such as the Autobots deactivated by Shockwave, {{storylink|The Last Stand}} who later were repaired. However, the line between death and deactivation is a blurry one. Sometimes the two words are used interchangeably, even in reference to characters who are later revived. Most of Starscream's Underbase victims were described as deactivated, and were sometimes lamented as "dead" while at other times were shown undergoing repairs. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}

"[[Stasis lock]]" would eventually give a more concrete name to the state of deactivation. The inert Transformers on the crashed Ark were retconned as being in stasis lock. Various ''Beast Wars'' characters would go into stasis lock to maintain their spark when their body had sustained too much damage from weaponsfire or energon absorption. ''Animated'' showed a crew of Autobots voluntarily entering protective stasis lock in anticipation of a crash landing.

Some of the quasi-fatal things which can cause a Transformer to "deactivate" include:

===Impact trauma===
Smashing into something usually knocks out a Transformer, but almost never actually kills them:
* The crew of the original [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] is deactivated when the ship crashes on Earth and lies inert for 4 million years {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)}}
* Marvel comics: [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] falls to his "death", but is patched together and talking again in short order. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

===Decapitation===
[[Image:Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg|thumb|200px|In the movie continuity, this would've been fatal. In ''Animated'', it's just embarrassing.]]

{{bigquote|Anyone who can lop your head off in one blow is alright by me!|[[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] jokes about [[Cloudburst]]'s near-death experience, "[[Recipe for Disaster!]]"}}

Like we said before, decapitation is sometimes fatal... and other times it isn't.
* Marvel comic:
** Optimus Prime was able to survive as just a head when Shockwave separated it from his body in an effort to get the Creation Matrix. {{storylink|The New Order}}
**[[Cloudburst]] was abruptly decapitated by sword, but was just fine after some repairs. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
* G1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was disassembled into his component parts, but functioned just fine as nothing more than a head once [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] connected a few wires. {{storylink|City of Steel}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] survives having his head blasted or otherwise knocked off multiple times, {{storylink|Spider's Game}} {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Code of Hero}} and even put it back on himself one time. He even accidently swapped heads with Megatron once. Megatron was not amused. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}
* IDW G1 continuity: [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] was just fine when one of the Reapers whacked his head off. (He didn't fare so well when another Reaper crushed his head with a boulder, however.) {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
* ''Animated'' cartoon: Decapitated victims of the ''Animated'' [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] rarely show any ill effects other than not having a body anymore. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}} {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

===Dismemberment===
Transformers get ripped to pieces all the time, and recover from it:
* Marvel comic: Scorponok tears [[Tantrum]] to pieces. [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] slices [[Horri-Bull]] in half at the waist. Both are seen alive later on. {{storylink|Cold War!}}
* Last Stand of the Wreckers: [[Guzzle]] is torn in half by [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and is easily repaired.

===Spark removal===
{{bigquote|His spark can't exist outside a living body!|[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], "[[Optimal Situation]]"}}

A Transformer's spark—their "soul", their living essence—can be removed from their body, or the body can be destroyed around them
* The destruction of Starscream's body, and his subsequent survival as a ghost, was eventually retconned to be his Spark enduring without a physical form. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Tigatron and Airazor's sparks spent quite some time wandering around behind Tigerhawk, before combining and entering his body. {{storylink|Other Victories}}

* In the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon:
** Megatron de-sparked most of Cybertron's population and stored their sparks in a big barrel. Most were restored to bodies eventually. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}
** Blackarachnia's spark wandered around bodiless for a time. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}}
** Megatron himself, his spark in a depolarized state, wandered the surface of Cybertron without a body for a time. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

The treatment of bodiless sparks in ''Beast Machines'' is seen by some fans as contradicting the canon established by ''Beast Wars'', particularly the quote above.

===Limbo===
Sometimes Transformers get shunted out of creation as we know it, and into various alternate, sub- and non-dimensions.
* Marvel comics:
** The [[Trans-Time Dimensional Portal]] crosses [[unspace]], "a bit of dimensional nothingness" where Ratchet and Megatron vanished and were believed dead. {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}
** Transformers mass-displaced by time travel wind up in a formless dimension known as [[Limbo]].
* IDW comics: Megatron severely damaged Optimus Prime in battle and planned on finishing him off by crushing his [[Laser core|spark core]]. Optimus Prime feigned death by downloading his "consciousness" into his [[Combat Deck|trailer section]], causing his [[Brain Center|robot mode]] to appear dead. In the time it took for Prime's consciousness to transfer to his trailer, he briefly entered [[infraspace|limbo]], the transitional infraspace between life and death. {{storylink|Escalation (IDW)|Escalation}}
*Generation 1 cartoon:
**Come on, we all know what REALLY happened to the likes of Seaspray and Tracks.

==Resuscitation==
Robots are machines. They can be switched off, taken apart, blown to bits, and put back together. Ergo, in many continuities and cases, "death" is not nearly as permanent a condition as it is for us fragile fleshy types.

===Reconstruction===
[[Image:PeoplePower-reprogrammed.jpg|thumb|right|250px| ]]

{{bigquote|I've done it! Optimus Prime lives!|A random Quintesson, "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]"}}

* Generation 1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was simply ''repaired'' back to life by a Quintesson. Some fixing of this and that, a burst of power, and boom, suddenly he was alive again. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}
* Marvel Comics: Optimus Prime's mind was encoded on a disk. After a new [[Powermaster]] body was constructed for him, the disk's contents were loaded into it, and Optimus Prime lived again. (One wonders why they couldn't make as many Optimus Primes as they pleased.) {{storylink|People Power!}}

===Spark transfer===
Transferring a Transformer's spark into a new body constitutes a form of resurrection, particularly if the Transformer's previous body was destroyed.
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Optimus Primal was restored to life when Rhinox managed to recall his spark from the Matrix, a special circumstance only enabled by a temporary window into transwarp space. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}
* "Beast Machines" various Vehicon generals were brought to life by placing other Transformer's sparks into them.
* ''Armada'' Smokescreen was shot through the chest at point blank range by the Requiem Blaster {{storylink|Sacrifice}} but his spark survived and was put into a new body. {{storylink|Regeneration}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Inferno and Demolishor both had their bodies ''atomized''; however, their sparks both survived, and were placed into new bodies. (The upshot of all of this is that it's nigh-impossible to kill a Unicron Trilogy Transformer, unless they do it themselves.) {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}} {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
* ''Animated'' cartoon: The spark of a dying [[Yoketron]] was placed into a new protoform body by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]; however, Yoketron consciously chose to let his life end, and expired anyway. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

==="Magical" substances===
* Marvel Comics: The miraculous healing properties of Nucleon brought many Autobots back to life, as well as a few Decepticons. {{storylink|The Void! (US)}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Megatron was revived by the all-encompassing power of energon, as was Unicron. {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}

===Primus and Primus-related powers===
{{bigquote|Where the Last Autobot is concerned, even death, it would appear, is an abstract concept!|Optimus Prime explains his latest revival, "[[End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!]]"}}

Anything tied to the primordial life-force of the Transformers' god Primus tends to be a cure-all for death. This includes Primus himself, his various power-wielding avatars and servants, and the assorted Matrixes and Allsparks, all of which can deliver an infusion of the essence of life itself. In some continuities, this is parsed as a Transformer's spark being brought back out of the Allspark dimension.

[[Image:RageInHeaven-HeroPrime.jpg|thumb|right|150px|]]

* In the Marvel comics:
** The [[Last Autobot]] was granted the power of recreation by Primus, which he used to raise numerous fallen Autobots from the battlefield. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)}}
** Optimus Prime was eager to find the lost Creation Matrix, stating that it would be able to restore many deactivated warriors to life. {{storylink|Bird of Prey!}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]] after it had ingested the energies and knowledge of the Matrix. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}

* In the movie continuity:
** The Allspark is shown repeatedly to be capable of restoring just about anything. Frenzy gets a whole new body from its power, {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}} and Megatron is restored to life by merely a fragment of it. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the Matrix of Leadership, an Allspark-related talisman. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: [[Optimus Primal]]'s body was destroyed, but the AllSpark granted him the choice of uniting with it or being reborn. He chose the latter, and ''poof'', just walked right out of the Oracle bubble in a brand new version of his previous body. {{storylink|Fallout}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] was brought back to life by the power of the [[Mini-Con]]s after his body was disintegrated. {{storylink|Miracle}}
* "[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] was resurrected when he and his gestaltmates were combined together and reborn by Primus into [[Nexus Prime]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 5}} Nexus Prime then brought [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] back from the other side of the Allspark and infused him with some of Primus's power to become Galvatron. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 6}}

===Zombies===
* Dude, [[zombie]]s!

==Immortality==
===Immortal sparks===
Certain sparks have mutant qualities that allow them to, potentially, exist forever.
* Starscream survived his death at the hands of Galvatron; this was later explained as him having a "mutant indestructible spark". {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}} {{storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] was created as an attempt to duplicate Starscream's immortal spark. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} He was eventually killed by [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], so the attempt may be seen as unsuccessful. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

===Other===
* [[Multiversal singularity|Multiversal singularities]] such as [[Unicron]] and [[The Fallen]] can be killed off in one dimension, only to still be alive and well in another (or many others), due to the varying properties of different dimensions (reverse-time dimensions, for example, are key to revival of the singularities).
* ''Animated'' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] could not be killed so long as he retained his Allspark fragment embedded in his forehead.
* Denizens of the [[Dead Universe]] could essentially regenerate themselves out of nothing, no matter how much damage was inflicted on them. This ability appears to no longer apply, post-[[Expansion]], except when in direct proximity to the Dead Universe.
* Thunderwing's Pretender shell seemed to make him near invincible. At the very lest able to withstand incredible amounts of salvo and not even flinch.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] can never completely die no matter what for some reason.

==Out-of-fiction causes of character death==
===Drama / character culmination===
At its best, character death can be a moving plot development, the fruition of an ongoing character arc.
* Suspecting that they would have to remove a character from the show, the writers of ''Beast Wars'' began planning for Dinobot's death several episodes ahead of time. Thus, when it came, it was the outcome of the character's own choices, flaws, and history, and played a crucial role in the show's plot. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* Sunstreaker's death in ''[[All Hail Megatron]]'' is intended to follow a similar style of arc... only it's missing the whole choices, flaws and history thing. Oh well!
* Optimus Primal's death(s) in ''Beast Machines'' are likewise the outcome of his own choices and character. {{storylink|End of the Line}} {{storylink| Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}} His death in ''Beast Wars'', by contrast, was more a moment of dramatic pathos — knowingly walking into danger, his enemy got the better of him. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

===Consequences of war===
It's hard to take a war story seriously when nobody actually dies. The reality of war can be more readily portrayed when characters die. [[Generic]]s are particularly handy for this, allowing death to be shown while not removing primary characters (retail toys!) from the story. The results can range from high drama and pathos to numbingly pointless body counts.
* Impactor's death was used to drive home the threat of the Decepticons as well as the risks taken by the Autobots and their commanders. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
* The ''Generation 2'' book featured several deaths which drove home the realities of war. Most notably, Red Alert's destruction served to make Grimlock acutely aware of just how badly he'd screwed up. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}}

===Increased threat===
An enemy that kills is an enemy to be taken seriously. Thus a writer will frequently throw in some preliminary deaths to point out how seriously the bad guy should be treated.
* The generic who dies at the beginning of "[[City of Fear!]]" serves to show the zombies as a true life-threatening menace.
* Likewise for Runabout's death at the hands of the demons ; {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} knowing they can devour a Transformer makes the reader more concerned about the Dinobots' subsequent fate. {{storylink|Still Life!}}
* In "[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] makes corpses in practically every scene he's in!

===Cast thinning===
Transformers stories are notorious for acquiring gigantic casts as they roll on; Generation 1 was particularly notorious for this because of its longevity. A simple way to make things more manageable was simply to kill off large numbers of characters in battle. Examples are rife in the fiction, especially the Marvel Comics.

* In the Marvel comics:
** The "[[Time Wars (issue)|Time Wars]]" storyline got rid of the [[Wrecker]]s and quite a few Decepticons as well.
** The [[Underbase Saga]] even more explicitly cleared out dozens of characters, leaving perhaps 2 dozen characters from each faction in the story.
** The battle with Unicron in "[[On the Edge of Extinction!]]" likewise got rid of a lot of older characters, leaving the story free to concentrate on more of a core cast (and associated newer toy characters.)
* [[Betrayal|Wreckers #2]] dealt with its oversized cast by killing off scads of characters right up front.

===Clear space for new toys===
{{main|To sell toys}}

Some fiction has an inherently limited capacity for characters. ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' are by far the most prominent examples; their CGI animation made character animation expensive and necessitated removing an old character before a new one could be brought in. But any medium can be susceptible to this toy-driven phenomena.
* The numerous casualties of "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]" were fairly explicitly removed from the story to make way for a wave of new toy/characters.
* Terrorsaur and Scorponok had to be removed — quickly — to make room for the two upcoming Fuzor characters, hence their sudden, blink-and-you-miss-it death in "[[Aftermath]]".
* Airazor and Tigatron were removed for similar reasons. When their plot was finally resolved, it was, surprise, via [[Tigerhawk|a new toy]]!

==Fleshling death==
In general, ''Transformers'' fiction is pretty squeamish about showing the deaths of Earth's organic creatures. But it's a war, and sometimes it does happen. The out-of-universe reasons generally fall into three categories: Consequences of War, Emotional Pathos, and BLOOD IZ KEWL.

The various cartoons tend to show organic death the least, as they are most clearly aimed at, and easily accessible by, children. Comics tend to be less reluctant to show the impact of the Transformers' war on innocent lives, though the death rate varies by series. Latter-day Generation 1 books especially revel in high body counts, because squishing stupid humans is killer and awesome and radical and hardcore. Even the occasional [[Satellite of Doom|children's storybook]] has been known to off mass quantities of the dumb fleshies.

===Animal death===
[[Image:MurderedPuppy02.jpg|right|150px|thumb|One dead dog]]

[[Image:Sparkwar3 Dead noble.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Two dead dogs]]

Cute little animals are almost always killed off for reasons of Emotional Pathos:
* A little girl's pet puppy named [[Pis]] barked at [[Wilder]] and was kicked so hard he died. {{storylink|Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules}}
* The [[Murdered puppy]] was shot down by the Decepticons after running away from Megatron's experiments. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] reminded [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that [[The Fallen]] once shot down a ship full of [[Antilian bumble-puppy|Antilian bumble-puppies]]. (Decepticons have a thing for killing puppies.)
* The dog-like [[Noble]] was shot at by [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] because of his hatred for organics {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}} and was later mourned by his "owner", [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}
* A stray shot from [[Tigatron]] accidentally caused an avalanche which killed his friend [[Snowstalker]]. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}}
* "[[Law of the Jungle]]" also portrays the deaths of four different forest animals (a bug is eaten by a frog, which is eaten by a snake, which is taken off to be eaten by a bird. Later, an orange tiger kills an antelope). This is a rare "Consequences of War" example.
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] also once ate an eagle, {{storylink|Power Surge}} while [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] ate a cute little rat, {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} and nearly ate an antelope as well. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* In order to save [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] had to fight a saber-toothed tiger off a cliff killing it. {{Storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] used [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]'s shield to knock a spikey rock onto a giant spider effectively killing it. She later used [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]]' axe to kill some new born baby spiders. {{Storylink|Along Came a Spider}}
* Human villain [[Trophy White]] had a grisly display of stuffed and mounted animal heads. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}}

{{-}}

===Human death===
[[Image:Razorclawshootsahuman.jpg|right|thumb|150px|This didn't happen much.]]

* Marvel US: The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original Marvel book]] ignored or glossed over human casualties, which were rarely if ever shown; the panel at right, from [[Toy Soldiers!|US #37]], shows a ''very'' unusual instance of a human dying right in front of us. One of the few human(oid)s to die on-panel was [[Galen]], killed off to make way for [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]. ''[[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|Generation 2]]'' was much more explicit about human death, as Bludgeon and later [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked Earth for the purpose of inflicting casualties.
* Marvel UK: The UK-original stories were much less reluctant to show human death; within the first year or so, humans had died in Autobot-induced car wrecks and at the hands of mind-controlled Autobots.
* In every US-aired cartoon series, humans essentially ''never'' die. Even ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'', which features the city of [[Detroit]] getting smashed by robot battles virtually every week, never once mentions humans getting killed.
* Contemporary toyline-based comics (''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Armada]]'', ''[[Energon (comic)|Energon]]'') seem to follow a similar policy, avoiding mention of human death — even when human cities are being directly attacked, as in "[[Multiplicity, Pt. 2]]".
* Japanese cartoons, by contrast, don't seem to mind showing human deaths (or [[Pis|dog deaths]], for that matter).
* The [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1 comics]] really thought it was totally awesome and cool and radical to kill off those stupid humans. Thus, they start off with Megatron smushing some stupid humans. More smushing and killing and blowing up follows. DIE, dumb stubbies, DIE!
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW comics]] managed to avoid this for a long time, showing human death only when it was particularly integral to the plot... then ''[[All Hail Megatron]]'' came down the pike. DIE, stupid fleshies, DIE!
* The live-action [[movie continuity]] implies a great deal of human death. ''Revenge'' mentions a body count of over 9,000 (don't even think about it), and massive damage is done during the battle of [[Mission City]], though little of it is shown on screen. And of course, the first film begins with Blackout wiping out an entire military base. A handful of humans are killed directly on-screen, most notably [[Patrick Donnelly|Donnelly]].
* The alternate timeline arc in Titan's Movie comic featured big wars on Earth and lots of destruction, clearly ''insinuating'' human death while not being explicit. The exceptions were in [[Transformers Comic issue 10|issue 10]], where [[NATO]] is said to be suffering losses of 11,506 and the [[France|Palais Bourbon]] is blown up when people are still clearly inside. [[Sam Witwicky]], meanwhile, was stated to have died.
[[Image:Convoy-kablooie.jpg|right|thumb|150px|They'll, uh, be okay, maybe.]]
* Titan quite blatantly stated that the [[Free Men]] had caused great loss of life at an air base, a rare example of humans killing humans. In the same story, [[Robert Epps]] opened fire on militia men, which kinda implies he was killing them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}} Similarly, [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] of all people was seen zapping humans at close range during a Decepticon attack; with no "oh it was a stun beam" handwave and the 'Cons not pulling punches, it sure seems like he's murdered 'em! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}
* In ''[[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'', several [[Kiss Player]]s were seen being devoured by Legions.
* In [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Transformers: Prime'']] episode "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]," a group of cars being driven by [[MECH|human terrorists]] crash and flip over each other and explode. Previously, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] had ordered his Autobots to engage only with non-lethal force.
{{-}}

==Characters who die a lot==
* [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime]]
* [[Dirge (G1)]] — the unlucky guy who gets [[:Image:Dirge DeathSerpentor.jpg|killed]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathSwarm.jpg|off]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathTimelines.jpg|in]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathUnicron.jpg|many]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathArmada.jpg|continuities]]
* [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] — the unlucky guy who gets killed over and over in the same continuity, but doesn't seem to mind.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] — the unlucky guy from ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' who gets sliced, diced, and fricasseed every other episode only to be fully functional in time to get [[Slag (slang)|slagged]] ''again''. But he never actually dies.
* [[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]], a Go-Bots character transferred to many Transformers comics just to be killed off violently. For no other reason than the lolz of ending his toyline, his universe, and finally his life... repeatedly.
* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)]] — the unlucky [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] [[:Image:Sentinel prime lou.jpg|who]] [[:Image:Sentinel prime dw.jpg|must]] [[Megatron Origin issue 4|die]].
* [[Starscream (Animated)]] - the unlucky guy that constantly gets killed, decapitated, or maimed by others, only to be brought back to life.

==See also==
* [[Transformer funerary practices]]
* [[To sell toys]]

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]

Death

2011-06-04T20:04:20Z

71.22.247.52: /* Human death */

{{disambig2|the end of life|the Horseman of Unicron|Airazor (Armada)}}

[[Image:Battleofautobotcity.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And lo, the children did weep.]]

''Transformers'' is a children's franchise, but at its core, it's a story of war. This means that the '''death''' of major and minor characters sometimes figures into the fiction.

Given the ambiguous nature of [[Transformer]] physiology, there is very little consistency regarding what is fatal to a Transformer, even within a single storyline. Damage that one Transformer might shrug off can prove fatal to another, or even to the same character in a different story. Sometimes just a laser blast or two will do the trick. Other times, characters survive being melted, crushed into cubes, and even utterly disintegrated. It does not take a terribly cynical viewer to conclude that the threshold of survival is generally determined by the needs of the plot.

The out-of-universe reasons for a character's death can vary from plot development to the arrival of [[To sell toys|new toys]]. Conveniently enough for writers who are beholden to the whims of a toy company, the majority of Transformers characters are machines, which means that death isn't necessarily permanent. Across the various universes, characters that appear to have been killed have been known to pop up alive again at a later date, or go through some sort of resurrection.

{{quote|"How can you all be so cold and unfeeling? He died a hero!" "Don't you even have mechanical hearts?" "The humans don't understand! Our form of life is vastly different from theirs!"|[[Spider-Man]], [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]|"[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

==In-fiction causes of death==
[[Image:DEATH.jpg|left|thumb|400px|[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] is just as puzzled as the rest of us.]]

There is little consistency in what can kill a Transformer. Sometimes it takes just a shot. Other times, even totally annihilating a Transformer's body still doesn't do the trick. Even the most basic method of killing, which is to destroy or otherwise cause the loss of a Transformer's [[spark]], varies quite a bit in its details from story to story, character to character, and series to series.
{{--}}
===Weaponsfire===
{{quote|This was almost too easy, Starscream!|[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (like the fandom) is surprised to find how easily Autobots die, ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

[[Image:Tftm1986a.jpg|right|200px|thumb|We're here aboard the Autobot shuttle, where we've secretly replaced Brawn's hyper-dense metal armor plating with styrene plastic. Let's see if anyone can tell the difference.]]

[[Image:TFTM UltraMagnus dies.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Prepare for your death today. Yer gonna die!!]]

[[Image:Magnusdeath.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ow! Hey! Cut it out, guys! That hurts!]]

[[Image:Blades1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Sorry, [[Outpost B-67 exo-structuring party|nameless guy]], your generic nature means you will never be miraculously resurrected.]]

Like humans, Transformers can be killed by damage caused by energy, projectile, and chemical weapons. Just how many shots it takes is widely variable, however.
* In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]]:
** Many casualties of the [[Battle of Autobot City]] (and its run-up), including [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], were victims of energy weapons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} This was quite a change from the cartoon's M.O., wherein the same characters routinely got shot and blasted all the time and shrugged it off, or at worst spent some time in the repair bay. Brawn and Prowl both went down after ''one shot''.
** [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently "dies" after being shot a few times by the [[Sweep]]s, exploding into pieces. He is soon revived by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], however. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** Ultra Magnus dies ''again'', for real this time, after [[Sixshot]] shoots him a few times. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}

* In the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel comics]]:
** [[Impactor]] was cut down by a single head shot from [[Macabre]]. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
** Most deaths in the ''[[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|Generation 2]]'' book occurred from energy weapons, such as [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} as well as numerous generics. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Quite a few victims exploded spectacularly after being shot, including [[Tantrum]], {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]], [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], {{storylink|New Dawn}} and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. {{storylink|Escalation!}}

* In the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon:
** [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] dies after incurring severe damage from numerous [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] weapons. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} The apparent cause of his demise is his refusal to enter protective [[stasis lock]], as other characters have survived similar or worse levels of damage.
** [[Tigerhawk]] is disintegrated by the main cannon of the starship ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. The same cannon subsequently blasts [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]], apparently killing them, though their "death" may be permanent simply because there was nobody around to put them back together. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] dies holding back the [[Hydra Cannon]], the damage causing him to [[:Image:Sshot-arm-39-4.jpg|crumble to dust]]. {{storylink|Crisis}}

* [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] G1 comics: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] is killed by an assassin's blast. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath issue 1|The Age of Wrath #1}} He got better. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}

* [[Movie continuity]]: [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] and [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] both died from weapons fire. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)|Transformers}}

* "[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] gets his face blown off/in by [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 4}}
{{--}}

* [[Universe (2003 comic)|Universe]]: [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] was shot and killed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] during the final battle of the [[Universe War]].

===Big explosions===
{{bigquote|They're going to blow us all to pieces! [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]]'s booby-trapped - packed with enough explosives to level this whole mountain!|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]"}}

Transformers characters often assume that explosions are more lethal than they really are; characters survive explosions all the time. An explosion's messy nature makes a good "out" for a writer to fake a character's death. {{storylink|The Wrath of Grimlock!}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Nevertheless, a few characters have been permanently killed by explosions. (This list omits characters who exploded from within, like Ultra Magnus up above.)
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] was the victim of an interdimensionally triggered explosion that destroyed his body. (In UK continuity, he survived as a raggedy, bodiless head.) {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}}
** In an alternate future, a wounded [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] died in the fiery explosion of a crashing shuttlecraft. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** [[Finback]] was presumably killed in the explosion of a huge gun battery. [[Misfire]] tried to warn him off, and may have been killed in the same explosion. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] was killed when a prototype [[pathblaster]] exploded in his face. {{storylink|Time Wars}}

* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon:
** [[Optimus Primal]] was blown to bits — terminally so — by the [[transwarp]] explosion that destroyed the [[Planet Buster]]. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
** [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] was killed by the explosion that resulted from [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]'s death (either his exploding spark, or the exploding energon shard that pierced it.) {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

* Several of the [[Beast Era]] [[Wrecker]]s ([[Sonar (BW)|Sonar]], [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]], the [[Deployer (BM)|Deployers]]) were destroyed when part of their ship exploded with them in it. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

* Energon: [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] and Storm Jet were killed when Storm Jet caused a massive explosion that engulfed them both.

* ''Prime'': [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] and the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s were blown up by a grenade attached by the Autobots. While it's likely the Vehicons were destroyed, whether Makeshift survived this explosion remains to be seen

===Impact trauma===
Falling off a cliff or mountainside or tall building is usually just as fatal to Transformers as it is to, say... Wile E. Coyote. Only on rare occasion does it result in death:
* ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' continuity: [[Hacksaw]] met his end by falling from a huge communications tower. {{storylink|The New World}}
* IDW G1 continuity: [[Doubledealer]] was shot, fell off a mountain and smashed to bits on impact. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}
* Movie continuity:
**[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] fell off the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] after losing his balance when his arm was shot off, and he shattered to pieces as he tumbled down. ''{{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}''
** [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] was smashed to pieces and killed by being flung into a freeway column. {{storylink|Movie Adaptation Issue Number Four}}
* The [[Beast (G1)|Beast]] fell off a cliff and shattered. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}} At least, we hope that's where and how it ended.
* ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)| Prime]]'': [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] crash-landed after [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] punched out vital components in his alternate mode, reducing his body to a partially transformed scrapheap.

===Crushing===
[[Image:Edgeofextinction-hardheadbombburst.jpg|thumb|right|175px|DO NOT WANT]]
[[Image:TFAni TransWarped LongArm Cliffjumper Cube.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Before time began, there was... THE CUBE.]]

Quite a few characters have been crushed into deactivation:
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] was smashed between [[Unicron]]'s palms, while [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] met a similar fate when they were stepped on by Unicron. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] is apparently killed when a very large building collapses on top of him. {{storylink|Escalation!}}

* [[Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons:
** [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] is killed when caught between two folding sections of Unicron's external armor. {{storylink|Union}}
** [[Shockblast]] is crushed by Unicron's hand on [[Blizzard Planet]]. {{storylink|The Power}}
** His brother [[Six Shot]] meets a similar fate, crushed under the heel of a super-sized Galvatron. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}

* IDW continuity:
** [[Roller (G1)|Roller]] was crushed when Megatron caused an avalanche to fall on him.
** [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]], [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]], and [[Skullcruncher]] were all crushed by [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]].

* ''Animated'' cartoon: [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] is (possibly) killed by a garbage compactor-like crushing device. (An "out" by writer [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick Wyatt]] was intended to show his still-pulsing spark within his cubified remains, but this did not make it into the show, leaving his fate ambiguous at best.) {{storylink|TransWarped}}

===Melting===
[[Image:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Even having a new toy couldn't save Terrorsaur!]]

[[Image:Fallout title.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Primal's diet had gone horribly wrong.]]

They're made of metal; therefore, with enough heat or sufficiently acidic material, they can melt. This is one of the more fool-proof methods of killing a Transformer; few if any have survived it.
* In the G1 cartoon:
** An acid vat would apparently have been enough to destroy Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
** Another acid vat was used to disintegrate living victims of Unicron. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

* In the Marvel comics:
** Victims of the Deception [[smelting pool]]s on Cybertron were reduced by intense heat into their base metals, including [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}
** It is possible that an acid bath from (naturally) [[Blot (G1)|Blot]] offlined [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] [[Makin' Tracks!|(for a while anyway)]]. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}
** [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was partially melted by Unicron's flame-breath and subsequently died. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]] used some kind of acid to rather messily eradicate some of their Decepticon ancestors, including [[Stranglehold]]. {{storylink|New Dawn}}

* In the Beast Era cartoons:
** [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] were apparently melted to death after tumbling into a lava pit within the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]]. {{storylink|Aftermath}}
** Optimus Primal's body was seemingly melted into the floor after his climactic face-off with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. Considering how many god-like forces were unleashed and conflicting during the battle, his demise may be due to more than simple temperature-induced melting. {{storylink|Fallout}}

===Incineration===
{{bigquote|I saw the end! They died in a cosmic funeral pyre!|[[Shawn Berger]], "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2]]"}}

[[Image:Armada 52 - Prime hangon to Galvatron.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Galvatron died to save everyone and came back ''twice''—you lose, [[Jesus]]!]]

Plasma, energy fields, and stellar atmospheres can all utterly destroy a Transformer's body. Like being melted, being reduced to one's component molecules would seem to be a surefire way of getting killed, but quite a few characters seem able to survive the process as ghosts and/or disembodied sparks:
* Generation 1 cartoon: [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s spectacular death at the hands of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] might be categorized as incineration. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

* Quite a few characters met this fate in the Unicron Trilogy, but all survived it in some fashion:
** [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]]'s spark persisted within his burnt-out body when he was dropped into the exploding Unicron. {{storylink|Mortal Combat}} {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}
** [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]]'s body was obliterated by an expanding energon grid, but his spark survived the process and was placed in a new body. {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}}
** [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] was destroyed when he threw himself into a star, but his spark was salvaged by the Autobots and, again, placed in a new body. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
** And finally, Megatron (Galvatron, whatever) threw himself into Primus's new energon sun to prevent Unicron from possessing him, killing himself yet again. {{storylink|The Sun}} This death was so inconsequential that his subsequent resurrection wasn't even explained! {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}}

===Consumption===
{{bigquote|...If we don't find the Matrix, some bad guy's gonna ''eat'' us! Right?|Longtooth, "[[Deadly Obsession]]"}}

[[Image:Wreckers Mutants.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The shocking death of the barely-seen guys with hardly any lines!]]
[[Image:Rocky mecannibal bartender marvel uk 240.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Cannibalism is hilarious, kids!]]

Quite a few critters in the multiverse are equipped to devour giant robots. Being eaten (and, presumably, digested) generally proves fatal:
* In the G1 cartoon:
** Various life forms were routinely devoured by the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s on Quintessa. This included [[Kranix]], a mechanical life form, though not a Transformer. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] would have suffered this fate as well, but fought their way free. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** Quite a few Transformers found their way into Unicron's gullet, though many survived the experience. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

* In the Marvel comic:
** The [[Mecannibal]]s ate robots routinely, including quite a few Transformers during their sojourn on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} {{storylink|Out to Lunch!}} There is some indication that they could actually reconstitute their victims from their "recycled" parts, though this is never explicitly shown. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
** Unicron skewered [[Brainstorm]] and ate him. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The subsurface-dwelling [[demon]]s devoured [[Runabout]]. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The Swarm "devoured" innumerable Cybertronian troopers and a handful of older-generation Transformers as well, though this was through a molecular process almost akin to incineration. {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} {{storylink|Total War!}} {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}

* The Sharkticons killed two of the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]]s by gobbling them up. Or ripping them apart. Or both. We don't really know. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* [[Flanker]] was eaten up and killed by the "Deluxe" Insecticons.

===Disassembly===
[[Image:Jazz DyingAction.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"HERE'S what I think of your resemblance to your G1 counterpart!"]]

Taking a Transformer apart into its component parts can occasionally kill them:
* Marvel comics:
**[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] met this fate in an alternate future, when Swoop used a machine to pull him apart into his component pieces. {{storylink|Another Time and Place}}
**A future version of Ultra Magnus may have been killed when a group of Decepticons mobbed him and ripped him up. {{storylink|Time Wars (issue)}}
* Movie continuity:
**Being ripped in half by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}}
**[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] was killed when Bumblebee ripped his spine out, tearing him apart.
* IDW comic continuity: [[Pyro]] was torn apart and killed while making a final stand against a mass of generic Decpticons. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}
* ''Prime'' cartoon: When fighting [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s zombie army, [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] recommended dissection to [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]] to "cut" them down to size. How this is more effective then just blasting the living slag out of them is still up for debate. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

===Decapitation===
{{main|Decapitation}}

[[Image:Cyclonus death.jpg|thumb|right|150px| "CHUK!" is good, but I could really go for a "Shakkooosh" right about now.]]

Sometimes cutting a Transformer's head off is fatal. Sometimes!
* In the Marvel comics:
** The Megatron clone killed Cyclonus by ripping his head off. {{storylink|Dry Run!}}
** Several of the Wreckers were killed by having their heads ripped or blasted off, including Twin Twist and Topspin, respectively. {{storylink|Time Wars (issue)|Time Wars}}
** [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had his head cut off by a propeller fired by [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]], presumably (given the ''Generation 2'' book's emphasis on body count) killing him. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}

* In the movie continuity:
** Characters frequently die by decapitation of some form: [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}} and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Decapitation was an inconvenience for [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] the first time. The second time, when the blow actually destroyed most of his head, was fatal.

===Vivisection===
[[Image:VictoryUKAnnual.JPG|thumb|right|150px| Ahhhh, there we go...]]

{{bigquote|I have no desire to be carved up into Auto-sushi.|Tracks, "[[Make Tracks]]"}}

Getting chopped in half is pretty graphic for a kids' story, even one about robots, so it doesn't happen very often.
* Marvel comics: In a dream sequence, [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] slices [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in half, killing him. {{storylink|Victory!}}
* Japanese G1 cartoon: [[Predaking]] gets sliced in half by Dai Atlas. The strike dissects what appears to be an organic brain in his head. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
* ''Beast Wars Metals'': Terrorsaur was killed by being sliced in half by Primal's mace. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}
* Movie continuity: [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] dies when [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] slices his car mode in two. [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] slices [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]] in half at the chest. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

===Destruction of brain===
{{bigquote|Next strike in the neural cluster, yes? Weakest spot on ''all'' Transformers...|[[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], "[[Fire on High!]]"}}

In the early days of the franchise, a Transformer's life force was sometimes understood to be entirely contained within their [[brain module]], most prominently in the Marvel comics. Destroying the brain would kill the Transformer. This premise was eventually passed over in favor of the more esoteric concept of [[spark]]s.
* In the Marvel comics:
** In an alternate future, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] is blasted by [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], who kills him by extracting and crushing his brain module. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** The [[Throttlebot]]s ''avoid'' death by having their brain modules removed from their bodies shortly before their bodies are destroyed (by crushing). {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}

===Destruction of spark===
{{bigquote|RAW energon! Right through your twisted spark!|Depth Charge to Rampage, "[[Nemesis Part 1]]"}}

[[Image:Skyfallwontbethereforit.jpg|thumb|right|200px|And then he hung Skyfall from his ceiling.]]

Getting stabbed right through the spark is almost always fatal:
* In ''Beast Wars'': The supposedly immortal Rampage was killed when Depth Charge pierced his spark with an energon blade. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* ''[[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]]'': [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] died when [[Alpha Trion (SG)|Alpha Trion]] rammed his sword right through his chest. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 6}}
*Energon: [[Constructicon Maximus]] was killed when [[Storm Jet (Energon)|Storm Jet]] impaled and crushed his spark.
* ''Cybertron'': [[Megatron (Armada)#Cybertron cartoon|Galvatron]] died after being impaled with [[Rhisling]] by [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Unfinished}}
* Movie continuity: Optimus Prime died from a stab wound through the chest, quickly followed by a cannon blast through the spark chamber from Megatron's swordcannon weapon.[[The Fallen]] also met his end when Optimus punched through his chest and crushed his spark. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* ''Beast Machines'' continuity: [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] - already reduced to a spark within the matrix - ceased to be when Megatron annihilated his spark from existence. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
* [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's Movie comics]]: Transformers have forcefields shielding their sparks, which can be externalized to protect bodywork. Jazz loved doing this, leaving him far more vulnerable to death by destruction of spark than he would otherwise be. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 6|Lost in Space 4: Jazz}}

===Loss of spark===
{{bigquote|Warning. Further expenditure will result in permanent loss of spark. Stasis lock ''must'' commence.|[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s internal computer, "[[Code of Hero]]"}}

Sometimes sparks can survive outside of a body; sometimes they cannot. In the Beast Era, there is some indication that a spark left outside a body will soon begin to return to the Matrix/AllSpark/another dimension.
* When Dinobot expires after his final battle, his Spark is seen exiting his body. The implication is that a sufficiently damaged body can no longer hold a spark within this dimension. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* ''Beast Machines'' subsequently showed living sparks existing outside of bodies on a regular basis. The sparkless bodies were simply considered shells, rather than "dead".
* ''Animated'' cartoon: Prowl dies when he intentionally relinquishes his own spark. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}
* Movie continuity: Jetfire rips out his own spark chamber to give Optimus a fighting chance. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

===Energy overload===
{{bigquote|We may need energon for power, but this is too much of a good thing.|[[Optimus Primal]], "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]"}}

[[Image:TFAnimated transformandrollout DEATH.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Death — the Optimus version of a power nap.]]
[[Image:Underbaseallmine.jpg|thumb|right|200px|He's got an Underbase in his underpants.]]

The average [[human]] needs a lot of [[water]] to survive. But too much water results in [[wikipedia:Water intoxication|a horrible death]]. Similarly, Transformers need energy to survive, but too much of it can be a very bad thing. Sometimes it's just plain old energy; other times it some special god-like force that does them in.
* In the Marvel comics:
** An [[Underbase]]-empowered Starscream slaughtered dozens of Transformers with energy blasts, {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}} which reportedly burned out millions of their [[microchip]]s. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}} Some Transformers were seen to recover from these attacks, either via conventional repairs {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} or through the power of [[nucleon]]. {{storylink|The Void! (US)}}
** Starscream himself was killed when he absorbed all the energies of the Underbase. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}
** [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] was apparently killed when struck by a blast of energy from the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], though the physical effect was more like being hit by an especially powerful laser blast. {{storylink|All Fall Down (issue)}}

* ''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon: [[Sixknight]] died from an overcharge of BlackZarak's Devil Power. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}
* IDW G1 continuity: [[Runabout]] dies when one of the [[Reaper]]s zaps him full of energy, causing him to explode from within. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
* Movie continuity: [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was killed when [[Sam Witwicky]] shoved the [[AllSpark]] into his chest. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)|Transformers}}
* ''Transformers Animated'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] got caught in an explosion of [[AllSpark]] energy that may have been sufficient to kill him, although he also fell off a very tall building immediately afterwards (Starscream was caught in the same explosion and survived, but was knocked offline for an unspecified period.)

===Energy depletion===
On rare occasion, Transformers can simply run out of energy completely and expire.
* Marvel comics: the ancient [[Overlord (rank)|Overlord]] died from a lack of energy. {{storylink|State Games}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] explains that a lack of energon causes the Transformer equivalent of aging, such as rusting joints, mental confusion, and pieces falling apart, followed by an indefinite period of stasis that can only be reversed by an infusion of Allspark energy. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

===Suicide===
Sometimes a Transformers kills himself for some reason.
* Marvel comics
** Megatron seemingly killed himself using a [[space bridge]] though it was later revealed that he survived.
** Dirge and Nightbeat self destructed and destroyed themselves in a last ditch attempt to destroy the Swarm.
* Beast Wars
** [[Tigerhawk]] sacrificed himself by hurling himself in the way of a fusion cannon blast from the Nemesis.
* Energon: Galvatron, Starscream, and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] threw themselves into a sun and vaporized themselves. [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] and Demolishor may have also done this.

==Non-fatal deactivation==
{{quote|"You mean he's still alive?!" "No! But neither is he what you would term 'dead'!"|[[Spider-Man]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], "[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

[[Image:Zombiesbackfromthedead.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Braiiiiiin mooooodulllllles....]]

For almost every single cause of death listed above, there's been one or more Transformers who have survived it, sometimes without so much as a period of unconsciousness.

In particular, "deactivation" is the Transformers equivalent of being in a coma. Numerous Transformers are seen to enter this state and eventually recover, such as the Autobots deactivated by Shockwave, {{storylink|The Last Stand}} who later were repaired. However, the line between death and deactivation is a blurry one. Sometimes the two words are used interchangeably, even in reference to characters who are later revived. Most of Starscream's Underbase victims were described as deactivated, and were sometimes lamented as "dead" while at other times were shown undergoing repairs. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}

"[[Stasis lock]]" would eventually give a more concrete name to the state of deactivation. The inert Transformers on the crashed Ark were retconned as being in stasis lock. Various ''Beast Wars'' characters would go into stasis lock to maintain their spark when their body had sustained too much damage from weaponsfire or energon absorption. ''Animated'' showed a crew of Autobots voluntarily entering protective stasis lock in anticipation of a crash landing.

Some of the quasi-fatal things which can cause a Transformer to "deactivate" include:

===Impact trauma===
Smashing into something usually knocks out a Transformer, but almost never actually kills them:
* The crew of the original [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] is deactivated when the ship crashes on Earth and lies inert for 4 million years {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)}}
* Marvel comics: [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] falls to his "death", but is patched together and talking again in short order. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

===Decapitation===
[[Image:Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg|thumb|200px|In the movie continuity, this would've been fatal. In ''Animated'', it's just embarrassing.]]

{{bigquote|Anyone who can lop your head off in one blow is alright by me!|[[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] jokes about [[Cloudburst]]'s near-death experience, "[[Recipe for Disaster!]]"}}

Like we said before, decapitation is sometimes fatal... and other times it isn't.
* Marvel comic:
** Optimus Prime was able to survive as just a head when Shockwave separated it from his body in an effort to get the Creation Matrix. {{storylink|The New Order}}
**[[Cloudburst]] was abruptly decapitated by sword, but was just fine after some repairs. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
* G1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was disassembled into his component parts, but functioned just fine as nothing more than a head once [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] connected a few wires. {{storylink|City of Steel}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] survives having his head blasted or otherwise knocked off multiple times, {{storylink|Spider's Game}} {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Code of Hero}} and even put it back on himself one time. He even accidently swapped heads with Megatron once. Megatron was not amused. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}
* IDW G1 continuity: [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] was just fine when one of the Reapers whacked his head off. (He didn't fare so well when another Reaper crushed his head with a boulder, however.) {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
* ''Animated'' cartoon: Decapitated victims of the ''Animated'' [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] rarely show any ill effects other than not having a body anymore. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}} {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

===Dismemberment===
Transformers get ripped to pieces all the time, and recover from it:
* Marvel comic: Scorponok tears [[Tantrum]] to pieces. [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] slices [[Horri-Bull]] in half at the waist. Both are seen alive later on. {{storylink|Cold War!}}
* Last Stand of the Wreckers: [[Guzzle]] is torn in half by [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and is easily repaired.

===Spark removal===
{{bigquote|His spark can't exist outside a living body!|[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], "[[Optimal Situation]]"}}

A Transformer's spark—their "soul", their living essence—can be removed from their body, or the body can be destroyed around them
* The destruction of Starscream's body, and his subsequent survival as a ghost, was eventually retconned to be his Spark enduring without a physical form. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Tigatron and Airazor's sparks spent quite some time wandering around behind Tigerhawk, before combining and entering his body. {{storylink|Other Victories}}

* In the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon:
** Megatron de-sparked most of Cybertron's population and stored their sparks in a big barrel. Most were restored to bodies eventually. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}
** Blackarachnia's spark wandered around bodiless for a time. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}}
** Megatron himself, his spark in a depolarized state, wandered the surface of Cybertron without a body for a time. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

The treatment of bodiless sparks in ''Beast Machines'' is seen by some fans as contradicting the canon established by ''Beast Wars'', particularly the quote above.

===Limbo===
Sometimes Transformers get shunted out of creation as we know it, and into various alternate, sub- and non-dimensions.
* Marvel comics:
** The [[Trans-Time Dimensional Portal]] crosses [[unspace]], "a bit of dimensional nothingness" where Ratchet and Megatron vanished and were believed dead. {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}
** Transformers mass-displaced by time travel wind up in a formless dimension known as [[Limbo]].
* IDW comics: Megatron severely damaged Optimus Prime in battle and planned on finishing him off by crushing his [[Laser core|spark core]]. Optimus Prime feigned death by downloading his "consciousness" into his [[Combat Deck|trailer section]], causing his [[Brain Center|robot mode]] to appear dead. In the time it took for Prime's consciousness to transfer to his trailer, he briefly entered [[infraspace|limbo]], the transitional infraspace between life and death. {{storylink|Escalation (IDW)|Escalation}}
*Generation 1 cartoon:
**Come on, we all know what REALLY happened to the likes of Seaspray and Tracks.

==Resuscitation==
Robots are machines. They can be switched off, taken apart, blown to bits, and put back together. Ergo, in many continuities and cases, "death" is not nearly as permanent a condition as it is for us fragile fleshy types.

===Reconstruction===
[[Image:PeoplePower-reprogrammed.jpg|thumb|right|250px| ]]

{{bigquote|I've done it! Optimus Prime lives!|A random Quintesson, "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]"}}

* Generation 1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was simply ''repaired'' back to life by a Quintesson. Some fixing of this and that, a burst of power, and boom, suddenly he was alive again. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}
* Marvel Comics: Optimus Prime's mind was encoded on a disk. After a new [[Powermaster]] body was constructed for him, the disk's contents were loaded into it, and Optimus Prime lived again. (One wonders why they couldn't make as many Optimus Primes as they pleased.) {{storylink|People Power!}}

===Spark transfer===
Transferring a Transformer's spark into a new body constitutes a form of resurrection, particularly if the Transformer's previous body was destroyed.
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Optimus Primal was restored to life when Rhinox managed to recall his spark from the Matrix, a special circumstance only enabled by a temporary window into transwarp space. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}
* "Beast Machines" various Vehicon generals were brought to life by placing other Transformer's sparks into them.
* ''Armada'' Smokescreen was shot through the chest at point blank range by the Requiem Blaster {{storylink|Sacrifice}} but his spark survived and was put into a new body. {{storylink|Regeneration}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Inferno and Demolishor both had their bodies ''atomized''; however, their sparks both survived, and were placed into new bodies. (The upshot of all of this is that it's nigh-impossible to kill a Unicron Trilogy Transformer, unless they do it themselves.) {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}} {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
* ''Animated'' cartoon: The spark of a dying [[Yoketron]] was placed into a new protoform body by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]; however, Yoketron consciously chose to let his life end, and expired anyway. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

==="Magical" substances===
* Marvel Comics: The miraculous healing properties of Nucleon brought many Autobots back to life, as well as a few Decepticons. {{storylink|The Void! (US)}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Megatron was revived by the all-encompassing power of energon, as was Unicron. {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}

===Primus and Primus-related powers===
{{bigquote|Where the Last Autobot is concerned, even death, it would appear, is an abstract concept!|Optimus Prime explains his latest revival, "[[End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!]]"}}

Anything tied to the primordial life-force of the Transformers' god Primus tends to be a cure-all for death. This includes Primus himself, his various power-wielding avatars and servants, and the assorted Matrixes and Allsparks, all of which can deliver an infusion of the essence of life itself. In some continuities, this is parsed as a Transformer's spark being brought back out of the Allspark dimension.

[[Image:RageInHeaven-HeroPrime.jpg|thumb|right|150px|]]

* In the Marvel comics:
** The [[Last Autobot]] was granted the power of recreation by Primus, which he used to raise numerous fallen Autobots from the battlefield. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)}}
** Optimus Prime was eager to find the lost Creation Matrix, stating that it would be able to restore many deactivated warriors to life. {{storylink|Bird of Prey!}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]] after it had ingested the energies and knowledge of the Matrix. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}

* In the movie continuity:
** The Allspark is shown repeatedly to be capable of restoring just about anything. Frenzy gets a whole new body from its power, {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}} and Megatron is restored to life by merely a fragment of it. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the Matrix of Leadership, an Allspark-related talisman. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: [[Optimus Primal]]'s body was destroyed, but the AllSpark granted him the choice of uniting with it or being reborn. He chose the latter, and ''poof'', just walked right out of the Oracle bubble in a brand new version of his previous body. {{storylink|Fallout}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] was brought back to life by the power of the [[Mini-Con]]s after his body was disintegrated. {{storylink|Miracle}}
* "[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] was resurrected when he and his gestaltmates were combined together and reborn by Primus into [[Nexus Prime]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 5}} Nexus Prime then brought [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] back from the other side of the Allspark and infused him with some of Primus's power to become Galvatron. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 6}}

===Zombies===
* Dude, [[zombie]]s!

==Immortality==
===Immortal sparks===
Certain sparks have mutant qualities that allow them to, potentially, exist forever.
* Starscream survived his death at the hands of Galvatron; this was later explained as him having a "mutant indestructible spark". {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}} {{storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] was created as an attempt to duplicate Starscream's immortal spark. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} He was eventually killed by [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], so the attempt may be seen as unsuccessful. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

===Other===
* [[Multiversal singularity|Multiversal singularities]] such as [[Unicron]] and [[The Fallen]] can be killed off in one dimension, only to still be alive and well in another (or many others), due to the varying properties of different dimensions (reverse-time dimensions, for example, are key to revival of the singularities).
* ''Animated'' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] could not be killed so long as he retained his Allspark fragment embedded in his forehead.
* Denizens of the [[Dead Universe]] could essentially regenerate themselves out of nothing, no matter how much damage was inflicted on them. This ability appears to no longer apply, post-[[Expansion]], except when in direct proximity to the Dead Universe.
* Thunderwing's Pretender shell seemed to make him near invincible. At the very lest able to withstand incredible amounts of salvo and not even flinch.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] can never completely die no matter what for some reason.

==Out-of-fiction causes of character death==
===Drama / character culmination===
At its best, character death can be a moving plot development, the fruition of an ongoing character arc.
* Suspecting that they would have to remove a character from the show, the writers of ''Beast Wars'' began planning for Dinobot's death several episodes ahead of time. Thus, when it came, it was the outcome of the character's own choices, flaws, and history, and played a crucial role in the show's plot. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* Sunstreaker's death in ''[[All Hail Megatron]]'' is intended to follow a similar style of arc... only it's missing the whole choices, flaws and history thing. Oh well!
* Optimus Primal's death(s) in ''Beast Machines'' are likewise the outcome of his own choices and character. {{storylink|End of the Line}} {{storylink| Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}} His death in ''Beast Wars'', by contrast, was more a moment of dramatic pathos — knowingly walking into danger, his enemy got the better of him. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

===Consequences of war===
It's hard to take a war story seriously when nobody actually dies. The reality of war can be more readily portrayed when characters die. [[Generic]]s are particularly handy for this, allowing death to be shown while not removing primary characters (retail toys!) from the story. The results can range from high drama and pathos to numbingly pointless body counts.
* Impactor's death was used to drive home the threat of the Decepticons as well as the risks taken by the Autobots and their commanders. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
* The ''Generation 2'' book featured several deaths which drove home the realities of war. Most notably, Red Alert's destruction served to make Grimlock acutely aware of just how badly he'd screwed up. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}}

===Increased threat===
An enemy that kills is an enemy to be taken seriously. Thus a writer will frequently throw in some preliminary deaths to point out how seriously the bad guy should be treated.
* The generic who dies at the beginning of "[[City of Fear!]]" serves to show the zombies as a true life-threatening menace.
* Likewise for Runabout's death at the hands of the demons ; {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} knowing they can devour a Transformer makes the reader more concerned about the Dinobots' subsequent fate. {{storylink|Still Life!}}
* In "[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] makes corpses in practically every scene he's in!

===Cast thinning===
Transformers stories are notorious for acquiring gigantic casts as they roll on; Generation 1 was particularly notorious for this because of its longevity. A simple way to make things more manageable was simply to kill off large numbers of characters in battle. Examples are rife in the fiction, especially the Marvel Comics.

* In the Marvel comics:
** The "[[Time Wars (issue)|Time Wars]]" storyline got rid of the [[Wrecker]]s and quite a few Decepticons as well.
** The [[Underbase Saga]] even more explicitly cleared out dozens of characters, leaving perhaps 2 dozen characters from each faction in the story.
** The battle with Unicron in "[[On the Edge of Extinction!]]" likewise got rid of a lot of older characters, leaving the story free to concentrate on more of a core cast (and associated newer toy characters.)
* [[Betrayal|Wreckers #2]] dealt with its oversized cast by killing off scads of characters right up front.

===Clear space for new toys===
{{main|To sell toys}}

Some fiction has an inherently limited capacity for characters. ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' are by far the most prominent examples; their CGI animation made character animation expensive and necessitated removing an old character before a new one could be brought in. But any medium can be susceptible to this toy-driven phenomena.
* The numerous casualties of "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]" were fairly explicitly removed from the story to make way for a wave of new toy/characters.
* Terrorsaur and Scorponok had to be removed — quickly — to make room for the two upcoming Fuzor characters, hence their sudden, blink-and-you-miss-it death in "[[Aftermath]]".
* Airazor and Tigatron were removed for similar reasons. When their plot was finally resolved, it was, surprise, via [[Tigerhawk|a new toy]]!

==Fleshling death==
In general, ''Transformers'' fiction is pretty squeamish about showing the deaths of Earth's organic creatures. But it's a war, and sometimes it does happen. The out-of-universe reasons generally fall into three categories: Consequences of War, Emotional Pathos, and BLOOD IZ KEWL.

The various cartoons tend to show organic death the least, as they are most clearly aimed at, and easily accessible by, children. Comics tend to be less reluctant to show the impact of the Transformers' war on innocent lives, though the death rate varies by series. Latter-day Generation 1 books especially revel in high body counts, because squishing stupid humans is killer and awesome and radical and hardcore. Even the occasional [[Satellite of Doom|children's storybook]] has been known to off mass quantities of the dumb fleshies.

===Animal death===
[[Image:MurderedPuppy02.jpg|right|150px|thumb|One dead dog]]

[[Image:Sparkwar3 Dead noble.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Two dead dogs]]

Cute little animals are almost always killed off for reasons of Emotional Pathos:
* A little girl's pet puppy named [[Pis]] barked at [[Wilder]] and was kicked so hard he died. {{storylink|Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules}}
* The [[Murdered puppy]] was shot down by the Decepticons after running away from Megatron's experiments. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] reminded [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that [[The Fallen]] once shot down a ship full of [[Antilian bumble-puppy|Antilian bumble-puppies]]. (Decepticons have a thing for killing puppies.)
* The dog-like [[Noble]] was shot at by [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] because of his hatred for organics {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}} and was later mourned by his "owner", [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}
* A stray shot from [[Tigatron]] accidentally caused an avalanche which killed his friend [[Snowstalker]]. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}}
* "[[Law of the Jungle]]" also portrays the deaths of four different forest animals (a bug is eaten by a frog, which is eaten by a snake, which is taken off to be eaten by a bird. Later, an orange tiger kills an antelope). This is a rare "Consequences of War" example.
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] also once ate an eagle, {{storylink|Power Surge}} while [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] ate a cute little rat, {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} and nearly ate an antelope as well. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* In order to save [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] had to fight a saber-toothed tiger off a cliff killing it. {{Storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] used [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]'s shield to knock a spikey rock onto a giant spider effectively killing it. She later used [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]]' axe to kill some new born baby spiders. {{Storylink|Along Came a Spider}}
* Human villain [[Trophy White]] had a grisly display of stuffed and mounted animal heads. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}}

{{-}}

===Human death===
[[Image:Razorclawshootsahuman.jpg|right|thumb|150px|This didn't happen much.]]

* Marvel US: The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original Marvel book]] ignored or glossed over human casualties, which were rarely if ever shown; the panel at right, from [[Toy Soldiers!|US #37]], shows a ''very'' unusual instance of a human dying right in front of us. One of the few human(oid)s to die on-panel was [[Galen]], killed off to make way for [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]. ''[[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|Generation 2]]'' was much more explicit about human death, as Bludgeon and later [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked Earth for the purpose of inflicting casualties.
* Marvel UK: The UK-original stories were much less reluctant to show human death; within the first year or so, humans had died in Autobot-induced car wrecks and at the hands of mind-controlled Autobots.
* In every US-aired cartoon series, humans essentially ''never'' die. Even ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'', which features the city of [[Detroit]] getting smashed by robot battles virtually every week, never once mentions humans getting killed.
* Contemporary toyline-based comics (''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Armada]]'', ''[[Energon (comic)|Energon]]'') seem to follow a similar policy, avoiding mention of human death — even when human cities are being directly attacked, as in "[[Multiplicity, Pt. 2]]".
* Japanese cartoons, by contrast, don't seem to mind showing human deaths (or [[Pis|dog deaths]], for that matter).
* The [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1 comics]] really thought it was totally awesome and cool and radical to kill off those stupid humans. Thus, they start off with Megatron smushing some stupid humans. More smushing and killing and blowing up follows. DIE, dumb stubbies, DIE!
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW comics]] managed to avoid this for a long time, showing human death only when it was particularly integral to the plot... then ''[[All Hail Megatron]]'' came down the pike. DIE, stupid fleshies, DIE!
* The live-action [[movie continuity]] implies a great deal of human death. ''Revenge'' mentions a body count of over 9,000 (don't even think sbout it), and massive damage is done during the battle of [[Mission City]], though little of it is shown on screen. And of course, the first film begins with Blackout wiping out an entire military base. A handful of humans are killed directly on-screen, most notably [[Patrick Donnelly|Donnelly]].
* The alternate timeline arc in Titan's Movie comic featured big wars on Earth and lots of destruction, clearly ''insinuating'' human death while not being explicit. The exceptions were in [[Transformers Comic issue 10|issue 10]], where [[NATO]] is said to be suffering losses of 11,506 and the [[France|Palais Bourbon]] is blown up when people are still clearly inside. [[Sam Witwicky]], meanwhile, was stated to have died.
[[Image:Convoy-kablooie.jpg|right|thumb|150px|They'll, uh, be okay, maybe.]]
* Titan quite blatantly stated that the [[Free Men]] had caused great loss of life at an air base, a rare example of humans killing humans. In the same story, [[Robert Epps]] opened fire on militia men, which kinda implies he was killing them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}} Similarly, [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] of all people was seen zapping humans at close range during a Decepticon attack; with no "oh it was a stun beam" handwave and the 'Cons not pulling punches, it sure seems like he's murdered 'em! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}
* In ''[[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'', several [[Kiss Player]]s were seen being devoured by Legions.
* In [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Transformers: Prime'']] episode "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]," a group of cars being driven by [[MECH|human terrorists]] crash and flip over each other and explode. Previously, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] had ordered his Autobots to engage only with non-lethal force.
{{-}}

==Characters who die a lot==
* [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime]]
* [[Dirge (G1)]] — the unlucky guy who gets [[:Image:Dirge DeathSerpentor.jpg|killed]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathSwarm.jpg|off]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathTimelines.jpg|in]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathUnicron.jpg|many]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathArmada.jpg|continuities]]
* [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] — the unlucky guy who gets killed over and over in the same continuity, but doesn't seem to mind.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] — the unlucky guy from ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' who gets sliced, diced, and fricasseed every other episode only to be fully functional in time to get [[Slag (slang)|slagged]] ''again''. But he never actually dies.
* [[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]], a Go-Bots character transferred to many Transformers comics just to be killed off violently. For no other reason than the lolz of ending his toyline, his universe, and finally his life... repeatedly.
* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)]] — the unlucky [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] [[:Image:Sentinel prime lou.jpg|who]] [[:Image:Sentinel prime dw.jpg|must]] [[Megatron Origin issue 4|die]].
* [[Starscream (Animated)]] - the unlucky guy that constantly gets killed, decapitated, or maimed by others, only to be brought back to life.

==See also==
* [[Transformer funerary practices]]
* [[To sell toys]]

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]

Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification

2011-05-31T21:10:23Z

71.22.247.52: /* Animation and technical errors */

{{episode
|series=Victory
|ep=37
|image=Fortressvsunification.jpg
|title="Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification"
|japanese=激突! 要塞VSビクトリー合体
|romaji=Gekitotsu! Yōsai VS Victory Gattai
|production code=
|production company=[[TakaraTomy|Takara]], [[Toei]]
|airdate=12 December 1989
|writer=[[Hiroyuki Hoshiyama]]
|director=[[Hiromichi Matano]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''Star Saber and Deathsaurus engage in their greatest battle yet, and everything rests on Jean's shoulders as Earth hovers on the brink of destruction!'''

:''Omni Productions dub name:'' "'''Seek and Destroy the Space City'''"
:''Also known as:'' "'''Charge! The Fortress Against the Victory Combination'''"

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Victory37 goryudefects.jpg|left|180px|thumb|]]
With [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]]'s [[Planet-Destroying Fortress]] active and raining meteors down upon the [[Earth]] and [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] missing in action, the [[Multiforce]] and [[Rescue Patrol Team|Rescue Team]] are left to protect the planet on their own. The Multiforce merge into [[Landcross (Victory)|Landcross]] to stop a meteor from crashing on top of the [[Shuttle Base]], but are caught in the explosion and badly injured themselves. As the Rescue Team hurry to and fro tending to the wounded, the injured [[Gōryū]] comes to in the medical bay and requests an audience with any [[Autobot]]. [[Jean Minakaze|Jean]] comes to his side, and Gōryū gives him the plans to the power source of Deathsaurus's fortress as a means of paying back the Decepticon leader for abandoning them. With all the other Autobots occupied, Jean realizes that he is the only one who can perform this task, but as he boards the [[Galaxy Shuttle]] with the ''[[Illumina II]]'', [[Holi]] spots him and follows him aboard. Jean explains his plan to Holi, and the pair resolve to see it through to the end.

[[Image:Victory37 destroyermode.jpg|right|180px|thumb|]]
Out in space, Deathsaurus's fortress looms ever nearer to the Earth, and at the villain's instruction, [[Liokaiser]] initiates its transformation into its even-more-powerful Destroyer Mode. As the fortress shifts and changes, the inert form of Victory Saber, lying atop its hull where he crash-landed, is jarred back into the waking world. Realization dawns upon the horrified Victory Saber that Deathsaurus plans to eliminate the Earth with one shot of the fortress's main cannon, and he flies into action once more, attempting to destroy the cannon. Although his blasts have no effect, Deathsaurus dispatches Liokaiser to occupy Victory Saber as the minutes tick by until the cannon fully charges. Jean and Holi arrive just as the two combatants clash, and Star Saber disconnects from [[Victory Leo]], leaving him to fight Liokaiser while Star Saber covers his son's entrance into the fortress. Victory Leo and Liokaiser's battle is a brutal one, but in the end, the Autobot succeeds in blasting the combiner into the fortress's cannon barrel, which, still charging, drains his energy dry. With his consciousness fading and his body unable to move, Liokaiser can only utter a fading scream for help as he drifts off into the depths of space.

[[Image:Victory37 finalblow.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Leakin' Lubricant!]]
Meanwhile, Jean successfully pilots the ''Illumina II'' into the heart of the fortress, where he wires his vessel to explode and take out the power core. Ejecting from the mech, Jean beats a retreat in his spacesuit, and the ''Illumina II'' goes up in flames just seconds before Deathsaurus fires his cannon. As the power core is torn to pieces, the fortress's weapons deactivate, and Star Saber swoops into the fortress to find Jean. Before he can locate his son, however, he is confronted by the enraged Deathsaurus himself, and the two leaders engage in a ferocious final battle that stretches across the fortress. Every weapon in the two warriors' arsenals is unleashed until Star Saber blasts out one of Deathsaurus's eyes with his head-cannons, then takes advantage of the villain's hampered sight to stab him through the chest and break his sword off in the wound. Deathsaurus rips out the blade but collapses, gushing oil.

[[Image:Victory37 deadsaurus.jpg|right|180px|thumb|]]
Victory Leo and Holi venture inside the fortress to search for Jean and come across the boy just as he wakes up from a nightmare vision of [[Illumina]] dying in the fortress's attack on Earth. Holi takes Jean to safety outside as Victory Leo heads off to look for Star Saber, but just as the young pair exit the fortress, a huge door slams shut behind them. The same occurs all throughout the fortress, trapping Star Saber in the control room, where Deathsaurus communicates with him through a holographic projection. Refusing to lose, Deathsaurus has set the fortress on a collision course with Earth, intending to destroy the
planet and Star Saber with it! Deathsaurus, however, will not accept defeat, and blows himself out of an airlock...but as his shattered body floats off through space, the light dims from his eyes, and no signs of life remain in the body of the once-great [[Emperor of Destruction]].

[[Image:Victory37 saberfireguts.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Kaiō-ken!]]
In the control room, Star Saber desperately opens fire on the door, but cannot break through. Victory Leo and Jean contact him over his communicator, and Victory Leo is able to home in on his position and break into the room through the glass viewscreen. Now knowing that Jean is safely out of the fortress, Star Saber resolves to destroy it even at the cost of his own life, and Victory Leo agrees. The pair merge into jet-mode Victory Saber, and with their enhanced power, smash through the walls of the fortress, unleashing an unbelievable stream of missiles, bombs, cannons, lasers, machine guns and more, tearing the deadly craft apart from within. Bursting through the hull and out into space, the duo disconnect and recombine as robot-mode Victory Saber, concentrating all their energy for one final charge at the fortress's main cannon. Blazing with flaming energy, Victory Saber crashes into the fortress's cannon and releases all his power, vanishing in a burst of light as he finally destroys the fortress in a silent cosmic firestorm.

[[Image:Victory37 happyend.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Awww, bunnies!]]
Down on the surface of the Earth, the flare of light from the fortress's destruction catches the attention of Illumina, who stands amongst a group of injured refugees. As they all watch the sky, Galaxy Shuttle descends, and a short time later, Illumina and Jean have a happy reunion. As she praises him for his heroic deed, Jean tells her that he did it to save her. Holi chimes in that really, it was to save the Earth, but as the Shuttle Base comes rolling over the horizon, the disembodied voice of Star Saber wistfully declares that striving to save the ones you love is the emotion that will truly save the world.

Time passes...

[[Image:Victory37 starsaberlives.jpg|left|180px|thumb|]]
With the Earth saved, Jean reports on the fates of all their allies. The [[Brainmaster|Brainmasters]] are appointed commanders of the Sector One defense force. The Multiforce are assigned to the [[Vega Sector]] and collectively promoted to governor. The Rescue Team have returned to planet [[Micro]]. [[Greatshot]] returned to being a mercenary and has not been seen since the [[Silvart War]], but Jean is sure he's okay. Gōryū has become a construction foreman on Earth, with most of the [[Dinoforce]] working with him—except for [[Kakuryū]], who has started working at an amusement park and is very popular with the children there. Jean himself is in the next grade at school and is still in the same class as Illumina.

But...what of Star Saber...?

Why, he's more active than ever as Supreme Commander of the Autobots!

LET'S SAY GO!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Galaxy Shuttle]] (1)
*[[Machtackle]] (2)
*[[Dashtacker]] (3)
*[[Fire]] (4)
*[[Wingwaver]] (5)
*[[Gōryū]] (6)
*[[Gairyū]] (7)
*[[Kakuryū]] (8)
*[[Rairyū]] (9)
*[[Yokuryū]] (10)
*[[Doryū]] (11)
*[[Tacker]] (12)
*[[Dash (Victory)|Dash]] (13)
*[[Tackle]] (14)
*[[Mach]] (15)
*[[Waver]] (16)
*[[Wing (Victory)|Wing]] (17)
*[[Landcross (Victory)|Landcross]] (18)
*[[Pīpō]] (20)
*[[Blacker]] (21)
*[[Braver]] (22)
*[[Laster]] (23)
*[[Holi]] (24)
*[[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] (27)
*[[Victory Leo]] (28)
*[[Boater]] (37)
*[[Clipper]] (38)

|c2=
*[[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] (25)
*[[Liokaiser]] (26)

|c3=
*[[Jean Minakaze]] (19)
*[[Illumina]] (31)
*[[Joyce]] (32)
*[[Jean's other classmate]] (33)
*[[Clump]] (34)
*[[Headmistress Mabel]] (35)
*[[Rami]] (36)

|h4=[[Breast Animal]]s|c4=
*[[Tigerbreast]] (29)
*[[Eaglebreast]] (30)
}}

==Quotes==
"Your attempt to wipe out the Earth was defeated by just one boy!"
:—'''Star Saber'''

"Your ambitions end here!" 
"My "ambition" is to ''possess your head!''"
:—'''Star Saber''' and '''Deathsaurus''' get about as worked up as anyone ever does in ''Victory''.

{{Note|The following quotes are from the Omni Productions dub.}}

"Maybe we should try it and see if it works or not."
:—'''Holi''' on the disk Gōryū gave Jean.

"Nobody can beat me! Nobody in the Universe, for I am Deathsanraaaaaargh" ''(falls over)''
:—'''Deathsaurus'''

==Notes==
===Lost in translation===
Among the changes made by the [[Omni Productions]] dub:
* Machtackle suggests destroying the incoming meteor instead of moving Shuttle Base.
* According to Jean's voiceover at the end, Landcross is now in charge of training new recruits, and Greatshot has returned to his duties on planet Micro - the image of devastation is left unexplained. The Dinoforce are in charge of garbage collection instead of construction.

===Animation and technical errors===
* A switch Jean flicks lights up a display reading "Autocluse".
* As Deathsaurus is drifting into space, his Decepticon symbol is misdrawn.

===Continuity errors===
*Tigerbreast and Eaglebreast appeared to be disabled by Star Saber's "Psycho Missiles", but a brief moment later, Deathsaurus was wearing them again as a breastplate.

===Transformers references===
* Deathsaurus's fortress was reactivated and the Brainmasters and Victory Saber were injured in the [[The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress!|previous episode]].

* The Dinoforce were abandoned on Earth by Deathsaurus in "[[The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves]]".

===Real world references===
* When Deathsaurus engages Star Saber within the fortress, he accuses Star Saber of "entering my castle with your shoes on," referring, of course, to the Japanese custom of taking one's shoes off upon entering someone's home.

===Trivia===
* Although this episode is the final installment of the ongoing ''Victory'' storyline, it is not the final episode of the series. [[Autobots Forever|One further clip show]] was aired the following week as the final broadcast episode of the series, and a further six were released directly to video.
* For the first time since the [[The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber|first installment]] of the series, this episode does not feature a preview of its content before the title card, instead including the first half-minute of the story.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote|jsubs}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2003 — ''Transformers: Victory'' — DVD Box 02 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — The Takara Collection Vol 3 — ''Transformers: Victory'' ([[Metrodome]]) — Optional commentary by [[Chris McFeely]]. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Takara Collection (Metrodome) — Optional commentary by Chris McFeely. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''The Transformers: Victory'' ([[Madman Entertainment]]) — Optional [[Omni Productions|Omni]] dub. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Japan Generation 1'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) — Optional Omni dub.

[[Category:Victory episodes]]

Ginrai: God On of Rage!!

2011-05-29T02:05:08Z

71.22.247.52: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=Masterforce
|ep=11
|image=Angrygodon.jpg
|caption=Who needs [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]? You've got Ginrai!
|title="Ginrai: God On of Rage!!"
|japanese=ジンライ怒りのゴッドオン!!
|romaji=Ginrai: Ikari no God On!!
|production code=
|production company=[[TakaraTomy|Takara]], [[Toei]]
|writer=[[Yoshihisa Araki]]
|director=[[Katsutoshi Sasaki]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|airdate=[[June 21|21 June]] 1988
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''While Ginrai debates over whether or not to join the Autobots, the Decepticons begin a series of fatal attacks on his trucker friends in an effort to draw him out.'''

:''Omni Productions dub title:'' "'''Turn the Anger to Power'''"
:''Also known as:'' "'''Ginrai's Angry God On'''"

==Synopsis==
[[Image:GodOnofRage Deathball golf.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
When a military jet investigates the appearance of a mysterious "island" in the middle of the ocean, its flight through storm-riddled skies is soon brought to an abrupt end when the object of their investigation turns out to be the [[Decepticon]] base. Perched atop the base are [[Giga]], [[Mega]], [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]], in a bizarre scene—Giga stands poised with a golf club, a large purple sphere resting on a tee by his feet. He drives the ball high into the sky, and it suddenly bursts into flame, smashing through the windshield of the plane, and destroying the aircraft in a massive fireball. This is the Decepticons' newest invention, the [[Deathball]], which Hydra and Buster are ordered to put to use in destroying the new [[Autobot]] [[Godmaster]], [[Ginrai]].

[[Image:GodOnofRage Lander brought wine.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
At the [[Ocean Research Institute of California]], Ginrai and [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]] await the arrival of [[Lander]], who soon arrives to educate Ginrai on the Decepticons. Showing him various newspaper clippings detailing Decepticon attacks, Lander, like Diver before him, tries to convince Ginrai to join the Autobots. Ginrai jokes that he'd rather appear on television, and Lander asks him to do it for the sake of the world—an argument that strikes a chord with Ginrai, who says that he will not become part of the Autobot army and command structure, but promises to fight the Decepticons when they appear. Ginrai departs to complete a delivery job, and Diver relays their progress to [[Metalhawk|Hawk]], who in turn reveals Ginrai's existence to the [[Headmaster Junior|Headmaster Juniors]], telling them that he is sure the trucker will soon join their forces.

[[Image:GodOnofRage Hydra watches truck burn.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Elsewhere in America, Buster and Hydra's search for Ginrai has begun, as they launch Deathball attacks on numerous tractor trailers in an attempt to locate him. A pair of truckers named [[Cougar and Dan]] meet their end in a blaze of fire when their truck is destroyed... but this is totally unknown to Ginrai, who has met with fellow trucker [[Billy Husky]] at a gas station, and arranges to meet him for a drink that evening at the [[Barr Nellison]], a favorite haunt of his fellow [[Union Transportation]] drivers. Unbeknownst to either man, it's a drink that will never be had, as Billy, on his last delivery of the day, finds himself pursued by a massive big rig that ultimately forces him off the road. Billy's truck fishtails and explodes; and from within the big rig's cab, Hydra watches Billy burn...

[[Image:GodOnofRage Ginrai with photo.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
At the Barr Nellison that evening, Ginrai is distraught to hear of Billy's death on the news, and learns of the attacks on truckers from others at the bar. Diver and Lander also see the report, and quickly deduce that the Decepticons are involved; after informing Hawk of the situation, they go searching for Ginrai, but he too has realised that the Decepticons are to blame and has taken his truck out on the road to try and lure them out. Hydra's big rig soon appears alongside Ginrai on a treacherous mountain road, and Ginrai attempts to force it into a cliff face. Hydra returns the favor, and as they drive along the road, Ginrai has to swerve to avoid a sports car coming in the opposite direction, almost going over the side of the cliff. As Hydra attempts to push him the rest of the way off, Ginrai manages to drive past him, however Hydra sees the damage to Ginrai's cab repair itself, and knows he has finally found the Autobot Godmaster.

[[Image:GodOnofRage Ginrai takes revenge.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Furious, Ginrai attempts to ram Hydra's truck, but a Deathball from Buster sends him toppling off the cliff. As he crawls from the wreckage clutching a picture of his deceased friends, Diver and Lander arrive on the scene, but Buster holds them off while Hydra attempts to finish Ginrai, who has forgotten the code-phrase to trigger his transformation. With a little prompting from Diver, he gets his words right and combines with his [[Transtector]], but Hydra is ready for him and parries his every blow, until a ray of sunlight glints off Ginrai's photograph and hits Hydra right in the optics, dazzling him long enough for Ginrai to tackle him and drive him to the ground. At that point, Metalhawk and [[Phoenix]] arrive, and the outnumbered Decepticons pull out, covering their retreat with a hail of Deathballs. At the dust settles, the Headmaster Juniors arrive to introduce themselves to Ginrai, who swears over the photograph of his friends that he will avenge them. Hawk extends the hand of friendship to Ginrai, asking him if the Autobots could replace the friends he has lost, and Ginrai says that he will think it over.

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]] (7)
* [[Lander]] (8)
* [[Metalhawk]] (12)
* [[Phoenix]] (16)

'''Human Autobots'''

* [[Ginrai]] (6)
* [[Cab]] (9)
* [[Shūta Gō]] (10)
* [[Minerva]] (11)

|c2=
'''Human Decepticons'''

* [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] (1)
* [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]] (2)
* [[Mega]] (4)
* [[Giga]] (5)

|c3=
* [[Cougar and Dan|Cougar]] (13)
* [[Cougar and Dan|Dan]] (14)
* [[Billy Husky]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"Things like taking orders and command structure isn't my thing. A trucker's first rule is 'to go where the wind blows and where his heart resides!' That's how it is for me."
:—'''Ginrai'''

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
[[Image:Cougar and dan.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
*Although all the trucks attacked by Hydra and Buster are said in dialogue to be red (since the brothers remember that Ginrai's Transtector is that color) Cougar and Dan's rig is colored blue.

===Continuity errors===
*The Headmaster Juniors are asked to guard the Autobot base while Metalhawk goes to the aid of the other Autobots, but they disobey him and drive up in their Transtectors to greet Ginrai at the battle's end. Problem is... the battle was in AMERICA, and the Autobot base is in JAPAN. ''Masterforce'' is never averse to having characters cover great distances in disproportionately short periods of time, but c'mon, the Juniors can't even fly over the ocean (see ''[[Changing Gears]]'').
*When Ginrai attempts to get his trailer off from the ledge, his trailer's wheels spin, trying to grip the road. EARTH TRAILERS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY.

===Transformers references===
*This being a Japanese cartoon, it's not a surprise to see the word "Destron" (the Japanese name for the Decepticons) in the headline of one of the newspaper clippings that Lander shows Ginrai. What is amusing, though, is that on the opposite page, there's a headline that uses the word "Decepticons!"
*The newsreader who reports Billy Husky's death appears to be the same one who reported on the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors' rampage in "[[Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules]]".

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Kabukiginrai.jpg|right|180px|thumb|This is the guy that's gonna save us? We're so [[Frag|fragged]].]]
*Diver regards [[Wikipedia:Robert Mondavi|Robert Mondavi]]'s wine as California's best.
*When Lander pulls out his "for the sake of the world" line, he and Diver are a bit taken aback when Ginrai unleashes a massively over-dramatic bit of pose-striking as he loudly and repeatedly insists that Lander "wait just a minute, please!" He is, in fact, talking and moving as if he were in a [[wikipedia:Kabuki|Kabuki]] play, a traditional form of Japanese theatre, as emphasised by the ornate background he is superimposed against.

===Trivia===
*For the whole of the "Generation 1" era, the code-phrase for transformation in Japanese ''Transformers'' shows is simply the ''English'' word, "transform". When Ginrai forgets the code-phrase in this episode, though, he tries the ''Japanese'' word for "transform", "henshin". Funnily enough, "henshin" went on to become the Japanese substitute for "Maximize" and "Terrorize" in their dub of ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' and subsequent shows, including ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]''.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote|jsubs}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2003 — ''Transformers: Super-God Masterforce'' — DVD Box 01 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — The Takara Collection Vol 2 — ''Transformers: Super-God Masterforce'' ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Takara Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''The Transformers: Super God Masterforce'' ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Japan Generation 1'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Super-God Masterforce episodes]]

Ginrai: God On of Rage!!

2011-05-29T02:04:49Z

71.22.247.52: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=Masterforce
|ep=11
|image=Angrygodon.jpg
|caption=Who needs [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]? You've got Ginrai!
|title="Ginrai: God On of Rage!!"
|japanese=ジンライ怒りのゴッドオン!!
|romaji=Ginrai: Ikari no God On!!
|production code=
|production company=[[TakaraTomy|Takara]], [[Toei]]
|writer=[[Yoshihisa Araki]]
|director=[[Katsutoshi Sasaki]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|airdate=[[June 21|21 June]] 1988
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''While Ginrai debates over whether or not to join the Autobots, the Decepticons begin a series of fatal attacks on his trucker friends in an effort to draw him out.'''

:''Omni Productions dub title:'' "'''Turn the Anger to Power'''"
:''Also known as:'' "'''Ginrai's Angry God On'''"

==Synopsis==
[[Image:GodOnofRage Deathball golf.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
When a military jet investigates the appearance of a mysterious "island" in the middle of the ocean, its flight through storm-riddled skies is soon brought to an abrupt end when the object of their investigation turns out to be the [[Decepticon]] base. Perched atop the base are [[Giga]], [[Mega]], [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]], in a bizarre scene—Giga stands poised with a golf club, a large purple sphere resting on a tee by his feet. He drives the ball high into the sky, and it suddenly bursts into flame, smashing through the windshield of the plane, and destroying the aircraft in a massive fireball. This is the Decepticons' newest invention, the [[Deathball]], which Hydra and Buster are ordered to put to use in destroying the new [[Autobot]] [[Godmaster]], [[Ginrai]].

[[Image:GodOnofRage Lander brought wine.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
At the [[Ocean Research Institute of California]], Ginrai and [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]] await the arrival of [[Lander]], who soon arrives to educate Ginrai on the Decepticons. Showing him various newspaper clippings detailing Decepticon attacks, Lander, like Diver before him, tries to convince Ginrai to join the Autobots. Ginrai jokes that he'd rather appear on television, and Lander asks him to do it for the sake of the world—an argument that strikes a chord with Ginrai, who says that he will not become part of the Autobot army and command structure, but promises to fight the Decepticons when they appear. Ginrai departs to complete a delivery job, and Diver relays their progress to [[Metalhawk|Hawk]], who in turn reveals Ginrai's existence to the [[Headmaster Junior|Headmaster Juniors]], telling them that he is sure the trucker will soon join their forces.

[[Image:GodOnofRage Hydra watches truck burn.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Elsewhere in America, Buster and Hydra's search for Ginrai has begun, as they launch Deathball attacks on numerous tractor trailers in an attempt to locate him. A pair of truckers named [[Cougar and Dan]] meet their end in a blaze of fire when their truck is destroyed... but this is totally unknown to Ginrai, who has met with fellow trucker [[Billy Husky]] at a gas station, and arranges to meet him for a drink that evening at the [[Barr Nellison]], a favorite haunt of his fellow [[Union Transportation]] drivers. Unbeknownst to either man, it's a drink that will never be had, as Billy, on his last delivery of the day, finds himself pursued by a massive big rig that ultimately forces him off the road. Billy's truck fishtails and explodes; and from within the big rig's cab, Hydra watches Billy burn...

[[Image:GodOnofRage Ginrai with photo.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
At the Barr Nellison that evening, Ginrai is distraught to hear of Billy's death on the news, and learns of the attacks on truckers from others at the bar. Diver and Lander also see the report, and quickly deduce that the Decepticons are involved; after informing Hawk of the situation, they go searching for Ginrai, but he too has realised that the Decepticons are to blame and has taken his truck out on the road to try and lure them out. Hydra's big rig soon appears alongside Ginrai on a treacherous mountain road, and Ginrai attempts to force it into a cliff face. Hydra returns the favor, and as they drive along the road, Ginrai has to swerve to avoid a sports car coming in the opposite direction, almost going over the side of the cliff. As Hydra attempts to push him the rest of the way off, Ginrai manages to drive past him, however Hydra sees the damage to Ginrai's cab repair itself, and knows he has finally found the Autobot Godmaster.

[[Image:GodOnofRage Ginrai takes revenge.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Furious, Ginrai attempts to ram Hydra's truck, but a Deathball from Buster sends him toppling off the cliff. As he crawls from the wreckage clutching a picture of his deceased friends, Diver and Lander arrive on the scene, but Buster holds them off while Hydra attempts to finish Ginrai, who has forgotten the code-phrase to trigger his transformation. With a little prompting from Diver, he gets his words right and combines with his [[Transtector]], but Hydra is ready for him and parries his every blow, until a ray of sunlight glints off Ginrai's photograph and hits Hydra right in the optics, dazzling him long enough for Ginrai to tackle him and drive him to the ground. At that point, Metalhawk and [[Phoenix]] arrive, and the outnumbered Decepticons pull out, covering their retreat with a hail of Deathballs. At the dust settles, the Headmaster Juniors arrive to introduce themselves to Ginrai, who swears over the photograph of his friends that he will avenge them. Hawk extends the hand of friendship to Ginrai, asking him if the Autobots could replace the friends he has lost, and Ginrai says that he will think it over.

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]] (7)
* [[Lander]] (8)
* [[Metalhawk]] (12)
* [[Phoenix]] (16)

'''Human Autobots'''

* [[Ginrai]] (6)
* [[Cab]] (9)
* [[Shūta Gō]] (10)
* [[Minerva]] (11)

|c2=
'''Human Decepticons'''

* [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] (1)
* [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]] (2)
* [[Mega]] (4)
* [[Giga]] (5)

|c3=
* [[Cougar and Dan|Cougar]] (13)
* [[Cougar and Dan|Dan]] (14)
* [[Billy Husky]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"Things like taking orders and command structure isn't my thing. A trucker's first rule is 'to go where the wind blows and where his heart resides!' That's how it is for me."
:—'''Ginrai'''

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
[[Image:Cougar and dan.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
*Although all the trucks attacked by Hydra and Buster are said in dialogue to be red (since the brothers remember that Ginrai's Transtector is that color) Cougar and Dan's rig is colored blue.

===Continuity errors===
*The Headmaster Juniors are asked to guard the Autobot base while Metalhawk goes to the aid of the other Autobots, but they disobey him and drive up in their Transtectors to greet Ginrai at the battle's end. Problem is... the battle was in AMERICA, and the Autobot base is in JAPAN. ''Masterforce'' is never averse to having characters cover great distances in disproportionately short periods of time, but c'mon, the Juniors can't even fly over the ocean (see ''[[Changing Gears]]''.
*When Ginrai attempts to get his trailer off from the ledge, his trailer's wheels spin, trying to grip the road. EARTH TRAILERS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY.

===Transformers references===
*This being a Japanese cartoon, it's not a surprise to see the word "Destron" (the Japanese name for the Decepticons) in the headline of one of the newspaper clippings that Lander shows Ginrai. What is amusing, though, is that on the opposite page, there's a headline that uses the word "Decepticons!"
*The newsreader who reports Billy Husky's death appears to be the same one who reported on the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors' rampage in "[[Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules]]".

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Kabukiginrai.jpg|right|180px|thumb|This is the guy that's gonna save us? We're so [[Frag|fragged]].]]
*Diver regards [[Wikipedia:Robert Mondavi|Robert Mondavi]]'s wine as California's best.
*When Lander pulls out his "for the sake of the world" line, he and Diver are a bit taken aback when Ginrai unleashes a massively over-dramatic bit of pose-striking as he loudly and repeatedly insists that Lander "wait just a minute, please!" He is, in fact, talking and moving as if he were in a [[wikipedia:Kabuki|Kabuki]] play, a traditional form of Japanese theatre, as emphasised by the ornate background he is superimposed against.

===Trivia===
*For the whole of the "Generation 1" era, the code-phrase for transformation in Japanese ''Transformers'' shows is simply the ''English'' word, "transform". When Ginrai forgets the code-phrase in this episode, though, he tries the ''Japanese'' word for "transform", "henshin". Funnily enough, "henshin" went on to become the Japanese substitute for "Maximize" and "Terrorize" in their dub of ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' and subsequent shows, including ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]''.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote|jsubs}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2003 — ''Transformers: Super-God Masterforce'' — DVD Box 01 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — The Takara Collection Vol 2 — ''Transformers: Super-God Masterforce'' ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Takara Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''The Transformers: Super God Masterforce'' ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Japan Generation 1'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Super-God Masterforce episodes]]

Heroism!! The Birth of Super Ginrai

2011-05-18T20:30:24Z

71.22.247.52: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=Masterforce
|ep=15
|image=Superginraiborn.jpg
|caption=I've done it! Optimus Prime li—oh, wait, never mind.
|title="Heroism!! The Birth of Super Ginrai"
|japanese=壮絶!!スーパージンライ誕生
|romaji=Sōzetsu!! Super Ginrai Tanjō
|production code=
|production company=[[TakaraTomy|Takara]], [[Toei]]
|airdate=[[August 2|2 August]] 1988
|writer=[[Hiroyuki Hoshiyama]]
|director=[[Jōhei Matsūra]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''To rescue a group of kidnapped children and defeat the menace of King Poseidon, Ginrai must discover a new transformation!'''

:''Omni Productions dub title:'' ???
:''Also known as:'' "'''Super Ginrai is Born'''"

==Synopsis==
[[Image:BirthofSuperGinrai surfing Decepticons.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
On an island off the coast of America, the Decepticon [[Headmaster Junior|Headmaster Juniors]] draw a crowd of local children when they perform some impressive surfing stunts. A young boy named [[Tony (Masterforce)|Tony]] is particularly impressed, and gets especially excited when the Juniors offer to show them all something "even cooler"—their Masterforce powers! Unfortunately for Tony and his friends, the Decepticons [[Pretender|Pretenders]] have been watching, and view this as an opportunity to draw out and destroy [[Ginrai]] by kidnapping the children to use as bait. While the Juniors hold the children in a cave along the coastline, the Pretenders announce to the people of the island that they have captured their children.

Ginrai, meanwhile, is in his truck on the side of the road, deep in thought, ruminating on his friend Sam's beliefs about his [[Godmaster]] powers being the will of God. [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]] soon contacts him to let him know of the Decepticons' activities, and Ginrai quickly meets with him and [[Lander]] at the [[Ocean Research Institute of California|Ocean Research Institute]]. Lander is especially peeved at the Decepticons' timing, since he had a date planned, and winds up tossing his concert tickets to the dolphins swimming in the institute's waters. Diver decides to scout ahead for the Autobots, approaching the island from underwater to observe the situation.

[[Image:BirthofSuperGinrai captured Diver.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
Back on the island, the Decepticon Pretenders take up their positions in preparation for the Autobots' arrival. [[Wilder]] and [[Bullhorn]] are both rather surprised to spot the little-seen [[Seacon (Masterforce)|Seacon]] leader [[Turtler]] patrolling the waters around the island—although not quite as much as [[Gilmer]] is to see Diver approaching the island underwater. He allows Diver to reach the island and assume his human form, at which point he bursts out of the ocean and seizes him. [[Dauros]] fits him with a brace that prevents him from crossing his arms and reassuming his robot mode, and has him tossed in with the captive human children. Luckily for Diver, Wilder and Bullhorn are a little too busy playing cards to notice when he has Tony remove his watch and place it in the water at the cave's edge, sending out a powerful sonic signal that is detected by his dolphins back at the Ocean Research Institute. All the other Autobots have since gathered at the Institute to await Diver's report, and Lander realises that Diver must be sending out ultrasonic waves when the dolphins begin to react to them.

[[Image:BirthofSuperGinrai Ginrai rescues.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
The dolphins are let out into the ocean so that the Autobots can follow them back to the source of the signal aboard some of the Institute's vessels. Dauros spots the ships approaching, and recognizes Ginrai's [[Transtector]] sitting on the deck – but unbeknownst to him, Ginrai is not on the boat, but is in fact approaching the island by swimming with the dolphins. It is not long before the ships are attacked by Blood and some [[Tentakil (Masterforce)|Tentakils]], but [[Metalhawk]] and [[Phoenix]] fend them off while the ships draw ever closer to the island. Gilmer emerges as the next line of defence, but Lander takes him on as the Decepticon Juniors open fire on the ships from the coast. A blast from [[Cancer]] ruptures the hull of the vessel carrying the Transtectors, and sends the ship sinking into the ocean, so the Autobot Juniors transform to robot mode and leap the rest of the way. Ginrai's Transtector also starts to slip off the deck and into the sea, but just before it disappears into the water, Ginrai—who has since reached the island—summons it and transforms to robot mode. Ginrai quickly takes out Wilder and frees Diver and the children, but the battle continues to rage between the other Pretenders and Juniors. Minerva appeals to Cancer, trying to convince him to leave the Decepticons and join the side of good, but Bullhorn steps in to strike her down before her words can have any impact.

[[Image:BirthofSuperGinrai Ginrai sunset.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
Discovering that Ginrai has freed the hostages, Dauros calls in the Decepticons' secret weapon and commands Turtler to emerge from beneath the waves. Ginrai is stunned when the Seacon actually speaks, uttering a command to the other Seacon drones that burst out of the water behind him to "assemble." The five drones link up to Turtler, merging to form the gigantic [[King Poseidon]], who immediately tears into Ginrai while the Decepticon Pretenders pull back. Left abandoned, the Decepticon Juniors are surrounded by the Autobots, and Minerva again tries to reach Cancer, but the three teens quickly flee. Meanwhile, Ginrai struggles against King Poseidon, who attempts to stomp both him and the children. Ginrai seizes the giant villain's foot as it bears down on him and strains to hold it back as Tony cheers for him. Surging with determination, Ginrai begins to glow with an iridescent light...and, out in the shallow waters around the island, that glow is mirrored by Ginrai's Transtector trailer, which flies out of the ocean and collides with King Poseidon, knocking him away. Then, the incredible happens—Ginrai links up with his trailer and transforms into a new super-robot mode! With the power of his new form, Ginrai thrashes King Poseidon and slams him into the ground, causing the Seacon drones to explode, leaving only Turtler, who escapes into the ocean. The Autobot onlookers are amazed by (and perhaps just a little jealous of) Ginrai's sudden new power up, and they dub him with a fitting new name: Super Ginrai!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]] (9)
* [[Lander]] (10)
* [[Metalhawk]] (12)
* [[Phoenix]] (13)

'''Human Autobots'''

* [[Ginrai]] (8)
* [[Cab]] (14)
* [[Shūta Gō]] (15)
* [[Minerva]] (16)

|c2=
* [[Gilmer]] (5)
* [[Blood]] (6)
* [[Dauros]] (7)
* [[Turtler]] (11)
* [[Tentakil (Masterforce)|Tentakil]] (17)
* [[Overbite (Masterforce)|Overbite]] (18)
* [[Lobclaw]] (19)
* [[Kraken]] (20)
* [[Gulf]] (21)
* [[King Poseidon]] (22)

'''Human Decepticons'''

* [[Wilder]] (1)
* [[Bullhorn]] (2)
* [[Cancer]] (3)

|c3=
* [[Tony (Masterforce)|Tony]] (4)
}}

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
[[Image:Giantcab.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Giant Enemy Cab!]]
*When the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors change into their armor for the kids, Bullhorn's colors are all over the place. His horns are blue instead of bone-colored, his pelvis is the same pale blue as his shoulders, and his legs are the same color as his upper arms.
*Ginrai's truck is parked next to a billboard which appears to be advertising [[E Cola]] and, in a magnificent piece of [[Engrish]], describes its product as "srarkring". An advertisment for the same beverage also appeared in the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]]'' episode, "[[B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.]]"
*The insignia on Ginrai's braces flashes to indicate an incoming call. Unfortunately, it's a ''Decepticon'' insignia.
*As Diver casts off his human form, the helmet to his armor is completely white.
*When Cab and Minerva leap the island, their cels are arranged incorrectly—Cab should be in the foreground, with Minerva in the background, but they are reversed, thus making it seem like Cab is HUGE (or Minerva is tiny).

===Continuity errors===
*Superhuman Ginrai: Ginrai is able to speak while underwater and wearing a scuba mask (see also "[[Atlantis, Arise!]]").

===Continuity notes===
*Ginrai's friend [[Sam (Masterforce)|Sam]] made his overly religious observation on the nature of Godmasters in the [[Eliminate the Godmaster Ginrai|previous episode]].
*Minerva's attempts to appeal to Cancer come as a result of the connection they made in "[[A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva]]."
*Ginrai got his trailer back in "[[Friend or Foe!? The True Form of the Monster!!]]" But if you saw the previous episode, then the fact that he was going to combine with it was no surprise, since the commercial bumpers gave it away.

===Trivia===
*When taking up positions in preparation for Ginrai's arrival, the Decepticon Pretenders highlight the "land, sea and air" theme that they embody in this episode, as discussed on the Wiki back in the article for "[[Rise Up!! Pretenders]]."
*There was a two-week break between the previous episode and this one when they originally aired on Japanese television.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote|jsubs}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2003 — ''Transformers: Super-God Masterforce'' — DVD Box 01 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — The Takara Collection Vol 2 — ''Transformers: Super-God Masterforce'' ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Takara Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''The Transformers: Super God Masterforce'' ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Japan Generation 1'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Super-God Masterforce episodes]]

Headmaster (episode)

2010-07-22T03:05:35Z

71.22.247.52:

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=13
|ep2=13
|prev2=Survival of the Fittest
|next2=Megatron Rising - Part 1
|title="Headmaster"
|image=TFA Headmaster robot mode.JPG
|caption=Mstr. Henry Masterson, master of the Headmaster.
|airdate=[[March 15]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}
'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Henrymastersonandhead.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Behold, my brilliant infringement on Marvel copyright!]]

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. Sumdac is horrified, however, when he realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation. When the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, the Professor is understandably furious and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

[[Image:Daniel and robot.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Scarred for life.]]

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with the sensationalist [[News Bot]]. Bulkhead hopes it will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but it's going rather less well than he might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off News Bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact. His success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate News Bot, to the distress of [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills. He remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

[[Image:Rock em'.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Rock 'em, Sock 'em Sumdac.]]

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz [[:Image:Rock 'em an' sock 'em, Rhinox.jpg|Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots]] to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV and hits upon his solution.

Indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!" When he awakens, he discovers, to his considerable distress, that he is nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

[[Image:TFA Headmaster statue fire.JPG|right|200px|thumb|The hottest thing to hit the art world in years!]]

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. After taking the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show. However, 'Bee manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, then tries to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts. All of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant. Furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse thoroughly enough to reveal his true intention: he's going to renege on the deal and destroy the city—and Sumdac Systems—even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to find instead the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core.

[[Image:TFA Headmaster headbutt.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Boink!]]

With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[AllSpark Key]] finally to reunite Bulkhead's head with his body. Unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene. Pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot. Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to assemble hastily a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with the Key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stabilise the core with just seconds to spare.

[[Image:TFA Headmaster war art.JPG|right|200px|thumb|The art of war.]]

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)

|c3=
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (12)

|c4=
* [[News Bot]] (4)
* [[Tutor Bot]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"Mr. Masterson! I have told my staff time and again: we do not make military robots or headmaster units that takeover other military robots for...more military things!
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''' has a firm moral center. He just has trouble articulating it.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city, right?" 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping."
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a pep talk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

''[Bulkhead is painting a picture while Bumblebee poses for him]'' 
'''Optimus Prime''': I'm afraid I don't see the logic in trying to reproduce an image with such primitive tools. 
'''Prowl''': I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance. 
'''Bulkhead''': Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch. 
'''Ratchet''': You ask me, it's all a waste of time. No 'bot ever saved anyone with art. 
'''Bulkhead''': I'm not trying to save anyone. I'm just—I don't know—I'm trying to express how I feel. 
''[Bulkhead's paintbrush snaps, and he wrecks the picture in rage]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I'm guessing you're feeling anger?
:—The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!"
:—'''The Headmaster''', many, many times.

"See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring." 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
"It's on fire!!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead'''

"I got a way with machines."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Notes==
===Animation Errors===
* After Bulkhead runs through the wall upon finding out Sari booked an exhibition at an art gallery we see Sari turn her head and her right ear and pigtail stay in place, so it appears that she has three pigtails and an ear on her face.

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving [[Captain Fanzone's car|his old car]] again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in "[[Blast from the Past]]".
* How is Bulkhead able to live without his Spark, unless it's in his head? (Granted, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] spends most of Season 1 pulling the exact same trick....)

===Transformers references===
[[Image:TFA Headmaster Optimus trailer.JPG|right|175px|thumb|And the fandom rejoiced (and complained).]]
* The [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster concept]] was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' series and has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways (RID)|use]] [[Spotlight: Ultra Magnus|in]] [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Somewhere, a [[Customizing|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel. Fortunately, this reference is taken no further, so at no point does he make out with anyone on Bumblebee's hood.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in "[[Sound and Fury]]".

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. Although the woman who comforts him is listed in the end credits as "Mother," she does not use the same [[character model]] as [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]].

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head ending up as a sort of backpack.

*When the fusion core is about to explode, Optimus volunteers to [[Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime|go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life]]. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das irre Genie'''" ("The Mad Genius")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 9|9 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''ヘッドマスターをくいとめろ!''' (''Headmaster wo Kuitomero!'', "Rein in the Headmaster!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 26|26 June]] [[2010]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona_Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The_Starry_Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's_Mother|Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother]]''.

* Masterson plays "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

* When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the Tommy gun and explosion backdrop, but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

* Also in the above scene, it is revealed that Bulkhead is actually painting his own thumb. This is a gag that is literally decades old and that has appeared in numerous shows and films, from ''[[wikipedia:Looney_Tunes|Looney Tunes]]'' to ''[[wikipedia:M*A*S*H_(TV_series)|M*A*S*H]]''.

===Trivia===
*Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a large, fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
*This episode is notable in that Sari does not abuse the AllSpark Key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.
*The AllSpark Key has, on an number of occasions, been shown to have the power to give sentient life to previously [[Spark]]-less automatons, notably [[Dinobot (Animated)|the Dinobots]] and [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. In this episode, Sari used the Key on the sculpture robot they sent in to sacrifice itself, which makes some fans think it may have been truly alive. On the other hand, Sari has used the Key on countless other unsophisticated machines (and a few semi-sophisticated ones like Tutor-Bot) that apparently did not gain sentience. Also, the two times Keyed robots ''have'' gained Sparks, they were reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology designed by Megatron; the former with an unusual burst of makeshift EMP mixed into the Key energy, the latter specifically designed to evolve through ''multiple'' uses of the Key. These facts suggest that the sculpture robot was not a sentient being. It's debatable—maybe we'll get an official explanation at a BotCon panel some time.
*Masterson claimed that the fusion core overloading would take out the entire state of Michigan. However, he planned to blow it up even though he had the money, apparently thinking he could both get far enough away before it exploded and get work from the government even though he ''destroyed a state''.

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

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Autoboot Camp

2010-07-11T05:51:09Z

71.22.247.52: /* Trivia */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=25
|image=Autobot Cadets.jpg
|caption=Class of 2008. The ENTIRE Class of 2008.
|title="Autoboot Camp"
|airdate=[[June 3]], 2008
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''On the trail of an escaped Autobot traitor, Bumblebee flashes back to a previous encounter with the traitor when he first met Bulkhead in Autobot Boot Camp.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Autoboot Camp Wasp Salute.jpg|thumb|left|"Sayonara, suckerzzz."]]
Somewhere in space, an Autobot shuttle streaks through the solar night and crash-lands on an asteroid, where its lone occupant races off across the barren ground in vehicle mode. Hot on his trail is [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], who chases him to a [[space bridge]] node on the asteroid. The green-armoured escapee triggers the space bridge with a blast from a familiar pair of stingers, and Sentinel loses his quarry as the portal explodes with light.

On Earth, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] reports the news of the escapee to the [[Autobot]]s. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] immediately recognizes the criminal in question as [[Wasp]], a 'bot sharing his bodyform whom he met when during his [[Elite Guard]] training days.

[[Image:TFA Autoboot Camp Bee Sentinel.jpg|thumb|right|Living rooms of America, do you catch my drift? Do... you... dig?]]
In the [[Decepticon]]s' underground lair, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] contacts his double-agent on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and congratulates him on orchestrating Wasp's breakout. The double-agent is concerned that they are speaking so freely on the subject, but Megatron assures him that nobody will be able to listen in on the broadcast. [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] has other plans, though, as he secretly taps into the communication frequency and bounces it to the Autobots' base. Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are on monitor duty at the time, and the message comes through exceedingly scrambled, but they are at least able to comprehend the existence of a double-agent. Naturally, Bumblebee immediately assumes it to be Wasp, and he decides to settle his old score, with Bulkhead tagging along. Bumblebee remembers how it all went down...

''Stellar cycles ago, on Cybertron, Bumblebee meets Bulkhead for the first time when they both attend boot camp to train under Sentinel Minor, alongside Wasp, super-durable [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] and telescopic-limbed [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm]]. The two B's immediately earn Sentinel's ire—Bumblebee for his impetuous bungling, and Bulkhead for his desire to be nothing more than a space bridge technician—and the pair gets saddled with oil cleanup. Of course, Bumblebee begins goofing off, which results in a stack of oil drums collapsing on Sentinel, which results in Bumblebee being made to stand in the middle of the courtyard in the dead of night, holding up oil drums and repeatedly declaring himself a “worthless oil stain.”''

[[Image:AutobootCamp-Sentinelgetsowned(Secondtime).jpg|thumb|left|150px|Hardly a relaxing oil bath.]]
''After a while, though, Bumblebee calls it quits, but as he is walking by a warehouse, he spots a shadowy figure speaking into a communicator, with the voice of Megatron responding! After a moment's hesitation, Bumblebee pops his stingers and commands the spy-bot to show himself...but the figure has vanished. When Bumblebee turns to leave, however, he spots Wasp walking out of the warehouse.''

''Unsure of how to proceed, Bumblebee confides in Longarm, who encourages him to gather some evidence and present it to Sentinel. Bumblebee tries setting up a trap, planting a box with the Elite Guard symbol on it in the open, hoping Wasp will grab it...except Sentinel is the first to come upon it, and it explodes, covering him in paint. Next, Bumblebee tries a listening device, but accidentally winds up broadcasting Sentinel over the camp's loudspeakers as he jokes about Ultra Magnus being too old to hack the commander role. In traditional boot camp manner, Sentinel makes the whole team suffer for Bumblebee's mistakes, and Wasp and Ironhide take it out on the little 'bot by disconnecting his legs and stuffing him in a locker. Longarm comes to Bumblebee's rescue, and urges Bumblebee not to give in.''

[[Image:TFA Autoboot Camp Oh Slag.jpg|thumb|Optimus must be kicking himself for having missed this.]]
''But the bullying doesn't stop, as Wasp hits Bumblebee with a burst of “friendly fire” in a simulated combat training exercise. Of course, it's just a paint grenade, but when Bulkhead offers to help Bumblebee up, Bumblebee snaps and insults Bulkhead's lack of ambition before storming off. Turning a corner, Bumblebee yelps as he finds several auto-cannons pointed in his face, but then laughs as he remembers that they're only loaded with paint rounds for the simulated combat. Or rather, they ''were'', as the shadowy figure from the warehouse slinks by the cannons and switches them to active ammunition. As the cannons open fire on Bumblebee, Bulkhead speeds to his rescue and takes out the cannons by dropping a building on them with his wrecking ball...only for Sentinel to get squashed under it as well. Bumblebee encourages Bulkhead to scarper, rather than risk his career by owning up.''

Tracking the message Sumdac broadcast to them, Bumblebee and Bulkhead wander through the wilderness, reminiscing about the old days. When Bumblebee stumbles into a patch of quicksand, Bulkhead plucks him out, but the conflict between the pair from their boot camp days starts bubbling back to the surface, and Bulkhead leaves Bumblebee to the mission himself. Angrily stomping up a mountain, Bumblebee loses his footing and falls off a cliff, becoming buried in an avalanche.

[[Image:TFA Autoboot Camp Wasp Captured.jpg|thumb|left|Will go on to star in [[Wikipedia:The Count of Monte Cristo|''The Count of Monte Cristo'']].]]

''Longarm informs Bumblebee that Sentinel is about to conduct a surprise locker examination, meaning that it's his last chance to find evidence on Wasp before Sentinel can take credit for it himself. Using his extensible limbs to trip up Wasp, Longarm allows Bumblebee to "help him up" and finger his locker key in the process. As Bumblebee quickly opens Wasp's locker, Sentinel appears behind him, demanding to know what he's doing, only to be quickly silenced when Bumblebee presents him with a Decepticon communicator. Impressed with Bumblebee's work, Sentinel plans to recommend him for an Elite Guard position. After Wasp is carted off, screaming his innocence all the way, Sentinel brings up the matter of the building being dropped on him. Since nobody has owned up, he decides to kick out whoever he feels like—and he feels like Bulkhead. Before he can give Bulkster the boot, however, Bumblebee steps forward and claims responsibility, sheepishly asking if it will affect his Elite Guard position.''

[[Image:TFA_Shockwave_DoubleAgent.jpg|thumb|Sometimes, when you stare into the abyss, it stares right back.]]
''Some time later, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are on an asteroid, working on a space bridge node, as Bulkhead cheerfully announces "I have arrived!"''

Buried under the rockslide, Bumblebee reflects on his friendship with Bulkhead out loud, and about how he saved Bulkhead's career, even ''if'' his friend never dreamed big. But Bulkhead ''did'' dream big; as the bulky bot appears above Bumblebee and hauls him out from beneath the boulders, he announces that he dreamed of being Bumblebee's friend. Bumblebee thanks his big buddy, and the pair drive off...having only been mere feet from the secret entrance to the Decepticon base.

Out in space, it turns out that Wasp didn't escape to Earth at all, and that he is still on the asteroid, huddled up in a ball. His mind clearly broken, the insectoid 'bot buzzes and twitters to himself about how he will find Bumblebee and make him pay for ruining his life.

Back at the Autobot base, our heroes contact Cybertron to alert the Autobots there about Megatron's double-agent. As it turns out, Bumblebee's old boot camp buddy Longarm is now Longarm ''Prime'', head of Cybertronian Intelligence, and he promises to root out the traitor no matter what.

In the Decepticon base, Megatron communicates once again with his double-agent... Longarm Prime! But the deception is a dual-layered one, for Longarm is, in fact, the shape-shifting [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Wasp]] (1)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (2)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (11) (Flashback)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (14) (Flashback)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Lugnut]] (13, voice only)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime/Shockwave]] (12)
|c3 =
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Hey there, little buddy. You mind scanning me next to these tall buildings? They'll never believe me back home." 
"Mhm. First time off the energon farm?" 
"How'd you know?"
:—'''Bulkhead''' and '''Bumblebee''', together for the first time.

'''Sentinel Minor''': Wipe that smile off your face, dullspark! 
'''Bulkhead''': Uh, I'm not smiling, sir! My jaw is just tempered that way, sir! 
'''Bumblebee''': Forget Mudflap's jaw, check out the asteroid-sized chin on Sarge! 
'''Sentinel Minor''': YOU GOT A COMMENT, FUNNY-BOT?! 
'''Bumblebee''': No, sir!
:—The future Sentinel Prime is a little sensitive about his chin. Maybe it's why he's such a jerk.

'''Sentinel Minor''': Now here's a bot who knows his place. You should try to be more like your friend here. 
'''Bumblebee''': He's not my friend, sir! 
'''Sentinel Minor''': WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE!
:—Mr. Personality does it again.

"You are nothing but a BUMBLER! From now on, your name is...BUMBLEBEE!"
:—And lo, a legend was born, thanks to '''Sentinel Minor'''

''[stands in the middle of an empty yard, holding up oil drums, reciting...]'' 
"I am a worthless oil stain. I am a worthless oil stain. I am a worthless oil stain...why am I even doing this?"
:—Sentinel Minor's punishment of '''Bumblebee''' could be considered "cruel and unusual".

"You would not '''believe''' the glitches the Commander's saddled me with this time. I'm starting to think that Ultra Magnus is a few circuits shy of a full processor, know what I mean? Oh, sure, he was The Bot back in the day, but now? Ultra Magnus is just a rusted-out, obsolete model sorely in need of an upgrade."
:—'''Sentinel Minor''' is a suck-up only to the boss's face. ''Quelle surprise''.

"But I'm innocent, I tell you! You're making a big mistake, all of you!" 
"Mute it, traitor!" 
''[Sentinel strips Wasp of his Autobot insignia]'' 
"I'll get you, Bumblebee, '''if it's the last thing I do'''!
:—'''Wasp''' proclaims his innocence as he's wheeled away in restraints, while '''Sentinel Minor''' acts much as ever.

"I couldn't leave you all alone out here like that. I should've, but I didn't."
:—'''Bulkhead''' is loyal, but not stupid.

"Bumblebot not hide from Wasp. Wasp swears he find Bumblebot. Wasp make Bumblebot pay for RUINING WASP'S LIFE!"
:—There lies a broken '''Wasp'''...

"Our long stellar cycles of planning will now come to fruition. I knew your size-altering power would allow you to blend in perfectly with the Autobots. Well done, my loyal servant...[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]."
:—'''Megatron''' really knows how to introduce a major <s>plot point</s> Decepticon.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* In the scene after Sentinel Prime rips off Wasp's insignia you can see him still wearing it.

===Continuity errors===
* Bumblebee's stingers are shown to be powerful enough to knock down a building; yet in prior episodes they were only useful for zapping debris and bouncing uselessly off Decepticon armor. The discrepancy is somewhat explained in "[[TransWarped]]" when Ratchet gives Bumblebee battle-grade stingers to boost his power. Maybe when he was demoted to space bridge duty, his stingers were downgraded.
* If Professor Sumdac can reroute a Decepticon message between Earth and Cybertron to the Autobots on Earth, why can't he call for help too?
* If Cybertronians live on a planet with no organic life-forms, how does Sentinel know that wasps and bumblebees exist?

===Transformers references===
* Sentinel's speech about his troops being "cogs in a machine" is very similar to Optimus's comment at the beginning of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" (although Optimus gets the message across without the attitude); it may be a standard message from the Autobot Academy.
* Clearly, when Bumblebee and Bulkhead noted that Sentinel Prime didn't remember them back in "[[The Elite Guard]]", they were referring to their boot camp days.
* It was explained back in "The Elite Guard" that "Prime" was a rank, and this episode reveals that before attaining the rank, Sentinel was known as "Sentinel Minor". [[Optimus Minor|Sounds a little familiar]].
* In the final moments of the episode, the addled Wasp (who has spoken perfectly normally throughout the flashbacks) begins speaking in the buzzing, third-person style of ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le camp des Autobots'''" ("The Autobot Camp")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dr Spion-Bot'''" ("The Spy-Bot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Maszeruj, Autobocie"''' ("March, Autobot")
*:''Original airdate:'' ???

===Trivia===
*Marty Isenberg has revealed that the other boot-campers being [[repaint]] characters was an idea of [[Derrick J. Wyatt]]'s, that the inclusion of Shockwave was a late decision, and that originally ''Cliffjumper'' was going to be the falsely accused. [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/tfw2005-interviews-transformers-animated-story-editor-marty-isenberg-165509/]
*Sentinel Prime has switched back to his Cybertronian alt-form, presumably since arriving back on Cybertron (since he still had his Earth form in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]"). Considering what he thought of Earth, it's not really a surprise that he'd want to change back as soon as possible. [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] even muses over this in an entry in the [[AllSpark Almanac]], where he also explains that the only reason Sentinel is seen with his Earth mode later on is because he (Ultra Magnus) decided to keep his.
*This episode certainly explains a lot about Bumblebee's independent streak. His very first "team" effort was basically people being colossal jerks to him for no reason (well, except for Sentinel, really...drill sergeants are ''supposed'' to be like that) except for the big goofy country-bot...and standing up for said bot basically led to his dreams being crushed.
*On the other hand, if names get assigned by drill sergeants, you have to wonder exactly to what levels Optimus and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] stooped in order to get those names...
*Lugnut is not shown, but is briefly heard saying "Megatron will speak to you now," when Megatron is contacted by Shockwave in the flashback, ten minutes into the episode.
*In this episode, when Sentinel gives Bumblebee his name, Bumblebee reacts as if he doesn't like it. However, in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", when Bumblebee tells Sari his name and she responds, "I'm Sari," Bumblebee then says, "Oh, don't be. I like my name." Maybe he got over it?
[[Image:Chugway.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Closed Captioning provided by the Zero Wing Translation Team.]]
*Bulkhead used to have a "hick" accent while in boot camp that he lost sometime after starting work on space bridges with Bumblebee and the others.
*What, exactly, was the point of Sentinel Prime keeping one arm in a bandage and sling? And for that matter, why do robots have slings? Same thing in the ''Transformers: Victory's'' episode [[Crisis! Ambush in the Desert]].
*When commenting on Sentinel's chin, Bumblebee looks directly at the "camera", so to speak, making this one of the few occasions where animated ''Transformers'' media break the fourth wall.
*The closed captioning for this episode on [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|DVD release]] for this episode (contained in "Transformers Animated — Volume Six: Black Friday") mistakenly spells Shockwave's name as '''Chugway'''.
{{-}}

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc9a121850188 "Autoboot Camp" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Call of the Primitives

2010-05-16T03:49:05Z

71.22.247.52: /* Animation or technical glitches */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=91
|series2=2010
|ep2=26
|prev2=Grimlock's New Brain
|next2=The Face of the Nijika
|image=PrimitiveCall.jpg
|caption=Prim and Proper
|title="Call of the Primitives"
|production code=700-112
|airdate=[[November 18]], 1986
|written by=[[Donald F. Glut]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''All Transformers with animal modes are summoned to battle a being called Tornedron, the little brother of Unicron.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 原始の呼び声 (''Genshi no Yobigoe'', "Primeval Call")
:''German title:'' '''Das geheimnisvolle Orakel''' ("The Mysterious Oracle")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:AutobotsCall.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Having your energy drained changes your paint job.]]

Somewhere, an energy creature begins feeding off other forms of energy—slowly, at first. Then his creator gives him an [[energon cube]]. The creature grows and spreads out into the universe. Soon, it attacks [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The [[Autobot]]s attack it, but it simply drains their energy from them. The creature's creator is pleased with him, saying he's done better than his predecessor, [[Unicron]].

[[Image:Ejectcall.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Sorry, I ejected too soon]]

On [[Earth]]'s [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] is leading a group of Autobots against the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]]. However, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]], [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]], [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], and the animal-form [[Mini-Cassette]]s are all summoned by a mysterious voice. They leave the battle, and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] orders a retreat. Suddenly, the energy creature arrives and drains the energy from both the Autobots and Decepticons (including Rodimus Prime and Galvatron), as well as Earth and the Moon and Cybertron.

Most of the departed Transformers are riding Trypticon. Naturally, tempers flare after [[Headstrong]] picks a fight with the Dinobots by insulting [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], so [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] suggests they stomp him. The Preds stick with their teammate and fight the Dinobots, and the Terrorcons decide to fight everyone. At Sky Lynx's suggestion, Trypticon shakes himself and causes his passengers to stop fighting. They arrive on an ancient planet near the center of the galaxy. After touching down, Sky Lynx assumes command of the group, despite the objections of [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] and [[Hun-Gurrr]]. Finding a cave, they encounter [[Oracle (G1)|a strange entity]]. He explains that he summoned the [[Primitive|Primitives]], all animal-based Transformers, to come to fight [[Tornedron]], the energy being who was created by [[Primacron]]. The entity, who was once Primacron's assistant, explains how Primacron created Unicron but was nearly destroyed by his creation. After Unicron's defeat, Primacron created Tornedron as a replacement. Primacron's assistant hopes that the Primitives' simple instincts will allow them to defeat Primacon's complex plans.

[[Image:Terrorconcall.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ptooie]]

Suddenly, Tornedron arrives and drains Trypticon of his energy. Trypticon crashes, and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] is believed destroyed. Sky Lynx attacks, only to have his energy drained as well. [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] leads the Dinobots in retreat, while the other Primitives split up. Tornedron separates into four parts to track them down. He easily dispatches the Mini-Cassettes, chewing on [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] in the process. Headstrong declares that it would be better to [[Furmanism|fight and die]], and the Predacons form [[Predaking]]. Their energy is sucked away as well. The Terrorcons try to fight back, but are also drained. The Dinobots ambush Tornedron, but they too are dispatched. Unknown to Tornedron and Primacron, however, Grimlock has survived, and he follows them.

[[Image:Tornedroncall.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Two scoops of raisins]]

At his base, Primacron is having trouble controlling Tornedron. Tornedron declares that he intends to feed on Primacron, and that all of Primacron's failsafes have failed. Grimlock breaks into Primacron's lab to find that Primacron is a tiny little alien...thing. Grimlock orders Primacron to reverse his damage, but Primacron declares that he's tried everything. Grimlock fixes things easily: He throws the reverse switch, which reverses Tornedron's energy polarity, restoring the energy to the drained Transformers and planets. In celebration, Grimlock destroys Primacron's lab, declaring it the smartest thing he's ever done.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (15)
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (16)
* [[Rodimus Prime (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] (17)
* [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (19)
* [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (20)
* [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (21)
* [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (22)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (23)
* [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (25)
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (26)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (27)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (28)
* [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (29)
* [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (30)
* [[Slingshot]] (31)
* [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (32)
* [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (36)
* [[Ramhorn]] (42)
* [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] (43)
|c2=
* [[Sweep]]s (3)
* [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] (4)
* [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (5)
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (6)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (7)
* [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] (8)
* [[Hun-Gurrr]] (9)
* [[Rippersnapper (G1)|Rippersnapper]] (10)
* [[Sinnertwin (G1)|Sinnertwin]] (11)
* [[Blot (G1)|Blot]] (12)
* [[Cutthroat (G1)|Cutthroat]] (13)
* [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] (14)
* [[Tantrum]] (18)
* [[Headstrong]] (24)
* [[Abominus (G1)|Abominus]] (33)
* [[Predaking]] (34)
* [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (35)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (37)
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (38)
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (39)
* [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]] (40)
* [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]] (41)
|c4=
* [[Primacron]] (1)
* [[Tornedron]] (2)
* [[Oracle (G1)|The Oracle]] (44)
* [[Unicron]] (45)
}}

==Quotes==
"Now remember, before you do anything, think, 'Is this what Sky Lynx would do in my position?', and you will not go far wrong."
:—'''Sky Lynx's''' sensible instructions to the rest of the Primitives.

"I have summoned you here to tell you a tale of long ago." 
"Oh, me Grimlock love long ago tale!" 
"Then allow me to tell it."
:—The '''Oracle''' slaps '''Grimlock''' into place.

"Suffer my rage, monster! I will show you no mercy! You will rue the day you crossed Sky—aaahhh!"
:—'''Sky Lynx'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s righteous fury at the deaths of Trypticon and Grimlock.

'''Headstrong''': Sky Lynx is destroyed! Who will lead us now? 
'''Slag''': I, Slag, lead Dinobots away, till I get better idea. 
'''Hun-Gurrr''': Best idea yet! We run too!
:—Strategy is not their strong suit.

'''Headstrong''': I detest fleeing, I would rather die fighting! 
'''Razorclaw''': He is right! Predacons, unite! 
''[The Predacons combine.]'' 
'''Predaking''': Tornedron... face Predaking! To the end!
:—The Predacons decide that [[Furmanism|it is better to fight and die than live with the knowledge that they ran]].

"Only you can save the world now, Grimlock." 
"Me Grimlock feel important!"
:—The '''Oracle''' rests the fate of... erm, the universe, on '''Grimlock's''' shoulders.

'''Grimlock''': ''[chuckles]'' "''You'' are creator?" 
'''Primacron''': "Unfortunately....yes." 
'''Grimlock''': "Grimlock laugh at little wimp who cause big trouble!"
:—'''Grimlock''', about to give '''Primacron''' a wedgie.

'''Primacron''': We are ''finished''!! I've amplified the energy parameters, minimized the drivormenter, redirected the ion flow! I've tried EVERYTHING! 
'''Grimlock''': Me Grimlock solve problem! Wuh! 
''[Reaches over and pushes switch]'' 
'''Primacron''': Of course, the '''reverse switch!''' Why didn't ''I'' think of that?!
:—The universe's greatest genius gets one-upped by....'''Grimlock'''. Wait. What?!

'''Grimlock''': Grimlock saved universe! Grimlock hero! [Grimlock stomps in victory, causing the place to begin to collapse] 
'''Primacron''': Stop it! You stupid—! 
'''Grimlock''': Why you call Grimlock stupid? 
'''Primacron''': You've ruined my lab! 
'''Grimlock''': Me Grimlock think that is smartest thing I ever done!
:—You know, that probably ''is'' the smartest thing he's ever done.

==Notes==
[[Image:Unicroncall.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Where am I from?]]
* The art style in this episode is very different from all others in the Generation 1 series, with stylized "anime-like" character models and proportions. In fact, the [[Character model|character models]] for this episode are based on the [[Studio Ox]] designs rather than the standard animation models used for the other episodes of the series. It is widely believed that this lone episode was animated by [[Tokyo Movie Shinsha]], though little evidence has been found to confirm this.
*In Japanese continuity, the scene where the Primitives encounter the [[Oracle (G1)|Oracle]] is set in the past; apparently, the Primitives arrived there via time travel. This is done to accommodate the idea that the Oracle later evolved into [[Vector Sigma]] and later [[Primus]].

===Animation or technical glitches===
*In the second overhead shot of the Autobots during the opening battle, Rodimus is missing his (freakin' huge) spoiler.
*When Blades, Slingshot and Wheelie open fire on Tornedron, the first shot is fired before they even raise their weapons.
*As Tornedron in the form of a giant bug steps over the bodies of Blades, Slingshot and Wheelie, its glowing aura is on a lower cel than their bodies, making it appear to pass under them, despite the fact they're lying on the ground.
*When the Dinobots are being summoned, [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] is referred to as [[Sweep]].
*Galvatron's sporting a [[Megatron (SG)|red Decepticon insignia]] when he calls in Trypticon.
*As the Predacons start firing on the Dinobots while inside Trypticon, one of the glowing effects doesn't quite match up with Headstrong's horn as it should (he moves his horn to the right position a moment later).
*Restoring the energy to the Moon also appears to rearrange all the craters.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:TVMagazineOverkill.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Eject—operation: Understudy."]]
[[Image:Windcharger-COTP01.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Look alive, people! Uh, no offense, Windcharger."]]
* When summoning the Primitives, they forgot all about[[Laserbeak (G1)| Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]! Instead, Soundwave unleashes two new cassette Decepticons: [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]...who are then never seen again. Gee. This didn't stop [[TV Magazine]] from proudly displaying them as if they were the stars of the episode though.
* [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] is seen running around on Cybertron, despite having been killed in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the Transformers movie]]. But hey, that [[Carnage in C-Minor|happens]] [[Wheeljack (G1)|all]] [[Prowl (G1)|the]] [[Ironhide (G1)|time]].

===Transformers references===
* This episode marks the last appearance of the Dinobots, Trypticon, Ravage, and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] in the western cartoon...bummer.
{{-}}

===Trivia===
[[Image:Firecall.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Me Grimlock like Predacons and Terrorcons Cajun style]]
* Unicron's origin is a bit...random.
* When Grimlock uses his [[flame breath]] on the Predacons and Terrorcons, they start to ''[[Humanization#Coughing|cough]]''...cause that's what you do when you're being hit with fire reaching several hundred degrees.
*This episode seems to resolidify the Dinobots' position as freakishly powerful (which took a beating in Season 3), as Grimlock alone seems to be a match for three Terrorcons and two Predacons, and the only Autobot sent flying is Swoop, who takes a blast to the chest early on. Also, the Dinobots seem to handle Tornedron with the most finesse.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1988 — ''Transformers'' — Call of the Primitives / The Girl Who Loved Powerglide ([[Tempo Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1989 — ''Transformers'' — Fight or Flee / Call of the Primitives (Tempo Video) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1992 — ''Transformers'' — Super Video (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]] 2006 — The Best of ''The Transformers'' (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Classic Episodes (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 08: Stagione Tre Parte Seconda e Stagione Quattro ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[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/call_of_the_primitives.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

Transformer funerary practices

2010-05-13T21:37:05Z

71.22.247.52:

[[Image:Windcharger wheeljack otp.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Don't worry, Wheeljack is only [[Ginrai Dies!!|resting]]. Windcharger, however...]]
:{{quote|Ashes to ashes! Junk to junk!|[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]}}

You can learn a lot about a society from how they treat their [[Death|dead]].

==Generation 1==
===Autobots===
The [[Autobot]] honored dead are placed in massive [[Autobot Mausoleum|mausoleum]] spacecraft which are left to drift in space. These spacecraft feature a docking bay, presumably to allow Autobot pilgrims to pay their respects to past heroes. It is unknown if these mausoleums have defenses to protect the dead against disrespectful [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|Dark Awakening|Dark Awakening}}

[[Image:Bumper-funeral.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Cue bagpipe music.]]
A facsimile Optimus Prime was once buried when the Earth-bound Autobots believed it to be the real Optimus. This was a departure from Cybertronian traditions, but according to the Autobots present, adhering to Earth traditions was 'what he would have wanted'. When he died for real (temporarily) a short time later, his body was instead shot into space, suggesting that maybe he wouldn't have wanted a burial after all. {{storylink|Resurrection!|Resurrection!}} {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!|Funeral for a Friend!}}

When [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] was believed dead, [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] said they would take the body back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] for internment. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

The Autobots have been known to dispose of a fallen ''enemy'' by giving them to the Junkions, with Ultra Magnus intending to send them to collect a fallen [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|The Dweller in the Depths}}

When Ultra Magnus was shot dead by [[Sixshot]], he was given a burial at sea in a glass coffin decorated with Christian imagery, on his favorite planet, Earth. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}

The murdered security officers [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback]] were given a state memorial service with internment in coffin-like crypts adorned by holographic remembrance avatars. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin issue 3}}
{{-}}

===Decepticons===
[[Image:Decepticon markers.gif|right|120px|thumb|Ooooh, shiny...]]
The Decepticons create '''markers''' bearing the likeness of their dead, lit by an eternal flame. Superstitious Decepticons believe a deceased Transformer's spirit may linger near its marker, and it is bad luck to disturb one (after all, they ''do'' have [[Starscream (G1)|ghosts]]...).

''It is unclear if these mark the place where a Transformer's remains are stored or not, but at least three Transformers have markers in two locations.''
{{-}}

==Beast Era==
===Maximals===
For [[Maximal]]s it is customary to hold a wake where their friends and comrades reminisce about their memories of the fallen.

===Predacons===
[[Image:Dinbot funeral.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Out, out, brief candle...]]
The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] recycle their dead with honors. It is considered to be an act of great respect to the dead, though Maximals might disagree. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} When [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] sacrificed his life to save [[Human|humanity]]'s future, the Maximals recycled his body in honour of his Predacon heritage. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
{{-}}

==Transformers Animated==
===Autobots===
An Autobot crew who performs a noble duty and dies in battle is given a proper funeral service. The one who knew the fallen comrade the most gives the eulogy, respectful or [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|not.]] {{storylink|Dispatches}}

Before a funeral, the remains of great heroes are placed in an open coffin, carried by their comrades, to be displayed to the masses after a victory. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

In some cases, if a [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|notable figure]] is not ''quite'' dead yet, they'll be put into stasis and their alt mode recycled for other purposes until a cure could be found. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}} {{storylink|Transwarped}}

===Decepticons===
A great Decepticon leader, such as [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is given a proper funeral service. It is not uncommon for one person to erect a statue in the honor of the fallen in particular. {{storylink|Dispatches|The Arrival issue 1}}

The remains of [[Starscream (Animated)|executed traitors]] are unceremoniously thrown into nearby rivers or garbage piles to rust where they lie. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished|Mission Accomplished}}

[[Category:Transformer culture]]

Optimus Prime (Animated)

2010-05-12T02:23:04Z

71.22.247.52: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{Template:Disambig3|Optimus Prime}}

:''Optimus Prime is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:OptimusPrimeAnimated.JPG|right|thumb|300px|"Freedom... [[Megatron (BW)|Yeesss]]..."]]

A washout from the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]], '''Optimus Prime''' was reassigned to [[space bridge]] repair duty under the supervision of [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]. He is a relatively naive and idealistic young leader, prone to long-winded "inspirational" speeches who leads a small and inexperienced Autobot [[space bridge]] maintenance team. Recently, his crew has landed on [[Earth]], adopted jobs as semi-official superheroes and currently live in an abandoned Sumdac Systems warehouse.

Despite his humble "Bot Next Door" persona, he performs his job with a dedicated seriousness. He transforms into a red truck cab that can be fitted with many kinds of "[[trailer]]" attachments (most notably one that makes him look like a fire engine) and wields a kick-ass, rocket-propelled, extendable battle axe, as well as multiple arm mounted modifications, including grappler cables, fire extinguishers and bola-whip throwers. Despite his formidable abilities and skills, not everyone thought so highly of the young Prime. [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] sneers at Optimus's lowly repair job, and [[Supreme Commander]] [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] once held the young officer in low regard. More than anything, Prime wanted to be a hero. He's had the speeches, he had the moves...but what was he missing? Maybe [[Stan Bush|The Touch]]?

But since coming to Earth, Optimus has learned the truth about heroism. It's not about glory and destiny, it's about doing the right thing and going to your limit and beyond. Ratchet, for all his cynicism, knows that Prime is a hero, and after seeing him in action, Ultra Magnus himself admitted that Optimus has excellent leadership skills.

{{Quote|So, this is what it feels like to be a hero...|Optimus upon his death|"[[Transform and Roll Out]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[David Kaye]] (English), [[Hiroki Takahashi]] (Japanese), [[Bernd Vollbrecht]] (German), [[Maciej Walentek]] (Polish), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian), [[Alexandre Marconato]] (Portuguese)

''During his training days at the [[Autobot Academy]], Optimus impressed Ultra Magnus with his performance in a computer simulated battle against [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Although Optimus "died" in the battle, causing his boisterous pal Sentinel to make a crack at his expense, Magnus pointed out that Optimus had just scored higher on the test than anyone in Academy history, and let Optimus know he had great hopes for him.'' {{storylink|The Arrival issue 5#Survival Skills|Survival Skills}}

[[Image:Alongcameaspiderthreefriends.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"Whoa-oh! Surprise hug from Mr. Freaky-Big!"]]

A thousand stellar cycles ago, Optimus and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] accompanied Sentinel on an unpermitted mission to [[Archa Seven|a forbidden organic planet]] in search of a lost [[Decepticon]] [[Twilight (Animated)|ship]] rumored to be carrying a huge payload of [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] [[energon cube|cubes]]. The mission was declared a wash when the trio discovered that the planet was infested with [[Archa Seven arachnid|giant spiders]], but the trio found that their retreat was not an easy one. Separated from Sentinel in the chaos of a spider attack, Optimus and Elita found the Decepticon ship and its coveted energon cubes, only to be surrounded by another swarm of spiders. Optimus had Elita download his grappler abilities so that they could bring a giant stalactite down on the creatures, causing the energon cubes to explode in the process. As they attempt to swing their way to safety, however, Elita's download timed out and she plummeted back down into the heart of the conflagration, just as Sentinel arrived to bear witness. Knowing that to go after her would mean death, Optimus held Sentinel back from pursuing Elita and forcibly dragged him back to the surface just before they were caught in the explosion. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

Sentinel never forgave Optimus for making him leave Elita behind, and bore a grudge against him for the next thousand years, constantly belittling him and sniping at him. When the failed mission came to the attention of Ultra Magnus, the two were brought to a military tribunal. Sentinel gladly placed the blame for Elita-1's death at Optimus' feet, and gallantly, Optimus took the fall for leading the mission. He was discharged from the Academy, never to join the Elite Guard. Luckily for Optimus, Magnus thought that maybe the bot he once had such high hopes for still had some potential, and gave him the rank of "Prime" and his own ship...a rusted out junker filled with the incompetent young bots [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], plus a crotchety old medic, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]].

During one of their routine [[Space Bridge]] terminal repair missions, Optimus Prime's crew stumbled upon a bot named [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] who was trying to complete his [[Cyber-Ninja]] training. Unfortunately, an [[energon cube]] explosion destroyed his ship, so Optimus offered Prowl a place on his crew. The would-be cyber-ninja expressed frustration at the constant curveballs life had thrown at him thus far, and Optimus noted that he could easily relate to that sentiment.
{{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|left|thumb|300px|Call me Captainimus Prime!]]

Fifty years ago, Prime and his crew came across the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] while repairing a space bridge and brought the artifact aboard their ship. During transport, they were discovered by the [[Decepticon]]s, and [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] came after them. He proved too strong to take head on (in spite of [[Starscream (Animated)|his subordinate]] planting a bomb on his chassis), but when [[Teletran-1]] neared [[Earth]], Prime knocked Megatron overboard. The Autobots stayed in stasis for the next 50 years until they were accidentally awakened by an apparent intruder. Optimus and the Autobots took on Earth vehicles as alternate modes in an attempt to assimilate with what they believed to be the local dominant culture. Prime and his team were able to dispatch a bio-mechanical insectoid that was attacking Detroit. They were hailed as heroes for it.

[[Image:Sariprime.jpg|right|120px|thumb|Insert what where?!]]

Over the next several weeks, the Autobots got to learn human culture and customs, doing their best to prevent disasters and save lives. Eventually, Starscream came for the AllSpark, and Optimus found that the schemer could pack quite a punch. The Autobot officer was still able to keep Starscream from getting the artifact, though at the cost of his life. However, he was quickly revived by [[Sari Sumdac]] and her AllSpark-influenced [[AllSpark Key|key]]. Later, the Autobots helped rebuild parts of Detroit that were destroyed in their battle with Starscream. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Unfortunately for Optimus, he had gained a reputation outside of Earth's atmosphere—not as a hero, but as the slayer of Megatron. The Decepticon [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] placed a large bounty on his head, and pretty soon, [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] came to collect. He captured Prime and stole his axe and grapplers. Fortunately, Ratchet saved him, finally getting the old bot to open up more. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}}

[[Image:TFA ep9 Optimus and Blackarachnia rooftop.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Optimus Prime is all left feet, but that's still not as many as Blackarachnia.]]

During the Autobots' first [[Halloween]] on Earth, the Decepticon [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] ambushed [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and kidnapped Sari. When Optimus Prime tried to fight Blackarachnia, she dodged all his moves, as she had trained with him. Prime was shocked to learn that Blackarachnia was his old Autobot Academy classmate Elita-1, who hadn't died but been mutated while fighting off the giant arachnids those many years ago. Blackarachnia tried to use Sari's AllSpark key to remove the organic aspects from her biology, but the key began to drain the life from everything organic around and nearly killed Blackarachnia herself. Prime removed the key, saving Blackarachnia and the organics. Still calling her Elita, Prime tried to convince her to return to the Autobots so they could try and help her. She repaid that kindness by injecting him with venom and telling him that she would never trust him again. Prime was left to reflect on the friend he'd failed not once, but twice. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

When Decepticon energy signals were detected near the city, the Autobots quickly realized that their options were limited. Bulkhead mentioned that the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] might help, forcing [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] to reveal how the two moved them to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]]. Prime's reaction was...displeased, to say the least. Ranting that all he had to command were insubordinate malfunctions, Prime also concluded that the Key was no longer safe with Sari, and he ordered Ratchet to take it from her. As Sari ran off crying, Bumblebee mouthed off that their situation was an indication that Prime was unfit for command.

[[Image:Megatron Rising Optimus rant.JPG|right|170px|thumb|[[wikipedia:Red_Forman|Dumbasses]]!]]

Heading to Dinobot Island, Prime did not get off to a good start with [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]], mostly because Grimlock considered him lunch. After Prowl smoothed things over, Prime tried to convince them to help the Autobots fight the Decepticons, but Grimlock was uninterested. Receiving word from Ratchet that the Key had been stolen, Prime ordered Ratchet to guard the AllSpark while the Autobots headed back for the mainland. Prime himself also began to wonder if he was fit for command, seeing as all his decisions had blown up in his face. When Bumblebee contacted the Autobots to inform them that Starscream was at [[Sumdac Tower]], he refused Prime's order to hold back and went to attack the Decepticon on his own. Prime dryly noted that the day just kept getting better and better.

Then everything pretty much went to Hell when Megatron burst out of Sumdac Tower, to the shock and horror of just about everyone. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

Quickly regaining their composure, the Autobots attacked. Megatron beat the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of them. Though Optimus fared slightly better, Megatron still brought him down fairly quickly. They were only able to escape when Megatron punished Starscream for his betrayal. Taking refuge within Sumdac Tower, [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] explained his role in Megatron's revival and helped repair the Autobots with residual key energy. After Bumblebee called Prime to answer for his earlier assessment of them, Prime admitted he was wrong and asked them for forgiveness. When Ratchet and Sari showed up with Teletran-1, the Autobots took flight, hoping to lure the Decepticons away from Earth to prevent human casualties. Unfortunately, the Decepticons shot down the vessel and caused it to crash on Dinobot Island.

[[Image:Megatron Rising Optimus Megatron Key shove.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"Now, light our darkest hour!"]]

As the Autobots took on the Decepticons, Optimus faced down Megatron, which went as well as the first time. When Megatron got into the Autobots' ship, he took the AllSpark and placed the powerful artifact within him, using it as a weapon against Prime. However, Megatron had dropped the key, and Sari threw it to Prime. The Autobot officer used the key to send a surge of energy through the AllSpark, causing it to disperse while still in Megatron. With the threat passed, Prime apologized to Sari and returned the key, saying it was too important to be trusted with an Autobot. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

After the battle with the Decepticons, the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] arrived to take the AllSpark back to Cybertron. Optimus explained that the AllSpark had been dispersed and that the Decepticons had been defeated. Sentinel Prime accused Optimus of lying and took every chance he could to belittle his former friend, but [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] decided to investigate their claims. Optimus took them to Dinobot Island, but the Autobots did not make a good impression on the Dinobots. Before they could investigate, they received a message from Ratchet, saying that [[police drone]]s had gone haywire at a Sumdac Systems manufacturing plant. Optimus managed to get Sari inside and shut off the assembly line, but the key was stuck in the console. Before Optimus could help, Sentinel pushed him aside and promised to see Optimus charged for high treason. Tired of Sentinel's slag, Optimus finally stuck up for himself and told Sentinel where to shove it, destroying the console the key was stuck in and revealing an AllSpark fragment. Ultra Magnus accepted the shard as proof of Optimus Prime's claims. Though Sentinel still refused to believe him, Magnus said that Optimus Prime displayed many qualities that Sentinel himself could use. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster optimuslaughs.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Ha ''Ha!'' [[Decapitation]].]]

When Sentinel and Optimus were at a press conference with [[Augustus Edsel|Mayor Edsel]], they received a call about a Decepticon sighting in old Detroit. After Sentinel mangled the roads en route, he told Optimus to split up and search on his own. Hours later, Optimus received a communication to from Sentinel to dismiss the police and come to Sentinel's location alone—and not to laugh when he got there. What Optimus found was Sentinel Prime's severed head, with his [[Structure|body]] having been stolen by the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]]. He promised to help Sentinel find his body without letting Ultra Magnus or the other Autobots know, but not before taking a moment or two to enjoy the situation.

Heading for Sumdac Tower, Optimus confronted [[Porter C. Powell]], who denied knowing where Masterson was and told him the Autobots were no longer welcome at the facility. Optimus left, but immediately tapped in on Powell and Masterson's phone conversation, letting Optimus track Masterson to the docks. After encountering mini-Headmasters in the form of [[Tutor Bot]] and [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]], Optimus was able to get aboard the ship before it sailed away. Finding the Headmaster with Sentinel Prime's body, Optimus Prime proceeded to beat the living slag out of his attacker, much to Sentinel's discomfort. Finally defeating the mad scientist, Optimus reattached Sentinel's head to his body, but Masterson walked away due to legal technicalities. When Ultra Magnus asked them about it the next day, Optimus covered for Sentinel, saying that Sentinel had volunteered to use himself as bait to capture Masterson, and Magnus praised their bravery. In an awkward moment, Sentinel thanked Optimus for all he'd done, and the two shook hands amicably. {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}}

[[Image:Sentinel vs Optimus%2C with Jazz in the middle.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Jay Leno VS. Bruce Campbell, Battle of [[chin]]s.]]

When word of Decepticon attacks came after learning that Megatron was still alive, Ultra Magnus decided that Optimus and his Autobots would be needed elsewhere repairing damaged space bridges. The Elite Guard also wanted Optimus to...leave out that whole destruction of the AllSpark and Megatron's survival thing for the time being. When they detected an AllSpark shard energy signature in a human train, the Elite Guard went to retrieve it. Detecting Starscream, Optimus realized it was a trap and was forced to place stasis cuffs on Sentinel Prime to leave the Elite Guard's ship. Meeting up with his crew, he helped them remove the shard and save the humans. Magnus and Sentinel, who by now had broken out of his cuffs, were about to rip Optimus a new one for insubordination, assault, and the lack of evidence over the Decepticons—at which point Starscream's body crashed mere meters away from them, having been offlined by Megatron (again). When Starscream knocked out Ultra Magnus, Optimus took command (much to Sentinel's displeasure). He managed to place the stasis-cuffs on Starscream, and Ultra Magnus decided that Optimus Prime and his team would be allowed to stay on Earth, locate the remaining AllSpark shards, and arrest the remaining Decepticons. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

Later on, when Bulkhead brought [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] back to Autobot headquarters, Optimus was not impressed with their antics and demanded that they leave. Optimus warned Bulkhead that the duo were not worth spending time with and that they were not capable of learning the ways of an Autobot. After the Constructicons were 'persuaded' by Megatron that their talents would be better utilized in the Decepticon ranks, Prime was furious and despite Bulkhead's insistence that they were his friends, Optimus questioned that they didn't know any better.

Unfortunately, he was proved right when Mixmaster and Scrapper showed up and demanded that they hand over the AllSpark fragments, to which Prime naturally refused. A struggle ensued (in which Ratchet and Bumblebee insisted Prime was 'their dipstick') and Mixmaster held Bumblebee hostage and demands the AllSpark. Prime tried to stall for time and Bulkhead handed over the fragments, to Prime's dismay. Bulkhead then 'had one for the road' and his scheme came to light. With the fragments retrieved, Optimus consoled a distraught Bulkhead and assured him that as long as the Constructicons (now having lost their memory due to the explosion caused by the tainted oil) were not wearing Decepticon badges, they still had a choice. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

[[Image:Animated Black Friday Prime Meltdown.jpg|right|175px|thumb|At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall melt.]]

After learning that the Dinobots helped Meltdown escape, Prime took Prowl and Bumblebee to investigate Dinobot Island. There, he learned that Blackarachnia was manipulating the Dinobots, and had struck a deal with Meltdown to remove her organic half. However, Meltdown needed a genetic modifier. Blackarachnia, having poisoned Prowl and Bumblebee with her venom, told Prime to help Grimlock get the modifier in exchange for the antivenom that would save his Autobots. Though Prime tried to convince Grimlock of Blackarachnia's evil intentions, Grimlock would hear none of it. Returning to the mainland, Prime revoked his "protector of humanity" title long enough for Grimlock to "convince" [[Porter C. Powell]] to tell them where the modifier was. When Powell realized it was valuable, Prime was tempted to let Grimlock finish him off, but decided the Autobots didn't have time. Returning to Dinobot Island, Meltdown turned the tables on them, revealing that he planned to remove Blackarachnia's organic half, and sicced [[Fusion creature|his experiments]] on Prime and Grimlock. With the other Dinobots help, they sent the mutants packing. Prime then removed the modifier before Meltdown could finish his experiments, and exposure to the modifier caused Meltdown to break apart. Blackarachnia urged Optimus to come closer, but Grimlock's jealousy caused him to attack, allowing Blackarachnia to flee. When Prime went to Prowl and Bumblebee, he found the anti-venom, and saved their sparks. Although Powell tried to have Prime arrested, Fanzone refused to do anything about it. Because she left the anti-venom, however, Optimus Prime was hopeful that somewhere beneath the anger and betrayal of Blackarachnia, there was still something left of Elita-1. {{storylink|Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday}}

When Bulkhead was kidnapped by Megatron, Bumblebee brought home [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]], an Elite Guard intelligence agent who had been assigned to monitor the Decepticons and investigate Optimus Prime's crew (good odds on [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|the one]] who gave Blurr his orders). When Blurr revealed where the Decepticons were, and that they were building a space bridge with Isaac Sumdac's help, Prime ordered Ratchet and Sari to get the ship back online, while he and the others went to rescue Bulkhead and stop the Decepticons. Before he left, he admitted that he wasn't sure if Professor Sumdac was willingly cooperating with the Decepticons, but promised Sari that he would bring him home alive. Heading to the mines, they were ambushed by Blitzwing and Lugnut, who were incapacitated by Blurr. Reaching the control room, the Autobots were incapaciated by the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]]. Fortunately, the Decepticons were too busy with the sudden arrival of Starscream and [[Starscream clone (Animated)|his clones]] to immediately kill them. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

Managing to free himself, Optimus found himself in the odd position of fighting side by side with Megatron. But the battle went against the Autobots, with Blurr and a pair of clones sucked into the space bridge and the other Autobots incapacitated. In typical Decepticon fashion, Megatron used Prime as a human shield against the clones. After the battle, Megatron decided to use Prime as a test to see if the space bridge worked, where Prime would eliminated by [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] if it did. Fortunately, Prowl managed to get free from his stasis cuffs and shatter Optimus Prime's, allowing him to grapple Megatron. However, the power cut out, forcing Megatron to use the severed head of Starscream to further power the bridge, causing an overload. Prime managed to slap stasis cuffs on Megatron, taking him into the bridge, but the Autobots were nearly sucked in when [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and sacrificed himself to save them. As the bridge self-destructed, the Autobots managed to escape before the mountain came down on top of them. Though mourning the losses of Omega and Blurr, Megatron's plot was foiled, and the Autobots could breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Sighs of relief which turned to gasps of shock and horror when Sari noticed that the skin of her arm had been torn...revealing robotic circuitry underneath! {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

Leaving the mine, Optimus carried Sari and Isaac with him as the Professor explained what he knew of Sari's origins: years ago, Sumdac found a body of liquid metal, which he touched, and Sari emerged. Remembering all too well the horror story of human manufacturing, Optimus pointed out several flaws in Isaac's story. Optimus provided the necessary muscle to prevent Porter C. Powell and Henry Masterson from trying anything funny when Isaac returned to Sumdac Tower and fired the two, and was on hand to witness Sari activated some sort of weapons system to eject them. Horrified, Sari decided she was better off with her "fellow machines", and Optimus promised to keep her safe until she was ready to talk. Realizing that she wasn't going to talk, Optimus tricked Sari into going to [[Burger Bot]], alerting Sumdac that they were heading there. Unfortunately, the Headmaster had found his Headmaster unit and Starscream's body, and attacked the trio. After a short battle, Optimus tricked Masterson into transforming, saying that a "n00b" like him couldn't do it. The attack managed to reconcile Isaac and Sari, and Optimus took them home, where Prowl revealed his theory that Sari was a protoform merged with Sumdac's DNA.

Later, Ratchet turned up with an unconscious Bulkhead and claims of a missing Bumblebee. Bulkhead theorized that Bumblebee had activated the [[plasmadynamic thruster]], sending him across the universe, and used a homing beacon generator to bring him home. Unfortunately, Bumblebee was swallowed by a [[rock creature|rock-like alien]]. As the Autobots tried to figure out how to stop the creature without harming Bumblebee, Sari used the Key to upgrade herself into a more powerful mech. She defeated the monster, but overloaded and was unable to control her movements, seriously injuring Bumblebee. The Autobots were able to remove the Key, only to discover Sari kept going and the Key had been drained. Ratchet was forced to deactivate Sari with his EMP generator.

Returning to the plant, Optimus informed Isaac of Sari's condition, deciding that this family was done keeping secrets from each other. Unfortunately, Megatron arrived, commanding Omega Supreme. Optimus and the others led Megatron out of the city, where he and Prowl boarded Omega, removing Megatron's influence. Unfortunately, Starscream took over Omega Supreme, and decided to conquer Cybertron. Optimus latched aboard the departing vessel, and shoved the plasmadynamic thruster into Omega, sending him warping across the galaxy randomly, ending the threats of Megatron and Starscream for a while. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

After reprimanding Bumblebee for playing video games while on monitor duty, Optimus led the Autobots out on a search mission when they detected a Cybertronian energy signature. While Optimus was away, he received an emergency call from Bumblebee, revealing that Wasp was at the plant. By the time the Autobots returned, Wasp had switched places with Bumblebee. Unable to convince his teammates of the ruse, Bumblebee fled, and just as Optimus and his remaining Autobots gave chase, Sentinel Prime and Jazz cut them off. Sentinel was unwilling to listen to Optimus's claims that Wasp was innocent and Longarm Prime was the real traitor, and he took off for Wasp. Optimus had their group split up to try and find Wasp first, ordering Ratchet to come with him while Bulkhead and Prowl went to check another section of the city. While searching, Optimus and Ratchet discovered two Cybertronian fliers and assumed they were Decepticons. Only after fighting with the pair did they learn that [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] and [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] were Elite Guard members who had been upgraded with flight protocols duplicated from Starscream.

As Optimus, Ratchet, and Jazz watched Sentinel flail about on the wet roads, still ignoring pleas to warn Cybertron about Longarm, Optimus asked how Jazz was able to stand the obnoxious Prime, and was surprised to learn that the Elite Guard ninja ignored "only half" of what Sentinel said. When the jet twins reported to Sentinel that Bulkhead and Prowl were working with Wasp, Sentinel ordered all of Optimus's crew arrested, despite Optimus putting it as simply as possible: Wasp wasn't a double agent, so Bulkhead and Prowl couldn't be his fellow double agents. Once they reached the others, Optimus had to deal with Sentinel's insistence on arresting them all to let Ultra Magnus sort them out, despite Prowl and Bulkhead now believing that Wasp and Bumblebee had switched places. Overruling Sentinel's demands, Optimus had everyone return to the plant, as that's where Wasp had to be if 'Bee's story was true. By the time they returned, Wasp had read up on Bumblebee's files and so was able to relate a number of 'Bee's adventures to prove he was the real deal. When Bulkhead had Bumblebee and Wasp play ''[[Ninja Gladiator]]'' to see who the real one was, Prime had no better suggestion. Wasp choked and escaped, and Jazz finally realized that Optimus had been telling the truth about Longarm being a double agent. An oblivious Sentinel asked why they hadn't told him this in the first place, and Optimus sighed in exasperation. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

With the Elite Guard remaining on Earth, the Autobots began a search for the rest of Megatron's Decepticons. During one search, Optimus saw an unfamiliar shadow with a strange helmet. Following it, Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz discovered Sentinel Prime had captured [[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] without making a sound. Despite his notorious ego, Sentinel refused to elaborate on the capture, and even bolted the clone's mouth shut when he started to talk. Returning to the Elite Guard ship, Optimus discovered that Sentinel had also captured Blitzwing and Swindle, as well, and was equally vague on the details. After helping Prowl investigate the mysterious helmeted figure, Optimus returned to the ship where he, Jazz, and Prowl were shocked to discover that Sentinel had captured Lugnut. Now convinced that Sentinel was lying to them, Optimus and the others eventually followed him to [[Tigatron Stadium]], where they discovered a stasis-cuffed Sentinel, the [[Ramjet (Animated)|Liar Starscream]], Lockdown (wearing the mysterious helmet), and that Sentinel had been having Lockdown capture the Decepticons in exchange for parts of the Elite Guard ship. After a battle, the clone was captured, but Lockdown escaped. Returning to the Elite Guard ship, the Autobots made contact with Cybertron, learning that Shockwave had attacked Ultra Magnus and stolen the [[Magnus Hammer]] in the process. Optimus decided not to inform Cybertron Command of Sentinel's misconduct, but instead gave Prowl all the credit for the captures. Sentinel expressed annoyance that he didn't get any credit for the captures, and Optimus told his former friend that when the smoke cleared, there would be a reckoning between the two Primes. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

[[Image:PredaconsRising-BASentinelOptimus.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Hail hail, the gang's all here!]]

However, Sentinel remained on Earth, convinced that Wasp knew something about the attack on Ultra Magnus. Efforts to locate Wasp were hampered by Sentinel's refusal to recognize Optimus's authority on Earth, claiming he was the ''primer'' Prime. However, things came to a head when the Dinobot Swoop captured Wasp and took him to Dinobot Island. Realizing that Blackarachnia might be involved, Optimus tried to warn Sentinel about her, but he refused to listen, as usual. Reaching the island, Optimus found Blackarachnia draining Sentinel of his powers, and offered himself in Sentinel's place. Blackarachnia didn't care; as far as she was concerned, she had every right to slag them both for abandoning her. She also revealed that she had made Wasp into the technorganic Waspinator in the hopes that if she could change him back, she could change back into Elita-1. However, Waspinator heard this, and tried to attack Blackarachnia. Reaching critical mass, Blackarachnia wrapped herself and Waspinator into a cocoon to contain the transwarp explosion. The Autobots were barely able to avoid the blast radius, which appeared to destroy most of Dinobot Island. Optimus concluded that Blackarachnia sacrificed herself to save them, but Sentinel thought that she sacrificed Waspinator to escape. Although Sentinel did not press the issue, Optimus could see that he was deeply hurt by what he had experienced.

A short time later, the Elite Guard were preparing to leave, and Optimus Prime's crew were seeing them off. Optimus actually defended Sentinel when the twins poked fun at him, saying that for all his flaws, Sentinel was a good bot at spark. Sentinel later came out to talk to Optimus privately, and Optimus apologized, both for not telling Sentinel about Elita's survival, and for not letting Sentinel go back to try and rescue her. In turn, Sentinel apologized for coming up with the idea to go to the planet, but admitted that the time was past for apologies. Optimus ended the conversation on a lighter note, saying that Cybertron needed a leader, and for better or worse, Sentinel Prime was that leader. Sentinel agreed, and the two Primes finally appeared to bury the hatchet. {{storylink|Predacons Rising}}

Optimus Prime's mood soon soured as the [[Christmas]] season rolled in, and the latest must-have product from Porter C. Powell was advertised all over the city—the all-singing, all-dancing [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]! After following a lone Soundwave and almost getting decapitated by a train, he decided he was obsessing over nothing and rejoined the other Autobots for some [[oilnog]]... not realizing it had been spiked by another Soundwave, forcing Optimus and the others into taking an early [[Stasis lock|stasis nap]].

[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Optimus Human.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Worst. Hangover. ''Ever!'']]

As Optimus woke up the next morning, he discovered, to his horror, that he and the others had inexplicably become human. Despite his hopes, Ratchet could find no rational explanation for their transformation. Deciding the best course of action was to head to Sumdac Tower, the Auto''men'' set off into the city. A quick stop at the Burger Bot turned to them fleeing from an attacking Decepticon armada, followed by Optimus and Prowl saving a woman and [[Gary|her son]] from a burning building, to (badly) fighting off an attacking Starscream and finally—perhaps worst of all—having to take public transportation to Sumdac Tower. However, no sooner had they arrived at their destination then they witnessed the tower blasted to ruins... by a Megatron-controlled Cybertron!

But just as the Autobots seemed on the brink of destruction, Optimus came to a realization—none of what they had experienced was real, but a virtual reality simulation! They took out the Decepticons together with superhuman feats, Optimus destroying Megatron himself with a well aimed axe into his cannon. As the dust settled and the Decepticons disappeared, they "imagined" themselves into their real forms once again. But as soon as they had made the transformation, a giant Soundwave scooped them up into the sky, blasting them all with energy.

In the real world, Optimus and his crew were all prisoners of the real Soundwave in the basement of the Autobot hideout, as part of the sonic warrior's plan to reprogram them into being Decepticons. As their captor started to accelerate the reprogramming, Optimus opened his eyes to reveal them glowing red... {{storylink|Human Error, Part I}}

[[Image:PrimeReadyToRock.jpg|thumb|left|200px| "I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!"]]

A wire from an attack Sari had made on Soundwave disrupted the connection, but after a failed escape attempt by Prowl, Soundwave reverted all the Autobots to their human forms and used his toy replica drones scattered around Detroit to begin hypnotising the human population.

Looking for a way to interface with Soundwave to escape and locating it in the form of his vehicle mode, Optimus gave the order to pursue the Decepticon utilizing the conveniently placed vehicles on which their own alternate modes were based. Unfortunately, Optimus didn't know how to drive extremely well. He still was able to pursue Soundwave, albeit with the fire hose out of control.

When Optimus and his group finally cornered Soundwave, it was revealed to be a trap: Hundreds of Soundwave's vehicle modes surrounded the Automen, and when the Autobots attempted to escape, their vehicles' seat belts wrapped around them as Soundwave began to reprogram them again.

Controlling the reprogrammed Autobots like puppets, Soundwave used them in a battle with Sari and the [[Substitute Autobot]]s, whom at first they soundly defeated. When Sari ordered the Substitute Autobots to attack all the Autobots at once, however, Soundwave began having trouble multitasking, until he decided to use just Optimus against them. Optimus soundly defeated the Substitute Autobots again and was about to kill Sari when the freed Prowl used his shuriken to blast Ratbat out of Soundwave's hands, liberating the rest of the Autobots. Optimus then grabbed Laserbeak, forced him into guitar mode, and engaged in a brief (''epic'') Battle of the Bands scenario before using Laserbeak to slice Soundwave and Ratbat in half, destroying the Decepticon's control over the citizens of Detroit. He and Sari then exchanged mutual new appreciation of each other's daily difficulties, Sari better understanding the stresses of command, Optimus now realizing the rigors of being human. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Swindle Optimus Hand.jpg|thumb||180px|right|"GIVE ME YOUR FACE!"]]
Optimus later congratulated Professor Sumdac and Bulkhead for completing a space bridge terminal in record time, and he was amazed when Sari single-handedly and expertly recalibrated the transwarp sequencers. However, he soon received a message from Sentinel Prime, who had accidentally freed several Decepticon prisoners on the Elite Guard ship, which decrypted to "Broken Lance", the coded distress call Sentinel used to use in their Academy days. Using the space bridge terminal to get to the ship, Optimus promptly emerged from Swindle's chest, having arrived in the pocket dimension which Swindle used to hold all his stock. Taking an elevator to the ship's energon storage chamber, Optimus slightly destabilized some energon cubes by perforating them with his axe, then put them in the elevator car and sliced the cables, so it exploded near the bottom just as the Decepticons pried open the doors. Slightly charred from the backblast, Optimus entered one of the service ducts and worked his way back to the brig area, grumbling as he did so.

Soon after, Prime freed his fellow Autobots and told Jazz to rewire the decontamination unit on the bridge as a freezing chamber to trap the Decepticons. At the same time, taking a cue from Sentinel's coded transmission, he made his Autobot symbol blink in [[Cybertronian optical code|Cybertronian Optical Code]] to tell Jazz that the decontamination chamber would be the only part of the bridge ''not'' to get frozen. After convincing the Elite Guard to surrender to the Decepticons (but not before using Sentinel as a slingshot against Lugnut), he endured Blitzwing locking them in the decontamination chamber and gloating all the while—until Blitzwing pressed the button and all the Decepticons on the bridge were frozen. Sentinel offered Optimus the Elite Guard spot that would be left when Sentinel became Magnus, but Prime declined, saying that he still had plenty to do on Earth. Optimus then returned to Earth on the Elite Guard's ship, and he and Sentinel traded salutes before they went their separate ways.
{{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

[[Image:EndGamePart1-Autobotscantfly.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Optimus cannot fly!! What is [[To sell toys|happening?]]]]
When Bulkhead detected Omega Supreme on the Moon, Ratchet tried to convince Optimus to use the [[Magnus Hammer]] against Megatron to rescue Omega and Arcee. Optimus felt unworthy due to his discharge from the [[Autobot Academy]] and ban from the Elite Guard, and instead requested that Ratchet build him a modification to [[#Wingblade|let him fly]]. As part of a counter to Ratchet's protest that "Autobots don't fly", Prowl volunteered his boosters to use as a basis for Optimus's mods. When Ratchet ran into trouble on the jetpack, Sari used her Allspark powers to find the problem, and Ratchet soon had an attachable winged jetpack for Optimus to test out. Optimus loved the new ability to fly, shouting "Yessssss!" as he slipped the surly bonds of Earth, but he was shot down by [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]]. With a jetpack that didn't even give him an advantage over a Starscream clone, and with Megatron's [[Lugnut Supreme]]s fast approaching, Optimus decided he no longer had a choice and picked up the Magnus Hammer, ready to stand up in this [[darkest hour]]. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

Though hesitant about taking to the air given his previous performance, Optimus took to the skies with Prowl to drive the Lugnut Supremes away from Sumdac Tower while Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Sari went to the Moon to sever Megatron's access to Omega Supreme. After a little trouble, Optimus was able to use the Magnus Hammer to cause a tornado that threw the clones to Dinobot Island, damaging one and rendering the other two unable to fly. However, they were still online and resumed their march to Sumdac Tower. Optimus instructed Prowl and Jazz to enter the clones and remove their AllSpark fragments while he himself fought Megatron. Unfortunately, when Omega was severed from the clones, it activated their hidden function as ''Starscream'' clones, complete with bombs capable of destroying everything within one hundred square miles. Omega returned in time to destroy one clone, and Prowl and Jazz used processor-over-matter to assemble stray AllSpark fragments and power a shield strong enough to contain the remaining clone. Meanwhile, Optimus and Megatron continued to duke it out, eventually being encased in the shield with the third clone. As the final clone's bomb began to detonate, a flash of light removed Optimus from the blast. He was found minutes later by the Autobots, and they were triumphant until they saw the price of victory: Prowl had merged his spark with the AllSpark fragments to save them all. As Optimus ran toward his fallen comrade, Megatron appeared and blasted the Autobot captain. Ratchet tossed the Magnus Hammer to Optimus, who beat the Decepticon leader down. Megatron goaded Optimus to finish it, but Optimus instead destroyed Megatron's fusion cannon, saying that killing him would be too easy. Instead, Optimus Prime and his crew, along with Sari and Omega Supreme, returned to Cybertron with Megatron, Shockwave, and Lugnut as prisoners, before cheering crowds (and a not-so-cheery Sentinel Prime) who hailed them as heroes. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

===Toy bios===
Optimus Prime prefers to fight fairly and in the open. At the same time, he knows bad guys ''don't'', so he utilizes his "night mode" to sneak up on them without being seen. Good lesson, there. {{storylink|#BumperBattlerNightwatch|Nightwatch Optimus Prime}}

===''Be the Hero'' books===
====''Web of Deception''====
When the Autobots' ship on the bottom of [[Lake Erie]] was struck by [[Sparkseeker]] torpedoes, Optimus was knocked offline and abducted by Lockdown. He found himself strapped to an explosive device alongside one of the giant spiders from Archa Seven. Fortunately Ratchet was able to track him down and rescue him before the bomb could be triggered. {{storylink|Web of Deception}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Image:SPROK%21.JPG|left|200px|thumb|No Country for Old Toys.]]
Optimus was swiftly overpowered by Starscream and [[Starscream clone (Animated)|his army of clones]], as were all the Autobots. The Dinobots arrived to save the day in return for lodgings during a rainy spell, leaving Optimus to ask Ratchet desperately for the weather forecast ''every day'' (the forecast being rain, rain, rain...). {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17#Dino-MIGHT!|Dino-MIGHT!}}

Later, Detroit was hit by severe earthquakes, and Optimus led the Autobots in a rescue operation, personally holding up a collapsing bridge all by himself. These earthquakes turned out to be the work of the supervillain [[Quake-Maker]]. Optimus fought him but was easily beaten up—but forget Optimus, because the ''awesome'' Elite Guard operative [[Afterburn]] arrived, swiftly taking control of the Autobots and taking the villain down. Optimus was left a bit upset that Afterburn was so much better than him. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout}}

He was apparently so upset that he didn't bother turning up afterwards, letting Afterburn dominate things. Prime's big contribution was to give everyone the day off. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

Later on, he ran afoul of the angry and impressively moustached [[General Macadam]], who was throwing a fit over Swoop buzzing a [[United States Air Force|USAF jet]]. Optimus gave the Dinobot a grilling over this...realising too late that Swoop, having been booted from Dinobot Island, had come for a job. Later on, Prime was ''very'' amused when Macadam angrily asked for help stopping the hijacked [[Wraith-X]], and had Bumblebee bring in Swoop for it.

There was no time to celebrate, though, as ''Megatron'' assaulted their headquaters! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Divebomb}} It turned out Afterburn, whom Megatron slaughtered, was a Decepticon infiltrator—and a sparkless drone one, at that—and he'd given their location away! Optimus and the gang held off a full Decepticon assault. In the aftermath, Optimus tried to boost Bumblebee's spirits by telling him he'd been a true hero in fighting Megatron, and that Afterburn hadn't been a ''real'' Transformer, so his death was no biggie. It was quite dodgy how easily Optimus wrote the guy off, to be frank... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

Optimus later went to watch a race at [[Crazy Coyote Canyon]] to find the "King of Speed", and he permitted Bulkhead to join in if he wanted. He probably regretted this when Bulkhead won and Prime had to carry him in a victor's lap... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|The Race}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Deluxe CybertronPrime toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay. I sleep all night and I work all day."]]
*'''CYBERTRON Mode Optimus Prime''' (Deluxe, 2008)
**''Accessories'': Ion-axe

:Based on his pre-[[Earth]] Cybertronian look, the first version of ''Animated'' Optimus Prime transforms into a half-track Cybertronic truck which resembles the [http://www.fleetwatch.co.za/magazines/Feb2005/78-WW-Feb05.htm Mitsubishi Fuso Hybrid concept truck] with some heavy sci-fi influences. As a half-track, instead of rear wheels, he has molded, caterpillar-linked tracks with smaller wheels inside for rolling along smooth surfaces. The hitch assembly becomes his axe, which can be wielded with one blade (for the rocket-boosted look) or have the single blade split to form a double-bladed axe. The truck roof can be mounted on his left arm as a shield or spread apart and attached to the axe to become giant energon blades.

:Prime's axe weapon is stored by partially folding the axe at the grey hinge near the handle peg, then placing the handle peg in a hole on the back of the cab (actually his two fists' holes, thus helping them hold it in position) with the blade facing down and a grey peg facing up, acting as a "fifth wheel" (known as a trailer hitch among fans), should one find a suitable trailer to attach onto it. The peg also resembles the rocket thruster on the back of Prime's axe in robot mode. The figure's superb range of articulation and long axe-handle actually allow Optimus to wield his weapon two-handed. This is sheer awesomeness.

{{-}}{{anchor|DVDpack}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Deluxe BattleBegins Prime toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[http://youtube.com/watch?v=OHxyZaZlaOs And he "axed" him for help...]]]
*'''Optimus Prime vs. Megatron: The Battle Begins''' (Entertainment Pack, 2008)
**''Accessories'': Ion-Axe

:The Deluxe-class Earth Mode Optimus Prime has a very similar engineering design to the Deluxe-class Cybertron Mode Optimus Prime figure. He has a battle-damaged deco and comes with a Deluxe-class Cybertron Mode Megatron figure as well as [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/DVD#Pack-in disc|a DVD]] featuring the first episode of ''Transformers Animated''. He has a distinctively more "[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]" look than other ''Animated'' Primes, given the addition of smokestacks (a detail absent from the animation model) and a lack of black beneath the silver stripes. Like deluxe Megatron, he features a punching/axe slashing gimmick, where twisting his spring-loaded waist will make it snap back for a "robot punch." There are actually 4 wheels on his legs, so that the tires are always on the outside. Unfortunately, he can't skate on them like in the show. His axe (which is the most show-accurate out of all of his toys) stores in his aft section. As with Cybertron Mode Optimus, this figure even has enough articulation to hold his long-handled axe two-handed and raise it over his head for a massive chop. ''Brilliant.''

:If you want to be pedantic about it, the battle implied by the battle-pack pairing is technically a timeline impossibility, insofar as it depicts Earth Mode Optimus versus Cybertron Mode Megatron. It is also [[Scale|scaled]] incorrectly, as Megatron was shown as being notably larger than Optimus in ''[[Transform and Roll Out]]''

: This toy was later re-released without changes in a [[#2packBlackarachnia|2-pack with Blackarachnia]].

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}

[[Image:TFAnimated Activators EarthPrime toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Domo-arigato, mister roboto!]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (Activators, 2008)

: Part of the second wave of [[Activators]], this toy is a smaller-scale Optimus Prime with a push-button, spring-loaded [[autotransformation]] from vehicle to robot mode. He has no axe accessory. Aww...

{{-}}{{anchor|ActivatorArmorUp}}
[[Image:Animated-toy_ArmorUpOptimusPrime.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Armor Up Optimus Prime''' (Activators, 2009/10)

: A redeco of Activators Optimus, this Optimus is an homage to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#The Battlestars story pages and comic|Star Convoy]].
{{-}}{{anchor|Voyager}}

[[Image:TFAnimated Voyager EarthOptimusPrime toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hey, whatever happened to that [[mouthplate]]?]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-01'''
**''Accessories'': Ion Axe/backpack, water cannon

:Part of the second wave of Voyager class toys, this Optimus transforms into a futuristic Earth-mode fire truck (well, the front half of one, at least). His rear portion includes a giant extinguisher cannon, which can become a hand weapon and [[Water-squirting gimmick|really squirts water]]. His trailer also transforms into a giant, very non-[[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] double-bladed ion axe. These weapons can store on his back, giving the appearance of wings and a jet pack. Like his deluxe-class toys, Prime can also hold his axe two-handed, albeit not as easily achieved compared to the deluxe versions. The toy features a mouthplate which can slide up to cover his face or retract down below. He also has an [[Automorph Technology|Automorph]] feature: Pressing a button on his...butt...flips down and rotates his...crotch...into the proper position for robot mode. Please, Hasbro, no more features in those areas.

:Voyager Optimus is the most [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] of the various ''Animated'' Optimuses (apart from his weapons, although his fist-holes are the same size as the Deluxe versions, so he can "borrow" their more accurate axes), and certainly the most [[Scale|scale-accurate]] when displayed alongside other figures that only exist in one primary [[size class]] like [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] or [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]]. The original release of this toy was notable amongst ''Animated'' figures for its lack of a faction symbol in either mode; later waves of the figure, however, have included a silver-on-white Autobot sigil on the robot mode's left shoulder to more closely reflect the animation model's detailing.

{{anchor|Wingblade}}
*'''Wingblade Optimus Prime''' (Voyager, 2010?)
**''Accessories'': 'Wingblade' jetpack, Magnus Hammer

: Wingblade Optimus Prime is a [[Retool|retool]] of Deluxe ''The Battle Begins'' Two-pack Optimus Prime in much the same style as [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Hydrodive Bumblebee]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Samurai Prowl]]. This retool is designed to represent Optimus as he appeared in "[[Endgame, Part I]]" and "[[Endgame, Part II|II]]", and as such has his jetpack, and instead of the character's signature axe, a slightly scaled down version of the [[Magnus Hammer]]. In vehicle mode, the Wingblade jetpack folds down to become Optimus' firetruck trailer, but it is currently unknown how the hammer is stored. One can guess that it stores the same way as the two Deluxe Optimus' axes do—in between his legs. His Wingblade jetpack and Magnus Hammer are compatible with the original Voyager Class toy in robot mode, but obviously the vehicles are distinctly different shapes.

{{uncertaintoy}}

{{-}}{{anchor|Supreme}}

[[Image:TFAnimated RolloutCommand OptimusPrime toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Be sociable, have a [[Pepsi Convoy|Pepsi]]!]]
*'''Roll-Out Command Optimus Prime''' (Supreme, 2008)
**''Accessories'': Ultra-Axe

:This super-sized Prime figure is sculpted around one major gimmick: Rolling the toy forward in vehicle mode causes the cab to spin around, slowly unfolding into the robot mode torso. The legs are subsequently transformed manually, completing the robot mode. Pressing the Autobot [[insignia]] between Prime's windows and the lights on his roof both activate assorted electronic effects, including red LEDs in his lightbar, yellow LEDs in his headlights and eyes, and sound effects including engine revving noises, a siren, and four speech clips featuring the voice of David Kaye. In robot mode, Prime's (non-retractable) [[mouthplate]] jiggles up and down in time with his speech.

:Prime is armed with a particularly cartoon-accurate axe, which can be held in either hand, but which specifically interacts with his right one. Placing the axe in his fist and pressing the button on the back of his hand triggers the axe's pop-out translucent blades and rocket jet. Pushing down on the tab built into the back of his right shoulder extends the arm out fully, and releasing it lets Prime swing his axe down, accompanied by an electronic slashing noise. The left arm has a similar effect, except pushing the tab thrusts his arm forward in a punch, with accompanying sound effect.

:While Prime's legs have a high range of articulation like most ''Animated'' toys, his torso is heavily beholden to its gimmicks and features no effective articulation whatsoever; the only manipulable part of his body above his waist that isn't part of a gimmick is his right elbow.

:Many (all?) copies of this figure have the moving mouthplate default to the "down" position when not moving, rather than "up" or "at rest" as the box photography would indicate. This leads to the unfortunate impression that Optimus is either always mid-sentence...or a slack-jawed yokel.

:This mold was used to make the first prize of the [[Hasbro UK exclusive limited Edition Handmade Samples]].

{{anchor|BumperBattler}}

[[Image:BumperBattlers OptimusPrime toy.JPG|right|300px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumper Battlers Optimus Prime''' (Bumper Battlers, 2008)

:Like all Bumper Battlers is a simple one-step Transformer aimed at younger kids. He transforms by pushing the front bumper of his truck mode, which flips up a robot torso and upper thighs. Yup, that's right—if you smash him into a wall or other toys he will transform. Good luck finding a loose, mint version of this toy when you're on your nostalgia trip 10 years from now.

:In robot mode he actually has some limited articulation in his wrists, and his neck. Plus he's holding an adorable little axe in one hand.

:The toy has a sound chip that can be activated in either mode. It has two massive strings of phrases, battle sounds and voice effects, actived by either pressing his Autobot insignia or pressing his bumper (which also transforms him). Some phrases are recombined for more variation.

{{anchor|McD}}
*'''Optimus Prime''' (McDonald's Happy Meal toys, 2008)

:A simple version of Optimus Prime with a very simple transformation sequence. You transform him by pulling down the legs, pulling out the arms from his back and flipping up the head. Rather unusual amongst the ''Animated'' McDonald's toys, which typically have one show-accurate mode and one non-show-accurate mode, Optimus manages to pull off both modes with reasonable show-accuracy. He too is deprived of an axe, as is generally the case with McDonald's toys lacking accessories.

{{anchor|Legends3pack}}
*'''Stealth Lockdown''' (Animated 3-pack, 2008)

: A ''Universe'' Legends-class Optimus Prime came packaged with this version of [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]], as well as a Legends [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]. He is nearly identical to the single-carded Legends class ''Universe'' Animated Optimus Prime, but uses a lighter blue plastic for the blue parts.

{{anchor|LegendsClearRed}}
*'''Optimus Prime Clear Red Ver.''' (EZ Collection, 2010)

: A redeco of Legends-class Optimus Prime in translucent red plastic (with some opaque red parts). It was a freebie for customers who bought ''Transformers Animated'' products for at least 3,000 yen at Japanese [[Toys"R"Us]] stores.

{{anchor|BumperBattlerNightwatch}}
[[Image:Ani-toy BumperBattlers NightwatchPrime.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Able to enter the Gloom at will.]]
*'''Nightwatch Optimus Prime''' (Bumper Battlers, 2008)

:A redeco of the original Bumper Battlers toy in dark purple and black with [[Neon|lime green]] windows and accents. The sound effects are new, and seemingly utilize an actor who is not David Kaye.

{{-}}

{{anchor|2packBlackarachnia}}
*'''The Revenge of Blackarachnia''' (Deluxe 2-pack, 2008)

: This two-pack features an unchanged Battle Damaged Deluxe Optimus, from the ''Battle Begins'' two-pack, and an unchanged Deluxe [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]].

{{-}}

===Universe (2008)===
[[Image:Universe2008-toy LegendsAniPrime.JPG|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (Legends, 2008)

: Part of the [[Universe (2008 franchise)|2008 ''Universe'' series]], this [[Legends Class|Legends-class]] version of Optimus is a simple version of the larger Earth-mode Optimus design. He is part of the third wave of Legends-class figures. He joins Activator Optimus and McOptimus in the axeless Primes club.

: This figure is close to but not identical to the Legends Optimus Prime sold in the ''Animated'' Stealth Lockdown multi-pack, however the single-carded Universe toy features a duller, darker blue.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Animated===
[[Image:Ani-toy OptimusBattleBlaster.JPG|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Optimus Prime Battle Blaster''' (2008)

: This toy is a simple fire truck which transforms into a thing with a nominal resemblance to a hand holding a gun and can be fitted around one's hand. It has recorded sounds activated by pressing the Autobot logo on the truck, or by pulling the trigger in gun mode. It features sounds voiced by David Kaye, varying engine sounds and the transformation sound effect.

{{-}}

==Notes==
*The twin cylinder-shaped protrusions connected to Optimus's small antennae are inspired by the head design of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 movie]] rendition of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], as opposed to the [[Optimus Prime (G1)|traditional]] single cylinder.
*Optimus Prime features design elements from two different incarnations of [[Optimus Primal]]. The "skin" color of his face (and to a lesser extent, the presence of a retractable faceplate) is taken from Primal's first [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] body, while the way his lips are drawn is inspired by Primal's [[Beast Machines (franchise)|Beast Machines]] body. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] thought since Prime is more of an inexperienced leader, he wanted to infuse some elements from Primal's design, who had a similar role in his series. <ref>[http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html#cutid1 Derrick Wyatt Q&A at the tf_animated livejournal community]</ref>
*Optimus was killed off after only [[Transform and Roll Out|one episode]] (three if you want to get technical) ''and'' revived 1 minute and 15 seconds later. That's gotta be [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|a new record]]. And with the logic of ''Animated'' taking place with the live action movies, this is his first death.
*At the end of "Transform and Roll Out", Prime's spark is contained in the same place ordinarily reserved for the [[Matrix (disambiguation)|Matrix]] in other continuities.
*Despite nominally being a fire truck, Prime's alt mode features a detachable cab that can mount a number of different trailers, such as [[Headmaster (episode)|a lookalike of Generation 1 Optimus's trailer]] and a [[The Elite Guard|dump truck]]. Presumably, this would make his alt mode not a fire truck, but a semi-truck ''outfitted'' as a fire truck. Score one for the old fans!
*Like his Generation 1 counterpart, this Optimus's trailer almost invariably disappears COMPLETELY when he transforms, assuming it's there to begin with. This even happens when it isn't his trailer, such as in "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]". Even Prime himself is just as confused as to where it goes, as evidenced by "[[Career Day]]" [[Subspace]] shunting? [[Unicron Singularity]]? Or...something more?
*Optimus Prime's bio on his Happy Meal toy at McDonald's says he is a '''FIRE TRUCK CAB'''.
*To date, none of Optimus' toys come with his trademark 'grappler launcher' weapons.
*According to the packaging call-outs for Cybertron Mode, DVD two-pack and Voyager Optimus Prime, his weapon is an "Ion-Axe" (or "Ion Axe"). However, on Roll Out Command Optimus Prime, Optimus's weapon is an "Ultra-Axe". The ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|AllSpark Almanac]]'' labels it a [[Solitarium]] weapon. The Japanese dub not only embraced the term "Ultra-Axe", but also added the "Ultra-" prefix to Prime's net (now the "Ultra-Net"), grappling hook (the "Ultra-Anchor"), and... jumping ability ("Ultra-Jump").
*[[TakaraTomy]] marketing director, [[Masahiko Yamazaki]], has claimed that the Japanese version of ''Transformers Animated'' takes place within the continuity of the [[Live-action film series|live-action film franchise]], thus making ''Animated'' Optimus Prime the same character as Movie [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], apparently making him the younger version of the face-ripping, decapitator of the Decepticons. Some of Yamazaki's other statements regarding this have been contradicted (primarily regarding [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]), so take with a grain of salt.
*A round of punny Japanese. During the "next episode" preview at the end of "[[Transform and Roll Out|A New Chapter! Transformers]]", Bumblebee complains that the name "Oputimasu Puraimu" (as the natives pronounce it) is too long and difficult to remember. His renaming suggestions include: "[[Convoy]]", "Oputi", "Opura", and "Pupu". Obviously, Optimus rejects all of them, saying that "Oputi" is more suited for a cute dog, "Opura" just sounds weird, and "Pupu", while cute, would be hard not to laugh at.

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/CybModeOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm Optimus Prime at TFU.info]

==References==
<references />

[[Category: Animated characters]]
[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Four Warriors Come out of the Sky

2010-05-09T07:10:21Z

71.22.247.52: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=Headmasters
|ep=1
|prev=The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2
|image=4soldiers.jpg
|caption=Warriors! Come out to PLAY-AY-YEEEEE!
|title="Four Warriors Come out of the Sky"
|japanese=空から来た四人の戦士
|romaji=Sora Kara Kita Yo'nin no Senshi
|production code=
|production company=[[TakaraTomy|Takara]], [[Toei]]
|writer=[[Keisuke Fujikawa]]
|director=[[Katsutoshi Sasaki]]
|airdate=[[July 3|3 July]] 1987
|animation studio=Toei
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''In the year 2011, the Decepticons are back, and they've got added power in the form of the newest addition to the Transformers' war—Headmasters!'''

:''English/Malay dub name:'' "'''The Four Soldiers from the Sky'''"
:''R2 DVD name:'' "'''Four Warriors from Outer Space'''"
:''Latin American name:'' "'''Los soldados del pasado (Soldiers of the past)'''"

==Synopsis==
On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in the year 2011, the [[space bridge]] suddenly reactivates, and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] leads a force of Decepticons—including mysterious new recruits [[Weirdwolf]], [[Skullcruncher]] and [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]]—in an attack against the unsuspecting [[Autobot|Autobots]]. Caught unawares, the Autobots contact [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots in their secondary headquarters on the planet [[Athenia]], and Prime leads troops to aid in the battle on Cybertron. [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] theorises that the loss of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]'s energy has destabilised [[Vector Sigma]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] deduces that the Decepticons have targeted the computer, intending to take control it, and through it, the planet.

Meanwhile, on Earth, the Autobots under [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s command have received orders to join the conflict on Cybertron, but their way to the space bridge is barred by a Decepticon contingent led by [[Sixshot]], and he and Magnus square off. At the same time, [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]] are pursued by [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and manage to escape by tricking him into falling down a ravine. The arrival of the [[Trainbot|Trainbots]] tips things in the Autobots' favor, and they break off the fight to head for [[Autobot City]]; the pursuing Decepticons are dispatched by [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], and the troops are carried through the space bridge aboard the Trainbots, while Wheelie and Daniel stowed away.

As the battle escalates and conditions worsen on Cybertron, [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] is reminded of the early days of the war when many Autobots fled the planet to escape the conflict. As if on cue, a mysterious light appears in the sky, approaching Cybertron—a light that [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] soon realises is not a star, but a star''ship''! As the Decepticons approach their goal, demolishing the Autobots that stand in their way thanks to Mindwipe's sleep-inducing hypnosis power, this ship appears in the skies over Cybertron, and four new warriors soar out to bar their advance—[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], [[Brainstorm]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]]!

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (1)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
* [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (3)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (4)
* [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (5)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (6)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (7)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (8)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (9)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (10)
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (18)
* [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (19)
* [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (20)
* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod]] (21)
* [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (23)
* [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (24)
* [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] (25)
* [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (27)
* [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (31)
* [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] (33)
* [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] (47)
* [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (48)
* [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (49)
* [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (50)
* [[Afterburner (G1)|Afterburner]] (51)
* [[Scattershot]] (52)
* [[Nosecone (G1)|Nosecone]] (53)
* [[Lightspeed (Technobot)|Lightspeed]] (54)
* [[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]] (55)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (56)
* [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (57)
* [[Slingshot]] (58)
* [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (59)
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (60)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (61)
* [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (67)
* [[Shōki]] (69)
* [[Seizan]] (70)
* [[Getsuei]] (71)
* [[Suiken]] (72)
* [[Kaen]] (73)
* [[Yukikaze (Headmasters)|Yukikaze]] (74)
* [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (81)
* [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (82)
* [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (83)
* [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Spaceship Maximus]] (84)
* [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (85)
* [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (93)
* [[Searchlight (G1)|Searchlight]] (94)
* [[Chase (G1)|Chase]] (95)
* [[Freeway (G1)|Freeway]] (96)
* [[Wide Load]] (97)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]] (98)
* [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (99)
* [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (100)
* [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] (101)
* [[Brainstorm]] (102)
* [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] (103)

|c2=
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (11)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (12)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (13)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)
* [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (15)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (16)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (17)
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (22)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (28)
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (29)
* [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] (30)
* [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (32)
* [[Weirdwolf]] (34)
* [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] (35)
* [[Skullcruncher]] (36)
* [[Blot (G1)|Blot]] (37)
* [[Rippersnapper (G1)|Rippersnapper]] (38)
* [[Sinnertwin (G1)|Sinnertwin]] (39)
* [[Cutthroat (G1)|Cutthroat]] (40)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (41)
* [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (42)
* [[Tantrum]] (43)
* [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (44)
* [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] (45)
* [[Octane]] (62)
* [[Wildrider]] (63)
* [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (64)
* [[Sixshot]] (65)
* [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (68)
* [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (75)
* [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (76)
* [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (77)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (78)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (79)
* [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (80)
* [[Abominus (G1)|Abominus]] (86)
* [[Drag Strip]] (87)
* [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (88)
* [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (89)
* [[Motormaster]] (90)
* [[Headstrong]] (91)
* [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] (92)

|c3=
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (46)
* [[Carly]] (47)
* [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] (66)

}}
Holy ''crap''. That's a lot of Autobots than Decepticons/

==Other notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*When the Decepticons emerge from the space bridge at the start of the episode, [[Hun-Gurrr]] is missing from the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] is missing from the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] and both Divebomb and Headstrong are missing from the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. The two Predacons reappear later on, but the others don't, and Rippersnapper actually gives out orders to the team.
*Similarly, when the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] appear, Strafe is missing, but when the angle switches, Scattershot has disappeared, and Strafe is in his place (just as ''Lightspeed'' issues orders to the team!).
*Perhaps in an attempt to outdo his brother, Sideswipe is seen on both Athenia and Earth.

===Continuity errors===
*Although he does not speak, Prowl appears quite prominently in a few scenes, despite his death in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. The fact that the movie had not yet been released in Japan at this point is often cited as a reason for this, but Prowl's name ''was'' included on the list of dead Autobots in the Japanese dub of "[[Dark Awakening]]", so they ''did'' know. The ''[[Alternators|Binaltech]]'' storyline [[Prowl II|seemed like it was going to explain this]], but got shunted off into its own alternate reality when it ended.
*Blitzwing is shown with the Decepticons, but he was banished from their ranks in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]". This previously occurred in "[[The Ultimate Weapon]]", and it will not be the last time that this occurs in ''The Headmasters''.

===Transformers references===
*This episode occurs a year after "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2]]" (which takes place in 2010 in Japanese continuity, compared to America's 2006), taking the place of "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]" for this continuity.
*The events of [[The Great Transformer War issue 3|issue 3]] of ''[[The Great Transformer War]]'' take place almost immediately before this episode, focusing on the Autobot Headmasters' hunt for the Decepticon Headmasters, who are joining [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] for his assault on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].
*Athenia previously appeared in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1]]", but it has been seriously re-worked since then.
*The energy of the Matrix was released in "The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2".
*The concept of Autobots fleeing Cybertron to escape the war was established in "[[Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2]]", and revisited in "[[Fight or Flee]]".
*Up to this point, the space bridge has been the province of the Decepticons alone, but this episode establishes that the Autobots have now created their own network, linking Autobot City on Earth to Cybertron and Athenia.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Due to the poor English dub Cybertron is called Cyberton, Spike is called Sparkle, Hot Rod is constantly called Roadimus Prime, and many more name errors.
*This episode has been released on DVD quite a few times in the United Kingdom. The "Star TV dub" version was included on [[Maverick]]'s release of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' to promote the company's upcoming release of it, and five further episodes of the series on a single disc (all in StarTV dub format). This version of the episode was also included on [[Metrodome]]'s Season 2, Part 2 DVD box set. Metrodome then included an original Japanese language version with subtitles on ''The Transformers: The Movie—Reconstructed'', as promotion for their dual-language boxset release of the entire series. This version of the episode is missing the opening montage.

==Home video releases==
{{note|All releases listed feature the original Japanese audio with optional [[Omni Productions|Omni]] dub and English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.}}
;Laserdisc
*1996 — ''Transformers: The Headmasters'' Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
*2001 — ''Transformers: The Movie'' ([[Maverick Entertainment]]) — Omni dub only.
*2002 — ''Transformers: Takara'' (Maverick Entertainment) — Omni dub only.
*2002 — ''Transformers: The Headmasters'' — DVD Box ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
*2005 — The Takara Collection Vol 1 — ''Transformers: Headmasters'' ([[Metrodome]]) — Optional commentary by [[Chris McFeely]].
*2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Takara Collection (Metrodome) — Optional commentary by Chris McFeely.
*2007 — ''The Transformers: Headmasters'' ([[Madman Entertainment]])
*2009 — ''The Transformers: Japan Generation 1'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Headmasters episodes]]

Destroy Godbomber!!

2010-03-16T09:21:18Z

71.22.247.52: /* Notes */

{{episode
|series=Masterforce
|ep=30
|image=Destroygodbomber.jpg
|caption="Then we ride this Godbomber to Mexico! And freedom, Willie, freedom!"
|title="Destroy Godbomber!!"
|japanese=ゴッドボンバーを破壊せよ!!
|romaji=Godbomber o Hakaiseyo!!
|production code=
|production company=[[TakaraTomy|Takara]], [[Toei]]
|airdate=[[November 22|22 November]] 1988
|writer=[[Hiroyuki Hoshiyama]]
|director=[[Jōhei Matsūra]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

''' In the heartland of America, the Decepticons spring a trap that puts Godbomber in danger, forcing the Headmaster Juniors to discover a new power that will save the day.'''

:''English/Malay dub title:'' "'''Plan to Destroy Godbomber'''"

==Synopsis==
On a grassy hillside, [[Ginrai|Super Ginrai]] reclines beside [[Godbomber]], awaiting the arrival of the [[Headmaster Junior|Headmaster Juniors]]. Presently, the trio roll up and board Godbomber, at which point the drone transfers its God Wing to Ginrai, allowing him to take to the air. Carrying Godbomber and its passengers with him, Ginrai makes a beeline for the farmlands of America, where [[Metalhawk]] has reported that the [[Decepticon]] Headmaster Juniors are burning storehouses.

[[Image:Masterforce ep30 Cancer Flamethrower.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Transformers: The Flamethrower! *FWOOOOSH* The kids love it.]]
As the Decepticon Juniors go about their mission, [[Cancer]] voices his concern, fearing that ''they'll'' be left with nothing to eat, but [[Wilder]] and [[Bullhorn]] mock his naiveté, pointing out that the storehouses don't contain all the food in America. Just then, Ginrai appears in the sky overhead and sets down nearby, instructing the Autobot Juniors to get to work putting out the fires and saving as much of the intact food as possible. Ginrai breaks away to deal with another cluster of burning storehouses, but while he is occupied moving sacks of food, he is blindsided by a blast that comes from the opposite building. The doors of the warehouse burst open and [[Giga]], aboard his Gigatank, comes rolling out, and [[Mega]] appears overhead in the Megajet. Ginrai dives into a nearby building for cover, but the two Decepticons bombard it with blast fire, and it explodes!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the facility, [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]] approach the unassuming Godbomber, who sits stationary in trailer mode. Intending to cripple Ginrai's fighting power by destroying the drone, they open fire, but the Autobot Juniors spot them and draw their fire. [[Minerva]] instructs [[Shūta Gō|Shūta]] to check on Ginrai, and he races off, arriving just as Ginrai hauls himself from the rubble of the warehouse and find himself staring down [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s gun barrel. Shūta opens fire on Overlord, knocking the Decepticon Godmaster aside long enough for Ginrai to be filled in on the situation.

[[Image:Masterforce ep30 SuperGinrai Shuta.jpg|rightt|200px|thumb|"I have candy in my Ark..."]]
Surprisingly, Ginrai instructs Shūta to return to his team-mates and for them to transport Godbomber away to safety, leaving him unable to merge with the drone.
Shūta does as instructed, and boards Godbomber, driving it off into the nearby forest with Minerva and Cab following. Unfortunately, they're not the only ones, as Hydra and Buster pursue the Juniors and blast Godbomber, causing Shūta to crash into a tree. Minerva and Cab try to hold the Decepticons off, but just as their weapons run out of energy, help arrives from a most unexpected quarter — the six-changing wanderer, [[Sixknight]], drops out of the skies and takes the Godmasters on as the two Juniors rush to Shūta's aid. As Minerva tends Shūta's wounds, Cab attempts to get Godbomber rolling again, but the drone does not respond.

[[Image:Masterforce ep30 GodBomber Activates.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Now you're playing with power!]]
Godbomber, it is explained, functions by absorbing [[Chōkon Power]] from Ginrai, and the Autobot commander has been so badly weakened by Mega and Giga that he has none to spare, leaving it motionless. Buster breaks off from the battle with Sixknight to attack the immobile target, but suddenly, when the three distressed Juniors all grab for Godbomber's controls at once, it springs to life and charges forward. After narrowly missing Buster, Godbomber transforms to robot mode, but once again, the Juniors find that they cannot make it move. When Shūta happens to lay his hand on a panel, however, it lights up, and a gauge on the console begins to rise. Minerva and Cab join in, placing their hands alongside Shūta's, and the gauge is completely filled, bringing Godbomber to Chōkon-powered life! Dodging a blast from Buster, the Junior-piloted Godbomber pounds the Decepticon Godmaster into the ground, and then lifts off, heading back to help Ginrai.

Back the other battle site, Mega and Giga have succeeded in drawing Ginrai out of hiding, but just as they are about to deliver the final blow, Godbomber and the Juniors arrive. Ginrai fuses with Godbomber into God Ginrai, and sends Overlord packing with a blast of Chōkon Power. In the wake of the battle, Ginrai thanks Sixknight for his help, and after the Six-Changer departs, the discussion turns to Godbomber's unexpected transformation. The Juniors realize that they must have combined the Chōkon Power in their bodies, generating enough to empower Godbomber, but Cab and Shūta are less than impressed to learn that it took all three of them to simply equal the power of Ginrai.
{{-}}
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Godbomber]] (5)
* [[Sixknight]] (14)

'''Human Autobots'''

* [[Ginrai]] (1)
* [[Minerva]] (2)
* [[Shūta Gō]] (3)
* [[Cab]] (4)

|c2=
'''Human Decepticons'''

* [[Bullhorn]] (6)
* [[Wilder]] (7)
* [[Cancer]] (8)
* [[Giga]] (9)
* [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] (10)
* [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]] (11)
* [[Mega]] (12)
* [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] (13)

}}
==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*The Headmaster Juniors refer to Godbomber's transformation in the [[Escape!! The Underwater Volcano Erupts|previous episode]] as if it was the first time they had seen it happen. It [[Overlord - Terror of the Chōkon Tornado|totally wasn't]].

===Transformers references===
*Cab uses "Fire Buster" cartridges to fight the flames at the storehouses, previously employed by Shūta in "[[Overlord - Terror of the Chōkon Tornado]]".
* Giga resolved to destroy Godbomber at the conclusion of the previous episode.
*Sixknight reappears after a prolonged absence. He was last seen in "[[The Autobot Warrior, Sixknight?!]]".

===Miscellanous Trivia===
*The real treat of this episode is seeing a robot resembling Optimus Prime laying lazily on a hillside. Oh that Ginrai.

[[Category:Super-God Masterforce episodes]]

Escape!! The Underwater Volcano Erupts

2010-03-16T09:18:36Z

71.22.247.52: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=Masterforce
|ep=29
|image=Underwatervolcano.jpg
|caption=Dianetics! By L. Ron Hubbard!
|title="Escape!! The Underwater Volcano Erupts"
|japanese=脱出!!海底火山大爆発
|romaji=Dasshutsu!! Kaitei Kazan Daibakuhatsu
|production code=
|production company=[[TakaraTomy|Takara]], [[Toei]]
|airdate=[[November 15|15 November]] 1988
|writer=[[Toyohiro Ando]]
|director=[[Katsutoshi Sasaki]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''When Lightfoot investigates the eruption of an underwater volcano, he discovers the site of a new Decepticon base.'''

:''English/Malay dub title:'' "'''Underwater Volcanic Explosion'''"
:''Also known as:'' "'''Undersea Volcanic Eruption'''", "'''Escape from the Erupting Underwater Volcano!!'''"

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Masterforce ep29 Seacon Army.jpg|right|200px|thumb|There'll be no accusations/Just friendly crustaceans/Under the seeeeea!]]
When the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] begin construction of an advance base on the ocean floor off the coast of [[Australia]], their repeated blasting causes a dormant underwater volcano to become active, in turn triggering a major earthquake that devastates Sydney. [[Lightfoot]] investigates and pinpoints the earthquake's epicenter, diving beneath the waves to examine the volcano. He reports back to [[Autobot]] headquarters his suspicions that a full-scale eruption may occur in the next 24 hours, but as he continues to gather data, he is attacked by a battalion of [[Seacon (Masterforce)|Seacons]], exposing the presence of the Decepticons' base there. He alerts [[Ginrai]] and the [[Headmaster Junior|Headmaster Juniors]] to the situation, but is then surrounded by the Seacons, who tear a fissure into the seabed with their blasts and send Lightfoot tumbling into it. With his communicator damaged in the fall, Lightfoot cannot be contacted by Ginrai and the Juniors, and they and [[Godbomber]] immediately head out to help him. Deducing that they will soon arrive, [[Mega]] instructs [[Turtler]] to ambush Ginrai when he arrives and destroy him and Lightfoot together.

Ginrai and the Juniors soon arrive on the Australian coastline, and Ginrai directs the Juniors to perform rescue operations in Sydney while he investigates underwater. Ginrai heads into the ocean, and after a while, he arrives on the scene, silently observed by the hidden Turtler and [[Gilmer]]. As Ginrai dives the crevasse to rescue Lightfoot, Turtler combines with the Seacons into [[King Poseidon]] and begins heaving rocks in after them, hoping to bury them alive and leave them to the tender mercies of the volcano. It looks like he has succeeded, too, but after a few minutes, a laser blast scatters the rocks, and Ginrai and Lightfoot emerge little the worse for wear. Suddenly, however, the volcanic activity escalates, and the trench begins caving in on the two Autobots again.

[[Image:Masterforce ep29 GodBomber Impasse.jpg|left|200px|thumb|]]
In Sydney, the Juniors do the best they can to help, with [[Shūta Gō|Shūta]] saving a young boy from some collapsing rubble. With their work done, they head back to the shoreline to see if Ginrai has returned. Informed by Godbomber that he has not, they transform to robot mode and prepare to follow him beneath the waves, but Godbomber restrains them and goes in their place. Very soon, he arrives at the collapsed trench and engages King Poseidon in battle, but as they fight, the volcano finally erupts! King Poseidon is laid low by the flying rocks and magma, and the Decepticons' advance base is likewise destroyed in the conflagration.

Beneath the seabed, Ginrai and Lightfoot are trying to blast their way free, to no avail, when the eruption occurs. Desperate to save his commander before they are consumed by the lava, Lightfoot decides to self-destruct, destroying the rock wall that blocks their escape. Ginrai refuses to allow it, but Lightfoot insists that it is his duty, forcing Ginrai to strike him in order to stop him from killing himself.

[[Image:Masterforce ep29 King Poseidon Faceoff.jpg|right|200px|thumb|King vs. God? This King Poseidon is commiting blasphemy!!]]
Thankfully for both of them, Godbomber smashes his way through the wall, rescuing them both. King Poseidon, however, proves that he is not out yet when he emerges for one last attack, forcing Ginrai and Godbomber to combine into God Ginrai to battle him. The two grapple on the very rim of the volcano, but Ginrai is saved when Lightfoot blasts his way through the Seacon drones and performs a "Chōkon Spin Drill," creating a powerful water spout that nearly pulls King Poseidon in. With his opponent thusly distracted, Ginrai is able to turn the tables and flip King Poseidon over his shoulder, blasting him into the caldera with his God Cannon. Then, finally, the eruption reaches its crescendo, and a small island begins to rise up from beneath the sea as lava cools. As the Headmaster Juniors watch this incredible sight, God Ginrai and Lightfoot crest the waves, and swim to shore.

With the Autobots victorious and on their way back to base, Giga rages at the Decepticons' loss, and realizes that they underestimated the power of Godbomber. He, then, must become their next target...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Godbomber]] (14)

'''Human Autobots'''

* [[Lightfoot]] (4)
* [[Cab]] (5)
* [[Shūta Gō]] (6)
* [[Minerva]] (7)
* [[Ginrai]] (8)

|c2=
* [[Turtler]] (3)
* [[Lobclaw]] (9)
* [[Overbite (Masterforce)|Overbite]] (10)
* [[Gulf]] (11)
* [[Tentakil (Masterforce)|Tentakil]] (12)
* [[Kraken]] (13)
* [[Gilmer]] (15)
* [[King Poseidon]] (16)

'''Human Decepticons'''

* [[Giga]] (1)
* [[Mega]] (2)

}}
==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*Quite a few shots of animation are recycled in this episode, from Lightfoot battling the swarms of Seacons to lava bursting from the volcano.

===Continuity errors===
*Before the first commercial break, Gilmer is with King Poseidon, off the coast of Australia. Immediately after the break, as the second act begins, he's sudden back in the Decepticon base!

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*At the conclusion of the episode, Giga is suddenly holding a wine glass for absolutely no reason other than to crush it in anger. Because he's ''evil'', see.

[[Category:Super-God Masterforce episodes]]