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Wheeljack (Movie)

2012-02-15T22:46:57Z

96.18.27.215: /* Deluxe Class toys */

{{factions|autobotfilm|NEST}}
{{disambig3|Wheeljack}}
:''Wheeljack is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] continuity family. He is sometimes referred to as '''Que'''.''
[[Image:HeatScramble_wheeljack.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity... and I'm not sure about the former.]] An accomplished [[Autobot]] scientist and inventor, '''Wheeljack''' will hook you up with some new weapon or gizmo that he just invented. There's no problem too big or too small that Wheeljack isn't willing to tackle, be it celestial mechanics or inventing potent new anti-Decepticon combat weapons. Because of this, he's a welcome addition to the [[NEST]] team, as staying on the cutting edge of technology is a priority for NEST. That said, he's not much a fighter, and prefers to leave the violence to his combat partner [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage]]. With his wild hairstyle, glasses, and dapper [[Facial hair|moustache]], he resembles a certain famous [[Albert Einstein|scientist]] as well! To complete the German homage, he transforms into a [[wikipedia:Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes-Benz]] E550.

{{bigquote|They're great inventions for kicking ass!|Que on his latest killamajig|''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''}}

{{TOCclear}}
==Fiction==
===IDW ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel comics===
[[Image: Foundation1_wheeljack.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Yeah, but what you have done for us ''lately''?]]
Thousands of years ago on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Wheeljack was one of [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s followers. He was a crucial figure in the culmination of Sentinel Prime's plan to save the dying planet: While Sentinel's other pupils held off an attack by the heretic [[Thetacon (tribe)|Thetacons]], Wheeljack's technical skills went to work creating a device that, once linked to the AllSpark, warped time and space, teleporting a sun into Cybertronian space. The sun's energy revitalized the [[AllSpark]], bringing life and energy back to Cybertron, and Wheeljack calmly remarked that, wouldn't you know it, it seemed they'd only gone and saved the world. {{storylink|Foundation issue 1|Foundation #1}} Soon after, Wheeljack stood by Sentinel Prime's side when he addressed the collective populace of the planet on [[Unification Day]], announcing the new direction for the revitalized Cybertron. The world was to be governed by a [[Science Division]] led by [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]], and a [[Defense Force]] under [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s command; naturally, Wheeljack elected to join the former.{{storylink|Foundation issue 2|Foundation #2}}

Years later, Wheeljack was with Sentinel Prime and [[Elita-One (Movie)|Elita-One]] at one of the division's archaeological digs when they came under attack from Megatron's forces, which he had rechristened "[[Decepticon]]s" with the intent of seizing control of the planet. Optimus—now Optimus ''Prime''—rallied those who opposed Megatron under him as the [[Autobot]]s, Wheeljack included. {{storylink|Foundation issue 3|Foundation #3}}

As the war worsened, Sentinel Prime presented the Autobots with a mysterious "torch" he had invented that would somehow end the war. An Autobot strike team under Optimus assault [[Simfur]] in order to activate the torch by bringing it into contact with the AllSpark, while Wheeljack stayed by Sentinel's side, awaiting its return and preparing to depart aboard the two great [[Ark (disambiguation)|Arks]] the Autobots had built. Elita-One soon arrived with the active torch, at which point Sentinel ordered a reluctant Wheeljack to take the first [[Ark (Movie)|Ark]] and collected the other Autobots from their base in [[Tyger Pax]], while Sentinel himself took the torch and went to pick up Optimus's team aboard his own [[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]. Consequently, Sentinel's Ark and all aboard were apparently destroyed by the Decepticons upon arrival. Furious at the death of his mentor, Optimus Prime enacted a new plan: while he kept Megatron busy, Wheeljack took the rest of the Autobots and attacked Simfur again, overwhelming the weakened Decepticons there and capturing the AllSpark. The cube was removed from the machine Wheeljack had invented, which caused Cybertron's sun to disappear. {{storylink|Foundation issue 4|Foundation #4}}

[[Image:RisingStorm4WheeljackeandMiragebodiesdestroyed.jpg|right|thumb|250px|They will get better]]

Thousands of years later, Wheeljack joined Optimus Prime on Earth at some point after 2009, alongside [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage]]. The pair joined [[NEST]], and were assigned to a unit stationed in [[Washington, D.C.]]. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3}} This put them closest to the action when a huge Decepticon battalion attacked [[Sam Witwicky]]'s school in [[Philadelphia]], and they arrived just in time to help [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] fight off the villains. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2}} Wheeljack generated a powerful [[force field]] to shield Sam and other human bystanders as they ran from the battle, {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3}} and the pair helped hold the line until Optimus Prime arrived with reinforcements. Observing that the Decepticons were attempting to flee, Prime ordered Wheeljack to extend his force field in order to keep them from escaping, but before the scientist could comply, the merciless [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] descended onto the battlefield and grievously damaged Wheeljack with a powerful blast. Luckily, Wheeljack remained just functional enough to complete his recalibration, trapping Shockwave inside his force field with a very unhappy Optimus Prime. After Prime defeated Shockwave, [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] examined Wheeljack's broken body and reported that he could be repaired, though he probably wouldn't be "quite the same". {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4}}

{{note|Upon being rebuilt, Wheeljack presumably took on the name 'Que' to complement his radically different appearance, but other continuities have had him retaining his pre-rebuilding name.}}

{{-}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===

:''Voice actor:'' [[George Coe]] (English), [[Shinpachi Tsuji]] (Japanese), [[Guillermo Coria]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Giorgio Lopez]] (Italian)

As a member of a NEST strike team, Que, in his vehicle form, posed as the [[Iran]]ian defense minister’s vehicle to cross a checkpoint. Once he and the others reached an illegal nuclear facility, he, [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] and [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] investigated and destroyed it. Later at NEST's new base of operations in Washington, D.C., Que provided weapons-specialist Ironhide with a weapons upgrade, supplying him with two powerful rifles. When National Intelligence Director [[Charlotte Mearing]] arrived, he politely introduced himself and informed them about Optimus Prime's upset mood. He stood in the background with his fellow Autobots and observed Optimus berate the government officials for keeping the wreckage of the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'' a secret from the Autobots.

[[Image:DOTMQuegadget.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I do hope you'll bring these gadgets back in one piece, 007.]]
When the Autobots were ordered to be exiled from Earth by the government on [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime's]] demands, Que helped to prepare the Autobot ship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'' for launch alongside his fellow Autobots. However, after launch, [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] attacked the ''Xantium'' and destroyed the ship, presumably killing Que and the other Autobots on board.

Secretly, the Autobots had suspected treachery, and hid inside one of their shuttle's booster rockets which had detached shortly before Starscream's attack. Que went alongside his comrades into the midst of the Decepticon-occupied [[Chicago]]. Before the Autobots went off to battle, Que provided [[Sam Witwicky|Sam Witwicky]], [[Robert Epps|Robert Epps]] and a team of soldiers with several new [[Grapple glove|anti-Decepticon]] [[Boomstick|weapons]] that he had constructed which would, as he put it, “kick ass.”

[[Image:DOTMQuegetsit.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Good news, everyone! I've been shot- wait a minute, that's not good news at all!]]
Later on, when several Autobots were overwhelmed and captured, he was taken hostage alongside Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Dino and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]. At [[Dylan Gould]]'s prodding, [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] decided to make trophies of the prisoners, starting with Que. Despite Que’s pleas for mercy, he was shot by a Decepticon [[protoform]] before being swiftly finished off by [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]. His death left Bumblebee distraught, mourning his lost friend, while Barricade added insult to injury, laughing at the fallen Autobot. Bumblebee soon avenged his fallen friend by killing Soundwave. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Autobots'' video game===
Wheeljack upgraded [[Create-A-Bot (Autobot)|Create-A-Bot]] so that he could store the data of and, thus, adopt multiple vehicle forms. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Autobots}}

===''Transformers: The Game'' (PSP)===
[[Image:Wheeljack movie psp.jpg|180px|thumb|right|Before the 'stache.]]

:''Voice actor:'' [[Erik Passoja]]

Wheeljack arrived on [[Earth]] some time after [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and his team, apparently at the same time as [[Hoist (Movie)|Hoist]] and [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]]. At that time, the Autobots were coming under attack from an army of Decepticon drones, and Wheeljack was able to concoct a virus that would send the drones back into sleep mode. [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] and [[Trailbreaker (Movie)|Trailbreaker]] were charged with transmitting the virus to an orbiting satellite, broadcasting it to all the drones simultaneously. Although they succeeded, Wheeljack was left with the unfortunate task of relaying to Optimus Prime that Hound had died in the process.

A little later, Wheeljack accompanied the Autobots on their mission to the [[Hoover Dam]], and was seen escaping the complex when the Decepticons attacked. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (PSP)|Transformers The Game (PSP)}}

===''Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Game''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Jamie Alcroft]]

====Xbox 360/PS3====

Wheeljack aided his Autobot comrades from behind the scenes, arming them with newer, more potent weaponry almost as soon as he was done building them. He had NEST forces deliver one of these new weapons to Ironhide as the latter was battling the Decepticons in Detroit. The gun Wheeljack sent him enabled Ironhide to destroy Mixmaster's shields, leaving the Decepticon vulnerable.

Soundwave later infiltrated an old Sector Seven base that was evidently used as a workshop by Wheeljack to develop new MechTech weapons. Unfortunately, Soundwave managed to destroy the base and the MechTech with it, while what few weapons were already en route to Optimus Prime were intercepted by Starscream. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)|Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)}}

====Autobots/Decepticons====
Wheeljack warned [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] to be very careful fighting [[Crowbar]], as Crowbar had a reputation as a deadly fighter. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons|Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons}}

==Toys==
===Dark of the Moon===
====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:Dotm-Deluxe-Wheeljack-Toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Any man who can drive safely while kissing a [[Arcee (Movie)| pretty girl]] is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (MechTech Deluxe, 2012)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''DA31'''
**''Accessories:'' MechTech Tool Kit/Combat Saw, 2 pistols, spear
: Wheeljack (Autobot Que in Japan) transforms into a blue Mercedes Benz E550. He comes with a MechTech Blaster, which turns into a Circular Saw. He also features dual clip-on pistols that attach to his upper waist, as well as a large spear that clips to his back.

: His instructions depict him with a more G1-styled headsculpt. Hmmm, wonder what color the redeco will be...

: Wheeljack was to be released in December, 2011. However, his release was moved to February, 2012. Hasbro ultimately announced him cancelled during Toy Fair 2012. No explicit reasons were given, but a combination of factors including the push for a new cartoon centric toyline and retailer disinterest can be cited.
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Wheeljack's onscreen name "Que" is nod to the famous ''[[Wikipedia:James Bond|James Bond]]'' character [[wikipedia:Q (James Bond)| Q]], who similarly provided his allies with equipment and gadgets. Furthermore, Que's scene in the Chicago battle, where he provides the NEST soldiers with a variety of weapons while stating their various features and functions, is lifted almost wholesale from many ''Bond'' movies. Rather interestingly though, he is listed in the credits as Que/Wheeljack, implying "Que" may just be a nickname.

* An early working name for him was '''Steeljaw''', and his head was considered to be based on [[Wikipedia:Christopher Lloyd|Christopher Lloyd's]] [[Wikipedia:Emmett Brown|Doc Brown]] from the [[Wikipedia:Back to the Future trilogy|''Back to the Future'' movies]] rather than Einstein. He was also going to have a 'labcoat', formed from his vehicle-mode canvas roof. <ref name="wburt">[http://conceptartworld.com/?p=8388 Wesley Burt DOTM concepts.]</ref>
*Numerous adaptations of Dark of the Moon (such as the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation|comic adaptation]] and [[Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel|junior novelization]]) illustrated that during the Autobot capture in Chicago, it was Dino/Mirage who was executed by Soundwave. However this was changed in the movie to Que/Wheeljack being killed instead while Dino/Mirage survived the battle.

* The Mercedes-Benz E550 prop car used for ''Dark of the Moon'' sported a German/European Union [[license plate]], "'''M IC3802'''", registered in the city of Munich, on the Chicago set.<ref name="chicago">[http://www.seibertron.com/live-action-films/gallery.php?id=133&size=0&start=50 Dark of the Moon Chicago set] at Seibertron.com.</ref> (The design of the plate is slightly inaccurate, as there should be a space between "IC" and "3802" if it were a real German plate. Also, a German car would have a license plate on the front as well.)

* Good luck trying to figure out his accent, by the way, as he oscillates between an impenetrably garbled half-Scottish, half-Irish muddle and English "Received Pronunciation" all the way through the film, at times in the same sentence. What we can tell you he's ''not'' speaking with, though, is a German accent, which a disturbing number of American fans seems to have concluded based simply on the fact he looks like Einstein.

* For a scientist, Wheeljack has a crapton of weapons; with a vicious-looking MechTech weapon, a large spear, and twin pistols, (all of his own design, of course) he seems to be better armed than [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]!

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Que''' (キュー ''Kyū'')

==Footnotes==
<references/>
[[Category:Movie Autobots]]
[[Category:Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Scientists]]

Roll for It

2011-09-23T01:15:44Z

96.18.27.215: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=5
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=5
|prev2=Transport to Oblivion
|next2=Divide and Conquer
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=26
|prev3=Transport to Oblivion
|next3=Changing Gears
|image=FHERollForItComic01.jpg
|caption=Chip doesn't look very concerned. Seriously, not at all.
|title="Roll for It"
|production code=#700-02
|airdate=[[October 13]], 1984
|written by=[[Douglas Booth]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Decepticons seek a powerful antimatter formula, and the Autobots with their new human ally Chip Chase try to stop them.'''

:''Japanese title:'' メガトロンの帰還 (''Megatoron no Kikan'', "The Return of Megatron")
:''German title:'' Die geheime Anti-Materie Formel (''The Secret Anti-Matter Formular'')
:''German Generation 2 title:'' Ein Held namens Chip (''A Hero called Chip'')
:''Russian title:'' Поехали! (''Poyekhali!'', "Let's go!")
:''Serbian title:'' Велики преокрет (''Veliki preokret'', "Great vicissitude")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''Un nuovo amico''' ("A new friend")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''In marcia per la vittoria''' ("March off for the victory")
{{TOCclear}}
==Synopsis==
[[Image:RollForIt Bluestreak cannonfire.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Bluestreak, we need energon stars, quick!]]

[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], still in command of the [[Decepticon]]s after [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s disappearance in the [[Space Bridge]], leads [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] in attacking a hydroelectric power generator. The Autobots respond quickly, as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] arrives with an assault team. The battle is short, as a thrown piece of equipment destroys the Decepticon store of [[energon cube]]s. With little to show for their efforts, the Decepticons retreat. Optimus Prime sends [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] to follow them.

[[Image:RollForIt Spacebridge recieves.jpg|right|150px|thumb|A storm approaches.]]

Meanwhile, on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Megatron resumes contact with Earth. Despite his absence, Megatron commands that their scheduled attack on an antimatter laboratory will continue as planned in five billion astroseconds. The battle-damaged [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] set out to find repair parts in the interim, to be ready for the attack, while Megatron boards the Space Bridge for transit back to Earth.

[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] drives [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Chip Chase]] to the isolated antimatter laboratory where Chip works. As the security guard punches the access code to let them in, his actions are carefully spied on by [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]], who is perched outside in camera mode snapping shots. Inside the massive lab, Chip and Spike are greeted by [[Alcazar|Doctor Alcazar]], who gives Chase a 5.25-inch [[floppy disk]] that will enable Chip’s home computer to interface with the one at the lab.

[[Image:RollForIt Bumblebeeattacked.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yes and no, it's Laserbeak!]]

As Bumblebee drives away, he is attacked by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]. Spike directs Bumblebee to take cover in the underground parking garage. With Bumblebee having escaped, Megatron realizes Optimus Prime might be tipped off to their laboratory attack. Rather than wait for Starscream and his team, Megatron orders an immediate strike.

Bumblebee drives Chip home, where the young scientist hopes to warn the lab of the impending attack. Bumblebee tries to call in Prowl and Bluestreak as backup, but they're tied up attacking Starscream’s group, who are raiding the Ace Aircraft Factory for parts.

Megatron's attack group arrives at the antimatter laboratory. Reflector punches in the access code, and the Decepticons march inside. Doctor Alcazar receives Chip's online warning at the last possible moment, and succeeds in erasing the antimatter formula from his computer. Megatron detects that Alcazar has uploaded the formula to someone else. He lets Alcazar go.

[[Image:RollForIt ProwlshootsRavage.jpg|right|150px|thumb|BAD KITTY!]]

In the aircraft factory, Prowl is injured by Soundwave's blasts, and his [[battle computer]] goes offline. Desperate, Prowl scans for another online computer to hook up to. Traversing the phone lines, his signals find Chip's computer, which has also received Doctor Alcazar's antimatter formula. Chip assumes control of Prowl, using his desktop terminal to guide Prowl through combat maneuvers. With Chip in command, Prowl takes control of one of the surplus jets, and fires its rockets at the Decepticons. Starscream and his cohorts flee the battle.

[[Image:RollForIt FloppyDisk destruction.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Holy crap, man.]]

Megatron determines where Alcazar sent the formula, and communicates the location to Starscream and his team. Soundwave dispatches [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to retrieve Chip. Chip memorizes the antimatter formula and destroys all evidence of it just as Ravage breaks in to his house and fetches him. The Decepticons take Chip to the antimatter laboratory, where the Autobots are just arriving. Prime sees that the Decepticons have a human hostage, and begins formulating a plan involving [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]. These deceptive Autobots are able to outsmart perimeter guard Rumble with their holographic ruses, allowing them and Bumblebee to sneak past.

[[Image:RollForIt SoundwavescansChip.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The [[AllSpark]]. WHERE IS IT?!]]

Inside, Soundwave uses his scanning abilities to extract the formula from Chip's brain. Megatron orders Chip disposed of, and begins creating antimatter with the equipment in his lab. Just as Thundercracker moves in to terminate Chip, the infiltrating Autobots attack. Bumblebee and Spike rescue Chip, and the Autobots race away, taking Chip to safety.

Next, Optimus strikes, driving through the lab walls and unleashing his warriors. But it may be too late, as Megatron throws an antimatter-powered energon cube at the Autobots, creating a tremendous explosion.

[[Image:RollForIt Sunstreak JetJudo.jpg|left|150px|thumb|And you thought surfing the roof of a boxcar was cool.]]

Injured Autobots emerge from the devastated laboratory. Prime orders a retreat to headquarters, so that his soldiers can tend to badly needed repairs. The Autobots limp back to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], where [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] immediately get to work. Chip laments his inability to keep the antimatter formula from falling into Megatron’s hands, but [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] tries to console him. He’s got a plan for the formula, and could use Chip and Spike's help.

[[Image:RollForIt Megatron chestycubes.jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[Breastforce]] Megatron.]]

The next day, the Decepticons, powered by antimatter energon cubes, attack Autobot headquarters. Megatron turns into pistol mode, and Starscream fires his antimatter-bolstered bolts into the Autobot ranks. Prime manages to knock the pistol from Starscream's grip, and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] recovers the weapon. Just then, Chip affixes a control device onto Skywarp's ankle, a transmitter that enables [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] to take control of the Decepticon warrior.

Under Autobot control, Skywarp begins shooting randomly into the countryside, and Megatron's antimatter ignition temperature reaches near critical. He transforms into robot mode and expels the remaining antimatter energon from his body. It detonates, devastating the Decepticon forces. Megatron orders a retreat, but swears vengeance. Meanwhile, the Autobots congratulate Chip for his heroics.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (6)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (7)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (8)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (9)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (14)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (20)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (21)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (22)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (23)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (24)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (25)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (26)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (27)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (28)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (30)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (11)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (12)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (13)
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] (17)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (19)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (15)
*[[Chip Chase]] (16)
*[[Alcazar]] (18)
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (29)
}}

==Quotes==
"Can the chat and start kickin' pig-iron!"
:—'''Brawn''', heading into battle.

"Starscream! Thundercracker! You two look like Optimus Prime ran you through a laser-powered trash compactor!"
:—'''Megatron''', observing the damaged condition of his men

"Leadership my sine function."
:—'''Starscream''' after hearing Thundercracker's remark on Megatron's leadership.

"Stealing the antimatter formula is gonna be a piece of oil cake!"
:—'''Reflector''', thinking he is (they are?) clever.

"I don't like the idea of Megatron getting the antimatter formula. He can't be trusted!" 
"Sure can't, [[manifold]]-mouth!"
:—'''Starscream''' gripes and '''Bluestreak'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s potty mouth slang

"Now ''this'' is a human after my own central processor!"
:—'''Prowl''', commenting on Chip's computer-control.

"There's no one here! I must have static in my rectifiers." 
"Now that's the smartest thing you've said all day!" 
(flattered) "R-really? ...Hey, what's going on!"
:—'''Rumble''', hoodwinked by '''Mirage''' and Hound

"Gosh! You guys look like the guests of honor at a 50-car pile-up!"
:—'''Sparkplug Witwicky''', upon seeing the battle-damaged Autobots return to base.

"I get the feeling our [[jet judo]] needs a little more work."
:—'''Sunstreaker''' to Sideswipe after their failed bid to stop the Seekers.

"You may not be an Autobot, but when you rolled for broke back there you sure could've fooled me."
:—'''Bumblebee''' congratulating Chip.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* Thundercracker is repeatedly depicted with Skywarp’s colors in the opening scene, or in some cases, with Starscream’s hue.
* Starscream's head is light gray instead of dark gray as he transforms and lands in the power plant.
* In the next shot, as Soundwave lands, Starscream's face is white instead of medium gray.
* As the plant worker calls for help, Starscream has gone from Soundwave's right side to his left, and Thundercracker has become Skywarp.
* As Soundwave prepares energon cubes, the interior of his chest-compartment is not illustrated, instead showing a solid wall of blue.
* Brawn's head is almost entirely yellow instead of gray as Cliffjumper bounces off of him.
* As Starscream raises the generator over his head, the whole side of Brawn's vehicle body is colored windshield-blue—metal panels and all.
* Starscream's air intakes are missing as Prime wrestles the generator away from him.
* The tip and cockpit area of Starscream's nosecone is red as he flies away from the power plant.
* When Soundwave runs through what appears to be a chainlink volleyball net, the net is animated as if the background art is sliding, but the background is sitting still; the result is that the net seems to move ''toward'' Soundwave.

*As Soundwave escapes, Prowl transforms and gives chase, followed by Bluestreak. However, in the next shot, it's Bluestreak who knocks Soundwave over, even though Prowl was in the lead.

* After Starscream catches Soundwave, he pulls alongside Thundercracker... who has Starscream's colors.

* Bluestreak transforms to robot mode and shoots the jets. When Prime walks up to him and Prowl, however, ''Prowl'' is the one in robot mode, standing next to car-mode Bluestreak. The next shot shows a closeup of Bluestreak in robot mode again... then back to the previous shot with Prowl in robot mode.

* Bluestreak doesn't move his mouth as he chuckles at Prime's order to not bite off more than he can chew.

*When Prowl (who was Bluestreak a second ago) transforms and drives off after the retreating Decepticons, he runs over Optimus Prime's foot. What a dick.

* Behind him, an "engine vibration" effect for Bluestreak has him strangely jiggling.

* Casey Kasem seems to have misparsed Bluestreak's "Come on, Prowl" as a statement of incredulity, which would make sense if he was reacting a statement by Prowl—but it's ''Optimus'' who just warned him not to take on too much.

* Starscream's air intakes are gray instead of red as Thundercracker scorns him.

[[Image:RollForIt securityguardconsole.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Please enter the square root of 685."]]

* Improbable viewpoints:
** While in [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Cybertron)|Decepticon Headquarters]] on Cybertron, Megatron gets a traveling view of Starscream and Thundercracker flying in jet mode on Earth.

* Shockwave's "ears" are purple instead of gray as Megatron lectures Starscream and Thundercracker. Megatron's symbol is a maroon red instead of purple.

* As they do barrel rolls, Thundercracker is a much deeper shade of blue than normal, and Starscream's air intakes are light gray instead of red.

* When he lauds Megatron's leadership, Thundercracker's left air intake is blue instead of gray.

* Shockwave's eye doesn't flash as he wishes Megatron a safe journey.

* The security guard's mouth doesn't move as he says "Welcome back".

*The security guard’s access panel has digits 1-9 and a variety of mathematical commands (?!), yet lacks a zero.

* After he lands on the lab compound's wall, the tops of Reflector's torsos are light gray instead of purple. The error repeats in the last shot of him flying away.

* Bumblebee is abnormally small as he walks behind Chip and Spike, not more than eight feet tall.

*Bumblebee is drawn all sorts of ''wrong'' when the professor talks about Chip at the laboratory. For one scene, his roof chest becomes humongous, the Autobot symbol on it becomes mutilated, and his head looks squatter than usual. In the next scene, when he says "...and I thought you were just another pretty face", his forehead, nose and eyes are drawn rather oddly; his nose has no indentation at the top.
[[Image:Diskette.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The most powerful storage media ever created by mankind.]]
* The lab's computer is weird. It loads floppy disks backwards...unless the good doctor is befuddled and inserted the disk the wrong way.
* When Laserbeak attacks, Bumblebee is in the desert. An instant later, he's in a city (complete with underground parking.)

* The damage that Laserbeak inflicts on the parking garage just appears out of nowhere, with no lasers or explosions.

*When Megatron orders the attack on the laboratory, the Decepticon insignia on his chest is missing.
* As Megatron leads his crew to attack the lab, they are all shown using foot thrusters, in contradiction to the Decepticons' normally unexplained means of flight.
* When Bumblebee radios Prowl and Bluestreak, his voice is modulated as if coming over the radio... even though the scene is the inside of his own cabin.
*When they enter the jets' base, Prowl's and Bluestreak's Autobot insignias are not shown. When Bluestreak delivers his 'manifold-mouth' line, Prowl's mouth is also moving.
* Thundercracker is colored as Skywarp when he delivers his "You don't have Prime and Brawn" line.
* As Starscream raises his arm to fire, his weapon is mounted on the front of his shoulder, rather than the side. (Either that or he twisted his arm at an impossible angle.)
* As the Decepticons land at the lab, Rumble's voice is heard laughing; however, it isn't electronically modulated, making him sound like a creepy old man.
*The security access door code is 2-9-5 when the security guard punches it and 4-7-2 when Reflector punches it in.
* When Bluestreak delivers his "not so fast" line, his crest (red) and gauntlets (dark gray) are all light gray. He also gets Megatron's fusion cannon sound effect for his laser blast.
* Prowl has white tires as he says his "my own central processor" line.
* When the jet Prowl takes a ride on fires missiles at the Decepticons, everything (inclusive of scaffolding, barrels and other jets) behind them is utterly vaporised, despite all logic dictating that there should be at least some debris. The walls of the hangar, however, remain unblemished.
*When the Decepticons are fleeing the jets' base, Skywarp (who hasn't been shown before, except as a miscolored Thundercracker) appears besides Thundercracker and Starscream. Soundwave's tape door lacks its yellow outline as he retrieves Ravage.
* As Megatron orders Starscream to retrieve the formula, Thundercracker is the same toy-based dark blue as before. In the next shot, the front and back of Starscream's nosecone is red again. Alternate color models, perhaps?
* When he lands in the street, the top of Starscream's air intake is gray instead of red.
*The shot of Soundwave ejecting Ravage to retrieve Chip is supposed to take place outdoors, but the background art is that of the hangar interior seen earlier.
[[Image:RollForIt Chip Chase banners.jpg|thumb|right|200px|He's graduated how many times now?]]
* When we see Chip's room through the window, he has a college pennant that reads USC, an odd choice for Chip. Later, his room has two different college pennants, one with the letters [[wikipedia:California State University, Northridge|CSUN]] and another with YAL (likely Yale, with the 'e' obscured by the SUN pennant).
*Ravage breaks through Chip's front door, taking most of a side window with him. After he opens Chip's bedroom door and absconds with the human, he leaps through the now-repaired side window, and the front door is undamaged as well.
* Ravage's leap over Soundwave is physically impossible as drawn; it only works due to some layer fudging—specifically, if Ravage were high enough to pass over Soundwave's shoulder, he would not then immediately land 20 feet directly below Soundwave's shoulder, on Starscream's fuselage. In the same shot, Soundwave's eject button is blue instead of white.
*Soundwave’s line of dialogue, "Excellent, Ravage" is heard without [[Scott Brownlee]]'s sound processing, so that voice actor [[Frank Welker]]’s "Dr. Claw" voice is audible.
* Chip's street must be the width of an interstate, as both jets can easily fit in a single lane. In fact, Thundercracker only takes up ''half'' of the lane!
*When Spike is shown in Bumblebee while the Autobots are on the highway, Spike's hair is blond instead of brown. Did he have a five-second dye job or something?
* Prime has whitewall tires as he orders the Autobots to "transform for action".
* Soundwave's insignia is missing after he extracts the formula from Chip's mind.
* Mirage's verbal jabs at Rumble come as though he were right next to him, despite being some distance away and in a constantly-changing location.
* Soundwave's mask is overdrawn as he kneels to activate the computer, giving him the appearance of having two large eyes.
* Megatron is missing the two polygons on either side of his chest in the thrice-recycled shot of him giving orders to the Decepticons.
* For some reason, Mirage's voice is radio-muffled as he say "Hold it right there!"
* Starscream is once again holding one of his arm-weapons in his hand as he threatens Bumblebee and the humans.
* The window that the escaping Autobots smash through is still intact after they crash through it.
*When Megatron throws the antimatter energon cube, it is first colored black (meaning someone forgot to apply the glowing backlight effect), and then it's portrayed as empty (meaning someone forgot to color it in at all).
* Appearing/disappearing Autobots:
** The group that bursts into the lab includes Sunstreaker, Jazz, Ratchet, Prowl and/or Bluestreak, and Hound. The group shown emerging from the lab is Prime, Trailbreaker, Ironhide, Bluestreak, and Wheeljack.
** Ratchet is shown as both a member of Prime’s attack group, and also waiting for them to return at the Ark.
* As Trailbreaker and Prowl transform, they show no damage until they reach vehicle mode, at which point various cracks appear out of nowhere.


* Wheeljack's "ears" flash orange in this episode, instead of their usual blue.
*When the Decepticons are loading the antimatter-powered energon cubes, two Starscreams are shown (one as a jet being loaded with energon cubes, and one as a robot listening to Megatron).
* As he watches the Autobots gab and natter, Ratchet's head crest is white instead of gray. In the same pan, Sideswipe's shoulder is white instead of red.
* In the shot of Prime giving his big speech, the blue of Prime's eyes was apparently drawn on the same layer as his faceplate, because when his mouthplate moves, his eyes flash from blue to white and back in perfect synch with it!
* Sunstreaker's windshield is yellow instead of white-blue as he delivers his "jet judo" line.
* Wheeljack's launcher is beige instead of light gray as he flees from the Seekers' fire.
* The sky background behind Starscream is missing as he catches gun-mode Megatron; it appears half-way through the shot, replacing a generic blue background.
* Starscream is missing his wing insignia as he fires Megatron and rants about how invincible he is.
* During his "now or never" lines, only the front of Wheeljack's ears flash.
* Skywarp yells for "helllp!" in Rumble's voice.
* Megatron's face is mostly black as he transforms out of gun mode.
* Sunstreaker's mouth doesn't move as he congratulates Chip.

===Continuity errors===
* The "anti-matter" that the Decepticons create... can't really be anything of the sort. If it was, the entire laboratory, not to mention Megatron himself, would have been obliterated instantly. And anti-matter doesn't really have an "ignition temperature". Certainly the shots that Megatron fires can't be anti-matter, as it would completely annihilate anything it hit including his fusion cannon the second it was fired.
* When the security guard initially greets Chip, he is voiced by [[Chris Latta]]. A second later, when he welcomes Chip back to the lab, he is now voiced by [[Dan Gilvezan]], who performs all the character's remaining lines.
* Reflector is shown watching for the password to enter the lab. Considering how often the Decepticons are seen to just blast their way into whatever facility they want, the stealthy approach is unusual.
* Laserbeak's attack makes no sense. At this point, Spike, Bumblebee and Chip have nothing of value to the Decepticons, and attacking them (as Megatron points out!) merely serves to tip off the Autobots to the Decepticons' interest in the lab.
[[Image:RollForIt TheInternets.jpg|200px|thumb|right|64K of memory, but it can control an alien space robot.]]
* Chip's keyboard-based control of Prowl's elaborate movements seems highly improbable.
* Dropping their disguises ''before'' they enter the lab doesn't seem very clever on Mirage and Hound's part.
* [[Corey Burton]] uses a slightly different voice for Sunstreaker this episode, lacking the character's usual sharp, nasal tone. At least one line ("When we're done with 'em") sounds like it was read by Michael Bell.

* The USC pennant, possibly standing for the [[wikipedia:University of Southern California|University of Southern California]], which as an institution with a reputation as a 'party school' is an odd choice for somebody as academically accomplished as Chip; it might be the [[wikipedia:University of South Carolina|University of South Carolina]], although this is unlikely, as largely only people in the Carolinas call that university "USC." However, the apparent [[wikipedia:Yale University|Yale]] pennant that appears later seems like a good fit for somebody of Chip's talent.
*While Chip tries desperately to contact Doctor Alcazar via his computer, he never tries with the piece of equipment right next to his computer: his telephone. (Note: prior to the spread of the internet in the 1990s, an average American home would only have ONE phone line, and it can be presumed that if his computer is connected to Dr. Alcazar's computer, then the phone line would be in use by the computer to communicate with it. And no phone was seen in Doctor Alcazar's lab at that...)
*As noted above, the college pennants in Chip's room change between scenes. But why does he have pennants from three different universities?
* Flying Autobots:
** This early in the series, the "Autobots can't fly" convention hadn't quite been settled upon. Prowl makes an improbably huge leap at the jet plant.
** Bumblebee flies into the lab behind a distracted Rumble.
** Sunstreaker and Sideswipe fly out to defend Autobot Headquarters. At least Sideswipe has a rocket pack!
* Superhuman Chip:
**When the Decepticons visit Chip's house to steal the antimatter formula, Chip memorizes the code...AND RIPS A FLOPPY DISK APART WITH HIS BARE HANDS. If that doesn't seem like a tremendous feat of strength, try doing so yourself (...if you can find one...) Chip must have absolutely tremendous upper body strength.
** Ravage uses Chip as a battering ram to bash out an entire window of his house. Chip survives the experience without so much as a scratch.
* If Mirage leaves footprints as he walks toward the lab... shouldn't Hound also be leaving footprints? (Mirage, of course, is the only Transformer who ''ever'' leaves footprints, and ''only'' when he's invisible.)
* How can Megatron hear Sunstreaker ("We've gotta get those energon cubes before it's too late") when there's a whole solid wall between them?
* Spike's attack on Skywarp... doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Was he supposed to be making a hole to provide access for Wheeljack's device?
* Superhuman Spike:
** Spike is still in Skywarp's grasp when gun-mode Megatron flies out of his hand. A second later, Skywarp is visible among the Decepticons laid low by the exploding antimatter cubes. So... how did Spike get free and survive that massive explosion?

===Continuity notes===
* The Space Bridge, which first appeared in "[[Transport to Oblivion]]", reappears in this episode. It's much more stable now; Megatron just strolls in and takes a trip home.
* Gadgets and powers:
**Bumblebee can reconfigure his interior to accommodate Chip’s wheelchair and turn his door into an entry ramp.
** Bumblebee also demonstrates the ability to actually transform into vehicle mode ''around'' humans, taking them in as passengers.
** Prowl uses a pair of head-antenna to contact Chip's computer.
** Soundwave demonstrates his mind-reading abilities, extracting the anti-matter formula from Chip's brain by placing his fingers on his head.
** Megatron can detect specific computer activity by placing his hand over the machine.
** Soundwave bizarrely activates the lab computer by zapping it with an energy beam from his fingertip... which lights up his ''entire arm''.
** Thundercracker, who was loaded with energon cubes, transforms and materializes two of the cubes in his hands, one of many instances lending credit to the fandom theories of [[subspace]] and the like.
**The para-sail like parachute used by Mirage in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3]]" is shown again, this time used by Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.
** And of course, Hound uses his hologram abilities (to disguise himself as a boulder rolling across the desert), and Mirage becomes invisible (doing so without the usual glowing trapezoid surrounding him.)
* Megatron orders the jets to meet him in "five billion astroseconds"—time enough for them to replace some parts and have a short battle. Last episode, a mere "6,000 astroseconds" was an intolerably long wait for the space bridge to re-open, and time enough for a whole series of side adventures. Next episode, the space bridge will materialize "within 72 billion astroseconds", seeming to imply that this is not too long a time.
* Megatron's use of the anti-matter cubes would seem to be a sidelong callback to one of his tech spec abilities, wherein he can use the anti-matter of an inter-dimensionally linked black hole to create a highly destructive attack.
[[Image:Prim Cola Sign.JPG|thumb|right|200px| ]]
*Signage in the city includes an ad for [[Prim Cola]].
* Chip’s phone number is 94-7244. Strangely, he doesn't answer when you call him.
* The Decepticons are never shown losing the antimatter formula, yet they seem to have abandoned its use in future episodes.

===Real-world references===
* Cliffjumper uses the phrase "your friendly neighborhood Decepticon wreckers," a paraphrase of [[Spider-Man]]'s self-given nickname.
* The antimatter formula includes handwritten screens with the following written on them:

AH ONNAG HOSHII

DOKOKANI ee ONN

AGA ORANKNAA

KYOUMO HAYO KA

EETE NEYO

….. El HABARA

….. MOU DOUTEI

….. SUTETAKAI

….. SONOUTHI

….. TORUKO IKO

….. UZE

This appears to be a Japanese staff joke, as in English the text roughly translates:
"Gah, I need a woman. Ain't there any hot babes around? Let's call it a day, get home quick and hit the sack. Hey, Habara (a common Japanese name, certainly a staff member), did you pop your cherry yet? Let's go hit a [[wikipedia:Soapland|Turkish bath]] (a kind of brothel) some time."

===Japanese version===
Original airdate: [[August 3]], [[1985]]
*'''Cut:''' When Spike and Chip pull up to the laboratory in Bumblebee, the scene following the guard saying "Welcome back", typing the 7 into his number pad and everything up through his line, "Well, I never met an Aw-toh-bawt before", have been cut. The sequence resumes at the group approaching the green door and the line, "Let me get you through our security doors".

===Notes===
[[Image:RollForIt droopyDecepticonjets.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Maybe if we're lucky, Dad won't notice why we're gone!"]]
*In several scenes in this episode, all of the Transformers are drawn using different, more stylised animation models. In particular, the Decepticon jets seen near the beginning are sleeker, more detailed and have a drooping nosecone similar to ''Cybertron'' [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]]'s SU-35 fighter mode. Other scenes have stylized shading, angles, and poses, such as the strange poses used by the flying Decepticons at the episode's end.
*Soundwave screams like a little girl.
*In one part, Starscream calls Megatron "The Anti-Matter Gun" instead of his name. Why?
*This was one of twelve episodes of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original cartoon]] released as audio adventures by the [[Germany|German]] company [[Karussell|Karussell Musik und Video]].

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 1985 — ''The Transformers'' — Volume 6: "Roll for It" ([[Family Home Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1995 — ''The Transformers'' — The Autobots vs. The Decepticons ([[Malofilm]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1995 — ''Transformers'' — Autobots vs. Decepticons (Malofilm) — French audio only.

;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.

;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2002 — ''Transformers'' — Original Series: Volume Two ([[Maverick Entertainment|Sony Wonder]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2002 — ''Transformers'' — Complete Original Series: Deluxe Edition (Sony Wonder) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — First Season Collector's Edition ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume One (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 1: Series 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Classic Transformers'' — Series One: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — Box-Set (3DVDs) ([[Flex Media]]) — German audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Box-Set (2DVDs) (Flex Media) — German audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 01: Stagione Uno Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete First Season: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — More than Meets the Eye (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)

2011-09-21T04:59:10Z

96.18.27.215: /* Franchise elements */

{{disambig2|the real-world franchise|the historical event within the fiction|Beast Wars (event)}}
{{Nav-bw}}

'''''Beast Wars''''' is a [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'']] [[franchise]] that began in [[1996]], following the end of ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]''. It was a massive reinvention of the brand, featuring robots that changed into realistic, organically-styled animals instead of the traditional vehicles or mechanical beasts. The accompanying cartoon was another visual break, being the first fully-[[Wikipedia:Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] ''Transformers'' series. It also did the seemingly unthinkable and replaced the original two factions, the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s, with the [[Maximal]]s and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]. Though originally [[Ruined FOREVER|decried by fans]], ''Beast Wars'' dramatically reinvigorated the brand, whose sales had been flagging under the ''Generation 2'' franchise.

"Beast Wars" is also frequently used as a catchall term for the [[Beast Era]] in which ''Beast Wars'' and other series occur.

{{bigquote|In the beginning came the beasts, and all that creeps, crawls and flies - but nature lies, they're robots in disguise!|[[Commercial]] narrator [[Victor Caroli]] ushers in the new era}}

==Franchise elements==
The ''Beast Wars'' franchise features the following primary components:

* [[Beast Wars (toyline)|A toyline]] — (1996–[[2000]])
* [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|A cartoon series]] — (1996–[[1999]]) called ''Beasties'' in many Canadian markets to appear less violent.
* [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|A video game]] for PC and PS based on ''Beast Wars'' (specifically, the original organic exterior versions).
* [[Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|A video game]] for PS and N64 based on ''Beast Wars'' (specifically, the Transmetal versions).
* [[Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle|A video game]] for Game Boy Color based on ''Beast Wars'', ''Beast Wars II'' and ''Beast Wars Neo''.
* Several later [[Beast Wars (comic)|comic series]] that [[retcon]] the cartoon and Japanese series.

==Japanese release==
In Japan, the first season of the North American cartoon was aired with a markedly "kiddified" dub, accompanied by releases of the concurrent toys. Then two cel-animated series unique to Japan were aired, with their own toylines and manga. After those finished, the remaining two North American CGI seasons were aired and toys released under the name "Beast Wars Metals".

While the Japanese-produced Beast Wars animated productions used cell animation, the toys' box art was rendered in a similar style to the original Mainframe cartoon, whereas the Western releases of the toys were the complete reverse, featuring hand drawn box art (fueling speculation that the Japanese toys had their packaging done in Soviet Russia).

* ''[[Beast Wars (Japanese franchise)|Beast Wars]]''
* [[1998]] — ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]''
* [[1999]] — ''[[Beast Wars Neo (franchise)|Beast Wars Neo]]''
* ''[[Beast Wars Metals (franchise)|Beast Wars Metals]]''

==Continuations and addenda==
There are several 'expanded' ''Beast Wars'' storylines featuring events taking place 'just offscreen' of the cartoon series. Though the ''events'' of cartoon series are understood to occur just as had been portrayed, the ''context'' may be different, taking place in different time periods, etc. These contradictory stories all co-exist within the vast Transformers [[Continuity#Multiverse|Multiverse]].

Most of these exist mainly through [[Beast Wars (comic)|''Beast Wars'' comics]].

Highlights include:

* From 1997–2004, [[3H Productions|3H]] featured a series of comics, toy-exclusives and text stories set in the same continuity as the ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' cartoon series, continuing into the ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|Transformers: Universe]]'' series.
* IDW Publishing has produced 2 series and a profile sourcebook This continuity is notable for including toys and events from several Japanese Beast Wars series. (See [[Beast Wars timeline (IDW)]])
* [[Fun Publications]] ''[[Timelines (franchise)|Timelines]]'' imprint (2005–?) has published several ''Beast Wars'' comics and text stories.

==Prehistoric Earth==
The Beast Wars' time period (like its exact location,<ref>Visual evidence suggests Northern Africa, but that would of course be impossible given some of the distances shown being covered on foot. (The main reason their location was left vague, thus, was a narrative one.)</ref>) was never established during the cartoon's original run. In the years ''after'' the cartoon ended several official dates have been given:

* 3,000,000 years ago — "[[Sixtrain! Activate Red Mode!!]]" — (2003)<ref>The Japanese dating of the events of Beast Wars as "3 Million Years Ago" appears to stem from mis-reading Optimus Primal's statement in the episode "[[Optimal Situation]]" that they would have four million years to "scrape Megatron off the walls" as a literal rather than figurative timeframe. Regardless, three million years is unquestionably 'correct' for ''[[The Transformers: Micromaster|Micromaster]]'' continuity... it was the age of wreckage discovered from that era.</ref> — (August, 2003)
* 180,000 [[wikipedia:Anno Domini|BC]] — "[[Primeval Dawn Part 2]]" — (July, 2004)
* 70,000 [[wikipedia:Anno Domini|BC]] — [[The Gathering issue 2|''Beast Wars: The Gathering'' #2]] — (March, 2006)

Each of these dates applies to a different [[continuity]] or "alternate dimension" within the Transformers Multiverse, so they do not ''conflict'' with one another. The Maximals and Predacons in those dimensions simply crashed at different times, but had otherwise identical adventures. (Generally with different events taking place 'offscreen' unique to each [[expanded continuity]].)

Though Earth's geology and biology seen in the cartoon does not fit any single era, the loose "window" of 70,000–180,000 B.C. seems to represent two extremes that are "about right".

=="Other" ''Beast Wars''==
* The initial toys and the [[Optimus Primal vs Megatron!|mini-comic]] packed with the basic Optimus Primal VS Megatron two-pack toy strongly implied that ''Beast Wars'' was a continuation of the previous [[Autobot]]/[[Decepticon]] conflict on present day Earth, with Primal and Megatron simply new forms of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and the [[Megatron (G1)|original Megatron]]. This setting was abandoned when the 1996 cartoon established its futuristic setting. This remains an intriguing [[micro-continuity]].
* A version of the ''Beast Wars'' occurred in the past of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]]. One text story ("[[Fire in the Dark]]") in the 2004 ''[[Transformers Legends]]'' anthology is set in this version of ''Beast Wars''.

* The [[Movie (franchise)|2007 live-action movie franchise]] has a version of the ''Beast Wars'' in its past.<ref>[[Sector Seven]] had the shattered [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|golden disk]] (and possibly the [[Covenant of Primus]]) in its archives [[1898]], some 80 years before the disk's creation.</ref><ref>The [[Sector Seven (game)|Sector Seven Alternate Reality Game]] indicates Sector Seven is at least partially aware of the events of the ''Beast Wars'' as early as [[1983]], as they are mentioned in the [[Hungry Dragon|Takara Agreement]].</ref>

==A dramatic change==
The major change in direction for Transformers followed organizational changes within [[Hasbro]]. Hasbro had acquired rival toy manufacturer [[Kenner]] as part of their 1991 [[Tonka]] acquisition<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20081102035722/http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_hasbro The History of Hasbro] (archive copy)</ref>, and in [[1995]] they transferred their boys' toy lines from the Hasbro headquarters in Rhode Island to Kenner's Cincinnati, Ohio offices. Kenner was asked to revitalize the brand with new ideas, and that is exactly what they did.

Then lead designer [[Chris Gross]] inadvertently kicked off the Beast Wars concept when he proposed a stylistic change from hard-edged, blocky robots to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio_Booster_Armor_Guyver Guyver]-inspired "organic" machines.<ref name="vinnie" /> The "[[mutant head|Beast Masks]]" on the first few Beast Wars toy designs were conceived of as a way of easing the transition from traditional Transformers into Beast Wars by showing that there was a robot within the beast, not just an animal that transforms into some kind of monster.<ref name="vinnie" /> The ''Beast Wars'' line title was inspired by a past toyline of Kenner's, namely ''Future War'' line of ''Terminator'' toys. It was chosen based on the idea that it portrayed a "visceral conflict".<ref name="vinnie">[http://obscuretf.com/hhk/BC04interviews.html Botcon 2004 Interview with Vinnie D'Alleva], p1</ref> The show would not have been made unless a drastically new concept from the original Transformers was created, as G1 was considered a stale property at the time.<ref name="vinnie" />

==Reception==
''Beast Wars'' was the first complete reinvention of the [[Transformers brand]], discarding the previous setting/characters/factions to create a new story, set several hundred years in the future. Transformers in the Beast Era are much smaller (often human-sized) and transform into 'fleshy' non-robotic animals. Initially met with [[Trukk not munky|outrage]] by many fans (for a variety of reasons) ''Beast Wars'' would eventually become highly regarded, largely due to the exceptional quality of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|cartoon series]]. It is now not unusual for even longtime ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' fans to consider ''Beast Wars'' to be their favorite Transformers franchise. This is perhaps best shown by the fact that, fifteen years later, the first two fan-chosen characters to enter the [[Transformers Hall of Fame]] were [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] and [[Waspinator]].

==References==
<references/>

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Beast Era]]
[[Category:Beast Wars| ]]
[[Category:Franchises]]

Tarantulas (BW)

2011-09-18T05:37:07Z

96.18.27.215: /* Toys */

{{factions|predacon|unicron}}
{{disambig2|the Predacon from Beast Wars|the Decepticon from Transformers Animated|Tarantulas (Animated)}}
{{featured}}
:''Tarantulas is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]. He is sometimes known as '''Tarantulus'''.''

[[Image:Tarantulasbw.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[BotCon 2000|"And fries! Lots of FRIES!"]]]]

'''Tarantulas''' is the scheming mad scientist of the Predacon crew. He's the type of mad scientist who experiments on living beings, cackling in his [[Trademark|trademarked]] laugh all the while, and then if things go wrong, happily eats what's left as his midday snack. The eating is what he was really looking forward to, anyway. It's this focused perversity that turns off even his fellow Predacons. Tarantulas's emotional detachment from their war also rubs his peers the wrong way. Fighting Maximals and following orders is just a required chore; his real passion is the unmentionable projects stashed in [[Tarantulas's lair|his "secret" lair]].

Nominally, Tarantulas was one of the Predacons to join [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] during his theft of the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] and the search for [[Earth]]. In addition to being an utterly psychotic, sadistic sociopath, Tarantulas has a record for treachery rivaled by few other Transformers. Tarantulas is actually an agent of the [[Tripredacus Council]], which is trying to coax the Beast Wars toward an unspecified goal, where neither Autobot or Decepticon won the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. Who knows what other [[Unicron|dark secrets]] lie in his past.

If anything upsets Tarantulas, other than losing a potential meal, it's those pompous aliens who call themselves the [[Vok]]. He harbors a hatred for them strong enough to make him work to eliminate them by any means.

{{bigquote|You're ''insane.''|[[Tigerhawk]]}}
{{bigquote|So they ''saa''-aay! Wbrrwbrrbbppth!|Tarantulas|"[[Other Victories]]"}}

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
[[Image:PrimalVSMegs-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Why Megatron, I do believe you're trying to seduce m— oh, hey, [[Razorbeast]].]]
Tarantulas is a sneaky, mysterious ninja feared across the galaxy. A master of the martial arts, he's suspected in the disappearances of many [[Human|Earthlings]], and rumors swirl of giant cocoons where he stores his prey. {{storylink|#Toys|Tarantulas bio}}

Later, Tarantulas was guarding the Predacons' jungle-based genetics lab along with Megatron and Waspinator. When the Maximals discovered them, he engaged [[Razorbeast]] in combat briefly before Megatron called retreat and destroyed the lab. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

{{note|This comic, along with the on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the first wave of Beast Wars toys, predate the development of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon and its backstory. They seem to present the characters as a direct continuation of the previous Autobot/Decepticon conflict, with Optimus Primal actually being a new form of Optimus Prime and Megatron being his Generation 1 counterpart, and their battles taking place on present day, [[human]]-inhabited Earth, rather than in the distant past. Once the cartoon launched, the toyline adjusted itself to match that continuity instead, relegating this one to an aborted [[micro-continuity]].}}

===Cartoon continuity===
====Theft of the Golden Disk====
[[Image:TheftOfGoldenDisk-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|300px|What y'wanna do? Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers? Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers? WHAT?]]
Tarantulas decoded the information on the Golden Disk, freshly stolen by Megatron. He thought this was quite hilarious, but then, he thinks that about everything. {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk}}

====Dawn of Future's Past====
[[Image:Tarantulasdawn.jpg|right|180px|thumb|See? A Planet X key in the corner of the pic. He's working for Unicron! Get him!]]
As [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and his rogue band of Predacons escaped [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in their stolen ship, the ''[[Darksyde]]'', Tarantulas was in charge of scanning the disk for a desired set of coordinates. While Megatron was not watching, he was in secret communication with a member of the [[Tripredacus Council]]. (The reflections in his helmet show the silhouette of [[Cicadacon|General Cicadacon]].)

Using the decoded coordinates, the ''Darksyde'' opened a [[transwarp]] portal, which it and the [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']] passed through. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), [[Yūichi Nagashima]] (Japanese), [[Fábio Vilalonga]] (Portuguese), [[Riccardo Peroni]] (Italian), [[Hervé Joly]] (French), [[Lutz Harder]] (German), [[Humberto Vélez]] (Latin American Spanish)

Lieutenant Tarantulas of the [[Predacon Secret Police]] was one of Megatron's original crew, a mole inside his organisation feeding information back to the [[Tripredacus Council]] without his knowledge. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} More than that, he was a ''direct'' agent of the Council and shared their origins, with an overall agenda to alter the timeline by going back to prehistoric Earth and completely destroying the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'' and the Transformers within]]. {{storylink|Other Victories}} The plan went tits up though, as Megatron's ''Darksyde'' warship ended up crashing on an unidentified planet and contact with Cybertron was lost. Tarantulas carried on as normal despite this setback.

[[Image:TheWeb Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Not arachnophobic, eh? I can fix that.]]
As Megatron's technical leader, he manned the scanners to appropriate beast forms based on the most powerful local creatures, choosing the form of an oversized spider for himself. He cheerfully took part in the first battle of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], only to succumb to energon buildup while the Maximals were escaping. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} The Predacons uncovered a stash of energon crystals atop a mountain, but were forced to fight in their beast modes. Tarantulas and [[Rattrap]] fought in this manner until Megatron triggered a chain reaction which caused the energon to explode. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[Image:ChainofCommand Tarantulas firing.jpg|right|thumb|240px]]
It wasn't long before Tarantulas had set up his own [[Tarantulas's lair|underground lair]] to keep his experiments away from Megatron's prying eyes. After helping [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] recover a mega-cannon, Tarantulas managed to capture [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], trapping the young Maximal in a web in his lair with the intent of feeding later. Rattrap mounted a rescue, during which the cavern caved in on Tarantulas {{storylink|The Web}} Tarantulas was blasted by Rattrap during the battle at the [[Standing Stones]], and later accompanied Megatron and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] to attack the ''Axalon'' after it appeared that [[Optimus Primal]] had perished. After the Maximals got the ship's shields back up, he suggested to Megatron that they return to the Standing Stones. Unfortunately once there, the Maximals managed to retrieve Primal from the [[Vok probe|alien probe]] at the site, and Tarantulas was one of the first victims of the restored Maximal commander. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

Terrorsaur, his power boosted, defeated Megatron in combat before leaving Tarantulas in charge of the other Predacons. Tarantulas promptly tailed Terrorsaur to find out what his new power source was, and discovered it was a [[flying mountain]] topped with a cache of super energon. Before he could do anything with the knowledge, he encountered Rattrap, who'd come to destroy the mountain. Their fight ended with Tarantulas falling from the side of the mountain. {{storylink|Power Surge}} He subsequently took part in an attack on the Maximal base after a [[stasis pod]] crashed. While Megatron kept [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] distracted, Tarantulas and Scorponok ambushed the Maximal from behind. Unfortunately for them, Dinobot had time to activate the base defenses, and Tarantulas was blasted into the distance by the auto-guns. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

When the Predacons finally captured a stasis pod, Tarantulas made sure that the [[protoform]] was given a spider beast mode, creating [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Megatron suspected he had ulterior motives, but was nonetheless pleased by the new soldier. Tarantulas seemed happy to follow Terrorsaur when the Predacon mounted another takeover attempt with the aid of Rattrap, but spent most of his time skulking around the ''Darksyde'' in search of rats to eat. He spotted Rattrap sneaking around, but the Maximal blasted him before he could do anything. He subsequently limped back to the others to find that Megatron had reasserted his leadership. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}} After one of Scorponok's viruses turned Primal into a berserker, the Maximal leader broke into the Predacon base and, completely ignoring Tarantulas's attempts to stop him, pinned the spider to a wall using Tarantulas's own weapon. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

[[Image:Tflocklens&tarantulas.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Behold my latest invention... THE DISCO BALL VERSION 2.0!"]]
One of Tarantulas's many inventions, the [[transformation lock lens]], was instrumental in preventing the Maximals from contacting a [[temporal probe]] doing a flyby of the planet. He used it to ensnare [[Tigatron]] and Cheetor, then wreaked havoc with the Maximals' attempts to build a communications array, before he was finally defeated by Primal. Although his new toy was destroyed by the recovered Cheetor and Tigatron, the damage was already done, and the probe flew by uncontacted. {{storylink|The Probe}} After the Predacons discovered a Maximal spy camera in their base, they faked a mutiny and hid in a crevice. Tarantulas spent his nights being hugged like a stuffed toy by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and his days eating stray rats. While the Maximals repaired the ''Axalon'', the Predacons were discovered by Dinobot, and gave chase. Though they attacked the Maximal ship in an attempt to capture it, the affair ended with the ''Axalon'' crashing back to the ground. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} After a Maximal victory, largely due to the efforts of Rhinox, Tarantulas captured the rhino in a web on Megatron's orders, so that he could be converted into a Predacon by the [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]]. In return, the new Predacon poisoned him and Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}}

[[Image:Spider'sGame Taratulas hauling stasis pod.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Ever the engineer, Tarantulas invents the low-tech equivalent of a tow truck.]]
Tarantulas detected another stasis pod landing in [[Grid Scavos]], but Megatron refused to let him go and assist in the recovery, much to his disgust. {{storylink|The Spark}} The next time a stasis pod crashed, Tarantulas was more prepared. From his lair, he used a [[magna pulse]] to disable both the ''Darksyde'' and ''Axalon'' to allow him to investigate without interference. Unfortunately for him, Blackarachnia had found his lair, and insisted on coming along to help. At the pod, Tarantulas reprogrammed the new arrival into a Predacon, but was disappointed that a beast mode had already been chosen, and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] would not be another spider. In the confusion that followed, he made off with the real prize — the stasis pod itself. Unfortunately for him, Tigatron destroyed the pod before he could get very far, and he was forced to retreat when Megatron arrived. Later, in his lair, he inadvertently told Blackarachnia that the planet was doomed, and she realised he was intending to build an escape ship, however he threw her out before she could work out any more of his plans. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

Tarantulas took part in a diversionary attack while Waspinator and Terrorsaur stole the Maximals' [[rectifier coil]]. After the Maximals went feral, the Predacons mounted a hunting expedition, though Tarantulas was stuck supporting the back end of Megatron's chair. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} On another occasion, Tarantulas detected what appeared to be walking energon. Megatron realised that an earlier battle had left four of the Maximals contaminated and blinded, and ordered Tarantulas to send Terrorsaur to investigate. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} After Waspinator was possessed by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Tarantulas took part in the attack on the ''Axalon'', and pointed out once they'd conquered it that their own base was now undefended. Megatron's answer was to leave Starscream in charge of the ''Axalon'', a decision which would come back to bite him later. {{storylink|Possession}}

[[Image:Dinobottarantulasrattrapthelowroad.jpg|thumb|left|240px|"See? I told you I was taller than Tarantulas."]]
During an attack on the Maximal base, Tarantulas was able to infect Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], though he himself was injured by Dinobot during the retreat. He was tracked by Dinobot and Rattrap, but eventually turned the tables by getting the drop on them, only to be flattened by a huge boulder. After recovering, he took advantage of their incessant arguing by trying to get the drop on them again, only to be knocked unconscious by a double punch. Finally, Dinobot attempted to use Tarantulas's body as a hostage, only for Megatron to blast it aside. Perhaps his only consolation was that he avoided the indignity of the fate that befell the rest of the Predacons. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

With the return of the [[Vok|aliens]] a certainty, Tarantulas stole a [[transwarp cell]] from the ''Darksyde'', slagging Waspinator in the process. Megatron detected the theft and used Blackarachnia as a distraction while he remotely inserted his own programming into the cell. The two spiders later took part in an attempt to prevent Tigatron from escaping the Predacon base, and were squished by a boulder Dinobot had set up. They were relatively uninjured and able to haul their damaged comrades back to the ship. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} The two spiders teamed up again, infiltrating the Maximal base and disabling Rhinox and Dinobot while the other Maximals were busy with the latest alien construct to appear. They became aware that the planet's second moon had just been revealed as an artificial, alien ''doomsday weapon'' in disguise, with Tarantulas remarking it was "the beginning of the end" for the planet. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} In the cargo hold, Tarantulas used the transwarp cell and a stasis pod to construct a ship, but was interrupted by Inferno, who torched the spider. Fortunately, Blackarachnia entered Tarantulas's mind to obtain the information to complete the escape ship, and he was able to set up a permanent neural link between the two Predacons. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[Image:ComingFuzors1 Tarantulas lives.jpg|thumb|right|280px|A new look, and he didn't even have to [[Spider-Man|sell out]] to [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]] for it!]]
When the [[quantum surge]] caused by the "second moon's" destruction knocked out all of the Transformers on the planet, Tarantulas's body was upgraded to a [[Transmetal]] form, and he forced Blackarachnia to drag it from the Maximal base, even getting her to ignore Megatron's command to stay and fight the Maximals. {{storylink|Aftermath}} With Blackarachnia's hard work and some serious-looking electrical arc generators, Tarantulas was restored to life. Megatron soon called him to the battlefield, so he left Blackarachnia to root around in their leader's computer files: by this point, the loss of the "moon" and the damages to the planet had revealed it to be ''prehistoric Earth'' all along... {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}}

Using his new cycle mode, Tarantulas quickly reached the Maximals' position. During the fight, he kept in contact with her, until a shot by Dinobot put him temporarily out of commission. After he came around, Blackarachnia reported that she'd failed to get the data he needed. The Predacons were soon routed by the resurrection of Optimus Primal, and forced to return to base. There, Megatron and Tarantulas questioned Blackarachnia, only to be told the vital data had been lost. Neither of them believed her, but didn't call her out. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

With his old lair destroyed by the Planet Buster, Tarantulas was fortuitous in that Megatron assigned him with Blackarachnia and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] to check out a cave filled with energon. He quickly surmised that it would make an excellent new lair, and attempted to get his two comrades interested in going it alone. Blackarachnia was more interested in getting rid of the neural link the two of them shared, and cracked an energon crystal, sending feedback through the link, to force him to sever it. By a fortunate coincidence, the three Predacons were soon attacked by [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and Rattrap, and during the battle Tarantulas was able to convincingly fake the destruction of the cave, allowing him to utilise it as his own lair. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} When Dinobot defected to the Predacon side, Tarantulas offered to verify his programming, but Megatron decided it wouldn't be a very good idea to let Tarantulas into Dinobot's processor. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}}

[[Image:OtherVisits1 Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|220px|thumb]]
Back in his lair, Tarantulas's instruments detected the aliens again, and he rushed off to the site. He arrived shortly after Tigatron and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] had been abducted, and zapped Cheetor, but was forced to retreat when more Maximals arrived. He visited Megatron, claiming to no longer be under the tyrant's command, but willing to help. The Predacons returned to the alien site to set up equipment, during which Blackarachnia revealed that she had learned through the broken neural link that Tarantulas hated the aliens. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} Megatron, Quickstrike, and Tarantulas recovered quickly from the energy wave put out by the new [[Metal Hunter|alien construct]], and after Tarantulas's [[refractive web]] was activated, the trio ventured inside. Once Megatron had control of the construct, he terminated his alliance with Tarantulas, dropping the Predacon from a great height. Infuriated, Tarantulas helped the Maximals attack the construct, infiltrating it along with Rattrap, and sabotaging the transwarp cells which Megatron installed, causing the ship to explode. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

Though a bug planted on Megatron's chair, Tarantulas learned that Blackarachnia had been sent to recover a new protoform, and took the opportunity to threaten her to try and extract the information he suspected she'd gained from Megatron's computers. Unfortunately for him, Silverbolt stepped in and defended Blackarachnia, shortly before an energon explosion separated everyone. Though Tarantulas found the stasis pod, [[Rampage (BW)|its contents]] found him, and his body parts were spread liberally over a wide area. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} Dinobot later tracked down Tarantulas in an attempt to find out what Megatron's latest scheme was. Though Tarantulas didn't know, Dinobot forced him to act as transport, and they soon found Megatron preparing to torch a valley fill of [[Protohuman]]s. Tarantulas took advantage of Dinobot's distraction to shoot the Maximal, only for Dinobot to drop a boulder on him. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Agenda3 Tarantulas button push.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas presses the History Eraser Button.]]
Alerted by the [[transwarp wavefront]], the [[Tripredacus Council]] sent covert agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to capture Megatron. The former Decepticon led the Maximals to apprehend Megatron, and Tarantulas assisted by taking down the ''Darksyde''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> defense system. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} Megatron, to his infuriation, was later informed by Ravage that the spider was a lieutenant in the Predacon Secret Police; Tarantulas joined in the diss by laughing over a comm-screen at his former boss. Tarantulas was able to instruct the Maximals in the location of a stash of energon crystals that Megatron had hidden. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} When Ravage was persuaded to change sides by the Predacon leader, Tarantulas appeared to come too, manning the [[transwarp cruiser]]'s weapons systems for an attack on the ''Axalon''. Alas, Rattrap chewed his way into the ship and tossed a couple of [[Fusion weaponry#Fusion grenade|bomb]]s at Tarantulas, which stuck to his hands before exploding. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

Tarantulas survived, though, and was quickly put back together by his [[arachnoid]]s. He was repaired in time to witness the destruction of the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} He was soon seen back at the Predacon base, working under Megatron's command once again with no mention of his former secession. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} However, around this time he was also working on another scheme: restoring the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the flagship of the [[Decepticon]] fleet! At some point, he'd found it lying at the bottom of the ocean, and was ensuring it would not only fly again but had a Predacon control console and a transwarp cell that could take it back to Cybertron... {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

He battled the Maximals alongside Megatron's [[cyber raptor]]s, taking the opportunity to try out his new Transmetal [[cyber venom]] to great success, though he was stomped on by a cyber raptor once the Maximals worked out how to destroy their controls. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} He assisted in the construction of Megatron's [[disruptor cannon]], suggesting that they abduct an early human to complete the device when the other Predacons were unable to get too close to it due to the unstable power source. While the cannon was completed by [[Una]], she managed to use her knowledge of levers to tip a piece of heavy equipment on him. Though he survived that, Una had taken the cannon's stablizer crystal, and it exploded in the Predacons' faces when they tried to use it. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:CrossingRubicon Tarantulas fires on Silverbolt.jpg|thumb|left|260px]]
When the Maximals attempted to remove Blackarachnia's shell program, he revealed to Megatron that he had included "certain safeguards" that guaranteed she would not survive, and joined the other Predacons in an attack on the Maximals that was meant to disrupt the attempted shell removal. He fired the missile which knocked the Maximals' power off-line at a crucial instant, seemingly bringing an end to his "treacherous creation". Enraged by the death of his beloved, [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] attempted to kill the scientist, but was thwarted by [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who was later defeated by a revived—and [[Transmetal|Transmetalized]]—Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}}

Tarantulas participated in the Predacons' next attempt to retake the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], utilising his latest invention to allow Quickstrike to take control of Optimus Primal... and ''that'' was when he made his move, at last. He manipulated [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] into throwing Megatron into the nearby lava while he himself set the Ark's engines to overload. Megatron survived his lava-dunking, gaining a new body in the process. However, he had lost his patience. While he'd tolerated Tarantulas's treachery, he could not tolerate incompetence. Tarantulas survived his punishment and fled back to his lair. {{storylink|Master Blaster}} This appears to have ''not'' been what Quickstrike thought he was going to do, and neither he nor Megatron had any idea why he'd planned to destroy the whole Ark.

[[Image:TarantulasVok SignOfTheCross.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Save me, X-Men!"]]

Tarantulas was left ranting in his lair about how the Tripredacus Council's plans were wrecked, while his systems monitored the ''Nemesis'' (which was finished by this point). However, his rant and Nemesis plans were interrupted when the aliens (now revealed to be called the [[Vok]]) sent their emissary [[Tigerhawk]] arrived on Earth. Tarantulas let him take out the Predacons, then used his arachnoids to disable and capture him. Tarantulas intended to force the all-powerful being into his servitude by drawing the Vok influences out of his body and reprogramming him, and then have him obliterate the Ark: he cheerfully told the emissary that as he nor the Council had Autobot or Decepticon origins, they'd survive the resulting timestorm, turn Cybertron into a universe-conquering force, and one day even conquer the Vok themselves!

The scheme backfired, however, as his energy beam device expelled two ''actual Vok'' out of Tigerhawk. The formless spectres attempted to take over Tarantulas' body. Panicking, he made a religious sign to ward them off and then opened fire on them—a futile gesture that merely served to spin the energy device around 'til its rays were blasting him and his lab equipment. Overloaded by the beams, Tarantulas exploded, leaving nothing behind but his boots. The remainder of his equipment detonated seconds later, blowing the lair to rubble. Cheetor managed to rescue the inert Tigerhawk, and Tarantulas was presumed dead. {{storylink|Other Victories}}

Megatron knew that Tarantulas must have had some schemes on the go that the Predacons could pick up and use, and had his men search the ruins of Tarantulas's lair. During this, he offhandedly referred to him as "[[Unicron's Spawn]]". He ended up discovering and using the working ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
{{-}}

====The Razor's Edge====
Two weeks after [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] was reborn on [[Earth]], Tarantulas fought to defend an orbital weapon from the Maximals. The launching pad was destroyed by Airazor. {{storylink|The Razor's Edge}}

====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''====
[[Image:BWDiorama Motorarm Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|A ravenous, sinister fiend... and Tarantulas.]]
Sometime after Starscream's arrival to prehistoric Earth, Tarantulas was confronted in battle by a time-displaced [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]], who fended off the Predacon with his Beetle Claw attack. Tarantulas was not present when the Autobots from [[Movie (franchise)|another universe]] and Maximals combined all of their energies to attack a team of Predacons and Decepticons. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Motorarm Chapter}}
{{-}}

====3H comics====
Tarantulas is the inventor of the [[mind-drill]]. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] "borrowed" it from him to get information out of [[Antagony (BW)|Antagony]]. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Herald}}

[[Image:Primevaldawn2 tarantulas matrix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Further proving the maxim: "If you want to steal the Matrix, you basically can."]]
Following the Beast Wars, Tarantulas's body returned to life, reanimated by the Vok powers he'd previously absorbed. The undead Tarantulas, along with a rebuilt Ravage (as [[Ravage (G1)|Tripredacus Agent]]), nurtured new troops to life through enigmatic means, growing [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]] and [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] in tubes. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1}}

The remaining Vok anticipated Tarantulas's plan to destroy the rest of them, take their power, and fashion the timestream to his desires, and so they assembled an army of their own consisting of [[Primal Prime]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], and [[Tigatron]]. Tarantulas met this opposition in battle, overwhelmed them, and triumphantly ripped the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Primal Prime's chest. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2}}

Wounded critically, the Maximals withdrew to the Ark, while Tarantulas and his Predacons returned to his lair, where he directed them in the construction of a transwarp portal. Upon completion, Tarantulas planned to bring his stolen prize to his master, Unicron. Since his troops were getting restless, he promised them they could assault the Ark once they finished construction. Tarantulas was true to his word, and as Ravage led the Predacons against the Maximals, Unicron's spawn tried to stabilize the portal and prepared the Matrix for transport. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 3}}

{{note|[[3H Productions]] dissolved before this storyline could be completed. Based on the subsequent ''Wreckers'' and ''[[Universe (2003 comic)|Universe]]'' storylines, it can be assumed that the Matrix of Leadership was restored to Optimus Prime's body at the end of this altercation, the Maximals were triumphant and used Tarantulas's portal to return home to Cybertron, and that Tarantulas somehow fled to Unicron.}}

[[Image:Escape-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Basically I just never die.]]

A year after the [[Great Reformatting]], the influence of [[Unicron]] swayed [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to the side of darkness. As she was escorted by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] and [[Reptilion]] into the heart of the Chaos Bringer, she was surprised to see Tarantulas (still in his undead body) greet her as she joined the ranks of the [[Minion of Unicron|Minions of Unicron]]. She hissed with disgust, while Tarantulas noted that it was just like old times. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}

Tarantulas had learned that [[Alpha Trion]] had been assembling the [[Children of Primus]] to counter Unicron's Minions, and so he sent Blackarachnia on a mission to Cybertron to sever the link between the Transformers and [[Primus]] by invading [[Vector Sigma]]'s chamber and destroying Alpha Trion. He gave Blackarachnia a swarm of [[Piranacon (Universe)|Piranacons]] and directions to the chamber through a structural weakpoint near the [[Rust Sea]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}
{{-}}

====A Meeting of Minds====
{{note|This story takes place immediately after "[[Master Blaster]]."}}

The [[Megatron (G1)|original Megatron]], now inside the mind of [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], berated the Predacon leader's failures—in particular, being led astray time and again by such treacherous subordinates as Tarantulas. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
Following the [[Quantum surge]], Tarantulas was upgraded into a [[Transmetal]]. Scheming with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] within their floating island base, the ''[[Hindenburg]]'', Tarantulas developed a plan to revive the deceased [[Optimus Primal]] as a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] slave. Recovering Primal's mindless, raging body, Tarantulas staged a strange voodoo ceremony (complete with boiling cauldron). As Megatron pricked his finger and prepared to use his mutated blood to turn Primal's rampaging body into his slave, the spark of Optimus Primal returned to it just in the nick of time. As Primal turned into a Transmetal, Tarantulas began to celebrate, convinced that his plan had worked out better than he had thought, unaware of what was really going on. An angry Optimus Primal then proceeded to knock Tarantulas's block off. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}

===Fire in the Dark===
When [[human]] archaeologists uncovered a cave filled with primitive language, [[Mini-Con]] [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]] translated it for them. The markings told of a time when the Maximals and Predacons crashlanded on prehistoric Earth, though the stranded Transformers were seen by the protohumans as gods. The "spider-god" and the "[[Waspinator (BW)|wasp-god]]," under instruction from their leader, enslaved the humans for the purposes of excavating "glowing rose crystals." Eventually, the Maximals came and freed the humans. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
Tarantulas programmed the Predacons' mobile fortress, the [[Arachnid]], utilizing his own personality programs to give it some form of sentience, accompanied by Tarantulas's own tendency for cruelty.{{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game===
:''Voice actor'': ?
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the first season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:BWgameUK-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Some great dialog there, Tarry.]]
Upon arriving on prehistoric Earth, the dangers of Energon radiation forced the Maximals and Predacons to take on beast alternate forms. Tarantulas picked up a tarantula in his palm and scanned it. Soon, Tarantulas spotted [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] moving in on the Predacons' crash site. Swearing revenge, Tarantulas transformed and attacked, and threatened to skin the Maximal alive. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}
{{Note|Tarantulas is a playable character in the Predacon mode of this game for normal gameplay.}}
[[Image:BeastWarsPSX-Tarantulasstats.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Sadly, there's no Eat Cheetor level.]]

All of the Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due to the extended duration of the war. Tarantulas overtook Rhinox's base and reprogrammed its defenses, prompting the Maximals to retake it.Tarantulas warred against both the Maximals and the evil extra-dimensional aliens dubbed the [[Skriix]].
{{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)}}
{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. As such, each character's page only lists said character's actions when they fill the role of antagonist during gameplay. To view the various feats Tarantulas can accomplish throughout gameplay in Predacon Mode, it is told on the pages of the [[Optimus Primal|several]] [[Cheetor (BW)|Maximals]] [[Rattrap|included]] [[Dinobot (BW)|as]] [[Rhinox|opponents]] in this game, as well as the game's main antagonists, the [[Skriix]], wherein Tarantulas fills the role of the nameless Predacon. To view the plot as a whole view the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)]] page.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' video game===
[[Image:N64Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|300px|Arboreal Camouflage Tarantulas? Blue Crusader Tarantulas?]]
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

Tarantulas found a way to escape prehistoric Earth and return to Cybertron. The Beast Wars progressed in his absence for a time...

[[Image:N64_Tarantulus.jpg|frame|left|Player 2 Has Entered His Stomach. Continue?]]Then he came back, newly promoted and with an armada of Transwarp battleships under his command, out to end the Beast Wars and enforce the Tripredacus Council's will... {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the Nintendo 64 game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Tarantulas's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
[[Image:DuelFight_Tarantulas.gif|thumb|left|200px|]]
Megatron was capable of summoning Tarantulas forth to the battlefield during his attempts to acquire the super-powerful [[energon crystal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{--}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Hey, guess who's going to be [[redeco]]ed into a hot girl?]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-4'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: Part of the first wave of [[Beast Wars (toyline)|''Beast Wars'' product]], Tarantulas transforms into an organic generic spider (''not'' a tarantula). His abdomen contains a spring-loaded missile launcher, which fires the anchor-missile kept in his spider-butt. This missile is attached by a string so he can hang from things like a real spider. The launcher can be removed and used as a robot-mode weapon, using any of his front four spider-legs as missiles. Like all early Deluxe-and-up ''Beast Wars'' toys, he has two different robot-mode "heads"; a robotic face and a "mutant" face. He is almost always depicted using the mutant face.

: There is a variation of this toy in the [[Hasbro]] line: Later releases (the smooth bubble) lack the yellow paint on his elbows.

: The [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] release of Tarantulas was originally identical to the Hasbro release. Later, a slightly color-altered version was released, using a brighter shade of green and a slightly darker gray. The color-altered version also replaced the blue eyes on the "robot" head and the black eyes of the "mutant" head with gold.

: This mold was used to make the first [[Blackarachnia (BW)#Toys|Blackarachnia toy]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VsDinobot}}
[[Image:VS4-DinobotTarantuas.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The classic battle of dino vs spider. We've all heard the tale.]]
*'''Brutal Showdown: Dinobot VS Tarans''' (VS pack, 1997)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-4'''
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: In Japan, "Tarans" was available both as an individual and in a two-pack with "[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]". Both toys in this set were identical to their individual releases.

: Currently, it is unknown if the latter "more show-like" redeco of Tarantulas was ever released in a VS set.

{{-}}{{anchor|Transmetal}}
[[Image:BWtoy-TarantulasTransmetal.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'm-a spawn of-a Unicron! I-a slice-a ya pizza!]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-44'''
**''Accessories'': Sawblade weapon

: Part of the first assortment of Deluxe [[Transmetal]]s, Tarantulas transforms into a robotic spider. He also has a third "transport" mode, flipping down a wheel from his abdomen and a saw-blade from under his beast-head, making a spidey-cycle. The saw detaches for robot mode to become a hand-held weapon.

: The Japanese version is slightly different, replacing the "TARANTULAS" [[tampograph]] with "DESTRON" and the Predacon sigil, plus his robot-mode eyes are painted as a single visor to match the show look better.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Transmetal Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|FKTransmetal}}
[[Image:Tarantulas-FKTM.jpg|right|300px|thumb|It's like Eight Legged Freaks, but classier, and with a pizza slicer.]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe "Fox Kids" Transmetal, 1999)
**''Accessories'': Sawblade weapon

: A [[redeco]] of the Transmetal Tarantulas toy in grays, silver and black. He and a Transmetal [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]] redeco were part of the "[[Fox Kids]]" toys, so called for the advertisements for the Fox channel on the packaging (as the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] had moved there from syndication). Internal Hasbro documents have listed this toy as "'''Steel Force Tarantulas'''", a name that did not make it to final packaging.

: These colors were used to depict Tarantulas in the ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' and [[Universe (2003 comic)|''Universe'' comics]]. With the toy's limited availability, secondary-market pricing for this item due to its fictional use has gone up.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Predacon/FKTMTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Fox Kids Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===MicroVerse===
[[Image:Tarantulas-Microverse.jpg|right|100px|thumb|I'm not [[Fantastic Four|The Thing]], I swear!]]
*'''Orcanoch''' ([[MicroVerse]], 1997)

: A small, non-transforming micro-figure of Tarantulas came with the [[MicroVerse]] [[Orcanoch]] playset. It was presumably painted based on the original design, as its upper body is copper rather than purple. Its only articulation is at the waist, letting it sit in any of the MicroVerse mini-vehicles or playset stations.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Maximal/Orcanoch/orcanoch.htm More information on MicroVerse Tarantulas (via Orchanoch) at TFU.info]

{{-}}
===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[Image:BWXtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's not here to help assemble [[Transmutate]]. That leg's his dinner.]]
*'''Predacon Tarantulus''' (Deluxe, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

:This toy is a slight [[redeco]] of the original Tarantulas toy, more closely resembling Tarantulas's appearance in the cartoon (save the big Predacon faction sigil tampograph). Part of the second wave of [[Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|''Beast Wars'' 10th Anniversary product]], he came with a DVD of the episode "[[Spider's Game]]," plus the left leg to [[Trans-Mutate]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Predacon/PredaconTarantulas/predacontarantulas.htm More information on 10th Anniversary Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
[[Image:Tarantulasmutatingcard.jpg|thumb|300px|right]]
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Tarantulas was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].
{{-}}
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Don't take your eyes off your mech fluid, Primal.]]
*'''Optimus Primal vs Predacon Tarantulas''' (2008)

: Part of the second wave of ''[[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'', this PVC figurine of Tarantulas' original body has articulation in the shoulders and neck. He was available only in a "Beast Wars Series" two-pack with [[Optimus Primal/toys|Optimus Primal]] (amusingly enough, the [[Maximal]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Predacon/RHTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Robot Heroes Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:BWcommercial-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Not terribly appealing.]]
* Tarantulas is referred to as simply "Tarantula" in the [[commercial]] advertising his toy. This commercial and also early promotional pictures showed the original Tarantulas toy as being transparent orange, but the final toy was a clear deep purple instead. Presumably, this was for a little visual variety in the early line, which already had a largely tan toy ([[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]) and a largely yellow toy ([[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]]) in the Deluxe range, plus a Mega-sized Predacon arachnid then planned to be orange ([[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]), and [[Tigatron]], who was at one point slated to be a traditional orange tiger.

[[Image:TarantulasArm.jpg|right|150px|thumb|He tastes everything he holds.]]

* In the original control art for Tarantulas, the claws are shown in the same configuration as used in the show. In other words, the claws were somehow swapped during the assembly process and have remained as such on every version of the mold thereafter.

* The original Tarantulas toy has ''nine'' eyes in beast mode, as does the show model. This makes characters' references to him as "eight-eyes" rather... interesting.

* Tarantulas's toy bios paint him as a really dumb ninja-like stealth assassin. Both of his [[Tech Spec]]s give him an intelligence of 4, even the numbers that accompany his ''Transmetals'' bio which mentions the cartoon's [[quantum surge]].

* In the first season, Tarantulas is characterized more as a cannibalistic, psychotic gourmand who happens to be the Predacons' Science Officer than as the mad scientist and master plotter he becomes from "[[Spider's Game]]" onwards. This is to the extent that his official season one profile makes several mentions of his eating habits, describes his sole interest as being "food", and summarizes his relationship with the other Predacons as simple disdain, as he considers them to all be potential meals.

* In the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', Tarantulas retained his trademark cackle, but it was a little ''different''. His voice was very high-pitched and he shrieked almost constantly. His trademark laugh more closely resembled a wicked witch of sorts.

[[Image:OptimalSituation Tarantulas insignia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas is one of Reprolabels's best customers.]]
* From "[[Optimal Situation]]" onwards, the [[Arachnoid]]s sport a Tarantulas-themed insignia.
[[Image:TMtigatronboxback2.jpg|thumb|right|Pew! Pew!]]
* Tarantulas's origins are a bit complicated. He declares in "[[Other Victories]]" that he and the [[Tripredacus Council]] have origins other than Autobot and Decepticon, such that they would not be affected by the destruction of the Ark. Megatron's line about "Unicron's spawn" was apparently not intended by [[Bob Forward]] to be taken literally; it was to have been a generic insult rather than a statement of fact.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/f06828ec523295c1?dmode=source&output=gplain Larry DiTillio's take on Tarantulas origins! at alt.toys.transformers]</ref> (Forward's own inkling, albeit never realized, was that they might be descended from [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s Cybertronian Empire.) A Unicronian origin also creates potential canonical issues, as Tarantulas says that "under our rule, Cybertron will conquer the universe" ("[[Other Victories]]"), whereas Unicron's goal would have been to eat Cybertron. But, much like [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]'s line about "[[Darksyde|the dark side]]", this line developed a life of its own. Eventually this connection was reasserted in [[3H Productions]]' ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' storyline, initially written by... Bob Forward.

* Tarantulas's body in "[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]" is based on [[Ransack (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Ransack]].

* Tarantulas is probably the only [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Minion of Unicron]] who avoided being labeled a [[Decepticon]].

* From what can be observed from art on the back of Transmetal Tigatron's packaging, Tarantulas's vok-enhanced abilities include levitating and firing energy beams from his eye(s?) in robot mode. Neat!

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Tarans''' (タランス ''Taransu'')
*''Italian:'' '''Metal Tarantulas''' (Transmetal toy)
*''Mandarin:'' '''Láng-Zhū''' (China, 狼蛛, "Tarantula"), '''Jr-jū''' (Taiwan, 蜘蛛, "Spider"), '''Húng Jr-jū''' (Taiwan, 紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
*''Polish:'' '''Tarantulator'''
*''Portuguese:'' '''Tarântulos''' (Brazil)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Security officers]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Devastator (Universe Ultra)

2011-09-11T21:14:41Z

96.18.27.215: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Devastator}}
:''Constructicon Devastator is a [[Decepticon]] whose continuity of origin is unknown, but who was caught up in the [[Universe war]].''

[[Image:DevastatorUnivDeluxe BoxPic.jpg|right|225px|thumb|It's what he ''doesn't'' say that's truly devastating.]]

'''Constructicon Devastator''' is the sum of four Decepticons: [[Bonecrusher (Universe Ultra)|Bonecrusher]], [[Hightower (Universe Ultra)|Hightower]], [[Long Haul (Universe Ultra)|Long Haul]], and [[Scavenger (Universe Ultra)|Scavenger]]. Constructicon Devastator's personality, like that of his components, is unknown. It is also unknown what, if any, connection he has with the ''other'' Decepticon combiner named "[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]" elsewhere in the [[Continuity|multiverse]], not to mention [[Constructicon Devastator (Micromaster)|the one]] also in the [[Universe war]].

==Toys==
===Universe (2003)===
*'''Constructicon Devastator''' (Combiner, 2006)

:A [[redeco]] of [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]] [[Landfill (RID)|Landfill]]. Unique among combiner molds, each limb-former could be configured as either both arms (simultaneously) or as a single leg.

:He was available only by purchasing two separate [[Target]]-[[exclusive]] Ultra-level two-packs: Bonecrusher & Scavenger and Long Haul & Hightower.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Decepticon/UniConstructiconDevastator/constructicondevastator.htm More information on Constructicon Devastator at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
*While clearly an homage to the ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], the team that composes Constructicon Devastator technically has no name. The term "Constructicon" appears solely as a prefix to "Devastator." Thus, the only ''Universe'' characters who can properly be considered Constructicons are the [[Constructicon (Universe)|Micromasters]], whose packaging does identify them as such.
*These sets were originally slated for release as a mass retail wave of Transformers Universe Ultra assortment. Ultimately, the cancellation of that assortment lead to several years of the sets shifting from Wal-Mart exclusive, to Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive (like the similarly abandoned Astrotrain reissue), eventually ended up as Target exclusives. This didn't stop Wal-Mart's website from listing the toys, complete with stock photos and all, for well over a year, though!

[[Category:Combined forms]]
[[Category:Target exclusives]]
[[Category:Toy-only characters]]
[[Category:Universe Decepticons]]

Transtech

2011-09-05T02:34:40Z

96.18.27.215: /* Cancellation */

{{disambig2|the cancelled toy line|the race of highly evolved Transformers seen in Axiom Nexus|Transcendent Technomorph}}

'''''Transtech''''' was originally planned as the follow-up to the [[Beast Machines (franchise)|''Beast Machines'' franchise]]. It would have begun in summer 2001, but was instead replaced by ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' while [[Hasbro]] geared up for ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]''.

In 2008, the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] used the Transtech designs as inspiration for the [[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]] universe.

== Fiction ==
Story-wise, not much is known about the original concept. It likely would have picked up on [[technorganic]] [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] following the events of ''Beast Machines''. A Mainframe CGI animated series to support the line was likely in the discussion stage at some point.

== Toys ==
[[Image:TransScream.gif|right|150px|thumb|Nightscream would have been spared a lot of hate had he looked like this in BM.]]
The characters transformed into Cybertronic vehicles that in many cases had animal-like features/deco. Cheetor was a Cybertronic race-car with a cheetah-like paint job, for instance, and Prime (confusingly invoking [[Optimus Primal]]) was a truck whose front end looked like an ape's face. Designs were done by [[Draxhall Jump]] and had somewhat less traditional robot modes (Cheetor had large hoop "wheels" for shoulders and feet, for instance) and didn't always resemble older versions of the character very closely. The overall aesthetic was somewhere in-between ''Beast Machines''' odder moments and the new 2007 movie designs. Many of these designs were first shown at [[BotCon 2002]] (apparently without Hasbro's permission, as they were pulled from the booth halfway through the show) and subsequently made available online.

Online retailer Big Bad Toy Store posted a preliminary retailer list of early 2001 Transformers product in December 2000. In addition to revealing several unproduced and delayed Beast Machines toys, the listing indicated the intent of releasing Transtech in the summer of 2001 launching with 4 deluxes (Shockwave, Starscream, Cheetor and Silverbolt) along side 2 mega class figures and 2 Ultra class figures (the requisite Optimus and Megatron). A second wave consisting of a deluxe Rattrap and another unnamed deluxe was due shortly after this initial wave.

[[Image:TransCharge.gif|right|150px|thumb|Depth Charge replaces "[[Pretender#Double_Pretenders_.28unreleased.29|Bandito Spider]]" as coolest unmade TF ever.]]
The line would have included Maximals carried over from ''Beast Machines'':

*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]
*[[Rattrap|Rattrap]]

a returning ''Beast Wars'' character:

*[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]

returning Generation 1 characters:

*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]

[[Image:Starscream-transtech.jpg|right|150px|thumb|So close, yet so far away...]]
and at least one new character

*[[Immorticon]]

Design sketches for a [[Megatron (disambiguation)|Megatron]] and a [[Scavenger (disambiguation)|Scavenger]] of uncertain identity also exist.

The toyline got to the early [[Prototype|hardcopy prototype]] stage, and some prototypes, including Cheetor, Starscream, and Prime, have surfaced. None of them apparently reached a stage of production where real, usable molds were created, and so future release is extremely unlikely.

When Draxhall Jump made their design sketches for Transtech available, they also included a number of designs from other lines (such as GI Joe), but put them all under the "Transtech" header for their web page, causing a bit of confusion. This artwork included a work-up sketch of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] as a souped-up blue boom-box, which is often mistaken to be a member of the Transtech line.

{{canceledtoy}}

== Cancellation ==
The reasons for Transtech's cancellation remain unknown for certain, though over the years, a number of possible reasons have been speculated, among them: negative fan reaction to ''Beast Machines'', conflict with Mainframe, economic difficulties due to poor performance by other Hasbro toylines at the time (notably the significant under-performance of the first Star Wars prequel), differences with Takara, or simply a desire to go in a new direction. The most likely explanation is not a singular culprit, but a number of corresponding culprits, perhaps culminating in the closing of Hasbro's Cincinnati offices and departures of staff, followed by the subsequent relocation to Hasbro's central offices in Rhode Island.

The cancellation of Transtech led to the Japanese ''Car Robots'' cartoon and toyline [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|being imported]] as a stopgap measure while Hasbro and Takara began to work together to jointly create and launch the ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' line.

And look how ''that'' turned out.

==Notes==
* According to the creative staff of ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' at [[BotCon 2008]], ''Animated'' [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]]'s design is partially inspired by TransTech Cheetor, most notably the hubless wheels making up part of his feet.
* Though the toyline was cancelled, several of the designs have been adapted into other toylines. Notably [[Megatron (Armada)|''Armada'' Megatron]], [[Scavenger (Armada)|''Armada'' Scavenger]] and [[Landmine (Energon)|''Energon'' Landmine]].
* The designs for Toy Biz's ''Marvel Megamorphs'' transforming superhero toyline were done by Draxhall Jump as well. These designs strongly resemble their Transtech work, specifically with [[Hulk]] using Immorticon's design and [[Iron Man]] using Starscream's. Unfortunately, they don't resemble good toys, suffering from the same drawbacks most transforming toys from companies not used to making transforming toys do. For example: they suck.

== External Links ==
*[http://www.draxhall.com/draxhall/ Draxhall Jump]
*[http://tfarchive.com/fandom/transtech/?dgallery=browse Transtech concept art gallery from TFarchive.com]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7202 Transtech Megatron Style Study Board]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7205 Transtech Megatron Destroyer Tank Concept drawings]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7209 Transtech Optimus Prime Style Study Board]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7210 Transtech Silverbolt Control Drawing]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7195 Transtech Cheetor Prototype]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7198 Transtech Starscream Prototype]

[[Category:Toys]]
[[Category:TransTech]]
[[Category:Things that don't exist]]