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Operation Bumblebee, Part 2

2012-10-23T19:17:15Z

97.100.36.219: /* Trivia */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 31
|prev=Operation Bumblebee, Part 1
|next=Loose Cannons
|image=OperationBumblebee2-Forge.jpg
|caption=[[Thor|Whosoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Bulkhead.]]
|title="Operation Bumblebee, Part 2"
|airdate=[[March 17]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Nicole Dubuc]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Bumblebee discovers that MECH and Starscream are responsible for his troubles; Ratchet confronts demons from his Cybertronian past.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:OperationBumblebee2 Starscream MECH find Energon.jpg|thumb|left|250px|How much of this does Starscream get?]]
With [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] on a medical bed, [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] tells [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] off for taking the scout into battle. When Bumblebee comes around, he faces Ratchet's ire as well, and [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] grounds Bumblebee until his [[transformation cog|T-cog]] can be recovered. Ratchet has another idea though—he offers to donate his own T-cog in a transplant. Though Optimus is uncertain, Ratchet convinces him.

[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] is pleased with the new device [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] has secured—a [[force field]] generator—although Megatron's demonstration leaves him startled.

Elsewhere, [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] and [[Silas]] find an [[energon]] deposit, though Silas would appreciate it if Starscream didn't talk so much.

Ratchet selects [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] to do the operation, though she's less than enthusiastic. She starts by putting Ratchet in induced [[stasis lock|stasis]], but before she can do the same for Bumblebee, an alarm signals the appearance of another relic from the [[Vaults]] of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. Optimus calls a halt to the operation so he, Arcee and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] can investigate. No sooner have they left than [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] contacts the base. He's disappointed only Bumblebee's there to take his call, but passes on the news that he's got the possible coordinates of a [[MECH]] base. Unable to understand Bumblebee, he searches for someone who speaks English, but Ratchet is barely coherent, still recovering from stasis. [[Jack Darby|Jack]] volunteers to pass the message on.

[[Image:OperationBumblebee2 Breakdown Knockout find Forge.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Chipping away with my hammer, to bring Megatron a hammer with the power to make more hammers.]]
Optimus and his team reach the top of a mountain to find Knock Out and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] uncovering the [[Forge of Solus Prime]]. With it, the Autobots could conceivably create a new T-cog for Bumblebee.

MECH infuses the newly-found energon into their creation, but as it begins to stir, Bumblebee bursts through the door. Though unarmed, Bumblebee throws an industrial-sized barrel at Starscream, knocking him flat, and proceeds to shrug off the weapons fire from the MECH goons.

As Knock Out and Breakdown free the forge, the Autobots charge them. While Bulkhead tackles Breakdown, Optimus and Arcee find they have a bit of a problem getting past Knock Out's shield generator, and he pushes them back towards the edge of the cliff.

Bumblebee knocks a bunch of MECH troopers flat, jumps on their robot and tears his T-cog from its innards. No sooner is this done than he's hit by a blast from Starscream. As MECH withdraw, Starscream grabs the T-cog and threatens to destroy it.

[[Image:OperationBumblebee2 Starscream threatens T-cog.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Look at your T-cog, now back to me...]]
Ratchet recovers, only to find Fowler shouting at him about MECH coordinates, and the kids reveal Bumblebee has gone to deal with it.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee has had enough of Starscream's gloating and belts the ex-Decepticon, knocking him flat. As the T-cog flies up into the air, Bumblebee jumps for it, but a quick blast by Starscream spells the end of that attempt. While Starscream leaves, Bumblebee is left with his shattered T-cog. Starscream meets up with MECH outside the compound, but Silas is less than impressed with him for losing the T-cog, and Starscream is soon surrounded by MECH troops.

Optimus and Arcee are forced back to the cliff edge. While Breakdown is distracted by their predicament, Bulkhead takes the opportunity to grab the Forge of Solus Prime and smack the Decepticon with it. Breakdown lands on Knock Out and for a few moments Bulkhead stands triumphant, at least until Megatron steps out of the [[GroundBridge]] and blasts him. Collecting the Forge, the Decepticons leave. Ratchet reports the situation with MECH to Optimus.

[[Image:OperationBumblebee2 Bumblebee damaged T-cog.jpg|thumb|right|250px|My Precious...]]
Starscream comes around to find MECH gone. When he sees Optimus's team arrive at the MECH base, he tries to transform, only to find his T-cog had been taken, and runs off panicking into the woods. Meanwhile, Bumblebee walks out to join his comrades, sadly holding his own damaged T-cog. Optimus radios Ratchet to prepare for surgery.

On the ''[[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', Megatron attempts to use the Forge, only to discover that it requires the power of a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] to work. Despite this hitch, the warlord takes comfort in the knowledge that the Forge is safely away from the hands of the Autobots - and more specifically, Optimus Prime.

Ratchet finishes operating, restoring Bumblebee's old cog. Though Bumblebee's first few attempts to transform fail, he eventually manages it, and takes Raf for a drive. Ratchet, for his part, seems happy that it worked.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (8)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (9)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (15)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (16)
|c3=
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (3)
*[[Silas]] (10)
*[[Jack Darby]] (12)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (13)
*[[William Fowler]] (14)
*[[MECH Surgeon]] (17)
|c4=
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==

"You and I both know there exists a way to make him whole again." 
"A transplant, but that would require a donor." 
"You need look no further than the Autobot standing before you."
:—'''Ratchet''' tells '''Optimus Prime''' that he is willing to make a sacrifice.

"I... think I just leaked a little transmission fluid."
:—'''Knock Out''' sums up how intimidating his master truly is.

"Do you ever ''not'' speak?"
:—'''Silas''' says what we're all thinking to Starscream.

"I don't get it. All this chipping away with my hammer just to bring Megatron another hammer?"
:—'''Breakdown''' tells Knock Out that Megatron wants even more hammers.

"I am not one of your foot-soldiers! I am a ''consultant!"''
:—'''Starscream''' doesn't like taking orders from humans.

"Mine's bigger!"
:—'''Bulkhead''' compares hammers with Breakdown.

"Time to jet—because I ''can''!"
:—'''Starscream''', who really should learn to keep his mouth shut.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*Once again, Starscream's eyes are completely red for the first half of the episode. It's only after Bumblebee hits him with a barrel that they are only red circles. Maybe hitting him with a heavy object is the key to making them normal.
*After the Autobots pass through the GroundBridge to MECH's headquarters in search of Bumblebee, Optimus had his battle mask drawn. When the camera pans to show Starscream behind them, his mask retracts silently, and almost invisibly.

===Continuity errors===
*In the previous episode, the [[MECH Surgeon]] is shown to be able to lift (and run with) Bumblebee's T-cog without much difficulty. Silas tells Starscream to bring it with him, instead of just picking it up and taking it himself; he's even standing right in front of it. Then again, Silas could just be exerting dominance onto Starscream, metaphorically flexing his "I'm the leader" muscles. Or on the other hand the MECH Surgeon could have already left the place and Starscream carrying it might been quicker.

===Continuity notes===
*Once more, Starscream mentions being the one to "offline" [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]].

===Transformers references===
* While delirious, Ratchet refers to [[Fuzor]]s, and even names [[Bantor (Prime)|Bantor]], a reference to [[Bantor (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Bantor]].
* Optimus mentions [[Solus Prime]], one of the [[Thirteen]].
* Knock Out unfavorably compares the results of Megatron's failed forging experiment to a "[[Fortress Maximus (disambiguation)|Fortress-Maximus]] Grade [[Nucleon Shock Cannon]]".
* Megatron once again calls Optimus by his pre-Prime name "Orion Pax" from the previous episodes during his gloating.

===Real-world references===
*Knock Out broadly references award shows such as the Oscars and Emmys.
*"Put a tiger in your tank" was a slogan of [[wikipedia:Exxon|Exxon]].

===Trivia===
* When Agent Fowler relays the information on MECH's whereabouts to Bumblebee, he says it really slowly and condescendingly, as if he believes Bumblebee has trouble understanding English, rather than just being mute. Fowler's kind of a jerk. Or just ignorant.
* During the fight in the hangar, Bumblebee punches several MECH soldiers, sending them flying through the air. Silas survived this, so it stands to reason everyone else did, too. Cartoons, everybody! (A soldier didn't crack the prototype's lens; that was his rifle.)
* It seems that the Cybertronians of this continuity are incapable of self-propelled flight outside a flight-capable alternate mode. This is in stark contrast to previous continuities. Especially ones in which even Cybertronians who ''didn't'' have flight-capable vehicle modes were regularly capable of self-propelled flight through air and the vacuum of space.
* [[Solus Prime]] is the fourth member of the Original Thirteen to actually be named on television (the others were [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]], [[Vector Prime]], and [[The Fallen]], respectively).
* When Bumblebee and Starscream attempt to transform without their T-cogs, the classic transformation sound can be heard
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Starscream (WFC)

2012-10-19T21:50:48Z

97.100.36.219: /* Foreign names */

{{faction|decepticon|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Starscream}}
:''Starscream is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:StarscreamPrime.jpg|thumb|300px|In a cruel twist of fate, perhaps the most legitimately competent Starscream ever, but no one will take him seriously for even a minute.]]
'''Starscream''' was an Air Commander of the [[Energon]] [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s, [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s finest air warriors. His dream was to recover the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and become the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] that would return the Transformers to the [[Golden Age]], and he saw opportunity with the rebel upstart [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]. A patient and polite schemer, Starscream used to wish Megatron would drop the heroic anti-[[caste system|caste]] charade and be more honest about his lust for power.

These days, he alternatively wishes Megatron would stop being obsessed with his lust for power and chafes under having to work for such a madman. While he serves as Megatron's right-hand man, he constantly looks for a way to become the commander himself and Megatron knows it: Starscream's extremely volatile personality means he is not adept at hiding his true intent. Fortunately for Megatron, Starscream is prone to panic, cowardice and bombastic gestures, meaning that it'd take exceptional circumstances for Starscream to actually manage to get behind him to shove the knife in.

He may be a scientist, but [[Starscream (Prime)#Notes|we're not quite sure]].

{{quote|That shot was perfect, much like the one who fired it!|Starscream after achieving a headshot|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

==Fiction==
===Aligned novels===
Starscream may or may not have had a history as a scientist. Regardless of what he did prior, in the early days before the war began he was one of the leaders of the Cybertronian Air Command. When [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] fell into chaos following bombings by [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s [[Decepticon]] followers, Starscream was posted as [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]]'s bodyguard. He was with the Prime at [[Altihex]] Casino during a performance by comedian [[Armorhide (WFC)|Armorhide]] when the Decepticons attacked. Sentinel's attempt to flee rather than fight back made Starscream ashamed of his leader, so he had [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]] take him to [[Kaon]] Prison rather than the safety of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. This earned him loyalty with Megatron, but wary of how sour a revolution could quickly turn Starscream opted not to be directly involved in the gladiator's operations, posting his Seekers at [[Moonbase One|Moon Base One]] and [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]] Station. Megatron was intrigued by why Starscream wanted to occupy "that semi-sentient pile of junk" but despite [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]]'s research they found no clues, with information regarding the Station seemingly censored.

Whenever Starscream's Seekers were present, the Decepticons were victorious in battle against the [[Autobot]]s. Starscream however, found Megatron's strategies overly convoluted. As the war devolved into a siege of Iacon, Megatron and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]], by probing into forgotten areas of the [[DataNet]], discovered Trypticon was a storage of [[Dark Energon]], the life essence of [[Unicron]]. When questioned, Starscream explained since even the Air Command was not sure what Dark Energon was, he had forbidden its use, fearing the damage Megatron's gladiators would unleash. Megatron forgave Starscream, noting how he "was smart enough to be afraid of it", and was granted access.

Starscream sent a message to the Autobots proposing a meeting. Optimus only granted him a communication channel. Starscream stated if the Autobots did not know what Dark Energon was (they did) they would need to find out — and asked what would he could expect from them if something happened to Megatron. Optimus replied that he sought a just peace. Starscream said he understood, broke off the conversation and flew to [[Kaon]] Prison where Sentinel was held. Starscream offered Sentinel a chance to redeem his cowardly behavior at Altihex. The ultimate aim of this road to becoming Decepticon leader was to become [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] in a peace settlement with Optimus, and lead Cybertron back to its [[Golden Age]]. Starscream then flew to Moon Base One when Megatron ordered him to Trypticon, where he found the Decepticons had invaded the Station and slaughtered and maimed his scientists.

Megatron and [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] forced Starscream to select two survivors to absorb [[Dark Energon]], for what was a successful experiment. Requiring more for the Decepticon war effort, Megatron ordered Starscream to capture the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]], below the ruins of [[Crystal City]]. Empowered by his first taste of Dark Energon, Starscream activated the device that transmitted Energon to the Station for it to be Darkened. But the Bridge still did not produce enough, and Starscream was ordered to find the Code [[Key of Power]] and [[Key of Justice]] to the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] underneath the [[High Council Tower]] in Iacon. Starscream decided it was time to release Sentinel, renouncing Dark Energon after realizing Megatron had turned his soldiers into addicts. Starscream found the Key of Power within the [[Hall of Justice]] and flew underground to find his plan had failed, as Megatron had mortally wounded Sentinel. He could see within Sentinel's body was the Key of Justice, but was prevented from taking it by [[Blackout (WFC)|Blackout]]. Megatron fought Starscream to a standstill, sparing him because he realized he was a better soldier than a would-be example.

As Megatron entered the Chamber, [[Teletraan-1]] activated the legendary [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] to fly it away. Aware Starscream had a better chance of escaping Omega's awakening, Megatron ordered Starscream and his Seekers to down Omega, in exchange for more Dark Energon. Giving up on his attempt to give up his addiction, Starscream gleefully accepted and they successfully blew Omega out of the sky, allowing the Decepticons to retrieve the Chamber and corrupt the [[core]]. As Cybertron became uninhabitable, the Autobots left on the largest starship ever built - the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]''. Starscream left the planet with Megatron as they gave pursuit on Trypticon, now a ''Nemesis''-class supercruiser. The two ships entered a [[space bridge]], which separated the two ships to unknown parts of space... {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

===''Prime'' comic===
[[Image:Primecomic-Starscream.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Hey, look, a backscratcher!]]
Starscream had been on [[Earth]] at some point, but was assigned by Megatron to scour the galaxy for remnants of space bridge technology. Returning to their dead homeworld, Starscream built a weapons lab in Kaon and began building a space bridge. He was informed by his [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s elsewhere they had apprehended the Autobot spy [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. Later, after basking in the glory of successfully activating the space bridge that would return them to Earth and its [[Energon]], Starscream realized Cliffjumper was present. The Autobot claimed to be freed by his captors after defecting to the Decepticons, and warned them of [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]]: this ruse successfully distracted Starscream long enough for Arcee to activate and overload the space bridge, but he jumped in after them moments before the lab was blown sky high.

Falling to Earth, a dazed Starscream picked up a [[bunny rabbit]], commenting that [[human]]s were smaller than he remembered. [[Scanning]] a fleet of jets flying overhead, he found Cliffjumper and Arcee driving on a road and launched a missile at them. He picked up Arcee's blown off arm and started battering Cliffjumper with it, but the Autobot blew up the rock formation above them and crushed Starscream with the rubble. Having received Starscream's signal, [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] came to his rescue, and the duo pursued and overwhelmed the Autobots. Just as Starscream was about to send them back to the [[AllSpark]], Optimus jumped and landed on him, while gunning Breakdown away. As Starscream greeted his opponent, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] tapped him on the shoulder and sent him flying. Optimus opted not to finish the job, allowing Starscream to escape and fight another day as he got Cliffjumper and Arcee to base. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)|Transformers: Prime}}
{{-}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Steve Blum]] (English)|[[Satoshi Tsuruoka]] (Japanese), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Spain-Spanish), [[Jin-uk Hong]] (Korean), [[Gianluca Iacono]] (Italian), [[Gerald Paradies]] (German), [[José Antonio Macías]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Nicolas Dubois]] (French), [[Nestor Chiesse]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}

[[Image:DarknessRising1-Starscreamsneer.jpg|right|thumb|300px|One look sells him as Starscream.]]
Before Starscream joined Megatron and the Decepticons, he was commander of a squadron of Energon Seekers on Cybertron. {{Storylink|Partners}}

Following the [[Great Exodus]], Starscream intercepted a coded Autobot transmission and managed to trap [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. When his interrogation methods failed to extract anything he could use to decode the transmission, he took them to [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]], who used a [[cortical psychic patch]] on Arcee and revealed the transmission to be from Optimus Prime on [[Earth]]. Upon being questioned by Cliffjumper of his lack of bravery, Starscream tried to kill the Autobot only to be captured by Arcee. Upon being threatened by Arcee he cracked and revealed Shockwaves plan; to build a space bridge under Kaon. Starscream was then knocked out but regained contentiousness and perused the two Autobots to the space bridge. Unfortunately the space bridge was destroyed with Shockwave, Cliffjumper and Arcee still inside but Starscream was able to escape. Starscream presumably took the Decepticons to earth via the Nemesis soon after. {{storylink|Out of the Past}}

When the Decepticons arrived on Earth, Starscream scouted an old Decepticon ship called the ''[[Harbinger]]'' that had crashed landed years back. However he failed to record the coordinates of the crash site or find the [[Immobilizer]]. {{Storylink|Partners}} In time, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] departed Earth to gather an army out in space, leaving Starscream in charge. Starscream spent his time sending out [[Vehicon (Prime)|Decepticon grunts]] to search for [[Energon]] deposits{{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}, and managed to set up a lucrative energon mine in secret. {{storylink|Rock Bottom}}

Three years later, one of Starscream's energon searches was interrupted by Cliffjumper. Once Cliffjumper was defeated by the Vehicons, Starscream personally killed the Autobot. [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] alerted him to Arcee's location, and Starscream decided she would be their next target. Later, when Soundwave received a signal from deep space, Starscream hesitantly opened the space bridge for Megatron's return. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} Megatron revealed to Starscream that he'd brought back [[Dark Energon]], and Starscream provided Cliffjumper's corpse so they could test the substance's reanimation properties. When the undead Cliffjumper's signal led the Autobots to the mine, Starscream blew the facility up on Megatron's orders. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}

[[Image:DarknessRising3-interrogateFowler.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"No, Mister Fowler, I expect you to be saved at the last minute!"]]
Following a test of Dark Energon on himself, Megatron took off for parts unknown, leaving Starscream in charge once more. When Soundwave picked up [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]]'s transmissions, Starscream had the human captured and began trying to extract the location of the Autobot base from him. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}} The interrogation almost succeeded, but for the arrival of Arcee, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] who, after a standoff, forced Starscream to retreat. Once Megatron returned to the ship, he was outraged at Starscream's actions and proceeded to beat his subordinate for "delaying his plans". Starscream managed to quell his master's anger by announcing he had a way to get their plans back on course. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

[[Image:DarknessRising5-ohgeez.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Oh my God. It's called toothpaste, use it.]]
As it turned out, his plan was to send Soundwave down to use the [[Giant Sized Array]] radio telescope on Earth to set the space bridge's target. Once the bridge was properly targeted, Starscream opened it so that Megatron could throw the chunk of Dark Energon though. Starscream moved the ship back to a safe distance when the fighting on the rim of the space bridge became more intense, while imploring his master to withdraw as well. Alas, the space bridge exploded, apparently taking Megatron with it, and Starscream gave a brief eulogy before declaring himself leader. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}}

[[Image:Masters&Students-SoundwaveStarscream.jpg|thumb|250px|left|*ping* "FINE! FINE! I'LL WRITE A THANK-YOU NOTE!"]]
Starscream's speeches were poorly received. Intending to find more potentially-loyal warriors, Starscream took Soundwave to try to revive the long-dormant [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]]. To Starscream's disappointment, Skyquake was loyal only to Megatron, and interested only in fighting the Autobots who arrived. A signal detected by Soundwave sent Starscream to the location of the space bridge explosion, where he found Megatron's body and ripped the sliver of Dark Energon from it. He was forced by the observing [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] to return the body to the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', where he also learned that Skyquake had been terminated by the Autobots. {{storylink|Masters & Students}}

When [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] arrived on Earth, Starscream had him captured and substituted [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] with the mission to open the Autobot [[GroundBridge]] to let the Decepticon forces into the Autobot base. Unfortunately Wheeljack broke free before the plan could succeed, and as a result, Makeshift was expelled from the Autobot base onto the ''Nemesis'' hull with an activated grenade. Starscream vacated the hull before Makeshift exploded. {{storylink|Con Job}} After Soundwave picked up on [[Dynamic Nuclear Generation System|another Autobot operation]], Starscream figured it was a good opportunity to get rid of the Autobots while they were distracted, and sent a squadron of Vehicons on a search and destroy mission. {{storylink|Convoy (episode)|Convoy}}

[[Image:DeusExMachina-Screamer grins.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"We've had too much Energon shed. I think that a cleansing is in order."]]
To Starscream's discomfort, the crew held a vote and he was obliged to call in [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] to aid in Megatron's recovery. The discovery that an [[Energon Harvester]] was located in an museum on Earth was all the excuse Starscream needed to put that on hold, and the other Decepticons soon obtained the device for him. While they were testing it in [[Greece]], Bulkhead attacked them and destroyed the Harvester. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}} Starscream was irritated by Knock Out's participation in street racing, and eventually decided to make an example of him. {{storylink|Speed Metal}}

[[Image:OutOfHisHead-grabby.jpg|left|thumb|250px|That's ''not'' how ATB Megatron and Starscream combine!]]
Some time later, after the ship's electromagnetic shielding failed, Starscream put the Vehicons to work fixing it. Offering Knock Out a post as second-in-command, Starscream persuaded him to help convince Soundwave that Megatron was a lost cause. They were interrupted by Arcee and Bumblebee, who were doing something with Megatron's corpse, and after chasing the two Autobots off, they discovered that Megatron no longer had any brain activity. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} Overjoyed at this, Starscream began a new plan, constructing a heat ray which he attempted to use to melt a glacier to get to a huge [[energon]] deposit. Unfortunately, not only did the Autobots arrive and destroy the heat ray, but Megatron was resurrected and dragged the protesting Starscream away for punishment. {{storylink|Out of His Head}}

[[Image:Shadowzone-gah.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Damn, in another [[Starscream (Movie)|continuity]] the arm comes off and they mock it in this one.]]
Starscream ended up in the infirmary as a result of Megatron's punishment, but continued undaunted in his plans. He took the chunk of Dark Energon he'd been hiding, and went to the site of Skyquake's grave, intending to resurrect the warrior as well as imbuing himself with Dark Energon. Unfortunately the Autobots arrived before Skyquake rose, and Starscream had to retreat through the Decepticon GroundBridge, albeit minus his right arm. After subjecting himself to treatment from Knock Out, Starscream returned to the site to confirm whether Skyquake had risen, only to be attacked by Skyquake's zombified right arm. {{storylink|Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone}}

When Breakdown was captured to [[MECH]], Starscream's suggestion they rescue their comrade was turned down by Megatron. Starscream went anyway, and found Breakdown had already been rescued by Bulkhead, but escorted Breakdown back to the ship. {{storylink|Operation: Breakdown}} At an old energon mine, Megatron confronted Starscream about his many transgressions and prepared to terminate his subordinate. Starscream was only saved by the arrival of the Autobots, but on escaping the collapsed mine, realized that he would have to go back in and attempt to rescue Megatron, or face his master's possible wrath later. Venturing back inside, he ended up tangling with the Autobots, and when Megatron later found him, he had been left supporting a large boulder. {{storylink|Rock Bottom}}

[[Image:Partners-ScreamPrisoner.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Why am I always seen like this? Chest and lower body off to one side, head towards y'all.]]
Starscream was sent with [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] to locate the ''Harbinger'' wreck, only for the spider to leave him webbed up when it turned out the ship was broken in half and the weapon they sought was in the other half. Starscream was found by the Autobots and attempted to convince them he wanted to switch sides, even pointing them to the location of the weapon Airachnid was after. Unfortunately he let slip he'd been the one to kill Cliffjumper, provoking Arcee into attacking him. After fighting her, he was able to limp away, though he decided from then on he would be an independent. {{storylink|Partners}}

Many months later, Starscream snuck on board the ''Nemesis'' to steal [[energon cube]]s and blundered into the workroom that was being used by the recently-amnesiac Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} Starscream soon realized what was going on, but when more Vehicons arrived, he was wounded while fleeing the ship. He contacted the Autobots to exchange information for medical help. When [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and Bulkhead arrived, it turned out they already knew about Optimus's situation, but were interested in what he knew about the space bridge, so he was able to trade the information for aid. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}}

[[Image:OperationBumblebee1 Silas meets Starscream.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Wanna know how I got these scars?"]]
Tracking a signal, Starscream stumbled upon a MECH trap already sprung by Bumblebee. He was intrigued and followed the MECH helicopter and watched as they tried to install the [[transformation cog|T-cog]] they'd taken into a robot. When their attempt to make the robot work failed, Starscream revealed himself and managed to strike a partnership with them. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 1}} With Starscream's help, MECH secured a source of energon and Starscream was there when they used it on their robot. As Bumblebee came looking for his T-cog, Starscream helped defend it, but when it looked like Bumblebee might get it back, Starscream blasted it and left. Unfortunately Silas was less than impressed, and after a short nap thanks to MECH's weapons, Starscream woke up minus his own T-cog. {{Storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}}

[[Image:Crossfire Starscream injured.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Ouch.]]
While scavenging for energon, Starscream found that Airachnid had been cast out from the Decepticons and obtained a pet in the form of an [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]]. She spurned his suggestion that they team up to defeat Megatron, and he barely escaped with his life. Wounded, he employed his previous trick to get medical help from the Autobots in exchange for information about Airachnid's activities, and even later saved Arcee from Airachnid, sparing her life like she spared his much, much earlier. {{storylink|Crossfire}}

Starscream returned to the ''Harbinger'' in search of energon, and instead found a laboratory containing five [[protoform]]s and the equipment necessary for [[cloning]]. He had soon whipped up five [[Starscream clone (Prime)|Starscream clone]]s, which he dispatched to dispatch Megatron. Unfortunately he soon discovered that he could sympathetically feel every injury they suffered, which gave him a good idea how the mission was going. When the last clone returned to report failure, Starscream sensed the clone's treachery and blasted it. Fully aware of the effect on him, he terminated the clone, screaming in their shared pain as he did. {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}}

[[Image:Triangulation Starscream Apex armor.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Starscream SMASH!]]
He was about to operate on himself to install the clone's T-cog when the ship detected the Decepticons sending teams out to locations around the globe. Intrigued, he used the ship's GroundBridge to reach [[Antarctica]], only to be captured by [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]], whom he at first mistook for Skyquake. Eventually, Optimus arrived, and after Dreadwing was buried in an avalanche and the Vehicons accompanying him were dispatched, Starscream now found himself as Optimus's prisoner. The two followed a trail to a human research station where the relic everyone was after was being held. Dreadwing soon arrived and another battle between him and Optimus took place. As they fought, Starscream freed the relic, the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]], from the ice block containing it and claimed it as his own. Covered in a full body suit and towering over both of them, Starscream used the armor to fight both Optimus and Dreadwing, a fight in which he was the aggressor for once in a long time. Though Starscream had enhanced strength and was rendered invulnerable, he still couldn't fly, and a few of Dreadwing's bombs created a hole in the ice which he fell through. He was subsequently forced to plod along the bottom of the ocean. {{storylink|Triangulation}}

[[Image:NewRecruit-Starscreammonkey.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Next on his list of cat-related videos is Nyan Ravage.]]
Back at the ''Harbinger'', Starscream discovered a photo of [[Red Energon]] on the [[Internet]], as well as a dancing monkey which came as much amusement to him. He took the Apex Armor with him, tracking the substance down to a dockyard where he was confronted by Optimus, Arcee and Bumblebee. Donning the armor, he attempted to retrieve the Red Energon first, and managed to rip a chunk off after Optimus knocked him off the crane. While he was trying to tip the crane over, [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] arrived, and using a [[phase shifter]], removed Starscream from the Apex Armor. The Decepticon responded by firing a missile at the three Autobots on the crane and escaping with a chunk of Red Energon. {{storylink|New Recruit}}

Starscream set about refining the Red Energon, though the process was slow and only yielded enough for one or two doses. Alerted to a Decepticon operation by the ''Harbinger'''s computers, he used it on himself and soon found Smokescreen had uncovered a relic. Using his new hyperspeed to blindside him, Starscream was able to obtain one of the [[Omega Key]]s, which he later overheard Bulkhead describing as a way to revitalize Cybertron. {{storylink|Hard Knocks}}

{{spoiler|Inside Job|18:00 October 19, 2012}}
[[Image:TFP Inside Job Starscream fistful of keys.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Though thinking of restoring Cybertron and ruling it himself, Starscream decided that he didn't have the proper resources to do so. Coming up with a plan, Starscream lured Optimus, Ratchet and Bulkhead to a remote location with the promise of the key he'd found in return for the installation of the T-Cog from his clone. In reality, he used his remaining Red Energon to allow him to infiltrate the Autobot base while leaving the clone behind for the Autobots to find. While stealing the other three keys from, the Autobots figured out his clone was a ruse, and Starscream only just managed to get back through the Ground Bridge. After taking a moment to taunt the Autobots, the Red Energon wore off, and he quickly bridged away to the ''Nemesis'', with the Omega Keys as a peace offering to Megatron. {{storylink|Inside Job}}

{{--}}

===Titan Magazines ''Prime'' comics===
[[Image:Titan4.6 Starscream holding president.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Starscream accompanied [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] on a trip to [[Antarctica]] to attack the [[Yamal|NS ''Yamal'']]. He carried the [[static lance]] that Megatron intended to use to detonate the ship's nuclear reactors, and when the Autobots arrived to intercede, Starscream used the weapon to knock [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] out. He tried to do the same to [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], but the Autobot dodged the blow and kicked him in the head. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.3|Ice Breaker}}

Tasked by Megatron with trying to draw the Autobots out, Starscream attacked and captured [[Air Force One]], taking it to the [[Grand Canyon]]. He sent a message demanding Optimus Prime's surrender in exchange for the safe return of the [[President of the United States|President]], but the Autobots turned up in force. Starscream's accompaniment of Vehicons was soon quashed, and Optimus rescued the President, whom Starscream was using as a human shield, by chopping the Decepticon's left arm off. Defeated, Starscream fled. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.6|All the President's 'Bots!}}

Starscream was appalled when Megatron revealed the latest plan—pit the Vehicons against each other in a series of deathmatches to ensure their army contained only the toughest. He was even more shocked when Megatron expected ''him'' to fight against [[Fearstorm]]. Through application of his wits, Starscream was able to defeat the much-larger Decepticon and Megatron let him return to the ship. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.7|Megatron's Law}}

{{spoiler|Transformers Comic issue 4.12|November 11, 2012}}
On Soundwave's prompting, Starscream set up an ambush for the Autobots in [[The Wave]]. When it predictably went badly for the Decepticons, Starscream demanded his companion take matters into his own hands. Soundwave did, and as a result Starscream had to later help Soundwave look for his missing hand. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.12|The Evil Shred}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
{{voiceactor|[[Sam Riegel]] (English)|[[Gianluca Iacono]] (Italian), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Spain-Spanish)}}
[[Image:WFC_Starscream.jpg|thumb|250px|Where are your stupid Macross jokes now?!]]

{{quote|Have no fear, Lord Megatron. Under my leadership, Decepticon victory is assured!|Starscream being all modest|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

For the last thousand years of the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]], Starscream was in charge of an orbital facility that had the capability of producing [[Dark Energon]], though they maintained only a small stockpile because of its unpredictable and uncontrollable nature. The station's force of neutral soldiers were no match for Megatron's invading forces, while Starscream and [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]]'s repeated warnings that no one could control Dark Energon had no effect on Megatron's determination. Instead, Megatron tempted Starscream with knowledge of his past, reminding him of his demotion from Sky Commander to a mere guard over an all-but-derelict station, and offered to let him join the Decepticons, something Starscream scoffed at — at least, at first. Starscream attempted to destroy the station's stock of Dark Energon before the Decepticon leader could reach it, but failed, and watched, first with amusement as Megatron entered the storage chamber...and then with shock as Megatron infused himself with the substance and bent it to his will within moments. Starscream quickly volunteered his services for the Decepticon cause, causing Jetfire to label him a traitor and leave to warn [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Zeta Prime]]. Megatron sent him with [[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]] to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to reactivate the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge|Energon Bridge]]. Starscream performed the mission successfully using his trademark style, flair, and modesty, never mind Megatron's taunting and unreasonable impatience, or Thundercracker's warning him of the danger of certain courses of action, or even Skywarp's cluing in to his constant insults.

During the Battle of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon City]], Starscream led the Decepticons aerial squadrons and [[Brawl (WFC)|Brawl]] led the Decepticons' ground assault, while Megatron, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]], and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] went behind enemy lines and tried to secure the [[Omega Key]]. When Megatron's group met up with Brawl, Starscream refused to send Dark Energon bombers, saying that he wouldn't let Brawl waste anymore of "his ships". Megatron took issue with Starscream dubbing the bombers his, and overrode Starscream's refusal. Later that evening, while looking for the "real" Omega Key, they ran into it: [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]]. Starscream assumed Megatron was killed when Omega attacked a dropship Megatron was heading for and declared himself Decepticon commander. Shortly afterward, Megatron managed to communicate with Starscream and ordered him to attack Omega Supreme, getting the massive Autobot off of Megatron's back. By the time Megatron's group were heading for the Autobot turrets, Starscream was ready to sound a retreat, which Megatron overrode with the threat of marking any retreating Decepticon as "kill on sight". Fortunately, Megatron arrived moments later and managed to defeat Omega Supreme, making the retreat unnecessary. Later on, he was present at the [[Core]] of Cybertron as Megatron corrupted it with Dark Energon.

As the Battle of Iacon continued, Starscream fought through Jetfire and [[Silverbolt (WFC)|Silverbolt]], and attacked [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]]'s group in the [[Decagon]]. However, the Air Commander was injured by Optimus's [[Energon-axe]] and forced to retreat. The wound was apparently bad enough to cause him to sit out the remainder of the conflict. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
:''Voice actor'': Sam Riegel (English), Gianluca Iacono (Italian)
Starscream had been in control of Trypticon Space Station for years, until Megatron and his forces invaded. Megatron wished to revive the Dark Energon project to aid him in his conquest of Cybertron, but Starscream would have none of it. Megatron was able to fight his way to Starscream himself, and after a brief battle, Starscream had lost. He begged for mercy, and Megatrons spared Starscream in exchange for loyalty to the Decepticons. Starscream obliged and Megatron was taken to the core of the station.

After a test run of the Dark Energon's effects on Decepticons in Kaon Prison, Soundwave deduced the element would only destroy the host. A furious Megatron set Starscream to work on fixing the problem, with Starscream continuously bickering with Barricade over his usefullness. The problem was eventually solved in time for an attack on Iacon City. When Megatron felled Zeta Prime and found the Omega Key, the titanic Autobot Omega Supreme was unleashed upon the Decepticons, quickly crushing them with ease.

Megatron was downright furious with Starscream, declaring he had brought Omega Supreme's rampage upon them all. Starscream retorted that if it wasn't for Megatron and his blind troops, none of this would've happened. Starscream invited Megatron to kill him, but warned him it wouldn't do a thing about Omega Supreme out for their blood. Megatron for the moment let it go, and finally felled Omega Supreme, gaining total dominance over Cybertron.

Sometime later, Starscream ambushed an [[Autobot rookie|Autobot recruit-in-training]], and would've killed him if it wasn't for Optimus charging to the rescue. He wasn't seen again after that.
{{Storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''===
:''Voice actor'': Sam Riegel (English), Gianluca Iacono (Italian)

Being Megatron's "right-hand man," he wonders how the war could have changed if HE were to be the leader, not Megatron. Still he was ordered by Megatron to do his dirty work, and growing jealous, he waits for the right time, to take his place, as leader of the Decepticons.
{{storylink|Transformers: Cybertron Adventures}}

===''Transformers: Fall of Cybertron''===
{{voiceactor|[[Sam Riegel]] (English)}}
Under Megatron's orders, Starscream and the [[Combaticon (WFC) |Combaticons]] ambushed and captured Optimus Prime under the ruins of Iacon during the assault on the Ark. Starscream's gloating on how he defeated Megatron's archnemesis would earn him a blast from the Decepticon's leader's fusion cannon. Starscream's luck would take an uphill turn, however, for Megatron was soon crushed by Metroplex, leaving him the new leader of the Decepticons. At the urging of both Prime and Metroplex, Starscream ordered the Decepticons to retreat.

Starscream's reign as a leader was lackluster at best. He used most of the Decepticon energon and supplies to further his own ego and cover the Decepticon bases with portraits and effigies of himself and constantly broadcasting self glorifying speeches to his troops. Anyone who wasn't on board with Starscream's reign was thrown into the prisons of Kaon. Needless to say, the prisons were full to bursting as barely a handful of Decepticons hand any faith in their new leader. When the Autobots aquired the entire energon supply the Decepticons kept in the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]]. Starscream sent the Combaticons to stop the transport. When the transport was out in the open, Starscream ordered an assault on it, despite the fact the anti-aircraft gun were still functional. As the Decepticons suffered heavy losses, Starscream aborted the mission and ordered a full retreat. The Combaticons ignored the order and brought the transport down, at the cost of half the energon on board. Despite the fact that the Combaticons had saved the mission he had abandoned, Starscream accused them of failing and had them arrested.

Later, Starscream decided to have a coronation for himself (despite the fact he had been in charge for some time now). Though sadly it was not to be, as [[The Transformers: The Movie|a newly rebuilt Megatron crashed the event]] and took his crown back from the would-be king, much to everyone else's elation. Luckily, the Air Commander escaped Megatron's wrath, swearing revenge.

Seeking the means to get back at Megatron, Starscream made his way to Shockwave's lab. He came across [[Grimlock (Prime)|Grimlock]] and promised to free him and his team if they would serve him. The Dinobot kindly refused the offer by throwing him into the control panel, freeing himself. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

=== ''Transformers: Prime - The Game ===
{{voiceactor|[[Steve Blum]] (English)}}
[[Image:TransformersPrimeTheGame Starscream.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
{{comingsoon|when=October 30, 2012}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Prime - The Game}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===War for Cybertron===
[[Image:WFC_Legends_Starscream.jpg|thumb|300px|So I'm ''Cybertron'' Starscream in Generation 1 Starscream colors as ''Prime'' Starscream. Confused? ''Good''! '''*BLAM*''']]
*'''Starscream''' (Legends Class, 2010)

: This redeco of Legends Class [[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|''Cybertron'']] [[Starscream (Armada)#LOC|Starscream]] appeared pretty much out of the blue one day, when, without fanfare, it was offered as a promotional giveaway in the United Kingdom to those who purchased the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'' video game from [http://www.shopto.net ShopTo.Net]. He transforms into a Cybertronic jet fighter and features hidden weapons in his wing-sections/biceps: the right arm hides a blade, while the left arm has a non-firing cannon.

: This toy was later offered as a gift to attendees at the Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong fair 2010 if they made a combined purchase of [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|''Transformers'' toys]] amounting to more than HK$400.

: This mold was also used the make ''Cybertron'' [[Ramjet (Universe)#Cybertron|Ramjet]], [[Skywarp (Armada)#Cybertron|Skywarp]] and [[Sunstorm (LOC)#Toys|Sunstorm]], ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Ramjet (G1)#Classic Series|Ramjet]] and [[Thrust (G1)#Classic Series|Thrust]], and [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|''Dark of the Moon'']] [[Starscream (Movie)/toys#BeeStarscream|Cybertronian Starscream]].
{{-}}

===Prime: First Edition===
{{anchor|FirstEdition}}
[[Image:Primetoy-StarscreamDeluxe.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's got legs, and he knows how to attach them to the underside of his jetmode.]]
*'''Starscream''' (Deluxe Class, 2011)
**''Number:'' '''003'''
**''Japanese release date:'' '''[[December 28]], 2012'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 missile pods, stand (Hasbro only)

: Deluxe Class Starscream transforms from a jet resembling a [[Wikipedia:General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon]] into a skinny robot and back! He comes with two missile pod accessories that can either attach onto tabs on the underside of his wings, or onto the rear wings on his arms in robot mode. Additionally, he has a [[5mm post|5mm peg]] hole that goes through each arm, both of which become the sides of his jet mode tail. This allows accessories with the same size peg to be used in either mode. Also, since the tail stabilizers fold into the sides of the tail to become the arms, the hole isn't very deep in robot mode unless you leave these fins folded out. Undocumented in either of his [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy]] [[instructions]], Starscream has a couple of features that help make him slightly more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]]: he has a deployable winglet on the back of each of his legs, and his large wing kibble can tilt slightly upward.

: Some units have the head aerial deformed in-package due to being made of soft plastic. This is due to friction preventing it from hinging back. The aerial is supposed to fold back along the head for transformation, but can be tough enough to get in place due to simply flexing instead of changing position. His knee spikes also tend to deform.

: As with all Hasbro-release "First Edition" toys, a cardboard stand is included. The Takara release omits the stand in order to fit the toy into the bubble in robot mode.

: This mold was [[retool]]ed to make [[Skywarp (Prime)#Toys|''Prime'' Skywarp]], [[Slipstream (Prime)#Timelines|''Timelines'' Slipstream]] and [[Thundercracker (Prime)#Toys|''Prime'' Thundercracker]]

{{-}}

===Prime===
{{anchor|Cyberverse}}
[[Image:StarscreamCommander.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]
*'''Starscream''' (Cyberverse Commander, 2012)
**''Series/Number'': '''2 / 003'''
**''Japanese number:'' '''EZ-03'''
**''Japanese release date:'' '''[[March 31]], 2012
**''Accessories'': 2 "missile cannons"

: This [[Cyberverse#Series_2|Cyberverse]]-scaled Starscream is cast partly in translucent plastic so that the toy can be lit using the electronic lights featured in the larger playsets. He also comes with two translucent "missile cannon" weapons and a pack-in file card. The Hasbro release features soft, rubbery material on both the nosecone and tailfin for safety purposes, but not on the pointier missile cannon accessories. Starscream's arms can separate from the nosecone fuselage on the elbow joint for greater show-accuracy, if you ignore the giant jet pieces hanging off his arms. Or the fact that the 'con symbol on his chest is purple.

::*''[http://tfu.info/2012/Decepticon/CommStarscream/starscream.htm Cyberverse Starscream at tfu.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|EntertainmentPack}}
[[Image:Primetoy-BumblebeevsStarscreamStarscream.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'd be a poor man's Skywarp if I didn't cost more to import.]]
*'''Bumblebee vs. Starscream: Ultimate Opponents''' (2012)
**''Accessories:'' 2 missile pods

: This deluxe-class Starscream is a [[redeco]] of his First Edition release in lighter gray plastic with several purple highlights, possibly intended to represent his powering up with [[Dark Energon]] in the episode [[Shadowzone (episode)|''Shadowzone'']]. Unlike the original release of this mold, this version features [[Paint operation|paint operations]] on its soft plastic parts, such as his forehead crest and missile-tips.

: Starscream came packed-in with a redeco of First Edition [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], small unarticulated figurines of [[Silas]] and a MECH soldier, as well as a DVD containing the episodes ''[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]'', ''[[Sick Mind]]'' and ''[[Out of His Head]]''. The two-pack was also available in Australian markets virtually unchanged, except the DVD was replaced with a booklet including short (and by that, we mean one sentence) bios as well as [[Tech Spec]]s for [[Breakdown (Prime)|most]] [[Airachnid (Prime)|of]] the characters.

: The [[stock photography]] on the packaging depicts Starscream's cockpit and abdomen as translucent, and with the stripes on his wings being on the leading edges instead of their final placement.

{{-}}{{anchor|Voyager}}
[[Image:PrimeRIDtoy-StarscreamVoyager.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Oh, that can't be aerodynamic.]]
[[Image:Prime-toy StarscreamVoyagerTakTom.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]
*'''Starscream''' (Voyager, 2012)
**''Series/Number'': '''1 / 003'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[June 30|6-30]]-2012'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''AM-07'''
**''Accessories'': Missile pod/light-up [[null-ray]] blaster & two missiles (Hasbro only), "Gul" Arms Micron (TakaraTomy only)

: A larger mold, ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Robots in Disguise (2012)|Prime: Robots in Disguise'']] Starscream still transforms into a fighter jet. He now comes with two missiles, as well as a missile pod attached to a half-translucent base of random parts, both of which can be mounted (via 5mm posts) behind his canopy/on his back, or onto his wings, arms, and hands. Additionally, the missile pod itself features a peg-hole on each side, and his wings each feature a [[Mini-Con]]-compatible peg. When the missile pod/lever is pulled, the LED inside the weapon housing lights up red and swivels down, and the base extends to form his "null-ray blaster", all while being illuminated by the LED as a sort of "Energon glow". As with other Robots in Disguise Voyager Class toys, the deployed weapon cannot lock into place.

: His prototype [[stock photography]] depicts additional [[paint operation]]s on the wings and vertical stabilizer that were omitted in the final product. His [[instructions]] and stock photos also incorrectly show his completed robot mode's shoulder-pads as being left flipped-up, despite the instructions telling [[you]] to flip them down ''just a few steps before''.

:The [[TakaraTomy]] release, which was part of the fourth wave of ''Prime'' product in Japan (despite his ID numbering placing him ''before'' toys released in the third wave), loses a lot of his detail-based [[paint operation]]s, replacing them with customer-applied foil [[sticker]]s. Unlike most of the [[Arms Micron]] line, Starscream himself appears to have no [[retool]]ing whatsoever, using only the Hasbro version's existing [[5mm post]]s and holes. Instead of the light-up cannon-thing, he comes with the Arms Micron [[Gul]], a robotic eagle that transforms into a bladed plasma weapon of exceedingly dubious similarity to any of Starscream's built-in weapons on the show.

::*''[http://tfu.info/2012/Decepticon/Starscream/starscream.htm Hasbro Voyager Starscream at tfu.info]''
::*''[http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-1592.html Arms Micron Starscream at Alfes's toy blog (part 1)]''
::*''[http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-1593.html Arms Micron Starscream at Alfes's toy blog (part 2)]''

{{-}}{{anchor|DarkEnergon}}
[[Image:Primetoy-StarscreamDarkEnergon.jpg|right|thumb|300px|So, does this mean "[[Synthetic Energon]] Starscream" will be in [[Thundercracker_(WFC)#Prime|Thundercracker's]] colors?]]
*'''Starscream''' (Dark Energon Deluxe, 2012)
**''Accessories'': 2 missile pods

:A [[BigBadToyStore]]-exclusive [[redeco]] of Prime First Edition Starscream in translucent black, opaque purple, and dark blue.

: Though he was packaged on an individual card, he was only sold as part of a set with the Dark Energon versions of [[Bumblebee (Prime)#DarkEnergon|Bumblebee]], [[Knock Out (Prime)#DarkEnergon|Knock Out]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)#DarkEnergon|Wheeljack]].

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-WFCFOCStarscream.jpg|thumb|300px|Oh geeze, it's going to be [[BotCon 2007#Merchandise|Seeker-Gate]] all over again.]]
*'''Starscream''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Japanese number:'' '''TG09'''
**''Accessories:'' Two mini-guns

: Part of the first wave of [[2013]] ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, Starscream is based on his ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' design and transforms from a robot to a spaceship and back. He appears to come with two mini-guns that are geared to spin and can combine to form a larger hand-held weapon that resembles the [[X18 Scrapmaker]] from ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]''.

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
*'''Starscream''' McDonald's Happy Meal Toy (2012)
: Part of McDonald's ''Transformers: Prime'' promotion, Starscream is depicted as a non-transformable, simplified version of his jet mode, cast in light and dark gray plastic with some blue, black, and purple paint applications. Pressing the raised Decepticon symbol on the fuseage causes the cockpit to pop up on a hinge, revealing two non-firing missiles.

==Notes==
[[Image:Tfprimestarscreamjet.jpg|right|250px|thumb|''ooooo-ooooo/We fade to grey!'']]
[[Image:VectorSigmaBotBuilderStarscream.jpg|thumb|250px|Fabulouscream.]]
* Starscream's model is usable in ''War for Cybertron'' multiplayer as the Energon Seeker-type chassis for [[Scientist (WFC)|Scientist]]-class characters. His parts are also available to Scientists in ''Fall of Cybertron'', now classified as Arclight-type components.
*Starscream's backstory in ''Exodus'' is self-contradictory:
:''"Not even Starscream, who had spent much of his scientific career in the labs contained within these refracting walls..."'' (p. 78).
:''"See what?" Starscream asked. Neither Starscream nor Megatron were scientists."'' (p. 158).
:*When asked via Twitter, Exodus's writer [[Alex Irvine]] stated "Let's say he's always been scientifically curious."<ref>[http://twitter.com/alexirvine/status/36051088754868224 Twitter post]</ref>
*Despite being a [[Neutral]] before joining Megatron's cause in War for Cybertron, Starscream begins the game with his glowing details already in Decepticon purple as opposed to Neutral yellow.
*Starscream's thin body and narrow, upward-swept wings in robot mode recalls [[Starscream (Animated)|''Animated'' Starscream]], but his voice, colour scheme, Igor-like posture and subservience to Megatron recalls the [[Starscream (Movie)|live-action incarnation]]. The game design has the movie bulk but with a [[Starscream (G1)|Generation 1]] head and colours.
*Starscream's chest design is basically his live-action incarnation's head design. Now that's a visual homage.
**And an unintentional one at that, according to the New York Comic-Con Transformers: Prime panel.
*''Prime'''s Starscream has [[Starscream (SG)|a red Decepticon insignia]].
*[[Steve Blum]] said he was a fan of [[Charlie Adler]] and [[Tom Kenny]]'s portrayals of Starscream, and had Adler give him his blessing after he got the part.<ref>[http://sknr.net/2011/04/20/steve-blum-talks-transformers-prime-guild-wars-2-bulletstorm-more/ Skewed magazine Steve Blum interview.]</ref> Coincidentally, Blum, Adler and Kenny are all in ''The Super Hero Squad Show''.
* Screamer appears to have [[Decepticon]] logos on his legs. They disappeared after "[[Masters & Students]]".
* For the rest of the series after "[[Partners]]", Starscream has a scar on his right cheek from his battle with Arcee.
* Up until Partners, his eyes were empty (like Arcee's eyes) with a solid red iris and lighter red pupils, but following said episode, his eyes change color from episode to episode. On some occasions, they are solid red with lighter red dots for his pupils.
* Sometimes during the series, depending on Starscream's mood (usually when scared), the wings on his back in robot mode tend to droop down like an animal's ears when scared or saddened. It's quite adorable, really.
* Starscream's body parts are available to use in the Hub website's [[Vector Sigma Bot Builder]] online game. Normally, you cannot configure a generic 'bot using all Starscream parts, but you can see what one would look like at right through the magic of Photoshop.
*In Starscream's dedicated level in Fall Of Cybertron, a secret room on the exterior of Shockwave's tower complex contains a very G1-esque gold crown that can be picked up by the player and worn for the remainder of the level. Words cannot describe how awesome this is..
*Starscream seems to be entertained by dancing monkeys.
*His arm blasters appear to have the ability to disrupt a Transformer's systems. In "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 2]]", one shot from them briefly disables Bumblebee. Maybe he picked the [[Null-ray]] upgrade after all.

{{-}}
===Arms Up Modes===
In the Japanese ''Prime'' toyline, Starscream has named powered-up modes when given various [[Arms Micron]]s in certain configurations:

*'''Full Weapon Mode''' (フルウェポンモード ''furuūeponmōdo'')
**''Arms Microns'': Balo, Gora, Gul, Jida, Zori
: Starscream's box-back Arms Up mode has him using the [[Laser Gunblade]] on his right arm, the [[High-Defense Shield]] on the left, and [[Zori]] in "Flexible Rod Mode" (yyyyeah) on his back.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Starscream''' (スタースクリーム ''Sutāsukurīmu'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Tīen-wáng-hsīng''' (Taiwan, 天王星, "Uranus"), '''Hóng Zhīzhū''' (China, 紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
*''Russian:'' '''Skandalist''' (Скандалист, "Troublemaker") (''FOC'' only, ''Prime'' uses the original name)

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Seekers]]
[[Category:Transformers Online Decepticons]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Decepticons]]
[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Decepticons]]
[[Category:Prime the Game Decepticons]]

New Recruit

2012-10-13T22:33:48Z

97.100.36.219: /* Animation and technical errors */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 44
|prev=Out of the Past
|next=The Human Factor
|image=NewRecruit-honortobehere.jpg
|caption=[[Superman]] meets [[Nolan North|Superboy]] for the first time.
|title="New Recruit"
|airdate=[[September 7]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
'''A Decepticon escape pod lands on Earth and the Autobot Smokescreen emerges, while Starscream uses the Apex Armor to go on a quest for Red Energon.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:NewRecruit-exercise.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Jane Fonda would be doing a facepalm at this.]]

[[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and [[Jack Darby|Jack]] cruise the [[Internet]] for pictures of [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] to replace with tap-dancing monkey pictures, while [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] forces [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] to exercise so his legs don't atrophy. Jack notices a picture which Raf identifies as a Cybertronian escape pod. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] suggests bringing in [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] as Bulkhead still isn't combat-ready, which [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] promptly shoots down due to [[Hurt|recent events]]. [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]] orders Ratchet to come along with them instead, as there might be an injured Autobot in the pod. They [[GroundBridge]] into the crash site to find it's a Decepticon pod, and they're immediately under attack from their foe. The [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]], augmented by [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]], turn out to be a challenge, but then a new figure appears running through the trees. The newcomer's fire accidentally hits the [[energon]] leaking from the pod, and the Autobots take cover as it explodes, taking out the Decepticons. The over-enthusiastic newcomer happens to be [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]], an Autobot rookie who becomes in awe when he meets ''the'' Optimus Prime. The Autobots are initially suspicious, remembering [[Con Job|the last time a new Autobot turned up]], but Smokescreen's tales of [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]] and guarding the Hall of Records convinces Prime that he is legitimate.

Back at base, Miko's excited to meet the new Autobot. Smokescreen relates the story of the last days of Iacon and how he was captured by Decepticons during the siege, before escaping from a Decepticon transport ship in an escape pod. Smokescreen thinks with him there they'll have the war ended in no time, and Bulkhead drags himself in to show the newcomer how the war is going. Miko volunteers Jack to show Smokescreen around.

[[Image:NewRecruit-Starscreammonkey.jpg|right|thumb|300px|So many gifs of animals, so little time.]]

In the ''[[Harbinger]]'', [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] searches the Internet for interesting stuff and happens on an image of [[Red Energon]] at a construction site.

Jack shows Smokescreen around where the Cybertronian relics and [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] are stored. Bulkhead is upset that the others have brought in a replacement for him, but as they point out, Smokescreen is a newbie and needs a lot of training. Raf finds the same Red Energon photo that Starscream did. Smokescreen's keen to go out on the mission, but the others point out his need for training and an [[alternate mode]].

Starscream arrives at the construction site, only to find it deserted and the Red Energon gone.

Smokescreen and Jack scope out vehicles driving near [[Jasper]], and the Autobot is disappointed in the available vehicle forms. Meanwhile, Prime, Arcee and Bumblebee arrive at the dock where the Red Energon's been moved, and discover Starscream is already there. The Decepticon activates the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]] and Optimus sends Arcee and Bumblebee to get the energon while he takes on Starscream. He reports back to base what's happening, and Smokescreen wants to go help, but is overruled by Ratchet.

Having dealt with Optimus, Starscream climbs up the crane after Arcee and Bumblebee. At base, Bulkhead urges Ratchet to let him go help, but Ratchet ignores him until they realize Smokescreen is missing. Ratchet finds him in the storeroom looking at the [[phase shifter]]. Meanwhile, Starscream reaches Arcee, only for Optimus to punch him right off the crane. Starscream tries to grab some of the Red Energon on the way down, breaking off a chunk. As Optimus starts hauling up the basket with the energon in it, Starscream grabs the bottom of the crane and tips it. He's interrupted by the arrival of Smokescreen through the GroundBridge. Using the phase shifter, the new Autobot kicks Starscream right out of the Apex Armor. While Smokescreen stands triumphant, Starscream fires off a missile at the crane, the ensuing explosion destroying the Red Energon meteor. Though the Autobots atop it survive, Starscream gets away with a chunk of Red Energon he broke off.

After they return to base, Smokescreen returns the phase shifter and the Apex Armor, after which Optimus officially welcomes him to [[Team Prime]]. Bulkhead looks on sadly, and though Miko tries to give him some encouraging words, he turns and limps back down the corridor.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (1)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (8)
*[[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] (11)
|c2=
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (9)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (10)
*[[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] (13)
|c3=
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (2)
*[[Jack Darby]] (3)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (5)
|c4=
*[[Starscream (Prime) |Starscream]] (12)
}}

==Quotes==
"The tap-dancing monkey strikes again!"
:—'''Jack''' on Raf's latest anti-Bumblebee-sighting hack.

"All these Cons came out of one pod?" 
"Humans refer to the phenomenon as a 'clown car'!"
:—'''Arcee''' asks a question, and '''Ratchet''' offers an explanation.

"A trillion gigabytes of data, ''none'' of it useful! Though some... oddly engrossing."
:—'''Starscream''' manages to sum up the internet in the best way possible.

'''Miko''': What's your story, Smoke? Where did you come from? How did you get here? How many blasters are you packing? 
'''Smokescreen''': So these are the lifeforms we're supposed to protect? Are they all like this? 
'''Ratchet''': Fortunately not.
:—'''Smokescreen''' meets '''Miko'''.

"The Red Energon is mine, humans, for you are powerless in the face of the mighty Star- What? Where is it?!"
:—'''Starscream'''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> entrance is deflated.

"Any last words, Smokescreen?" 
"Just four—''kiss your armor goodbye!"
:—'''Starscream''' gets a last warning from '''Smokescreen''' before literally getting his tailpipe kicked.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*Shortly after Bumblebee first exits the GroundBridge portal, a part sticks out that disappears when he transforms
*Arm weapons silently transform twice in this episode; Optimus' when he's running from the exploding pod, and Bumblebee's when he's about to climb the crane.
*The Apex Armor doesn't allow room for Starscream's wings—as Smokescreen kicks him out of the armor, his wings just suddenly appear into his back.

===Continuity errors===
* The Insecticons seem to die ''very'' easily in this episode. Arcee and Bumblebee take out one in a few seconds when last time it took them an [[Tunnel Vision|entire episode]].
* As Optimus' report didn't mention the Apex Armor, how did Smokescreen know to take the phase shifter to defeat it? (He worked in the Iacon hall of records.)

===Continuity notes===
* Bumblebee has gained more pictures of himself on conspiracy websites since "[[One Shall Fall]]".
* The Autobots remember when [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] first arrived [[Con Job|and how that turned out]].
* Ratchet is still upset at Wheeljack for pulling that "revenge stunt" with Miko in "[[Hurt]]".
* Bulkhead is still recovering from the injuries he suffered in "[[Toxicity]]". By now, he can walk unaided (albeit at a slow limp), and a conversation with Ratchet implies that he can transform and drive around to some extent.
* The [[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1|spark extractor]], [[Partners|immobilizer]], [[Tunnel Vision|phase shifter]], and [[Armada (episode)|Airachnid]] are part of Jack's tour.
* Starscream still has the Apex Armor he obtained in "[[Triangulation]]". Well, ''had''.

===Transformers references===
* Smokescreen references [[Constructicon (Prime)|Constructicons]], [[Halogen (Prime)|Halogen]], [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]], the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]], and the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]].
* As in ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'', Alpha Trion is the master archivist of Iacon's Hall of Records.
* Smokescreen bears the Autobot Elite Guard symbol from ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'', and upon scanning an Earth mode, [[Smokescreen (G1)|continues the tradition]] [[Smokescreen (Cybertron)|of Smokescreens wearing]] [[Smokescreen (Movie)|the number "38"]].
* In a likely coincidence (but with a chance of being intentional given the "[[Binder of Revelation]]"), the "Fast" [[Arms_Micron#Energon_Crystals|Energon Crystals]] of the [[TakaraTomy]] [[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|''Prime'' toyline]] are reddish-orange.
* The Decepticon warship Smokescreen was held captive aboard is similar in shape to [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]' ship, ''[[Twilight (G2)|Twilight]]''.
* Smokescreen states that the Elite Guard was like a [[Autoboot Camp|boot camp]] for him.
* The recovery of an empty [[Decepticon]] escape pod, complete with a red; dirt covered [[Insignia|insignia]], could be a callback to the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|G1]] episode: "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]", which had a similar scene, and the appearance of [[Insecticons]].

===Real-world references===
* Ratchet mentions the human phenomenon of the clown car.
* Starscream searches for information on the internet, or as many refer to it, "The Information Superhighway."

===Trivia===
* Starscream finds Earth humor funny, [[Darkness Rising, Part 3|even though he previously said he didn't]]. Guess Ratchet [[One Shall Fall|isn't the only one]].
* As usual, the vehicle mode Smokescreen chooses completely [[Masters & Students|matches]] [[Crisscross|his]] [[Loose Cannons|body]]. However, this ''is'' the first time a Transformer changes his paint job after getting a new vehicle mode; Smokescreen's Elite Guard logos are exchanged for his number "38" and checker racer decal.
* A new kind of Energon has been introduced alongside the regular, [[Dark Energon|Dark]], [[Synthetic Energon|Synthetic]], and [[Tox-En|Toxic]] forms. Time will tell if using Red Energon has any negative effects...
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Grill (episode)

2012-10-12T01:04:19Z

97.100.36.219: /* Transformers references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 35
|prev=Nemesis Prime (episode)
|next=Armada (episode)
|image=Grill Fowler sits back down.jpg
|caption=
|title="Grill"
|airdate=[[April 14]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Duane Capizzi]]
|directed by=[[Kevin Altieri]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Agent Fowler has some explaining to do under the threat of military tribunal and Team Prime's termination.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Grill too close private.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Since I joined these bots, I've seen slag that would turn you '''white'''!"]]
[[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] steps into [[Bryce|General Bryce]]'s office to provide some explanations. Bryce first asks about [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s recent death, and Fowler clarifies that the body the military have is [[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|Nemesis Prime]], though Bryce has trouble swallowing it. Fowler explains a bit about [[MECH]] and wonders if some of MECH's men are special forces like [[Silas]]. Under further questioning, Fowler relates more about the [[Autobot]]s and their war, and his own involvement in helping [[Team Prime]]. Bryce asks him to run through the identities of the Autobots in Team Prime, and comes to the death of [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. Bryce reiterates that all they have to go on regarding Optimus Prime's recent defection to the [[Decepticon]]s is Fowler's report, and the current debriefing is a result of concerns about the potential danger the Autobots pose, with the possibility of a military tribunal later and potentially the termination of Team Prime.

[[Image:Grill Optimus through window.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Hey, Sam, you find those glasses ye- Oops. Wrong house."]]
Fowler insists that the Autobots are very careful about protecting [[human]]s, but lets slip about the kids. He quickly covers the mistake by claiming they're civilians working with the Autobots and valuable team members, carefully leaving out the fact that they're minors. Bryce seems mollified, but asks why [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] hasn't been terminated yet, which leads Fowler to mention [[Unicron]]. Bryce decides that Fowler needs a psychological evaluation, though after Fowler clarifies that he didn't say "[[unicorn]]", the evaluation is called off. Fowler also relays how both [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] and [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] have gone rogue, and that the Autobots have gained valuable intel from the former. Though he says Optimus thinks [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] could be converted, Fowler doesn't agree. When questioned about Optimus's recent defection, Fowler is confident that Optimus is firmly an Autobot. He mentions the current Decepticon hunt for ancient Transformer artifacts, and has Optimus himself look through the window and converse with Bryce. General Bryce is convinced and dismisses Fowler.

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in clips from previous episodes.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
* ''[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]]'' (12)
* ''[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]]'' (13)
* ''[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]'' (17)
* ''[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]'' (19)
* ''[[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]''
* ''[[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]''

|c2=
*''[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]]'' (7)
*''[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]'' (11)
*''[[Decepticon Miner]]s'' (18)
*''[[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]]'' (20)
*''[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]'' (21)
*''[[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]]'' (22)
*''[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'' (25)
*''[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]'' (27)
*''[[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]]'' (28)
*''[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]]'' (29)
*''[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]'' (31)
*''[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]]'' (32)

|c3=
* [[William Fowler]] (1)
* [[Bryce|General Bryce]] (2)
* [[Daley|Private Daley]] (3)
* ''[[MECH Surgeon]]'' (6)
* ''[[Silas]]'' (8)
* ''[[MECH Commando]]'' (9)
* ''[[MECH Navigator]]'' (10)
* ''[[Miko Nakadai]]'' (14)
* ''[[Jack Darby]]'' (15)
* ''[[Raf Esquivel]]'' (16)
* ''[[Museum security guard|Guard]]'' (23)
* ''[[June Darby]]'' (24)

|c4=
* ''[[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|Nemesis Prime]]'' (5)
* ''[[Scraplet]]s'' (26)
* ''[[Unicron]]'' (30)
|}}

==Quotes==
"Soldier, too close."
:—'''Agent Fowler''' doesn't like close ups of his face

"It defies all logic, Bill. Dark energon? Then you go on record saying that you believe in magical horses with horns on their heads." 
"What?" 
"Do you deny previously reporting that Megatron helped defeat a unicorn?" 
"Oh? That's what you...? ''Unicron!'' The ultimate evil! Permission to strike this from the record." 
:—'''General Bryce''' makes the second unicron/unicorn joke in 25 years, and '''Agent Fowler''' avoids a psychological evaluation.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Being a [[clip show]], this episode shows bits from virtually every episode of the series up to this point.
* Like Miko in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]", General Bryce mistakes "Unicron" for "[[unicorn]]".
* Fowler's dialogue makes a reference to the title of "[[Loose Cannons]]".
* This episode finally explains why Agent Fowler doesn't wear a flight suit.

===Transformers references===
* Fowler notes that Bumblebee got his voicebox torn out during the "[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|war for Cybertron]]".
* At one point, Fowler refers to Nemesis Prime as a "[[knockoff]]".
* Fowler refers to the Autobots as "[[Live-action film series|autonomous robotic organisms]]"

===Trivia===
* As previously revealed on the package of the Ultimate Opponents Entertainment Pack, [[Silas]]'s real name is Leland Bishop. Newly revealed in this episode is his former military rank of Colonel.
* Aside from all the clips shown in this episode, the only Transformer appearing physically in this episode is Optimus Prime.
* A shot of Airachnid screaming Jack's name from "[[Predatory]]" is played without dialog, presumably to avoid having to pay [[Gina Torres]] an additional fee.
* We finally get an explanation for why Fowler can fly a jet without a flight suit. At some point (most likely before "[[Darkness Rising, Part 1]]"), Ratchet modified the air pressure regulators in [[Fowler's V-tol|Fowler's jet]]. Fowler also makes a comment about the jet being a VTOL, which explains the maneuvers it made in "[[Loose Cannons]]".
* Interestingly enough, when Bryce asks Fowler for a headcount of the Autobots, [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] isn't mentioned despite Fowler's knowledge of his presence on Earth (he even had a face-to-face discussion with Jackie!). Maybe he thinks he left Earth? That, or he took Jackie's statement of "I'm not one of Optimus Prime's people" seriously.
* General Bryce mentions that the "five-stars" are upset. In real life, the [[Wikipedia:Five-star rank#US five-star ranks|five-star rank]] is not currently active in the United States military, being last awarded in 1950 to [[wikipedia:Omar Bradley|General Omar Bradley]].

[[Category:Clip shows]]
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Nemesis Prime (episode)

2012-10-11T01:56:45Z

97.100.36.219: /* Real-world references */

{{disambig3|Nemesis Prime}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 34
|prev=Crossfire
|next=Grill
|image=NemesisPrime-NemesisPrime.jpg
|caption=The first person to suggest [[A Prime Problem|a race]] gets banned.
|title="Nemesis Prime"
|airdate=[[April 7]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[David McDermott]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''When Optimus Prime appears to attack Agent Fowler, the Autobots discover MECH's ultimate plan.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:NemesisPrime truck vs car.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Pardon me, coming through..."]]
[[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] drives out of a military base, listening to [[The Touch|a few tunes]], when a semi truck begins to tailgate him too close for comfort. He realizes that it's more than a case of road rage when the truck rams him. Fowler notices a familiar symbol on his attacker's grille-the [[Autobot]] [[insignia|symbol]]. He contacts the Autobot base, where [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] is not present. The apparent Optimus Prime continues to attack, and as Fowler comes upon a bridge, he pushes his car through the divider, where it hangs precariously. The Autobots receive his message and bridge in, causing Prime to flee and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] to give chase. [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] catches Fowler's car as it falls, but the bumper detaches, and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] catches it before it hits the ground. Arcee comes upon Optimus, but is knocked out when he runs her over.

The next thing she knows, she's back at base, being checked up on. [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] doubts Arcee's assertion that Optimus ran her down, and the big 'bot arrives at base. The team goes on guard, but as Optimus offers proof that he's been at an underground energon site, the team stands down.

[[Image:NemesisPrime Nemesis Prime truck in base.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Trust doesn't rust, but trucks do.]]
The other "Optimus" drives full speed into [[Alden Military Base]], wrecking helicopters and prompting chase until he stops. As soldiers surround him and open the door to find no driver, he transforms, and aims a weapon at them. Speaking in Prime's own voice, the double clearly announces himself as Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, before laying waste to the base around him. The other Prime tears through lines of soldiers, prompting Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead to bridge to his position. The fake retreats, and arriving military helicopters fire on the Autobots. They retreat to base.

Fowler fields a call asking about the attack, and receives the news that all Transformers, regardless of allegiance, are to be shot on sight. The team realizes that [[MECH]] has finally succeeded in replicating Cybertronians, inside and out, using human-made parts after studying Transformer anatomy so carefully.

[[Image:NemesisPrime Silas at controls.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Silas shows off his incredible seat-balancing powers.]]
Meanwhile, the false Prime arrives at a MECH bunker, where it is revealed that the robot is a remotely operated drone unit, with [[Silas]] in the control seat, expressing extreme satisfaction at the test run.

In attempting to locate the MECH base, Optimus notes that, unlike them, the duplicate (dubbed "Nemesis Prime" by Miko) must rely on its vehicle mode to travel, having no access to a [[GroundBridge]]. This places its lair within driving distance of both incidents, giving a range for them to search. The 'bots fan out, and Bumblebee comes upon a large complex. Optimus and the rest plan to rendezvous at his position. He enters, while Silas watches him. He powers up Nemesis Prime, and sends it out. Bumblebee is briefly fooled by the fake, until Silas slips and reveals he cannot understand Bumblebee's speech. The scout attacks but is quickly overpowered by the more imposing robot.

The rest of the Autobots enter the compound, cautious of any lookalikes. Bulkhead and Arcee are both taken out individually, leaving Optimus for the final showdown with his doppelganger.

At base, Ratchet attempts to isolate the control frequency of Nemesis Prime to pinpoint the location of its operator. He does, and Fowler insists on bridging in, citing that he is the one best equipped to deal with the "human element".

[[Image:NemesisPrime Nemesis vs Optimus.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"One shall stand, one shall... oh, slag it."]]
Nemesis squares off against Optimus, showing equal strength and agility. Fowler bridges in, and makes for the control bunker as the two Primes continue to spar. Nemesis catches Optimus, and shoves its blade into the Autobot leader. Silas gloats, commenting that he cannot feel pain through the robot, unlike his opponent, and revealing his intentions to build an army of these soldiers, when Fowler enters. They spar as well, and Fowler falls to Silas' superior hand-to-hand combat skills, only to reveal that he was just buying time for Optimus to beat the now-directionless copy. The real Prime dominates Nemesis, and their fight collapses the ceiling of the bunker, sending Silas's creation and a ton of rubble crashing down on top of him, putting Nemesis Prime out of commission in the process.

Optimus meditates on MECH's seemingly impaired functionality, now that it lacks a leader. However, Fowler brings him troubling news — in the pile of wreckage, no body was found.

Elsewhere, a group of MECH scientists monitor Silas' condition, noting that his injuries are terminal by normal standards — yet MECH is anything but, as they have the body of [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] all wired up to their leader.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (10)
|c2=
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown's body]] (15)
|c3=
*[[William Fowler]] (1)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (7)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (8)
*[[Jack Darby]] (9)
*[[Silas]] (11)
*[[MECH|MECH soldiers]] (12)
*[[MECH Surgeon]] (13)
*[[MECH Commando]] (14)
|c4=
*[[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|Nemesis Prime]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Yes, that's it. Follow the light." 
"Wait, what? Not the best choice of words, Ratchet."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Arcee'''

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and I bring you this message." [produces cannon and opens fire]
:—'''Nemesis Prime''' steals one of Optimus's catchphrases.

"They actually did it. Those butchers managed to crack the code!"
:—'''Ratchet''' realizes that [[Project Chimera]] has produced results.

"Be on your guard. My double could be anywhere." 
''*Bumblebee beeps a reply*'' 
"I'm sorry. What?"
:—'''Nemesis Prime''' tries and fails to fool Bumblebee.

"Look [[Ratchet (Prime)|doc]], I don't plan on dancing with any bots, but there's a human element in play here. And in case you haven't noticed, I happen to be a highly-trained, government-grade, human."
:—'''Agent Fowler'''; accept no substitutes!

"My robot chassis possesses all your strength, speed...and firepower!" 
''*Optimus lunges at Nemesis Prime, only to be thrown off with ease*'' 
"Add my extensive combat training, and MECH has clearly achieved the perfect meld of man and machine!"
:—'''Silas''' brags about his new toy.

"This is only the beginning. Imagine an army of transforming robots! No one will stand against the newly rebooted MECH!" 
"Think again, Sy!"
:—'''Silas''''s gloating is interrupted by '''Agent Fowler''''s arrival.

"The internal damage to his organs is massive, and beyond the scope of conventional medicine. Fortunately for our leader, MECH is [[Breakdown (Prime)|anything]] but conventional."
:—A '''MECH Surgeon''' on Silas's future.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*Due to model reuse, Fowler's car has the same [[license plate]] number as June Darby's.
*After calling the Autobots to ask about Optimus, Fowler is seen approaching a bridge at least a half mile away. But, when the camera shifts, it shows him already on the bridge.
*No matter what size, shape, weight, or speed a car is going, it will ''never'' be possible to break through a concrete barrier and come out with as little damage as Fowler's car had.
*Bulkhead is somehow able to fall faster than Fowler's car, despite dropping from the bridge later than it.
*Before Optimus Prime climbs the tower, you can't hear his blaster turn back into his hand.
*Despite being ordered by Optimus to go covert, Arcee does not have her holographic driver on when in her motorcycle form.
*How exactly did MECH extract Silas from under several tons of robot with the US military overhead and Fowler in the room?

===Continuity notes===
*With the construction of Nemesis Prime, MECH has finally yielded results from [[Project Chimera]].
*MECH has Breakdown's reassembled remains, which they collected after [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] killed him in "[[Crossfire]]".
*Ratchet recalls MECH's study of Breakdown in "[[Operation: Breakdown]]".
*Optimus recalls the theft of Starscream's T-Cog, which they learned about in "Crossfire" after it happened in "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 2]]".
*Silas took a scan of Optimus at the end of "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]", which is evidently how he was able to produce a nearly-identical copy of him in this episode.
*Silas learned how Transformers scan a vehicular form in "[[Crisscross]]", when he saw Airachnid scanning Agent Fowler's helicopter.
*MECH learned that their knockoff Transformer required Energon to function in "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1]]". This episode also showed that they had managed to duplicate the scanning process.
*Optimus's right sword, which was broken in "[[One Shall Fall]]" and last seen still broken in "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]", has been repaired at some point.
*This is the [[One Shall Rise, Part 1|second time]] Bumblebee has tried and failed to save a car on screen. Only this time, someone was inside the car when he loses part of it.
*As this is Fowler's first time in the GroundBridge, he experiences nausea, similar to the effect on the children in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]".

===Transformers references===
*Fowler listens to an instrumental version of "[[The Touch]]" on his car radio.
*The first transformation of the fake Prime on the military base is in a similar animation layout to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|another Optimus Prime]]. The attack itself bears no small resemblance to [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]]'s attack on the [[SOCCENT Forward Operations Base|base]] in the first film.
*Miko and Ratchet refer to the false Optimus Prime as "Nemesis Prime", a name first established in ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' as indicating an evil version of Optimus Prime and used [[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|a number of times since]].

===Real-world references===
*The opening scene with Fowler references [[Steven Spielberg]]'s 1971 film ''Duel'', starring an evil truck.
*Nemesis Prime's eyes and weapons glow yellow, similar to the yellow glowing "eye" on K.A.R.R, the evil version of K.I.T.T from the TV show, ''Knight Rider''. (K.A.R.R was also, in one episode, voiced by Peter Cullen. Peter Cullen later voiced K.A.R.R again in the 2009 remake of ''Knight Rider''. The remake's K.A.R.R could transform.)

===Trivia===
*Nemesis Prime is able to match Optimus Prime in hand-to-hand combat, despite the latter having millions of years of battle experience. However, it's possible that human combat techniques are different from Transformers', and Silas' control interface appears to aid him by identifying unguarded parts of Prime's body at any given moment.
*Silas is a former member of the Special Tactics branch of the military, while Fowler is an ex-Army Ranger.
*Nemesis Prime's transformation uses a modified version of the regular transformation sound effect, which makes it sound as if the transformation is not as smooth as that of an actual Cybertronian.
*Nemesis Prime's body is tarnished and dirty-looking, with heavily faded colors. The overall effect makes it look [[Zombie|undead]], even though it's more of a puppet than anything.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]