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Headmaster (episode)

2008-04-07T03:36:24Z

78.86.131.28:

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Let me tell you about this head I got....]]

==Synopsis==
[[Image:No pun intended.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Henry Masterson, master of the Headmaster.]]
On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. Sumdac is horrified, however, when he realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation. When the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, the Professor is understandably furious and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot. Bulkhead hopes it will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but it's going rather less well than he might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact. His success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].
[[Image:Daniel and robot.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Scarred for life.]]
Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills. He remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.
[[Image:Rock em'.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rock 'em, Sock 'em Sumdac.]]
Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz [[:Image:Rock_'em_an'_sock_'em,_Rhinox.jpg|Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots]] to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV and hits upon his solution. Indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!" When he awakens, he discovers, to his considerable distress, that he is nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.
[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|right|thumb|200px|I know why the caged Bulkhead sings.]]
Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. After taking the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show. However, 'Bee manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, then tries to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts. All of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant. Furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse thoroughly enough to reveal his true intention: he's going renege on the deal and destroy the city—and Sumdac Systems—even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to find instead the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core.

With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] finally to reunite Bulkhead's head with his body. Unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene. Pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot. Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to assemble hastily a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stabilise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a pep talk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

''[Bulkhead is painting a picture while Bumblebee poses for him]'' 
'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
'''Ratchet''': You ask me, it's all a waste of time. No 'bot ever saved anyone with art. 
'''Bulkhead''': I'm not trying to save anyone. I just...I don't know...trying to express how I feel." 
''[Bulkhead's paintbrush snaps, and he wrecks the picture in rage]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I'm guessing you're feeling anger?"
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring." 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I believe the phrase is: "Total Ownage, n00b."" 
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''', mocking Masterson with his own slang

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in "[[Blast from the Past]]".

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series and has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel. Fortunately, this reference is taken no further, so at no point does he make out with anyone on Bumblebee's hood.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in "[[Sound and Fury]]".

* [[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. Although the woman who comforts him is listed in the end credits as "Mother," she does not use the same [[character model]] as the woman resembling [[Carly Witwicky]] who appeared in "[[Transform and Roll Out!]]".

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head ending up as a sort of backpack.

*When the fusion core is about to explode, Optimus volunteers to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother]]''.

* Masterson plays "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

* When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.

* This episode is notable in that Sari does not abuse her key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

* Sari's key has, on an number of occasions, been shown to have the power to give sentient life to previously [[Spark]]-less automatons, notably [[Dinobot (Animated)|the Dinobots]] and [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. In this episode, Sari used the key on the sculpture robot they sent in to sacrifice itself, which makes some fans think it may have been truly alive. On the other hand, Sari has used the key on countless other unsophisticated machines (and a few semi-sophisticated ones like Tutor-Bot) that apparently did not gain sentience. Also, the two times keyed robots ''have'' gained Sparks, they were reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology designed by Megatron; the former with an unusual burst of makeshift EMP mixed into the Key energy, the latter specifically designed to evolve through ''multiple'' uses of the key. These facts suggest that the sculpture robot was not a sentient being. It's debatable--maybe we'll get an official explanation at a Botcon panel some time.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Megatron Rising - Part 2

2008-04-07T03:16:09Z

78.86.131.28: /* Quotes */

[[Image:SexyBeast.JPG|right|thumb|300px|He's bringing sexy back, yeah!.]]

{{episodenav|animated|16|season=1|prev=Megatron Rising - Part 1|next=The Elite Guard}}

'''The Autobots are decimated by the Decepticon invasion, but still must rally to prevent the All Spark from falling into their clutches. '''

==Summary==
[[Image:MegaPrime.JPG|right|thumb|200px|Oh, it is so on.]]
As Megatron descends to ground level, Optimus, Prowl and Bulkhead look on in disbelief. As he lands, Bulkhead takes point, launching his wrecking ball, but Megatron calmly slices it off before backhanding Bulkhead into a nearby
building. Prowl then attacks, but his throwing stars are easily deflected, and he finds himself on the defensive, dodging Megatron's swords. Taking cover behind a bridge support, he manages to avoid them, but Megatron's attacks destroy it, and two children are nearly crushed under the falling rubble, saved only by Optimus borrowing "a move from the Bumblebee play book", using a combination of his wheels and ax to dash forward and snatch the children up. Meanwhile, Prowl is pinned under Megatron's foot, and the Decepticon draws a sword, ready to take revenge for Prowl slicing off the remains of his arm fifty years ago. Optimus saves Prowl by using a combination of his grappler and ax to knock the sword from Megatron's grasp. The two leaders face off, but Megatron simply blocks Prime's blow and kicks him away. As Megatron reaches for his dropped sword, Optimus launches a grappler, tripping him. Megatron follows up by snapping the grappler's line and using it to swing Optimus into the side of a building.
[[Image:PayThePiper.JPG|left|thumb|200px|Megatron punishes Starscream for betrayal and goes against everything natural to Transformers lore.]]
In the tower, Blitzwing wants to join the fight, but Lugnut won't allow him to interfere in Megatron's business. As the two Decepticons argue, Dr. Sumdac tries to make a break for it, only to be blocked by Blitzwing. Meanwhile, Starscream holds a struggling Bumblebee while watching Optimus and Megatron battle, trying to decide whom he'll gain more from by helping, the Autobot or his would-be leader. On the ground, Optimus is taking a beating but says he will never reveal the AllSpark's location. Unfortunately, Megatron simply plans to use the key to track down the AllSpark. Punching Prime hard enough to send him skidding across the tarmac, Megatron calls out to his loyal Decepticons. Lugnut and Blitzwing immediately respond, and Starscream casually comments on his decision being made for him and throws Bumblebee away. As Lugnut prostrates himself, Starscream drops down on his head, ready to renew his tenure as Second in Command. Megatron comments on the appropriateness of Starscream's presence, takes aim on the Autobots...then quickly jams the key into Starscream's chest, seemingly draining him of life. Dropping the offline traitor, Megatron asks if there are any other dissenters. Getting a negative response, he turns back to the Autobots, only to discover they've used the distraction to escape. Blitzwing wants to chase after them, but Megatron believes the AllSpark takes priority. At his command the Decepticons transform and roll—er, rise up.

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marty Isenberg]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Ciro Nieli]], & [[Shunji Oga]]
*'''Original airdate:''' April 5, 2008

===Featured characters===

(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |

*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |

*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (9)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (5)
*[[Lugnut]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (11)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |

*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (12)

|}

==Quotes==

"Time to borrow a move from the Bumblebee playbook." 
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' realising that a giant ax can't solve everything

"Decepticons, transform and rise up!" 
:{{m-}}'''Megatron''' has his own version of [[roll out]].

'''Isaac''': Oh dear, this is all my fault! 
'''Sari''': What? It's not like you built Megatron in your lab or anything. 
''[Isaac Sumdac looks away and uncomfortably taps his fingers]'' 
'''Sari''': YOU BUILT MEGATRON IN YOUR LAB?! 
'''Ratchet''': On the bright side, now I don't feel so bad about losing your key. 
:{{m-}}One of several awkward moments this episode for '''Isaac Sumdac'''

"If we go down, we go down fighting. And I can't think of a better band of Autobots I'd be prouder to fight alongside." 
"Not even the Cybertron Elite Guard? Because I sure wouldn't mind having them here now." 
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' prepares to [[Furmanism|fight and die]] while '''Bumblebee''' would rather fight and live.

'''Ratchet''': Electromagnetic pulse, kid! 
''[Bumblebee and Ratchet cross their powers together and short out Blitzwing]'' 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': Curious. My electrical systems have gone offline. Which means{{m-}} 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': {{m-}}I'M FALLING!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
:{{m-}}'''Crazy Blitzwing''' finds humor in everything.

'''Prowl''': Perhaps we can make our own luck. I've noticed a connection between Blitzwing's multiple personalities and his vehicle modes. We can use that weakness against him...but it will require using Bumblebee's greatest strength. 
'''Bumblebee''': What, my stingers? My turbo-speed? 
'''Prowl''': Your obnoxious personality. 
:{{m-}}'''Prowl''', nailing friend and foe alike with ninja precision.

"YOU WANT HEAT!? I'LL GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE{{m-}}OH SLAG, NOT AGA{{m-}}!" 
:{{m-}}'''Angry Blitzwing''', his own worst enemy.

'''Optimus Prime''': You all fought like Autobots! I can't tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you... 
'''Bumblebee''': Go on, tell us. We can take it! 
:{{m-}}'''Bumblebee''' showcases his recently discussed "greatest strength".

"I trust you are comfortable in your chair!" 
:{{m-}}'''Megatron''' to '''Isaac Sumdac'''. The choice of furniture was destined to come back to haunt him.

==Other notes==

===Continuity errors===
* At the beginning of the series, years were measured as solar cycles to Transformers, but Megatron refers to years as stellar cycles.
* Megatron said that Prowl slashed off his arm, while he actually lost it due to Starscream planting a bomb on his back. Prowl ''did'', however, slash a part off that remained after the explosion.
* Sari recognizes Megatron from his new earth alt mode despite never seeing it before, she also seems to know who Megatron is, despite never being told, either. Unless you count her experience with the All-spark, which never gives a name, just an image.
* Megatron asks Professor Sumdac if he is comfortable in his chair in the form of Megatron's hand, despite it being the wrong hand.

===Animation errors===
* When Ratchet catches Sari after Blackarachnia drops her, his right arm is intact. In the next scene, it's gone again.
* Also, when Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prowl are planning on how to stop Blitzwing, Ratchet's arm is intact again, but in the next shot, it's gone again. This happens constantly during the final battle.
* When Blitzwing changes faces after Megatron coldcocks Starscream, his face rotates vertically, not horizontally as it usually does.
*The black lanyard attached to Sari's [[Sari Sumdac's Key|key]] keeps disappearing and reappearing.
*Optimus Prime appears ''really'' tiny when he was sitting at the ''Ark'''s door in the end.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Ark in mountain.jpg|150px||thumb|right|Moral of the story: [[Ark II|Autobots]] [[Ark-19|cannot]] [[Ark (G1)|drive]].]]
* The manner in which the ''[[Ark (Animated)|Ark]]'' sticks out of the rock is reminiscent of the [[Ark (G1)|original ''Ark'']].

* [[Cyber Planet Key|A key as the most powerful Cybertonian artifact?]] [[Key to Vector Sigma|Most familiar]].

* Putting the AllSpark into his chest did not kill Megatron, unlike his [[Megatron (Movie)|second cousin twice removed]].

===Real-world references===
*

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* The intro has a number of new sound effects added in.

* Despite the fact the ''Ark'' crashed on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and company are nowhere to be seen. [[Slag (slang)|''Slag!!!!'']]

* Virtually since the beginning of the series, fans have been theorizing that Sari might be a robot, given that she has no evident mother, her dad doesn't seem like the type that could hold down a relationship, and she's been isolated her whole life. [[Tara Strong]] fanned the flames of speculation in an interview when she commented that Sari's "entire identity could be a surprise." While the "robot" origin doesn't really seem to line up with what we saw in "[[Along Came a Spider]]" (where Sari withers and grows old) and "[[Nature Calls]]" (where she catches a cold), this episode gives us our first in-series hint that there is ''something'' mysterious going on in the Sumdac family, when Professor Sumdac attempts to tell Sari "something important" when he thinks its possible that they're about to die. Additionally, a point is repeatedly made of noting that the AllSpark "chose" Sari, and when she asks it why, an image appears of a DNA strand with a [[spark|glowing blue orb]] at its center. Hmmm...

* Sari bites Blackarachnia's hand, and somehow, the latter feels pain. Ordinarily, this could be explained away if one supposes that Blackarachnia's hand in robot mode is organic, but you can hear a metallic clang as Sari chomps down on it. That girl has some ''teeth'' on her.

* After 24 years, the Decepticons ''finally'' have an equivalent of "Transform and Roll Out." And it's one that makes perfect sense, considering that traditionally, most Decepticons can fly. Even after taking that into consideration, the frequent depiction in Transformers lore of the Decepticons as an insurgent army ''rising'' to glory and conquest lends it a certain poetic elegance as well. "Decepticons, Transform and Rise Up!"

* Megatron's transforming sequence from helicopter to robot is ''mostly'' the sequence of robot to helicopter played backwards, but also contains further shots seemingly designed solely for a vehicle-to-robot sequence (such as the reveal of his hands, head, and final elegant 'Power Pose'. Therefore, if we want to nitpick on technicalities, the robot-to-heli sequence is ''actually'' the heli-to-robot sequence played backwards with certain shots removed.

* Megatron actually punished Starscream for betraying him. You can count on one hand all the times that has happened in every TF series prior to this, combined. And Galvatron blasting him to slag doesn't count.

* This episode proves that ''Animated'' Megatron is awesome and a total badass. But we had already guessed that.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

List of Transformers Animated episodes

2008-04-05T20:23:41Z

78.86.131.28: /* Season 1: 2007–2008 */

==Season 1: 2007–2008==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; width: 100%;"
|-
!#!!Title!!Writer!!Director!!Original airdate!!Production code
{{Episode list
|Title="[[Transform and Roll Out!#Part 1|Transform and Roll Out! (Part One)]]"
|EpisodeNumber=1
|OriginalAirDate=December 26, 2007
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]], [[Minoru Yamaoka]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and his small crew of [[Autobot]]s come into possession of the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]], a powerful [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian artifact that attracts the attention of their long-forgotten enemies—the [[Decepticon]]s—and sends them crashing to a strange and distant planet known as [[Earth]].
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Transform and Roll Out!#Part 2|Transform and Roll Out! (Part Two)]]"
|EpisodeNumber=2
|OriginalAirDate=December 26, 2007
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]], [[Minoru Yamaoka]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Transform and Roll Out!#Part 3|Transform and Roll Out! (Part Three)]]"
|EpisodeNumber=3
|OriginalAirDate=December 26, 2007
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]], [[Minoru Yamaoka]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"
|EpisodeNumber=4
|OriginalAirDate=January 5, 2008
|Aux1=[[Michael Ryan]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The Autobots settle into their new home base, an abandoned automobile manufacturing plant, but the ancient assembly line machinery seems to have developed a mind of its own.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Total Meltdown]]"
|EpisodeNumber=5
|OriginalAirDate=January 19, 2008
|Aux1=[[Rich Fogel]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Naoto Hashimoto]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=A bio-engineering genius experiments with some of [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s hydraulic fluid and accidentally transforms himself into [[Prometheus Black|Meltdown]], whose corrosive touch can melt anything—including Autobots!
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Blast from the Past]]"
|EpisodeNumber=6
|OriginalAirDate=January 12, 2008
|Aux1=[[Kevin Hopps]]
|Aux2=[[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ben Jones]], [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=[[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] upgrades a trio of animatronic dinosaurs from a local theme park, but the creatures develop minds of their own and become rampaging [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]]s, bent on destroying the Autobots.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]"
|EpisodeNumber=7
|OriginalAirDate=January 19, 2008
|Aux1=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|Aux2=[[Derrick J. Wyatt]], [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=While the Autobots encounter a [[Lockdown|mysterious muscle car]] creating havoc in [[Detroit]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] keeps flashing back to his "tour of duty" in the [[Great War|Great Autobot-Decepticon War]].
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]"
|EpisodeNumber=8
|OriginalAirDate=January 26, 2008
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Bumblebee's self-proclaimed title as "fastest thing on wheels" is threatened by [[Nanosec]], a super speedster crook on a deadly mission that could destroy all of Detroit.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Along Came a Spider]]"
|EpisodeNumber=9
|OriginalAirDate=February 16, 2008
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]'s first Halloween turns even spookier when they encounter a giant spider that turns out to be the deadly Decepticon [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]].
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Sound and Fury]]"
|EpisodeNumber=10
|OriginalAirDate=February 23, 2008
|Aux1=[[Henry Gilroy]]
|Aux2=[[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=[[Sari]]'s new [[Soundwave (Animated)|toy musical robot]] seems to have an evil streak—and the ability to control other machines—but Bulkhead is the only one who sees it.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Lost and Found (Animated episode)|Lost and Found]]"
|EpisodeNumber=11
|OriginalAirDate= March 1, 2008
|Aux1=[[Rich Fogel]]
|Aux2=[[Irineo Maramba]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The Autobots clash with Decepticons [[Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], who come to Earth searching for their missing leader, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Survival of the Fittest]]"
|EpisodeNumber=12
|OriginalAirDate=March 8, 2008
|Aux1=[[Steven Granat]]
|Aux2=[[Irineo Maramba]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Sari is kidnapped and the evidence points to the Dinobots. So [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and Bulkhead head to a mysterious island to investigate—with a highly suspicious [[Captain Fanzone]] on their tail.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster]]"
|EpisodeNumber=13
|OriginalAirDate=March 15, 2008
|Aux1=[[Michael Ryan]]
|Aux2=[[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=A [[Headmaster (Animated)|disgruntled Sumdac employee]] seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Nature Calls]]"
|EpisodeNumber=14
|OriginalAirDate=March 22, 2008
|Aux1=[[Todd Casey]]
|Aux2=[[Ben Jones]], [[Bouakeo Thongkham]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious energy signal.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Megatron Rising - Part I]]"
|EpisodeNumber=15
|OriginalAirDate=March 29, 2008
|Aux1=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|Aux2=[[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ciro Nieli]], [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Megatron Rising - Part II]]"
|EpisodeNumber=16
|OriginalAirDate=April 5, 2008
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Ben Jones]], [[Ciro Nieli]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The Autobots are decimated by the Decepticon invasion, but still must rally to prevent the All Spark from falling into their clutches.
}}
|}

==Season 2: 2008–?==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; width: 100%;"
|-
!#!!Title!!Writer!!Director!!Original airdate!!Production code
{{Episode list
|Title="[[The Elite Guard]]"
|EpisodeNumber=17
|OriginalAirDate=April 12, 2008
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] arrives on Earth to retrieve the All Spark and relieve Prime and his crew of their post, but they prove less than adept at blending in with the human world.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Return of the Headmaster]]"
|EpisodeNumber=18
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] after Sentinel has a humiliating and potentially fatal encounter with the Headmaster.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Mission Accomplished]]"
|EpisodeNumber=19
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Convinced there are no Decepticons left on Earth, the Elite Guard prepares to take Optimus Prime and his crew back to Cybertron, unaware of the increasing Decepticon activity taking place under their very noses.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]"
|EpisodeNumber=20
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=All Spark energy turns a junk pile into a [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|sentient robot]] who tries to help the Autobots, but ends up doing more harm than good.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Velocity]]"
|EpisodeNumber=21
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Investigating a mysterious race car, Bumblebee gets involved with an illegal underground street racing circuit, which also captures the attention of the Decepticons.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Rise of the Constructicons]]"
|EpisodeNumber=22
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Bulkhead befriends a pair of [[Constructicon (Animated)|construction vehicles]] brought to life by All Spark energy. But the Decepticons have their scanners set on the duo for their latest construction project.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[A Fistful of Energon]]"
|EpisodeNumber=23
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[S.U.V. - Society of Ultimate Villainy]]"
|EpisodeNumber=24
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Aided by a mysterious benefactor, Detroit's B-level villains team up to take down the Autobots once and for all.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Autoboot Camp]]"
|EpisodeNumber=25
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=On the trail of an escaped Autobot traitor, Bumblebee flashes back to a previous encounter with the traitor when he first met Bulkhead in Autobot Boot Camp.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday]]"
|EpisodeNumber=26
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Blackarachnia enlists Prometheus Black, also known as Meltdown, to aid her with a dangerous experiment, while Prime and [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] are forced to team up to stop them.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Sari, No One's Home]]"
|EpisodeNumber=27
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Left alone in the Autobots' home base, Sari must defend it against an intrusion by the Constructicons.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[A Bridge Too Close - Part I]]"
|EpisodeNumber=28
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The Decepticons kidnap Bulkhead to aid in [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] ultimate plan to take over Cybertron.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[A Bridge Too Close - Part II]]"
|EpisodeNumber=29
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The fates of Cybertron and Earth lie in the balance as Optimus Prime and his Autobots battle Megatron and his Decepticons in a fight to the finish and the fight for the Allspark.
}}
|}

==Season 3: ?==

[[Category: Animated episodes| ]]
[[Category:Episode lists|Animated]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Angry Archer

2008-03-31T16:10:29Z

78.86.131.28: /* Animated cartoon */

:''Angry Archer is a [[human]] from the [[Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AngryArcher01.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Look, it's the Mad Archer!" "ANG-GU-REE! ANG-GU-REE! I AM THE ANG-GU-REE ARCHER!" "Whatever."]]

One of the human supervillains who menaces [[Detroit]] in the near future, the '''Angry Archer''' bears a strong resemblance to the traditional portrayal of Robin Hood; this includes a cheesy 16th century British accent. The seemingly cybernetic arm, high-tech arrowheads and glider-pack are new, though. He uses his skills with a bow and arrow in his criminal schemes.

==Fiction==
===Animated cartoon===
:''Vocal thespian:'' [[Jeff Glen Bennett]] (English), [[Kaspar Eichel]] (German)

[[Image:AngryArcher02.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Hunt, hunt, hunt! He's the... Archer-man.]]

The Angry Archer didst reveal himself from within the shadows of the night. Dropping down on a passing horseless carriage, he bade its occupants stand and deliver. Howe'er, the local enforcers of the law didst vex him with their approach. This worried him not, for a swift rescue carriage was passing. Latching on't, he didst away with glee. But, forsooth, the carriage didst [[Transformation|shift form]] to become [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|a metal giant]], who defeated the Archer with reckless abandon.

Whilst the Angry Archer pled that he desired naught but fame and fortune, flying cameras arrived anon to record his humiliating fate. The metal giant then didst mock him most cruelly, advising the Archer he would have to settle for fame. Oh, what a twisted move by the fickle hand of fate. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is|Home Is Whither Thine Ember Is}}

{{-}}

== Trivia ==
* This character's name and face are a play on Transformers design director [[Aaron Archer]].

* The Angry Archer's arrowhead arsenal <strike>ancludes</strike> '''i'''ncludes....
**Magnetic grappling lines
**Laser cutters
**Steel fists
**Grenades

* He's also kind of a riff on [[wikipedia:Green_Arrow|Green Arrow]] and [[wikipedia:Red_Arrow|other]] [[Wikipedia:Hawkeye|archer-themed]] supercharacters, if you hadn't noticed.

* Angry Archer's voice is Jeff Bennett's "[[wikipedia:John_Cleese|John-Cleese]]-ish" voice, which he's used for characters in other cartoons, including Lord Bravery (Legally, it's ''Lord Smoked Meats and Fishes'') from ''[[wikipedia:Freakazoid!|Freakazoid!]]''.

*[[Professor Princess]] is more of a threat. Sucks to be Angry Archer.

[[Category: Animated characters]]
[[Category: Humans]]
[[Category: Supervillains]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Continuity

2008-03-30T16:27:31Z

78.86.131.28: /* Major continuity families */

[[Image:Continuities.png|right|thumb|450px|Now you put all that in a blender and you get the [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|Japanese continuity]].]]

A '''continuity''' is a fictional universe or timeline that is characterized by recurring characters and settings and an internal consistency with regards to characterization and depicted events.

Typically, stories that are produced by a particular licensor (such as [[IDW]]) or in a particular form of media (such as comic books) are ''in continuity'' with each other, meaning that they are meant to all take place in the same "world".

This is not always the case, however. For example, the IDW comic [[Evolutions|''Transformers Evolutions'']] consists of stories that are explicitly set in different universes than the other IDW comics. IDW's own ''Beast Wars'' comics are also separate from their "main" continuity. The various [[coloring book]]s published by [[Marvel]] in the 1980s might all take place in the same universe as each other, but there are no direct ties between them, and they could easily each be [[Micro-continuity|"in their own little world]]."

Still, even in cases such as these, there are important similarities. Even though ''Evolutions''' first story, "[[Hearts of Steel]]," can't fit in the same story-world as ''[[Infiltration|Transformers: Infiltration]]'', they are alternate worlds in a relatively minor sense; the same Transformers characters are present in both, they just interact with Humanity at different points in time. Marvel's coloring books disagree on many points with the Marvel comic books, but they agree on many points as well. Thus, although the coloring books and the comics are not in continuity with each other, their similarities allow both to be categorized as being members of a [[Generation 1]] "[[continuity family]]".

==Multiverse==

More so than most science-fiction franchises, ''Transformers'' has been, from the very start, a collection of many varied continuities. Even before the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] premiered, there was the [[Generation 1 (Marvel comic)|Marvel comic series]] and an array of Marvel-produced storybooks which cannot be reconciled with each other, resulting in myriad [[micro-continuity|micro-continuities]]. There have been ''so many'' mutually exclusive Transformers continuities that a truly exhaustive list would be nearly impossible to complete. However, it is relatively easy to list the major continuity "families".

There is a subjective component to all of this, and each fan decides for themselves how "fine-grained" they want their own personal list of continuities to be. Ultimately, it could be argued that almost every story exists in its own exclusive continuity, even different stories that were clearly intended to be set in the same universe. For example, two episodes of the G1 cartoon series that make no explicit references to events in each other, but are both "descendants" of the episode "[[More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More Than Meets the Eye]]", could arguably exist in different universes. There may be no particular reason to assert that they don't share continuity, but there is also no clear internal evidence that the events of one affected the world of the other. They might conceivably be set in different branches of a timeline that started with MTMTE.

The most inclusive perspective is to consider all [[canon]]ical Transformers stories as existing within a multiverse which contains countless—perhaps infinite—alternate universes. Some of these universes are more closely related to each other than others, but they are all part of the same whole. This approach has been officially sanctioned in a number of stories, most notably ''[[Universe (franchise)|Transformers: Universe]]'' which takes the existence of an overall ''Transformers'' multiverse as the core of its story.

==Meta-continuity==
[[Image:TFUjailbreak.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Hey, there's Waldo!]]

The ''[[Universe (franchise)|Transformers: Universe]]'' franchise (sometimes referred to as "TFU") attempted to create an overarching structure to the ''Transformers'' multiverse. It was helmed, fiction-wise, by [[3H Productions]], who then held the license to run the official ''Transformers'' convention, [[BotCon]]. Convention fiction starting in the year 1997 was directly incorporated into ''Universe'', although it wasn't until [[BotCon 2002]] that the term ''Transformers: Expanded Universe'' appeared on a BotCon toy box, and the name was shortened to just ''Transformers: Universe'' afterwards. The [[Universe (toyline)|''Universe'' toyline]] eventually became the home of not just convention-exclusive toys, but also other repaints and store exclusives that were sold in normal retail outlets. The bios for the ''Universe'' characters were primarily the responsibility of 3H.

The ''Universe'' meta-continuity officially established the idea of a ''Transformers'' multiverse and pulled together many elements from other ''Transformers'' continuities, focusing heavily on variations of ''Beast Machines'' and ''Generation 1''. 3H's comic book series, ''Wreckers'' and ''Universe'', brought together characters from many parallel universes and are the primary sources of information about this meta-continuity. Character bios published in convention programs, fan club newsletters, and on the 3H and Hasbro websites also contribute.

Among other things, the ''Universe'' universe makes some reconciliation between conflicting origins for [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and the Transformers race that were presented in the G1 comics, G1 cartoon, and BM cartoon. It also incorporates the otherwise ignored sub-toylines ''[[Mutant (BW)|Beast Wars Mutants]]'' and ''[[Dinobots (toyline)|Dinobots]]'' into its fiction, and is the earliest example of a story that asserts (or implies) that there is only one [[Unicron]] who travels from one universe to another, rather than an infinite array of Unicrons in different universes.

[[Fun Publications]], the company that followed 3H in running the official convention and fan club, has since continued this approach. The Fan Club comic storyline "[[Balancing Act]]" takes place primarily during the ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' cartoon, but features a multiversal battle fought by characters culled from other continuities. The setting changes after an arc ends as characters migrate from continuity to continuity.

==Major continuity families==

At this time, there are five primary [[continuity family|continuity families]] in the ''Transformers'' multiverse. These are:

*'''[[Generation 1]]/[[Beast Era]]'''
*'''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'''
*the '''[[Unicron Trilogy]]'''
*the '''[[Movie (franchise)|2007 Transformers movie]]'''
*'''[[Transformers Animated]]'''

There is also a much less prominent continuity family centered on the Playskool [[Go-Bots (toyline)|Go-Bots toyline]]. Every (or nearly every) ''Transformers'' story can be easily fit into one of these families, even if its precise continuity can't be pinned down.

For further information about these continuity families and families in general, please see '''[[Continuity family]]'''.

==Prominent ''Generation 1'' continuities==

Within G1, there are an almost uncountable number of established alternate universes. Some of these continuities are extremely obscure, such as the timeline which houses [[Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth|the second Commodore 64 video game]]. On the other hand, the G1 cartoon is so widely known that even many members of the general public (i.e., not fans) would be familiar with it, and quite possibly be unaware that there even ''are'' other Transformers stories besides it and the 2007 live-action film.

Following is a ''very'' incomplete list showing only the most prominent G1 continuities and their relationships to each other. For the purposes of this list, only G1-proper will be considered, and not the extended-G1 that includes G2, MW, and the ''Beast'' series. Additionally, in keeping with {{SITENAME}}'s policy, the live-action film is not included, as it is treated as an independent continuity family rather than a part of G1.

*[[Generation 1 (cartoon)|Cartoons (American)]] - Three complete seasons of varying length, ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', and a 3-episode "fourth season". Probably the best known of all continuities.

*Cartoons (Japanese) - Includes the first three seasons of the American cartoons as well as three additional TV series, two OVAs and a [[manga]] series.

*[[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel US comics]] - Includes ''[[Generation 1 (comic)|Transformers]]'', ''[[Headmasters (comic)|Transformers: Headmasters]]'', and the character profile series ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]''. The comic book adaptation of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' is out of continuity with the other Marvel comics.

*Marvel UK comics - Includes the American comics as well as nearly 100% more material that was published exclusively in the UK until being reprinted internationally in the 2000s.

*[[Dreamwave continuity|Dreamwave G1 comics]] - A new continuity with much of the flavor of the original cartoon series, but a very different history. Includes the three "G1" volumes as well as three volumes of ''The War Within'' and a ''Micromasters'' miniseries.

*[[IDW continuity|IDW G1 comics]] - Yet another new continuity, based on earlier versions of G1 featuring classic characters but with some large revisions of premise. Begins with ''Transformers: Infiltration'', published in 2005, and continues through most (though not all) of IDW's Transformer miniseries.

==Unified Japanese continuities==

[[Image:Japaneseflowchart.jpg|right|thumb|450px|So ''that's'' where [[Machine Wars]] goes.]]
In Japan, every Transformers cartoon until the release of ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Car Robots]]'' (the original, Japanese title for ''Robots in Disguise'') can be somewhat easily fit into a single unified continuity, much like the unified American G1/Beast continuity. This includes the American G1 cartoon (minus Season 4, which Japan did not air) and Beast series as well as ''[[Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'', ''[[Masterforce]]'', ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'', ''[[Zone]]'', ''[[Beast Wars II]]'', and ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]''. In the 21st century, they also developed a fondness for new fiction that was retroactively inserted into available gaps in the G1 timeline, like [[Binaltech]], ''[[Kiss Players]]'' and ''[[Robot Masters]]''. Despite this additional story material, all of these stories fit together (save for Binaltech, which was spun off into its own alternate timeline as its story progressed).

In Japan, then, ''Car Robots'' was the first full reboot. Following CR, ''[[Micron Legend]]'' and ''[[Superlink]]'' were connected into a third major Japanese continuity, and then, as noted above, ''Galaxy Force'' started a fourth.

In 2007, [[TakaraTomy]] performed some significant retcons to their Generation 1 timeline, most visible in a [http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/table.html timeline] posted on their website (accompanied by a flowchart, at right), and ''much'' more extensively in [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|another one]] printed in the ''Kiss Players'' compilation book. The most significant aspect of this retcon was to insert ''Car Robots'' into the Generation 1 timeline, establishing that its characters came from the future and exploiting an unfinished manga from ''[[Super Robot Magazine]]'' to explain why the rest of the Generation 1 cast was not present during the events of the series. The website timeline makes one further, rather ''bizarre'' claim that is ''not'' reflected in either the accompanying flowchart ''or'' the Kiss Players timeline, which is that the 2007 live-action movie takes place in the Japanese Generation 1 continuity in 2007. This seems...highly unlikely.

In addition to this serious working-over of the Generation 1 universe, the website timeline also took a moment to to retcon ''Galaxy Force'' back into the same timeline as ''Micron Legend'' and ''Superlink'' (as it had always been presented in the West). American fans who had spent a year whining about how Hasbro had totally ruined the show by ignoring the super-cool and awesome Japanese intent were promptly pointed and laughed at.

In addition to the above, nearly every Japanese TF franchise has had ancillary manga published in magazines such as ''Comics Bon-Bon''. The relationship between the manga and cartoons varied. For example, the manga associated with the first two years of ''Transformers'' (pre-movie) can easily fit into the cartoon continuity, but would not contribute much of substance to the timeline. Some of the later G1 manga, however, such as those associated with ''[[Masterforce (franchise)|Masterforce]]'' and ''[[Victory (franchise)|Victory]]'', contradict the cartoons bearing the same names.

==Continuity soup==
[[Image:Sparkholderprimevaldawn.jpg|right|thumb|225px|[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s spark isn't naked. It has decency.]]

With the labyrinth of branching and criss-crossing timelines, it can be difficult at times to say exactly what makes up the history of any given ''Transformers'' universe. Over and over through the history of the ''Transformers'' brand, stories have been written which both extend pre-existing stories and also "fill in" pre-existing stories, adding details and retcons big and small. These extensions may be written years or even decades after the stories from which they are descended. There may be multiple extensions which conflict with each other, written at different times by different people for different markets. ''Branching'' timelines, on their own, are not that difficult to keep straight, but the relationship between various ''Transformers'' stories is much more complex than that because of the way new stories will pick and choose elements from old stories. There are no real answers to the questions that arise from this practice. It becomes a very messy question of subjective tastes and opinions, leading to the idea of a [[personal canon]].

Consider the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' television series]]: It borrows elements from the American G1 cartoon and G1 comics. The past history of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon's timeline is a mishmash, something that probably resembles the G1 cartoon more than anything else, but which differs from the cartoon in unknown ways and may include more (or less) of what we see in the Marvel Comics. BW is set in a G1 universe for which we have never seen—and probably will never see—more than tiny glimpses of the "G1 part". The history of that universe ''is not known'', even though we presumably know its broad outline.

So, what significance does information from ''Beast Wars'', such as the idea of the [[spark]], hold for those older stories? Since being introduced in "[[The Spark]]", sparks have become one of the most important and unifying concepts in all ''Transformers'' fiction, yet fiction which predates ''Beast Wars'', of course, never mentions them. G1-era fiction which was written post-''Beast Wars'' almost always includes them. Retconning sparks into most vintage G1 fiction is not all that difficult, but should it be done? Obviously, the G1-esque universe in which the Beast series are set has sparks, but what about the ''actual'' G1 cartoon and comic universes? Do they have sparks? Does the G1 cartoon's future (and past) look like ''Beast Wars'' or like something else?

What if a new story instead claimed that its past was ''exactly'' like an old story rather than merely similar to it? The main storyline of the ''Universe'' and ''Wreckers'' comics is ostensibly set in the BW/BM cartoon continuity, happening alongside and immediately afterwards. Are revelations from ''Universe'' "true" in ''Beast Machines'', or is ''Universe'' actually set in a timeline which is identical to the BM timeline aside from those extra events occurring? Does your answer change when [[IDW Publishing]] releases a [[The Gathering|''Beast Wars'' comic]] which ''also'' claims to occur alongside the BW cartoon, but which cannot be reconciled with ''Universe''?

What do you do with something like the [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (comic)|''Classics'' comics]] published in the official fan club newsletter? Those stories are set in the future of the US G1 comic, except...that they ignore the UK G1 comic ''and'' the US G2 comic. According to G2, there is an [[Cybertronian Empire|offshoot race of Decepticons]] running around in space who have been away from Cybertron for millions of years. Is that still true in ''other'' offshoots of the G1 comic? Is [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] out there in ''Classics''-comics space somewhere, and simply not visiting, or does he not exist at all? He ''could'' exist...but there is no way to know.

The only objective way to deal with all of this would be to take a very strict viewpoint on every story and never assume that anything is "true" unless it is explicitly stated in that story. Taken to an extreme, though, this stance can make it impossible to declare ''any'' two stories to share continuity, even two sequential episodes of a given TV series. For all we know, the new episode is set in a universe closely parallel to that of the previous episode but a little different. We wouldn't want to ''assume'' that a scene which wasn't shown in the recap actually occurred, after all. Especially if there's a continuity glitch of some sort, like the dialog in a recap being slightly different than the dialog from the earlier episode. So an absolutist "only what they showed" viewpoint can't really work. There has to be ''some'' concession; even "I'm going to treat all the episodes of this series as if they are one big story" is a subjective decision, one which another fan may find too restrictive or too liberal (especially if two of those episodes directly contradict each other!).

==We...are family?==

Lastly, all of this means that it is difficult to tease out questions of which continuities are subsets of others, how closely related two different continuities are, etc. A significant example of this is the categorization of the various [[IDW]] and [[Movie (franchise)|Movie]] continuities. Both are clearly beholden to ''Generation 1'' in many ways, but are generally thought to be "further out" from the G1 "core" than most G1 continuities. Should they be considered new families or not? How do you quantify this? Do differences in physical form such as the movie's drastically different aesthetic make a difference? If so, should it also make a difference that most IDW characters have had their alt-modes altered slightly? What ratio of character rehashes to original characters is required to count as part of the old family instead of the start of a new one? What if, instead of a straight-up rehash, it's more of an amalgamation of a few old characters, as in the case of [[Frenzy (Movie)|''Movie'' Frenzy]]?

Again, the reader is referred to the article on continuity families, in particular the section [[Continuity family#Quibbles|"quibbles"]], for a brief explanation of the categorizations that have been adopted on this wiki.

[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:Continuities| ]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Continuity

2008-03-30T16:27:04Z

78.86.131.28: /* Major continuity families */

[[Image:Continuities.png|right|thumb|450px|Now you put all that in a blender and you get the [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|Japanese continuity]].]]

A '''continuity''' is a fictional universe or timeline that is characterized by recurring characters and settings and an internal consistency with regards to characterization and depicted events.

Typically, stories that are produced by a particular licensor (such as [[IDW]]) or in a particular form of media (such as comic books) are ''in continuity'' with each other, meaning that they are meant to all take place in the same "world".

This is not always the case, however. For example, the IDW comic [[Evolutions|''Transformers Evolutions'']] consists of stories that are explicitly set in different universes than the other IDW comics. IDW's own ''Beast Wars'' comics are also separate from their "main" continuity. The various [[coloring book]]s published by [[Marvel]] in the 1980s might all take place in the same universe as each other, but there are no direct ties between them, and they could easily each be [[Micro-continuity|"in their own little world]]."

Still, even in cases such as these, there are important similarities. Even though ''Evolutions''' first story, "[[Hearts of Steel]]," can't fit in the same story-world as ''[[Infiltration|Transformers: Infiltration]]'', they are alternate worlds in a relatively minor sense; the same Transformers characters are present in both, they just interact with Humanity at different points in time. Marvel's coloring books disagree on many points with the Marvel comic books, but they agree on many points as well. Thus, although the coloring books and the comics are not in continuity with each other, their similarities allow both to be categorized as being members of a [[Generation 1]] "[[continuity family]]".

==Multiverse==

More so than most science-fiction franchises, ''Transformers'' has been, from the very start, a collection of many varied continuities. Even before the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] premiered, there was the [[Generation 1 (Marvel comic)|Marvel comic series]] and an array of Marvel-produced storybooks which cannot be reconciled with each other, resulting in myriad [[micro-continuity|micro-continuities]]. There have been ''so many'' mutually exclusive Transformers continuities that a truly exhaustive list would be nearly impossible to complete. However, it is relatively easy to list the major continuity "families".

There is a subjective component to all of this, and each fan decides for themselves how "fine-grained" they want their own personal list of continuities to be. Ultimately, it could be argued that almost every story exists in its own exclusive continuity, even different stories that were clearly intended to be set in the same universe. For example, two episodes of the G1 cartoon series that make no explicit references to events in each other, but are both "descendants" of the episode "[[More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More Than Meets the Eye]]", could arguably exist in different universes. There may be no particular reason to assert that they don't share continuity, but there is also no clear internal evidence that the events of one affected the world of the other. They might conceivably be set in different branches of a timeline that started with MTMTE.

The most inclusive perspective is to consider all [[canon]]ical Transformers stories as existing within a multiverse which contains countless—perhaps infinite—alternate universes. Some of these universes are more closely related to each other than others, but they are all part of the same whole. This approach has been officially sanctioned in a number of stories, most notably ''[[Universe (franchise)|Transformers: Universe]]'' which takes the existence of an overall ''Transformers'' multiverse as the core of its story.

==Meta-continuity==
[[Image:TFUjailbreak.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Hey, there's Waldo!]]

The ''[[Universe (franchise)|Transformers: Universe]]'' franchise (sometimes referred to as "TFU") attempted to create an overarching structure to the ''Transformers'' multiverse. It was helmed, fiction-wise, by [[3H Productions]], who then held the license to run the official ''Transformers'' convention, [[BotCon]]. Convention fiction starting in the year 1997 was directly incorporated into ''Universe'', although it wasn't until [[BotCon 2002]] that the term ''Transformers: Expanded Universe'' appeared on a BotCon toy box, and the name was shortened to just ''Transformers: Universe'' afterwards. The [[Universe (toyline)|''Universe'' toyline]] eventually became the home of not just convention-exclusive toys, but also other repaints and store exclusives that were sold in normal retail outlets. The bios for the ''Universe'' characters were primarily the responsibility of 3H.

The ''Universe'' meta-continuity officially established the idea of a ''Transformers'' multiverse and pulled together many elements from other ''Transformers'' continuities, focusing heavily on variations of ''Beast Machines'' and ''Generation 1''. 3H's comic book series, ''Wreckers'' and ''Universe'', brought together characters from many parallel universes and are the primary sources of information about this meta-continuity. Character bios published in convention programs, fan club newsletters, and on the 3H and Hasbro websites also contribute.

Among other things, the ''Universe'' universe makes some reconciliation between conflicting origins for [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and the Transformers race that were presented in the G1 comics, G1 cartoon, and BM cartoon. It also incorporates the otherwise ignored sub-toylines ''[[Mutant (BW)|Beast Wars Mutants]]'' and ''[[Dinobots (toyline)|Dinobots]]'' into its fiction, and is the earliest example of a story that asserts (or implies) that there is only one [[Unicron]] who travels from one universe to another, rather than an infinite array of Unicrons in different universes.

[[Fun Publications]], the company that followed 3H in running the official convention and fan club, has since continued this approach. The Fan Club comic storyline "[[Balancing Act]]" takes place primarily during the ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' cartoon, but features a multiversal battle fought by characters culled from other continuities. The setting changes after an arc ends as characters migrate from continuity to continuity.

==Major continuity families==

At this time, there are five primary [[continuity family|continuity families]] in the ''Transformers'' multiverse. These are:

*'''[[Generation 1]]/[[Beast Era]]'''
*'''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'''
*the '''[[Unicron Trilogy]]'''
*the '''[[Movie (franchise)|2007 Transformers movie]]'''
*[[Transformers Animated]]

There is also a much less prominent continuity family centered on the Playskool [[Go-Bots (toyline)|Go-Bots toyline]]. Every (or nearly every) ''Transformers'' story can be easily fit into one of these families, even if its precise continuity can't be pinned down.

For further information about these continuity families and families in general, please see '''[[Continuity family]]'''.

==Prominent ''Generation 1'' continuities==

Within G1, there are an almost uncountable number of established alternate universes. Some of these continuities are extremely obscure, such as the timeline which houses [[Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth|the second Commodore 64 video game]]. On the other hand, the G1 cartoon is so widely known that even many members of the general public (i.e., not fans) would be familiar with it, and quite possibly be unaware that there even ''are'' other Transformers stories besides it and the 2007 live-action film.

Following is a ''very'' incomplete list showing only the most prominent G1 continuities and their relationships to each other. For the purposes of this list, only G1-proper will be considered, and not the extended-G1 that includes G2, MW, and the ''Beast'' series. Additionally, in keeping with {{SITENAME}}'s policy, the live-action film is not included, as it is treated as an independent continuity family rather than a part of G1.

*[[Generation 1 (cartoon)|Cartoons (American)]] - Three complete seasons of varying length, ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', and a 3-episode "fourth season". Probably the best known of all continuities.

*Cartoons (Japanese) - Includes the first three seasons of the American cartoons as well as three additional TV series, two OVAs and a [[manga]] series.

*[[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel US comics]] - Includes ''[[Generation 1 (comic)|Transformers]]'', ''[[Headmasters (comic)|Transformers: Headmasters]]'', and the character profile series ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]''. The comic book adaptation of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' is out of continuity with the other Marvel comics.

*Marvel UK comics - Includes the American comics as well as nearly 100% more material that was published exclusively in the UK until being reprinted internationally in the 2000s.

*[[Dreamwave continuity|Dreamwave G1 comics]] - A new continuity with much of the flavor of the original cartoon series, but a very different history. Includes the three "G1" volumes as well as three volumes of ''The War Within'' and a ''Micromasters'' miniseries.

*[[IDW continuity|IDW G1 comics]] - Yet another new continuity, based on earlier versions of G1 featuring classic characters but with some large revisions of premise. Begins with ''Transformers: Infiltration'', published in 2005, and continues through most (though not all) of IDW's Transformer miniseries.

==Unified Japanese continuities==

[[Image:Japaneseflowchart.jpg|right|thumb|450px|So ''that's'' where [[Machine Wars]] goes.]]
In Japan, every Transformers cartoon until the release of ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Car Robots]]'' (the original, Japanese title for ''Robots in Disguise'') can be somewhat easily fit into a single unified continuity, much like the unified American G1/Beast continuity. This includes the American G1 cartoon (minus Season 4, which Japan did not air) and Beast series as well as ''[[Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'', ''[[Masterforce]]'', ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'', ''[[Zone]]'', ''[[Beast Wars II]]'', and ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]''. In the 21st century, they also developed a fondness for new fiction that was retroactively inserted into available gaps in the G1 timeline, like [[Binaltech]], ''[[Kiss Players]]'' and ''[[Robot Masters]]''. Despite this additional story material, all of these stories fit together (save for Binaltech, which was spun off into its own alternate timeline as its story progressed).

In Japan, then, ''Car Robots'' was the first full reboot. Following CR, ''[[Micron Legend]]'' and ''[[Superlink]]'' were connected into a third major Japanese continuity, and then, as noted above, ''Galaxy Force'' started a fourth.

In 2007, [[TakaraTomy]] performed some significant retcons to their Generation 1 timeline, most visible in a [http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/table.html timeline] posted on their website (accompanied by a flowchart, at right), and ''much'' more extensively in [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|another one]] printed in the ''Kiss Players'' compilation book. The most significant aspect of this retcon was to insert ''Car Robots'' into the Generation 1 timeline, establishing that its characters came from the future and exploiting an unfinished manga from ''[[Super Robot Magazine]]'' to explain why the rest of the Generation 1 cast was not present during the events of the series. The website timeline makes one further, rather ''bizarre'' claim that is ''not'' reflected in either the accompanying flowchart ''or'' the Kiss Players timeline, which is that the 2007 live-action movie takes place in the Japanese Generation 1 continuity in 2007. This seems...highly unlikely.

In addition to this serious working-over of the Generation 1 universe, the website timeline also took a moment to to retcon ''Galaxy Force'' back into the same timeline as ''Micron Legend'' and ''Superlink'' (as it had always been presented in the West). American fans who had spent a year whining about how Hasbro had totally ruined the show by ignoring the super-cool and awesome Japanese intent were promptly pointed and laughed at.

In addition to the above, nearly every Japanese TF franchise has had ancillary manga published in magazines such as ''Comics Bon-Bon''. The relationship between the manga and cartoons varied. For example, the manga associated with the first two years of ''Transformers'' (pre-movie) can easily fit into the cartoon continuity, but would not contribute much of substance to the timeline. Some of the later G1 manga, however, such as those associated with ''[[Masterforce (franchise)|Masterforce]]'' and ''[[Victory (franchise)|Victory]]'', contradict the cartoons bearing the same names.

==Continuity soup==
[[Image:Sparkholderprimevaldawn.jpg|right|thumb|225px|[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s spark isn't naked. It has decency.]]

With the labyrinth of branching and criss-crossing timelines, it can be difficult at times to say exactly what makes up the history of any given ''Transformers'' universe. Over and over through the history of the ''Transformers'' brand, stories have been written which both extend pre-existing stories and also "fill in" pre-existing stories, adding details and retcons big and small. These extensions may be written years or even decades after the stories from which they are descended. There may be multiple extensions which conflict with each other, written at different times by different people for different markets. ''Branching'' timelines, on their own, are not that difficult to keep straight, but the relationship between various ''Transformers'' stories is much more complex than that because of the way new stories will pick and choose elements from old stories. There are no real answers to the questions that arise from this practice. It becomes a very messy question of subjective tastes and opinions, leading to the idea of a [[personal canon]].

Consider the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' television series]]: It borrows elements from the American G1 cartoon and G1 comics. The past history of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon's timeline is a mishmash, something that probably resembles the G1 cartoon more than anything else, but which differs from the cartoon in unknown ways and may include more (or less) of what we see in the Marvel Comics. BW is set in a G1 universe for which we have never seen—and probably will never see—more than tiny glimpses of the "G1 part". The history of that universe ''is not known'', even though we presumably know its broad outline.

So, what significance does information from ''Beast Wars'', such as the idea of the [[spark]], hold for those older stories? Since being introduced in "[[The Spark]]", sparks have become one of the most important and unifying concepts in all ''Transformers'' fiction, yet fiction which predates ''Beast Wars'', of course, never mentions them. G1-era fiction which was written post-''Beast Wars'' almost always includes them. Retconning sparks into most vintage G1 fiction is not all that difficult, but should it be done? Obviously, the G1-esque universe in which the Beast series are set has sparks, but what about the ''actual'' G1 cartoon and comic universes? Do they have sparks? Does the G1 cartoon's future (and past) look like ''Beast Wars'' or like something else?

What if a new story instead claimed that its past was ''exactly'' like an old story rather than merely similar to it? The main storyline of the ''Universe'' and ''Wreckers'' comics is ostensibly set in the BW/BM cartoon continuity, happening alongside and immediately afterwards. Are revelations from ''Universe'' "true" in ''Beast Machines'', or is ''Universe'' actually set in a timeline which is identical to the BM timeline aside from those extra events occurring? Does your answer change when [[IDW Publishing]] releases a [[The Gathering|''Beast Wars'' comic]] which ''also'' claims to occur alongside the BW cartoon, but which cannot be reconciled with ''Universe''?

What do you do with something like the [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (comic)|''Classics'' comics]] published in the official fan club newsletter? Those stories are set in the future of the US G1 comic, except...that they ignore the UK G1 comic ''and'' the US G2 comic. According to G2, there is an [[Cybertronian Empire|offshoot race of Decepticons]] running around in space who have been away from Cybertron for millions of years. Is that still true in ''other'' offshoots of the G1 comic? Is [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] out there in ''Classics''-comics space somewhere, and simply not visiting, or does he not exist at all? He ''could'' exist...but there is no way to know.

The only objective way to deal with all of this would be to take a very strict viewpoint on every story and never assume that anything is "true" unless it is explicitly stated in that story. Taken to an extreme, though, this stance can make it impossible to declare ''any'' two stories to share continuity, even two sequential episodes of a given TV series. For all we know, the new episode is set in a universe closely parallel to that of the previous episode but a little different. We wouldn't want to ''assume'' that a scene which wasn't shown in the recap actually occurred, after all. Especially if there's a continuity glitch of some sort, like the dialog in a recap being slightly different than the dialog from the earlier episode. So an absolutist "only what they showed" viewpoint can't really work. There has to be ''some'' concession; even "I'm going to treat all the episodes of this series as if they are one big story" is a subjective decision, one which another fan may find too restrictive or too liberal (especially if two of those episodes directly contradict each other!).

==We...are family?==

Lastly, all of this means that it is difficult to tease out questions of which continuities are subsets of others, how closely related two different continuities are, etc. A significant example of this is the categorization of the various [[IDW]] and [[Movie (franchise)|Movie]] continuities. Both are clearly beholden to ''Generation 1'' in many ways, but are generally thought to be "further out" from the G1 "core" than most G1 continuities. Should they be considered new families or not? How do you quantify this? Do differences in physical form such as the movie's drastically different aesthetic make a difference? If so, should it also make a difference that most IDW characters have had their alt-modes altered slightly? What ratio of character rehashes to original characters is required to count as part of the old family instead of the start of a new one? What if, instead of a straight-up rehash, it's more of an amalgamation of a few old characters, as in the case of [[Frenzy (Movie)|''Movie'' Frenzy]]?

Again, the reader is referred to the article on continuity families, in particular the section [[Continuity family#Quibbles|"quibbles"]], for a brief explanation of the categorizations that have been adopted on this wiki.

[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:Continuities| ]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2008-03-29T20:37:36Z

78.86.131.28: /* Quotes */

{{episodenav|animated|14|season=1|prev=Nature Calls|next=Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marsha Griffin]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ciro Nieli]], & [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
*'''Original airdate:''' March 29, 2008

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (11)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (10)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (15)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (14)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (4)
* [[Lugnut|Lugnut]] (5)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (3)

|}

==Quotes==
"'' Decepticon?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot." 
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

'''Lugnut''': "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!" 
'''Starscream''': "Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction?" 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "Technical glitch. It happens." 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "A lot, actually! Ahahahahaaaa!" 
'''Lugnut''': "It's ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!" 
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL-...''saw'' it myself."
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''', master of deception.

'''Megatron''': "Look what the capacitor dragged in." 
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Alive? And looking...magnificent, as always." 
'''Megatron''': "Starscream. How good it is to be reunited with such a ''devoted'' and ''faithful'' subject in my time of need." 
'''Starscream''': "I would have come sooner, o grand and illustrious leader, but naturally we all assumed you perished at the hands of the Autobot scum. What...great...joy to discover you did not." 
'''Megatron''': "Yes. Delight is written all over your face."
:{{m-}}'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' exchange warm and heartfelt pleasantries.

==Other notes==
*Note

===Continuity errors===
*Error

===Transformers references===

*When Bumblebee arrives at Sumdac towers and notices Starscream it looks like an exact replica from the '86 movie in which Hot Rod saw Starscream and the Decepticons through a hole in the Shuttle on the way to Autobot City

===Real-world references===
*Ref

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Trivia

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2008-03-29T19:06:30Z

78.86.131.28: /* Featured characters */

{{episodenav|animated|14|season=1|prev=Nature Calls|next=Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marsha Griffin]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ciro Nieli]], & [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
*'''Original airdate:''' March 29, 2008

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (11)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (10)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (15)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (14)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (4)
* [[Lugnut|Lugnut]] (5)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (3)

|}

==Quotes==
"'' Decepticon?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot." 
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

'''Lugnut''': "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!" 
'''Starscream''': "Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction?" 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "Technical glitch. It happens." 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "A lot, actually! Ahahahahaaaa!" 
'''Lugnut''': "It's ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!" 
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL-...''saw'' it myself."
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''', master of deception.

==Other notes==
*Note

===Continuity errors===
*Error

===Transformers references===

*When Bumblebee arrives at Sumdac towers and notices Starscream it looks like an exact replica from the '86 movie in which Hot Rod saw Starscream and the Decepticons through a hole in the Shuttle on the way to Autobot City

===Real-world references===
*Ref

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Trivia

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2008-03-29T19:00:30Z

78.86.131.28: /* Stats */

{{episodenav|animated|14|season=1|prev=Nature Calls|next=Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marsha Griffin]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ciro Nieli]], & [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
*'''Original airdate:''' March 29, 2008

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (6)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (8)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (9)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)
* [[Lugnut|Lugnut]] (12)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (14)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (15)

|}

==Quotes==
"'' Decepticon?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot." 
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

'''Lugnut''': "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!" 
'''Starscream''': "Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction?" 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "Technical glitch. It happens." 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "A lot, actually! Ahahahahaaaa!" 
'''Lugnut''': "It's ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!" 
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL-...''saw'' it myself."
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''', master of deception.

==Other notes==
*Note

===Continuity errors===
*Error

===Transformers references===

*When Bumblebee arrives at Sumdac towers and notices Starscream it looks like an exact replica from the '86 movie in which Hot Rod saw Starscream and the Decepticons through a hole in the Shuttle on the way to Autobot City

===Real-world references===
*Ref

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Trivia

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

List of Transformers Animated episodes

2008-03-29T18:58:56Z

78.86.131.28: /* Season 1: 2007–? */

==Season 1: 2007–?==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; width: 100%;"
|-
!#!!Title!!Writer!!Director!!Original airdate!!Production code
{{Episode list
|Title="[[Transform and Roll Out!#Part 1|Transform and Roll Out! (Part One)]]"
|EpisodeNumber=1
|OriginalAirDate=December 26, 2007
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]], [[Minoru Yamaoka]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and his small crew of [[Autobot]]s come into possession of the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]], a powerful [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian artifact that attracts the attention of their long-forgotten enemies—the [[Decepticon]]s—and sends them crashing to a strange and distant planet known as [[Earth]].
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Transform and Roll Out!#Part 2|Transform and Roll Out! (Part Two)]]"
|EpisodeNumber=2
|OriginalAirDate=December 26, 2007
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]], [[Minoru Yamaoka]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Transform and Roll Out!#Part 3|Transform and Roll Out! (Part Three)]]"
|EpisodeNumber=3
|OriginalAirDate=December 26, 2007
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]], [[Minoru Yamaoka]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"
|EpisodeNumber=4
|OriginalAirDate=January 5, 2008
|Aux1=[[Michael Ryan]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The Autobots settle into their new home base, an abandoned automobile manufacturing plant, but the ancient assembly line machinery seems to have developed a mind of its own.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Total Meltdown]]"
|EpisodeNumber=5
|OriginalAirDate=January 19, 2008
|Aux1=[[Rich Fogel]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Naoto Hashimoto]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=A bio-engineering genius experiments with some of [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s hydraulic fluid and accidentally transforms himself into [[Prometheus Black|Meltdown]], whose corrosive touch can melt anything—including Autobots!
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Blast from the Past]]"
|EpisodeNumber=6
|OriginalAirDate=January 12, 2008
|Aux1=[[Kevin Hopps]]
|Aux2=[[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ben Jones]], [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=[[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] upgrades a trio of animatronic dinosaurs from a local theme park, but the creatures develop minds of their own and become rampaging [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]]s, bent on destroying the Autobots.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]"
|EpisodeNumber=7
|OriginalAirDate=January 19, 2008
|Aux1=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|Aux2=[[Derrick J. Wyatt]], [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=While the Autobots encounter a [[Lockdown|mysterious muscle car]] creating havoc in [[Detroit]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] keeps flashing back to his "tour of duty" in the [[Great War|Great Autobot-Decepticon War]].
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]"
|EpisodeNumber=8
|OriginalAirDate=January 26, 2008
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Bumblebee's self-proclaimed title as "fastest thing on wheels" is threatened by [[Nanosec]], a super speedster crook on a deadly mission that could destroy all of Detroit.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Along Came a Spider]]"
|EpisodeNumber=9
|OriginalAirDate=February 16, 2008
|Aux1=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|Aux2=[[Matt Youngberg]], [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]'s first Halloween turns even spookier when they encounter a giant spider that turns out to be the deadly Decepticon [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]].
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Sound and Fury]]"
|EpisodeNumber=10
|OriginalAirDate=February 23, 2008
|Aux1=[[Henry Gilroy]]
|Aux2=[[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=[[Sari]]'s new [[Soundwave (Animated)|toy musical robot]] seems to have an evil streak—and the ability to control other machines—but Bulkhead is the only one who sees it.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Lost and Found (Animated episode)|Lost and Found]]"
|EpisodeNumber=11
|OriginalAirDate= March 1, 2008
|Aux1=[[Rich Fogel]]
|Aux2=[[Irineo Maramba]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The Autobots clash with Decepticons [[Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], who come to Earth searching for their missing leader, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Survival of the Fittest]]"
|EpisodeNumber=12
|OriginalAirDate=March 8, 2008
|Aux1=[[Steven Granat]]
|Aux2=[[Irineo Maramba]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Sari is kidnapped and the evidence points to the Dinobots. So [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and Bulkhead head to a mysterious island to investigate—with a highly suspicious [[Captain Fanzone]] on their tail.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster]]"
|EpisodeNumber=13
|OriginalAirDate=March 15, 2008
|Aux1=[[Michael Ryan]]
|Aux2=[[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=A [[Headmaster (Animated)|disgruntled Sumdac employee]] seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Nature Calls]]"
|EpisodeNumber=14
|OriginalAirDate=March 22, 2008
|Aux1=[[Todd Casey]]
|Aux2=[[Ben Jones]], [[Bouakeo Thongkham]], [[Shunji Oga]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious energy signal.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Megatron Rising - Part One]]"
|EpisodeNumber=15
|OriginalAirDate=March 29, 2008
|Aux1=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|Aux2=[[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ciro Nieli]], [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]"
|EpisodeNumber=16
|OriginalAirDate=April 5, 2008
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The Autobots are decimated by the Decepticon invasion, but still must rally to prevent the All Spark from falling into their clutches.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[The Elite Guard]]"
|EpisodeNumber=17
|OriginalAirDate=April 12, 2008
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] arrives on Earth to retrieve the All Spark and relieve Prime and his crew of their post, but they prove less than adept at blending in with the human world.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Return of the Headmaster]]"
|EpisodeNumber=18
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] after Sentinel has a humiliating and potentially fatal encounter with the Headmaster.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Mission Accomplished]]"
|EpisodeNumber=19
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Convinced there are no Decepticons left on Earth, the Elite Guard prepares to take Optimus Prime and his crew back to Cybertron, unaware of the increasing Decepticon activity taking place under their very noses.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]"
|EpisodeNumber=20
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=All Spark energy turns a junk pile into a [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|sentient robot]] who tries to help the Autobots, but ends up doing more harm than good.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Velocity]]"
|EpisodeNumber=21
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Investigating a mysterious race car, Bumblebee gets involved with an illegal underground street racing circuit, which also captures the attention of the Decepticons.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Rise of the Constructicons]]"
|EpisodeNumber=22
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Bulkhead befriends a pair of [[Constructicon (Animated)|construction vehicles]] brought to life by All Spark energy. But the Decepticons have their scanners set on the duo for their latest construction project.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[A Fistful of Energon]]"
|EpisodeNumber=23
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[S.U.V. - Society of Ultimate Villainy]]"
|EpisodeNumber=24
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Aided by a mysterious benefactor, Detroit's B-level villains team up to take down the Autobots once and for all.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Autoboot Camp]]"
|EpisodeNumber=25
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=On the trail of an escaped Autobot traitor, Bumblebee flashes back to a previous encounter with the traitor when he first met Bulkhead in Autobot Boot Camp.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday]]"
|EpisodeNumber=26
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Blackarachnia enlists Prometheus Black, also known as Meltdown, to aid her with a dangerous experiment, while Prime and [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] are forced to team up to stop them.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[Sari, No One's Home]]"
|EpisodeNumber=27
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=Left alone in the Autobots' home base, Sari must defend it against an intrusion by the Constructicons.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[A Bridge Too Close, Part One]]"
|EpisodeNumber=28
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The Decepticons kidnap Bulkhead to aid in [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] ultimate plan to take over Cybertron.
}}

{{Episode list
|Title="[[A Bridge Too Close, Part Two]]"
|EpisodeNumber=29
|OriginalAirDate=
|Aux1=
|Aux2=
|ProdCode=
|ShortSummary=The fates of Cybertron and Earth lie in the balance as Optimus Prime and his Autobots battle Megatron and his Decepticons in a fight to the finish and the fight for the Allspark.
}}
|}

[[Category: Animated episodes| ]]
[[Category:Episode lists|Animated]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2008-03-29T18:55:19Z

78.86.131.28: /* Quotes */

{{episodenav|animated|14|season=1|prev=Nature Calls|next=Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marsha Griffin]]
*'''Directed by:'''
*'''Original airdate:''' March 29, 2008

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (6)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (8)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (9)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)
* [[Lugnut|Lugnut]] (12)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (14)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (15)

|}

==Quotes==
"'' Decepticon?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot." 
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

'''Lugnut''': "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!" 
'''Starscream''': "Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction?" 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "Technical glitch. It happens." 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "A lot, actually! Ahahahahaaaa!" 
'''Lugnut''': "It's ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!" 
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL-...''saw'' it myself."
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''', master of deception.

==Other notes==
*Note

===Continuity errors===
*Error

===Transformers references===

*When Bumblebee arrives at Sumdac towers and notices Starscream it looks like an exact replica from the '86 movie in which Hot Rod saw Starscream and the Decepticons through a hole in the Shuttle on the way to Autobot City

===Real-world references===
*Ref

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Trivia

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2008-03-29T18:54:59Z

78.86.131.28: /* Quotes */

{{episodenav|animated|14|season=1|prev=Nature Calls|next=Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marsha Griffin]]
*'''Directed by:'''
*'''Original airdate:''' March 29, 2008

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (6)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (8)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (9)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)
* [[Lugnut|Lugnut]] (12)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (14)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (15)

|}

==Quotes==
"'' Decepticon?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot." 
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

'''Lugnut''': "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!" 
'''Starscream''': "Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction?" 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "Technical glitch. It happens." 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "A lot, actually! Ahahahahaaaa!" 
'''Lugnut''': "It's ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!" 
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL-...''saw'' it myself."
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''', master of deceeption.

==Other notes==
*Note

===Continuity errors===
*Error

===Transformers references===

*When Bumblebee arrives at Sumdac towers and notices Starscream it looks like an exact replica from the '86 movie in which Hot Rod saw Starscream and the Decepticons through a hole in the Shuttle on the way to Autobot City

===Real-world references===
*Ref

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Trivia

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Nature Calls

2008-03-24T16:33:51Z

78.86.131.28: /* Quotes */

{{episodenav|animated|14|season=1|prev=Headmaster (episode)|next=Megatron Rising, Part One}}

[[Image:spacebarnaclemonster.jpg|300px|right|thumb| Jinkies! It's the Tar Monster!]]
'''Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious energy signal.'''

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

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Todd Casey]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Bouakeo Thongkham]], & [[Shunji Oga]]
*'''Original airdate:''' March 22, 2008
*'''Animation studio:''' [[The Answer Studio]]

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (1)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's Body]] (5)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (6)

|}

==Quotes==
'''Bumblebee''': You said to pack the bare essentials! 
'''Prowl''': Since when are surround-sound speakers, a strobe light, and a hand-held media player "bare essentials?" 
'''Bumblebee''': You should've seen what I left back at the plant. 
'''Prowl''': Where did you find room for all of this junk? 
''[Bumblebee taps his fingers uncomfortably]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': [[Exhaust port|I'd...rather not say.]] 
:{{m-}}'''Bumblebee''' and '''Prowl'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s conversation takes a decidedly uncomfortable turn.

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

'''Bumblebee''': Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?! 
''[Creature swipes at Bumblebee and Sari]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay. Maybe we're a little unclear on the concept of "your own size". 
'''Sari''': Maybe you should stop talking logic to a ''creature that has no head!'' 
:{{m-}}'''Bumblebee''' and '''Sari'''.

"What did I tell you about camping? ''Monsters''. TV is ''always'' right." 
"So, wait. Monsters ''are'' real? Tutor Bot is such a liar!" 
:{{m-}}'''Bumblebee'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s faith in [[Television]] is reinforced, while '''Sari Sumdac'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s faith in [[Tutor Bot]] is shattered.

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

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

"Megatron will be so surprised!" 
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' cheerfully dooming us all.

==Other notes==
===Continuity errors===
* If space barnacles are killed by heat, how did any survive atmospheric entry?

===Transformers references===
[[Image:aniconstructionvehicles.jpg|right|thumb|150px|They're so [[neon]].]]

* The construction drones are [[Constructicons (G1)|green and purple.]] [[Constructicons (Animated)|Foreshadowing]] [[Scrapper (Animated)|much]]?

* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] body ends up in the [[Megatron (Movie)|deep freeze.]]

[[Image:anisparkplugwitwicky.jpg|right|thumb|150px|This kind of stuff never happened in [[Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma|Burma]]...]]

* The construction worker looks very [[Sparkplug Witwicky|familiar.]] (He's only credited as "Worker," and is voiced by [[Bumper Robinson]].)

* Bumblebee's combined stinger attack also [[Cheetor (BW)|rings a few bells]].

* Sari remarks that Bumblebee has no heater. Remember that 'Bee took his alternate mode from [[Captain Fanzone]]'s car... and if ''any'' car in Detroit would be old and decrepit and lacking basic amenities, it'd be Fanzone's.

===Real-world references===
* There are actually [[wikipedia:barnacle|barnacles ''not'' from space]]. Neat, huh?

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* So... what happened to that mine worker, anyway?

* Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Megatron, while mentioned, make no appearances in this episode.

* Tutor Bot is mentioned, and in the voice credits for the episode, but does not actually appear.

*...[[Tom Kenny|space barnacles?]]

* Why didn't Sari get scalded by hot water when she soaked Prowl and 'Bee?

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-20T02:27:38Z

78.86.131.28: /* Miscellaneous trivia */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]

==Synopsis==
[[Image:No pun intended.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Henry Masterson, master of the Headmaster.]]
On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. Sumdac is horrified, however, when he realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation. When the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, the Professor is understandably furious and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot. Bulkhead hopes it will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but it's going rather less well than he might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact. His success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].
[[Image:Daniel and robot.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Scarred for life.]]
Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills. He remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.
[[Image:Rock em'.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rock 'em, Sock 'em Sumdac.]]
Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz [[:Image:Rock_'em_an'_sock_'em,_Rhinox.jpg|Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots]] to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV and hits upon his solution. Indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!" When he awakens, he discovers, to his considerable distress, that he is nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.
[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|right|thumb|200px|I know why the caged Bulkhead sings.]]
Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. After taking the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show. However, 'Bee manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, then tries to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts. All of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant. Furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse thoroughly enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city — and Sumdac Systems — even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to find instead the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] finally to reunite Bulkhead's head with his body. Unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene. Pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot. Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to assemble hastily a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stabilise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a pep talk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

''[Bulkhead is painting a picture while Bumblebee poses for him]'' 
'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
'''Ratchet''': You ask me, it's all a waste of time. No 'bot ever saved anyone with art. 
'''Bulkhead''': I'm not trying to save anyone. I just...I don't know...trying to express how I feel." 
''[Bulkhead's paintbrush snaps, and he wrecks the picture in rage]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I'm guessing you're feeling anger?"
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring." 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I believe the phrase is: "Total Ownage, n00b."" 
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''', mocking Masterson with his own slang

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in "[[Blast from the Past]]".

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series and has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel. Fortunately, this reference is taken no further, so at no point does he make out with anyone on Bumblebee's hood.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in "[[Sound and Fury]]".

* [[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. Although the woman who comforts him is listed in the end credits as "Mother," she does not use the same [[character model]] as the woman resembling [[Carly Witwicky]] who appeared in "[[Transform and Roll Out!]]".

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head ending up as a sort of backpack.

*When the fusion core is about to explode, Optimus volunteers to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother]]''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

* When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.

* This episode is notable in that Sari does not abuse her key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

* Sari's key has, on an number of occasions, been shown to have the power to give sentient life to previously [[Spark]]-less automatons, notably [[Dinobot (Animated)|the Dinobots]] and [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. Sari used the key on the sculpture robot they sent in to sacrifice itself, which makes some fans think it may have been truly alive. On the other hand, Sari has used the key on countless other unsophisticated machines (and a few semi-sophisticated ones like Tutor-Bot) that apparently did not gain sentience. Also, the two times keyed robots ''have'' gained Sparks, they were reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology designed by Megatron; the former with an unusual burst of makeshift EMP mixed into the Key energy, the latter specifically designed to evolve through ''multiple'' uses of the key. These facts suggest that the sculpture robot may not have been a sentient being either. It's debatable--maybe we'll get an official explanation at a Botcon panel some time.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-20T02:18:42Z

78.86.131.28: /* Synopsis */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]

==Synopsis==
[[Image:No pun intended.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Henry Masterson, master of the Headmaster.]]
On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. Sumdac is horrified, however, when he realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation. When the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, the Professor is understandably furious and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot. Bulkhead hopes it will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but it's going rather less well than he might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact. His success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].
[[Image:Daniel and robot.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Scarred for life.]]
Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills. He remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.
[[Image:Rock em'.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rock 'em, Sock 'em Sumdac.]]
Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz [[:Image:Rock_'em_an'_sock_'em,_Rhinox.jpg|Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots]] to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV and hits upon his solution. Indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!" When he awakens, he discovers, to his considerable distress, that he is nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.
[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|right|thumb|200px|I know why the caged Bulkhead sings.]]
Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. After taking the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show. However, 'Bee manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, then tries to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts. All of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant. Furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse thoroughly enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city — and Sumdac Systems — even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to find instead the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] finally to reunite Bulkhead's head with his body. Unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene. Pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot. Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to assemble hastily a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stabilise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a pep talk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

''[Bulkhead is painting a picture while Bumblebee poses for him]'' 
'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
'''Ratchet''': You ask me, it's all a waste of time. No 'bot ever saved anyone with art. 
'''Bulkhead''': I'm not trying to save anyone. I just...I don't know...trying to express how I feel." 
''[Bulkhead's paintbrush snaps, and he wrecks the picture in rage]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I'm guessing you're feeling anger?"
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring." 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I believe the phrase is: "Total Ownage, n00b."" 
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''', mocking Masterson with his own slang

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in "[[Blast from the Past]]".

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series and has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel. Fortunately, this reference is taken no further, so at no point does he make out with anyone on Bumblebee's hood.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in "[[Sound and Fury]]".

* [[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. Although the woman who comforts him is listed in the end credits as "Mother," she does not use the same [[character model]] as the woman resembling [[Carly Witwicky]] who appeared in "[[Transform and Roll Out!]]".

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head ending up as a sort of backpack.

*When the fusion core is about to explode, Optimus volunteers to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother]]''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

* When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.

* This episode is notable in that Sari does not abuse her key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

* Sari's key has so far been shown to give life to unliving robots, such as [[Dinobot (Animated)|the Dinobots]] and [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. Sari used the key on the sculpture robot they sent in to sacrifice itself, which makes some fans think it may have been alive. On the other hand, Sari has used the key on countless other unsophisticated machines (and a few semi-sophisticated ones like Tutor-Bot) that apparently did not come alive. Also, the two times keyed robots ''have'' come alive, they were reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology designed by Megatron; the former with an unusual burst of makeshift EMP mixed into the Key energy, the latter specifically designed to evolve through ''multiple'' uses of the key. These facts suggest that the sculpture robot may not have been alive either. It's debatable--maybe we'll get an official explanation at a Botcon panel some time.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-20T02:10:14Z

78.86.131.28: /* Miscellaneous trivia */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]

==Synopsis==
[[Image:No pun intended.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Henry Masterson, master of the Headmaster.]]
On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. When Sumdac realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation, he is horrified. When the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, he is furious and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot. Bulkhead hopes it will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, it's going rather less well than he might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact. His success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].
[[Image:Daniel and robot.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Scarred for life.]]
Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills. He remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.
[[Image:Rock em'.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rock 'em, Sock 'em Sumdac.]]
Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz [[:Image:Rock_'em_an'_sock_'em,_Rhinox.jpg|Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots]] to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV and hits upon his solution. Indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!" When he awakens, he discovers, to his considerable distress, that he is nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.
[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|right|thumb|200px|I know why the caged Bulkhead sings.]]
Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. After taking the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show. However, 'Bee manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, then tries to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts. All of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant. Furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles—actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse thoroughly enough to reveal his true intention: He's going to renege on the deal and destroy the city—and Sumdac Systems—even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to find instead the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] finally to reunite Bulkhead's head with his body. Unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene. Pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot. Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to assemble hastily a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stabilise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a pep talk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

''[Bulkhead is painting a picture while Bumblebee poses for him]'' 
'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
'''Ratchet''': You ask me, it's all a waste of time. No 'bot ever saved anyone with art. 
'''Bulkhead''': I'm not trying to save anyone. I just...I don't know...trying to express how I feel." 
''[Bulkhead's paintbrush snaps, and he wrecks the picture in rage]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I'm guessing you're feeling anger?"
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring." 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I believe the phrase is: "Total Ownage, n00b."" 
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''', mocking Masterson with his own slang

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in "[[Blast from the Past]]".

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series and has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel. Fortunately, this reference is taken no further, so at no point does he make out with anyone on Bumblebee's hood.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in "[[Sound and Fury]]".

* [[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. Although the woman who comforts him is listed in the end credits as "Mother," she does not use the same [[character model]] as the woman resembling [[Carly Witwicky]] who appeared in "[[Transform and Roll Out!]]".

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head ending up as a sort of backpack.

*When the fusion core is about to explode, Optimus volunteers to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother]]''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

* When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.

* This episode is notable in that Sari does not abuse her key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

* Sari's key has so far been shown to give life to unliving robots, such as [[Dinobot (Animated)|the Dinobots]] and [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. Sari used the key on the sculpture robot they sent in to sacrifice itself, which makes some fans think it may have been alive. On the other hand, Sari has used the key on countless other unsophisticated machines (and a few semi-sophisticated ones like Tutor-Bot) that apparently did not come alive. Also, the two times keyed robots ''have'' come alive, they were reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology designed by Megatron; the former with an unusual burst of makeshift EMP mixed into the Key energy, the latter specifically designed to evolve through ''multiple'' uses of the key. These facts suggest that the sculpture robot may not have been alive either. It's debatable--maybe we'll get an official explanation at a Botcon panel some time.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-17T01:49:00Z

78.86.131.28: /* Transformers references */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]
==Synopsis==

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. When Sumdac realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation, he is horrified; when the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, he is furious, and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot that he hopes will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but one that is going rather less well than Bulkhead might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact; his success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills; he remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash, and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV, and hits upon his solution; indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser, and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!"; when he awakens, he is, to his considerable distress, nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. Having taken the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show; 'Bee, however, manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, before trying to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts; all of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant; furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse completely enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city - and Sumdac Systems - even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to instead find the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] to finally reunite Bulkhead's head with his body; unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene; pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot; Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly-developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to hastily assemble a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stablise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a peptalk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring. 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==
*

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in [[Blast from the Past]].

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series & has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Awesome. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel. Fortunately, this reference is taken no further, so at no point does he make out with anyone on Bumblebee's hood.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in [[Sound and Fury]].

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. His mother has her first speaking role in the series, as well. Or maybe she's just some random woman.

* In their endless generosity, the Autobots send an [[B.O.T. (robot)|innocent cobbled together robot]] in to do their explosive, suicidal dirty work.

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head on as a sort of backpack.

*When the core of the Fusion core was about to explode, Optimus volunteered to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Whistler's Mother]]''.

* The original Headmaster unit bears a striking resemblance to the Jet Pilder from ''Mazinger Z''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

*When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image, with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, however... but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
* This episode is the first one were Sari did not abuse the key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-17T01:46:56Z

78.86.131.28: /* Continuity errors */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]
==Synopsis==

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. When Sumdac realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation, he is horrified; when the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, he is furious, and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot that he hopes will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but one that is going rather less well than Bulkhead might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact; his success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills; he remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash, and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV, and hits upon his solution; indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser, and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!"; when he awakens, he is, to his considerable distress, nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. Having taken the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show; 'Bee, however, manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, before trying to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts; all of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant; furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse completely enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city - and Sumdac Systems - even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to instead find the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] to finally reunite Bulkhead's head with his body; unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene; pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot; Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly-developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to hastily assemble a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stablise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a peptalk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring. 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==
*

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in [[Blast from the Past]].

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series & has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Awesome. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in [[Sound and Fury]].

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. His mother has her first speaking role in the series, as well. Or maybe she's just some random woman.

* In their endless generosity, the Autobots send an [[B.O.T. (robot)|innocent cobbled together robot]] in to do their explosive, suicidal dirty work.

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head on as a sort of backpack.

*When the core of the Fusion core was about to explode, Optimus volunteered to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Whistler's Mother]]''.

* The original Headmaster unit bears a striking resemblance to the Jet Pilder from ''Mazinger Z''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

*When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image, with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, however... but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
* This episode is the first one were Sari did not abuse the key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-17T01:43:48Z

78.86.131.28: /* Synopsis */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]
==Synopsis==

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. When Sumdac realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation, he is horrified; when the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, he is furious, and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot that he hopes will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but one that is going rather less well than Bulkhead might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact; his success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills; he remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash, and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV, and hits upon his solution; indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser, and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!"; when he awakens, he is, to his considerable distress, nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. Having taken the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show; 'Bee, however, manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, before trying to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts; all of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant; furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse completely enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city - and Sumdac Systems - even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to instead find the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] to finally reunite Bulkhead's head with his body; unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene; pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot; Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly-developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to hastily assemble a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stablise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a peptalk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring. 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==
*

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)]] totally crushed it in [[Blast from the Past]].

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series & has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Awesome. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in [[Sound and Fury]].

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. His mother has her first speaking role in the series, as well. Or maybe she's just some random woman.

* In their endless generosity, the Autobots send an [[B.O.T. (robot)|innocent cobbled together robot]] in to do their explosive, suicidal dirty work.

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head on as a sort of backpack.

*When the core of the Fusion core was about to explode, Optimus volunteered to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Whistler's Mother]]''.

* The original Headmaster unit bears a striking resemblance to the Jet Pilder from ''Mazinger Z''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

*When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image, with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, however... but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
* This episode is the first one were Sari did not abuse the key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-17T01:43:00Z

78.86.131.28: /* Synopsis */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]
==Synopsis==

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. When Sumdac realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation, he is horrified; when the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, he is furious, and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot that he hopes will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but one that is going rather less well than Bulkhead might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact; his success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills; he remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash, and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV, and hits upon his solution; indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser, and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!"; when he awakens, he is, to his considerable distress, nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. Having taken the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show; 'Bee, however, manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, before trying to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts; all of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begin to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant; furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse completely enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city - and Sumdac Systems - even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to instead find the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] to finally reunite Bulkhead's head with his body; unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene; pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot; Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly-developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to hastily assemble a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stablise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a peptalk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring. 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==
*

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)]] totally crushed it in [[Blast from the Past]].

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series & has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Awesome. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in [[Sound and Fury]].

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. His mother has her first speaking role in the series, as well. Or maybe she's just some random woman.

* In their endless generosity, the Autobots send an [[B.O.T. (robot)|innocent cobbled together robot]] in to do their explosive, suicidal dirty work.

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head on as a sort of backpack.

*When the core of the Fusion core was about to explode, Optimus volunteered to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Whistler's Mother]]''.

* The original Headmaster unit bears a striking resemblance to the Jet Pilder from ''Mazinger Z''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

*When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image, with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, however... but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
* This episode is the first one were Sari did not abuse the key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-17T01:40:21Z

78.86.131.28: /* Synopsis */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]
==Synopsis==

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. When Sumdac realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation, he is horrified; when the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, he is furious, and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot that he hopes will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but one that is going rather less well than Bulkhead might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact; his success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills; he remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash, and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV, and hits upon his solution; indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser, and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!"; when he awakens, he is, to his considerable distress, nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. Having taken the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show; 'Bee, however, manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, before trying to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts; all of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor-Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begin to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant; furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse completely enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city - and Sumdac Systems - even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to instead find the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] to finally reunite Bulkhead's head with his body; unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene; pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot; Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly-developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to hastily assemble a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stablise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a peptalk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring. 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==
*

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)]] totally crushed it in [[Blast from the Past]].

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series & has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Awesome. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in [[Sound and Fury]].

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. His mother has her first speaking role in the series, as well. Or maybe she's just some random woman.

* In their endless generosity, the Autobots send an [[B.O.T. (robot)|innocent cobbled together robot]] in to do their explosive, suicidal dirty work.

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head on as a sort of backpack.

*When the core of the Fusion core was about to explode, Optimus volunteered to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Whistler's Mother]]''.

* The original Headmaster unit bears a striking resemblance to the Jet Pilder from ''Mazinger Z''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

*When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image, with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, however... but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
* This episode is the first one were Sari did not abuse the key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-17T01:39:21Z

78.86.131.28: /* Synopsis */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]
==Synopsis==

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. When Sumdac realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation, he is horrified; when the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, he is furious, and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot that he hopes will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but that is going rather less well than Bulkhead might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact; his success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills; he remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash, and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV, and hits upon his solution; indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser, and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!"; when he awakens, he is, to his considerable distress, nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. Having taken the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show; 'Bee, however, manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, before trying to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts; all of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor-Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begin to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant; furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse completely enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city - and Sumdac Systems - even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to instead find the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] to finally reunite Bulkhead's head with his body; unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene; pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot; Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly-developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to hastily assemble a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stablise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a peptalk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring. 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==
*

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)]] totally crushed it in [[Blast from the Past]].

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series & has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Awesome. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in [[Sound and Fury]].

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. His mother has her first speaking role in the series, as well. Or maybe she's just some random woman.

* In their endless generosity, the Autobots send an [[B.O.T. (robot)|innocent cobbled together robot]] in to do their explosive, suicidal dirty work.

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head on as a sort of backpack.

*When the core of the Fusion core was about to explode, Optimus volunteered to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Whistler's Mother]]''.

* The original Headmaster unit bears a striking resemblance to the Jet Pilder from ''Mazinger Z''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

*When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image, with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, however... but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
* This episode is the first one were Sari did not abuse the key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-17T01:38:11Z

78.86.131.28: /* Synopsis */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episodenav|animated|13|season=1|prev=Survival of the Fittest|next=Nature Calls}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''
[[Image:Headm_anim.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Cn't u tell a gnme frm a leprchn, noob?]]
==Synopsis==

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. When Sumdac realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation, he is horrified; when the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, he is furious, and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead}} is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with a sensationalist reporter-bot that he hopes will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but that is going rather less well than Bulkhead might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off said reporter-bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact; his success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate reporter-bot, to the distress of [[Daniel (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills; he remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash, and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV, and hits upon his solution; indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser, and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!"; when he awakens, he is, to his considerable distress, nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. Having taken the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show; 'Bee, however, manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, before trying to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts; all of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor-Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begin to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant; furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse completely enough to reveal his true intention to renege on the deal and destroy the city - and Sumdac Systems - even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to instead find the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core. With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] to finally reunite Bulkhead's head with his body; unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene; pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot; Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly-developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to hastily assemble a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with her key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stablise the core with just seconds to spare.

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.

==Stats==
*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]

*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Shunji Oga]]

*'''Original airdate:''' March 15, 2008

{{cleanup}}
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (11)
|}

==Quotes==
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city." 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping." 
:{{m-}}'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a peptalk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

'''Optimus''': "I just don't see the logic in trying to recreate an image with such primitive tools." 
'''Prowl''': "I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch." 
:{{m-}}The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!" 
:{{m-}}'''The Headmaster'''...many many times.

'''Bumblebee''': "See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring. 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "It's on fire!!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "OH! I got it! Uh...no problem!! Um...where's the fire extinguisher?!" 
'''Bulkhead''': "Attached to Prime!" 
'''Bumblebee''': "Ooh...OK, problem."
:{{m-}}The Autobots pay the price for never having taken fire safety class.

"I got a way with machines." 
:{{m-}}'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Other notes==
*

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving his old car again after [[Snarl (Animated)]] totally crushed it in [[Blast from the Past]].

===Transformers references===
* The [[Headmaster]] concept was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1]]'' series & has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways|use]] in [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Awesome. Somewhere, a [[kitbash|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in [[Sound and Fury]].

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. His mother has her first speaking role in the series, as well. Or maybe she's just some random woman.

* In their endless generosity, the Autobots send an [[B.O.T. (robot)|innocent cobbled together robot]] in to do their explosive, suicidal dirty work.

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head on as a sort of backpack.

*When the core of the Fusion core was about to explode, Optimus volunteered to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Whistler's Mother]]''.

* The original Headmaster unit bears a striking resemblance to the Jet Pilder from ''Mazinger Z''.

* The Headmaster unit also resembles the head of [[Marvel Comics]] supervillain [[wikipedia:Galactus|Galactus]].

* Masterson plays "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

*When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image, with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the tommy gun and explosion backdrop, however... but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
* This episode is the first one were Sari did not abuse the key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-16T22:20:10Z

78.86.131.28: /* Transformers references */

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-16T14:17:17Z

78.86.131.28: /* Quotes */

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-16T14:16:48Z

78.86.131.28: /* Quotes */

Headmaster (episode)

2008-03-16T14:15:02Z

78.86.131.28: /* Quotes */

Megatron (Animated)

2008-03-11T23:39:01Z

78.86.131.28: /* Transformers Animated cartoon */

{{disambig3|Megatron}}

:''Megatron is a [[Decepticon]] in the [[Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Megatronanimated.jpg|300px|thumb|An insult to [[Megatron (G1)|G1]], we swear!]]

If you were to ask '''Megatron''' to describe himself in one word, he'd probably go with "heroic". He sees himself as a freedom fighter, leading the Decepticons out of the days of [[Autobot]] tyranny. The fact he's hoping to replace that with [[Emperor of Destruction|Decepticon tyranny]] isn't really a concern. A fanatic at heart, he revels in every Autobot who suffers at Decepticon hands and doesn't register humans as anything more then "collateral damage."

Megatron demands loyalty from the Decepticons, loyalty he gains by his awe-inspiring power. With the combined threat of a sharp mind, his [[fusion cannon]], a deadly sword and simple brute strength, there aren't many who'd dare cross him. Still, he has no problem manhandling troops as a gentle reminder.

A loss of a body and his former power is only a minor setback for him, as Megatron is a master manipulator. He's effortlessly got [[Isaac Sumdac]] helping him.

{{Quote|Laugh now, child. I will show you true fear!|Megatron as he listens in on Sari's ghost stories|"[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"}}

==Fiction==

===Transformers Animated cartoon===
{{ongoing}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (English)

[[Image:Megatron Cybertron.jpg|left|thumb|Pointier than thou.]]

Aboard his [[Nemesis (Animated)|massive flagship]], Megatron went after the ''Ark'' after detecting the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]]. When [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] volunteered to attack, Megs saw right through him, pointing out "I didn't spend the last four million solar cycles combing the galaxy just so you can get your greasy wings on the All Spark." He even crumpled a part of said wings to make his point. Later, Starscream approached the Decepticon leader again, wishing him "luck", to which Megatron replied, "I do not believe in luck." Starscream got his own back by planting a bomb on Megatron, which blew just as his fusion cannon was about to breach the ''Ark'''s hull. The Autobot crew managed to steer the now-failing ship through an asteroid field and into a nearby [[space bridge]].

With the ''Ark'' now plummeting through the Earth's atmosphere, a wounded Megatron still managed to thrash the crew soundly and nearly claimed the All Spark. Quick thinking on the part of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] sent the Decepticon leader out the cargo hatch and into free fall. Megatron [[Megatron (Movie)|fell from the sky]] and crashed in Paw Paw, Michigan, where his head was found by a young [[Isaac Sumdac]]. Over the next fifty years, Sumdac built a robotics empire by reverse-engineering Megatron's components, [[Sector 7|inspired to do so no doubt]] . {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out!}}

[[Image:Animatedmegatronhead1.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Hey Megatron, don't lose your... oh.]]

Fifty years later, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] used her [[Sari Sumdac's key|key]] to sneak into her father's lab. He stopped her from seeing anything it contained, but the All Spark energy from the key was absorbed by Megatron's head, reawakening his spark and bringing him back online. Confused and disoriented, he automatically brought up video footage of Starscream and the Autobots. Furious both at Starscream's betrayal and the fact he didn't have the hands to reach out and take the All Spark which was finally within his grasp, he released a burst of energy which activated a small drone Dr. Sumdac had been working on. Megatron thus realized he could control the extremely primitive (by his standards) technology around him. Learning Sari was going to spend the night at the Autobot base, he sneaked his drone into her backpack.

Once she arrived, Megatron sent the drone to look for the All Spark, but his search was fruitless. He decided to try a simpler method: kill the Autobots and extract the data from their lifeless corpses. Interfacing with the factory's assembly line, he attacked. As the Autobots fought back, he decided to cut out the middleman and knocked a hole in a fuel tank. Prowl arrived, realized the factory was working via motion sensors, and managed to get close to the control panel. To counter him, Megatron simply took over the factory arms and snatched up Prowl. However, he failed to stop Bumblebee, due to the primitive tools he was forced to use. With his plans foiled, Megatron was out of patience, refusing to work through these worthless machines. He needed a body. Perhaps it was time to reveal something more advanced to Sumdac... {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

Megatron soon revealed to Isaac that he still functioned and, when Isaac guessed he was a friend of the Autobots, Megatron played along. He persuaded Isaac to keep his existence secret until Isaac had built him a new body, as then the Autobots would be more forgiving of how Isaac had reverse-engineered their friend. He then helped construct the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]]s, deliberately programming them to go on a rampage and building fire-breath into them as a prototype for a planned army of drones. When they were defeated, Megatron despaired he might never gain a new body, but upon discovering they'd been turned into sentient Transformers, he quickly convinced them that cars, trucks and "[[Autobot|car robots]]" were evil beings that ate dinosaurs.

During their second rampage, Isaac realized Megatron had deliberately built weapons into the Dinobots. The tyrant feigned shame, saying he'd added experimental features out of a desire to have a body again. Isaac promised not to tell the Autobots and that Megatron would have a body again one day... {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

Soon, Dr. Sumdac began attempting to build him some new servos, but these proved inadequate. Megatron revealed that his body would need [[Destronium]] to work, but Isaac responded there was only a small amount available and that it would have to be delivered across town in less then 10 minutes or it would become unstable. Taking notice of an experimental turbo suit Sumdac's labs were developing (with flaws that possibly precluded Isaac considering it as a solution), Megatron manipulated computer systems so the suit was delivered to small-time hood [[Nanosec|Nino Sexton]]. Once Sexton began using the suit to commit crimes too quickly to be stopped, Megatron contacted him with an offer of much money out of Dr. Sumdac's private account if Sexton used the suit to steal and deliver the Destronium. Between Autobot interference and the suit aging him prematurely, Sexton failed. The Autobots barely managed to send the Destronium sample into the upper atmosphere before it exploded, and they were left to wonder why a human had tried to steal it in the first place. {{storylink|Nanosec}}

After Megatron learned of the power of [[Sari Sumdac's key|Sari's key]] and the careless nature in which she used it, he attempted to trick her into assisting him. He designed [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], a musical toy that was secretly meant to grow more powerful every time Sari used her key upon it, until eventually it would be a suitable robotic body for Megatron himself. When the Key instead brought Soundwave into independent life, Megatron changed his plan and, with convincing logic, recruited Soundwave as a Decepticon warrior. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

When [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut]] arrived on Earth, Megatron, remembering Starscream's betrayal, was hesitant to act. After witnessing a battle between his soldiers and the Autobots, Megatron concluded that Blitzwing was too unstable while Lugnut was genuinely loyal. He contacted Lugnut only, instructing him to locate the All Spark, which would help restore him. Later, he also informed Lugnut about Sari's key. Unfortunately, Lugnut and Blitzwing were defeated and damaged by the Autobots, severing Lugnut's link with Megatron — and Megatron's only link to the outside world. {{storylink|Lost and Found (Animated episode)|Lost and Found}}

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==Toys==
===Transformers Animated===
*'''Optimus Prime vs. Megatron: The Battle Begins''' (Deluxe class figure multi-pack, 2008)
[[Image:TFAnimated_Deluxe_BattleBegins_Megatron_toy.jpg|thumb|left|250px|SPAAAACE ROOOAAACH!]]

: Transforms into a sleek spacecraft with VTOL turbofans (''uhh...''). Megatron's signature fusion cannon forms the central chassis and cockpit section of the spacecraft; his sword sections mount on the sides of the cannon for storage. The figure also features a silver color scheme and battle damage paint applications.
{{comingsoontoy}}

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*'''CYBERTRON Mode Megatron''' (Voyager, 2008)
[[Image:Animated_megatron_voyager.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Curse you, Earth's atmosphere!]]

: A larger, bulkier, more detailed, and more gimmick-laden version of the Deluxe toy above. Note that while both modes of both toys look very similar, they have different transformation mechanisms. Where the deluxe version is straight silver, this version has a pearl-gray paint scheme.
{{comingsoontoy}}

*'''Megatron''' (Leader, 2008)
[[Image:Animated_megatron_leader.jpg|left|thumb|250px|He will kill you until you are dead.]]
: Megatron's "Earth" robot mode bears a significant resemblance to ''Generation 1'' [[Megatron (G1)#Battlestars: Return of Convoy (Japan-only)|Super Megatron]] from the ''Battlestars'' storyline, and thus, in turn, to his original G1 body. His alt-mode is a dual-rotored helicopter design, somewhat like an [[Incinerator (Movie)|Osprey]] [[Obsidian|helicopter]] or the [[Cobra]] Mamba; its rotors form double-bladed swords. The toy has a [[gimmick|voice chip]] with three quotes: "Crush the Autobots!", "Where is the AllSpark?", and evil laughter. It is compatible with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] toy.
{{comingsoontoy}}

==Trivia==
[[Image:AnimatedMegatronMovieHat.jpg|150px|thumb|They moonlight as lawn darts.]]
* Megatron's head has a rather pointed resemblance to the somewhat early head of 2007 movie's [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], which went unused in the actual movie but appeared on loads of promotional materials and merchandise.

* Yes, his outer-space altmode, shown for all of 20 seconds, is getting ''two'' toy molds devoted to it.

[[Category: Animated characters]]
[[Category: Decepticons]]
[[Category: Decepticon leaders]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>