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Savage Noble

2012-07-05T15:49:06Z

76.29.182.49: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=15
|image=SavageNoble title.jpg
|caption=''Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea...''
|title="Savage Noble"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 16]], 2000
|written by=[[Len Wein]]
|directed by=[[Greg Donis]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''The Maximals discover two strange new organic creatures, but what secrets do they hide?'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:SavageNoble Maximals Grand Mal.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I see you.]]
The [[Maximal]]s stare up at the [[Grand Mal|giant floating head]] of [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. [[Rattrap]] despairs, waiting for the hammer to drop, then is shocked when nothing happens. [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] suspects that, for some reason, Megatron ''can't'' do anything.

[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] hauls [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] up for a closer look; both are repelled by an energy field, but Primal again suspects it's purely automated.

Optimus sends the others to find [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] and [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]], while he attempts to contact Megatron's [[Spark]]. Nightscream leads the group to one of his old hangouts, a big, generator-filled room with a waterfall. Blast-marks on the walls show that the [[Vehicon general|Vehicon Generals]] were fighting someone or something recently. The [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s themselves attack just then, with Thrust vowing vengeance for the ambush.

[[Image:SavageNoble Savage approaches.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Ah, hello! I'm trying to start a book club, and I was wondering if you'd...hey, where are you going?"]]
The two teams exchange words, with Blackarachnia still trying to reach [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] within Jetstorm. A fight is about to break out, when an eerie howling distracts the group and finally convinces the Vehicons that the Maximals didn't attack them. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] leads the others off in a hasty retreat. The Vehicons follow as something massive, spiky, scaly, and four-legged lumbers in the shadows behind them. The group pauses a moment later to observe the beast, a dragon-like creature with spikes on its wings, lips, nose, claws, legs, torso, you name it. They retreat as it begins a firebolt-spewing advance.

Elsewhere, Optimus goes on a spiritual hunt. He enters the Spark/astral/whatever plane, calling out to his old foe. He's answered by Megatron's bellowing voice; insubstantial visions of Megatron's head surround him, laughing, mocking, screaming....and the vision ends. Primal suspects that whatever he just contacted wasn't a sentient mind.

Cheetor, meanwhile, orders the group to stand down, not wanting to destroy the creature before they can figure out what it is. Jetstorm isn't happy about taking orders from Cheets, but the creature easily repels his and Thrust's attacks, knocking them out. A random shot buries the Maximals long enough for the creature to escape.

[[Image:SavageNoble Noble cowers.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I am not an animal! I am not—oh, wait, I guess I am."]]
The Maximals track the creature to higher levels in the generator plant, and there discover a wolf-like creature hiding shyly in the shadows. Nightscream suspects the beast is another survivor, like him. The Maximals offer friendship, and the creature introduces himself as [[Noble]] and recounts (in [[Forbidden Fruit|a very familiar fashion]]) the story of the Vehicon invasion. Noble fell into a pit and awoke in his current form.

Further pleasantries are interrupted by a strafing attack by Jetstorm and Thrust, hunting for the dragon, Savage. But before the Maximals can even worry about defending their new friend, he disappears while their backs are turned.

Cheetor contacts Optimus, who still hasn't found any trace of Megatron. The group goes hunting for Noble. They find the dragon-creature, growling ferociously. Nightscream is convinced the beast has done away with Noble and leaps to attack. Only Blackarachnia's quick thinking keeps him from getting blasted with fire-breath. The group follows as the creature flies off, since they can't leave it loose in [[Cybertropolis]].

[[Image:SavageNoble Noble with wings.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"What? What are you staring at? Have I got some dirt on my face?"]]
Primal arrives and orders the group to split up to cover more ground. Rattrap eventually finds the beast, which has him cornered and petrified. To his relief, it chooses to ignore him. Cheetor hems the beast in by chopping down a bridge, and the others stop it from the other direction. Primal begins to approach the beast, offering understanding and compassion. The Vehicon generals arrive and find the beast surrounded, but the dragon bats them away with a tail-slash, sending them over the horizon. After a long moment of carefully approaching the beast, Nightscream touches Savage and calms him enough for him to transform...into Noble. The two creatures are one, a beast-to-beast [[Transformer]].

Primal vows to help Noble, even as Noble warns that he can't control his other half. Nightscream reassures him, and Noble smiles to himself—just a bit ominously, yesss...

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

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (7)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (8)

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

}}

==Quotes==
"I'm going in for a closer look." 
"Isn't he ugly enough from here?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Nightscream''' discuss Megatron's giant head.

"Get it through your CPU! That program has been deleted. I'm Jetstorm now. PERIOD!"
:—'''Jetstorm''' shouts at Blackarachnia. Meanwhile, the wire in his forehead is about to explode.

"We don't know what this thing is or where it came from - We're not going to find out by destroying it." 
"Tell you what, pussycat, we'll bring you back the biggest pieces and you can ask 'em anything you want."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Jetstorm''', shortly before the Vehicons get their butts kicked.

"Nice teamwork, Maximals! You catch 'em, we fillet 'em!"
:—'''Jetstorm''', shortly before getting his butt kicked ''again''.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*As the Vehicons rush headlong towards Savage, Thrust and Jetstorm address him by name… almost ''immediately'' after Cheetor declares that "we don't know what this thing is." It seems, however, that Jetstorm and Thrust have come up with the name for the dragon, as a means of taunting it. Noble picks up on this when he names himself, as the diametrically opposed Dr. Jekyll to Savage's Mr. Hyde, an opposition that isn't entirely [[Prometheus Unbound| true]].

===Transformers references===
*When Optimus attempts to make contact with Megatron's spark, he is tormented by numerous heads modelled on Megatron's original and Transmetal designs from [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]].

===Real-world references===
* The title "Savage Noble" is a play on the "[[Wikipedia:Noble savage|noble savage]]" of the eighteenth-century cult of primitivism, in which New World "savages" were seen as innocent and unsullied, the core goodness of their humanity free of the chains of civilization and technology. The "savage noble" inversion might suggest the opposite oxymoron: someone so civilized he has become a monster. Not only is that literally true in this episode, where the cogent Noble is prone to turning into the animalistic Savage, but [[Prometheus Unbound|the next episode]] would reveal him to be secretly Megatron trapped in a hated organic form, yearning for access to the technology that would set him free.

===Trivia===
* This marks the first time we see a Cybertronian use an obscene hand gesture, in which Thrust actually flips Cheetor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_(gesture) the bird]. Granted, Thrust only has three-fingered claws for hands, it was still a shocker nonetheless.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Noble Sauvage'''" ("Savage Noble")

:*''Title:'' "'''Noble et Sauvage'''" ("Noble and Savage")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kaibutsu no Nayami'''" (怪物の悩み, "The Monster's Anguish")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Buen Salvaje'''" ("The Noble Savage")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 4 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season Two: Volume One ([[Sony]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season Two (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 2 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Home Soil

2012-06-27T18:21:08Z

76.29.182.49: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=19
|image=HomeSoil Maximal plant attack.jpg
|caption="''K-K-Kill meeee...''"
|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.'''

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

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

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

Above, Megatron (encompassed within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]]) notes the newest arrival and transforms into a "spaceship mode", destroying the remains of Botanica's ship and the rampant plant growth around it. As Thrust gripes about the ever-increasing odds against him, Megatron declares that it is time to put an end to the Maximal "infestation" for good.

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

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (7)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Motorcycle Drone]]s (9)
*[[Aero Drone]]s (10)
*[[Vehicon Mole]]s (11)
*[[Tank Drone]]s (12)
}}

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

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

==Notes==
* This is the only episode where Grand Mal Megatron transforms.
* The destruction of Botanica's ship in the last scene is reminiscent of [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]'s destruction of [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]'s [[starhopper]] in the last scene of "[[Deep Metal]]". In both cases, the writers were cleaning up a loose end, since giving the heroes access to a working spaceship would've derailed the story.

===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 [[Fallen Comrades|first]] [[Code of Hero|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 arrivals might "spread some sort of virus" while glaring at Silverbolt, a reference to the events of [[A Wolf in the Fold|last episode]].

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

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Terre Natale'''" ("Native Land")

:*''Title:'' "'''Provenance'''" (Canada, "Source")

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

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Su Tierra Natal'''" ("Her Native Soil")

===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.
* Botanica's pre-plant form, seen only in shadow, is another reuse of the Giant Robot model from ''ReBoot'', which was previously used for [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s pre-beast form and in a number of other places during ''Beast Wars''. As used here, it has what looks like [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]'s head.
* 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.)
* When Thrust's drones surround the Maximals Thrust extends one of his fingers and holds his hand up as if he's giving Optimus the finger, making this the ''second time'' Thrust has displayed obscene hand gestures to his enemies. Optimus is not amused.

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

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Savage Noble

2012-06-27T18:10:45Z

76.29.182.49: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=15
|image=SavageNoble title.jpg
|caption=''Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea...''
|title="Savage Noble"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 16]], 2000
|written by=[[Len Wein]]
|directed by=[[Greg Donis]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''The Maximals discover two strange new organic creatures, but what secrets do they hide?'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:SavageNoble Maximals Grand Mal.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I see you.]]
The [[Maximal]]s stare up at the [[Grand Mal|giant floating head]] of [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. [[Rattrap]] despairs, waiting for the hammer to drop, then is shocked when nothing happens. [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] suspects that, for some reason, Megatron ''can't'' do anything.

[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] hauls [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] up for a closer look; both are repelled by an energy field, but Primal again suspects it's purely automated.

Optimus sends the others to find [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] and [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]], while he attempts to contact Megatron's [[Spark]]. Nightscream leads the group to one of his old hangouts, a big, generator-filled room with a waterfall. Blast-marks on the walls show that the [[Vehicon general|Vehicon Generals]] were fighting someone or something recently. The [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s themselves attack just then, with Thrust vowing vengeance for the ambush.

[[Image:SavageNoble Savage approaches.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Ah, hello! I'm trying to start a book club, and I was wondering if you'd...hey, where are you going?"]]
The two teams exchange words, with Blackarachnia still trying to reach [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] within Jetstorm. A fight is about to break out, when an eerie howling distracts the group and finally convinces the Vehicons that the Maximals didn't attack them. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] leads the others off in a hasty retreat. The Vehicons follow as something massive, spiky, scaly, and four-legged lumbers in the shadows behind them. The group pauses a moment later to observe the beast, a dragon-like creature with spikes on its wings, lips, nose, claws, legs, torso, you name it. They retreat as it begins a firebolt-spewing advance.

Elsewhere, Optimus goes on a spiritual hunt. He enters the Spark/astral/whatever plane, calling out to his old foe. He's answered by Megatron's bellowing voice; insubstantial visions of Megatron's head surround him, laughing, mocking, screaming....and the vision ends. Primal suspects that whatever he just contacted wasn't a sentient mind.

Cheetor, meanwhile, orders the group to stand down, not wanting to destroy the creature before they can figure out what it is. Jetstorm isn't happy about taking orders from Cheets, but the creature easily repels his and Thrust's attacks, knocking them out. A random shot buries the Maximals long enough for the creature to escape.

[[Image:SavageNoble Noble cowers.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I am not an animal! I am not—oh, wait, I guess I am."]]
The Maximals track the creature to higher levels in the generator plant, and there discover a wolf-like creature hiding shyly in the shadows. Nightscream suspects the beast is another survivor, like him. The Maximals offer friendship, and the creature introduces himself as [[Noble]] and recounts (in [[Forbidden Fruit|a very familiar fashion]]) the story of the Vehicon invasion. Noble fell into a pit and awoke in his current form.

Further pleasantries are interrupted by a strafing attack by Jetstorm and Thrust, hunting for the dragon, Savage. But before the Maximals can even worry about defending their new friend, he disappears while their backs are turned.

Cheetor contacts Optimus, who still hasn't found any trace of Megatron. The group goes hunting for Noble. They find the dragon-creature, growling ferociously. Nightscream is convinced the beast has done away with Noble and leaps to attack. Only Blackarachnia's quick thinking keeps him from getting blasted with fire-breath. The group follows as the creature flies off, since they can't leave it loose in [[Cybertropolis]].

[[Image:SavageNoble Noble with wings.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"What? What are you staring at? Have I got some dirt on my face?"]]
Primal arrives and orders the group to split up to cover more ground. Rattrap eventually finds the beast, which has him cornered and petrified. To his relief, it chooses to ignore him. Cheetor hems the beast in by chopping down a bridge, and the others stop it from the other direction. Primal begins to approach the beast, offering understanding and compassion. The Vehicon generals arrive and find the beast surrounded, but the dragon bats them away with a tail-slash, sending them over the horizon. After a long moment of carefully approaching the beast, Nightscream touches Savage and calms him enough for him to transform...into Noble. The two creatures are one, a beast-to-beast [[Transformer]].

Primal vows to help Noble, even as Noble warns that he can't control his other half. Nightscream reassures him, and Noble smiles to himself—just a bit ominously, yesss...

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

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (7)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (8)

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

}}

==Quotes==
"I'm going in for a closer look." 
"Isn't he ugly enough from here?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Nightscream''' discuss Megatron's giant head.

"Get it through your CPU! That program has been deleted. I'm Jetstorm now. PERIOD!"
:—'''Jetstorm''' shouts at Blackarachnia. Meanwhile, the wire in his forehead is about to explode.

"We don't know what this thing is or where it came from - We're not going to find out by destroying it." 
"Tell you what, pussycat, we'll bring you back the biggest pieces and you can ask 'em anything you want."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Jetstorm''', shortly before the Vehicons get their butts kicked.

"Nice teamwork, Maximals! You catch 'em, we fillet 'em!"
:—'''Jetstorm''', shortly before getting his butt kicked ''again''.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*As the Vehicons rush headlong towards Savage, Thrust and Jetstorm address him by name… almost ''immediately'' after Cheetor declares that "we don't know what this thing is." It seems, however, that Jetstorm and Thrust have come up with the name for the dragon, as a means of taunting it. Noble picks up on this when he names himself, as the diametrically opposed Dr. Jekyll to Savage's Mr. Hyde, an opposition that isn't entirely [[Prometheus Unbound| true]].

===Transformers references===
*When Optimus attempts to make contact with Megatron's spark, he is tormented by numerous heads modelled on Megatron's original and Transmetal designs from [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]].

===Real-world references===
* The title "Savage Noble" is a play on the "[[Wikipedia:Noble savage|noble savage]]" of the eighteenth-century cult of primitivism, in which New World "savages" were seen as innocent and unsullied, the core goodness of their humanity free of the chains of civilization and technology. The "savage noble" inversion might suggest the opposite oxymoron: someone so civilized he has become a monster. Not only is that literally true in this episode, where the cogent Noble is prone to turning into the animalistic Savage, but [[Prometheus Unbound|the next episode]] would reveal him to be secretly Megatron trapped in a hated organic form, yearning for access to the technology that would set him free.

===Trivia===
* This marks the first time in which a Cybertronian uses an obscene hand gesture, in which Thrust actually flips Cheetor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_(gesture) the bird]. Granted, Thrust only has three-fingered claws for hands, it was still a shocker nonetheless.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Noble Sauvage'''" ("Savage Noble")

:*''Title:'' "'''Noble et Sauvage'''" ("Noble and Savage")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kaibutsu no Nayami'''" (怪物の悩み, "The Monster's Anguish")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Buen Salvaje'''" ("The Noble Savage")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 4 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season Two: Volume One ([[Sony]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season Two (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 2 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Savage Noble

2012-06-27T18:09:25Z

76.29.182.49: /* Notes */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=15
|image=SavageNoble title.jpg
|caption=''Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea...''
|title="Savage Noble"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 16]], 2000
|written by=[[Len Wein]]
|directed by=[[Greg Donis]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''The Maximals discover two strange new organic creatures, but what secrets do they hide?'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:SavageNoble Maximals Grand Mal.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I see you.]]
The [[Maximal]]s stare up at the [[Grand Mal|giant floating head]] of [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. [[Rattrap]] despairs, waiting for the hammer to drop, then is shocked when nothing happens. [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] suspects that, for some reason, Megatron ''can't'' do anything.

[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] hauls [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] up for a closer look; both are repelled by an energy field, but Primal again suspects it's purely automated.

Optimus sends the others to find [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] and [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]], while he attempts to contact Megatron's [[Spark]]. Nightscream leads the group to one of his old hangouts, a big, generator-filled room with a waterfall. Blast-marks on the walls show that the [[Vehicon general|Vehicon Generals]] were fighting someone or something recently. The [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s themselves attack just then, with Thrust vowing vengeance for the ambush.

[[Image:SavageNoble Savage approaches.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Ah, hello! I'm trying to start a book club, and I was wondering if you'd...hey, where are you going?"]]
The two teams exchange words, with Blackarachnia still trying to reach [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] within Jetstorm. A fight is about to break out, when an eerie howling distracts the group and finally convinces the Vehicons that the Maximals didn't attack them. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] leads the others off in a hasty retreat. The Vehicons follow as something massive, spiky, scaly, and four-legged lumbers in the shadows behind them. The group pauses a moment later to observe the beast, a dragon-like creature with spikes on its wings, lips, nose, claws, legs, torso, you name it. They retreat as it begins a firebolt-spewing advance.

Elsewhere, Optimus goes on a spiritual hunt. He enters the Spark/astral/whatever plane, calling out to his old foe. He's answered by Megatron's bellowing voice; insubstantial visions of Megatron's head surround him, laughing, mocking, screaming....and the vision ends. Primal suspects that whatever he just contacted wasn't a sentient mind.

Cheetor, meanwhile, orders the group to stand down, not wanting to destroy the creature before they can figure out what it is. Jetstorm isn't happy about taking orders from Cheets, but the creature easily repels his and Thrust's attacks, knocking them out. A random shot buries the Maximals long enough for the creature to escape.

[[Image:SavageNoble Noble cowers.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I am not an animal! I am not—oh, wait, I guess I am."]]
The Maximals track the creature to higher levels in the generator plant, and there discover a wolf-like creature hiding shyly in the shadows. Nightscream suspects the beast is another survivor, like him. The Maximals offer friendship, and the creature introduces himself as [[Noble]] and recounts (in [[Forbidden Fruit|a very familiar fashion]]) the story of the Vehicon invasion. Noble fell into a pit and awoke in his current form.

Further pleasantries are interrupted by a strafing attack by Jetstorm and Thrust, hunting for the dragon, Savage. But before the Maximals can even worry about defending their new friend, he disappears while their backs are turned.

Cheetor contacts Optimus, who still hasn't found any trace of Megatron. The group goes hunting for Noble. They find the dragon-creature, growling ferociously. Nightscream is convinced the beast has done away with Noble and leaps to attack. Only Blackarachnia's quick thinking keeps him from getting blasted with fire-breath. The group follows as the creature flies off, since they can't leave it loose in [[Cybertropolis]].

[[Image:SavageNoble Noble with wings.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"What? What are you staring at? Have I got some dirt on my face?"]]
Primal arrives and orders the group to split up to cover more ground. Rattrap eventually finds the beast, which has him cornered and petrified. To his relief, it chooses to ignore him. Cheetor hems the beast in by chopping down a bridge, and the others stop it from the other direction. Primal begins to approach the beast, offering understanding and compassion. The Vehicon generals arrive and find the beast surrounded, but the dragon bats them away with a tail-slash, sending them over the horizon. After a long moment of carefully approaching the beast, Nightscream touches Savage and calms him enough for him to transform...into Noble. The two creatures are one, a beast-to-beast [[Transformer]].

Primal vows to help Noble, even as Noble warns that he can't control his other half. Nightscream reassures him, and Noble smiles to himself—just a bit ominously, yesss...

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

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (7)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (8)

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

}}

==Quotes==
"I'm going in for a closer look." 
"Isn't he ugly enough from here?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Nightscream''' discuss Megatron's giant head.

"Get it through your CPU! That program has been deleted. I'm Jetstorm now. PERIOD!"
:—'''Jetstorm''' shouts at Blackarachnia. Meanwhile, the wire in his forehead is about to explode.

"We don't know what this thing is or where it came from - We're not going to find out by destroying it." 
"Tell you what, pussycat, we'll bring you back the biggest pieces and you can ask 'em anything you want."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Jetstorm''', shortly before the Vehicons get their butts kicked.

"Nice teamwork, Maximals! You catch 'em, we fillet 'em!"
:—'''Jetstorm''', shortly before getting his butt kicked ''again''.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*As the Vehicons rush headlong towards Savage, Thrust and Jetstorm address him by name… almost ''immediately'' after Cheetor declares that "we don't know what this thing is." It seems, however, that Jetstorm and Thrust have come up with the name for the dragon, as a means of taunting it. Noble picks up on this when he names himself, as the diametrically opposed Dr. Jekyll to Savage's Mr. Hyde, an opposition that isn't entirely [[Prometheus Unbound| true]].

===Transformers references===
*When Optimus attempts to make contact with Megatron's spark, he is tormented by numerous heads modelled on Megatron's original and Transmetal designs from [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]].

===Real-world references===
* The title "Savage Noble" is a play on the "[[Wikipedia:Noble savage|noble savage]]" of the eighteenth-century cult of primitivism, in which New World "savages" were seen as innocent and unsullied, the core goodness of their humanity free of the chains of civilization and technology. The "savage noble" inversion might suggest the opposite oxymoron: someone so civilized he has become a monster. Not only is that literally true in this episode, where the cogent Noble is prone to turning into the animalistic Savage, but [[Prometheus Unbound|the next episode]] would reveal him to be secretly Megatron trapped in a hated organic form, yearning for access to the technology that would set him free.

===Trivia===
* This marks the first time in which a Cybertronian uses an obscene hand gesture, in which Thrust actually flips Cheetor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_(gesture) the bird.] Granted, Thrust only has three-fingered claws for hands, it was still a shocker nonetheless.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Noble Sauvage'''" ("Savage Noble")

:*''Title:'' "'''Noble et Sauvage'''" ("Noble and Savage")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kaibutsu no Nayami'''" (怪物の悩み, "The Monster's Anguish")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Buen Salvaje'''" ("The Noble Savage")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 4 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season Two: Volume One ([[Sony]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season Two (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 2 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Triage (episode)

2012-06-27T18:00:05Z

76.29.182.49: /* Animation and technical errors */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 40
|prev=Triangulation
|next=Toxicity
|image=
|caption=
|title="Triage"
|airdate=[[May 19]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

{{picsneeded}}
'''During the third relic hunt, Ratchet and Wheeljack get a one-of-a-kind opportunity when Soundwave's Deployer is disabled.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] rendezvous with [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] in a wooded area to search for the third of four relics. Though Wheeljack rubs Ratchet up the wrong way, they take off in the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'' to find the relic and soon pick up [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] as company. After Wheeljack dogfights with Soundwave for a few minutes, Soundwave releases [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] to take over the attack on the ship. Wheeljack is more than happy to chase Laserbeak instead, though as they chase the drone, it almost causes them to hit the side of a mountain, much to Ratchet's panic. He finally scores a hit on Laserbeak, but as it goes down, a random shot hits the ''Jackhammer'', bringing the ship down as well.

Ratchet is keen to resume the search for the relic, but Wheeljack spots the downed Laserbeak. They examine it, and Wheeljack hits on the idea of planting a grenade in it to provide the Decepticons with a surprise. It gives Ratchet a better idea—implanting a virus to get them access to the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' computer and hack the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] database. He contacts base and asks [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] to prepare a virus. At Raf's suggestion, they implant a grenade into Laserbeak as well to provide a decoy that the Decepticons will find and throw them off the scent of the virus. Wheeljack leaves Ratchet to find Soundwave so he can buy Ratchet time.

Meanwhile, Soundwave has located the relic, the [[Resonance Blaster]], and dug it up. Wheeljack quickly locates him and attacks. They trade blows until Soundwave relieves Wheeljack of a sword and uses his tentacles to throw the Autobot around. Wheeljack manages to use Soundwave's tentacles against each other and cracks the Decepticon's visor with his head. They go flying off the cliff, but Wheeljack finally has Soundwave at his mercy, at least until Soundwave grabs the Resonance Blaster with a tentacle and uses it on Wheeljack.

Ratchet and Raf begin uploading the virus into Laserbeak, but as they need it online to do so, the drone activates and tries to fly off, forcing Ratchet to hold it down. Soundwave is about to finish off Wheeljack when he detects activity from Laserbeak and heads off to investigate. Wheeljack has time to warn Ratchet before falling unconscious, and the virus download finishes in time for Ratchet to hide before Soundwave arrives. After some tense moments, the Decepticon picks up Laserbeak, but appears to be alerted to Ratchet. Soundwave's tentacles venture into Ratchet's hiding place, but as it turns out they're merely after a lost piece of Laserbeak. Having retrieved it, Soundwave heads off back to the ''Nemesis''. Ratchet, unable to raise Wheeljack, goes to help his comrade.

[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] is happy with Soundwave's find, though disappointed at [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]'s and [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]]'s performances. Megatron has Knock Out examine Laserbeak and they find the grenade which Knock Out disposes of (after some initial panic). Soundwave returns to working on the Iacon database, where Megatron and Knock Out have a conversation in the back about Soundwave, that he WILL provide the coordinates of the remaining relics. After that, Megatron orders Knock Out to repair Soundwave's vizor. Knock Out frowns at Soundwave secretly.

Returning to the ''Jackhammer'', Ratchet calls for a [[GroundBridge]], having forged a mutual respect with Wheeljack. He bridges back to base, where the computers are busily downloading the Iacon database. A short time later, Raf reports that [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] is returning to base, but as they open the GroundBridge, Bulkhead comes flying through, his back smoking.

[[Toxicity|To be continued...]]

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (1)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (11)

|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (8)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (9)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (10)

|c3=
* [[William Fowler]] (5)
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
“I'll be sure to be on my best behavior, Doc." 
"Please don't call me 'Doc'." 
"Whatever you say, Sunshine." 
:—'''Wheeljack''' pulls out a rather unfitting nickname for '''Ratchet'''. 

"Wait a minute, a grenade inside of Laserbeak, inside of Soundwave? Like a turducken!" 
"I'm sorry?" 
"It's a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a... never mind." 
:—'''Raf''' fails to enlighten '''Ratchet'''. 

"Any last words?" 
"..." 
"Right. Silent type."
:—'''Wheeljack''' remembers only too late that '''Soundwave''' ''isn't'' going to say anything. 

"Ah, the Resonance Blaster. Crafted by Decepticon scientists for maximum sonic devastation. Soundwave! You have performed admirably. Unlike Dreadwing here, who somehow managed to lose the Apex Armor to ''Starscream''!" 
:—'''Megatron''' praises Soundwave and scolds Dreadwing. 

"Oh, believe me. Soundwave ''will'' provide the coordinates to the remaining relics." 
"Yes. We are fortunate to have him on our side, Lord Megatron." 
"And see about repairing his cracked visor, will you?" 
''*Knock Out growls as Megatron walks away*'' 
:—'''Megatron''' talks with '''Knock Out''' about Soundwave. 

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* The sound normally used for an arm weapon transforming is used as Soundwave straightens his fingers before fighting Wheeljack.
* As Soundwave stands over Wheeljack at the edge of the cliff, Laserbeak can be seen on his chest.
* The ends of Soundwave's tentacles can be seen on his chest as he stands over Wheeljack with the Resonance Blaster on his arm, as if they weren't fully retracted.
* Even though Knock Out lost a wheel in "[[Tunnel Vision]]", he appears to have all four of them when he returns from his failed mission. Perhaps he had a spare?

===Continuity errors===
*It's implied at the end of "[[Loose Cannons]]" that Wheeljack leaves the ''Jackhammer'' back at the Autobot base to explore Earth in his new vehicle mode, but in this episode he has it with him already when Ratchet GroundBridges to him. Perhaps he left it somewhere the other Autobots knew was safe and decided to meet with Ratchet there.

===Continuity notes===
* This episode happens concurrently with the previous two and the following one. Knock Out returns from his mission in "[[Tunnel Vision]]", which was a failure, and [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] has already returned after losing the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]] to [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] in "[[Triangulation]]". On the Autobot side of things, Bulkhead returns from his mission, which takes place in the [[Toxicity|following episode]], diving through the GroundBridge with severe damage to his back.
*Overall, it appears that the relic hunt in either this episode or "Triangulation" was the first to be completed. Ratchet returns to base before any of the other Autobots, but it is implied that Dreadwing returned to the ''Nemesis'' before Soundwave did.

===Transformers references===
===Real-world references===
* For those who are wondering, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turducken turducken is real.]

===Trivia===
* Laserbeak is named for the first time in-series.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Crossfire (Prime)

2012-05-24T14:24:18Z

76.29.182.49: /* Synopsis */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 33
|prev=Loose Cannons
|next=Nemesis Prime (episode)
|image=Crossfire Megatron and Insecticon close together.jpg
|caption=You'll get caught up in the...
|title="Crossfire"
|airdate=[[March 31]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Airachnid and Starscream struggle to control an Insecticon warrior.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Crossfire MECH finds Breakdown.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Finally I can get ahead in this organization."]]
[[Airachnid]] muses to [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] about [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]'s inevitable decryption of the [[Project Iacon|Iacon files,]] and requests for her tracking abilities to be enlisted in the search for the resulting coordinates. Megatron dismisses her, and Soundwave replays the audio of her suggestion to leave Megatron [[One Shall Rise, Part 2|earlier]]. He contacts [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]], who replies with an oath of loyalty. The leader orders him to perform a task he normally performs [[Rock Bottom|himself]], but now leaves to his first officer. The Seeker is confused, as Airachnid holds that position, but his mission becomes clear—he is to dispose of the treacherous spider.

[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]], Dreadwing, and Airachnid follow the trail of an unconfirmed [[energon]] deposit. Airachnid is amused at the heavy backup, and takes the opportunity to grill Breakdown on his lack of skill, and lack of eye. Dreadwing attempts to calm him, but another insult puts him into a frenzy. He jumps at the spider, but is webbed in the face. Dreadwing joins the fray, but is pinned to a tree by Airachnid's webbing, but not before he lets off a blast which collapses a tree on Airachnid, damaging one of her legs and forcing her to retreat. Breakdown gives chase, and finds her collapsed in a ravine, but as he raises his hammer to finish her, he is snagged by a webbing booby trap the renegade fembot has laid for him. Immobilized, Breakdown can do nothing to stop Airachnid from slicing him to pieces. She leaves his remains behind, which are presently discovered by a contingent of [[MECH]] soldiers.

[[Image:Crossfire Starscream and Airachnid plot.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"This is going to be awesome! With this Insecticon we can off Megatron and take over the whole thing!" "Insecticon, eat him."]]
In a cave, [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] pities his lot in life as he jumps for a meager scrap of energon. He is interrupted by a nearby rumbling that surprises him—it is an [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]], unearthing a large chunk of energon. He orders the brute to hand it over, but it attacks him, forcing him to hide. He witnesses the Insecticon bowing to another surprise—Airachnid. He makes himself known, and she makes her rogue status known, giving Starscream the idea to propose an alliance to overthrow Megatron with the help of her oversized herald. She proposes an alternative—she overthrows Megatron, and Starscream dies. She orders the Insecticon to kill him.

At the base, [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] receives another [[Orion Pax, Part 2|high frequency signal with an embedded message,]] again from Starscream, who promises valuable intel in exchange for medical aid. His intel proves none-too-relevant until he mentions the Insecticon, and provides Airachnid's location. Back at base, [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] berates Ratchet and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] for letting him go again, but [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]] is confident in sparing helpless lifeforms, regardless of personal vendettas.

[[Image:Crossfire Optimus aims at Megatron.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"One shall stand, one sha-oh, wait, too late."]]
Airachnid contacts Megatron and proposes a challenge, which he accepts, forbidding Dreadwing to follow him. Making his way to the mine, the Decepticon leader is immediately assaulted by the Insecticon, who ignores Megatron's orders to stand down and begins to beat him down. Though he does not initially fare well, it does not take long for the former gladiator to put himself on equal footing with the beast. The Autobots bridge in, and Arcee goes for Airachnid, chasing her off into the adjoining tunnels while the other Autobots watch as Megatron triumphs over the Insecticon, tearing off its limbs and head. The Autobots surround Megatron as he falls, exhausted. Prime mulls over the idea of ending his life when suddenly, Dreadwing and a large detachment of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] descend into the cavern. Prime agrees to trade the Autobots' lives for Megatron's, but once the trade is made, Megatron orders the Vehicons to attack, and departs with Dreadwing, noting his appreciation for Dreadwing's disregard of orders.

[[Image:Crossfire Airachnid strings up Arcee.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Arcee, meanwhile, follows Airachnid, but finds herself suddenly stuck in a trap. As her nemesis prepares to finish her, a missile streaks through the air and pushes Airachnid off Arcee. She escapes as Starscream—intent on payback—continues to fire. Now alone with Arcee, the Seeker recalls her decision to spare him earlier, and cuts her down to settle his debt.

Underground, even as she swears her vengeance, Airachnid comes upon the source of her warrior—an entire nest of Insecticons.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (10)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (11)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (12)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (13)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (14)
|c2=
*[[Airachnid]] (1)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (2)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (4)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (5)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] (9)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (15)
|c3=
*[[MECH|MECH soldiers]] (6)
*[[MECH Commando]] (7)
|c4=
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"I know we've never seen ''eyes-to-eye'', but that doesn't mean we can't ''patch'' things up."
:—'''Airachnid''' baits Breakdown with extra-strength puns.

"You dare turn your back on a superior life-form? I am Commander Starscream!"
:—'''Starscream''' using his former position to get others to do what he wants...[[Orion Pax, Part 1|''again.'']]

"Nonetheless, I do not condone the termination of any defenseless life form."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', who ironically will almost terminate a defenseless and injured Megatron.

"You and your beast would do well to remember—''I honed my skills in the pits of [[Kaon]]!''"
:—'''Megatron''' reminds all that he is not so easily beaten.

"How right you were, Airachnid. Payback. Is. ''Sweet!''"
:—'''Starscream''' making Airachnid eat her own words.

"Never trust a 'Con. Kick Buckethead's bucket!"
:—'''Bulkhead''''s opinion on Dreadwing's offer to trade Megatron's life for the Autobots'.

"You disobeyed my orders in following me here. You will make a fine first lieutenant."
:—'''Megatron''' might have finally made a good choice for second-in-command.

==Notes==
=== Animation and technical errors ===
*When Bulkhead jumps out of the GroundBridge with Ratchet following behind, the wrecking ball on his left arm somehow transforms silently back to his hand.
*When the Insecticon throws Megatron into the air and slashes at him with its horn, it injures his shoulder and Energon is splattered from the wound. When Megatron recovers, the injury appears on his neck instead.
*When Megatron switches to his vehicle mode, the webbing on his cannon disappears. If this was intentional, why not just do it to fight off the Autobots?

===Continuity errors===
*Soundwave's trace of Airachnid's signal appears to locate her around about Bolivia, while the Autobot trace of the same signal places it on the north coast of [[South America]], in Guyana or Suriname.
*Megatron's blood/energon is colored blue when [[Stronger, Faster|it's been]] [[One Shall Fall|shown previously]] [[One Shall Rise, Part 1|to be purple]]. [[Darkness Rising, Part 4|He said so himself!]]
*Starscream's missiles reappear on his arms after he fires them.

===Continuity notes===
*Arcee reminds the team yet again of how Airachnid took [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]] away from her, as well as how Starscream was responsible for [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper's]] demise.
*Starscream hasn't forgotten how Arcee let him live after their last encounter from "[[Partners]]".
*Soundwave plays dialogue from "[[One Shall Rise, Part 2]]" to remind Megatron what Airachnid thinks of him.
*MECH comes across the dismembered remains of Breakdown, and cites it as a "[[Operation: Breakdown|familiar face]]".
*Starscream contacts Ratchet the same way he did back in "[[Orion Pax, Part 2]]", and meets him and Bulkhead in what appears to be the same place. Both he and Bulkhead even reference the events of that episode. Arcee seems to have learned about it as well.
*The events of the two-part episode "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1|Operation Bumblebee]]" are brought up while Starscream begs for treatment.
*The "task" Megatron normally performs himself—the disposal of treacherous soldiers—previously occurred in "[[Rock Bottom]]", where Starscream was the recipient.
*Megatron refers to his skills and training as a Kaon gladiator.

===Trivia===
*Starscream's arm-mounted missiles still work even with his T-Cog missing, since there's no transformation involved in firing them.
*The Decepticons really didn't do a good job in stripping that mine, considering all the Insecticon had to do was push away a couple of rocks to find a huge clump of energon in the wall.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]