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The Ultimate Doom, Part 2

2010-02-11T22:28:06Z

89.214.133.243: Ultimate Doom

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=12
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=67
|image=UltimateDoom2 Cybertron Earth.JPG
|caption=Blue moon, you saw me standing alone...
|title="The Ultimate Doom, Part 2"
|production code=#700-09
|airdate=[[November 10]], 1984
|written by=[[Earl Kress]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Cybertron's arrival causes disasters on Earth, leaving the Autobots to battle both the Decepticons and Nature.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 破滅の日 PART II (''Hametsu no Hi PART II'', "Day of Destruction PART II")
:''Latin American title:'' La Destrucción Máxima, Parte II
==Synopsis==
[[Image:Tud2megatronthreatens.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Fear me, Starscream, as I put the fear of God into you!]]

As [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] arrives into Earth orbit, storms and earthquakes begin in earnest. [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] celebrates, despite [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]'s attempts to make him see reason. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] rallies the [[Decepticon]]s to attack the [[Autobot]]s, but the sudden violence of the elements has both the Autobots and the 'Cons disoriented.

[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] orders [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] to broadcast [[audio disrupter wave]]s, which cause much pain to the Autobots. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] orders a retreat. As they head out, Spike sadly watches his father board [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]].

[[Image:Tud2bee%26spikeembrace.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Hold onto the Cube!]]

Starscream berates Megatron for allowing the Autobots to escape, but Megatron brushes off the criticism...with a mere choke of Starscream's throat. The human slaves rush away in terror as [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] notes they look like they've just woken up from a bad dream.

[[Doctor Arkeville]] realizes that the disrupter wave interferes with the [[hypno-chip]]s' control signal and works to correct it, but he will need more "[[Humans|materials]]" to modify the chips. Megatron contacts Arkeville, who is informed of the situation. After a little experiment on Sparkplug, Arkeville is convinced that he has solved the problem, and Megatron promises that he will have all the slaves they need to gather the energy for Cybertron.

[[Image:Tud2sparkplugontable.jpg|left|175px|thumb|No, Mister Bond... I expect you to turn your head and cough.]]

Heading back to base under severe weather conditions, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] get separated from the group. Spike is still in a bit of a funk over his dad working with the Decepticons. An earthquake causes a fissure in the ground, which Bumblebee falls into while Laserbeak arrives and takes Spike. [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], [[Bluestreak]], and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] arrive, rescuing Bumblebee and Spike.

At the [[Decepticon Headquarters|Decepticon base]], Megatron begins sending Seekers to transport [[Energon cube|energon cubes]] to Cybertron. Doctor Arkeville is displeased, as they are using his slaves as shields against Autobot aggression. Arkeville warns Megatron to remember their deal: He gets Earth after Megatron is done repowering Cybertron. Megatron promises to keep his word...but does not specify how much of Earth will be left. But even Megatron has his troubles with the violent storms. At Decepticon headquarters underwater, violent tsunamis destroy the base's entry tower and cause flooding.

[[Image:Tud2wheeljacksvolcano.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Quick, change the channel!]]

Returning to the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Autobots debate how best to handle the situation and decide to send the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] to prevent as much destruction as possible. At first, [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] could give a [[frag]] about the Earth's destruction, until he's reminded that he'd be on the planet at the time.

[[Image:Tud2snarlchewstree.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Me Snarl want play fetch, but nobody want play with Snarl.]]

At the Autobot base, Spike and Optimus discuss why Sparkplug would work with the Decepticons. Just then, [[Mount St. Hilary|the volcano]] becomes active. Several Autobots are ejected into the air, but [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] manages to catch them. Heading back into the volcano, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] manages to cover the lava with an avalanche. Elsewhere, the Dinobots are hurrying to prevent a tidal wave from reaching the shore.

Meanwhile, Prime learns that Sparkplug was taken to Cybertron during energon shipments. Spike overhears and asks to go to Cybertron in order to save his dad and learn how the Decepticons are controlling their slaves. Optimus agrees. Skyfire, [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], and Bumblebee head to Cybertron with Spike. As usual, Spike falls into a trap and needs rescuing by Brawn and Bumblebee. After they sneak into [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s fortress, they discover information about the hypno-chips, but Sparkplug arrives and sounds an alarm.

[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3|To be continued]]...

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (1)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (2)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (13)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (15)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (18)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (19)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (20)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (21)
*[[Bluestreak]] (23)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (24)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (25)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (26)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (27)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (28)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (29)
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] (30)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (31)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (9)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (10)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (11)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (12)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (14)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (16)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (22)

|c3=
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (5)
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (6)
* [[Doctor Arkeville]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==
"The Decepticons will triumph. Ha ha ha ha! Join me, Spike. Join the conquerors!" 
"Dad..." 
"Look, I told you. Don't call me that!"
:—'''Sparkplug''' adds to '''Spike'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s psychological wounds.

"Decepticon rule FOREVER!" 
"Forever's shorter than you think!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Spike''' argue philosophy with big weapons.

"That'll teach you to play with fire, Blundercracker!"
:—'''Jazz''', clever as ever.

[[Image:UltimateDoom2 Strangling Starscream.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Is Megatron gonna have to choke a 'bot?]]

"Cross me again, Starscream, and I'll reduce you to titanium fragments." 
"But we had the Autobots disoriented. We could have eliminated them." 
"We'll do that at our leisure when our more important work is done. You have had the only warning I intend to give."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' bicker again.

"Creating a mindless slave is simplicity itself, thanks to the brilliant complexity of my hypno-chip."
:—'''Doctor Arkeville''' to Rumble. The real irony is that Rumble is probably more advanced than anything Arkeville could ever create.

"Let me go, you beryllium buzzard!"
:—'''Spike''' disses Laserbeak.

"That ought to cook that tin foil turkey."
:—'''Bluestreak''' also disses Laserbeak.

'''Optimus''': Look at the monitors! You must help stop these disasters. 
'''Grimlock''': Uh, me Grimlock not care whole planet fall apart. Make no difference to me Grimlock. 
'''Wheeljack''': With you on it? 
'''Grimlock''': Hmm, hadn't thought of that.

==Notes==
===Technical or animation glitches===
* The "last time" recap of Part 1 includes a scene that hasn't happened yet, from Part 3! (specifically, the human slaves carrying energon cubes into Megatron's ship.)

* The opening shot of Cybertron rising above the horizon is several flavors of mixed up:
** If Cybertron was eclipsing the sun, its own surface wouldn't be nearly so well-lit.
** If the sun was that low to the horizon, it would be orange or red, not bright white. Haven't the animators ever seen a sunset?
** The clouds in the sky are behind both the sun and Cybertron. Cybertron's orbit can't be ''that'' low!

* In the next shot, Cybertron's shadow is moving across Ironhide and company, but stops moving half-way through the shot.

* Thundercracker is shown shielding himself from the explosion of one of the energy pylons, but in the next shot it's Starscream who is coming out of the same pose.

* The side of Starscream's air intake is gray instead of red as he insists that Thundercracker fire.

* Soundwave's eject button is slate blue instead of white as he activates the audio disrupter waves.

* Improbable viewpoints:
** Dr. Arkeville continues to watch the proceedings from Decepticon Headquarters... though this time, his monitor just shows some empty desert.

* When Rumble first reaches through the energy beams to grab the security guard, the energy strands around his wrist aren't backlit to glow.

* Soundwave seems to be missing some consonants as he reports on Cybertron's emergency bulletin; he reports that "energy levels: anticle!"

* As he switches his windshield polarity, Prime's exhaust stacks are drawn as pencil-thin lines.

* The crevasse changes width with every successive shot. In the second shot, it becomes so wide that Bumblebee can't straddle it, but in the third shot, it's suddenly narrow enough that Spike can straddle it. After the rocks under Spike's foot give way, it's suddenly so big that there's no way he could have been straddling it.

* Spike isn't wearing a helmet when he tries to help Bumblebee climb up the fissure. However, he's suddenly wearing one just before he's captured by Laserbeak.

* Bumblebee's face is yellow instead of white as he starts to fall.

* Bluestreak's left leg is mirrored as he lowers his gun; the windshield segment should be on the inside rather than the outside.

* As the three Autobots cluster at the edge of the crevasse, Windcharger is colored like Brawn.

* As we pan from the Autobots down into the crevasse, Windcharger's head is the wrong color, the wrong shape, and the wrong design.

* Skywarp's cockpit is ''huge'' as he prepares to leave for Cybertron. A human passenger takes up just the first segment of it, with the rest occupied by quite a few energon cubes.

* The clouds are behind Cybertron again as Skywarp flies toward it.

* The tidal wave that hits the city is of truly ''Day After Tomorrow'' proportions; if that was, say, the east coast of North America, it would probably wash all the way to the Appalachian Mountains, killing millions.

* As we pan in on Autobot Headquarters, the Ark is colored gray instead of orange. It's also rounded top and bottom, like one of the Rebel transports from ''Empire Strikes Back''.

* As he points at the Dinobots, only the front of Wheeljack's "ears" flash.

[[Image:Grimlockhead ud2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Me Grimlock no lose head. Me find new one!]]

* In the shot of the Dinobots lined up in their closet, Swoop's mouth is missing, and Slag's head is white instead of red. Also, Grimlock has his old head design, but it changes to [[:Image:Grimhead.JPG|the new design]] when he's talking to Optimus Prime and Wheeljack in the next shot.

* As Grimlock says he doesn't care, a random shot shows Cybertron rising over a wooded terrain... and a satellite drifts past! Is it orbiting at half a mile above the ground??

* Swoop's head crest and bird feet are white after he transforms, instead of red and yellow, respectively. His wing is clipping through the closet's door frame. In the same shot, Grimlock's dino belly is yellow instead of gray, and Slag's horns are white instead of red.

* As Starscream and Megatron watch Thundercracker being loaded up in Decepticon Headquarters, Starscream is colored as Skywarp. The error becomes doubly obvious a moment later, when Skywarp is shown on his way back to HQ from Cybertron.

* An undersea avalanche hits Decepticon Headquarters. But rather than the kind of violent shaking one would expect, the floor just gently tilts for no clear reason.

* As he berates Megatron, the top of Starscream's chest/cockpit is dark gray instead of light gray.

* Soundwave is missing his Decepticon emblem as he walks toward the blasted door; it appears after a few frames.

* The Ark continues to be colored gray instead of orange in the establishing shots before the volcano erupts.

* The frames around Optimus's windshields are colored glass-blue instead of red as he talks to Spike.

* Two Bluestreaks are in the pan shot of the control room as the volcano erupts. Guess that makes up for the [[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1|two Prowls]], huh? (A subsequent shot replaces one Bluestreak with Prowl.)

* Prime's missing the line down the middle of his tummy grill as he orders the Autobots to evacuate headquarters.

* Sideswipe's vehicle mode is colored white as he flees Autobot Headquarters.

* Windcharger's arms are dark gray instead of red as Skyfire catches him.

* Bumblebee is missing his Autobot symbol as he stands alongside Prime and Ironhide.

* Peter Cullen seems to have mixed up a line; "But somebody's gotta turn off that volcano" should probably be Ironhide's line, but it is delivered in Prime's voice.

* During his "Now if only the Dinobots" line, only one segment of Wheeljack's ears lights up. He's also missing that pesky line near the end edge of his windshield.

[[Image:SludgeUltimateDoom.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
* As Sludge looms over the forest trees, the sides of his face are gray instead of yellow.

* Slag wades into the water to try and slow a tidal wave. The subsequent shot shows another cresting wave moving against the tidal wave, rather than anything you'd expect from having a robot dinosaur in the water.

* Bumblebee's nose is yellow as he looks out Skyfire's window at Cybertron.

* Cybertron's skies have clouds, but there's no sign of them in the space-based views of the planet.

* Brawn's helmet is yellow instead of gray as he prepares to leap after Spike and Bumblebee.

* Bumblebee's "You really think so?" line is almost totally obscured by sliding metal sound effects.

* On Cybertron, the font in which the words "Hypno Chip Control" are written changes between shots.

===Continuity errors===
* This is the one and only time we ever see Thundercracker shoot a stream of fire, which was clearly done just so the winds could blow it aside. If he'd fired his usual lasers, the wind would have been no problem.

* The audio disrupter waves seem to affect everyone, including the Decepticons... except for Megatron, who is standing right next to the source!

* The waves also immediately free all the hypno-chip slaves... except for Sparkplug, who is unaffected for no clear reason.

* Wheeljack and Brawn are shown transforming and driving off with the other Autobots, yet a moment later they're both standing in robot mode, watching the freed humans flee.

* Landing on Hound's falling seats probably wouldn't be much better for Spike than landing on the rocky ground. Also, it sure was nice of Laserbeak to drop Spike right in front of that cliff face!

* Despite Bluestreak's statement, and despite falling who knows how far into the crevasse, Bumblebee doesn't have a mark on him.

* It's a minor plot point that Bumblebee is out of energy, and so he rides in Hound instead of driving. Yet Windcharger ''also'' said he was out of energy, but he still transforms and drives home.

* So... rather than fighting the disasters one by one, why aren't the Autobots trying to fight the problem at the source—namely, by figuring out a way to get Cybertron out of Earth's orbit? Did this little looming strategic problem not occur to any of them? Spike of all people finally thinks of it at the end of next episode.
[[Image:UltimateDoom2 Autobot volcano.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You know what burns my butt? Flame about that high.]]

* Wheeljack says it's "amazing" that the volcano is becoming active again. Considering it erupted [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|less than a year ago]], it's hardly amazing at all. More like... ''expected''.

* Skyfire announces his intention to outrun the Decepticon missiles, which makes no sense as the missiles are flying toward him head-on. Instead, he flies ''between'' them.

* Geological improbabilities:
** Bringing a planet with Earth-like gravity into such incredibly close proximity to Earth would tear ''both'' worlds apart. Immediately.
** Ironhide somehow shuts down a whole volcanic eruption by shooting a few rocks off the rim of the volcano cone. The whole reason volcanoes erupt is that there's so much pressure from below that no amount of rock can contain it any longer.
** Furthermore, Ironhide just walks right into a cave which has a few exploding rocks and a lava pool, but nothing like the massive belching of lava and ash seen from the outside of the volcano in the previous shots.

* "For the moment, I feel we must not let the boy find out." 'The moment' apparently lasts all of two seconds, as Prime ''immediately'' divulges the information to Spike.

* Ironhide is consistently shown with the group traveling to Cybertron, but disappears after they land and disembark. The next episode makes clear that he stayed on Earth.

* Why was Spike carrying around his dad's wrench on Cybertron? And how does Sparkplug have a "favorite wrench"? Does he just love screwing in 22mm bolts more than any other size?

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:Optimus tud subspace.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
* Despite the scientifically questionable premise, there are some nice bits of continuity with the effects of Cybertron's arrival, as the winds can be seen tugging trees in the direction of the planet as it continues to suck up Earth's atmosphere. Your wiki editors fully acknowledge that this may have been pure coincidence, and that the writers and animators probably weren't thinking about it at all, but hey.

* Where's the trailer go?
** When Optimus Prime transforms into vehicle mode during the rainstorm early in the episode, his trailer rolls in from off screen, outlined by a strange glowing light effect.

[[Image:Tud2 audio disruptor waves.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
[[Image:UltimateDoom2 Windcharger tractorbeam.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]

* Gadgets and powers:
** Soundwave can produce "audio disrupter waves" which wreak all kinds of mechanical havoc.
** Jazz uses magnet beams to hitch a ride from Ironhide. It's an odd thing to show; he has never had this power before or since. Furthermore, magnetism is supposed to be Windcharger's schtick, and it comes into play in the very next act.
** Bumblebee can almost change his own tire: he can jack himself up, eject his own spare tire, and unscrew the bolts holding the flat tire on, all without outside help.
** Windcharger has a "tractor beam" that he uses to pull Bumblebee out of the crevasse, a big hose-like thing that slides out of his wrist. It would seem to just be a focused version of his magnetic powers, since it only pulls up Bumblebee and not a bunch of rocks and debris with him.
** To find Bumblebee, Hound uses a big scanner thing that he has to carry in both hands. (Shouldn't he have that stuff built in?)
** Trailbreaker announces his intention to activate a jamming ray to disrupt the Decepticons' scanners, but never gets around to doing so.

* So apparently, when they're not in use, the Dinobots stay in a closet!

* The little repair bay building outside of Autobot Headquarters shows up again. It hasn't been seen since "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]".

* The "[[Armor-plating|skin]]" of the Transformers seems to be able to endure the heat of magma for at least brief periods. Or [[Heavy Metal War|longer periods]].

===Real-world references===
* This is one of the most ''[[Star Wars]]'' sound effect-laden episodes:
** The end of Starscream and Thundercracker's attack dive is soundtracked with TIE Fighter engine roar and some ''Millennium Falcon'' engine whine, possibly from the ''Falcon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s dive at the Death Star trench.
** More TIE Fighter roar as Starscream and Thundercracker veer out of control.
** Laserbeak arrives to kidnap the guards with the sound of the ''Falcon'' flying over Yavin IV. As he dives, he gets the whole sequence of TIE Fighter ambient cockpit noise, including the fighter's target system locking onto an X-Wing, and one spell of Darth Vader's breathing. The ''Falcon'' on Yavin sound is used again at the end of the scene.
** Laserbeak gets more ''Falcon'' engine rumble as he returns to Decepticon Headquarters.
** When Laserbeak arrives at the crevasse, he gets TIE fighter engine noise with some Falcon rumble mixed in, possibly from the two ships approaching the Death Star. As he returns and dives, he gets more TIE Fighter noise, including the sound of its lasers firing. The Falcon-over-Yavin sound is heard as Laserbeak grabs Spike, and then another ''Falcon'' engine burst as he flies off.
** And more TIE sounds as Laserbeak gets shot by Bluestreak, and again as he flies off, smoking and damaged.

===Other notes===
* This episode is subtitled "Search" in scripts and other official materials.

==External Links==
* [http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/the_ultimate_doom_part_2.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Doom, Part 2}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

Attack of the Autobots (episode)

2010-02-11T21:58:51Z

89.214.133.243: Bumblebee and Optimus Prime

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=20
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=73
|image=AttackOTAutobot Evil Optimus Hound and Ratchet.jpg
|caption="This photo of us is terrible, Hound! You forgot the red-eye function again!"
|title="Attack of the Autobots"
|production code=#700-19
|airdate=[[October 4]], 1985
|written by=[[David Wise]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''After a surprise attack (read: diversion) by the Decepticons, the Autobots repair themselves in their regeneration chambers, only to emerge...EVIL!'''

:''Japanese title:'' サイバトロンの逆襲 (''Cybertron no Gyakushū'', "Cybertrons' Counterattack")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:AttackOTAutobot Megatron destabilizer.jpg|left|200px|thumb|We're replacing the Autobots' personalities with Folger's Crystals! Let's see if they notice.]]

A [[Decepticon]] sneak attack on [[Ark (G1)|Autobot headquarters]] is actually a diversion while [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] use a temporary "[[invisibility spray]]" to sneak inside. Megatron sabotages the [[Autobot]]s' [[recharging chamber]] with a [[personality destabilizer device]]. After the Autobots recharge the next day, they have a sudden change of heart and are now Decepticon slaves. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] obeys Megatron's first order and smashes [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]].

[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], the only unaffected Autobots, are on their way back to Headquarters. Bumblebee makes it back first, and evil [[Bluestreak]] forces him into the recharging chamber. Jazz, [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] arrive and save Bumblebee from being brainwashed. Sparkplug repairs Teletraan I, who tells them that the rest of the Autobots are now evil!

[[Image:Attackoftheautobots2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|HASSAN CHOP!]]

Meanwhile, Optimus leads the Autobots on an attack at the local [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] base, where they begin trashing military jets. Spike and Bumblebee rush off to the base to stop them, and Sparkplug and Jazz stay behind to work on a cure. All of this mess was started just so Megatron could steal a human solar energy satellite being launched the same day. The Decepticons take over the rocket base and plan to take the rocket and satellite back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

At headquarters, Sparkplug cooks up a bunch of [[attitude exchanger]]s that will "First, drain evil. Second, recharge good." He and Jazz round up [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] and change them back to good using the devices. Skyfire gives them a lift to the Air Force base, where they manage to change the rest of the Autobots, except for Optimus Prime. The devices pacify Prime’s [[Combat Deck]] and [[Roller]], but Prime is still on a rampage. Bumblebee takes it upon himself to change the Autobot leader back and succeeds. Optimus gives him a nice, big hug for his trouble.

[[Image:Primebumblebeehug.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Bumblebee, from now on, you will be a Hugmaster!]]

Back at the rocket base, Megatron and the Decepticons have boarded the reprogrammed rocket and take off. The Autobots intercept them aboard Skyfire. Prime and Ratchet detach the satellite while Jazz uses a "musical sonic boom' to disable the rocket. The Decepticons abandon it without any further resistance and retreat. Skyfire takes everyone into space and Prime throws the solar satellite into orbit.

Finally back at headquarters, Prime thanks everyone for helping out, especially Bumblebee. But then Ratchet gets jealous and claims credit for firing the attitude exchangers (which was actually Hound’s idea. Hmmm…). Jazz reminds everybody that they have to fix all of the jets that Optimus Prime smashed at the Air Force base. Spike breaks the tension with a lame joke that his dad finds hilarious and we fade to black.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (1)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (3)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (4)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (12)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] (13)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (14)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (15)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (16)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (19)
* [[Bluestreak]] (20)
* [[Roller]] (23)

|c2=
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (5)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (6)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (7)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (8)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (9)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (10)
* [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)

|c3=
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (17)
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (18)
* [[Doctor Harding]] (21)
* Missile Launch Technician (22)
}}

==Quotes==
"My warning diode is pulsating!" 
:—'''Optimus Prime''' does his best to emulate [[Spider-Man]].

"Hey, come back! You didn't finish your nickel-plated knuckle sandwich!" 
:—'''Brawn''' worries about the Decepticons' dietary needs.

"Warning! Evil presence now infiltrating Autobot Headquarters!" 
"Very good, Teletraan I! The personality destabilizer I placed inside ''your'' recharging chamber has converted your Autobot friends from sentimental fools, to my kind of mechanisms!" 
"Autobots are noble. Your plan can never succeed." 
"Oh, it can't, eh? Autobots! Obey my first command. Silence that annoying computer!" 
"Optimus Prime, NO—!"
:—'''Teletraan I''' displays some pretty incredible capabilities as it debates with '''Megatron''', right before Optimus shows the computer where to stick it

"Like, wow! Rock and roll with real rocks!" 
"It's ''called'' an ''avalanche!''"
:—'''Jazz''' and his sound system are a bit much for '''Sparkplug'''... not to mention a nearby cliff.

"Destroy, destroy, destroy! Let none stand against us!"
:—Evil '''Optimus Prime''' (No, it's not [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] or [[Optimus Prime (SG)|any other evil Primes]] you know.)

"First, drain evil. Second, recharge good." 
"Let's hope it don't finish up with 'Third, bury Jazz'!"
:—'''Sparkplug''' and '''Jazz'''

Aaaah! Help me, Bumblebee!

-Optimus Prime, imploring Bumblebee to help.

'''Optimus''': Well, there won't be any more trouble, thanks to you. And especially to you, Bumblebee. 
'''Ratchet''': Especially to ''him''? ''I'' was the one who saved the satellite, ''and'' came up with the idea of firing those attitude exchangers! 
'''Sparkplug''': Oh, yeah? Well who helped you make 'em in the first place? 
'''Ratchet''': Why, you wouldn't know a micro-chip from a potato chip!
:—Optimus Prime's thanks to Bumblebee starts a little round of glory-hogging.

==Notes==
*This is one of two episodes (the other being "[[Day of the Machines]]") not initially aired in Japan during the run of ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]''. The episode was eventually dubbed in 1990 and released on [[Pioneer]]'s laserdisk set of the series. As such, it was retroactively added to the series official episode list as episode 73, a numbering reflected in ''[[Transformers Generations]]''.

*Having been dubbed several years after ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' had ended, not all the original cast members were able to return. [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (originally voiced by [[Ken Shiroyama]]), [[Bluestreak]] (originally voiced by [[Kōki Kataoka]]) and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (originally voiced by [[Osamu Saka]]) were replaced by [[Katsumi Suzuki]].

===Animation or technical glitches===
* As Starscream and Megatron prepare to use the invisibility spray, Starscream's shoulder vents are ''behind'' his shoulders instead of on top of them.
* Bluestreak is missing his Autobot symbol as he opens fire on Jazz.
* As Teletraan I reports Optimus's attack on the Air Force base, its voice is modulated differently than in the scene immediately beforehand.
* When Spike jumps into Bumblebee, there's no interior opening shown behind Bumblebee's door.
* Spike continues saying "Hold on, I'm coming!" even after he's already inside Bumblebee.
* Megatron orders Soundwave to "reprogram the main computer"; thanks to some recycled animation, Soundwave does this by strolling up to the same bank of computers that Megatron just blew up.
* Skywarp's missing his wing insignia as Megatron exits the computer bunker.
* Thundercracker's wing is sitting above his shoulder instead of behind it as he and Starscream listen to Megatron.
* Prime's trailer is missing its wheels as he pulls away from it.
* Skyfire seems to gain more landing gear every time he touches the ground. As he departs from the Air Force base, his nose gear is ridiculously long.
* Skywarp is missing his wing insignia as the Decepticons fly up to the rocket.
* Soundwave is missing his insignia as Megatron rants about the fuel tanks.
* Skywarp's missing his wing stripes as the Decepticons fly off. In the same shot, a Reflector robot in Frenzy's colors flies off with them.
* Ratchet's "potato chip" line doesn't quite flow into his next line, which starts with an abrupt "Hey, look!" as if he was replying to a line of Sparkplug's that got cut.

===Continuity errors===
* How does Rumble keep from falling into the crevasse that he makes with his pile drivers?

* Flying Autobots:
** Prowl sails skyward a ''long'' time after he's blasted by a missile.
** Optimus and Ratchet just float up out of Rumble's crevasse. Both these incidents are in defiance of the cartoon's normal status quo, which mostly holds that Autobots can't fly.

* Was this convoluted scheme ''really'' the best use Megatron could think of for invisibility spray?

*Why did the Decepticons have to do what they did to the Autobots, instead of just knocking them out and having [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] use his [[Cerebro-shell]]s?

* "Good" and "Evil" are apparently scientific states now, detectable by computer!

* Speaking of which, why didn't Teletraan I report Megatron's "evil presence" when he and Starscream were sabotaging the recharging chambers?

* After all the fuss with the invisibility spray, it turns out that the shimmering outlines aren't just for the viewer's benefit; the "invisible" Decepticons are caught on film by Teletraan I. Whoops! And why didn't Teletraan I think to report this BEFORE the Autobots recharged?

* How does Dr. Harding's building security system discern that these are ''enemy'' Autobots?

* It's not absolutely a contradiction within the cartoon's continuity, but Hound's bio definitely doesn't identify his weapon as a particle beam gun (that's actually [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]]'s weapon.)

* Ratchet's assertion that "Prime's a lost cause" seems like a bit of an exaggeration; couldn't they just go back to HQ and make some more attitude exchangers?

* If the Decepticons could use a rocket to get back to Cybertron, why waste all the time building a spaceship in the pilot? Can an Earth rocket really make it all the way to Cybertron? (This seeming contradiction, and many other instances of easy travel between Earth and Cybertron, might be explained by "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3]]" whose events would seem to leave Cybertron in relatively close proximity to our [[Solar System]], even after leaving Earth's orbit. Whether the writers actually had this in mind, however, is open for debate.)

* With two hours of idle time before the rocket launches, why do the Decepticons wait until T minus 30 seconds before boarding?

* Tearing a door off the rocket ''can't'' be good for it. Why not have Soundwave just open the door?

* [[A Prime Problem|As usual]], the good guy jet "catches" the falling protagonists by just flying under them, rather than matching speeds and actually breaking their fall. ''Splat''.

* Ratchet claims credit for firing the attitude exchangers, but it was Hound's idea. Sparkplug then points out that he helped Ratchet build the things to begin with, but there's been no on-screen evidence that Ratchet was involved in building any of them.

* It's implied that the Autobots are going to ''repair'' all 47 of the busted jets... but jets and air frames and avionics don't really work that way. Once they're smashed and exploded, they're pretty much "beyond repair".

* Teletraan I states that all of the Autobots apart from Jazz and Bumblebee were turned evil—that's seventeen Autobots and maybe five Dinobots. By episode's end, after Ratchet frets that they're out of attitude exchangers, only seven have been accounted for. (To be fair, there is an unaccounted-for period of time after the satellite is launched and the episode's conclusion, but if that's when they took care of the problem, why was Ratchet worried about Prime being "a lost cause"?)

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:OptimusCDeckAttackoftheAutobots.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!"]]
* The Autobots' optics switch from blue to red when they're evilfied, and back to blue when they're recharged with good.
* We get to see all three of Optimus Prime's components in action, which is rare. This is the third appearance of the [[Combat Deck]]'s interior cannon in the series, but the ''only'' time it was drawn to be toy-accurate.
* Prime's tech spec bio states that damage to his other two components can be felt by him. Conversely, this could be interpreted that the energy exchanger's effect on the other two components actually weakened Prime's evil state which is why he started fighting it right after. That is, if you want to apply his bio to the G1 cartoon.
* This episode may hold the record for the largest number of "evil invention/alien device"s in a single episode: invisibility spray, the personality destabilizer, the recharging chambers, the solar satellite, AND the attitude adjusters are all contenders.
* [[Fire on the Mountain|<<]] '''Brawn vs. Soundwave:''' Round 2 goes to Brawn. Tally: Brawn 2, Soundwave 0 [[Enter the Nightbird|>>]]

===Real world references===
* ''Star Wars'' sound effects:
** The [[TIE Fighter]] engine sound effect shows up when Prime says, "My warning diode is pulsating. Decepticon Jets!" as Thundercracker and Skywarp swoop down.
** As Skywarp fires, the sound effect borrowing continues; it's Darth Vader firing his ship's lasers combined with the TIE's engine sounds. And it's complete with [[Darth Vader]]'s breathing! (A similar audio gaffe happened in "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1]]", as well as ''G.I. Joe: The Movie''. Guess you can't be too choosy when you crib sounds from ''[[Star Wars]]''.)
* "Hold on, I'm coming!" A Sam and Dave shout-out, perhaps?

===Trivia===
*David Wise reused elements of this story for the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story'' "Slash - The Evil Turtle from Dimension X", especially the climax of the story and its rocket chase sequence. This was not an entirely unique practice as Wise was known for recycling [[Kremzeek!|his]] [[Auto-Bop|story]] [[Microbots|lines.]]

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

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]