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The Transformers: The Movie

2010-01-13T10:03:37Z

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{{disambig3|Transformers: The Movie}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Me Grimlock kick butt!" 
:—'''Grimlock''' isn't speaking figuratively.

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]]) (5)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]/Rodimus Prime ([[Judd Nelson]]) (29)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] ([[Robert Stack]]) (39)
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] ([[Lionel Stander]]) (33)
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] ([[Neil Ross]]) (40)
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] ([[Susan Blu]]) (41)
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] ([[John Moschitta]]) (42)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] ([[Gregg Berger]]) (60)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] ([[Paul Eiding]]) (38)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] ([[Buster Jones]]) (44)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] ([[Michael Bell]]) (62)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] ([[Neil Ross]]) (63)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (61)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] ([[Frank Welker]]) (69)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] ([[Peter Cullen]]) (6)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Michael Bell]]) (12)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] ([[Scatman Crothers]]) (8)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] ([[Dan Gilvezan]]) (10)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Casey Kasem]]) (9)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] ([[Corey Burton]]) (18)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] ([[Don Messick]]) (7)
*[[Auto-combatant]] ([[Frank Welker]]) ()
*[[Eject]] (52)
*[[Rewind]] (53)
*[[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] (50)
*[[Ramhorn]] (51)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (55)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (56)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (21)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (65)
*[[Grapple]] (59)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (32)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (34)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (35)
*[[Bluestreak]] (31)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]* ([[Walker Edmiston]]) ()
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] / [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] ([[Frank Welker]] / [[Leonard Nimoy]]) (15)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] ([[Chris Latta]]) (16)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] / [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] ([[Roger C. Carmel]]) (24)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] / [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] ([[Stan Jones]]) (36)
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]]) (14)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] ([[Arthur Burghardt]]) (58)
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] ([[Michael Bell]]) (22)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Neil Ross]]) (20)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] ([[Neil Ross]]) (23)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (19)
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (17)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (54)
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] / [[Sweep]] ([[Hal Rayle]]) (27)
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] / [[Sweep]] ([[Clive Revill]]) (28)
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] / [[Cyclonus's Armada]] (57)
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ([[Jack Angel]]) (64)
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] ([[Corey Burton]]) (13)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] ([[Bud Davis]]) (25)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] ([[Ed Gilbert]]) (37)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] ([[Frank Welker]]) (46)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] ([[Frank Welker]]) (47)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (4)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (48)
*[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (49)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (45)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (26)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] ([[Corey Burton]]) (11)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] ([[David Mendenhall]]) (30)
|c4=
*[[Unicron]] ([[Orson Welles]]) (1)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] ([[Eric Idle]]) (67)
*[[Kranix]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]]) (2)
*[[Junkion (species)|Junkion]] ([[Michael Bell]]) (66)
*Junkion ([[Frank Welker]]) (66)
*[[Quintesson]] leader ([[Roger C. Carmel]]) (70)
*Quintesson judge ([[Regis Cordic|Rege Cordic]]) (70)
*[[Arblus]] (3)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] (71)
*[[Allicon]]s (68)
|nonumbering=true
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Credited, but did not appear.

==Animation errors==
* When Unicron is approaching Lithone at the start of the movie, at the line "Look, it's Unicron!", a [[Animation error#Sizing errors|cel stacking error]] results in Unicron's ring appearing in front of a building arch, [[Distribution|making Unicron look very tiny]] in that shot. In the next shot, it is clear that Unicron is several times larger than the entire planet of Lithone.
* The inside of one of the Lithonian ships being devoured by Unicron is visible for a couple of frames. The pilot of the ship appears to be Kranix, even though he apparently screams out Kranix's name, and Kranix appears later in the Quintesson prison.
* When the inside of Unicron is shown after he devours Lithone, the "blinking energy" effect of Unicron's innards was apparently achieved by recycling backgrounds from other animated TV shows or movies. A frame by frame viewing reveals what appear to be several images of post-apocalyptic buildings inside Unicron.
* When Optimus Prime asks Jazz to report security status, it shows both Jazz and Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper is seen twiddling knobs above the actual drawn computer, as if a section was supposed to be present.
* When the Decepticons blow a hole through the Autobot shuttle to get in, it is a clean break. However, Megatron is still shown ripping through random ship components to get in.
* When the Decepticons are killing the Autobot shuttle crew, there is one of the common Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker miscolors. Megatron transforms into gun mode and Starscream catches him and kills Brawn. When they cut back to the Decepticons, Starscream is in front of the Constructicons without Megatron and is firing one of his arm rifles (this probably should have been Skywarp or Thundercracker). When they cut back to the Decepticons for the third time, Starscream has Megatron again and is finishing off the rest of the Autobots.
* When the Decepticons fly to the shuttle's controls, all of the Autobots have changed positions from when they fell—Brawn is now on his back, for example, while Prowl is now face-down.
* Hot Rod has at least two totally different transformation schemes during the course of the film.
* When Kup and several Autobots at the roadblock react to Hot Rod's attack on the hijacked Autobot shuttle, Bluestreak is represented by Prowl's [[Character model|animation model]], in Bluestreak's grey and black colours.
* Sunstreaker appears with Kup's group on Earth as they observe Hot Rod firing on Ironhide's shuttle. Sunstreaker later appears as Optimus Prime's co-pilot when they arrive on Earth with the Dinobots, and is seen disembarking the shuttle along with Optimus Prime and Hound.
* When [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] sends out his cassette troops, [[FIRRIB|Rumble is the same color as Frenzy]].
* Blaster first ejects what looks like Eject, who stays blue up until he gets to the edge of the screen. He then turns black like Rewind. Then Blaster ejects another blue cassette, which after about a second turns black. This one gets through half his transformation colored black, then turns blue for a split second then turns black again. Then, when the cassettes are fighting each other, Eject runs in from the left and jumps over Perceptor. And then he runs in from the left ''again'' to shoot Ravage. Suddenly [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl/Devastator]] doesn't look so bad, does he?
* Swoop's lower leg (with its distinctive red claw/knee) appears for a brief second during the Autobot City battle, long before the rest of him gets there.
* When Devastator forms in Autobot City, his chest plate is the same green as the rest of him. In the next shot, it's the usual purple. However, it promptly turns green again in the next shot.
* In the battle for Autobot City, when Prime drives up behind the Decepticons, Blitzwing turns his head and its color changes to purple for a split second. However, when he turns it back it's tan again.
* When Optimus Prime takes the Matrix out of his chest to give to Ultra Magnus, there is another Matrix beneath it in his chest. (On which note, see also ''[[Matrix of Leadership#Universe|Matrix of Leadership, Universe comic]].'')
* When Ultra Magnus accepts the Matrix, he's seen inserting it into his chest twice, or at best readjusting its "fit".

[[Image:Coronation .jpg|thumb|right|250px| *''trumpet fanfare''* ]]

* Even after the [[Battle of Autobot City]], characters who are supposedly dead continue to appear in crowd shots and battles. Shrapnel's role in the fight on [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] is the most noticeable, but Thundercracker and Skywarp can be seen at both Starscream's coronation and later flying into Unicron's mouth.
* When Cyclonus is strafing the Autobot shuttle in space, he briefly flies offscreen, and during that time his laser blasts come from a point that in no way matches his flight path.
* When Hot Rod tells the Junkions the universal greeting, the Autobot insignia on his chest is coloured black.
* When Unicron transforms, the first hand we see (his right) is backwards relative to how the arm is shown on screen.

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

* The Dinobot [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] is mysteriously absent from almost the entire movie, even though the Dinobots as a group are featured prominently. Copies of the script which have come into fans' hands repeatedly list the Dinobots, but never make mention of Snarl by name. In fact, at one point the script refers to "the four Dinobots". Despite this, Snarl does appear in three very brief shots {{m-}} in which ''Swoop'' is entirely absent. Hmm.
* Also curiously absent are the 1985 Autobot cars and Mini-Vehicles, such as Inferno, Smokescreen, Cosmos, Warpath, etc. It would seem that these characters were available at the time of the movie:
** Perceptor and Blaster both debuted at the same time in the cartoon as the 1985 cars, and both play prominent roles in the movie.
** Grapple is [[:Image:BattleAutobotCity.jpg|seen ''very'' briefly]] during the battle for Autobot City.
** The 1985 Decepticons (Astrotrain, Dirge, etc.) appear in the film.
** [[:Image:TFTM-SideswipeRedAlertTracks.jpg|Tracks]], [[:Image:TFTM-RedAlertDown.jpg|Red Alert]] and Smokescreen all appeared in storyboards but not the finished film.
* Devastator is treated as ''the'' ultimate threat, while in the cartoon, his role (and apparent power) was already being [[Starscream's Brigade|severely diminished]], presumably because several other combiners had been introduced. In story terms, the absence of these newer combiners, not to mention the mighty Omega Supreme, is inexplicable. In real-life terms, those characters didn't exist when the film commenced production. (The [[Transformers: The Animated Movie]] adaptation shows Omega Supreme, Superion and Defensor guarding the Ark against an attack by Bruticus and Menasor, attempting to [[retcon]] the problem away.)
[[Image:Cyclonus armada tftf.jpg|thumb|right|250px|We'll be safe enough once we make the jump into lightspeed.]]
* During the Battle of Autobot City, Starscream gets his leg caught. He shoots downward and gets away while screaming "My foot!", but it's his shin that's smoking while his foot looks fine. Later he kicks Megatron with the same foot. Shouldn't that hurt, according to him? Note there is a time lapse between the "foot shooting" and the kicking, leaving the option of a battlefield repair.
* So Ultra Magnus just happens to have a ready-made Matrix chamber installed in his chest cavity? Is this standard issue for all Autobots?
* The cartoon had already established that Astrotrain increases his size when he transforms to shuttle mode, being large enough to carry a pair of Decepticons in his cockpit. However, within the movie itself, his size is [[scale|noticeably inconsistent]]: When he leaves Autobot City, he's just large enough for the Decepticon army to cram themselves in; later, he's so huge that the Constructicons can quite comfortably form Devastator inside him.
* The number of minions created by Unicron changes throughout the film, with more Sweeps appearing as the story progresses. A second Cyclonus ("Cyclonus, the warrior, and [[Cyclonus's Armada|his armada]]") is shown being created but disappears shortly thereafter.

[[Image:SSBQ.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"I've been looking forward to this for a long time." "Yes, I bet you have."]]

* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is capable of reducing [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] to ashes with a single shot from his cannon mode. Though in later episodes Galvatron is shown blowing up even small ''[[Thrull|planets]]'' with his cannon, his extraordinary killing power seems to be gone—like when he scores a direct hit in cannon mode on Ultra Magnus in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]" and Magnus isn't especially hurt at all, or how a similar blast against Scourge in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]" only leaves the latter temporarily incapacitated. [[Marvel Comics]] bios explain this by suggesting that Galvatron had nearly limitless power through Unicron... but then again, Galvatron himself claims to be "more powerful than ever" after Unicron is dead. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}} [[To sell toys|Who knows.]]
* Why didn't anyone notice Unicron until he was within devouring distance of Cybertron's moons?
* Despite running out of energon goodies on Quintessa, Hot Rod has at least one to offer to the Junkions. Maybe he got some on the ship. It's also possible that, when he told the Allicons "No more," he meant that he wasn't going to ''feed'' them any more energon goodies, not that he didn't ''have'' anymore.
* Daniel, who was just learning how to use his exo-suit, had to knock down the acid cover inside Unicron to save his loved ones. Why couldn't the more experienced Spike do the same with his suit from above? He had both of his arms free and a clear shot at the cover.
* It's not clear how Rodimus Prime (carrying two humans) and the other Autobots survived their jump out of Unicron's eye and their plunge towards the surface of Cybertron.
* It's also unclear just how the dozen or so Autobots (and one shipload of Junkions) managed to retake the whole planet of Cybertron. Did Unicron really wipe out ''that'' many Decepticons?

===Not Necessarily Errors===
* Fans have noted throughout the years that Astrotrain, in his flight through zero-gravity space, should not have needed to "jettison some weight" in the literal sense. However, since the ejected Decepticons quickly fall behind Astrotrain instead of floating alongside him, he must still have been accelerating and thus would have needed to burn a greater amount of fuel in order to push a larger payload. Perhaps he should have said "jettison some ''mass''", but then again, just being a spaceship doesn't make him a rocket scientist.

==Real-world references and Easter eggs==
* When Sludge gets haymakered by Devastator, his eyes pop out of their sockets in Looney Tunes fashion.
* Kup's storytelling sequence aboard the shuttle is drawn from the novel ''Of Mice and Men'', complete with Grimlock in the Lenny role asking Kup to "tell Grimlock about petrorabbits again".
* The Quintesson jail cell includes robot debris ''strongly'' resembling the RX-178 Gundam MK II and the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam mobile suits from 1985's ''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam''.

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

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

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

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

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

In addition, Shockwave definitely survives the attack by Unicron.

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

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

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

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

* Originally, Ultra Magnus's "death sequence" on Junkion called for him to be lassoed and drawn and quartered by the Sweeps' energy beams, but this was deemed too graphic for audiences, hence the less disturbing "shot to death" sequence seen instead. There is evidence that the original sequence had been fully animated when the decision was made, however; the Sweeps still kept their solid energy lassos when they fire upon Mags, and Mags is seen visibly straining against what appears to be said lassos (edited out and replaced with laser fire) before exploding.
* A number of other sequences were illustrated as [[storyboard]]s but dropped, presumably without ever being animated. Among them were:
** A short scene showing the Autobot shuttle veering around some meteors, explaining how the Decepticons caught them unawares.
** An extended sequence with Hot Rod and Daniel outside the city.
** A sequence of Mirage blasting Bombshell and being fired on by Megatron.
** The Autobots finally bringing down Devastator with a barrage of missiles (and the Constructicons subsequently shooting Red Alert in the back).
** The Decepticons dogpiling Optimus Prime, explaining why he seems to be standing up just before his fight with Megatron.
:Some of these concepts were in earlier versions of the script, and hence made it into the comic adaptation.
* Rumors have occasionally circulated in the fandom of additional animated footage that was dropped from the film, such as ultra-violent battle scenes. No evidence has ever surfaced to back these claims; the only known edits are those listed in this section.
:{{see|Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#The Transformers: The Movie|Urban legends about ''The Transformers: The Movie''}}

==Reception==
''The Transformers: The Movie'' was almost universally panned by professional critics upon its release. Well-known film critic and animation enthusiast, Leonard Maltin, gave it a rating below 1 1/2 stars in his ''1987 Movie & Video Guide'', regarding it as a "bomb". He went on to say, "Obnoxious animated feature about the title good guys, who defend the universe against an evil planet (which has a voice of its own... provided by Orson Welles.) That deafening rock score certainly doesn't help. Little more than a feature-length toy commercial."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: The Movie}}

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

File:MasteroftheHouse Optimus grabs Megatron's head.jpg

2009-12-22T09:07:13Z

92.236.73.105:

{{BMcap|[[Optimus Primal]] forces [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] to face his beast side.|Master of the House|1999}}

Master Blaster

2009-12-05T18:03:07Z

92.236.73.105:

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=49
|image=BW MasterBlaster title.jpg
|caption=Tarantulas suddenly realizes how all those bugs eaten by geckos feel.
|title= "Master Blaster"
|production company= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate= [[March 1]], 1999
|written by= [[Eric Torin]]
|directed by= [[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Predacons gain control over the body of Optimus Primal, and capture the Ark.'''

:''Japanese title:'' もえてドラゴン (''Moete Dragon'', "Blaze, Dragon")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''La Furia del Dragón'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:BW MasterBlaster PrimalflattenWaspy.jpg|left|150px|thumb|A bug in the hand is worth...uh, washing up afterward.]]
Silverbolt dutifully patrols the Maximals' fortified entrance to [[Mount St. Hilary]]. Megatron, trying another attack on the Maximals' base, sends sub-commander Waspinator with a large explosive (from…somewhere) to destroy the patrolling Fuzor. Waspinator delivers the missile and destroys Silverbolt's gunning turret, and when Primal, Cheetor, and Rattrap rush outside to defend their home, Waspinator commands a full attack. But without support from additional troops, Waspinator is quickly crushed by Primal.

Hiding out of Primal's sight, Tarantulas blows a dart that burrows itself into Primal's foot, crawls through the Maximal leader's interior machinery, and accesses Primal's own spark. Primal disregards the infection, tells Cheetor to "take a rest" with a suspiciously Western drawl, and punches out the young Maximal.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Primalsparkhijack.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Once these things dig in, only a special shampoo can get them out.]]
Blackarachnia returns to the Maximal base, surprised by the open doors. She finds the entire interior dark. Primal sneaks up on the arachnid, and when she reveals that Depth Charge isn't with her, he grabs her as if she were a toy. With the widow restrained, Megatron and his crones step out of the darkness. Quickstrike is revealed to be controlling Optimus by piloting a large, mechanical suit of similar form to Primal's body. The other Maximals are being kept deactivated in a hanging cage.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megs spark.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ye haw, ride 'em, cowboy!]]
Meanwhile, Quickstrike uses Primal's body to give Megatron access to the Ark's interior. Megatron walks through the halls of the ship to find what he's looking for: his namesake [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. The Predacon leader opens his own chest, and a tentacle reaches out of it to access the [[spark]] of his predecessor. After a bit of struggle, Megatron takes both sparks into his body. While Megatron convulses from the pain of containing two sparks, Quickstrike, who is secretly working for Tarantulas, dumps his leader into one of the lava pits outside.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megshand.jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[Wikia:c:terminator:Terminator 2: Judgment Day|I'll be back.]]]]
Blackarachnia is left in the care of [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who delights in causing her pain, but she overpowers the massive Transmetal crab by using her telekinesis to knock him down with a steel girder. She sneaks through the base, then leads Inferno away from the Maximals he's supposed to be protecting and locks him outside so she can free her team.

Quickstrike gives Tarantulas access to [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]. Tarantulas then sends Quickstrike away to destroy the Maximals while he rigs the Ark to explode, which will kill all Autobots and Decepticons within it. As Tarantulas leaves the Ark, Megatron emerges from the lava, now reconfigured into a dragon form by his plunge into the molten rock and the additional spark within him. Megatron burns the spider who betrayed him and tosses Tarantulas into a distant lava pool as punishment for failing.

Quickstrike, still piloting his armor, finds Blackarachnia and double-teams her using Optimus's body, which is still under his control. But with a well-placed blast, she causes the two giants to fall over each other. The fall frees Optimus, who remembers what he did under Quickstrike's control, and he and Blackarachnia head back into the Ark to prevent the devastation.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megsflame.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Oh, this is really bold! So bold, it's not fit for human consumption!]]
Megatron finds Optimus, and the two enhanced transformers battle. While Blackarachnia tries to save the Ark, Megatron shows off his new abilities against his most hated enemy. Blackarachnia saves the Ark with just a single second to spare. Optimus is then saved from Megatron by the combined firepower of the other Maximals, who force Megatron to retreat. But with the spark of the original Megatron still in his possession, Megatron has gained a new advantage in the Beast Wars.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
*[[Rattrap]] (9)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (13)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (2)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (3)
*[[Tarantulas]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Dinobot II]] (7)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (12)

|h4=[[Decepticons]]|c4=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, sometimes deception is the better part of valor."
:—'''Megatron''', observing Waspinator's unwitting decoy attack on the Maximal base

"You'll live to regret this, crab legs." 
"I regret everything, my sweet. Struggle as much as you like, I enjoy it."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' as she struggles against '''Rampage'''

"Time to open me up a can of kick-keister!"
:—'''Quickstrike''', after being told to finish the other Maximals

"By the Pit, you live!" 
"I am not so easily destroyed. And thanks to your treachery, my power is greater than ever! Let me 'thank' you."
:—'''Tarantulas''' and '''Megatron'''

"I can suffer your treachery, lieutenant, but not your incompetence!" 
[''throws Tarantulas into the lava''] 
"Treachery requires ''no'' mistakes."
:—'''Megatron''' reborn deals with '''Tarantulas'''

"Enter the dragon!"
:—'''Megatron''' introduces the new him to Optimus Primal and Blackarachnia

"Megatron does not yield... he ''conquers''!"
:—'''Megatron''''s response to Optimus Primal's demand for his surrender

"Eight clicks to core implosion.... five.. four... three... two... one... core implosion aborted... all systems normal... have a nice day."
:—<strike>Spaceball</strike>'''Teletraan I'''

"Did you think you could stand against the fury of ''both'' Megatrons?"
:—'''Megatron''' gloating to Optimus Primal

"Talk about a makeover." 
"It's no joke, Rattrap. What Megatron's done has just made it more important than ever for us to win this war… and win it soon."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
* Although the toy is a [[Transmetal 2]] and has detailing consistent with the other Transmetal 2 figures, within the context of the story, Megatron's upgrade is not related to the [[Transmetal driver]] and is never called a Transmetal 2 in the series. The stylistic difference from "Optimal Optimus" can be attributed to the lava, which Megatron likely wouldn't have survived had he not been in the process of being upgraded, as falling into lava killed [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]].
* When Primal finally gains control of himself and tells Blackarachnia that Megatron gained control of Teletraan I, he ''actually says Teletraan'' instead of Teletron. Although every other time it's said in this episode, it's pronounced Teletron.

===Continuity errors===
* It is unclear why Tarantulas and Quickstrike expected (''Beast Wars'') Megatron to expire in the lava, given Tarantulas suffers the same fate, but immediately climbs out of the lava moments later. Although it's possible that throwing Megatron into lava was just Quickstrike's idea.
* Megatron is not shown putting Generation 1 Megatron's spark back in its body. Even at the end of the series, the spark was never shown again, nor was it even mentioned that it had been replaced. There is only Primal's statement that "all is as it should be" (made in "[[Nemesis Part 2]]") to go on. However, the spark's replacement ''was'' written into the "Nemesis" script and even animated—it was simply cut for time from the final episode. A clip of this animation can be seen on BWTF.com's [http://bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasonthree/nem2/ page for this episode] and was included as an extra in Kid Rhino's DVD release of ''Beast Wars'' season 3.
* The computer that Blackarachnia uses seems to have been designed for human-size figures, rather then the larger Autobot occupants. Of course the controls could have been built when the Ark was constructed for the roughly human-sized transformers, such as the ones with cassette alternate modes.

===Technical/animation glitches===
*When Megatron says he has "Almost collected the whole set" his head has the wrong colors. Instead of his usual Transmetal head, the colors match that of his Dragon form. Strangely, earlier shots in this scene have the correct color scheme.

===Transformers references===
* Well, there ''is'' [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]], but he's only in [[stasis lock]].
* Blackarachnia (after saying "I can play your game too") saves the day by uploading "datatrax Viron" into Teletraan-1, which is the same datatrax Tarantulas used against the [[Metal Hunter]].
* Megatron's tampering with Generation 1 Megatron's spark will have bizarre results several million years later when the original Megatron battles [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in "[[Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.]]"

===Real-world references===
* Megatron counts "Six little Maximals, I've almost collected the whole set!" several Transformer fans collect the [[Beast Wars (toyline)|toys]]—and many fans make a point to collect specifically the toys of characters appearing on the show.

* While revealing himself in his new form, Megatron cries out "Enter the dragon!", which is also the title of a [[Wikipedia:Enter the Dragon|Bruce Lee movie]].

* The title of the episode, "Master Blaster", is also the title of an old computer game, and a song by Stevie Wonder. However, it's clear from context that it primarily refers to the dwarf/giant duo from the film "[[Wikipedia:Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome|Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]".

===Trivia===
* The power-suit frame used by Quickstrike in this episode is later used by the [[Vok]] to create [[Primal Prime]] in "Primeval Dawn Part 1".

* This episode establishes that there are other equally powerful sparks; Prime's not being the only one.

* In an early version of episode's plot, Megatron decided to steal and absorb the original Megatron's spark only after failing at another attempt to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>''[[Beast Wars Universe]]'' [ISBN 978-4766938005]</ref>

* A techno-''blowgun?'' Well, whatever works, works, we suppose.

==Reference==
<references/>

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Master Blaster

2009-12-05T18:02:04Z

92.236.73.105:

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=49
|image=BW MasterBlaster title.jpg
|caption=Tarantulas suddenly realizes how all those bugs eaten by geckos feel.
|title= "Master Blaster"
|production company= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate= [[March 1]], 1999
|written by= [[Eric Torin]]
|directed by= [[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Predacons gain control over the body of Optimus Primal, and capture the Ark.'''

:''Japanese title:'' もえてドラゴン (''Moete Dragon'', "Blaze, Dragon")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''La Furia del Dragón'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:BW MasterBlaster PrimalflattenWaspy.jpg|left|150px|thumb|A bug in the hand is worth...uh, washing up afterward.]]
Silverbolt dutifully patrols the Maximals' fortified entrance to [[Mount St. Hilary]]. Megatron, trying another attack on the Maximals' base, sends sub-commander Waspinator with a large explosive (from…somewhere) to destroy the patrolling Fuzor. Waspinator delivers the missile and destroys Silverbolt's gunning turret, and when Primal, Cheetor, and Rattrap rush outside to defend their home, Waspinator commands a full attack. But without support from additional troops, Waspinator is quickly crushed by Primal.

Hiding out of Primal's sight, Tarantulas blows a dart that burrows itself into Primal's foot, crawls through the Maximal leader's interior machinery, and accesses Primal's own spark. Primal disregards the infection, tells Cheetor to "take a rest" with a suspiciously Western drawl, and punches out the young Maximal.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Primalsparkhijack.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Once these things dig in, only a special shampoo can get them out.]]
Blackarachnia returns to the Maximal base, surprised by the open doors. She finds the entire interior dark. Primal sneaks up on the arachnid, and when she reveals that Depth Charge isn't with her, he grabs her as if she were a toy. With the widow restrained, Megatron and his crones step out of the darkness. Quickstrike is revealed to be controlling Optimus by piloting a large, mechanical suit of similar form to Primal's body. The other Maximals are being kept deactivated in a hanging cage.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megs spark.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ye haw, ride 'em, cowboy!]]
Meanwhile, Quickstrike uses Primal's body to give Megatron access to the Ark's interior. Megatron walks through the halls of the ship to find what he's looking for: his namesake [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. The Predacon leader opens his own chest, and a tentacle reaches out of it to access the [[spark]] of his predecessor. After a bit of struggle, Megatron takes both sparks into his body. While Megatron convulses from the pain of containing two sparks, Quickstrike, who is secretly working for Tarantulas, dumps his leader into one of the lava pits outside.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megshand.jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[Wikia:c:terminator:Terminator 2: Judgment Day|I'll be back.]]]]
Blackarachnia is left in the care of [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who delights in causing her pain, but she overpowers the massive Transmetal crab by using her telekinesis to knock him down with a steel girder. She sneaks through the base, then leads Inferno away from the Maximals he's supposed to be protecting and locks him outside so she can free her team.

Quickstrike gives Tarantulas access to [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]. Tarantulas then sends Quickstrike away to destroy the Maximals while he rigs the Ark to explode, which will kill all Autobots and Decepticons within it. As Tarantulas leaves the Ark, Megatron emerges from the lava, now reconfigured into a dragon form by his plunge into the molten rock and the additional spark within him. Megatron burns the spider who betrayed him and tosses Tarantulas into a distant lava pool as punishment for failing.

Quickstrike, still piloting his armor, finds Blackarachnia and double-teams her using Optimus's body, which is still under his control. But with a well-placed blast, she causes the two giants to fall over each other. The fall frees Optimus, who remembers what he did under Quickstrike's control, and he and Blackarachnia head back into the Ark to prevent the devastation.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megsflame.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Oh, this is really bold! So bold, it's not fit for human consumption!]]
Megatron finds Optimus, and the two enhanced transformers battle. While Blackarachnia tries to save the Ark, Megatron shows off his new abilities against his most hated enemy. Blackarachnia saves the Ark with just a single second to spare. Optimus is then saved from Megatron by the combined firepower of the other Maximals, who force Megatron to retreat. But with the spark of the original Megatron still in his possession, Megatron has gained a new advantage in the Beast Wars.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
*[[Rattrap]] (9)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (13)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (2)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (3)
*[[Tarantulas]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Dinobot II]] (7)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (12)

|c4=[[Decepticons]]
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, sometimes deception is the better part of valor."
:—'''Megatron''', observing Waspinator's unwitting decoy attack on the Maximal base

"You'll live to regret this, crab legs." 
"I regret everything, my sweet. Struggle as much as you like, I enjoy it."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' as she struggles against '''Rampage'''

"Time to open me up a can of kick-keister!"
:—'''Quickstrike''', after being told to finish the other Maximals

"By the Pit, you live!" 
"I am not so easily destroyed. And thanks to your treachery, my power is greater than ever! Let me 'thank' you."
:—'''Tarantulas''' and '''Megatron'''

"I can suffer your treachery, lieutenant, but not your incompetence!" 
[''throws Tarantulas into the lava''] 
"Treachery requires ''no'' mistakes."
:—'''Megatron''' reborn deals with '''Tarantulas'''

"Enter the dragon!"
:—'''Megatron''' introduces the new him to Optimus Primal and Blackarachnia

"Megatron does not yield... he ''conquers''!"
:—'''Megatron''''s response to Optimus Primal's demand for his surrender

"Eight clicks to core implosion.... five.. four... three... two... one... core implosion aborted... all systems normal... have a nice day."
:—<strike>Spaceball</strike>'''Teletraan I'''

"Did you think you could stand against the fury of ''both'' Megatrons?"
:—'''Megatron''' gloating to Optimus Primal

"Talk about a makeover." 
"It's no joke, Rattrap. What Megatron's done has just made it more important than ever for us to win this war… and win it soon."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
* Although the toy is a [[Transmetal 2]] and has detailing consistent with the other Transmetal 2 figures, within the context of the story, Megatron's upgrade is not related to the [[Transmetal driver]] and is never called a Transmetal 2 in the series. The stylistic difference from "Optimal Optimus" can be attributed to the lava, which Megatron likely wouldn't have survived had he not been in the process of being upgraded, as falling into lava killed [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]].
* When Primal finally gains control of himself and tells Blackarachnia that Megatron gained control of Teletraan I, he ''actually says Teletraan'' instead of Teletron. Although every other time it's said in this episode, it's pronounced Teletron.

===Continuity errors===
* It is unclear why Tarantulas and Quickstrike expected (''Beast Wars'') Megatron to expire in the lava, given Tarantulas suffers the same fate, but immediately climbs out of the lava moments later. Although it's possible that throwing Megatron into lava was just Quickstrike's idea.
* Megatron is not shown putting Generation 1 Megatron's spark back in its body. Even at the end of the series, the spark was never shown again, nor was it even mentioned that it had been replaced. There is only Primal's statement that "all is as it should be" (made in "[[Nemesis Part 2]]") to go on. However, the spark's replacement ''was'' written into the "Nemesis" script and even animated—it was simply cut for time from the final episode. A clip of this animation can be seen on BWTF.com's [http://bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasonthree/nem2/ page for this episode] and was included as an extra in Kid Rhino's DVD release of ''Beast Wars'' season 3.
* The computer that Blackarachnia uses seems to have been designed for human-size figures, rather then the larger Autobot occupants. Of course the controls could have been built when the Ark was constructed for the roughly human-sized transformers, such as the ones with cassette alternate modes.

===Technical/animation glitches===
*When Megatron says he has "Almost collected the whole set" his head has the wrong colors. Instead of his usual Transmetal head, the colors match that of his Dragon form. Strangely, earlier shots in this scene have the correct color scheme.

===Transformers references===
* Well, there ''is'' [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]], but he's only in [[stasis lock]].
* Blackarachnia (after saying "I can play your game too") saves the day by uploading "datatrax Viron" into Teletraan-1, which is the same datatrax Tarantulas used against the [[Metal Hunter]].
* Megatron's tampering with Generation 1 Megatron's spark will have bizarre results several million years later when the original Megatron battles [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in "[[Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.]]"

===Real-world references===
* Megatron counts "Six little Maximals, I've almost collected the whole set!" several Transformer fans collect the [[Beast Wars (toyline)|toys]]—and many fans make a point to collect specifically the toys of characters appearing on the show.

* While revealing himself in his new form, Megatron cries out "Enter the dragon!", which is also the title of a [[Wikipedia:Enter the Dragon|Bruce Lee movie]].

* The title of the episode, "Master Blaster", is also the title of an old computer game, and a song by Stevie Wonder. However, it's clear from context that it primarily refers to the dwarf/giant duo from the film "[[Wikipedia:Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome|Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]".

===Trivia===
* The power-suit frame used by Quickstrike in this episode is later used by the [[Vok]] to create [[Primal Prime]] in "Primeval Dawn Part 1".

* This episode establishes that there are other equally powerful sparks; Prime's not being the only one.

* In an early version of episode's plot, Megatron decided to steal and absorb the original Megatron's spark only after failing at another attempt to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>''[[Beast Wars Universe]]'' [ISBN 978-4766938005]</ref>

* A techno-''blowgun?'' Well, whatever works, works, we suppose.

==Reference==
<references/>

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Master Blaster

2009-12-05T18:00:45Z

92.236.73.105:

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=49
|image=BW MasterBlaster title.jpg
|caption=Tarantulas suddenly realizes how all those bugs eaten by geckos feel.
|title= "Master Blaster"
|production company= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate= [[March 1]], 1999
|written by= [[Eric Torin]]
|directed by= [[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Predacons gain control over the body of Optimus Primal, and capture the Ark.'''

:''Japanese title:'' もえてドラゴン (''Moete Dragon'', "Blaze, Dragon")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''La Furia del Dragón'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:BW MasterBlaster PrimalflattenWaspy.jpg|left|150px|thumb|A bug in the hand is worth...uh, washing up afterward.]]
Silverbolt dutifully patrols the Maximals' fortified entrance to [[Mount St. Hilary]]. Megatron, trying another attack on the Maximals' base, sends sub-commander Waspinator with a large explosive (from…somewhere) to destroy the patrolling Fuzor. Waspinator delivers the missile and destroys Silverbolt's gunning turret, and when Primal, Cheetor, and Rattrap rush outside to defend their home, Waspinator commands a full attack. But without support from additional troops, Waspinator is quickly crushed by Primal.

Hiding out of Primal's sight, Tarantulas blows a dart that burrows itself into Primal's foot, crawls through the Maximal leader's interior machinery, and accesses Primal's own spark. Primal disregards the infection, tells Cheetor to "take a rest" with a suspiciously Western drawl, and punches out the young Maximal.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Primalsparkhijack.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Once these things dig in, only a special shampoo can get them out.]]
Blackarachnia returns to the Maximal base, surprised by the open doors. She finds the entire interior dark. Primal sneaks up on the arachnid, and when she reveals that Depth Charge isn't with her, he grabs her as if she were a toy. With the widow restrained, Megatron and his crones step out of the darkness. Quickstrike is revealed to be controlling Optimus by piloting a large, mechanical suit of similar form to Primal's body. The other Maximals are being kept deactivated in a hanging cage.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megs spark.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ye haw, ride 'em, cowboy!]]
Meanwhile, Quickstrike uses Primal's body to give Megatron access to the Ark's interior. Megatron walks through the halls of the ship to find what he's looking for: his namesake [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. The Predacon leader opens his own chest, and a tentacle reaches out of it to access the [[spark]] of his predecessor. After a bit of struggle, Megatron takes both sparks into his body. While Megatron convulses from the pain of containing two sparks, Quickstrike, who is secretly working for Tarantulas, dumps his leader into one of the lava pits outside.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megshand.jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[Wikia:c:terminator:Terminator 2: Judgment Day|I'll be back.]]]]
Blackarachnia is left in the care of [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who delights in causing her pain, but she overpowers the massive Transmetal crab by using her telekinesis to knock him down with a steel girder. She sneaks through the base, then leads Inferno away from the Maximals he's supposed to be protecting and locks him outside so she can free her team.

Quickstrike gives Tarantulas access to [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]. Tarantulas then sends Quickstrike away to destroy the Maximals while he rigs the Ark to explode, which will kill all Autobots and Decepticons within it. As Tarantulas leaves the Ark, Megatron emerges from the lava, now reconfigured into a dragon form by his plunge into the molten rock and the additional spark within him. Megatron burns the spider who betrayed him and tosses Tarantulas into a distant lava pool as punishment for failing.

Quickstrike, still piloting his armor, finds Blackarachnia and double-teams her using Optimus's body, which is still under his control. But with a well-placed blast, she causes the two giants to fall over each other. The fall frees Optimus, who remembers what he did under Quickstrike's control, and he and Blackarachnia head back into the Ark to prevent the devastation.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megsflame.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Oh, this is really bold! So bold, it's not fit for human consumption!]]
Megatron finds Optimus, and the two enhanced transformers battle. While Blackarachnia tries to save the Ark, Megatron shows off his new abilities against his most hated enemy. Blackarachnia saves the Ark with just a single second to spare. Optimus is then saved from Megatron by the combined firepower of the other Maximals, who force Megatron to retreat. But with the spark of the original Megatron still in his possession, Megatron has gained a new advantage in the Beast Wars.
{{-}}

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Maximals]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]
! style="background:#FFEEB8" | [[Decepticons]]
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
*[[Rattrap]] (9)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (13)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (2)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (3)
*[[Tarantulas]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Dinobot II]] (7)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (12)

| style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top" |
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, sometimes deception is the better part of valor."
:—'''Megatron''', observing Waspinator's unwitting decoy attack on the Maximal base

"You'll live to regret this, crab legs." 
"I regret everything, my sweet. Struggle as much as you like, I enjoy it."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' as she struggles against '''Rampage'''

"Time to open me up a can of kick-keister!"
:—'''Quickstrike''', after being told to finish the other Maximals

"By the Pit, you live!" 
"I am not so easily destroyed. And thanks to your treachery, my power is greater than ever! Let me 'thank' you."
:—'''Tarantulas''' and '''Megatron'''

"I can suffer your treachery, lieutenant, but not your incompetence!" 
[''throws Tarantulas into the lava''] 
"Treachery requires ''no'' mistakes."
:—'''Megatron''' reborn deals with '''Tarantulas'''

"Enter the dragon!"
:—'''Megatron''' introduces the new him to Optimus Primal and Blackarachnia

"Megatron does not yield... he ''conquers''!"
:—'''Megatron''''s response to Optimus Primal's demand for his surrender

"Eight clicks to core implosion.... five.. four... three... two... one... core implosion aborted... all systems normal... have a nice day."
:—<strike>Spaceball</strike>'''Teletraan I'''

"Did you think you could stand against the fury of ''both'' Megatrons?"
:—'''Megatron''' gloating to Optimus Primal

"Talk about a makeover." 
"It's no joke, Rattrap. What Megatron's done has just made it more important than ever for us to win this war… and win it soon."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
* Although the toy is a [[Transmetal 2]] and has detailing consistent with the other Transmetal 2 figures, within the context of the story, Megatron's upgrade is not related to the [[Transmetal driver]] and is never called a Transmetal 2 in the series. The stylistic difference from "Optimal Optimus" can be attributed to the lava, which Megatron likely wouldn't have survived had he not been in the process of being upgraded, as falling into lava killed [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]].
* When Primal finally gains control of himself and tells Blackarachnia that Megatron gained control of Teletraan I, he ''actually says Teletraan'' instead of Teletron. Although every other time it's said in this episode, it's pronounced Teletron.

===Continuity errors===
* It is unclear why Tarantulas and Quickstrike expected (''Beast Wars'') Megatron to expire in the lava, given Tarantulas suffers the same fate, but immediately climbs out of the lava moments later. Although it's possible that throwing Megatron into lava was just Quickstrike's idea.
* Megatron is not shown putting Generation 1 Megatron's spark back in its body. Even at the end of the series, the spark was never shown again, nor was it even mentioned that it had been replaced. There is only Primal's statement that "all is as it should be" (made in "[[Nemesis Part 2]]") to go on. However, the spark's replacement ''was'' written into the "Nemesis" script and even animated—it was simply cut for time from the final episode. A clip of this animation can be seen on BWTF.com's [http://bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasonthree/nem2/ page for this episode] and was included as an extra in Kid Rhino's DVD release of ''Beast Wars'' season 3.
* The computer that Blackarachnia uses seems to have been designed for human-size figures, rather then the larger Autobot occupants. Of course the controls could have been built when the Ark was constructed for the roughly human-sized transformers, such as the ones with cassette alternate modes.

===Technical/animation glitches===
*When Megatron says he has "Almost collected the whole set" his head has the wrong colors. Instead of his usual Transmetal head, the colors match that of his Dragon form. Strangely, earlier shots in this scene have the correct color scheme.

===Transformers references===
* Well, there ''is'' [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]], but he's only in [[stasis lock]].
* Blackarachnia (after saying "I can play your game too") saves the day by uploading "datatrax Viron" into Teletraan-1, which is the same datatrax Tarantulas used against the [[Metal Hunter]].
* Megatron's tampering with Generation 1 Megatron's spark will have bizarre results several million years later when the original Megatron battles [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in "[[Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.]]"

===Real-world references===
* Megatron counts "Six little Maximals, I've almost collected the whole set!" several Transformer fans collect the [[Beast Wars (toyline)|toys]]—and many fans make a point to collect specifically the toys of characters appearing on the show.

* While revealing himself in his new form, Megatron cries out "Enter the dragon!", which is also the title of a [[Wikipedia:Enter the Dragon|Bruce Lee movie]].

* The title of the episode, "Master Blaster", is also the title of an old computer game, and a song by Stevie Wonder. However, it's clear from context that it primarily refers to the dwarf/giant duo from the film "[[Wikipedia:Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome|Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]".

===Trivia===
* The power-suit frame used by Quickstrike in this episode is later used by the [[Vok]] to create [[Primal Prime]] in "Primeval Dawn Part 1".

* This episode establishes that there are other equally powerful sparks; Prime's not being the only one.

* In an early version of episode's plot, Megatron decided to steal and absorb the original Megatron's spark only after failing at another attempt to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>''[[Beast Wars Universe]]'' [ISBN 978-4766938005]</ref>

* A techno-''blowgun?'' Well, whatever works, works, we suppose.

==Reference==
<references/>

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Optimal Situation

2009-12-05T17:53:30Z

92.236.73.105:

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=40
|series2=Metals
|ep2=13
|next2=Where Is the Banana?
|title="Optimal Situation"
|image=Optimal Optimus.JPG
|caption=[[Trukk not munky|Trukk ''and'' munky]].
|production code=
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|writer=[[Bob Forward]]
|director=[[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 24]], 1998
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''With Optimus Prime in critical condition after Megatron's attack, Optimus Primal takes on his spark to save the timestream.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 大きくな～れ (''Ōkiku Na~re'', "Gro~w Bigger")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Situación Optima'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Smelt Prime.JPG|left|150px|thumb|Smelts in your mouth, not in your hand.]]
As a time storm ravages reality, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] gloats to the fading [[Maximal|Maximals]], since his attack on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] ensures that the [[Autobot|Autobots]] lose to the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], resulting in the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] having control of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. However, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], having been a Maximal protoform, is also affected by the time storm. She uses the information from the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] to activate [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]'s security system, forcing Megatron out of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]].

[[Image:OptimusPrimal OpSit Matrixspark.jpg|right|150px|thumb|It's not the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]. We swear.]]
Blackarachnia and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] activate the Ark's repair systems to help stabilize Optimus Prime's condition, but the [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]] is still dying, and "reality is still in flux". The other Maximals arrive, and upon seeing Prime, realize that they must save him. However, his spark is fading. Believing there is no other choice, Optimus Primal merges his spark with Prime's to save it. He succeeds, and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] summons an [[Autobot repair device]] to begin restoring Prime's body. Holding Prime's spark causes Primal to expand into a new, larger body.

Megatron and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] arrive and attack, though Primal manages to save the Maximals and convince the Predacons to leave, while Blackarachnia uses the commotion to escape. Outside, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] provides cover fire by shooting the rocks above the Ark. The Predacons destroy the cave entrance and flee, but Megatron notices a trapped Blackarachnia. Enraged by her betrayal, Megatron shoots her as the Maximals break free. Knowing that they are heading for the unprotected ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Primal and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] race off.

[[Image:BWSilverbolt Blackarachnia OptimalSituation.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ug, gag unto me with a spoon.]]
As Silverbolt cradles the damaged Blackarachnia, he begs her to fight on and praises her defiance of Megatron. She maintains that what she did was self-preservation, but Silverbolt points out that she also saved him and the universe. He openly admits to Blackarachnia that he loves her, shocking her. While there's still time, Silverbolt asks her one last time to join the Maximals. Although she maintains that she's still a Predacon, Blackarachnia joins the Maximals for him, then goes off-line. However, Rhinox reveals that she's merely in [[Stasis lock|stasis lock]].

Primal and Cheetor manage to down Megatron, Inferno, and Waspinator, but Primal discovers that [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] and the [[Arachnoid|Arachnoids]] are literally trying to drag the base away. Optimus manages to sever the lines and dispatch Rampage, but not before Rampage fires a missile which deflects off Primal and hits the ''Axalon''. The ''Axalon'' plummets off the cliff and crashes into the river. Knowing that he must return Prime's spark, Optimus withdraws with Cheetor to rejoin the Maximals.

[[Image:Optimusx2.JPG|right|150px|thumb|And in four million years, he'll tell [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] he had the strangest [[Humanizing#Sleep|dream]].]]
Back in the Ark, the repairs are finished. Returning the spark causes Optimus Prime to reactivate briefly, but he almost immediately returns to stasis lock. [[Rattrap]] is less than happy, as they now have the difficult task of protecting the ''Ark'' from the Predacons. With the time stream safe—for the moment—Optimus orders the Maximals, including Blackarachnia (who still maintains she's a Predacon), to begin rounding up every piece of salvage and make fortifications.

They're moving into [[Mount St. Hilary]].
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal|Optimus Primal/Optimal Optimus]] (1)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (2)
*[[Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Rattrap]] (5)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]](6)
|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (7)
*[[Waspinator (BW)| Waspinator]] (9)
*[[Inferno (BW)| Inferno]] (10)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (11)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (12)
*[[Tarantulas]] (13)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (Head) (14)
|h3=[[Autobots]]|c3=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Optimus''': Silverbolt, what— 
[''The Maximals see Optimus Prime's injured face''] 
'''Optimus''': Well. That's just prime. 
'''Rattrap''': Or, what's left of 'im, anyway. 
[''Rhinox smacks Rattrap'']
:—Rhinox doesn't appreciate Rattrap's graveyard humor.

'''Rhinox''': "Hurry!" 
'''Blackarachnia''': "This technology is four million years old. It takes time." 
'''Rattrap''': "Time ya don't have, she-spider." ''[readies his gun]'' 
'''Silverbolt''': "You'll have to shoot through me, rodent." 
'''Rattrap''': "Don't tempt me!" 
'''Rhinox''': "Knock it off! We've got bigger problems."
:—Tensions flare during the repairs on Optimus Prime.

"Guys? Check out Big Bot..." 
[''Optimus stands up... and up... and up.''] 
"Big bot? How do you feel?" 
"In a word: Prime."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Optimus''' after the latter's Optimal transformation.

"You wouldn't dare fire in here! It might upset history." 
"We'd have four million years to clean you off the walls, Megatron. I ''might'' risk it."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Primal''' are badasses.

'''Megatron:''' This is not the end of it, Optimal Optimus. Nooo. The universe cowered once at the name of Megatron, and it shall do so again! 
'''Optimus:''' Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, Megatron. 
'''Megatron:''' Then they'd better stay out of my way! 
'''Rattrap:''' Oh, fer bootin' up cold! Will you just shoot him? 
'''Optimus:''' I'm trying not to resort to that.
:—The 'bots talk smack.

"You!" 
"Well, what did you expect, you metal megalomaniac?! What, that I would die for your insane ambition?!" 
"Then or now, Blackarachnia, there will be no more betrayals!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Blackarachnia'''

"Jumping gyros, Optimus sure learns a new body fast!" 
"Well wha'd ya expect? He ''changes'' 'em often enough!"
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Rattrap''', who gets a rim shot.

"Blackarachnia, dark poison of my heart, abide with me yet still." 
"You got a way with words there, Rover. You almost make me wish I was a better girl."
:—'''Silverbolt''' and '''Blackarachnia''' have a touching moment. Rattrap is probably on the verge of puking or shooting them.

"Talk about your crispy, ice-cold slag..."
:—'''Cheetor''''s reaction to the Axalon's destruction

==Notes==
*Optimus runs through all four of his new body's modes within a few minutes of its debut. (His beast mode is easy to miss, but he uses it when he shields the other Maximals from the Predacons' weapons fire.)
* Primal's voice becomes noticeably deeper when he takes on his new form, as well as gaining an additional flanging effect. One might think the change is related to having old John Wayne-voice Optimus Prime within him, but both changes remain after Prime's spark is restored, so apparently it's just from being bigger and more metally. The deeper voice would vanish in future episodes, however.
*Blackarachnia opposes Megatron's plan to wipe the Autobots from history because she was a Maximal protoform. Technically, Quickstrike, Inferno, and (arguably) Rampage all count as Maximal protoforms too, but they don't oppose Megatron's plan because Quickstrike's ignorant, Inferno's crazy, and Rampage doesn't have a say in the matter (and is also crazy).

===Animation/technical errors===
*When the camera pans around Prime to show the repairs starting to be made, the Autobot insignia inside his chest is upside-down.
*When Primal first transforms into his jet mode, the cockpit is empty, but should house Prime's spark.
*After the Predacons leave the ''Ark'', Inferno, who looked like a zombie in the scene before (and after being apparently vaporized two episodes prior), is now in mint condition.
*As the ''Axalon'' is being dragged off of the cliff, the bottom of it can be seen. However it is completely flat at the rear; the engines are not there at all.
*In the Brazilian dub, Rampage is called "Destruição", but his name is "Violência". "Destruição" is Ravage's name.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Sparkholderprimevaldawn.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Geekery.]]
*The "spark container" which held Optimus Prime's spark was hauntingly similar to the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. According to [[Ben Yee]]'s [http://www.bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasonthree/os/ site], the Mainframe animators used Optimus Prime's death sequence from "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]" as a visual reference and used the Matrix's design as a spark container because they didn't know its significance. This, of course, leads us to ask the question: How do you get involved with ''Transformers'' and not know the most important McGuffin in the entire continuity?
** "[[Primeval Dawn]]" later explained the Matrix-shaped spark container as being a [[Decoy|decoy]] Matrix constructed to sit in front of the real Matrix.
** Or Rhinox's "his spark has the Matrix with it" line could suggest that while he held the Matrix, the Matrix seen in ''Beast Wars'' was the Matrix and not a decoy. Consider that in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', Prime didn't give the Matrix to Ultra Magnus until after he had died. Look, just watch the episode, okay?
*Optimus was briefly knocked out after deflecting the missile and falling to the ground. However he is awake to watch the ''Axalon'' teeter back and forth and eventually fall off the cliff. One wonders why he couldn't have stopped it. After all, in his original form, he was able to slow the ship's descent to keep it from crashing in the episode "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]". One would think that his much larger and more powerful form would be enough actually to lift the ship up.

===Transformers references===
*After Optimus Prime's spark is returned to him, he reactivates, but almost immediately returns to [[Stasis lock|stasis lock]]. The [[Binaltech#Binaltech_2|''Binaltech'' story]] chapter supplied with BT-22 Convoy establishes that Optimus Prime was at least partly aware of both the spark transfer and Optimus Primal.
*When confronting Megatron on the ''Ark'''s bridge, Optimus Primal tells Megatron, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings," the motto of Optimus Prime. When informed by [[Ben Yee]] about this fact during the [[Madman Entertainment]] ''Beast Wars'' Season 3 DVD commentary for this episode, writer Bob Forward confessed that up to this point he had no idea, and the phrase was simply something he'd picked up from the alt.toys.transformers newsgroup.
* Later, Optimus Primal tells the Maximals to "transform and [[Roll out|roll out]]."
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]'s falling head represents that he is, in fact, totally dead. [[The Gathering|Until]] [[Universe (2003 comic)|he]] [[Binaltech|isn't]].

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

The Agenda (Part III)

2009-12-05T17:49:10Z

92.236.73.105:

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=39
|image=G1Prime BWMegs.jpg
|caption=Head ''off''.
|title="The Agenda" (Part III)
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[March 12]], 1998
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Asaph Fipke]] [[Colin Davies]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''His plans crumbling, Megatron takes a final stab at winning the Beast Wars and changing history.'''

:''Japanese title:'' むか～しむかし (''Muka~shi Mukashi'', "Once Upon a Time")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''El Programa Tercera Parte'''

==Synopsis==
With [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and his [[transwarp cruiser]] backing them up, the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] unleash a full assault on the [[Maximal]] [[Axalon (BW)|base]]. [[Rattrap]] changes to beast mode and jumps onto the back of the transwarp cruiser, where he begins cutting into the ship's hull. On the battlefield, [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] are pinned down by the Predacons' firepower, but the autoguns manage to knock [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] from his perch atop [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] and a short time later the larger Predacon runs him over.

[[Image:Agenda 3 Rampage axalon.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Who decided to give the experiment awesome firepower?]]
It's not long before Ravage and Rampage bring down the base's shield, and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] emerges to fire on Rampage. Ravage has Tarantulas transfer all the cruiser's power into one enormous missile. Before it can fire, [[Rattrap]] bursts into the ship's weapons hold and tosses a pair of magnetic bombs that adhere to Tarantulas's hands. The bombs obliterate [[Tarantulas]], the ship's interior, and Ravage—who faces the onrushing fireball with a stoic cry of "[[Decepticon|Decepticons]] forever!" The cruiser falls out of the sky, coming to rest mere feet from Rampage—who is then blasted by the still-armed missile.

With the cruiser destroyed and his minions out of commission, Megatron flees. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] notes that he's not headed back to base, realizes where he's probably going, and orders the Maximals to pursue.

[[Image:Ark BWAgenda1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|OK, remember where we parked.]]
Meanwhile, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] make their way into the caves of the volcano, uncovering the object of Blackarachnia's quest—the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]. Blackarachnia explains to Silverbolt that the ship was launched long ago, containing the Autobots' "finest heroes", and was shot down by Decepticons. The ship has members of both factions stored inside, who will awaken in the distant future to re-start the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. Blackarachnia is concerned only with the power it possesses—but Megatron arrives just then, blasting Silverbolt offline and sealing the entrance to the caves behind him.

[[Image:Agenda 3 Blackarachnia codes.jpg|left|200px|thumb|What's it like to see things like Neo?]]
The Maximals arrive hot on his heels, find the sealed entrance, and start digging their way in. Inside, Megatron threatens to vaporize Silverbolt, convincing Blackarachnia to use the access codes to gain access to the Ark (though she vehemently maintains it's only so they'll have some cover in the face of the imminent Maximal attack). The Maximals burst through in time to see the two Predacons sealing the Ark behind them.

Blackarachnia activates the ship's defenses to hold off the Maximals, while Megatron goes to "effect a more permanent solution." Entering the main bridge of the ship, he hovers among the fallen Autobots and Decepticons, eulogizing the Decepticons and cursing the Autobots, until he comes face to face with his intended target—[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], the original [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot|Autobots]], who kept the Decepticons from victory (and therefore left their Predacon descendants in a subservient position to the dominant Maximals). Megatron charges his main weapon and prepares to fire.

[[Image:Agenda3 MegatronOptimusPrime.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't worry, we know the drill.]]
In the caves, the Maximals are pelted by fire from the ship's cannon, till Rattrap manages to force a backblast that deactivates the cannon and shields. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] struggles to open the mighty doors of the Ark. But the Maximals are too late—Megatron unleashes a full-power blast at Optimus Prime's head, destroying it.

A time storm immediately wells up, spreading outward from the Ark and into space. The Maximals find themselves phasing in and out of past bodies—as well as out of existence—as Megatron emerges from the Ark, triumphant.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (2)
*[[Cheetor]] (3)
*[[Rattrap]] (6)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]](10)
|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (4)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (5)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (8)
*[[Tarantulas]] (9)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
|h3=[[Autobots]]|c3=
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] [Flashback] (12)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (13)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (14)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] [Flashback] (15)
|h4=[[Decepticons]]|c4=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (16)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (17)
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (18)
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (19)

}}
==Quotes==
"Decepticons forever!"
:—'''Ravage''''s last words

"What're you looking at?" 
"That star. Well, planet, actually. Venus. It reminds me of you." 
"You mean hot, poisonous, and deadly? Aww, you're sweet." 
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Silverbolt''' with a ref to the former's [[Venus Terzo|voice actress]].

"Stay with the group. When Megatron lands, we'll need all our firepower." 
"Where's he headed, Big Bot?" 
"To the beginning of everything, Cheetor, and quite possibly the end."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Cheetor'''

"I think we're almost through." 
"Then, stand back." 
"Wait, we just-" 
''Silverbolt blows the rocks away'' 
"Uh, nevermind. What is it with guys and high explosives?" 
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Silverbolt'''. ([[Michael Bay|Guys]] really don't know either)

"Aw, man! That ship wasn't built; it was poured!" 
"[[Die-cast]] construction!" [''He [[wikipedia:Breaking_the_fourth_wall|looks at the audience]]''] "It's a lost art."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Optimus Primal''' comment on the sturdiness of the Ark.

"Now I enter these hallowed halls... a conquerer... yesss. Autobots and Decepticons, still frozen in emergency stasis, awaiting the moment, four million years hence, when they will awaken to start the Great War. Hmmm, a Great War, when the Autobots defeated the Decepticons, and thus their descendants the Maximals rule we Predacons... archaic energon [[guzzler]]s! How ''dare'' they? Unwilling though I was to follow my namesake's instructions, it has all come down to this: the ultimate risk, for the ultimate prize. A day of reckoning, with ''those'' who made ''us'' slaves!"
:—'''Megatron''' enters the command bridge of the Ark.

"So, we are now face to face, Optimus ''Prime''. In one future you awaken and become the great leader of the Autobots. But time shall take a different track, now... computer! All available power to primary weapon! ... And now, Optimus Prime, in memory of the Decepticons... for the glory of the Predacons... for the Cybertron that is rightfully ours, and ''mine'' to rule! ... I unleash the storm of vengeance—''farewell!''"
:—'''Megatron''' rewrites history

"Say goodbye to the universe, Maximals! The future has changed. Yessssss. The Autobots lose, evil triumphs, and you... ''YOU''! NO LONGER EXIST!"
:—'''Megatron'''

==Notes==
[[Image:Agenda3 opening.JPG|right|180px|thumb|Yes, "Part Eye-Eye-Eye".]]
*Despite every other multi-part episode in ''Beast Wars'' using Arabic numerals in their titles (including the first two parts of "The Agenda"), this episode opts for the Roman numeral for whatever reason.
* Megatron, to no one's surprise, is perfectly willing to sacrifice most of his team to defeat the Maximals. Blackarachnia, Inferno, Quickstrike, and Rampage were all originally Maximal protoforms (or, in Rampage's case, the product of Maximal science). If his plan to retroactively destroy the Autobots and Maximals had worked, he would have been left with a team consisting of Waspinator and Tarantulas. (Tarantulas' precise origins are unclear, but he's definitely not a descendant of the Autobots.)
*In any event, Megatron's plan would seem to be [[wikipedia:Temporal_paradox|temporally problematic]], since such a drastic change could've wiped out the Predacons (and himself) just as easily as the Maximals. Small wonder he "was reluctant to follow my namesake's instructions" and regards it as "the ultimate risk". Megatron's ending in the ''[[Beast Wars: Transmetals]]'' video game further elaborates on this, stating that with Optimus Prime dead, there would be no [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], and, as such, nothing to [[The Transformers: The Movie|stop Unicron from destroying Cybertron]], an act that would wipe out Autobots and Decepticons.
*Apparently, Rhinox is afraid of heights. While sitting on Primal's Hoverboard he looks straight ahead, occasionally looking down and immediately snapping straight up with what looks like pure horror on his face.
*This episode marks the commencement of an ongoing error, whereby [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] is frequently pronounced "Tele''tron'' 1". The issue is resolved with [[Rattrap|extreme subtlety]] in "[[Nemesis Part 2]]".
*The word "suckers" is written on the giant missile in [[Cybertronix]].

===Technical/animation glitches===
* After Ravage's ship goes down and the Maximals decide to chase after Megatron, Optimus transforms to flight mode. His front, back, and upper torso are all messed up, to the point that he has to spin around a few times after transforming. (While this is happening the scene mostly switches to Rattrap climbing on Cheetor). Optimus is normal again when he tells Rhinox to "Get on."
* After Megatron blasts the entrance shut and the Maximals get off and find it covered, in a split second the colors on Rattrap's wheels on his back and his rat legs are reversed.

===Continuity errors===
* This episode called into sudden question the location of the Maximal and Predacon bases. The events of "[[Code of Hero]]" seem to firmly place the series somewhere in Africa, where early humanity evolved; the templates for the Maximals' beast modes (gorillas, cheetahs, rhinos) would seem to back this up. However, the Ark is traditionally seen to have crashed in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. If this is the case, the Maximals pursued Megatron across the Atlantic Ocean and over an entire continent! Even if the Ark touched down in Africa in this continuity, in "[[Possession]]" [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream's]] spark is ''clearly'' shown landing in the Southwest United States. Also, the early humans still appear after any theoretical 'crossing of the Atlantic' took place.
* Either way, it doesn't make much sense that the Maximals make ''no'' attempt to shoot down Megatron while he's still on the run, rather than waiting till he reaches his destination.
*Ravage was in his cassette mode in the ship at the end of last episode, but is piloting it from the cockpit in this one.

===Transformers references===
*In reference to the strength of the Ark, Rattrap claims, "That ship wasn't built, it was poured!" Primal replies "Die-cast construction. It's a lost art", in homage to the original Transformer toys, which featured some [[die-cast]] parts.

*We get to see the Ark launch from Cybertron, along with a brief glimpse of Optimus Prime, [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] moving about, as well as a glimpse of the ''Nemesis'' attacking the Ark.

*The final act features a bonanza of cameo appearances by the original Generation 1 Transformers, including Prowl, Optimus Prime, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], Ironhide, [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]].

===Real-world references===
*Rattrap refers to his vehicle mode as Knievel mode, a reference to [[wikipedia:Evel_Knievel|Evel Knievel]].
*As Rattrap rides the missile connected with Ravage's ship, he lets out a cowboy yell. This is a homage to Stanley Kubrick's ''[[wikipedia:Dr._Strangelove|Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb]]''.
* When Rattrap's torch goes out and he has to break through the ship with his beast mode's teeth, he calls himself the [[wikipedia:The_Stainless_Steel_Rat|Stainless Steel Rat]].
* Blackarachnia refers to Silverbolt as "Jo-Jo," possibly in reference to [[wikipedia:Fedor_Jeftichew|Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agenda part 3}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]