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Dark Voyage

2010-07-09T10:22:51Z

75.93.80.85:

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=20
|image=Dark Voyage Rattrap Cheetor blind.jpg
|caption="Dude... I've got some serious CAT-aracts..."
|title="Dark Voyage"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[January 27]], 1997
|written by=[[Samuel Warren Joseph]]
|directed by=[[Steve Ball]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Archadis#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Archadis]]
}}
'''After an energon explosion, Rhinox must lead the blinded Maximals back to base.'''

:''French title:'' '''Voyage au Bout de la Nuit''' ("Travel Until the End of the Night")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Sombre Voyage''' ("Dark Voyage")
:''Japanese title:'' ジャングルぐるぐる (''Jungle Guruguru'', "Around and Around the Jungle")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Viaje en la Obscuridad'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Viaggio nelle tenebre'''
:''Brazilian title:'' '''Uma Viagem nas Trevas''' ("A Journey into Darkness")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Dark Voyage Energon mining.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Dinobot finishes building Cheetor's new jet boosters.]]
[[Rattrap]] burrows through some rocks to uncover a piece of valuable [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]]. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] congratulates Rattrap's discovery, while [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], disgruntled with the labour, discovers a deposit of surface Energon several times the size of Rattrap's harvest.

Suddenly, a dart from [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] lands on one of the larger pieces of Energon. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] recognizes the dart as an explosive, and rushes to toss it away from the unstable Energon. However with the Energon already fractured, there's no stopping the gigantic explosion. Once the fireball expands and rises into the sky, Scorponok and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] are confident they've destroyed their enemies and return to base to report their conquest.

In the aftermath of the explosion, the four [[Maximals]] have all survived, but because of Energon poisoning, all of them have lost their sense of vision. Cheetor, Rattrap, and even Dinobot panic and fret—until Rhinox puts his foot down and gets his team moving, in hopes they can overcome their disability and reach home—or at least avoid being easy targets.

[[Image:Dark Voyage Cheetor snake.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Cheetor's got himself a crush.]]
Rhinox, at the front of the train of blind Maximals, comes to a sudden stop, causing the Maximals behind him to bump into his large posterior. Dinobot hops back onto his feet (and onto one of Rattrap's as well). Rhinox silences the group so he can use his ears to detect if something is near the group—his suspicion is confirmed as a large snake grabs Cheetor. Dinobot comically runs into a tree. Rattrap fails to fight the snake off, but Cheetor is saved due to the reptile deciding that Rattrap would be a better meal. Luckily, Rhinox is able to save Rattrap by tossing the snake over the horizon.

[[Image:Dark Voyage Rhinox Dinobot.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Scary eyes!]]
[[Tigatron]] and [[Optimus Primal]] (finally!) decide to search for their comrades who never reported home. Scorponok and Waspinator, searching for evidence of the expiry of the Maximals, decide to follow the trail of energon radiation their enemies left as the four walked away from the area. Waspinator finds the four as they cross a log over a waterfall, and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] easily unhinges the log, causing the quartet to plunge into the water far beneath. As Waspinator congratulates himself, [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] arrives, demanding proof of the wasp's endeavor.

[[Image:Dark Voyage Rhinox listening.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Rhinox pushes an invisible truck.]]
The four Maximals all manage to wash up on a shore together. Dinobot feels doomed by the situation but Rhinox remains hopeful. The Predacon fliers pass overhead at high speed, finding their targets. In response, Rhinox commands his group to transform to their robot modes. Next Rhinox instructs the group to imagine the targeting grid from their training. Using all his senses to extend his sensory awareness, Rhinox gives directions for Cheetor, Rattrap, and Dinobot to aim their weapons. Terrorsaur is hit, and the sound of fire alerts Tigatron to the missing group's location.

Being in robot mode for just a few extra minutes however, accelerated the energon poisoning blinding the Maximals to the point that it causes the three gunners to fall into stasis. Luckily Primal arrives before the group's sparks are extinguished.

After Primal has brought his friends back to the [[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]], Rhinox exits the [[CR Chamber]], the Energon poisoning cleaned from his system and his eyesight restored. Rhinox suggests that the whole ordeal was educational, and leaves to embrace his senses by smelling some flowers.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
* [[Rattrap]] (1)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (4)
* [[Tigatron]] (9)
* [[Optimus Primal]] (10)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (5)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (6)
* [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (7)
* [[Tarantulas]] (12)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (13)

|c4=
* A large snake (8)

}}
==Quotes==
"Nice find, Dino-miner. You're even better at this than Rattrap!" 
"Mmm. I'm better at ''everything'' than Rattrap!"
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Dinobot'''

"Listen to me!! You've all got to calm down." 
"Calm...down...? WE CAN'T SEEEEEEE!"
:—'''Rhinox''''s order and '''Dinobot''''s reaction

"What's happening? Are we under attack?" 
"Don't. Panic." 
"You won't get me!" ''[runs into tree]''
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rhinox''' , the former clearly not listening.

"What irony. For a warrior like me to go out blind, wet and helpless."
:—'''Dinobot''' laments his situation.

"I'm gonna go smell some flowers."
:—'''Rhinox''' having recuperated.

==Notes==
===Animation errors===
* When Optimus Primal tells Tigatron, "I'm going to put Sentinel on automatic and search from the air.", his left pectoral muscle is much smaller than his right, almost as if it's squeezing itself in. (Optimus's left, not the viewer's.)

* Earlier on in the episode, when Rattrap is in his robot mode, the underside of his chin was white like his eyes. However, when Rattrap later submits to stasis lock, the underside of his chin is red. This is likely due to the fact that the piece of his digital model that colors his eyes is the same one that colors the underside of his chin as well as the inside of his mouth.

* When Rattrap thanks Rhinox for helping them through the events of the episode (at the moment where Rhinox awakens in the CR Chamber), his face plate is charred and burnt, and his eyes are a flat shade of red (instead of glowing red). When Dinobot speaks and Rattrap turns to face him, his face plate is as good as new.

===Other errors===
*While carrying Cheetor on his back, Rhinox claims he can smell fresh water. However, water is an entirely odorless liquid, and cannot be directly detected by scent. It is possible Rhinox detected the scent of the foliage that typically accompanies a water source, or felt the increased humidity in the air, and inferred the existence of water from corroborating evidence.

===Trivia===
* The energon explosion at the beginning is a real pyrotechnic explosion superimposed over a CGI background.
* Since Cheetor was shown in "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]" to be the size of a real cheetah, that snake that attacks him must be truly gigantic--far larger than any living or known fossil species.
* It's possible that it was a Reticulated python, which does reach impressive lengths and is arboreal. Or, allowing a bit of retconning, it was either a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantophis| Gigantophis] or a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanoboa| Titanoboa].
* Speaking of the giant snake, when Rhinox flings it away in the jungle, if one listens carefully, one can hear a hard thud followed by an elephant bellowing.
* While blind, Dinobot's optics do not work for seeing but they continue to function for [[Optic weaponry|shooting]].
* It seems likely this episode was originally intended for production and airing earlier in the season. Not only does the plot seem to retread (on a simpler level) the concepts of the just-aired "[[Call of the Wild]]", but late-arriving characters Airazor and Inferno are notably absent from the screen (however, Airazor was mentioned by Optimus in the episode—he said she was sent to look for the others in [[Grid Delta]]).

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Resurrected Beast Power ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

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

Sari Sumdac (Animated)

2010-02-27T09:55:35Z

75.93.80.85: /* Notes */

:''Sari Sumdac is a techno-organic humanoid from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Sari_Animated.JPG|thumb|150px|[[Isaac Sumdac|Daddies]], don't let your babies grow up to be [[Kiss Player]]s.]]
'''Sari Sumdac''', the technorganic daughter of robotics genius [[Isaac Sumdac]], used to not get out much. She spent all her time within her father's laboratories, receiving her education from [[Tutor Bot|robots]]. Despite this, she doesn't seem like a shut-in. She's curious, excitable, adventurous, and knows that crying can sometimes get her what she wants. She's just never known what it's like to be around other kids. Fortunately, she has [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] to help with that, and she claims that 'Bee is the best friend she's ever had. In fact, she's become very possessive of all her robotic friends.

It was believed that Sari was a normal human, until it was revealed that she was made from a [[protoform]] and her father's DNA. Hence, the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] viewed her with great regard, bestowing upon her a [[AllSpark Key|key]] with miraculous powers (though her guardian, the robotic dog [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]], thought it was just another chew toy).

Since discovering her true origin, she has absorbed the power of her AllSpark Key to gain incredible Cybertronian abilities such as increased strength, speed, and the ability to create destructive spheres of energy with her hands, as well as the ability to transform into an armoured form with technological weaponry (most of which [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] was forced to seal away after she proved unable to control it). She also owns a scooter which can transform into a jet pack.

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Tara Strong]] (English), [[Satomi Akesaka]] (Japanese), [[Tanja Schmitz]] (German), [[Agnieszka Wajs]] (Polish), [[Tosawi Piovani]] (Italian)

[[Image:TransWarpedProtoform.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Megatron was also a cute little protoform like this once. Makes you think, doesn't it?]]
Sari's origins are shrouded in mystery. She came into existence when a [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] [[protoform]] appeared in Isaac Sumdac's laboratory. The baffled scientist reached out to touch the small, liquid metal creature, and received an electric shock that knocked him unconscious. When he awoke, the protoform had scanned his DNA and reconfigured into a techno-organic creature that appeared to be a human baby. Sumdac "adopted" the robot child and named it "Sari", and raised it as his own daughter over the next eight years. Understandably, Sumdac was reluctant to let Sari out into the world, and instead kept her mostly confined to [[Sumdac Tower]], educating her with [[Tutor Bot|robot tutors]] and creating robotic companions like her pet Sparkplug to keep her company. {{storylink|TransWarped}} Precisely ''how'' the protoform that became Sari appeared in Sumdac's lab is unknown; Sari herself seems to believe that she was one of the protoforms stolen from the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]] by [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] millions of years ago and stored aboard the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'', but given that those protoforms were [[blank]]s, and that it was a different size and shape to all the other protoforms seen, this seems unlikely. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

[[Image:SariLayingDown1.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Yūki Ōshima]] is drooling as we speak.]]
One day, when Sparkplug stole her security key card, Sari chased it outside and was confronted by the Autobots [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], who hadn't quite yet fathomed what humans were, and spoke to her as if she were Sparkplug's pet. Naturally, she freaked out, but quickly befriended Bumblebee once he saved her from a giant bug that had grown from her father's nanite experiment gone awry. Stowing away on Bumblebee and coming aboard the [[Teletran-1|Autobots' ship]], she came across the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], which infused part of its power into her security key, creating the [[AllSpark Key]]. This allowed her to heal [[Transformer]]s, such as the injured [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], earning her brownie points with the 'Bots. She also managed to talk the police down from shooting the Autobots, saying they were friendly (except [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], who was grumpy, but not evil). Sari later helped teach the Autobots about [[Earth]] and [[human]]s, explaining their method of reproduction to a ''very'' startled [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]].

[[Image:Sariprime.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Prime was never the same after this.]]
During the unveiling of her father's new transit system, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] arrived and attacked. Bumblebee took a shot meant for Sari, allowing Starscream to capture him, Professor Sumdac, the Mayor, and [[Captain Fanzone]]. Sari came up with the idea to distract Starscream while she and Prowl rescued the others (even faking some tears to make it happen). The Key later saved Optimus Prime's life when she used it, in concert with the AllSpark itself, to revive his [[Spark]]. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Sari would go on to be Bumblebee's usual partner in crime, encouraging him to engage in such questionable activities as high-profile wrestling matches {{storylink|Total Meltdown}} and installing rocket boosters to make him go faster. {{storylink|Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec}} Sari likely hangs out with Bumblebee because she knows she can scare the holy be[[Primus]] out of him. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

[[Image:Saricostume.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Trivia: Transformers [[Generation 1|used to]] look like this.]]
On Sari's eighth birthday, the only other kids who turned up were the children of her dad's employees. None of them really wanted to be there and soon focused their attention on the Autobots. Sari was left alone and shunned along with Bulkhead, both morose that the kids didn't like them. Her father's present, a music robot called [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], cheered her up, and she soon began neglecting her friendship with Bulkhead in favour of her new toy. Repeated uses of the Key turned Soundwave into a malevolent, sentient being who tried to enslave Humanity, and she learnt she'd been wrong to ignore her friend. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

When the [[Decepticon]]s [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut]] arrived on Earth, the two Decepticons manhandled the Autobots. Although they survived, it made apparent the fact that more would come looking for the AllSpark, so the Autobots decided to repair their ship and leave Earth. Sari's reaction to this was displeasure (in the form of a high pitch shout of NO!). However, they needed the Key to assist Ratchet in repairing the ship. Sari was unwilling to help them leave, and neither was she pleased to work with a grouch like Ratchet (who was not that keen on working with a [[Protoform]]), but they managed to get her to the ship. While alone with the AllSpark, Sari decided to try and sabotage the ship, thereby keeping the Autobots on Earth (and dooming her species to enslavement and/or extinction) but the Key repaired the damage. After that, the AllSpark showed her an image of [[Megatron (Animated)|a giant Transformer]]. In her panic, Sari opened the air lock, nearly drowning, but Ratchet saved her. Ratchet then explained that they were leaving because they couldn't risk anything happening to Earth or her. Swayed by his compassion, Sari used the Key to reactivate the Autobot ship's decommissioned weapons, reducing Blitzwing and Lugnut to pieces. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

Eventually, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] decided that the Key was no longer safe in Sari's hands, and he ordered Ratchet to take it from her. Distraught, Sari ran off crying, only to be captured later by [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], who was looking for the Key herself. Sari basically told her "too little, too late," and the two seemed to have a heart-to-heart about their gripes with the Autobots. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

[[Image:Megatron_Rising_Sari_chomp.JPG|thumb|left|175px|Isaac isn't the world's best dad, but he does know a good dentist.]]
While Sari was actually misleading Blackarachnia in circles around the frozen Lake Erie, she was grabbed by Ratchet as he brought the Autobots' ship out of the lake. She was ticked that Ratchet had lost the Key and that her dad had helped rebuild [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], but the blame game ceased after the ship crashed on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]]. Prime told the Sumdacs to stay with the ship while they went to fight off Megatron. Fearing that they might die, Isaac Sumdac said that there was something that he needed to tell Sari, but she was more interested in finding something else the AllSpark could charge. The AllSpark refused to respond, other than cryptically displaying an image of a DNA strand. Suddenly, Megatron and Prime burst through the hull of the ship, and during their fight, the Key once again fell into her hands. Sari tossed it to Optimus Prime, who used the Key destroy the AllSpark and disperse its energy. Acknowledging that he had been wrong in taking from her, Optimus Prime gave the Key back to Sari, saying that as the most powerful Cybertronian artefact on Earth, it was too important to be left in the hands of an Autobot.

Unfortunately, all was not well, for Sari could not find her dad...as he was now a prisoner of Megatron. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

[[Image:Dramatic_change_in_plot.jpg|thumb|The tide has turned!]]
After her father's disappearance, Sari took over running [[Sumdac Systems]]. Board chairman [[Porter C. Powell]] opposed her, saying that she was too young and wasting company resources searching for her father. When the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] arrived, Sari was cut off from the Autobots and her only source of emotional support. She soon needed them, as police drones coming out of a Sumdac assembly line began to malfunction, and Powell was unwilling to do anything about it. Sneaking aboard the [[Steelhaven (Animated)|Elite Guard flagship]], Sari put the fear of god into [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] before Bulkhead explained that Sari was okay (and Bumblebee explained that [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] was a jerk). With Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz's help, Sari managed to get into the plant's assembly line and shut down the systems. When she returned home, she found that she had been locked out of her office, as Powell was now CEO and Chairman of Sumdac Systems. Insisting that it was still her company, Sari was shocked when Powell revealed that she had no birth certificate, no adoption papers, and no social security number. Powell's smug revelation made Sari realize that not only was there no proof that she was Sumdac's daughter, there was no legal proof she even existed. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

After that, Powell kicked Sari out of Sumdac Tower, took Tutor Bot and Sparkplug, and gave her room to [[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]] as an office. With nowhere else to go, she went to Autobot headquarters. Bumblebee and Bulkhead tried their best to cheer her up, employing such methods as loud music, inedible food, and unedifying teaching lesson. All they did was make things worse. Eventually, Prowl put the two bots in their place and told them to ''listen'' to her. Sari opened up about all her frustrations, such as her missing father, being kicked out of her home, her fear of Powell ruining her father's company, and the fact that there was no record of her existence. Bumblebee promised that they were there for her, no matter what, and Sari finally started to feel a little better. {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}}

[[Image:MissionAccomplished-Fanzoneindressinggown.jpg|thumb|left|Peekaboo!]]
And then [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] decided that the Autobots couldn't be there for her, as the Decepticons had begun attacking the fringes of Autobot space, so Prime's crew were needed elsewhere. The Autobots decided that Captain Fanzone was the best human with whom to leave her. (Granted, their list of known humans was rather short and included [[Meltdown (Animated)|Prometheus Black]] and [[Nanosec]].) Before anything close to adoption could occur, they managed to convince Magnus that there were Decepticons on Earth (mostly because Starscream fell out of the sky and landed about ten feet in front of them), allowing them to stay on planet. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

Sari amused herself after settling in with the Autobots by hooking up illegal satellite TV, which she used to watch pay-per-view races. (The races were also illegal, as the Autobots found out from Fanzone.) When Bumblebee wanted to join the races to compete against a mysterious blue car, Sari came along with him. Sari discovered that man in charge of the races, [[Master Disaster]], had a remote control containing an AllSpark fragment, which he used to control the blue car. Blitzwing showed up to take the fragment, so and Bumblebee had to run for their lives. Eventually, she used the remote to get rid of Blitzwing, allowing the Autobots to get the AllSpark fragment. After that, Bumblebee severed her satellite connection, saying that he had to set a better example for her. Sari advised him not to try too hard, or she wouldn't recognize him. {{storylink|Velocity}}

[[Image:Rise_Constructicons_Sari_no_pigtails.jpg|thumb|Don't mess the 'do.]]
Sari was awakened from her night's rest by the loud cavorting of the [[Constructicon (Animated)|"Constructobots"]]. A game of flattened-oil-barrel frisbee severed her trademark pigtails, which left her none too pleased. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}} Subsequently she proved that she was still more mature than Bumblebee in a number of ways, warning him off of taking on villains solo just to prove a point. Sadly he wouldn't realize this until the Decepticon behind the villains' success, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] was revealed. By then it was too late, and she had to team up with those same villains to take his immobilized chassis to Sumdac Tower. Alarmed that the receptionist robot was now declaring it to be Powell Tower, she utilized the Key to rectify that little situation before heading off and successfully disabling Swindle's technology jamming device. {{storylink|SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

A while after, Prowl and Sari were honing their agility using the factory's old assembly line. Sari claimed she could complete the exercise at full speed, like Prowl, but it was set to a quarter-speed, which proved to be too much for her at that and got a massive whack upside the head for her pains. After the Autobots discovered the return of the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]], Sari was left at the base at the command of Optimus, who told reminded her that they had almost decapitated her [[Rise of the Constructicons|the last time they met]]. Also, he doubted she would be able to take on a pair of two-story robots. At first Sari sulked at her situation, before realizing that she was completely alone in the base and did what any eight-year-old kid would do in an abandoned factory: raid the vending machines, use cranes as miniature G-force slings and try to take on Prowl's obstacle course at full speed (which went as well as last time).

[[Image:SariNoOne%27sHome-Mixmaster%2CScrapperandSari.jpg|thumb|left|200px|They're here to kick aft and drink oil. And they're all out of oil.]]
While listening to her music, Sari failed to notice the alarms going off, which heralded the invasion of the Constructicons who were looking for [[Oil|a drink]]. After the two louts accidentally crushed her cell phone and left her with the option of sneaking to the communications room to call the Autobots for help, Sari decided—after a council of war with her teddy bear—to take on the two bots using her trusty hockey stick (which shatters soon after she strikes them with it). She escaped and made it to the communication room, contacting Bumblebee who told her to hide and wait until they finish fighting off the recently appeared [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], who was also looking for the Constructicons. Sari concluded that it would be too long and set up a trap for the two invaders, using three barrels of oil to trip them up and the plant's assembly line to knock them around for a while, forcing [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] to flee. The Autobots returned to find the place in ruins, but Sari showed them that she was all right. Optimus both apologized for his previous comments and lauded her for her bravery, and all was well for Sari—if she could just explain away the mountain of candy wrappers Optimus discovered... {{storylink|Sari, No One's Home}}

Sari later posed for a Picasso-style picture done by Bulkhead. The results were...interesting, to say the least. After criticism by the Autobots, a depressed Bulkhead walked out, and Sari and Bumblebee went to cheer him up. During a walk in the park, Megatron attacked them, carrying an imprisoned Isaac Sumdac with him, and Sari realized that Megatron had kidnapped him all those months ago. (Apparently, that hadn't occurred to anyone else.) While she looked on helplessly, Megatron managed to kidnap Bulkhead. When she returned to the plant, she heard the Autobot [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] reveal that Professor Sumdac was helping the Decepticons build a [[space bridge]] to conquer Cybertron. Sari refused to believe that her father was willingly helping the Decepticons and got a promise out of Optimus Prime to bring him home alive. Heading to Dinobot Island, Ratchet and Sari worked to bring the Autobots' ship back online. Ratchet realized that they would need riskier repairs to bring achieve their goal. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

[[Image:TFA_ABTC_Sari_spoilers.jpg|thumb|150px|It's a strange thing when the human companion's story arc is more interesting than the robots.]]
As Ratchet worked, he explained that the ship was an Autobot who had sacrificed his spark two million years ago. Sari was doubtful that it would come back online...until it spoke to her. She proceeded to use the Key on several of the ship's systems, under Ratchet's direction, until it was able to take off. Taking it to the mine where the Decepticons were based, Sari managed to give the ship enough power to transform into its robot mode, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]. The massive Autobot turned the tide of the battle, but sacrificed himself to save the others from being sucked into the space bridge. The Autobots managed to escape, with both Sari and Isaac in tow, and Isaac revealed that he had been forced to work with the Decepticons. Overjoyed that her father was safe and still a good guy, Sari dubbed Isaac Sumdac the most honest and trust-worthy guy that anyone could hope to find. It was at that point that everyone assembled noticed that the skin on Sari's elbow had torn away, revealing robotic circuitry underneath. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

Although Sari was at first scared by this strange discovery, her fear quickly gave way to anger at her father for having kept the secret that she was a robot from her for years. As they returned to Detroit, Sumdac explained how he had found Sari in his lab years before, but the girl remained incredulous, and things only got worse when the pair confronted Porter C. Powell and Henry Masterson back in Sumdac Tower. When the two men refused to vacate the building, Sari's strained patience snapped, and her hands suddenly transformed into energy projectors, which created a shock wave that knocked the pair of do-badders into the elevator. Struggling to comprehend her true nature, Sari went with the Autobots to their headquarters, unable even to be in the same building as the man she could no longer even think of as her father. Optimus Prime did his best to patch up the damaged family relationship by tricking Sari into meeting with Sumdac at [[Burger Bot]], but it wasn't until Masterson returned with his Headmaster unit attached to Starscream's body that the bonds between father and daughter were repaired, as Sari and Sumdac defended each other from the villain.

[[Image:TransWarpedSariFocus.jpg|thumb|left|Okay Sari, focus. Let go of old thinking, focus on the transformation within. The key is finding the balance in yourself. Then, and only then, can you truly say...]]
Sari quickly began to get a handle on her new Cybertronian powers, learning to project spheres of energy from her hands, but the Autobots still refused to allow her to accompany them into battle against a rock-like alien creature that had just [[transwarp]]ed into the middle of Detroit. Seeking a means to increase her powers, Sari turned her Key upon herself and underwent a surprising metamorphosis: Her body was "aged" so that she appeared to be a teenager, and she sprouted powerful battle armour equipped with jet-skates, arm-blades and an energy-hammer.

[[Image:TransWarpedSariUpgrade.jpg|thumb|150x200px|..."I am transformed!"]]
Although Sari's new powers amazed the Autobots when she made short work of the rock-alien, things soon started to go wrong, as the Key's energy began overloading Sari's circuitry, causing her to run out of control. Unable to control her own body and causing objects around her to explode with her merest touch, Sari nearly killed Bumblebee by stabbing him with one of her blades before the Autobots were able to remove the key from her system. Even with the Key extracted, Sari's energies were still running wild, and she was in danger of exploding and destroying the entire city before Ratchet knocked her out with his EMP generator. Once they returned to the Autobot base, he bypassed the circuitry responsible for her overload.

[[Image:TransWarpedBumblebeeSari.jpg|thumb|left|''You've been hit by/ You've been struck by/ A smooth criminal'']]

As Sari convalesced, her father at her side, Megatron returned to Earth in control of Omega Supreme. Optimus Prime was forced to contemplate undoing the repairs done to Sari and using her to stop the rampaging superweapon as a last-ditch desperation play. When Starscream took control of Omega away from Megatron and locked down all the entrance hatches to prevent the Autobots from infiltrating the robot (again), he came to the point of ordering Ratchet to do so. Fortunately for Sari's (and Detroit's) continued existence, Ratchet refused, and the Autobots ultimately transwarped the threat off Earth. Soon after, Sari awoke and apologized to her friends for her foolishness, while her father apologized to her for holding back the truth for so long. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

After convalescing, she was next seen on [[Christmas]] Eve, making some [[oilnog]] for the Autobots and warning them to stay off Santa's naughty list. When they went to bed early, thanks to a [[Sound Wave]] toy spiking the 'nog, she called them a bunch of party-poopers, but wished them a Merry Christmas and went home.

The next morning, she wasn't happy to receive another Sound Wave toy from her father, given [[Sound and Fury|what had happened with the last one]], and was further disappointed when she was given a motor scooter rather than a car...until she found out that it transformed into a jet pack. Overjoyed, she transformed to her robot mode and flew off to show Bumblebee. When she arrived at the Autobots' base, she found it apparently deserted, and was further puzzled when the base's scanners showed their energy signatures in the factory itself. The appearance of a [[Laserbeak (Animated)|creepy robot bird]], leading a number of Sound Wave toys from an elevator in the floor (which she'd not known about before), didn't help matters, so she used her palm blasters on them and took the lift down.

In the basement, she found the Autobots wired into a VR machine by a fully rebuilt Soundwave. With most of her weaponry offline, she was no match for him and his instruments when she tried to stop him. She was forced to retreat, promising to come back for her friends... {{storylink|Human Error, Part I}}

While she was flying back to Sumdac Tower, Soundwave decided to take over the whole city of Detroit, using the small Sound Waves to carry his hypnotic tunes, since reprogramming the Autobots was taking too long. As such, she arrived back to find a Sound Wave toy blaring hypnotic music at her...and kicked it out of the way. Soundwave deduced that her techno-organic nature made her immune to the music, and he shifted focus to trying to force everyone ''else'' to kill her, starting with her father!

After reluctantly dropping a shelving unit on her dad to make her escape, she flew to Dinobot Island for help. Her initial foray met with little success, since [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and [[Swoop (Animated)|his pteranadon comrade]] refused to help, tried to kill her, then left her alone when she blasted at them. Grimlock's mention that the third member of his group had been kicked out for becoming someone's "pet" raised her curiosity, though, and she soon found Scrapper, separated from the other two Constructicons by [[Three's a Crowd|a big explosion]], on the island's shore playing with "[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]]", and she managed to conscript the two into rescuing the other Autobots.

On their way back to the mainland on a makeshift raft, [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] abruptly popped up from the lake's bottom and immediately became the fourth member of the troupe of [[Substitute Autobot|Substitute Autobots]]. Once they were ashore, Sari's chaotic attempt to get them to transform and roll out nearly had them leave her behind, but it became moot before too long when Soundwave flew out of the ground, followed by the brainwashed Autobots. Initial attempts by her group at fighting them went badly, as the Substitute Autobots proved incapable of working at a team, while the zombie-Autobots acted as a single, elegant machine under Soundwave, and Soundwave could even control her own jet pack. Sari then changed tack, abandoning efforts to co-ordinate her group and ordering them to attack as individuals. Soundwave's single, elegant machine had trouble multitasking, apparently leading to Prowl saving Sari from death at Bumblebee's stingers in an attempt to deliver his own blow.

This lasted until, with four Autobots down, only Optimus Prime remained...whereupon Soundwave could concentrate on controlling just one Autobot properly. As a result, Sari was almost killed by the enslaved Optimus—but was saved again by Prowl, who openly revealed that he'd broken Soundwave's control in knocking Ratbat away from him. Shortly after, Soundwave was again shattered into many pieces, and Sari could once again concentrate on celebrating Christmas with her adopted family and her father. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

[[Image:TFA-DecepticonAir-SariHands.jpg|thumb|Ghost in the Shell? Don't you mean [[Ghost in the Machine]]?]]
When Bulkhead and her father belatedly completed the space bridge they'd been working on (after the purpose they'd been making it for had been accomplished), Sari objected that they would have gotten it working sooner if they'd let her help. They scoffed and went back to bickering about the final tweaks...so Sari took it upon herself to head over to the console, where her eyes glowed, her hands separated into wires, and she finished the setup in seconds. When Optimus asked just ''how'' she'd managed that, she replied that she didn't know how, she just...had. Further, when Sentinel Prime sent an encoded message to Optimus that things had gone horribly wrong on the Elite Guard's ship, Sari managed to lock onto the transwarp signature of Swindle's personal storage dimension to get Optimus aboard, after Bulkhead wasn't sure it was even possible.

[[Image:TFA-DecepticonAir-SariKnowsStuff.jpg|thumb|left|"I'm Sari Sumdac. I know stuff."]]
Later, after Swindle had departed the ship and Bulkhead wasn't sure he could retrieve Optimus, she claimed she could fix it and that she'd figured out why, guessing she must have upgraded her "processor...or brain or whatever" as part of her wider upgrade. However, putting it to the test wasn't necessary, as the ship dropped off Optimus at Sumdac Tower, safe and sound. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

When Optimus Prime abruptly decided he needed a jetpack of his own, Sari, along with Ratchet and her dad, was called into service to make it happen, which included Sari diagnosing a problem just by touching it. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}} The flight pack soon got its baptism of fire when Megatron unleashed a trio of [[Lugnut Supreme]]s on Detroit. Initially, Sari wanted to confront the giant Decepticons with Optimus and Prowl, but Optimus told her no. As she began to throw a hissy-fit about being kept back for her own safety again, he cut her off and told her he wanted her to help protect her "fellow organics" with the other Autobots. Embarrassed, she backed down.

Later, when Ratchet, Bumblebee and Bulkhead were about to depart for the Moon in an attempt to take back the original Omega Supreme, she insisted on transwarping there with them. Her worried father attempted to forbid her, but she told him that she knew there was something there she needed to do, and flew into the space bridge. Once there, Sari could hardly believe she was really on the Moon, but her amazement was soon tabled when Ratchet spotted Arcee, leading to the quartet being ambushed by [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]. While Bumblebee and Bulkhead held the shape-shifting Decepticon off, Sari and Ratchet headed into Omega Supreme's inactive body with the damaged fembot and found the lab Shockwave had been using. Although slightly freaked out by the female robot's mindless repetition of lessons for young Cybertronian 'bots, Sari was able to use her technopathy to tell Ratchet how to restore her mind. Shortly after Arcee came fully back online, Bumblebee and Bulkhead came in with news for Sari. They took her down into the hold of the [[Nemesis (Animated)|Decepticons' ship]], where several blank protoforms lay. Believing that this was where she had come from, Sari reached out to touch one of the protoforms, confirming for herself that there really had been a reason for her to be there.

Meanwhile, Ratchet and Arcee had broken Lugnut's hold over Omega Supreme and reactivated the giant Autobot, and Sari joined the others in flying back to Earth aboard the ship. As he fought with his purple duplicates, those inside were shaken about. After a particularly hard hit from the last clone standing, which forced Omega to transform to ship mode and crash-land, he checked that those inside were all right, whereupon Sari noted that "all Autobots, half-bots and almost-bots" were present and accounted for. Shortly afterward, Prowl gave his spark to shield the city from the last Omega-clone's detonation, and Megatron was defeated and arrested. Sari accompanied the Autobots back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to share in their triumphant return. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Image:Bumblebeepizza_Titan25.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Why said pizza didn't fly out of the box is another story.]]

When Starscream and [[Starscream clone (Animated)|his clones]] seized the Autobot base, Sari immediately fled to Dinobot Island to get help. She found out the Dinobots were being made grouchy by the constant rain, so she promised they could stay in the Autobot base until it stopped if they drove out the Decepticons. That made Sari Grimlock's friend and left the Autobots crying when they saw the weather forecast. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Dino-MIGHT!}}

Being present for [[Quake-Maker|Quake-Maker's]] first attack on Detroit, she got to see the arrival of shiny new hero [[Afterburn]]. She was smitten at first sight. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout}} She even got to hang with him on a mission to Dinobot Island! As well as be stunned by his ace moves, she used her Key to heal a wounded Grimlock and suffered emotional abuse when Ratchet faked his death to test Afterburn. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 2|Ratchet & Grimlock Are DEAD?}}

Later, while watching a basketball game, Sari had to help stop an attack on the city by the villainous [[Crossroads]]. She'd met the supervillain when he'd worked at [[Sumdac Systems]] but his awesome disguise of a blue strip of cloth on his head threw her for a few minutes. Once she'd worked it out, she was able to inform the Autobots he was heading for [[Sumdac Tower]] and helped see to his defeat. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

Sari hit on a solution to Bumblebee and Prowl's macho posturing, setting up a race between the two in [[Crazy Coyote Canyon]] to determine who was the fastest. And she drew [[:Image:CoyoteCanyonmap.jpg|an adorable little map]] of the race track. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|The Race}}

==Notes==
[[Image:TFA_Sari_Sumdac_prelim_promo.JPG|thumb|left|120px|NOT show accurate.]]
[[Image:Sari_tbob_trike.jpg|thumb|right|I d-d-don't think th-this is s-such a g-g-good idea, Scott!]]
* A promotional image of Sari from the [[Cartoon Network]] ''Transformers Animated'' press kit showed her with different shoes, a different Key design, and a slightly darker skin tone.

* In a preliminary version of the opening credits, Sari appeared riding on a tricycle which she used the AllSpark Key to transform into a jet pack. The footage was dropped from the finished credits, but was screened at conventions and was later included on the DVD packaged with the Optimus Prime and Megatron "The Battle Begins" action figure two-pack. The concept was later recycled as a Christmas present from her father in "[[Human Error, Part I]]"; instead of a tricycle, she has an orange scooter which transforms into a jet pack compatible with her robotic body. She may have been gone for four episodes, but now she can fly!

* Sari's pigtails do ''not'' grow back overnight...or do they?

* Sari has a transformation noise shared only with her scooter/jetpack, likely because of her rather unique origin.

* Sari did not appear for four episodes in S3—between "[[Three's a Crowd]]" and "[[Predacons Rising]]"—after her almost-disastrous upgrade, the longest time she has been absent in the series so far. Well, considering the shift in focus...not to mention [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]'s presence on Earth for three of those episodes, perhaps it's just as well. He'd probably have totally freaked out as soon as he saw her.

* Ever since her [[TransWarped]] upgrade, she has what appear to be [[articulation]] lines on her sleeves and stockings/socks.

* Sari's hands can transform into several different modes, two of which pay homage to the anime ''Ghost in the Shell'' and ''[[Iron Man]]''.

* From [[TransWarped]] onward, her eyes were an inverted version of Autobot eyes, with the lighter shade of cyan as the "whites" and the darker shade as the "iris".

* Despite the controversial [[AllSpark Key]] no longer being a part of the series, it can be argued that Sari is slowly turning into a ''deus ex machina'' just like it in her own right, merely by virtue of [[Decepticon Air|"knowing stuff" crucial to the storyline]] (often ''without'' a proper explanation), as well as being able to diagnose mechanical problems [[Endgame, Part I|merely by touching a given machine]].

* According to the panel at the 2009 Botcon, Sari's Cybertronian/robotic nature was planned from the very beginning.[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/236269-botcon-2009-animating-animated-panel-coverage.html]

*Sari is one of two Transformers with a [[Alice|human alt-mode]] and is one of three techno-organic Transformers in the ''Animated'' continuity, the other two being [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Wasp|Waspinator]].

* In "TransWarped", Sari showed off her skills with twin energy blades that came from her forearms and an energy hammer. After being knocked out by Ratchet's EMP, those weapons vanished for the rest of the series, leaving her with only her energy sphere-throwing attack.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumdac, Sari}}
[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Fiction-only characters]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Transformers]]

Forbidden Fruit

2009-12-15T11:50:24Z

75.93.80.85: /* Continuity errors */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Continuity errors===
* Nightscream cannot transform and is reformatted, then instantaneously transforms, unlike the other Maximals, who must relearn transformation. (Rattrap, who hasn't relearnt yet, is as surprised as the viewer, exclaiming "You gotta be kidding me!" at the sight). However, Nightscream (and later, Botanica's) ability to transform so quickly could have been influenced by Optimus, possibly gaining some of his zen master-like ability to focus when he reformatted them.

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

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

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

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

Revelations Part III: Apocalypse

2009-11-06T11:20:29Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=9
|title="Revelations Part III: Apocalypse"
|image=Revelations3 Rhinox vision.jpg
|caption=
|airdate=[[November 13]], 1999
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[George Samilski]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Nightscream pursues Jetstorm, who has captured Blackarachnia's spark; meanwhile, Optimus and Rhinox have a heart to heart.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 星の使命 (''Hoshi no Shimei'', "Message of the Stars")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Jetstorm with extractor.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Jetstorm makes off with the last mint jawbreaker.]]
[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] stands over [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]'s body, holding her [[spark]], as [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] looks on in anguish. Gloating, the Vehicon transforms and flies off with the spark, and Nightscream sets off in pursuit. Watching them go, [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] then eyes Blackarachnia's body.

Meanwhile, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] is sceptical of [[Rattrap]]'s theory that [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] is [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], due to the vast difference in intellect. The pair resolve to try to reach Rhinox's consciousness.

Below ground, [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] tells the [[Vector Sigma|Oracle]] that he doesn't understand the visions he's had... and is promptly granted another vision. Walking in a field, he sees plants with his fellow [[Maximal|Maximals]]' faces on them, and is attacked by metal tentacles. The tentacles turn the plants to metal, and Optimus' friends cry that he has failed them.

[[Image:Revelations3 Tankor cutting.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Oh, I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay!"]]
Tankor regains consciousness and Cheetor cautiously inquires whether Rhinox is in control. Although for a moment it seems as though Tankor's Maximal side is reasserting itself, he writhes in pain and reverts to his "TANKOR DESTROY!" persona. Cheetor is tossed aside, and Tankor advances on Rattrap, firing. After a brief attempt to reason with the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]], Rattrap jumps on some large pipes, releasing them from their bonds so that they fall on Tankor. He recovers quickly, and the two Maximals turn to flee. Unfortunately they're cut off by oncoming tank drones, and race down a narrow gap between the stacked containers. Tankor begins smashing the containers aside, so the pair run up one of the arched structures they've found. On reaching the arch, Tankor merely begins cutting into the side of it, and the Maximals look at each other in alarm. It doesn't take long for Tankor to cut through enough to push the arch over, and Rattrap and Cheetor are forced to jump to the next arch which comes under attack from tank drones.

Nightscream snatches Blackarachnia's spark back from Jetstorm (who seems to have stopped to have a chat with it). The enraged Vehicon chases him but clips a freeway and slams into the side of a building. Recovering quickly, Jetstorm continues the pursuit and follows Nightscream until the Maximal drops an elevator on him.

[[Image:Revelations3 Nightscream spark.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"My... Precious..."]]
Thrust carries Blackarachnia's lifeless body through the city until he's intercepted by Nightscream. The pair fight until Nightscream is able to disable Thrust by draining his Energon. Floating in a white void, Blackarachnia encounters Optimus and he tells her that her spark must have left her body. Elsewhere, Nightscream liberates Blackarachnia's spark from its container and tries to force it back into her body. In the void, she panics and flees from Optimus, just as her spark does from Nightscream. Optimus is able to calm her, and her spark returns to her body. Nightscream suggests they find the others, as he has a feeling they'll need help.

Indeed, Tankor has just knocked over one of the arches in the row, and the rest of them begin to fall like dominoes. Rattrap and Cheetor fall from the final arch, and Cheetor finds himself trapped under some containers with Tankor towering over him. He pleads with the Vehicon to remember who he is and, after a great mental struggle, Tankor unleashes a cry which Optimus hears on his higher plane. Optimus marches through the field of his vision, pushing through the plants until he comes face-to-face with... Rhinox. Optimus talks with his old friend, who it seems sides with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], favouring technology over organic nature. Optimus is jerked back to reality with a cry of "NO!"

[[Image:Revelations3 Tankor maximals.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Tankor's Jazzercise program was not well received.]]
Blackarachnia pulls Cheetor out of the way of Tankor's descending fist, and Nightscream takes out a row of tank drones. Cheetor warns Blackarachnia not to harm Tankor, surprising her with the information that he's Rhinox. She's tossed aside by the Vehicon, disturbing a pile of containers and revealing Rattrap's hiding place. The four Maximals offer Tankor their help, but he replies in Rhinox's voice that he doesn't ''need'' their help. He reveals that he's been conscious but unable to do anything, suppressed by the Tankor personality the whole time. To their alarm, he also announces that Megatron is Cybertron's only hope for technological perfection. The Maximals wonder if Rhinox's spark has been corrupted, and attack their friend, pinning him to the ground. Cheetor tells Rattrap to use his tail interface to reprogram Rhinox, but they're interrupted by Optimus who says Rhinox has made his choice and they have to respect that. The Maximals sadly watch Rhinox leave.

Back at base, the Maximals mope over their lost friend, and Optimus gives a speech about how the Matrix sent them to prehistoric Earth for a reason—to restore nature to Cybertron.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (1)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (2)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
* [[Rattrap]] (7)
* [[Optimus Primal]] (8)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
* [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (3)
* [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (4)
* [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]/[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (6)
* [[Tank Drone|Tank Drones]] (7)

}}

==Quotes==
"Lookee here, ma! I caught me a lightning bug! Yeeha!"
:—Are we sure '''Jetstorm''' isn't [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]?

"Gee, good thing Tankor turned out to be a friend. Imagine if he was recycled from a ''Predacon''."
:—'''Rattrap''' getting tetchy at how the plan's going.

"C sharp... or B flat, music to my ears."
:—'''Nightscream''', as Jetstorm is flattened.

"Rhinox...thank the Matrix you're alive!" 
"Arrgh...trapped...ABANDONED!" 
"This is Megatron's doing. But I can help you." 
"STAY AWAY FROM ME. Megatron isn't the problem. YOU are!" 
"You—you don't know what you're saying! Megatron has started a war between the organic and the technological...but we can overcome the destructive force of his rampant technology!" 
"Don't you ''see'', Optimus?! ''Nature'' is the destructive force! Megatron's right...as long as sparks remain individualistic, the wars will only continue!" 
"NOOOOO!"
:—'''Optimus Primal''' has a heart-to-heart with '''Rhinox'''. Needless to say, it doesn't go well.

"IMPOSTOR! The Rhinox ''I'' knew would ''never'' side with Megatron!"
:—'''Cheetor''', angry at Rhinox's betrayal.

"Rattrap! Use your tail interface...if Rhinox won't change his mind, we'll change it for him!"
:—'''Cheetor''', ironically issuing a command that Megatron would have given.

"Megatron wants this planet to run harmoniously, but harmony without free will isn't harmony at all."
:—'''Optimus''' about to break out into a speech.

"Goodbye, Optimus. When we meet again, it will not be as allies."
:—'''Rhinox''''s parting words to Optimus.

"Was this planet ever organic to begin with?"
:—A humble question from '''Cheetor'''. To this day, the fandom [[Primus|is]] [[Primus|still]] [[Cybertron (planet)|divided]] over the answer.

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

===Continuity errors===
*Error

===Transformers references===
* Rhinox's character model from ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' makes an appearance in this episode.
* Rattrap's remark about Predacons is the only time that faction name is spoken in the entire series.

===Real-world references===
* After destroying several Tank Drones, Nightscream refers to them as "[[Tonka]] toys".

==Trivia==
*Rattrap is relieved Tankor hadn't been built with a Predacon spark--but this actually has no bearing on the strength of the new personalities imposed by Megatron's shell program. Thrust had a Predacon spark and was often portrayed as noble in his own way, and open to at least listening to Maximals, whereas Jetstorm--whose spark was Maximal--was constantly cruel, treacherous, and menacing.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revelations part 3}}
[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Mercenary Pursuits

2009-11-06T11:07:53Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=4
|image=Mercenary Pursuits Rattrap 2heads.jpg
|caption=Talk about a splitting headache.
|title="Mercenary Pursuits"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=October 9, 1999
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Raul Sanchez Inglis]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''The Maximals have a second run-in with the Vehicon generals, and sense the presence of a familiar Spark.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 悲願の変身 (''Higan no Henshin'', "The Transformation of a Dear Wish")

==Synopsis==
Megatron rebukes his Vehicon generals for failing to destroy the Maximals, refusing to accept failure; he sends them forth with promises of rewards to whichever one captures the Maximals.

[[Image:Mercenary Pursuits Optimus Primal holograms.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Well, his dad always told him he had to get ahead in this world.]]
Optimus Primal contemplates the images of Rhinox and Silverbolt and vows to find them. His meditation is interrupted when he senses the presence of a Spark; the team goes out to find it. During the search, Rattrap beaks into a secure laboratory and discovers the transformation inhibitor virus which Megatron used... and a counter-virus as well, a transformation enhancer. Rattrap swipes the enhancer while Cheetor's back is turned.

[[Image:Mercenary Pursuits Tankor search.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"I spy with my little eye, something big and stupid."]]
While Thrust and Jetstorm squabble, Tankor manages to find the Maximals, who elude him by reverting to beast mode... until Rattrap shows up, able to transform at last thanks to the enhancer. This alerts Tankor, of course, who attacks the team. Rattrap finds he's unable to control his transformations, as he continually changes between robot and beast mode, including some odd intermediate forms as well.

Tankor manages to trap the Maximals under a metal dome. Thrust and Jetstorm arrive and fight Tankor for the right to bring in the captive Maximals; the distraction allows the Maximals escape from the dome, but an explosion knocks out all the Transformers present, leaving only the durable Tankor standing.

[[Image:Mercenary Pursuits Megatron Optimus bound.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Now tell me, Maximal... how did you like my poem?]]
At the Citadel, Megatron gloats to the captured Maximals, while Tankor demands his reward: "freedom" via the removal of his spark. Rattrap's continual transformations strain his bonds to the breaking point, freeing him; he quickly releases the others. During the ensuing fight, Megatron loses control and breaks free of his control harness; Primal talks directly to Tankor's Spark, compelling him to do what is right. After a moment of confusion, Tankor blasts open the door so the Maximals can escape, and leaves with them.

[[Image:Mercenary Pursuits Tankor maximals.jpg|right|200px|thumb|One of these things is not like the other]]
Restored to his harness, Megatron interfaces directly with Tankor's CPU, deleting the last 20 cycles of his memory. Thus Tankor suddenly attacks the Maximals again as they travel underground; Megatron blocks Primal's attempts to speak to Tankor's Spark again. The Maximals trip up Tankor as he's preparing to fire; the cannon backblast sends him flying upwards through Cybertron's sublevels, only to crash back down to the surface atop a startled Thrust and Jetstorm.

Primal explains to the other Maximals that he sensed something familiar about Tankor's Spark... but then it was gone.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (6)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] (1)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (2)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (3)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (4)

}}
==Quotes==
"An interesting tale. Now here are some meaningful words. I am your creator. Please me and I shall reward you. Disappoint me and you shall suffer. A difficult choice?"
:—'''Megatron''' attempts to raise his troops' morale.

'''Cheetor:''' Use me for target practice?! THAT'S IT!! I Am Trans... 
'''Optimus Primal:''' Negative. These storage bins may contain explosives. 
'''Blackarachnia:''' [''scoffs''] Aren't you being just a ''little'' overcautious? 
[''Tankor blows up a storage bin, triggering the explosion of other storage bins in the vicinity.''] 
'''Optimus Primal:''' Next question?
:—'''Optimus''', showing the other Maximals why he's the big banana.

"Transform back before Tankor locks in on you." 
"But..but...I am ''transformed!''"
:—'''Optimus''' talks sense to '''Rattrap''' who appears to be having an off-day.

"Now, if there are no further interruptions." 
"I'm afraid there will be."
:—'''Megatron''' is clued in by '''Optimus'''.

"You made the right choice." 
"Especially that part about not slagging us."
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Rattrap''' welcome Tankor to the Maximal side...for all of 15 seconds.

"Tankor! Tankor!" 
"I'm sorry, Tankor is not available at the present time. Would you like to leave a message?"
:—'''Optimus''' tries to contact Tankor's spark again and gets '''Megatron''' instead.

==Notes==
===Technical/animation glitches===
*When Jetstorm throws Thrust at the building, Thrust looks exactly the same as the Cycle drones, but then at the just before he transforms, he is back to normal.

===Continuity errors===
*Error
===Transformers references===
* Rattrap racing across the bridge to aid Tankor when he accidentally gains wheels in beast mode as a result of the virus is a reference to his Transmetal vehicle mode in Beast Wars.

===Real-world references===
* As Rattrap finds the transformation enhancer, he exclaims "Good-bye fur coat; hello full metal jacket!" A ''full metal jacket'' is a copper bullet casing commonly used by infantrymen, as well as the title of a Stanley Kubrick film.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Master of the House

2009-11-06T11:01:25Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=2
|prev=The Reformatting
|title="Master of the House"
|next=Fires of the Past
|image=MasterHouse Megatron.jpg
|caption=''Master of the House, quick to catch the eye, never likes a passerby to pass him by...''
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 25]], [[1999]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]] [[Bob Skir]]
|directed by=[[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''After their reformatting, the amnesiac Maximals come face to face with the source of their troubles.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 野性の調教 (''Yasei no Chōkyō'', "Breaking of the Wild")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Master of the House Optimus maximals.jpg|left|200px|thumb|If they want to learn how to transform, why don't they just read the instruction booklets?]]
Underground, where the Vehicons have failed to look, the four Maximals gather. Under the teachings of Optimus Primal, the team try to relearn their new [[Transformation|transformations]]. However, it is no longer simple command codes, but now requires emotional balance and deep concentration since their reformatting at the hands of the [[Vector Sigma|Oracle]]. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] manage to use their technorganic transformations properly, but [[Rattrap]] still has trouble with his new body. But their time in robot mode is limited, as a rumbling shakes the chamber and a [[Vehicon Mole|Mole Drone]] attacks the Maximals. The shock has forced Cheetor and Blackarachnia back into their beast modes, and they take shelter behind Primal.

Optimus leaps in front of the frightened Maximals and deflects the blasts, all the while explaining that they reverted because they lost their emotional balance. Primal destroys the mindless Vehicon with a blast of energy, but knows it's time to leave, hopefully to find a new base and continue their transformation lessons. However, his idea is met with mild rebuff by Cheetor and Blackarachnia. They believe that they should seek out any survivors and reformat them, using them to destroy the drones. But Optimus overrules them, saying they need to get a handle on their new transformations before they go out looking for trouble. They split up to search out a new base. Blackarachnia and Cheetor are paired together (real smart pairing them up, ya big [[Trukk not munky|munky]]), and Rattrap and Primal go the opposite way.

[[Image:Infocore3.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Let's see... Floor Five: Quintesson journals, Cypher Keys, Mini-Cons, cat food."]]
Cheetor and Blackarachnia (with some goading on Blackarachnia's part) decide to go topside. As soon as they clamber up from the caves, they discover that they are in [[Cybertropolis]], the new capital of Cybertron after [[Iacon]]'s destruction. But there is a problem; Cybertropolis should be home to "ten million Transformers", but the duo find it deserted, and [[Cybertron InfoCore]] has been deleted.

[[Image:Master of the House Cheetor Blackarachnia fall.jpg|left|200px|thumb|EXTREEEEEEEME bungie-jumping!]]
Before the pair can investigate further, they are attacked by [[Aero Drone|Aero Drones]], and plunge off the side of a building before they can slide to safety. As he runs, Cheetor attempts to transform, but he hasn't found his spiritual center yet and remains in cat mode. Blackarachnia traps two of the jets with her webs, but more arrive. Fortunately, Optimus arrives. He quickly transforms into robot mode and takes to the air, but is soon overwhelmed.

Cheetor and Blackarachnia manage to transform, and they quickly dispatch the drones, Blackarachnia using electrical "stinger" energy and Cheetor's scimitars. Optimus scolds Cheetor for disobeying orders, but is intrigued at their findings. Optimus orders the group to head to the [[Council Citadel]], hoping to find answers. Rattrap moves ahead of the rest of the group but encounters Tank Drones. Optimus orders Cheetor and Blackarachnia to hold off the drones while he investigates inside. When he gets inside, he heads to the chambers of the [[Maximal Elder|Maximal Elders]].

[[Image:Master of the House Optimus Megatron.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"My helmet does NOT make me look silly."]]
Reaching the council meeting room, Primal comes face to face with the leader of the drones—[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], now encased in a suit of control armor. He greets Primal cordially, and decides to "fill in" the gaps in Primal's memory. Megatron claims that he won the [[Beast Wars]], and that he decided to remodel Cybertron into his own image, one of technological purity, devoid of organic life. Thus, he explains, came the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]], [[Spark|sparkless]] Transformers who will serve Megatron and crush Primal's "mongrel" Maximals.

However, the Maximals manage to survive the Vehicons, their technorganic bodies and Spark-powered ingenuity foiling the mindless might of the drones. Frustrated by the Maximals' survival, and with some goading by Primal, the enraged Megatron breaks free of his harness and transforms into his [[Transmetal 2]] [[Alternate mode|beast mode]], deactivating the drones in the process. Primal and Megatron fight, but Megatron reconnects to his [[control harness]], and summons more Vehicons, mocking Primal all the while. The Maximals arrive, and barely manage to drag Primal away.

When the Maximals inquire about what happened, Primal tells them that this all happened because he failed to destroy Megatron. However, it is now up to Primal to correct that mistake.

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

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]
|c2=
*[[Vehicon Mole|Mole Drone]] (5)
*[[Sonic Attack Jet|Sonic Attack Jets]] (6)
*[[Tank Drone|Tank Drones]] (7)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (8)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Optimus''': "Free your minds, let go of old thinking, focus on the transformation within." 
'''Rattrap''': "Hoy...what's with all the hocus pocus? Just give us the command codes so we can transform already." 
'''Optimus''': "It's not that easy, Rattrap, the Oracle had melded us into a balance of both machine and living tissue. Command codes and onboard computers are things of the past. 
'''Cheetor''': "So what are we, robots or animals?" 
'''Optimus''': "Both and neither." 
'''Blackarachnia''': "Well that sure clears it up." 
'''Optimus''': "The key is finding the balance in yourself, then and only then can you truly say...I am Transformed."
:—'''Optimus''' teaching the Maximals how to transform in their technorganic bodies. 

'''Rattrap''': "I am transformed, I am sooo transformed I can't even believe it!...ehhh". 
'''Optimus''': "Just let it happen, don't try to make it happen." 
[''Rattrap tries to force himself to transform''] 
'''Optimus''': "Can you feel it?" 
'''Rattrap''': "Oh! I feel a breakthrough coming..."
:—'''Rattrap''' tries to transform but fails (and makes a dirty double entendre at the same time).

"Aww, come on, ever since we got to Cybertron, all we've done is run and hide."
:—'''Cheetor''', who is ''way'' more right than he knows.

"Cybertron is now my domain. You may bow before your new lord and master."
:—'''Megatron''' lets Optimus know who's in charge.

"I am the future. I have forged this entire planet into a single elegant machine. A vision of technological purity and order. You you four mongrels would dare contaminate that vision with your accursed beast modes."
:—'''Megatron''' speechifies.

"What's wrong, Megatron? Your single elegant machine having trouble multitasking?"
:—'''Optimus''' burns Megatron.

"Look at yourself, Megatron. See the thing you despise the most. Cybertron will never be pure so long as the beast exists within you. You've failed."
:—'''Optimus''' while holding Megatron by the beast neck.

==Notes==
* How does Cheetor follow Blackarachnia up what appears to be a perfectly smooth vertical pipe? Does his new beast mode come with magnetic paws?

===Continuity errors===
* Blackarachnia seems to know an awful lot about the Cybertron InfoCore even though she only activated on prehistoric earth during the [[Beast Wars]].
* Megatron is scarred across his right eye. Unless something happened to him between the end of ''Beast Wars'' and the start of ''Beast Machines'', the origin of that scar is a mystery, which, to this day, has not been explained.

===Transformers references===
* Megatron's dragon form looks like a patchwork cyborg rather than the smooth reddish version it originally was; as we find out in subsequent episodes, this is due to a large number of failed experiments to rid his body of all organic elements. His robot form has apparently undergone alterations as well, since the cloak covering his body appears to be integral to it rather than a part of the control helmet device he is continuously plugged into.

===Real-world references===
* Megatron's control room is full of floating screens that he controls at a whim. These are very similar to the floating windows that appeared throughout Mainframe Entertainment's original production, ''ReBoot''.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral

2009-11-06T10:45:29Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{disambig2|the ''Beast Machines'' episode|the ''Animated'' episode|Endgame, Part I}}

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=24
|title="Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral"
|image=BMEndgame1 Rattrap Botanica dying.jpg
|caption=I ''knew'' I should have watered my girlfriend more often!
|airdate=[[April 19]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Angela Stevenson]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Under siege inside Megatron's floating fortress, the Maximals must protect the captive sparks against Megatron's final attack.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 地獄の総攻撃 (''Jigoku no Sōkōgeki'', "The General Offensive of Hell")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:BMEndgame1 Megadrone plans.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Oh, what delicious irony]]
Legions of drones roll across [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], while still more of the things are created at an automated plant. But it's not enough: [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] orders an immediate attack to regain his base. After the Generals depart, Megs reflects that he needs a better body than a puny [[Diagnostic Drone]], but with no time to design a new one, he requires a template. He finds one that's suitably ironic.

Aboard the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] try to convince [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] to restore the Sparks to their bodies. But Primal won't risk having Megatron recapture them. [[Botanica]] announces that she has changed the defense grid so Megatron can't remote-access it; [[Rattrap]] sets to work on getting the weapons working. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] asks, logically, how they're supposed to reformat the planet; Op isn't sure, but says the missing piece of the puzzle lies with the [[Vector Sigma|Oracle]]. He further explains the Oracle knew about Megatron downloading it, and wanted it to happen... though he hasn't the faintest idea why. Rattrap announces that the weapons are keyed to Megatron's [[Spark]] and are totally inaccessible, as hundreds of drones arrive.

Rattrap whips out his handy disks again, and tosses one at each Maximal. Each affected Maximal suddenly sees the others as a different Maximal. Silverbolt, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], and Nightscream move out with the disks to buy the group some time.

Three pods deploy from the big head, revealing Maximal signatures when the drones scan them. But when they're shot down, the pods are empty, a distraction while the Maximals slipped down to the surface.

As [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] observes that it's some kind of trick, Nightscream tags him with a disk. Obsidian spins to find Blackarachnia and Nightscream standing there. Though his computer reports no Maximal signatures, he quickly destroys three of them — and comes to a puzzled pause as he sees Nightscream again, even though he just blew him away. As the smoke clears, he finds the ruins of three of his own drones; [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] is having similar problems. As the Maximals exult in this triumph, [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] attacks.

[[Image:BMEndgame1 Grand mal under attack.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Man, Cybertronian mosquitoes are pretty nasty.]]
Optimus radios Silverbolt, urging him to get his team inside the big head before they raise shields. Silverbolt tells him not to wait... and Optimus reluctantly agrees. Cheetor raises the shield in time for a number of helodrones to plow into it; the remainder surround the big head and attack.

Silverbolt's team uses one of the disks to send Strika chasing after Thrust; after briefly noting the battle going on above, they retreat underground.

Above, the big head's shields are holding, but they're also cutting Botanica off from the organic core, causing her to collapse and Rattrap to panic. Primal notes that if they lower the shields for an instant, they're all doomed.

Obsidian reports that they can't penetrate the shields, but Megatron is confident that their power will run out sooner or later.

Below ground, Silverbolt decides to go after Megatron's drone factories.

The Maximals still have no access to the ship's weapons; Botanica is still faltering. Rattrap comes up with a plan to slip a life pod through the shield by matching its harmonics.

The away team enters Megatron's factory and finds themselves face-to-scanner with Megs himself. Though he initially repels their attacks with ease, Nightscream uses another disk to distract him long enough to blast some kind of large box, which promptly overloads. The Maximals escape; Megatron tries to stop the inevitable with some controls, but finally just stares slack-armed as the plant goes BOOM.

[[Image:BMEndgame1 Botanica emerges from pod.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Nanu nanu?]]
Silverbolt reports that they've put Megatron out of business and buried him to boot, leaving only the remaining billion or so drones to be defeated. But the shields are sucking up a lot of the big head's power. Rattrap, elsewhere, has loaded Botanica into a pod, which launches from the big head. Silverbolt's group observes as the pod is hit, and springs into action to keep it from crashing. Inside, they find Botanica, who is desperate to rejoin the soil. Her pallor returns as she does so, as a relieved Rattrap observes from above. A squad of Vehicons appears down the road, and the Maximals split.

Megatron is with the squad, and his sensors locate Rattrap's harmonics-matching disk. He radios Obsidian, sending the harmonic frequency to the General.

[[Image:BMEndgame1 Grand mal hits tower.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"I'm so sleepy I can barely keep awake."]]
The attack that follows goes straight through the shields, to Primal and Cheetor's surprise. Rattrap's reaction—lowered head, slumped shoulders—tells most of the story, but he defends his actions. Primal tries to salvage the situation, but Cheetor bluntly tells him that the defense grid is finished. Rattrap uses the last of the ship's power to erect a stasis field around the Spark containment unit, as the big head begins a long, slow crash that brings it smashing to a halt atop the Citadel.

The Maximals and the Sparks survive the crash, but they're surrounded and without power. Rattrap berates himself for his recklessness, but Primal dismisses it, and vows that Megatron will not retake the Sparks. But it looks grim as a wall of drones rises into the air around the fallen ship.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (6)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (7)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (8)
*[[Botanica]] (9)
*[[Rattrap]] (10)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (11)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (12)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (4)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (5)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

}}
==Quotes==
"Strika, Thrust, the Maximals are up to something." 
[''standing in pile of destroyed Cycle drones''] "Ya think?"
:—'''Obsidian''' and '''Thrust'''

"Hey, stop! Are you nuts, lady?!"
:—'''Thrust''', being chased by Strika

"Don't you ever get tired of losing?"
:—'''Megatron'''

"Someone underestimated me. Someone thought because I was trapped inside this puny body, I would be easily vanquished. Someone was wrong!" 
"Uh, Mr Megatron, sir? I'm over here!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Nightscream'''

"This is it, people. The beginning of the end. And as the Matrix is my witness, Megatron will not get those sparks."
:—'''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
* Although he'd shown glimpses of it before, Megatron's gloating to his enemies, maniacal laughter, picking a body purely on irony, and "yesss"-ing seem to indicate a large reversion to his Beast Wars personality. It's about time.

===Continuity errors===
* Nightscream says that the drones will arrive within "minutes", rather than cycles.
* Perhaps more than any episode of ''Beast Machines'', this one calls out some of the illogical concepts driving much of the series. Primal won't risk releasing the Sparks until Megatron is defeated, because Megatron ''might'' recapture them; yet by passing up the chance to have thousands of additional troops on his side, Primal seems to be making their recapture all the more likely. The real-life answer is that the show's CGI format made it prohibitive to have thousands of extras running around.
* Likewise, why have the Maximals not been targeting the apparently unguarded and very-easy-to-destroy drone factories from Day 1? Real-life answer: it'd be a very short show if they did.
* Cheetor berates Rattrap as if he's caused a total reversal in their situation. Megatron, however, seems quite confident that they'd manage to bring down the Grand Mal regardless. And the Maximals themselves had already noted that the shields were rapidly depleting the ship's power.
* How the heck did Megatron survive being at ground zero without a scratch? (Well, his Spark ''is'' all red and evil and mutated and scary...)

===Trivia===
* When Botanica is launched out of the Grand Mal, the characters left on board are [[Optimus Primal |the]] [[Rattrap |only]] [[Cheetor (BW) |ones]] who were allied with the Maximals since the start of the Beast Wars.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Spark of Darkness

2009-11-06T10:43:27Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{episode|
|series=BMtoon
|ep=23
|title=Spark of Darkness
|image=SparkDarkness.jpg
|caption=Beauty is in the optic of the beholder
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[April 12]], 2000
|writer=[[Nick Dubois]]
|director=[[Greg Donis]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron has been defeated, but strange creatures keep attacking the Maximals all over Cybertropolis.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 恐怖の赤い玉 (''Kyōfu no Akai Tama'', "The Terrifying Red Sphere")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:SparkDarkness Celebrating maximals.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"You da man!" "No, you da man!" "No, YOU da man!"]]
The [[Maximal]]s celebrate the defeat of [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] inside the now-dormant [[Grand Mal]]. But while most of the group high-five each other, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] mourns the loss of his pet, [[Noble|Savage/Noble]]. [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] wonders if Megatron is truly defeated, but [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] assures his team that he knows Megatron is dead, thanks to their mutual connection to the [[Oracle]]. When [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] mentions there's still business to be taken care of, [[Botanica]] responds she feels there's another evil on Cybertron.

Cheetor and Nightscream are sent to find the [[Vehicon general|Vehicon generals]]. Silverbolt and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] are sent to assess the dormant Transformer bodies to start the process of getting the sparks Megatron kidnapped to function again. Rattrap and Botanica are assigned to attend the techno-organic orchard. [[Rattrap]], of course, whines about this. Optimus stays in the Grand Mal.

[[Image:SparkDarkness Blackarachnia zombie.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Supreme Class kitbashing gone horribly, horribly wrong.]]
Blackarachnia tries to put the moves on Silverbolt, but without confirmation that Megatron is truly really dead, he's extremely hesitant to respond to her advances. She's so focused on trying to force open Silverbolt's heart, only he notices the large, lumbering monster emerge behind her. The two Maximals run away (cowardly) from the giant, but when the monster hits Silverbolt with gunfire, Blackarachnia fights back with her electric sting. The monster knocks her over, but Silverbolt has had time to recover and attacks the monster with his throwing blades. Eventually, Blackarachnia has the idea to attack the monster using an explosive component from one of the nearby Transformer bodies. The behemoth steps out of the explosion, and the two Transformers watch a strange red spark emerge from the monster as it falls over in defeat. The red glow races away.

In the orchard, while Botanica works, Rattrap scavenges parts of a [[Motorcycle Drone]] to see if anything can be made into a useful tool. As he does this, he moans that he feels his talents are being wasted and he'll be stuck with embarrassing stories to tell his grandkids. Botanica argues that tending the garden is important. The debate between the two heats up, and in their rage, the two Maximals accidentally touch lips. The two quickly agree to completely disregard, forget, and ignore their contact and get to work. But suddenly, the deactivated Cycle Drone comes to life and begins to blast the orchard. Botanica, upset about the carnage, transforms and uses her bolts to bring heavy wreckage crashing down upon the possessed drone. The drone flails its body one last time before falling over, no longer inhabited by the glowing red spark.

Cheetor and Nightscream meet with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] and [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and invite the two generals to join the Maximals. As the two generals debate, [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] stops by to make it clear that he has no interest in joining with the Maximals and that he believes that Megatron, "The Big M," will soon return. After Thrust leaves, the remaining four are attacked by a damaged but resilient [[Aero Drone]]. Nightscream sucks the energy from the drone, but the monster still tries to pull Cheetor over the edge of a nearby cliff. Cheetor is saved by Nightscream and the drone falls, but before it makes impact with the water below, the glowing red spark leaves the body.

[[Image:SparkDarkness Rattrap repolarising.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rattrap's audition for the new [[Susan Hoffman#Related characters|Ghostbusters]] movie went surprisingly well.]]
The group returns to meet with the other Maximals (sans Botanica) inside the Grand Mal, and Optimus welcomes Strika and Obsidian to the team. The two new recruits leave to fortify the base—just in time for Rattrap to detect the haunting red spark heading right towards them all. Inside, the spark passes by the two generals and briefly encounters Cheetor and Blackarachnia. Next, the spark uses a [[Tank Drone]] body to attack Optimus and Botanica. While Rattrap tracks the movement of the Spark, he deduces a way to neutralize its rampage.

Rattrap uses a Spark Extractor on the Tank Drone to draw out the spark. Once the red spark is contained, he "re-polarizes" his captive, but the Spark Extractor flies alive, trying to break free of Rattrap's grip. After escaping the spark extractor, the spark flies into a [[Diagnostic Drone]] and, finally coherent, exclaims "I live!" But Rattrap has the next laugh: The spark, who is clearly Megatron, is now trapped inside of the diminutive body.

[[Image:SparkDarkness Megadrone Optimus.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"And now, Optimus Primal, prepare to face the TRUE horror of Kiss Players!"]]
The Maximals meet Megatron, but he laughs at them. Even in his tiny form, he's able to reactivate the Grand Mal's internal defenses to evict the Maximals. As the Maximals struggle against the tentacles that have begun to bind them, Primal has an Oracle moment, but the Maximals are all captured anyway. Megatron starts to reformat Primal's spark, but Rattrap gets Botanica to destroy the control panel, freeing the team from Megatron's grip.

Obsidian arrives at the fight scene and is forced to choose: Be loyal to Primal's or Megatron's side. The two generals grab Megatron and fall out of sight. Out of immediate danger, Optimus explains that Nightscream didn't kill Megatron, but only turned Megatron into the monster that he was but no longer is.

Away from the battle, Strika, Obsidian and Megatron meet up with Thrust. No longer in control of the Sparks, Megatron declares, "The time for action is now."

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (1)
*[[Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (3)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (7)
|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Evil Red Spark]] (8)
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (9)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (10)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (11)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (12)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"So, eh, whatcha got for me and Miss Twiggy? A "teak and destroy" mission? Or maybe some "oak and dagger" work?"
:—'''Rattrap''' comes up with some evil puns.

Little girl voice: And what'd you do in the war, Daddy? 
Rattrap voice: Well, honey, I built ''gardening equipment'' to help the troops plant petunias! 
Little girl voice: ''Really'', Daddy?! 
:—'''Rattrap''' expresses how much he hates his job and Scott McNeil gets to talk to himself. Uh... [[Dinobot (BW)|Some]] [[Silverbolt (BW)|more]].

"What would you rather be doing, sticking your tail into a computer circuit?" 
"Heh, beats the heck outta plowing ''your'' little field of dreams."
:—"Innuendo 101" with '''Botanica''' and '''Rattrap'''

"You shall not pass!" 
[''Red spark passes without pause'']
:—'''Strika''' makes a very poor Gandalf.

"Aw man, I can't believe I'm stuck here while a really honked-off ball of electrons is making mince-meat outta my buddies."
:—'''Rattrap''' complaining again.

"I live! I live! I—what kind of puny body is this?!" 
:—'''Megatron''' discovers he's in a diagnostic drone. Now that's karma.

==Notes==
===Transformers references===
*The short story "Singularity Ablyss" by [[Bob Skir]], published in the [[Transformers Legends]] anthology, is set between-the-scenes of this episode. It doesn't change the events of the episode, but it does illuminate what Megatron may have been thinking in the midst of all that body-jumping; also, he kills [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]].
*The shell that attacks Silverbolt and Blackarachnia is composed of parts from [[Beast Wars]] combatants. The feet, torso, and right arm belong to the transmetalized [[Tarantulas]] and the head bears a strong resemblance to [[Tigerhawk]]. What were Tarantulas and Tigerhawk ''doing'' on Cybertron anyway?
*Precisely 5 minutes and 3 seconds into the episode, immediately after Blackarachnia says, "Whoever you are, THAT was a big mistake!", one can see the severed head of [[Depth Charge]] lying right by her feet.
*Even later on in the episode, when Silverbolt trips over battling the mutant, Blackarachnia proceeds to rip out the power core from what appears to be [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]'s body.
*Rattrap and Botanica arguing with each other continues the trend of Rattrap and [[Dinobot (BW)|another]] [[Depth Charge|Maximal]] duking it out verbally. This would probably be the first instance where it blossoms into romance, though. As Megatron [[Bad Spark|would say]]....''yuck''.
*Botanica is also the first frequent sparring partner of Rattrap's that doesn't end up dead. Don't piss off Rattrap.

===Real-world references===
*This episode's title is a play on Joseph Conrad's novella ''[[wikipedia:Heart of Darkness|Heart of Darkness]]''.
*When Cheetor asks Thrust what he's rebelling against now that Megatron is gone, Thrust replies "What've you got?", the reply given by James Dean's character in ''[[wikipedia:Rebel without a cause|Rebel Without a Cause]]''. Fitting.
*The sequence where Optimus Primal and Botanica are first ambushed is also a visual quote from the original ''[[wikipedia:Alien (film)|Alien]]''.
*When Obsidian and Strika attempt to intercept the red spark, Strika exclaims "You shall not pass!", a possible reference to Gandalf's words in ''[[wikipedia:Lord of the Rings|Lord of the Rings]]''.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege

2009-11-06T10:38:54Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=22
|image=Spark consumption.jpg
|caption=Om nom nom nom
|title="Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege"
|airdate=[[April 5]], 2000
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Luke Carroll]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Having found the imprisoned sparks, the Maximals have to race against time to stop Megatron from consuming them and becoming a god.'''

:''Japanese title'': 永遠の友情 (''Eien no Yuujou'', "Eternity's Friendship")

==Synopsis==
[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] flaps along beneath a Cybertronian moon, evading hordes of drones. He meets up with [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s [[Grand Mal|big floating head]] is hovering over the central spaceport, and the Maximals wonder how they can put a stop to whatever Megatron is re-supplying for.

[[Image:Sparkwar3 Noble Nightscream.jpg|left|thumb|200px|You can turn away and scowl all you want, but it's still bath time, ''mister.'']]
[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] are nearby, ordering troop movements, when a familiar howl sounds. It's [[Noble]], who obliviously strolls up to the Maximals' hiding spot in plain sight, leading the drones right to them. Cheetor orders a retreat, as they're on recon; the group disposes of their attackers and begins to leave. But despite Nightscream's pleadings, Noble continues fighting. Nightscream finally fires off a sonic burst that destroys Noble's attackers, and the beast retreats along with them.

Cheetor admonishes Nightscream over his "little pet" nearly getting them killed, and orders him to cut the creature loose. Nightscream reluctantly heads in the other direction, with Noble following like a puppy.

Later, [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] reminds Cheetor and [[Rattrap]] of their upcoming mission's importance. Rattrap wonders if they could get away with a Trojan horse gimmick. The others, and the audience, look at him like he's nuts.

Cheetor, Nightscream, and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] are to distract the Vehicons; the rest go to infiltrate the big head and free the Sparks. Rattrap offers up his disks again, new and improved this time. As the group heads out, Cheetor coughs meaningfully and nods in Noble's direction. Optimus responds with a look to Nightscream, who reluctantly shoos him away. Noble departs with a puppy-like whimper, and the group moves out.

Thrust reports to Megatron, who manifests himself in the form of his glowing red Spark. Megatron opens the Spark containment grid, releasing a pair of drifting Sparks. Energy shoots out from Megatron... and the Sparks are consumed, absorbed into his own, as Thrust watches dumbfounded. Megatron testily demands [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]]'s report, while gobbling up a couple more Sparks. The Maximals no longer concern him, he tells his General; he's mastered the secrets of the Oracle, and nothing can stop his grand ascension now.

[[Image:Sparkwar3 Obsidian drones.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The aftermath of last night's frat party.]]
On the surface, Nightscream and company initiate their "noisy distraction". Optimus's group tries out Rattrap's scramblers, which seem to work, and leap aboard a hovertransport that's heading for the big head. The distraction group, elsewhere, plays a game of cat and mouse with the drones. Cheetor slaps a disk on one of the drones, causing the others to read it as a Maximal, and blast it to scrap. Silverbolt is impressed.

The generals examine the wrecked drones, and find one of the disks. Primal and company, meanwhile, have infiltrated the big head. Primal listens to the voices in his head — literally — which direct him toward the Sparks.

Strika figures out how to reconfigure the device's harmonics, causing feedback to overloading all of the other disks. A moment later, the Maximals are picked up by the big head's sensors. Thrust soon arrives to attack. The distraction team soon finds themselves similarly occupied.

Rattrap gets the Maximals through a doorway, then seals it before Thrust can follow. The group finds themselves in a large round chamber with a seal at the bottom... a seal which opens to reveal a huge canister full of glowing, seathing Sparks. The canister rises to meet the orange-red form of Megatron above. He's pleased to see the team; tentacles lash out and snare the group.

Megatron initiates his trans-ascension, chomping down on a few more Sparks. He intends to unite every Spark on Cybertron into one, perfect being — himself. The Spark canister opens, and the Sparks drift upwards. Optimus entreats them to resist, but Megatron just laughs.

[[Image:Giant megatron spark.jpg|left|thumb|200px|The Giant Atomic Fireball. OF DOOM!]]
On the surface, all the combatants stop and stare as Megatron's ultra-Spark rises out from the big head. Megatron lashes out with energy beams that suspend the Maximals in mid-air and begin to draw out their Sparks. Nightscream manages to evade the beams momentarily, till he trips on a fallen drone. But as the beam begins to drag him away, he sees Noble lurching towards him. Strika sees him too, and orders her drones to attack. But the mighty beast is too much for the drones. Obsidian and Strika are bested as well. Noble reverts to Savage and blasts the beam holding Nightscream, freeing him. Savage launches, heading for Megatron, but Megatron zaps him, knocking him out of the sky. Savage falls and hits the ground hard. He reverts to Noble, and dies cradled in Nightscream's arms.

[[Image:Sparkwar3 Dead noble.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Tell my chew toy... 'I love... you...'"]]
Nightscream, infuriated, blasts Megs with his sonic weapon. The blast disrupts Megatron's hold on the Maximals, the captive Sparks, and himself, too, as he howls in agony. The Sparks begin falling back into their canister, and the big head begins to plummet. The Maximals quickly work to gain control of the vessel; Rattrap extends a bridge to a control center, and finds the manual control system. The head falls from view... then rises again. Cheetor and Silverbolt are briefly exultant, till they turn back to Nightscream, still kneeling beside Noble.

The group gathers around a holo-image of the slain beast, as Optimus eulogizes the creature who bought them their victory with his life. But elsewhere on the empty streets of Cybertron, Megatron's orange-red Spark can be seen flitting through the shadows.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (5)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (10)
*[[Rattrap]] (11)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (13)
*[[Botanica]] (14)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (3)
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (6)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (7)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (8)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (12)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (15)

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (9)

}}
==Quotes==
"The Maximals no longer concern me. I have mastered the secrets of the Oracle and now no force in the universe can prevent my ascension!"
:—'''Megatron''' enters his megalomaniacal phase. Again.

"If anyone knows how to cause confusion, it's our little Rattrap."
:—'''Silverbolt''' sums up Rattrap's character in one sentence.

"The sparks! What are you doing?!" 
"Fulfilling my destiny, Optimus Primal. Uniting every spark on Cybertron into one perfect being — me."
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Megatron'''

"Abandon head!!!"
:—'''Rattrap''' keeps in mind his location in times of crisis.

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*Error

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*References

===Real-World References===
* Rattrap at one point suggests pulling the [[wikipedia:Trojan_Horse|Trojan Horse]] trick on Megatron.

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2009-11-06T10:31:43Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s facist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Vector Sigma|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"I will fly high above Monsteropolis! And I'll rain terror down on the general populace!"]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Don't sit so close to the TV, Rattrap, you'll ruin your eyes.]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"And as your eternal punishment, you will forever hula-hoop for my amusement! Mwa ha ha ha!"]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (15)

}}
==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Home Soil

2009-11-06T10:19:33Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

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

:''Japanese title:'' 植物の反乱 (''Shokubutsu no Hanran'', "The Plant's Rebellion")

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[[Image:HomeSoil Optimus botanica plant.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Botanica's tree-fondling really disturbs Optimus.]]
Examining the poor state of the plants, the robot notes that different plants need different lighting, and she throws a bomb-like device onto the lights currently used. As the light changes, the technorganic plants flourish, and the new Maximal introduces herself as [[Botanica]].

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

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

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

}}

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

"As we remain static, the organics grow yet stronger. Clearly this infestation must be exterminated once and for all."
:—'''Megatron''' makes with the foreshadowing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

==External links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Prometheus Unbound

2009-11-06T10:09:42Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=16
|image=PrometheusUnbound title.jpg
|caption="Lookit me! Ah'm Megatron, snort, snort!"
|title="Prometheus Unbound"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 23]], 2000
|written by=[[Marv Wolfman]]
|directed by=[[Sebastian Brodin]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''The Maximals infiltrate Megatron's fortress, but are betrayed by their new friend.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 怪物のお目覚め (''Kaibutsu no o Mezame'', "The Monster's Awakening")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Noble moon.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"Whoops, didn't mean to tear off that huge chunk of the moon."]]
A giant Cybertronian moon passes (rumbles, actually) overhead. [[Noble]] howls at it, much to the consternation of the distant [[Maximal]]s—their new friend has run off yet again. [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] blames the team's treatment of the newcomer. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] gently defends their actions as being for Noble's own good. "And ours," [[Rattrap]] adds.

[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] is vaguely unsettled by Noble; Rattrap is freaked out. Nightscream doesn't take this well, and storms off with [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] in pursuit. Rattrap and Blackarachnia note unhappily that Noble is probably heading for "the same place as the last five nights".

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Nightscream Savage bound.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Nightscream prepares to unwrap his Christmas present.]]
Noble is furiously banging on the doors to [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s [[Council Citadel|citadel]] when Nightscream and Optimus arrive; he transforms to Savage form when they confront him, then continues trying to claw his way in. A bunch of snaking cables worm out to attack Nightscream when he tries again to stop Savage—and Savage knocks him out of their way. The cables envelope and constrain him, and the Maximals peel him free to find him back in Noble form.

Noble seems confused about how he got there, and says the Maximals should lock him away. But Optimus defends him, saying he saved Nightscream even in his Savage guise. Rattrap isn't buying it. Nightscream nastily puts Rattrap back in his place, saying he knows what it's like to be alone.

As usual, Optimus calms things down, focusing the team on finding the missing Sparks. The group prepares to infiltrate the citadel to look for clues. Noble wants to help, saying he's been drawn here for a reason, but Optimus refuses—they're going to have enough to worry about. Nightscream supports Noble, but Optimus doesn't budge, and Nightscream storms off.

Rattrap plugs in and the doors slide open. Rattrap is restrained from rushing in by Blackarachnia, as Optimus reveals a destructive force field across the entryway. A quick shot to the control panel takes it out. Too easy—this was the trap they were ''meant'' to find. The group enters… and Noble, some distance away, turns and sprints through the doorway. A pursuing Nightscream follows just as it closes.

Optimus is ticked off, but Noble says he couldn't help himself, and seems to be having trouble controlling himself.

As Rattrap begins a search for the security shut-off, Noble takes off running for the control room… and promptly steps on a floor sensor, activating a field of floating mines. The Maximals freeze, but just then Noble's eyes glow red, and he morphs back into Savage, setting off a string of the mines. KaBOOM!

The group groaningly gets to its feet, and Rattrap chews out Nightscream for dragging Noble along. They hear distant roaring, and split up—Nightscream and Optimus hunt for Savage; Rattrap heads for the throne room, with Cheetor and Blackarachnia on backup. As the two groups proceed, both Savage and Noble watch from the shadows.

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Rattrap harness.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rattrap soon stumbled on Megatron's copy of "Two girls, one cup".]]
Nightscream hears Savage's roaring and takes off after him. Meanwhile, Savage change back to Noble and opens the doors to Megatron's throne room. "Success!" he says blissfully, as he sees Megatron's empty control harness. Noble begins leaping across the floating jigsaw puzzle bridge. He loses his grip on one, falling. Nightscream and Optimus arrive, and go after him.

Rattrap and company arrive a moment later, and stare at the drifting pieces of floating bridge. Cheetor and Blackarachnia go first and offer the less-mobile Rattrap assistance in getting to the harness. He plugs in, and the bridge assembles itself under their feet. Screens of data assemble before Rattrap. He begins searching, but everything's encrypted. Optimus encourages haste as he arrives with Nightscream and Noble—and the latter's gentle meekness abruptly disappears.

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Noble holds rattrap.jpg|right|thumb|200px|After seeing Revenge of the Fallen, Noble took it upon himself to see if Transformers really did have balls of steel.]]
Noble exults in being in the throne room, then spots Rattrap in the harness and immediately morphs to Savage. The Maximals realize he can control his changes. Savage blasts Rattrap out of the harness. Immediately, the bridge deconstructs and alarms go off. Tentacled [[Spark extractor]]s slither out of the walls. The group (including Savage) makes quick work of them, and Rattrap gets back into the harness as Savage morphs back to Noble, standing next to the harness. Rattrap starts to thank him—but Noble yanks him out by the tail and, in a dramatically backlit scene, tosses him away. He enters the harness himself, but nothing happens.

Noble realizes he can't interface while in an organic body. He leaps clear, grabs two Spark extractors, and applies them to… himself. A furiously burning orange Spark emerges, and the body collapses. The Spark enters the control harness, and shoots up the wires as Megatron's voice cackles: "Free… at last. Free at last!"

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Grand Mal awakens.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Megatron forgot to turn down his headlights again.]]
The Maximals charge outside to see the [[Grand Mal|giant Megatron head]] now fully animated. Megatron delightedly explains that "Noble" was just a ruse, his gigantic eyes glowing in synch with his words. Nightscream is crushed. Megatron explains further: "For an eternity, I slaved to free myself from the organic material contaminating my otherwise perfect technological body. I finally succeeded in separating the two, but my Spark remained with the wrong half—the organic half. I knew that the answer to curing myself lay inside my citadel—but as an organic beast, I could never hope to enter it and survive. Which is why I needed ''you''… Nightscream. Naive. Headstrong. And utterly malleable. You proved the perfect pawn… and now in gratitude, I will free ''you'' from your organic bodies."

The big floating head fires a beam into the planet, and all systems come back on-line—including the drone army, which storms to the attack. As the others fight them off, Rattrap opens up a panel, and Optimus orders a retreat. Nobody objects as the badly outnumbered group scurries underground.

The Maximals lament their faux victory. Nightscream is still shattered, and Rattrap offers his sincere sympathy.

Back in the empty citadel, Noble's eye opens, and he stirs with a growl….

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

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

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (1)

}}

==Quotes==
"I can't say why, but something about him gives me the creeps." 
"Well, let me see. Is it his eyes? the hair? or maybe it's his little tendancy to keep turning into a giant, wigged-out, flesh-eating ''gila monster''!"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Rattrap''' on Noble.

"Are we unclear on the concept of 'no'?"
:—'''Optimus Primal'''

"Told you draggin' along the dragon was a mistake, but did you listen? No!"
:—'''Rattrap'''

'''Cheetor:''' "Something's following us." 
'''Rattrap:''' "Aw man, I sure hope it ain't Savage." 
'''Blackarachnia:''' "You better hope it is. Anything else is bound to be worse." 
'''Rattrap:''' "Oh, brighten my day."
:—The good news just keeps coming for Rattrap

"Must be the maid's day off."
:—'''Rattrap''' regarding the state of the citadel

"Hey guys, how do you like the new housecoat?" 
"Frumpy, but functional."
:—'''Rattrap''' tries on Megatron's control harness and '''Blackarachnia''' gives her opinion.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" 
"Past experience?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Cheetor'''

"Naive. Headstrong. And utterly malleable. You proved the perfect pawn." 
"NOOO!" 
:-'''Megatron''' adds insult to injury for '''Nightscream'''.

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*Glitch

===Continuity errors===
*The Maximals don't revert to their beast forms as usual after being knocked out by the mines.

===Transformers references===
*Rattrap describes Megatron's [[Grand Mal|big floating head]] as a tribute to [[Unicron]].

===Real-world references===
*Reference

==External links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Prometheus Unbound

2009-11-06T10:08:37Z

75.93.80.85: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=16
|image=PrometheusUnbound title.jpg
|caption="Lookit me! Ah'm Megatron, snort, snort!"
|title="Prometheus Unbound"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 23]], 2000
|written by=[[Marv Wolfman]]
|directed by=[[Sebastian Brodin]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''The Maximals infiltrate Megatron's fortress, but are betrayed by their new friend.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 怪物のお目覚め (''Kaibutsu no o Mezame'', "The Monster's Awakening")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Noble moon.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"Whoops, didn't mean to tear off that huge chunk of the moon."]]
A giant Cybertronian moon passes (rumbles, actually) overhead. [[Noble]] howls at it, much to the consternation of the distant [[Maximal]]s—their new friend has run off yet again. [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] blames the team's treatment of the newcomer. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] gently defends their actions as being for Noble's own good. "And ours," [[Rattrap]] adds.

[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] is vaguely unsettled by Noble; Rattrap is freaked out. Nightscream doesn't take this well, and storms off with [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] in pursuit. Rattrap and Blackarachnia note unhappily that Noble is probably heading for "the same place as the last five nights".

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Nightscream Savage bound.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Optimus prepares to unwrap his Christmas present.]]
Noble is furiously banging on the doors to [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s [[Council Citadel|citadel]] when Nightscream and Optimus arrive; he transforms to Savage form when they confront him, then continues trying to claw his way in. A bunch of snaking cables worm out to attack Nightscream when he tries again to stop Savage—and Savage knocks him out of their way. The cables envelope and constrain him, and the Maximals peel him free to find him back in Noble form.

Noble seems confused about how he got there, and says the Maximals should lock him away. But Optimus defends him, saying he saved Nightscream even in his Savage guise. Rattrap isn't buying it. Nightscream nastily puts Rattrap back in his place, saying he knows what it's like to be alone.

As usual, Optimus calms things down, focusing the team on finding the missing Sparks. The group prepares to infiltrate the citadel to look for clues. Noble wants to help, saying he's been drawn here for a reason, but Optimus refuses—they're going to have enough to worry about. Nightscream supports Noble, but Optimus doesn't budge, and Nightscream storms off.

Rattrap plugs in and the doors slide open. Rattrap is restrained from rushing in by Blackarachnia, as Optimus reveals a destructive force field across the entryway. A quick shot to the control panel takes it out. Too easy—this was the trap they were ''meant'' to find. The group enters… and Noble, some distance away, turns and sprints through the doorway. A pursuing Nightscream follows just as it closes.

Optimus is ticked off, but Noble says he couldn't help himself, and seems to be having trouble controlling himself.

As Rattrap begins a search for the security shut-off, Noble takes off running for the control room… and promptly steps on a floor sensor, activating a field of floating mines. The Maximals freeze, but just then Noble's eyes glow red, and he morphs back into Savage, setting off a string of the mines. KaBOOM!

The group groaningly gets to its feet, and Rattrap chews out Nightscream for dragging Noble along. They hear distant roaring, and split up—Nightscream and Optimus hunt for Savage; Rattrap heads for the throne room, with Cheetor and Blackarachnia on backup. As the two groups proceed, both Savage and Noble watch from the shadows.

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Rattrap harness.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rattrap soon stumbled on Megatron's copy of "Two girls, one cup".]]
Nightscream hears Savage's roaring and takes off after him. Meanwhile, Savage change back to Noble and opens the doors to Megatron's throne room. "Success!" he says blissfully, as he sees Megatron's empty control harness. Noble begins leaping across the floating jigsaw puzzle bridge. He loses his grip on one, falling. Nightscream and Optimus arrive, and go after him.

Rattrap and company arrive a moment later, and stare at the drifting pieces of floating bridge. Cheetor and Blackarachnia go first and offer the less-mobile Rattrap assistance in getting to the harness. He plugs in, and the bridge assembles itself under their feet. Screens of data assemble before Rattrap. He begins searching, but everything's encrypted. Optimus encourages haste as he arrives with Nightscream and Noble—and the latter's gentle meekness abruptly disappears.

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Noble holds rattrap.jpg|right|thumb|200px|After seeing Revenge of the Fallen, Noble took it upon himself to see if Transformers really did have balls of steel.]]
Noble exults in being in the throne room, then spots Rattrap in the harness and immediately morphs to Savage. The Maximals realize he can control his changes. Savage blasts Rattrap out of the harness. Immediately, the bridge deconstructs and alarms go off. Tentacled [[Spark extractor]]s slither out of the walls. The group (including Savage) makes quick work of them, and Rattrap gets back into the harness as Savage morphs back to Noble, standing next to the harness. Rattrap starts to thank him—but Noble yanks him out by the tail and, in a dramatically backlit scene, tosses him away. He enters the harness himself, but nothing happens.

Noble realizes he can't interface while in an organic body. He leaps clear, grabs two Spark extractors, and applies them to… himself. A furiously burning orange Spark emerges, and the body collapses. The Spark enters the control harness, and shoots up the wires as Megatron's voice cackles: "Free… at last. Free at last!"

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Grand Mal awakens.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Megatron forgot to turn down his headlights again.]]
The Maximals charge outside to see the [[Grand Mal|giant Megatron head]] now fully animated. Megatron delightedly explains that "Noble" was just a ruse, his gigantic eyes glowing in synch with his words. Nightscream is crushed. Megatron explains further: "For an eternity, I slaved to free myself from the organic material contaminating my otherwise perfect technological body. I finally succeeded in separating the two, but my Spark remained with the wrong half—the organic half. I knew that the answer to curing myself lay inside my citadel—but as an organic beast, I could never hope to enter it and survive. Which is why I needed ''you''… Nightscream. Naive. Headstrong. And utterly malleable. You proved the perfect pawn… and now in gratitude, I will free ''you'' from your organic bodies."

The big floating head fires a beam into the planet, and all systems come back on-line—including the drone army, which storms to the attack. As the others fight them off, Rattrap opens up a panel, and Optimus orders a retreat. Nobody objects as the badly outnumbered group scurries underground.

The Maximals lament their faux victory. Nightscream is still shattered, and Rattrap offers his sincere sympathy.

Back in the empty citadel, Noble's eye opens, and he stirs with a growl….

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

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

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (1)

}}

==Quotes==
"I can't say why, but something about him gives me the creeps." 
"Well, let me see. Is it his eyes? the hair? or maybe it's his little tendancy to keep turning into a giant, wigged-out, flesh-eating ''gila monster''!"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Rattrap''' on Noble.

"Are we unclear on the concept of 'no'?"
:—'''Optimus Primal'''

"Told you draggin' along the dragon was a mistake, but did you listen? No!"
:—'''Rattrap'''

'''Cheetor:''' "Something's following us." 
'''Rattrap:''' "Aw man, I sure hope it ain't Savage." 
'''Blackarachnia:''' "You better hope it is. Anything else is bound to be worse." 
'''Rattrap:''' "Oh, brighten my day."
:—The good news just keeps coming for Rattrap

"Must be the maid's day off."
:—'''Rattrap''' regarding the state of the citadel

"Hey guys, how do you like the new housecoat?" 
"Frumpy, but functional."
:—'''Rattrap''' tries on Megatron's control harness and '''Blackarachnia''' gives her opinion.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" 
"Past experience?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Cheetor'''

"Naive. Headstrong. And utterly malleable. You proved the perfect pawn." 
"NOOO!" 
:-'''Megatron''' adds insult to injury for '''Nightscream'''.

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*Glitch

===Continuity errors===
*The Maximals don't revert to their beast forms as usual after being knocked out by the mines.

===Transformers references===
*Rattrap describes Megatron's [[Grand Mal|big floating head]] as a tribute to [[Unicron]].

===Real-world references===
*Reference

==External links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Fallen Comrades

2009-10-17T07:13:15Z

75.93.80.85: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=7
|image=Fallen Comrades Tigatron beast.jpg
|caption=Do not bring your evil here.
|title="Fallen Comrades"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 30]], 1996
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Steve Ball]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''A stasis pod falls in the Northern Sector of the planet and the Maximals and Predacons race to obtain it.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 孤独な戦士タイガトロン (''Kodoku na Senshi Tigatron'', "Solitary Warrior Tigatron")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Fallen Comrades Tiger pod.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Foreshadowing is fun.]]
A field of debris circles the planet. Among the waste, a [[stasis pod]] falls from orbit and enters the atmosphere. Both the [[Maximals]] and [[Predacons (BW)|Predacons]] watch as it falls into the distant icy [[Northern Sector]]. Rather than immediately going for it themselves, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] decides to ambush the Maximals' only flier ([[Optimus Primal]]) as he goes for the pod.

At the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]], Primal is anxious to retrieve the pod containing a fellow Maximal. He falls for [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]'s trap despite [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s attempt to protect the Maximal leader. However, Dinobot is able to prevent the Predacons from taking Primal out of commission.

Back at the Predacon base, Megatron is disappointed to learn that Optimus Primal has survived, but realizes that the Maximals must now send a ground party to retrieve the stasis pod. This will leave the Maximal base undermanned and vulnerable to attack. Megatron dispatches his fliers to race to the pod, while he, [[Tarantulas]], and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] go to attack the Maximal base.

[[Image:Fallen Comrades Terrorsaur bridge.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You'd think they'd, y'know, use their guns.]]
Meanwhile, [[Rattrap]], [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] run towards the pod. As they go, they remark that while leaving the base with the damaged Optimus Primal and Dinobot may not have been the best idea, it was their only option. Rhinox goes on to say that they need to hurry because, if the pod is damaged, the [[protoform]] robot within will be exposed to the planet's dangerous [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] fields. Indeed, this seems to be the case when the stasis pod is shown opening, as the protoform's arm reaches from the pod and immediately begins to short out due to the high energon.

As they come to an ice bridge across a crevasse, the Maximal team is met by Waspinator and Terrorsaur. After a fire fight, the Predacons knock out the bridge and the Maximals' best hope of getting to the pod quickly.

[[Image:Fallen Comrades Dinobot Optimus core.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Dinobot, Megatron's escaped. Recruit me five Maximals with attitude.]]
Rattrap radios back to the base and informs Dinobot of this development. He accesses Optimus Primal's core consciousness in the [[CR chamber]] and informs him. Primal suggests that they send a laser transmission to the pod by bouncing the signal off of something.

Outside of the Maximal base, Megatron and the other Predacons observe Dinobot setting up a laser transmitter on top of the base. Megatron offers Dinobot a chance to return to the Predacons by handing over the base. Dinobot responds by shooting Megatron with his [[Optic weaponry|eye lasers]] and is then promptly shot by Tarantulas and Scorponok. Although damaged, Dinobot is able to activate the base's auto-weapons which quickly dispatch the Predacons. Megatron then calls off the assault to join the pursuit of the pod.

With the transmitter in place, Optimus Primal is able to bounce a laser off one of the planet's moons and to the stasis pod. Both the Maximals, the Predacon fliers, and a nearby white tiger witness this development. The pod's [[DNA scanner]] comes online and scanning its surroundings.

His regeneration complete, Optimus Primal puts Dinobot in the CR chamber and begins his own flight towards the pod.

[[Image:Fallen Comrades Tigatron gun.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Kiss my hand or I'll shoot you!]]
Meanwhile back in the Northern Sector, the Maximal group arrives at the pod to find Waspinator and Terrorsaur struggling to open it. The Maximals warn the Predacons to stop, but soon Megatron arrives and threatens to kill two white tigers if the Maximals do not surrender. They agree, but when Megatron opens the pod to reprogram the protoform into a Predacon, he finds that the pod is empty. It turns out that one of the white tigers was the new Maximal [[Tigatron]]! As he and Optimus Primal join the fight the Predacons soon realize that they are out-gunned and retreat.

Primal welcomes Tigatron to the team and thanks him for his help. Tigatron tells his fellow Maximals that his identity circuits were damaged in the pod's landing and that he was not sure who he was until he saw that the Maximals were willing to risk their lives to save the tigers. He declines Optimus Primal's invitation to go back to the base with them, stating that he needs to stay in the wild since he is still more tiger than Maximal. Still, he promises his loyalty to the Maximals as a scout.

The Maximals head back to their base and leave Tigatron with the [[Snowstalker|other white tiger]].

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (1)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
*[[Tigatron]] (11)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (6)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
*[[Tarantulas]] (9)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh no! Waspinator in trouble!"
:—'''Waspinator''''s understatement after being flattened by a rock some ten times his size.

"Fear not, Optimus! I shall ensure your funeral is a glorious one, as befits a warrior who died in battle!" 
"'Fraid I'll have to miss it, Dinobot; I'm not scrap yet!" 
"Hmm, are you certain? It would be a triumphant passage."
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Optimus''', the former perhaps being a little too hopeful.

"No excuses, you pathetic rodent. Keep moving. Dinobot, out." 
"HEY! You can just kiss my pink hairy—"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rattrap''' share some friendly banter over the comms.

"You were a Predacon once; become one again. Turn the base over to me and the Beast Wars will be over. We Predacons will rule the galaxy and you shall be my second in command. What do you say?" 
"EAT SLAG!"
:—'''Dinobot''' turns down '''Megatron'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s inviting offer.

"You win, you depraved wad of stinkin' slag."
:—'''Rattrap''', gracious in defeat.

"Let the trails lead where they may—I will follow."
:—'''Tigatron''' gets poetic. This would serve as his motto in [[Dawn of Future's Past]] and [[Beast Wars Sourcebook]].

==Notes==
===Technical/animation glitches===
*After Optimus is shot down, his right shoulder pad is upside down.
*When Cheetor lowers his gun in surrender, it slides right through his leg.
*When Scorponok shoots Dinobot off of the Axalon roof, he has his scorpion-legs for nipples. How do they even make that mistake?
*In several shots near the end of the episode, Tigatron's beast-mode legs are yellow/tan instead of white.

===Continuity errors===
*Despite being flattened by a huge rock, Waspinator doesn't seem to spend any time being repaired and functions normally (for Waspinator, anyway) for the rest of the episode.
* Megatron got to the pod ''really'' quickly, despite the other Transformers taking nearly the entire ''episode'' to get there. Perhaps he should've just saved himself the trouble and just gone after the pod himself?
*The land-masses displayed on Terrorsaur's monitor when he indicates the position of the crashed pod bear little resemblance to Earth, as shown in other episodes.

===Trivia===
*You can avoid being shot by Maximal autoguns if you stand perfectly still.
*Just try not to get so nervous that you shake uncontrollably.
*Though the autoguns are EXTREMELY weak for being ship-mounted weapons, causing no visible damage to Scorponok, Tarantulas or Megatron despite several directs hits. It's possible that the power to the autoguns is much lower than in the first episode because the ''Axalon'''s main engine core is damaged (assuming the guns receive their power directly from the engine).

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Cyber venom

2009-08-12T00:17:14Z

75.93.80.85: /* Beast Wars */

: ''Cyber venom is a [[weapon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] and [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[Continuity family|continuity families]].''

The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] have a penchant for taking [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]] based on venomous animals. Sometimes this extends to mimicry of their assumed form’s most powerful weapon, in the form of '''cyber venom'''.

Like the [[Wikipedia:Venom|venom]] from their beast mode’s template, cyber venom causes all manner of detrimental effects on other Cybertronians stricken by it. Like true venoms, cyber venom must typically be injected into the inner mechanisms of its victim to be effective. Delivery is often in the form of [[Tarantulas|barbed]] [[Blackarachnia (BW)|darts]], [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|stingers]] or fangs, though some instances of it being launched as [[Quickstrike (BW)|energy bolts]] have been recorded.

Known Transformers possessing cyber venom:

*[[Tarantulas]]
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Blackarachnia]]
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Quickstrike]]
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|''Transformers Animated'' Blackarachnia]]

==Fiction==
===Beast Wars===
The first Predacon to exhibit cyber venom was Tarantulas, who was soon joined by Blackarachnia, and later, the [[Fuzor]] Quickstrike. The former two would employ spiny or explosive darts to inject their victims with the technological toxin, while the later fired it from his left head in a manner reminiscent of a [[Wikipedia:Spitting cobra|spitting cobra]], but could also inject it with a bite. In all three cases, Transformers suffering the effects of cyber venom were typically incapacitated by the toxin, either having to be cleansed in a [[CR chamber]], or wait for the venom to run its course. While the venom was in effect, the Transformer’s body would be marbled with glowing patches of energy, and emit low-pitch feedback.

The effects of the venom were notoriously inconsistent, from being able to incapacitate powerful warriors like [[Depth Charge]], to causing only pain, such as when Quickstrike injected it directly into [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]'s leg. Others, such as [[Dinobot II]], were able to shake the effects of the venom quickly, requiring higher doses before being rendered inoperative.

Several Predacons who have venomous beast modes never showed any use of cyber venom:

*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] ([[wiki:scorpion|scorpion]]) (though he did use a "toxic sting" in robot mode on the Vok's biological building in "Other Voices Part 1", firing the red stinger on his tail into the wall after charging it with venom, which opened a hole the Maximals used to enter)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] ([[wiki:wasp|wasp]])
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] ([[wiki:fire ant|fire art]])

===''Animated''===
When the Autobot Elita-1 attempted to use her mimicking powers on a horde of giant, alien spiders, she contaminated herself with their venom, causing her body to become partially organic. Gaining a pair of deadly, bladed stingers, she could now inject her victims with a powerful toxin, while simultaneously using her mimicking powers to copy their unique modifications.

Blackarachnia’s poison was consistently potent and dangerous. Not only was it capable of dropping powerful and durable foes like [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] with ease, but its effects, being based on [[Wikipedia:Biomolecule|organic sources]], could not be treated by [[Key|Sari’s key]]. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}} Normally, Blackarachnia used only enough venom to disable her foes, but if she chose, she could bring the dosage up to lethal levels, requiring the administration of an antidote to prevent the victim from going offline permanently. {{storylink|Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday}}

[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Weapons]]

Fallen Comrades

2009-07-20T08:57:32Z

75.93.80.85: /* Trivia */

Fallen Comrades

2009-07-20T08:56:47Z

75.93.80.85: /* Trivia */

Five Servos of Doom

2009-04-06T19:48:48Z

75.93.80.85: /* Trivia */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFA Five Servos Yoketron vs Prowl.JPG
|caption=Wax on, wax off.
|ep=35
|title="Five Servos of Doom"
|airdate=[[April 4]], 2009
|written by=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]], [[Yoshio Frank Chatani]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Sentinel Prime has incredible success capturing fugitive Decepticons, leading Prowl to suspect he's getting help. '''

==Synopsis==

[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-CapturedDecepticons.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"We're gonna need a bigger shelf..."]]

In the dead of night, the [[Autobot]]s steal through the streets of [[Detroit]], on the trail of a [[Decepticon]] energy signature. With the source of the signal cornered, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] makes his move and dives through a window, only to find that the signal is coming from a beacon and that the Autobots have been tricked. To make matters worse, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] has disappeared, and the Autobots spread out to search for him. During the search, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] spots an unfamiliar shadow and follows it around a corner...to find the [[Sunstorm (Animated)|sycophantic Starscream clone]], captured and [[stasis cuffs|stasis-cuffed]] by Sentinel Prime. They take the prisoner back to the [[Elite Guard]]'s ship, where Optimus is stunned to discover that Sentinel has also recently captured [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] as well.

[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] and [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] are eager to know how Sentinel managed to apprehend the Starscream clone, as is Optimus, but Sentinel gets defensive and tells Optimus it does not concern him. Prime confides in Prowl his suspicion that Sentinel is hiding something, and tells about the strange shadow he saw. Back at the Autobot plant, the pair consult computer records to see if Optimus can identify the distinctive helmet the robot was wearing, and when they find one that fits the bill, the stunned Prowl flashes back to his past on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]…

[[Image:TFA Five Servos Prowl meets Yoketron.JPG|thumb|right|200px|"Blam! Pow! You want I should leave this here?"]]

:''The helmet belongs to [[Yoketron]], the ninja master who trained Prowl centuries ago. Attempting to dodge the draft during the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], Prowl was apprehended by Elite Guardsman [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] and placed into the care of Yoketron, who saw potential in him and offered to train him in exchange for the charges against him being dropped.''

Optimus pulls Prowl out of his ruminations, and the ninja-bot silently speeds back to the Elite Guard ship to converse with [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]], another of Yoketron's old students. The pair suspect that their old sensei may somehow be on Earth, capturing Decepticons, and that Sentinel is taking the credit. Sentinel walks in on the middle of the discussion and laughs off the notion that Yoketron is even still online, before departing on another patrol. Knowing that something is not right, Jazz and Prowl shadow Sentinel, but when Sentinel rounds a corner and disappears, Prowl lapses into his memories once again, recalling when Yoketron taught him that it was the robot himself, not his tools, that made the ninja. With nothing left to do, the pair return to the Elite Guard's ship, where Jetfire and Jetstorm are working to repair their communications system.

[[Image:Jetstormpose.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Say cheeeeeese!]]

The two brothers tell the ninjas that Sentinel is waiting for them in the brig, and Jazz and Prowl are amazed to see that Sentinel has brought in [[Lugnut]]! As Sentinel gloats, Prowl calls him on the unlikelihood of the whole scenario and accuses him of having "help". The ninja-bot points out the missing weapons on all the Decepticons, and notes that [[Lockdown|only one bot]] that he knows of takes trophies from his victims, but Sentinel silences him by revealing that he has removed Lugnut's "[[Punch of Kill Everything]]" and placed it in a storage compartment in that very hallway. Embarrassed, Prowl leaves, and Sentinel turns on Optimus, telling him to keep Prowl in line, lest he "bust him back to protoform". The word echoes down the hallway, and Prowl pauses…

:''As Prowl's skills increase under Yoketron's tutelage, he is deemed worthy of a weapon by his master and is given his shuriken. Yoketron leads Prowl into a chamber containing holographic busts of his greatest students, but one plinth is empty—a spot, Yoketron reveals, previously held by a former student who disgraced the cyber-ninja corps. Prowl is amazed when Yoketron uses a technique known as "[[processor-over-matter]]" to open the far wall of the chamber with the power of his mind, revealing a greater chamber beyond, its walls lined with [[protoform]]s that the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]] has been charged with protecting. Yoketron challenges Prowl to close the chamber using processor-over-matter, but Prowl is unable to accomplish the task, and Yoketron sends him on an "optics quest" to find his center and become a true cyber-ninja.''

Prowl's trip down memory lane is cut off as Sentinel comes down the hallway. He uses his hologram projector to disguise himself as a cabinet and listen in as Sentinel talks with parties unknown over his communicator. Prowl alerts Jazz before trailing Sentinel to [[Tigatron Stadium]], where he learns that his suspicions were correct: Sentinel is working with [[Lockdown]], who is wearing Yoketron's helmet! Prowl busts up the prisoner exchange, but it is soon revealed that Lockdown has double-crossed Sentinel, having been made a better offer by the Starscream clone. Lockdown and Prowl engage in battle, and Lockdown reveals that he was also a student of Yoketron...

:''Returning from his unsuccessful optics quest, Prowl discovers that Yoketron's dojo has been attacked, the protoforms almost all stolen, and Yoketron himself fatally wounded. As Yoketron's spark begins to fade, Prowl recovers one of the remaining protoforms and places his master's spark in it, saving Yoketron's life. Yoketron, however, is appalled by his student's actions; one must never sacrifice a piece of the future in order to save a piece of the past. When Prowl's time comes, Yoketron tells him, he too will understand. As Prowl looks on, Yoketron allows his spark to fade out.''

[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-Yoketron%27sDeath.jpg|thumb|right|200px|No refund.]]

At last, all is clear to Prowl: Lockdown led the attack on the dojo and took the protoforms! Prowl pins Lockdown and demands the return of Yoketron's helmet; Lockdown appears to comply, but the helmet has been booby-trapped and binds Prowl in a tangle of cables. The captured Prowl is taken to Lockdown's ship, where the bounty hunter intends to remove his jump jets and holo-projector in order to complete a duplicate set of the armor that he loaned Prowl during their last encounter. Lying on Lockdown's "operating table", Prowl concentrates, and at last masters processor-over-matter, freeing his body from the cables with the power of his mind.

[[Image:Sentinel-derp.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Sentinel displays his ''Unfortunate Accident'' mode.]]

Meanwhile, Optimus Prime, Jazz, Jetfire and Jetstorm have arrived to rescue Sentinel Prime from the clutches of the Starscream clone, but the fight is not going well, as the clone uses Sentinel for a shield most of the time. The clone takes to the air, but Prime blinds him with a faceful of foam, and he crashes into the middle of the stadium field, dropping Sentinel head-first into the ground.

Back aboard Lockdown's ship, the bounty hunter turns to discover that Prowl has freed himself and donned both Yoketron's helmet and the armor, knowing that he will be able to handle its power this time because of the lesson he has finally learned: It is the ninja-bot, not the weapon. The two engage in battle once more, and their fight soon carries them out of the ship and into the middle of the other fight going on in the field outside. Optimus Prime and Jazz are in the process of dropping the stadium's scoreboard onto the Starscream clone, but Prowl and Lockdown get in the way at the last second, before they can stop the giant screen's tumble. As the dust clears, Optimus and Jazz discover that Prowl has used processor-over-matter to protect the combatants from the debris. Optimus quickly stasis-cuffs the Starscream clone, but Lockdown gets away.

[[Image:TFA Five Servos processor over matter.JPG|right|thumb|200px|...Show-off.]]
A little later, everyone has returned to the Elite Guard ship, where Jetstorm and Jetfire open a communications channel with [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] on Cybertron. Cliffjumper tells the Autobots about [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]'s attack on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], and rather than add to the trouble, Prime refrains from reporting Sentinel's misconduct, instead simply informing Cliffjumper of the capture of the Decepticons on [[Earth]], crediting Prowl. Sentinel thanks Optimus for covering for him, but Optimus promises that once everything is done, he and Sentinel will have it out.

Back at the Autobot base, Jazz compliments Prowl on his armor, and tells him that Yoketron would be proud to have him wear his helmet. Prowl vows to do everything he can to be worthy of it.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (1)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (8)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (9)
*[[Yoketron]] (10)
*[[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] (11)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (15)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (16)

|c2=
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (5)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (6)
*[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] (7)
*[[Lugnut]] (12)
*[[Lockdown]] (13)
*[[Liar Starscream]] (14)

}}

==Quotes==
'''Jetfire''': Sentinel Prime, sir, tell please. 
'''Jetstorm''': How did you making to capture this badness bot? 
'''Optimus''': Yes, Sentinel. How did you capture this badness bot?
:—Optimus Prime and the twins question Sentinel and butcher the English language.

"And by the way, the last time we treated a Decepticon well, he blew a hole in the Elite Guard flagship ''and escaped! So don't tell me how to do my job!''"
:—'''Sentinel Prime''', on the verge of ripping the camera out of your hands.

'''Warpath''': Ask me, he should rust in the stockade. Any Autobot who won't fight the Decepticons is no better than a Con himself. We're at war. 
'''Prowl''': It's not my war! 
'''Warpath''': Then maybe I should take you out back and ''make it'' your war! 
'''Yoketron''': I believe I can take it from here. 
'''Warpath''': Bam pow! Lousy draft-dodgin' peacenik.
:—Warpath has no time for draft-dodgers.

"Give. Me. Yoketron's. Helmet."
:—'''Prowl''', not pissing around.

"Hold still, Autobots! We can work this out in a friendly manner."
:—The '''Liar Starscream''' making good faith efforts at negotiating with the Autobots.

"Whoa, bro. P-over-M."
:—'''Jazz''', impressed with Prowl's processor-over-matter mastery.

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===

*When the scoreboard crashes onto Prowl, Lockdown and the Liar, Prowl is missing his samurai armor.

===Continuity errors===
*It's not ''technically'' an error, since Prowl has always remained quiet on his history and could just have been holding back from correcting anyone, but this episode reveals that he was online during the Great War, prior to the creation of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]], where previous episodes have suggested that none of the main ''Animated'' Autobot cast, except for Ratchet, were around back then. Notably, this makes Prowl older than Optimus Prime, which... sits ill, at best.
*On a related note, this also means that Jazz was active in the Cyber-Ninja Corps during the war, apparently long before Sentinel even came online (much less joined the Elite Guard). Even ignoring Sentinel's various flaws, this raises legitimate questions about just how promotions are handed out in the Elite Guard.
*Swindle is still in one piece, despite [[Fanzone|a certain cop]] telling the Autobots he would be stripped down and sold at an auction. Foreshadowing of his return, or just exaggeration on Fanzone's part?

===Transformers references===
*Prowl performed the titular "Five Servos of Doom" technique back in "[[The Elite Guard]]".
*Swindle is still stuck in vehicle mode after the events of "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]".
*Yoketron is named for [[Takara]]'s lead designer, [[Hideaki Yoke]].

[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-TempleCameos.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]

*In addition to Yoketron and Jazz, the busts in Yoketron's little "hall of fame" depict ''Animated'' incarnation of various Transformers that have otherwise not appeared in the series. Those clearly visible onscreen include [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Sky Garry]], [[Devcon]], [[Dai Atlas]], [[Heavy Load (RID)|Heavy Load]], [[Star Upper]] and [[Roadhandler (G1)|Roadhandler]], but there are many more busts in the room that are only seen from a distance, and are essentially unidentifiable. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has identified the other Transformers as [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]], [[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]], [[Kick-Off]], [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]], [[Motorarm]], [[Powerhug]] and [[Road Rocket]].
** Additionally, Wyatt classifies the characters as being specialists in different categories, namely Fencing/Swordfighting/Melee Weapons (Star Saber, Magnus, Dai Atlas, Springer) , Boxing/Kick-Boxing/Street-Fighting (Tap-Out, Star Upper, Sky Garry, Kick-Off, Devcon), Sumo/Wrestling (Grandus, Motorarm, Powerhug and Roadhandler) and Martial Arts/Ninja (Yoketron, Jazz, Heavy Load and Road Rocket). These classifications speak for themselves more often than not (no explanation is needed for the melee-weapon characters, nor for someone like Star Upper, who was all about boxing), but sometimes the rationale is a bit more obscure (Heavy Load, for instance, was only ever noted to be a martial artist in his [[bio]]; it never came across in the cartoon), or is a reference to some past fiction (Roadhandler being classified as a wrestler is the main example, being that it's a reference to his stint in the squared circle from the Marvel Comics story, "[[The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!]]"). Conversely, sometimes it's just a joke—Grandus as a sumo, for instance, is purely a gag based on the fact that he's a big fatty fat-fat.
*[[Tigatron]] Stadium!
*Lockdown identifies Prowl's techniques as [[Metallikato]] and [[Circuit-Su]].
*Prowl's samurai armor was previously seen in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]", in which Lockdown last appeared.
*Yoketron's Spark container is similar to design to [[Big Convoy]]'s Matrix, with two L-shaped handles instead of U-shaped ones. Fitting, when one considers Yoketron's Japanese-based aesthetic.
*One of the upgrades seen on Lockdown's shelves is [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave's]] G1 shoulder-mounted missile launcher.

===Real-world references===
*The title of the episode is apparently derived from the 1972 Hong Kong martial arts movie [[wikipedia:Five Fingers Of Death|''Five Fingers Of Death'']]. The movie's name is a regular source of recycling, including wrestler Bret Hart's "Five Moves Of Doom" and the mockumentary ''18 Fingers Of Death'' to name a few.
*Tigatron Stadium is named after and largely based on [[wikipedia:Tiger Stadium|Tiger Stadium]], the former home field of the [[wikipedia:Detroit Tigers|Detroit Tigers]], which has been partially demolished.

===Trivia===
*Like [[Where Is Thy Sting?|the previous episode]], this episode received an early online debut when a copy loaded onto the Cartoon Network website server, intended to go live after the episode premiered, was leaked out on [[March 27]], over a week before the episode premiered on television.
*The voice cast for this episode does not credit [[David Kaye]] with the role of Cliffjumper.
[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-CapturedBlitzwingFaces.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Watch out, it bites!]]
*Having three faces warrants three mouthclamps, it seems, as the animation depicts the mouthclamps on Blitzwing's faces rotating when he switches personality.
*While trying to identify the helmet Optimus Prime saw, Prowl brings up the images of the helmets worn by Ultra Magnus and Blitzwing on the computer.
*In this episode, we finally see Prowl's Cybertronian altmode (which bears more than a little resemblance to the TRON Light Cycle [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tron_(film)]). The full Autobot main cast is now covered.
*As of the end of this episode, most of the originally Earth-based Decepticons have either been captured or scattered, with exceptions including [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] and maybe a [[Starscream Clone|clone]] or two.
*The signal beacon at the beginning of the episode has the same design as the "hot box" [[Rattrap]] used to fool [[Tarantulas]] in the [[Beast Wars]] episode [[The Web]].

[[Category:Animated episodes]]