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Cosmic Rust (episode)

2012-10-19T10:25:03Z

97.73.64.146:

{{disambig2|the episode in which Cosmic Rust appears|the titular term of the episode|Cosmic Rust (disease)}}
{{episode
|image=Rusted megatron.jpg
|caption=Please don't ask, dude... Please don't ask.
|series=G1toon
|ep=61
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=48
|prev2=Trans-Europe Express
|next2=The Core
|series3=''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (cartoon)|Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=46
|prev3=Aerial Assault
|next3=Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1
|title="Cosmic Rust"
|written by=[[Paul Davids]]
|production code=700-60
|airdate=[[December 26]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''After finding a new weapon, Megatron becomes infected with a strange disease... one he intends to use against the Autobots.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 恐怖のコスミックルスト! (''Kyōfu no Cosmic Rust!'', "The Terrifying Cosmic Rust!")
:''Russian title:'' '''Cosmicheskaya rzhavchina''' (''Космическая ржавчина'', "Cosmic Rust")
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''La peste metallica''' ("The metallic plague")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''Ruggine cosmica''' ("Cosmic rust")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Cosmic Rust Megatron infected.JPG|left|150px|thumb|WhY mY sHoUlDeRs hURt?]]

While flying through space in [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], and [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] discover a planet with the Autobot [[Insignia|symbol]] visible from orbit. Heading to investigate, they find a deserted city and a pillar inscribed with [[Cybertronian languages|Ancient Autobot]]. Activating a recorded message, they are warned to leave, or never return to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]... all in rhyme. Disregarding the warnings, the [[Decepticon]]s discover a [[Lightning Bug]]. While attempting to move it, they set it off, causing the ceiling above them to be destroyed. Megatron is pleased—the Autobots have created a weapon that will allow him to destroy them. While leaving the planet, an asteroid follows Astrotrain (look, just go with the flow) and Megatron destroys it. Bad idea, as the debris penetrates Astrotrain, with one piece hitting Megatron in the shoulder. Heading for their [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|their base]], Starscream removes the rock, only to discover that Megatron's shoulder is covered in ruuusttt.

In [[New York City]], [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] is being awarded for his creation of [[corrostop]], a new solution which prevents rust and corrosion. The Autobots plan to spray all the world's monuments with it, but for the moment, they only have enough to spray the [[Statue of Liberty]]. Meanwhile, Megatron's health is deteriorating rapidly, and he orders the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] to bring him Perceptor. Heading for Liberty Island, the Decepticons capture Perceptor and load him into [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], with the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] in pursuit. The Autobot jets follow the kidnappers all the way to the Decepticon base, but the [[Conehead]]s use the Lightning Bug to drive them off.

Taken within their base, Perceptor is horrified to discover that Megatron is covered in rust. The Decepticon leader offers Perceptor a chance to end the [[Great War (G1)|war]] in exchange for curing him. As Perceptor analyzes the Decepticon, he discovers that Megatron is infected with a metallic plague and that the lightning bug is exacerbating the condition. Perceptor offers Megatron corrostop, which manages to wash the rust away. Megatron declares that the Decepticons are about to be cured.

[[Image:Kentucky fried aerialbot.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Kentucky Fried Aerialbot.]]

At the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Aerialbots are explaining what happened to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], when Megatron contacts the Autobot leader. Megatron says that Prime has until noon to reach Perceptor, or sunlight focused through his lens will ignite the fuse on a bomb and blow him to pieces. Despite knowing it's a trap, Prime takes all the Autobots with him to rescue Perceptor. As the Autobots arrive, Perceptor warns them to keep away, but Prime pulls Perceptor away once the bomb ignites and explodes, only for Perceptor to reveal that he is infected with [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]].

[[Image:Cosmic Rust Perceptor kick.JPG|left|150px|thumb|Fonzie would be proud.]]

Returning to the base, the Autobots query [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], who tells them of the fate of [[Antilla]], the world the Decepticons visited. Then, the Autobots notice that they're infected with Cosmic Rust as well. Worse, Megatron is using the Lightning Bug to make the plague spread. Their only hope is corrostop, but [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] have discovered that [[Ingredient X]], an important ingredient for making corrostop, is gone. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] suspects that they can use the matter duplicator to make more, if he and Perceptor can fix it. Meanwhile, [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] does his best to stem the tide, but they're fading fast. Megatron is watching via [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], loving every minute of it, only to learn that the matter duplicator now works, thanks to <s>kicking</s> a unique solution provided by Perceptor. All they need is some corrostop from the Statue of Liberty to replicate.

[[Image:Cosmic Rust Autobots Statue of Liberty.JPG|right|150px|thumb|"You maniacs! You blew it up!"]]

Heading to the Statue of Liberty, Megatron orders the Stunticons to form [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] and use the Lightning Bug to destroy the statue. However, the Autobots are already there, and the Aerialbots form [[Superion (G1)|Superion]]. The Autobot [[combiner]] is able to defeat [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] and destroy the Lightning Bug. Megatron, out of ideas, orders a retreat. [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] is quite pleased: they not only saved themselves, but also Lady Liberty.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* Ancient rhyming Autobot (5)
* [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (7)
* [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (11)
* [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (12)
* [[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (13)
* [[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]] (14)
* [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (15)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (16)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (17)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (18)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (19)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (20)
* [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (21)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (22)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (23)
* [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (24)
* [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (34)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (35)
* [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (36)
* [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (37)
* [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (38)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (39)
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (40)
* [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (41)
* [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (42)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (43)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (44)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (45)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (46)
* [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (50)

|c2=
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (1)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (2)
* [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (3)
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (4)
* [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] (25)
* [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (26)
* [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (27)
* [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] (29)
* [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] (30)
* [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (31)
* [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (32)
* [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (33)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (47)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (48)
* [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (49)

|c3=
* [[National Scientific Achievement]] meeting emcee (6)
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (8)
* [[Carly]] (9)
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (10)
* Female television reporter (28)
}}

==Quotes==
"Starscream! Keep your grubby fingers off that. It could be a booby trap!" 
"What trap? This is a prehistoric communication device, you uneducated dolt!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''', doing what they do best.

"Where there's a curse on the door, there's treasure on the other side."
:—'''Starscream''', who has never seen an Indiana Jones movie.

"If that's a lightning bug, I'd sure hate to meet up with a dragonfly."
:—'''Astrotrain''' hates big bugs (nearly his size) and he cannot lie.

"Unfortunately, the operation is successful."
:—'''Starscream''' bemoans removing an infected meteor fragment from Megatron.

"It's some weird kind of heat ray—and it ''works''!"
:—'''Air Raid''' expresses not-unjustified amazement at the efficiency of the Decepticons' weapon-of-the-day.

"I don't want to melt them, Rumble. I want to let them suffer. Slowly..."
:—'''Megatron''', being classy

"Somebody's gotta get us back to Cybertron, Prime. I never thought the end would come like this."
:—'''Bumblebee''', dying from Cosmic Rust and apparently wanting to destroy his home planet.

"The Cosmic Rust has infiltrated your logic circuits." 
"Maybe so, but I'll bet it hasn't affected my aim."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* At one point, the holographic warning bot's arms reach outside of range of the ancient projector.
* Rumble "helps" Starscream with the lightning bug by pulling on Starscream's ''knee''!
* In the very next shot, Starscream is behind the lightning bug instead of to its left.
* In the shot that pans over the Autobots spraying down the Statue of Liberty, Gears is colored in Rumble's blue and purple.
* Apparently, Blitzwing is large enough in [[Alternate mode|flight mode]] to carry the Stunticons and Perceptor.
* Silverbolt orders the Aerialbots to "duck" to avoid the lightning bug's beam. Note that they're flying at the time!
* When Megatron's left hand falls to pieces from the rust infection, his fusion cannon is attached to his upper arm instead of its usual place on his forearm.
* When Optimus Prime addresses the Autobots before getting them to roll out, Prowl - situated at the end of the line - appears to be a ''tad'' wider than normal.
* When he Transforms to roll for Fox Creek Canyon, the side of Optimus' cab is white.
* After arriving at the canyon to rescue Perceptor, Optimus transforms to robot mode, but he has ''no feet''!
* When Prime, Wheeljack and Blaster are shown watching the clip about Cosmic Rust, Wheeljack and Blaster appear to have Cosmic Rust on them. But when Wheeljack talks about the matter duplicator, the rust has disappeared.
* When Prime notes that Teletraan I is infected, he's in front of a panel with a huge, striped, horizontal display area that looks nothing like what's on Teletraan I's main console.
* As Megatron tells Prime that "the cosmic rust has infiltrated your logic circuits," the triangular shapes on his forehead are colored in reverse (they should be black on light gray but are white on dark gray).
* A few shots later, we see the Autobots shooting at the Decepticons from the top of the statue, and there's a robot beneath Prime who has the upper body of Prime (complete with dual windows) and the lower body of Sideswipe. Later, we see that this is supposed to be Ironhide.
* More of a sound editing mistake: when Menasor is attacked by the firepower of the Aerialbots at the Statue of Liberty, parts of Astrotrain's voice (going back to when he is badly damaged by the asteroids en route to Earth with the heat ray) are used instead of Menasor's normal speech.
* Immediately following this, the dialogue of Silverbolt's instruction to form Superion is clipped at the beginning, as if it was the end of a longer sentence that was trimmed.

===Continuity errors===
* Astrotrain, who got damaged a lot more by the infectious meteor than Megatron, is never shown to be infected. Starscream should likewise be infected, having pulled out the asteroid fragment from Megatron, but again this is never shown. Megatron's statement that "Decepticons—'''we''' are about to be cured!" implies that he's not the only victim, though the story focus in general implies that he is.
** Starscream's statement that the repair team would get to Megatron ''after'' they work on Astrotrain may imply that the rust infection did work its magic on Astrotrain, even if the finished episode fails to mention it.
* The Stunticons take a ferry over to Perceptor's location instead of just flying there.
* Megatron's left hand falls off (wires and all). Perceptor drips some corrostop onto it and puts it back on his arm, and it works again immediately. Shouldn't there be some welding involved?
* Couldn't Prime have moved the explosives away from the infected and very contagious Perceptor, rather than vice versa? Though the Cosmic Rust seems capable of spreading through the air, Prime could at least ''try'' not to get infected.
* According to Teletraan I, the "Lost Legion" of Autobots had already colonized Antilla ''at [[MSTF|the dawn of time]]''. That's a pretty ambitious timetable!
* Jazz and Mirage appear at the end of the episode despite not being part of the last battle (and not showing up throughout the episode, though Mirage ''is'' seen for a second during the drive to the canyon).
* Apparently, the Decepticons' entire hope of victory relied on Menasor being able to destroy the Statue of Liberty with the Lightning Bug, and not Menasor's own tendency to smash everything he looks at.
* Speaking of the statue, the Decepticons shoot at it for several minutes (plus the Autobots climb all over it and Optimus hangs off her crown) but it doesn't get a scratch on it. That corrostop must be some powerful stuff!
* Perceptor didn't keep a ''single drop'' of corrostop? Not even a laboratory sample? Not even inside the tanks of the spray hoses used to coat the Statue of Liberty?
* Despite its seemingly great potential for all sorts of useful purposes (or mischief, as the Decepticons are well aware of its existence), the Matter Duplicator is never seen again.
* In this episode, [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] is able to determine for certain that there is no more [[Ingredient X]] in the universe. Yet throughout seasons 2 and 3, it is determined that the Transformers are unable to tell whether and where other rare and important chemicals exist, [[The Golden Lagoon|even when they are on earth]], and that they are constantly discovering [[Paradron|new planets]] which they had [[Quintessa|never]] [[Junkion (planet)|seen]] [[Unicron|before]].

===Real-world references===
* Teletraan I calls the fallen Autobot civilization the "13th Legion—the Lost Legion". This could be a reference to the [[Wikipedia:Legio IX Hispana|the Ninth Legion]], also known as "The Lost Legion".
* Writer Paul Davids mentioned that the idea of a plague spreading amongst the Transformers was inspired in part by the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

===Trivia===
* This episode was originally going to be the Generation 1 cartoon's first attempt to introduce the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] into its continuity, ''before'' ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''! In the finished episode, Starscream merely laments that none of the Decepticons can read "[[Cybertronian_languages|Ancient Autobot]]". In the script, however, Megatron ''can'' read the language, and translates it, discovering that the Thirteenth Legion came to Antilla during "the first millennium after the creation of the Autobot Matrix". Starscream dates this to five hundred thousand years before they left for Earth (which is to say, 4.5 million years ago). This, of course, would conflict greatly with what we would go on to learn of the Matrix when it was properly introduced, and, indeed, is not even internally consistent with the rest of the script itself, which claims (pretty stupidly) that the legion has been on Antilla since the "dawn of time".
* Megatron coughs while infected with Cosmic Rust, despite [[Humanization|not having lungs]]. Besides which, if the rust got inside him, shouldn't he have to be immersed in corrostop, inside and out?
* One wonders if the reason that the Decepticons haven't yet won the war is that Megatron himself is a huge crybaby. One little chunk of asteroid embedded in his shoulder has him throwing a fit about how terribly wounded he is. Not to mention when his Lightning Bug gets ruined, he orders a retreat despite the Autobots currently being weakened by Cosmic Rust.
* For some reason, Megatron would rather trust Starscream to give him medical attention than, say, ''[[Hook (G1)|anyone]] [[Bombshell (G1)|else]] [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|on]] [[Constructicon (G1)|base]]''.
* Blitzwing is used as a means to transport Decepticons in a way that Astrotrain is usually used. He even mass shifts to become large enough to fit lots of Decepticons the way that Astrotrain does. It does make sense to use Blitzwing since Astrotrain is injured and so this is not an animation mistake, Blitzwing was meant to be used this way.
* Fox Creek Canyon is said to be "just three miles from [Autobot] headquarters". The real Fox Creek Canyon is in Idaho near the Wyoming border. This would seem to contradict the Autobot HQ being in Oregon or at Mt. St. Helens. Or maybe Megatron lied about the distance.
* Behind Perceptor at the National Scientific Achievement award can be seen posters of [[Tokyo Tower]], the [[Washington Monument]], [[CJ Seoul Tower]], the British houses of parliament & [[Elizabeth Tower]], and the [[Eiffel Tower]], but oddly enough not the Statue of Liberty.
* A UK VHS video release (paired with the episode "[[Masquerade]]") mis-spelled the title as "Comic Rust". Comic indeed.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Starscream demonstrates the ability to retract his hand and replace it with a pincer, which he uses to remove the meteor fragment lodged in Megatron.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1990 — ''Transformers'' — Cosmic Rust / Masquerade ([[Tempo Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1991 — ''Transformers'' — Headmasters / The Return of Optimus Prime / Cosmic Rust (Tempo Video) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2001 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Exclusively from Blockbuster ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1995 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Megatron Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers'' — Decepticon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2: Vol. 7 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 3: Series 2.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 06: Stagione Due Parte Quarta ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part Two (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume Two: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

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

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

The Transformers: The Movie

2011-10-31T20:40:38Z

97.73.64.146: /* Quotes */

{{disambig3|Transformers: The Movie}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Plans for the attack are overheard by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who reports back to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. The Decepticons attack the Autobot shuttle en route to Earth, wiping out its crew (including [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]). Using the Autobots' own shuttle, the Decepticons are able to get very close to the Autobots' base on Earth, [[Autobot City]], before they are detected, and begin a devastating surprise attack on the unprepared city.

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

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

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

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

The Decepticons are making their escape aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], but are too heavy for him to get them all home under his own power. After putting the matter to a fair vote, the Decepticons decide to throw their injured members off the ship to better the chance of survival for the rest. One of the most severely injured Decepticons is Megatron. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] tosses him out and claims leadership of the Decepticon army.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of '''''sterner stuff'''''."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s trash talk is actually [http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/sterner-stuff a lot cooler than it sounds]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]/Rodimus Prime ([[Judd Nelson]])
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] ([[Robert Stack]])
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] ([[Lionel Stander]])
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] ([[Susan Blu]])
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] ([[John Moschitta]])
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] ([[Gregg Berger]])
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] ([[Paul Eiding]])
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] ([[Buster Jones]])
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] ([[Scatman Crothers]])
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] ([[Dan Gilvezan]])
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Casey Kasem]])
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] ([[Don Messick]])*
*[[Auto-combatant]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Eject]]
*[[Rewind]]
*[[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]]
*[[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]]
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
*[[Grapple]]
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]** ([[Walker Edmiston]])
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] ([[Leonard Nimoy]])
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] ([[Chris Latta]])
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] ([[Stan Jones]])
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] ([[Arthur Burghardt]])
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] ([[Don Messick]])
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] ([[Hal Rayle]])
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] ([[Clive Revill]])
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ([[Jack Angel]])
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] ([[Bud Davis]])
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] ([[Ed Gilbert]])
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Sweep]]s
*[[Cyclonus's Armada]]
|h3=[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]|c3=
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] ([[Eric Idle]])
*[[Scrapheap (G1)|Scrapheap]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Rubbish]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Re-Cycle]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Trashbin]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Junkyard (G1)|Junkyard]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[HAZMAT]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Ashtray]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Wasteoid Gamma]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Greasestain]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
|h4=Others|c4=
'''[[Human]]s'''
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] ([[David Mendenhall]])

'''[[Lithone (species)|Lithones]]'''
*[[Kranix]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])
*[[Arblus]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])

'''[[Quintesson]]s'''
*[[Quintesson]] leader ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Quintesson#Judges|Quintesson judge]] ([[Regis Cordic|Rege Cordic]])
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]
*[[Allicon]]s

'''Other'''
*[[Unicron]] ([[Orson Welles]])
|nonumbering=true
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Credited, but may or may not have appeared.

<nowiki>**</nowiki>Credited, but did not appear.

==Animation errors==
* When Unicron is approaching Lithone at the start of the movie, at the line "Look, it's Unicron!", a [[Animation error#Sizing errors|cel stacking error]] results in Unicron's ring appearing in front of a building arch, [[Distribution|making Unicron look very tiny]] in that shot. In the next shot, it is clear that Unicron is several times larger than the entire planet of Lithone.
* The inside of one of the Lithonian ships being devoured by Unicron is visible for a couple of frames. The pilot of the ship appears to be Kranix, even though he apparently screams out Kranix's name, and Kranix appears later in the Quintesson prison.
* When Optimus Prime asks Jazz to report security status, it shows both Jazz and Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper is seen twiddling knobs above the actual drawn computer, as if a section was supposed to be present.
*When the closeup of Cliffjumper doing his countdown is shown, his shoulders are blue (like his windows) instead of red.
* When the Decepticons blow a hole through the Autobot shuttle to get in, it is a clean break. However, Megatron is still shown ripping through random ship components to get in.
* Scavenger's head is white instead of black as he ducks from Prowl's shot.
* When the Decepticons are killing the Autobot shuttle crew, there is one of the common Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker miscolors. Megatron transforms into gun mode and Starscream catches him, killing Brawn. When they cut back to the Decepticons, Starscream is in front of the Constructicons without Megatron and is firing one of his arm rifles (this probably should have been Skywarp or Thundercracker). When they cut back to the Decepticons for the third time, Starscream has Megatron again and is finishing off the rest of the Autobots. In the shot of Starscream firing his own lasers, his wings are red instead of gray.
* When the Decepticons fly to the shuttle's controls, all of the Autobots have changed positions from when they fell—Brawn is now on his back, for example, while Prowl is now face-down. Ironhide's chest is also completely intact, despite having a bunch of holes blown in it.
* Hot Rod has at least two totally different transformation schemes during the course of the film.
* When Kup and several Autobots at the roadblock react to Hot Rod's attack on the hijacked Autobot shuttle, Bluestreak is represented by Prowl's [[Character model|animation model]], in Bluestreak's grey and black colours.
* Sunstreaker appears with Kup's group on Earth as they observe Hot Rod firing on Ironhide's shuttle. Sunstreaker later appears as Optimus Prime's co-pilot when they arrive on Earth with the Dinobots, and is seen disembarking the shuttle along with Optimus Prime and Hound.
* In a wide aerial shot of the city under attack, a Reflector flies by in Ironhide's color scheme. Shockwave also makes his only appearance in the battle; considering both his role as Cybertron's guardian and his absence from any other scenes during the battle, his presence is probably an animation error. Rumble also flies past, despite being inside Soundwave at this point.
* Blaster's forehead is red instead of white after his "look out and shout!" line, and again after he returns to robot mode.
* A laser blast that should be behind Blaster is instead layered in front of him as he acknowledges Perceptor's orders.
* In the big lineup of firing Decepticons, Soundwave's cheek guards are blue instead of white.
* When [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] sends out his cassette troops, [[FIRRIB|Rumble is the same color as Frenzy]].
* Blaster first ejects what looks like Eject, who stays blue up until he gets to the edge of the screen. He then turns black like Rewind. Then Blaster ejects another blue cassette, which after about a second turns black. This one gets through half his transformation colored black, then turns blue for a split second then turns black again. Then, when the cassettes are fighting each other, Eject runs in from the left and jumps over Perceptor. And then he runs in from the left ''again'' to shoot Ravage.
* As Springer runs up to the launcher, Wheeljack's body is visible, but he's in red, white and blue colors.
* While Springer and Arcee are trying to move the launcher into place, Springer's face is the same color as his helmet.
* When Devastator forms in Autobot City, his chest plate is the same green as the rest of him. In the next shot, it's the usual purple. However, it promptly turns green again in the next shot.
* As Devastator lays into the walls, Shrapnel is white where he should be black.
* While Perceptor and Grapple are shooting, Swoop's lower half runs by in the foreground, long before the rest of him gets there.
* Megatron's pelvis is white instead of black as he gives the "let the slaughter begin!" order.
* Prime's dramatic transformation sequence far outlasts the transformation sound that's supposed to go with it. It's also the wrong sound (ascending pitch) for his robot-to-vehicle transformation. His trailer is also missing the Autobot logo, which reappears for the rest of the scene.
* When Prime drives up behind the Decepticons, Blitzwing's head is tan instead of purple. It becomes purple when he turns it, then goes back to tan again as he turns it back.
* Prime is missing the transformation sound as he blasts back to robot mode.
* The gun Megatron uses to fatally injure Optimus is blue and white for most of the shots it is seen in, but when Megatron screams "Fall! FALL!" while shooting Prime again, it is black.
* The gun Megatron fires uses the same sound effect as his fusion cannon.
* Prime's antennae are white as he tries to stand after knocking Megatron off the ledge.
* As he orders Astrotrain to take off, Starscream's face is gray instead of black.
* Starscream's whole nosecone, rather than just the canopy, is yellow as he looms over Megatron.
* When Optimus Prime takes the Matrix out of his chest to give to Ultra Magnus, there is another Matrix beneath it in his chest. (On which note, see also ''[[Matrix of Leadership#Universe|Matrix of Leadership, Universe comic]].'') Also, he initially grabs just the core of the Matrix, while the rest of the scene shows the entire assembly.
* When Ultra Magnus accepts the Matrix, he's seen inserting it into his chest twice, or at best readjusting its "fit".
* As the other Decepticons prepare to push him out, Bombshell's chest is rendered as a shapeless gray mass, rather than with its yellow canopy.
* The voice that says, "Brothers! Don't!" is nowhere close to the voices of any of the five Decepticons shown getting thrown out of Astrotrain.
* Starscream's got an extra yellow segment on his canopy as he nominates himself for leadership. Man, even the A-list animation team couldn't keep this straight.
* Most of Megatron's chest emblem isn't colored in as he first speaks to Unicron. It might pass for battle damage, but a few shots later it's fully purple.
[[Image:Coronation .jpg|thumb|right|250px| *''trumpet fanfare''* ]]
* Even after the [[Battle of Autobot City]], characters who are supposedly dead continue to appear in crowd shots and battles. Shrapnel's role in the fight on [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] is the most noticeable (and he was called for by name in the original script), but Thundercracker, Skywarp and Kickback can all be seen at Starscream's coronation. The two jets are later seen again, flying into Unicron's mouth.
* Hook has two eyes instead of a visor as he looks around in confusion during the trumpet scene.
* An early establishing shot clearly shows Cybertron with two and ''only'' two moons in low orbit. Yet a third moon is visible right after Unicron finishes eating the two Autobot bases.
* When Galvatron introduces himself to the Coronation party, Soundwave's chest window is drawn far too small.
* When Cyclonus is strafing the Autobot shuttle in space, he briefly flies offscreen, and during that time his laser blasts come from a point that in no way matches his flight path.
*During the wide shot of the Autobots in the crashed ship on Junk, Blurr's entire head is white.
* Daniel's lips don't purse when he whistles.
* Wreck-Gar's mouth doesn't move at all during his first lines, despite the camera pushing in all close on his face.
* The pistol Ultra Magnus fires uses the same sound effect as Optimus Prime's rifle.
* Shrapnel's lower legs are white when he lands on Junk, instead of black. Must be a side effect of being dead.
* During the Junkion chase scene, Trashbin attacks Arcee. When she fights him off his motorcycle, his model is switched for Junkyard's when he falls down.
* When Hot Rod tells the Junkions the universal greeting, the Autobot insignia on his chest is coloured black.
* When Grimlock gets kissed, his eyes are round instead of triangular.
* When Unicron transforms, the first hand we see (his right) is backwards relative to how the arm is shown on screen.
* After transforming, Unicron has all-white hands (instead of white with gold knuckles) and a white, rectangular chin (instead of the double-triangular chin with a goatee) he has later.
* As Hot Rod falls off one of Unicron's inner spikes, his lower body isn't drawn in. It looks like it should be blocked by our view of the spike, but is layered above it instead.
* Hot Rod's missing his Autobot symbol as he regains his footing inside Unicron.
* During the same sequence, we see a standard-looking control panel next to Hot Rod. It's unlikely Galvatron had time to create one inside Unicron, so where did it come from?
* As the Dinobots fly around Unicron, both his eyes are intact. (The left one had been shattered.)
* As the Dinobots fly away from Unicron, the spikes on Grimlock's right arm are gray instead of gold.
* The third smelting victim (who looks a lot like another Bumblebee) doesn't fall from the conveyor belt; he simply vanishes.

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

* The Dinobot [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] is mysteriously absent from almost the entire movie, even though the Dinobots as a group are featured prominently. Copies of the script which have come into fans' hands repeatedly list the Dinobots, but never make mention of Snarl by name. In fact, at one point the script refers to "the four Dinobots". Despite this, Snarl does appear in three very brief shots{{m-}}in which at least one other Dinobot (Swoop in one, Sludge in another) is entirely absent. Hmm.
* Also curiously absent are the 1985 Autobot cars and Mini-Vehicles, such as Inferno, Smokescreen, Cosmos, Warpath, etc. It would seem that these characters were available at the time of the movie:
** Perceptor and Blaster both debuted at the same time in the cartoon as the 1985 cars, and both play prominent roles in the movie.
** Grapple is [[:Image:BattleAutobotCity.jpg|seen ''very'' briefly]] during the battle for Autobot City.
** The 1985 Decepticons (Astrotrain, Dirge, etc.) appear in the film.
** [[:Image:TFTM-SideswipeRedAlertTracks.jpg|Tracks]], [[:Image:TFTM-RedAlertDown.jpg|Red Alert]] and Smokescreen (who was supposed to be the corpse in place of Wheeljack next to Windcharger) all appeared in storyboards but not the finished film.
* Devastator is treated as ''the'' ultimate threat, while in the cartoon, his role (and apparent power) was already being [[Starscream's Brigade|severely diminished]], presumably because several other combiners had been introduced. In story terms, the absence of these newer combiners, not to mention the mighty Omega Supreme, is inexplicable. In real-life terms, those characters didn't exist when the film commenced production. (The [[Transformers: The Animated Movie]] adaptation shows Omega Supreme, Superion and Defensor guarding the Ark against an attack by Bruticus and Menasor, attempting to [[retcon]] the problem away.)
[[Image:Cyclonus armada tftf.jpg|thumb|right|250px|We'll be safe enough once we make the jump into lightspeed.]]
* The existence of Cybertron's moons is contentious ''at best''.
** On the one hand, in numerous close and distant shots of the planet throughout the first two seasons, not a single moon was seen. Ever. Even after it got knocked out of Earth's orbit.
** On the other hand, Megatron ''does'' refer to Cybertron as "land of the metal moon" (note the singular) during "[[Microbots]]", suggesting otherwise. The fact that he was overenergized at the time and lost consciousness in mid-sentence - just before he ''might'' have specified a plural number of moons, (in)conveniently enough - makes it unclear just how much credence we should lend this statement.
** The movie promptly introduces two (possibly three) moons over the planet. In continuity terms, they must either have highly elliptical orbits with periapsides (points in their orbits that bring them closest to the planet) that just happened to coincide with the timeframe of the movie or they were constructed sometime after 1986.
* During the Battle of Autobot City, Starscream gets his leg caught. He shoots downward and gets away while screaming "My foot!", but it's his shin that's smoking while his foot looks fine. Later he kicks Megatron with the same foot. Shouldn't that hurt, according to him? Note there is a time lapse between the "foot shooting" and the kicking, leaving the option of a battlefield repair.
* So Ultra Magnus just happens to have a ready-made Matrix chamber installed in his chest cavity? Is this standard issue for all Autobots?
* The cartoon had already established that Astrotrain increases his size when he transforms to shuttle mode, being large enough to carry a pair of Decepticons in his cockpit. However, within the movie itself, his size is [[scale|noticeably inconsistent]]: When he leaves Autobot City, he's just large enough for the Decepticon army to cram themselves in; later, he's so huge that the Constructicons can quite comfortably form Devastator inside him.
* Speaking of Astrotrain, his entire body flips over when he transforms from train to space shuttle to escape from Autobot City. The Decepticons inside must have ''loved'' that!
* The number of minions created by Unicron changes throughout the film, with more Sweeps appearing as the story progresses. A second Cyclonus ("Cyclonus, the warrior, and [[Cyclonus's Armada|his armada]]") is shown being created but disappears shortly thereafter. At least ''seven'' new characters are shown at one point, created from only ''six'' Decepticons thrown from the shuttle.

[[Image:SSBQ.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"I've been looking forward to this for a long time." "Yes, I bet you have."]]
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is capable of reducing [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] to ashes with a single shot from his cannon mode. Though in later episodes Galvatron is shown blowing up even small ''[[Thrull|planets]]'' with his cannon, his extraordinary killing power seems to be gone—like when he scores a direct hit in cannon mode on Ultra Magnus in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]" and Magnus isn't especially hurt at all, or how a similar blast against Scourge in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]" only leaves the latter temporarily incapacitated. [[Marvel Comics]] bios explain this by suggesting that Galvatron had nearly limitless power through Unicron... but then again, Galvatron himself claims to be "more powerful than ever" after Unicron is dead in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2]]". [[To sell toys|Who knows.]]
* Why didn't anyone notice Unicron until he was within devouring distance of Cybertron's moons?
* Despite running out of energon goodies on Quintessa, Hot Rod has at least one to offer to the Junkions. Maybe he got some on the ship. It's also possible that, when he told the Allicons "No more," he meant that he wasn't going to ''feed'' them any more energon goodies, not that he didn't ''have'' anymore.
* Daniel, who was just learning how to use his exo-suit, had to knock down the acid cover inside Unicron to save his loved ones. Why couldn't the more experienced Spike do the same with his suit from above? He had both of his arms free and a clear shot at the cover. On the other hand, the clamp holding him may well disable his exo-suit's weapons and movement abilities-if it didn't, Unicron probably wouldn't have eaten half as many victims by now...
* It's not clear how Rodimus Prime (carrying two humans) and the other Autobots survived their jump out of Unicron's eye and their plunge towards the surface of Cybertron.
* It's also unclear just how the dozen or so Autobots (and one shipload of Junkions) managed to retake the whole planet of Cybertron. Did Unicron really wipe out ''that'' many Decepticons?
* When the Autobots are repairing Autobot City, Blaster is present, but a few minutes later, he's nowhere to be seen. And he isn't seen getting on one of the shuttles. It is possible that they took off without him, but Daniel noticed Arcee was not on board. Guess he cares more about Arcee than Blaster.
* Ultra Magnus blows up, but later his parts are just in individual sections. The Junkions place them together and shine him up, and he's fine! No welding or reprogramming, no replacing damaged parts...
* Makes you wonder why they couldn't fly Prime's body over and repair it, too. At the end of season three, we find out the Matrix can be given back to him, so that's not the issue...

===Not necessarily errors===
* Fans have noted throughout the years that Astrotrain, in his flight through zero-gravity space, should not have needed to "jettison some weight" in the literal sense. However, since the ejected Decepticons quickly fall behind Astrotrain instead of floating alongside him, he must still have been accelerating and thus would have needed to burn a greater amount of fuel in order to push a larger payload. Perhaps he should have said "jettison some ''mass''", but then again, just being a spaceship doesn't make him a rocket scientist.
* Starscream is shown just inside Astrotrain's cargo bay when he commands him to take off, but in the next shot (Astrotrain's door closing as his rocket engines ignite), Starscream is nowhere to be seen. It's possible that he walked further in, but he should still be at least partially visible.

==Continuity notes==
* The Movie has had a huge effect in shaping the mythos. Among the elements and characters which would reappear in many other iterations of Transformers are:
** The notion that Cybertron has moons
** The Matrix as a physical object, rather than the computer program previously depicted in the Marvel Comics. Even the Marvel Comics would eventually shoehorn this one in.
** Autobot City
** Unicron
** The notion of Megatron becoming Galvatron
** And it killed off Optimus Prime before it was cool!
* Gadgets and powers:
** Springer deploys a small flip-out twin laser from his wrist during the Autobot City battle.
** Arcee and Hot Rod both activate a long-distance scanner of some sort by lowering a red visor from under their helmets over their eyes.
** Hot Rod uses a saw blade that extends from his retracted wrist.
** Blurr has the same kind of hooked welding tip used by various Autobots as far back as "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]".
** Arcee unleashes a nasty barbed post from her fender to fend off a Junkion.
** Grimlock shows the never-before seen ability to shoot lasers from his fists.
* '''[[The Revenge of Bruticus|< <]]''' What makes Starscream the leader? Megatron's <s>dead</s> almost dead!

==Real-world references and Easter eggs==
[[Image:TFTMUnicronSkyscrapers.jpg|thumb|300px|]]
* When the inside of Unicron is shown after he devours Lithone, the "blinking energy" effect of Unicron's innards was apparently achieved by recycling backgrounds from other animated TV shows or movies. A frame by frame viewing reveals what appear to be several images of post-apocalyptic buildings inside Unicron, some of which are upside-down.
* When Sludge gets haymakered by Devastator, his eyes pop out of their sockets in ''[[Wikipedia:Looney Tunes|Looney Tunes]]'' fashion.
* Kup's storytelling sequence aboard the shuttle is drawn from the novel ''[[Wikipedia:Of Mice and Men|Of Mice and Men]]'', complete with Grimlock in the Lenny role asking Kup to "tell Grimlock about petrorabbits again".

* The Quintesson jail cell includes robot debris ''strongly'' resembling the mobile suits [[Wikipedia:Gundam Mk-II|RX-178 Gundam MK II]] and the [[Wikipedia:Z Gundam|MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam]] from 1985 Japanese animation ''[[Wikipedia:Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam|Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]''.

* The Junkions speak almost entirely in pop culture quotes and pastiches. Littered among the generic phrases like "operators are standing by!", "Film at eleven" and "eliminate even the toughest stains" are more specific references, such as:
** "Don't look behind door #2, Monty!" - a reference to the game show ''[[Wikipedia:Let's Make a Deal|Let's Make a Deal]]'' and its host, [[Wikipedia:Monty Hall|Monty Hall]].
** "Ger-ronny-doo-ron-ron-ronny-mo!" - both the famous "[[Wikipedia:Geronimo (exclamation)|Geronimo!]]" war cry, and the 1963 hit "[[Wikipedia:Da Doo Ron Ron|Da Doo Ron Ron]]".
** "You check in, but you don't check out" - a parody of the tagline for [[Wikipedia:Roach Motel (insect trap)|Roach Motel]] insect traps.
** "Happy motoring!" - the slogan of gas company [[Wikipedia:Esso|Esso]].

* ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' sound effects (yes, even the high-budget Movie uses them):
** The ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' engine burst noise is used extensively throughout the film, over and over and over, almost any time a Decepticon takes flight.

** [[Luke Skywalker]]'s deactivating [[lightsaber]] is used as the sound of the Quintesson ship's ramp extending.
** Clashing lightsabers are used as Unicron fires eye-blasts at the attacking Transformers.

** An igniting lightsaber is used as Rodimus opens the Matrix.
* The ''Star Trek'' sliding door sound is used as Wreck-Gar pulls out his <s>iPhone</s> mini-TV.
* Also, the sound used for the communicators on Star Trek was used when Daniel was activating his blaster to save Spike

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

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

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

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

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

In addition, Shockwave definitely survives the attack by Unicron.

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

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

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

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

* Originally, Ultra Magnus's "death sequence" on Junkion called for him to be lassoed and drawn and quartered by the Sweeps' energy beams, but this was deemed too graphic for audiences, hence the less disturbing "shot to death" sequence seen instead. There is evidence that the original sequence had been fully animated when the decision was made, however; the Sweeps still kept their solid energy lassos when they fire upon Magnus, and Magnus is seen visibly straining against what appears to be said lassos (edited out and replaced with laser fire) before exploding.
* A number of other sequences were illustrated as [[storyboard]]s but dropped, presumably without ever being animated. Among them were:
** A short scene showing Ironhide piloting the Autobot shuttle through ''huge chunks of ice'' from the tail of a passing comet, explaining how the Decepticons caught them unawares. In response to a reprimand by Prowl who prickishly disapproves of Ironhide's piloting shenanigans, Ironhide exclaims, "I can sure as shootin' dodge a couple of ice chunks". When the Autobots are suddenly jolted by the Decepticon strike force as Megatron and his troops attempt to enter the shuttle, Ironhide tells the others on board, "That was no ice chunk...". Heroic nonsense ensues...
** An extended sequence with Hot Rod and Daniel outside the city.
** A sequence of Mirage blasting Bombshell and being fired on by Megatron.
** The Autobots finally bringing down Devastator with a barrage of missiles (and the Constructicons subsequently shooting Red Alert in the back).
** The Decepticons dogpiling Optimus Prime, explaining why he seems to be standing up just before his fight with Megatron, and no longer holding his rifle. According to storyboards, Prime gets bum-rushed by Blitzwing (who causes Prime to drop his gun), Starscream, Astrotrain, and Skywarp. While it is not clear how Prime defeated the first four hand-to-hand combatants, Dirge is later shown attempting one final sneak attack (and gets his can handed back to him) as Prime is talking to Megatron before the two leaders' final fight.
** Trailbreaker is shown dead among the wreckage of Autobot City as the Decepticons begin their retreat.
:Some of these concepts were in earlier versions of the script, and hence made it into the comic adaptation.
* Rumors have occasionally circulated in the fandom of additional animated footage that was dropped from the film, such as ultra-violent battle scenes. No evidence has ever surfaced to back these claims; the only known edits are those listed in this section.
:{{see|Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#The Transformers: The Movie|Urban legends about ''The Transformers: The Movie''}}

==Reception==
{{quote|''The Transformers'', in which Orson Welles plays a planet, is pure headache material. Target audience of cartoon-watchers also will probably find the film unintelligible, noisy and unoriginal. Boxoffice prospects are dismal.|2=[http://books.google.com/books?id=DHNZAAAAMAAJ&q=Hasbro+Transformers&dq=Hasbro+Transformers&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1983&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=2005&num=50&as_brr=0&cd=69 Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19]}}

{{quote|Obnoxious animated feature about the title good guys, who defend the universe against an evil planet (which has a voice of its own... provided by Orson Welles.) That deafening rock score certainly doesn't help. Little more than a feature-length toy commercial.|Leonard Maltin, ''1987 Movie & Video Guide''}}

{{quote|While all this action may captivate young children, the animation is not spectacular enough to dazzle adults, and the Transformers have few truly human elements to lure parents along, even when their voices are supplied by well-known actors. |2=[http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/09/movies/screen-transformers-animation-for-children.html The New York Times]}}

{{quote|Transformers -- The Movie, a feature-length animated film inspired by the syndicated TV cartoon series inspired by the Hasbro toy imported from Japan, is utterly uninspired entertainment. |2=[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CE8EA8D40CCA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM The Dallas Morning News]}}

{{quote|If you can swallow, without gagging, a large measure of sentimental and offensive religiosity - lines like "Do not grieve. Soon I will be one with the Matrix," whispered by a failing hunk of Autobot metal - then you have a better than even chance of leaving the theatre on your own two feet. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=01kiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W6gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2445,1286000&dq=transformers&hl=en The Montreal Gazette]}}

{{quote|Everything is poorly drawn and - when it's in focus - one dimensional. It is terribly hard to separate the robots from the backgrounds, and there is no easy way to tell the good guys from the bad guys. In an earlier movie based on the same sort of robot toys - "Go-Bots: The Battle of the Rock Lords" - the good guys were either white or colorful and the bad guys were dreary, and they had distinct personalities. Not this movie; everyone looks and sounds alike, except one pink robot who is a female good guy. Her tin voluptuousness makes her stand out. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kw4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OgMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6957,6334152&dq=transformers&hl=en The Toledo Blade]}}

{{quote|Even with an all-star cast doing the voice overs... and a rock music score, this is still nothing more than a ripoff of a successful toy line. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AYckAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dtsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4192,1494652&dq=transformers&hl=en The Palm Beach Post]}}

{{quote|The great animated villains, like the Wicked Queen in Disney's "Snow White," had motivations as compelling as any live-action character. Unicron apparently destroys entire worlds because it has nothing else to do. |2=[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/57996397.html?dids=57996397:57996397&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+8%2C+1986&author=CHARLES+SOLOMON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=8&desc=%60THE+TRANSFORMERS%27%3A+STRETCHING+A+POINT The LA Times]}}

''The Transformers: The Movie'' was almost universally panned by professional critics upon its release.

Well-known film critic and animation enthusiast, Leonard Maltin, gave it a rating below 1 1/2 stars in his ''1987 Movie & Video Guide'', regarding it as a "bomb", then proceeded to write an unflattering blurb denouncing the film as a "feature-length toy commercial" (well, he was ''right'').

Caryn James of the ''New York Times'' admitted in the [[August 9]], 1986 edition of the paper that the film was intended for young children, pointing out that the kids in the audience were having a grand ole time with the ''Transformer'' toys and comics they brought with them to the theater, but derided the film as having little to no appeal to adults (''man-children'', on the other hand...).

''Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19 '' was far less even-handed in their review, claiming the film had no appeal to adults ''or'' children. They predicted the film would perform poorly in the box office (and were correct, in that regard).

Carrie Rickey of the ''Dallas Morning News'' chided the film in the [[August 13]], 1986 issue of the paper, describing it as "essentially a cartoon ''Star Wars'' about robots from a toybox galaxy far, far away". She then went on to say that the film "never takes off" and derided it as "uninspired".

Janice Kennedy of the ''Montreal Gazette'' verbally disemboweled the film in the [[August 23]], 1986 edition of the paper, criticizing it as overly commercial, profane, loud, violent, humorless, heavy-handed in its religious messages and chaulk-full of gratuitous celebrity voice-overs. Her only compliment: "But ''The Transformers: The Movie'' does have at least one good thing going for it, a howlingly appropriate song by [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]. It's title? ''Dare to be Stupid''." ''Ouch''.

Nanciann Cherry in the August 13, 1986 edition of the ''Toledo Blade'' claimed the robots in the movie had little personality and faded into the background. She even went on to say that ''Challenge of the GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords'' was a superior film! Her review was filled with inaccuracies, however, citing characters such as "Unicon" and claiming that the destruction of Cybertron's moons by "Unicon" is what caused the Autobots to travel to Autobot City, at which point Megatron attacked. To be fair, she readily admits, "About 20 minutes into the film, I gave up on the plot and tried to count all the ideas that were stolen from other sources. Now that kept me busy." So she wasn't really paying attention, anyway.

Kathryn Buxton in the [[August 22]], 1986 edition of the ''Palm Beach Post'' gave the film a whopping ''one'' star, calling it "a ripoff of a successful toyline", whatever ''that'' means. In the same article, she also gave David Cronenberg's ''[[Fly|The Fly]]'' one star, just for reference.

In the August 8, 1986 edition of the ''LA Times'', critic Charles Solomon made clear his dislike for the film centered primarily on the fact that none of the characters had interesting or believable motivation. He stated, "Not even the best actor can create a character out of nothing. Not one of the robots has a reason for doing what he does." Solomon then pointed to Unicron specifically as an example of the lack of deep, multi-dimensional motivations in the characters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Further, the two primary plot devices—[[Unicron]] and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]—have no prior establishment in the fiction. Unicron is given no backstory ([[Call of the Primitives|until season 3]]) or justification; he simply exists, is very dangerous, and is afraid of the Matrix, all for no adequately explained reason. The introduction of the Matrix itself is a heavy [[retcon]]. The story asks the audience to accept that this cosmically powerful artifact has been in Prime's possession all along (even though an X-ray of Optimus Prime's innards in the second season episode "[[A Prime Problem]]" show absolutely no signs of said Matrix), but has somehow never been relevant before. In fact, this lack of prior establishment is what led [[Simon Furman]] to develop the divinity backstory of Unicron and [[Primus]] in the UK comics run.

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

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

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

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

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

==Television Broadcasts==
Following an airing during Season Five in parts, the feature film was only ever aired on American television in 1989 via the Fox stations. Air dates and times were June 17 at Noon, July 30 at 11 A.M. and September 2 at 10 A.M. Of course, this was the language-edited video release from Family Home Entertainment.

==Notes==
* According to [[Buzz Dixon]], Hasbro's decision to kill off Optimus Prime was actually an attempt to maintain some brand-storytelling parity with ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'', as Dixon had just convinced them to allow the death of [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] in ''[[wikipedia:G.I. Joe: The Movie|G.I. Joe: The Movie]]'' and both films were in production at the same time.<ref>http://www.joeheadquarters.com/interviews_dixon.shtml</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: The Movie}}

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

One Shall Rise, Part 3

2011-10-31T20:38:56Z

97.73.64.146: /* Quotes */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 26
|prev=One Shall Rise, Part 2
|next=
|image=OneShallRise3-together.jpg
|caption=Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?
|title="One Shall Rise, Part 3"
|airdate=[[October 15]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Jack learns more about Optimus Prime's history on Cybertron while the Autobots continue their battle at the Earth's core.'''

==Synopsis==

As he leads the [[Autobot]]s further toward [[Earth]]'s core, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] is again seized by a vision of the planet exploding. He notes how [[Unicron]]'s strength grows ever greater and continues on. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] both voice their mistrust of the [[Decepticon]] leader, though they have no choice but to follow him. Unbeknownst to them, several strange, mechanical creatures observe the intruders into their dark domain.

Back at [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|base]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and the [[human]]s watch a report that outlines how the planet's chaotic weather continues to spiral out of control. Despite [[June Darby|June]]'s efforts to lighten the mood, [[William Fowler|Fowler]] insists that something must be done—even if it means contacting his associates at the [[Pentagon]]. Fowler makes known his uneasiness about teaming up with Megatron, but Ratchet surprises the humans by explaining how such a situation has happened before. Ratchet relates how Optimus Prime and Megatron were once close friends, in the twilight hours of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s [[Golden Age]].

[[Image:OneShallRise3-corresponding.jpg|left|thumb|250px|''Once, I called you "Brother".'' 
''Once, I thought the chance to make you laugh'' 
''Was all I ever wanted...'' 
''And even now,'' 
''I wish that [[Primus|God]] had chose another.'' 
''Serving as your foe on His behalf'' 
''Is the last thing that I wanted...!'']]
''The great Autobot leader was once named Orion Pax, a simple clerk in the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] Hall of Records. Learning of Cybertron's past, Orion grew concerned about the corruption affecting high places and the [[Caste system|state of inequity]] in society. He became inspired by the revolutionary words of Megatronus, a gladiator who took his name from [[The Fallen|one]] of the [[Thirteen|thirteen original Primes]]. Megatronus gained a loyal following through his radical and innovative actions, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] chief among their number. Over time, Megatronus became a mentor figure to Orion Pax and chose to shorten his name as he left the gladiatorial arena for the political one. Megatron appeared before the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], voicing his ideas for shaping a new Cybertron by violent means, and demanded to be named the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. Orion protested against Megatron's suggestions before the Council, moving their [[spark]]s and minds as he unknowingly revealed himself to be the one worthy of the title. Megatron severed his ties to Orion and the Council, taking his "Decepticon" followers to begin the [[Great War (Prime)|war]] that consumed Cybertron and vowing to claim the legendary [[Matrix of Leadership]] for himself. Hoping to reverse the damage that had poisoned the planet, Orion journeyed to Cybertron's [[Core]], where he found himself before the spark of [[Primus]], the creator of all [[Cybertronians]]. Primus sensed the purity of Orion's own spark and bestowed upon him the legendary Matrix, transforming him into Optimus Prime.''

In the present, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Jack Darby|Jack]] question Optimus's plan to give the Matrix to the Earth's core, asking what could possibly stop Megatron from attempting to claim it for himself now. Ratchet darkly replies that Megatron only intends to save the Earth so that he may conquer it at a later date.

As they near Unicron's spark, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] begins to feel the draining effects of the [[Dark Energon]]. [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and Arcee help him a short way across the catwalks, but Megatron soon comes to a halt ahead with the realization that Unicron is preparing to expel them. A huge number of Unicron's drones suddenly swarm into view, surrounding Megatron and the Autobots. They engage the drones in fierce battle, blasting and slashing through their attackers. Arcee is knocked to a lower level, not long before the Dark Energon clouds Bulkhead's vision. He stumbles from the catwalk but manages to grab hold of the edge, and is seized by Bumblebee before he can tumble to his death. Optimus and Megatron fight back-to-back, managing to hold their own against the drones in a spectacular display of effective—if uneasy—teamwork. Bumblebee struggles to hold onto Bulkhead, who insists that the scout lets him go. Optimus seizes Bulkhead just as Bumblebee loses his grip, and hauls him up to safety. As the group quickly becomes overwhelmed, Arcee hitches a ride on one of the drones to catch up with the others and beat a swift retreat with them.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-SoundwaveAirachnid.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Maybe Megatron should stop having seconds-in-command and just skip straight to thirds-in-command.]]
Aboard the [[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]], [[Airachnid]] outlines the questionable nature of their leader's recent behavior. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] asks whether she is suggesting that they abandon Lord Megatron. Airachnid explains how Megatron's undetectable signal implies that he is either offline or at the mercy of Unicron—neither scenario being in the best interests of the Decepticons. She suggests an exodus from Earth, and receives no protests from the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. However, her order to retreat to [[Regulon Four]] is denied by Soundwave, who silently challenges her authority. When he refuses her demand to step aside, she leaps to attack him. Soundwave easily blocks every one of her blows, before lifting her clean into the air. He hurls her back, deploying [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] to stun Airachnid in a sudden sneak attack. Pinned under Soundwave's foot, much to Knock Out's amusement, Airachnid relinquishes command to the intelligence officer.

Back in the Autobot base, Ratchet notes he has lost the others' communication links and life signals, most likely caused by interference from the electromagnetic anomalies. Miko asks how they are supposed to know when the others are ready for pickup if contact is impossible, but Ratchet is prevented from responding by the sound of Jack tapping the [[GroundBridge]] key against a railing. Ratchet reveals that the object is actually the [[Key to Vector Sigma]]—one of Cybertron's most precious relics. Ratchet then realizes that Optimus entrusted the key to Jack because he did not plan on returning from the planet's core.

Megatron is gripped by yet another painful vision of Unicron whilst he and the Autobots are backed into an enclosed chamber by the attacking drones. Unicron orders him to destroy Optimus. Instead, Megatron saves the Autobot leader by blasting an oncoming drone. He then indicates a closed doorway nearby, stating that Unicron's spark lies just beyond. He explains that, to pass through, they must fool Unicron into believing that they pose no danger, and moves his Dark Energon-infused chest up to the door. It opens in response, and Optimus orders the others to remain outside and provide cover fire while he and Megatron advance.

The passageway beyond leads directly into Unicron's spark chamber, where Optimus prepares to expose the Matrix within his chest. Unicron's spark reacts, striking both invaders with its energy. Unicron again orders Megatron to kill Optimus, forcing him to unsheathe his blade and approach the weakened Prime. Megatron struggles against him, declaring himself to be under the command of no-one. His resistance provokes only an onslaught of pain and a furious reaction from the Chaos Bringer.

The volcano outside erupts violently, and the ground enclosing the Autobot base begins to quake. Ratchet tells the humans to take cover, and he moves to shield them from falling debris.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-unleash.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Care Bear Stare!]]
Unicron's spark adopts the appearance of a face as Megatron is seemingly freed from his control. Optimus calls upon the power of the Matrix of Leadership, but hesitates as Unicron possesses Megatron's body in a veil of purple flame and declares his own invincibility. Optimus cuts short Unicron's desire to pull the Earth into chaos, and he rises to his feet as he becomes surrounded by a brilliant blue light. Optimus fires the power of the Matrix from his chest directly into Unicron's spark, the resulting wave of energy knocking Megatron back off his feet. His energy drained, Optimus falls to his knees, and Unicron's spark emits a final wail of pain before vanishing into oblivion.

The drones outside suddenly fall from the air, lifeless. The volcano, along with all of the Earth's other natural phenomena, subside back to normality. Ratchet and the humans watch as the monitors flicker online, rejoicing as their team's life signals are all safely re-established. Aboard the Nemesis, however, Soundwave also detects the signature of the Decepticon leader.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-hug.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"You smell like my mom." "I smell like ''his'' mom!"]]
Megatron rights himself in Unicron's now-empty spark chamber, inspecting Optimus's steaming body for a moment before unsheathing his blade. Optimus gazes blearily up at the approaching Decepticon, then addresses him as "Megatronus" and asks where they are. Surprised, Megatron retracts his weapon and helps the Autobot to his feet. Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee soon burst through the wall to assist, but Optimus does not recognise them. A GroundBridge suddenly opens nearby; Megatron claims that the Autobots are their sworn enemies and provides cover fire as Optimus heads for the vortex. Optimus blankly meets Bumblebee's devastated gaze for a split second before disappearing through the Bridge. Megatron follows, leaving the shocked Autobots alone in the empty chamber.

Ratchet GroundBridges the team back to base, but is anxious to see that Optimus is not with them. They explain that Optimus is still alive, but did not even know his own name. Ratchet realizes that surrendering the Matrix of Leadership caused their leader to lose not only the wisdom of the Primes, but his own memories as well.

Knock Out and the other Decepticons, minus Airachnid, welcome Megatron back aboard the Nemesis. Megatron steps aside to allow Optimus through, and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] automatically moves to attack. Megatron halts him, insisting that this is no way to treat a "long-lost comrade", and declares that Orion Pax is one of them.

To be continued…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Autobot High Council|High Council]] (14–16)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)
*[[Airachnid]] (18)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (19)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (20)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (21)
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] (22)

|c3=
*[[June Darby]] (7)
*[[William Fowler]] (8)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (10)
*[[Jack Darby]] (11)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Unicron]] (4)
*[[Core]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Raf:''' Megatron was an Autobot? 
'''Miko:''' Optimus was a 'Con!? 
'''Rachet:''' No, on either count.
:—The kids get confused while Ratchet gets ready to tell a tale.

"Watch out for the quiet ones…"
:—'''Knock Out''' after witnessing Soundwave "veto" Airachnid's motion to leave Earth.

'''Unicron:''' '''''Megatron! Destroy the Prime! I command you!''''' 
'''Megatron:''' Megatron is commanded by NO ONE! Aaaaaargh!!
:—He's not wrong [[The Transformers: The Movie|this time.]]

'''Optimus:''' Where are we Megatronus? 
'''Megatron:''' Don't you remember, old friend?
:—…uh, that was unexpected.

'''Arcee:'''How do we know if Unicron is useing Megatron to lure us into a trap? 
'''Optimus:'''We do not.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*All of the natural disasters around the world abruptly stop when Unicron is beaten. While it might make sense for the earthquakes to stop, tidal waves wouldn't just suddenly fall apart. Forward momentum doesn't just vanish. Similar problems occur with the tornadoes dissipating and the sky clearing.
*At the Earth's core, the Autobots should experience very little gravity, as the total mass of Earth would be reasonably equally distributed around them and therefore the pull of gravity would be cancelled out.
*Despite entering the tunnel to Unicron's spark chamber only a few seconds before Optimus, Megatron still manages a very hefty lead. By the time Optimus navigates the tunnel that leads into the spark chamber, Megatron is already inside, standing in front of Unicron's spark.
* After defeating Unicron, both Megatron and Optimus are knocked unconscious: Megatron on his back and Optimus on the ground facing away from the other. However, when we see them wake up later, Megatron is on his stomach and Optimus is facing him now.

===Continuity errors===
*Ratchet's statement that Megatron started the war after not being made Prime contradicts the history given in [[Darkness Rising, Part 1]], where Megatron is said to have split from Optimus ''during'' the war.
*Bulkhead is the only Autobot visibly affected by the Dark Energon.

===Continuity notes===
*The entire backstory given by Ratchet is an adaptation of the first half of ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]''. Plot elements were changed, such as Orion Pax becoming Optimus when he found the Matrix of Leadership, as opposed to when he was assigned the position by the Cybertron High Council.
* Optimus's blade is still broken after the episode "[[One Shall Fall]]".

===Transformers references===
*Optimus Prime was originally known as Orion Pax, much like [[Optimus Prime (G1)|his namesake]] in the episode "[[War Dawn]]."
*The [[Key to Vector Sigma]] first appeared in ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1]]" and later featured prominently in the first season of ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''.
*Optimus calls upon the Matrix to "[[Darkest hour|light our darkest hour]]."
*This is not [[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3|the first incidence]] in a ''Transformers'' cartoon of a tidal wave stopping all of a sudden.
*For once, Optimus is the one who gets to say he "still functions", rather than Megatron.
* When Unicron possesses Megatron, he is engulfed in flames similar to [[The Fallen|another well known herald]].

===Real-world references===
===Trivia===
*This episode aired in Singapore on [[October 4]], 2011, again preceding its American showing.
*Jack is clearly taking very good care of that Key Optimus gave him...by idly tapping it against a railing.
*This is the first time we've seen Soundwave "get his hands dirty". With how easily he trounces Airachnid, that's probably a good thing for the Autobots.
*According to the flashbacks, Megatron's optics are blue, fingers, eyebrows, and shoulders less pointy, his feet also being rather flat, until he was rejected by the Council and storms out angrily, obtaining the sharp teeth and red eyes.
*Fowler hugs June. Make of that what you will.
*Once more, the Thirteen Original Primes make an appearance, this time as statue busts in the walls of the High Council's chamber.
*Optimus has a Cybertronian form, with different kibble, in the flashbacks. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]], [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]], [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] must be special.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

One Shall Rise, Part 3

2011-10-31T20:34:50Z

97.73.64.146: /* Quotes */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 26
|prev=One Shall Rise, Part 2
|next=
|image=OneShallRise3-together.jpg
|caption=Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?
|title="One Shall Rise, Part 3"
|airdate=[[October 15]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Jack learns more about Optimus Prime's history on Cybertron while the Autobots continue their battle at the Earth's core.'''

==Synopsis==

As he leads the [[Autobot]]s further toward [[Earth]]'s core, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] is again seized by a vision of the planet exploding. He notes how [[Unicron]]'s strength grows ever greater and continues on. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] both voice their mistrust of the [[Decepticon]] leader, though they have no choice but to follow him. Unbeknownst to them, several strange, mechanical creatures observe the intruders into their dark domain.

Back at [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|base]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and the [[human]]s watch a report that outlines how the planet's chaotic weather continues to spiral out of control. Despite [[June Darby|June]]'s efforts to lighten the mood, [[William Fowler|Fowler]] insists that something must be done—even if it means contacting his associates at the [[Pentagon]]. Fowler makes known his uneasiness about teaming up with Megatron, but Ratchet surprises the humans by explaining how such a situation has happened before. Ratchet relates how Optimus Prime and Megatron were once close friends, in the twilight hours of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s [[Golden Age]].

[[Image:OneShallRise3-corresponding.jpg|left|thumb|250px|''Once, I called you "Brother".'' 
''Once, I thought the chance to make you laugh'' 
''Was all I ever wanted...'' 
''And even now,'' 
''I wish that [[Primus|God]] had chose another.'' 
''Serving as your foe on His behalf'' 
''Is the last thing that I wanted...!'']]
''The great Autobot leader was once named Orion Pax, a simple clerk in the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] Hall of Records. Learning of Cybertron's past, Orion grew concerned about the corruption affecting high places and the [[Caste system|state of inequity]] in society. He became inspired by the revolutionary words of Megatronus, a gladiator who took his name from [[The Fallen|one]] of the [[Thirteen|thirteen original Primes]]. Megatronus gained a loyal following through his radical and innovative actions, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] chief among their number. Over time, Megatronus became a mentor figure to Orion Pax and chose to shorten his name as he left the gladiatorial arena for the political one. Megatron appeared before the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], voicing his ideas for shaping a new Cybertron by violent means, and demanded to be named the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. Orion protested against Megatron's suggestions before the Council, moving their [[spark]]s and minds as he unknowingly revealed himself to be the one worthy of the title. Megatron severed his ties to Orion and the Council, taking his "Decepticon" followers to begin the [[Great War (Prime)|war]] that consumed Cybertron and vowing to claim the legendary [[Matrix of Leadership]] for himself. Hoping to reverse the damage that had poisoned the planet, Orion journeyed to Cybertron's [[Core]], where he found himself before the spark of [[Primus]], the creator of all [[Cybertronians]]. Primus sensed the purity of Orion's own spark and bestowed upon him the legendary Matrix, transforming him into Optimus Prime.''

In the present, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Jack Darby|Jack]] question Optimus's plan to give the Matrix to the Earth's core, asking what could possibly stop Megatron from attempting to claim it for himself now. Ratchet darkly replies that Megatron only intends to save the Earth so that he may conquer it at a later date.

As they near Unicron's spark, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] begins to feel the draining effects of the [[Dark Energon]]. [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and Arcee help him a short way across the catwalks, but Megatron soon comes to a halt ahead with the realization that Unicron is preparing to expel them. A huge number of Unicron's drones suddenly swarm into view, surrounding Megatron and the Autobots. They engage the drones in fierce battle, blasting and slashing through their attackers. Arcee is knocked to a lower level, not long before the Dark Energon clouds Bulkhead's vision. He stumbles from the catwalk but manages to grab hold of the edge, and is seized by Bumblebee before he can tumble to his death. Optimus and Megatron fight back-to-back, managing to hold their own against the drones in a spectacular display of effective—if uneasy—teamwork. Bumblebee struggles to hold onto Bulkhead, who insists that the scout lets him go. Optimus seizes Bulkhead just as Bumblebee loses his grip, and hauls him up to safety. As the group quickly becomes overwhelmed, Arcee hitches a ride on one of the drones to catch up with the others and beat a swift retreat with them.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-SoundwaveAirachnid.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Maybe Megatron should stop having seconds-in-command and just skip straight to thirds-in-command.]]
Aboard the [[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]], [[Airachnid]] outlines the questionable nature of their leader's recent behavior. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] asks whether she is suggesting that they abandon Lord Megatron. Airachnid explains how Megatron's undetectable signal implies that he is either offline or at the mercy of Unicron—neither scenario being in the best interests of the Decepticons. She suggests an exodus from Earth, and receives no protests from the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. However, her order to retreat to [[Regulon Four]] is denied by Soundwave, who silently challenges her authority. When he refuses her demand to step aside, she leaps to attack him. Soundwave easily blocks every one of her blows, before lifting her clean into the air. He hurls her back, deploying [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] to stun Airachnid in a sudden sneak attack. Pinned under Soundwave's foot, much to Knock Out's amusement, Airachnid relinquishes command to the intelligence officer.

Back in the Autobot base, Ratchet notes he has lost the others' communication links and life signals, most likely caused by interference from the electromagnetic anomalies. Miko asks how they are supposed to know when the others are ready for pickup if contact is impossible, but Ratchet is prevented from responding by the sound of Jack tapping the [[GroundBridge]] key against a railing. Ratchet reveals that the object is actually the [[Key to Vector Sigma]]—one of Cybertron's most precious relics. Ratchet then realizes that Optimus entrusted the key to Jack because he did not plan on returning from the planet's core.

Megatron is gripped by yet another painful vision of Unicron whilst he and the Autobots are backed into an enclosed chamber by the attacking drones. Unicron orders him to destroy Optimus. Instead, Megatron saves the Autobot leader by blasting an oncoming drone. He then indicates a closed doorway nearby, stating that Unicron's spark lies just beyond. He explains that, to pass through, they must fool Unicron into believing that they pose no danger, and moves his Dark Energon-infused chest up to the door. It opens in response, and Optimus orders the others to remain outside and provide cover fire while he and Megatron advance.

The passageway beyond leads directly into Unicron's spark chamber, where Optimus prepares to expose the Matrix within his chest. Unicron's spark reacts, striking both invaders with its energy. Unicron again orders Megatron to kill Optimus, forcing him to unsheathe his blade and approach the weakened Prime. Megatron struggles against him, declaring himself to be under the command of no-one. His resistance provokes only an onslaught of pain and a furious reaction from the Chaos Bringer.

The volcano outside erupts violently, and the ground enclosing the Autobot base begins to quake. Ratchet tells the humans to take cover, and he moves to shield them from falling debris.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-unleash.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Care Bear Stare!]]
Unicron's spark adopts the appearance of a face as Megatron is seemingly freed from his control. Optimus calls upon the power of the Matrix of Leadership, but hesitates as Unicron possesses Megatron's body in a veil of purple flame and declares his own invincibility. Optimus cuts short Unicron's desire to pull the Earth into chaos, and he rises to his feet as he becomes surrounded by a brilliant blue light. Optimus fires the power of the Matrix from his chest directly into Unicron's spark, the resulting wave of energy knocking Megatron back off his feet. His energy drained, Optimus falls to his knees, and Unicron's spark emits a final wail of pain before vanishing into oblivion.

The drones outside suddenly fall from the air, lifeless. The volcano, along with all of the Earth's other natural phenomena, subside back to normality. Ratchet and the humans watch as the monitors flicker online, rejoicing as their team's life signals are all safely re-established. Aboard the Nemesis, however, Soundwave also detects the signature of the Decepticon leader.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-hug.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"You smell like my mom." "I smell like ''his'' mom!"]]
Megatron rights himself in Unicron's now-empty spark chamber, inspecting Optimus's steaming body for a moment before unsheathing his blade. Optimus gazes blearily up at the approaching Decepticon, then addresses him as "Megatronus" and asks where they are. Surprised, Megatron retracts his weapon and helps the Autobot to his feet. Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee soon burst through the wall to assist, but Optimus does not recognise them. A GroundBridge suddenly opens nearby; Megatron claims that the Autobots are their sworn enemies and provides cover fire as Optimus heads for the vortex. Optimus blankly meets Bumblebee's devastated gaze for a split second before disappearing through the Bridge. Megatron follows, leaving the shocked Autobots alone in the empty chamber.

Ratchet GroundBridges the team back to base, but is anxious to see that Optimus is not with them. They explain that Optimus is still alive, but did not even know his own name. Ratchet realizes that surrendering the Matrix of Leadership caused their leader to lose not only the wisdom of the Primes, but his own memories as well.

Knock Out and the other Decepticons, minus Airachnid, welcome Megatron back aboard the Nemesis. Megatron steps aside to allow Optimus through, and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] automatically moves to attack. Megatron halts him, insisting that this is no way to treat a "long-lost comrade", and declares that Orion Pax is one of them.

To be continued…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Autobot High Council|High Council]] (14–16)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)
*[[Airachnid]] (18)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (19)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (20)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (21)
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] (22)

|c3=
*[[June Darby]] (7)
*[[William Fowler]] (8)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (10)
*[[Jack Darby]] (11)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Unicron]] (4)
*[[Core]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Raf:''' Megatron was an Autobot? 
'''Miko:''' Optimus was a 'Con!? 
'''Rachet:''' No, on either count.
:—The kids get confused while Ratchet gets ready to tell a tale.

"Watch out for the quiet ones…"
:—'''Knock Out''' after witnessing Soundwave "veto" Airachnid's motion to leave Earth.

'''Unicron:''' '''''Megatron! Destroy the Prime! I command you!''''' 
'''Megatron:''' Megatron is commanded by NO ONE! Aaaaaargh!!
:—He's not wrong [[The Transformers: The Movie|this time.]]

'''Optimus:''' Where are we Megatronus? 
'''Megatron:''' Don't you remember, old friend?
:—…uh, that was unexpected.

'''Arcee:''' How do we know if unicron is using megatron to lure us into a trap?
'''Optimus:''' We do not.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*All of the natural disasters around the world abruptly stop when Unicron is beaten. While it might make sense for the earthquakes to stop, tidal waves wouldn't just suddenly fall apart. Forward momentum doesn't just vanish. Similar problems occur with the tornadoes dissipating and the sky clearing.
*At the Earth's core, the Autobots should experience very little gravity, as the total mass of Earth would be reasonably equally distributed around them and therefore the pull of gravity would be cancelled out.
*Despite entering the tunnel to Unicron's spark chamber only a few seconds before Optimus, Megatron still manages a very hefty lead. By the time Optimus navigates the tunnel that leads into the spark chamber, Megatron is already inside, standing in front of Unicron's spark.
* After defeating Unicron, both Megatron and Optimus are knocked unconscious: Megatron on his back and Optimus on the ground facing away from the other. However, when we see them wake up later, Megatron is on his stomach and Optimus is facing him now.

===Continuity errors===
*Ratchet's statement that Megatron started the war after not being made Prime contradicts the history given in [[Darkness Rising, Part 1]], where Megatron is said to have split from Optimus ''during'' the war.
*Bulkhead is the only Autobot visibly affected by the Dark Energon.

===Continuity notes===
*The entire backstory given by Ratchet is an adaptation of the first half of ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]''. Plot elements were changed, such as Orion Pax becoming Optimus when he found the Matrix of Leadership, as opposed to when he was assigned the position by the Cybertron High Council.
* Optimus's blade is still broken after the episode "[[One Shall Fall]]".

===Transformers references===
*Optimus Prime was originally known as Orion Pax, much like [[Optimus Prime (G1)|his namesake]] in the episode "[[War Dawn]]."
*The [[Key to Vector Sigma]] first appeared in ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1]]" and later featured prominently in the first season of ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''.
*Optimus calls upon the Matrix to "[[Darkest hour|light our darkest hour]]."
*This is not [[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3|the first incidence]] in a ''Transformers'' cartoon of a tidal wave stopping all of a sudden.
*For once, Optimus is the one who gets to say he "still functions", rather than Megatron.
* When Unicron possesses Megatron, he is engulfed in flames similar to [[The Fallen|another well known herald]].

===Real-world references===
===Trivia===
*This episode aired in Singapore on [[October 4]], 2011, again preceding its American showing.
*Jack is clearly taking very good care of that Key Optimus gave him...by idly tapping it against a railing.
*This is the first time we've seen Soundwave "get his hands dirty". With how easily he trounces Airachnid, that's probably a good thing for the Autobots.
*According to the flashbacks, Megatron's optics are blue, fingers, eyebrows, and shoulders less pointy, his feet also being rather flat, until he was rejected by the Council and storms out angrily, obtaining the sharp teeth and red eyes.
*Fowler hugs June. Make of that what you will.
*Once more, the Thirteen Original Primes make an appearance, this time as statue busts in the walls of the High Council's chamber.
*Optimus has a Cybertronian form, with different kibble, in the flashbacks. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]], [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]], [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] must be special.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

One Shall Rise, Part 3

2011-10-31T20:33:31Z

97.73.64.146: /* Quotes */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 26
|prev=One Shall Rise, Part 2
|next=
|image=OneShallRise3-together.jpg
|caption=Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?
|title="One Shall Rise, Part 3"
|airdate=[[October 15]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Jack learns more about Optimus Prime's history on Cybertron while the Autobots continue their battle at the Earth's core.'''

==Synopsis==

As he leads the [[Autobot]]s further toward [[Earth]]'s core, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] is again seized by a vision of the planet exploding. He notes how [[Unicron]]'s strength grows ever greater and continues on. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] both voice their mistrust of the [[Decepticon]] leader, though they have no choice but to follow him. Unbeknownst to them, several strange, mechanical creatures observe the intruders into their dark domain.

Back at [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|base]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and the [[human]]s watch a report that outlines how the planet's chaotic weather continues to spiral out of control. Despite [[June Darby|June]]'s efforts to lighten the mood, [[William Fowler|Fowler]] insists that something must be done—even if it means contacting his associates at the [[Pentagon]]. Fowler makes known his uneasiness about teaming up with Megatron, but Ratchet surprises the humans by explaining how such a situation has happened before. Ratchet relates how Optimus Prime and Megatron were once close friends, in the twilight hours of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s [[Golden Age]].

[[Image:OneShallRise3-corresponding.jpg|left|thumb|250px|''Once, I called you "Brother".'' 
''Once, I thought the chance to make you laugh'' 
''Was all I ever wanted...'' 
''And even now,'' 
''I wish that [[Primus|God]] had chose another.'' 
''Serving as your foe on His behalf'' 
''Is the last thing that I wanted...!'']]
''The great Autobot leader was once named Orion Pax, a simple clerk in the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] Hall of Records. Learning of Cybertron's past, Orion grew concerned about the corruption affecting high places and the [[Caste system|state of inequity]] in society. He became inspired by the revolutionary words of Megatronus, a gladiator who took his name from [[The Fallen|one]] of the [[Thirteen|thirteen original Primes]]. Megatronus gained a loyal following through his radical and innovative actions, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] chief among their number. Over time, Megatronus became a mentor figure to Orion Pax and chose to shorten his name as he left the gladiatorial arena for the political one. Megatron appeared before the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], voicing his ideas for shaping a new Cybertron by violent means, and demanded to be named the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. Orion protested against Megatron's suggestions before the Council, moving their [[spark]]s and minds as he unknowingly revealed himself to be the one worthy of the title. Megatron severed his ties to Orion and the Council, taking his "Decepticon" followers to begin the [[Great War (Prime)|war]] that consumed Cybertron and vowing to claim the legendary [[Matrix of Leadership]] for himself. Hoping to reverse the damage that had poisoned the planet, Orion journeyed to Cybertron's [[Core]], where he found himself before the spark of [[Primus]], the creator of all [[Cybertronians]]. Primus sensed the purity of Orion's own spark and bestowed upon him the legendary Matrix, transforming him into Optimus Prime.''

In the present, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Jack Darby|Jack]] question Optimus's plan to give the Matrix to the Earth's core, asking what could possibly stop Megatron from attempting to claim it for himself now. Ratchet darkly replies that Megatron only intends to save the Earth so that he may conquer it at a later date.

As they near Unicron's spark, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] begins to feel the draining effects of the [[Dark Energon]]. [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and Arcee help him a short way across the catwalks, but Megatron soon comes to a halt ahead with the realization that Unicron is preparing to expel them. A huge number of Unicron's drones suddenly swarm into view, surrounding Megatron and the Autobots. They engage the drones in fierce battle, blasting and slashing through their attackers. Arcee is knocked to a lower level, not long before the Dark Energon clouds Bulkhead's vision. He stumbles from the catwalk but manages to grab hold of the edge, and is seized by Bumblebee before he can tumble to his death. Optimus and Megatron fight back-to-back, managing to hold their own against the drones in a spectacular display of effective—if uneasy—teamwork. Bumblebee struggles to hold onto Bulkhead, who insists that the scout lets him go. Optimus seizes Bulkhead just as Bumblebee loses his grip, and hauls him up to safety. As the group quickly becomes overwhelmed, Arcee hitches a ride on one of the drones to catch up with the others and beat a swift retreat with them.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-SoundwaveAirachnid.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Maybe Megatron should stop having seconds-in-command and just skip straight to thirds-in-command.]]
Aboard the [[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]], [[Airachnid]] outlines the questionable nature of their leader's recent behavior. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] asks whether she is suggesting that they abandon Lord Megatron. Airachnid explains how Megatron's undetectable signal implies that he is either offline or at the mercy of Unicron—neither scenario being in the best interests of the Decepticons. She suggests an exodus from Earth, and receives no protests from the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. However, her order to retreat to [[Regulon Four]] is denied by Soundwave, who silently challenges her authority. When he refuses her demand to step aside, she leaps to attack him. Soundwave easily blocks every one of her blows, before lifting her clean into the air. He hurls her back, deploying [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] to stun Airachnid in a sudden sneak attack. Pinned under Soundwave's foot, much to Knock Out's amusement, Airachnid relinquishes command to the intelligence officer.

Back in the Autobot base, Ratchet notes he has lost the others' communication links and life signals, most likely caused by interference from the electromagnetic anomalies. Miko asks how they are supposed to know when the others are ready for pickup if contact is impossible, but Ratchet is prevented from responding by the sound of Jack tapping the [[GroundBridge]] key against a railing. Ratchet reveals that the object is actually the [[Key to Vector Sigma]]—one of Cybertron's most precious relics. Ratchet then realizes that Optimus entrusted the key to Jack because he did not plan on returning from the planet's core.

Megatron is gripped by yet another painful vision of Unicron whilst he and the Autobots are backed into an enclosed chamber by the attacking drones. Unicron orders him to destroy Optimus. Instead, Megatron saves the Autobot leader by blasting an oncoming drone. He then indicates a closed doorway nearby, stating that Unicron's spark lies just beyond. He explains that, to pass through, they must fool Unicron into believing that they pose no danger, and moves his Dark Energon-infused chest up to the door. It opens in response, and Optimus orders the others to remain outside and provide cover fire while he and Megatron advance.

The passageway beyond leads directly into Unicron's spark chamber, where Optimus prepares to expose the Matrix within his chest. Unicron's spark reacts, striking both invaders with its energy. Unicron again orders Megatron to kill Optimus, forcing him to unsheathe his blade and approach the weakened Prime. Megatron struggles against him, declaring himself to be under the command of no-one. His resistance provokes only an onslaught of pain and a furious reaction from the Chaos Bringer.

The volcano outside erupts violently, and the ground enclosing the Autobot base begins to quake. Ratchet tells the humans to take cover, and he moves to shield them from falling debris.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-unleash.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Care Bear Stare!]]
Unicron's spark adopts the appearance of a face as Megatron is seemingly freed from his control. Optimus calls upon the power of the Matrix of Leadership, but hesitates as Unicron possesses Megatron's body in a veil of purple flame and declares his own invincibility. Optimus cuts short Unicron's desire to pull the Earth into chaos, and he rises to his feet as he becomes surrounded by a brilliant blue light. Optimus fires the power of the Matrix from his chest directly into Unicron's spark, the resulting wave of energy knocking Megatron back off his feet. His energy drained, Optimus falls to his knees, and Unicron's spark emits a final wail of pain before vanishing into oblivion.

The drones outside suddenly fall from the air, lifeless. The volcano, along with all of the Earth's other natural phenomena, subside back to normality. Ratchet and the humans watch as the monitors flicker online, rejoicing as their team's life signals are all safely re-established. Aboard the Nemesis, however, Soundwave also detects the signature of the Decepticon leader.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-hug.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"You smell like my mom." "I smell like ''his'' mom!"]]
Megatron rights himself in Unicron's now-empty spark chamber, inspecting Optimus's steaming body for a moment before unsheathing his blade. Optimus gazes blearily up at the approaching Decepticon, then addresses him as "Megatronus" and asks where they are. Surprised, Megatron retracts his weapon and helps the Autobot to his feet. Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee soon burst through the wall to assist, but Optimus does not recognise them. A GroundBridge suddenly opens nearby; Megatron claims that the Autobots are their sworn enemies and provides cover fire as Optimus heads for the vortex. Optimus blankly meets Bumblebee's devastated gaze for a split second before disappearing through the Bridge. Megatron follows, leaving the shocked Autobots alone in the empty chamber.

Ratchet GroundBridges the team back to base, but is anxious to see that Optimus is not with them. They explain that Optimus is still alive, but did not even know his own name. Ratchet realizes that surrendering the Matrix of Leadership caused their leader to lose not only the wisdom of the Primes, but his own memories as well.

Knock Out and the other Decepticons, minus Airachnid, welcome Megatron back aboard the Nemesis. Megatron steps aside to allow Optimus through, and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] automatically moves to attack. Megatron halts him, insisting that this is no way to treat a "long-lost comrade", and declares that Orion Pax is one of them.

To be continued…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Autobot High Council|High Council]] (14–16)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)
*[[Airachnid]] (18)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (19)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (20)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (21)
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] (22)

|c3=
*[[June Darby]] (7)
*[[William Fowler]] (8)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (10)
*[[Jack Darby]] (11)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Unicron]] (4)
*[[Core]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Raf:''' Megatron was an Autobot? 
'''Miko:''' Optimus was a 'Con!? 
'''Rachet:''' No, on either count.
:—The kids get confused while Ratchet gets ready to tell a tale.

"Watch out for the quiet ones…"
:—'''Knock Out''' after witnessing Soundwave "veto" Airachnid's motion to leave Earth.

'''Unicron:''' '''''Megatron! Destroy the Prime! I command you!''''' 
'''Megatron:''' Megatron is commanded by NO ONE! Aaaaaargh!!
:—He's not wrong [[The Transformers: The Movie|this time.]]

'''Optimus:''' Where are we Megatronus? 
'''Megatron:''' Don't you remember, old friend?
:—…uh, that was unexpected.

'''Arcee''' How do we know if unicron is using megatron to lure us into a trap?
'''Optimus''' We do not.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*All of the natural disasters around the world abruptly stop when Unicron is beaten. While it might make sense for the earthquakes to stop, tidal waves wouldn't just suddenly fall apart. Forward momentum doesn't just vanish. Similar problems occur with the tornadoes dissipating and the sky clearing.
*At the Earth's core, the Autobots should experience very little gravity, as the total mass of Earth would be reasonably equally distributed around them and therefore the pull of gravity would be cancelled out.
*Despite entering the tunnel to Unicron's spark chamber only a few seconds before Optimus, Megatron still manages a very hefty lead. By the time Optimus navigates the tunnel that leads into the spark chamber, Megatron is already inside, standing in front of Unicron's spark.
* After defeating Unicron, both Megatron and Optimus are knocked unconscious: Megatron on his back and Optimus on the ground facing away from the other. However, when we see them wake up later, Megatron is on his stomach and Optimus is facing him now.

===Continuity errors===
*Ratchet's statement that Megatron started the war after not being made Prime contradicts the history given in [[Darkness Rising, Part 1]], where Megatron is said to have split from Optimus ''during'' the war.
*Bulkhead is the only Autobot visibly affected by the Dark Energon.

===Continuity notes===
*The entire backstory given by Ratchet is an adaptation of the first half of ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]''. Plot elements were changed, such as Orion Pax becoming Optimus when he found the Matrix of Leadership, as opposed to when he was assigned the position by the Cybertron High Council.
* Optimus's blade is still broken after the episode "[[One Shall Fall]]".

===Transformers references===
*Optimus Prime was originally known as Orion Pax, much like [[Optimus Prime (G1)|his namesake]] in the episode "[[War Dawn]]."
*The [[Key to Vector Sigma]] first appeared in ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1]]" and later featured prominently in the first season of ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''.
*Optimus calls upon the Matrix to "[[Darkest hour|light our darkest hour]]."
*This is not [[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3|the first incidence]] in a ''Transformers'' cartoon of a tidal wave stopping all of a sudden.
*For once, Optimus is the one who gets to say he "still functions", rather than Megatron.
* When Unicron possesses Megatron, he is engulfed in flames similar to [[The Fallen|another well known herald]].

===Real-world references===
===Trivia===
*This episode aired in Singapore on [[October 4]], 2011, again preceding its American showing.
*Jack is clearly taking very good care of that Key Optimus gave him...by idly tapping it against a railing.
*This is the first time we've seen Soundwave "get his hands dirty". With how easily he trounces Airachnid, that's probably a good thing for the Autobots.
*According to the flashbacks, Megatron's optics are blue, fingers, eyebrows, and shoulders less pointy, his feet also being rather flat, until he was rejected by the Council and storms out angrily, obtaining the sharp teeth and red eyes.
*Fowler hugs June. Make of that what you will.
*Once more, the Thirteen Original Primes make an appearance, this time as statue busts in the walls of the High Council's chamber.
*Optimus has a Cybertronian form, with different kibble, in the flashbacks. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]], [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]], [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] must be special.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Core

2011-10-31T20:20:41Z

97.73.64.146: /* Prime cartoon */

{{disambig2|the core of Cybertron from the aligned continuity family|the core of Cybertron from ''Beast Machines''|organic core}}
:''The Core is a place from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''

[[Image:WFC Cybertron's core.jpg|thumb|right|400px|In WFC2, Octopunch shoots this thing in the face. Uh... eye. That hole in the middle, there.]]

The '''Core''' is located at the centre of the planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and considered sacred ground by the Cybertronians as it produced vast quantities of [[energon]] that is essential to the continued existence of the [[Transformer]] race. Resembling a massive spherical construct, the Core possesses its own consciousness and mind allowing it to speak as well as act.

{{quote|These are sacred grounds, Ironhide. The Core provides Energon and life to all of Cybertron. It pains me to see it defiled this way.|Optimus Prime going religious on us|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''Exodus''===
The dying Sentinel Prime ordered Optimus to go to the Core and remove its infection. Optimus was accompanied by [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] and began descending the [[Underworld]] through the empty [[Well of All Sparks]]. Horrified by the infestation, Bumblebee tore out the corruption spikes on the Core, allowing Optimus to remove the poisonous [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. A voice that only Optimus could hear then told him he was too late, but it imbued his body with the Matrix, truly making him a Prime. It told him to [[Ark (WFC)|leave]] Cybertron, but to also return one day, when the Matrix and the Core would act in concert to restore the planet. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===

[[Image:OneShallRise1-Core.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Oooh, continuity.]]
After the [[Thirteen]] defeated [[Unicron]], [[Primus]] became one with Cybertron's core and created life through the [[Well of All Sparks]]. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

Much later, the civil war on Cybertron poisoned the very Core itself. Orion Pax journeyed there in the hope of reversing the effects and made contact with the ailing Primus, who bestowed the [[Matrix of Leadership]] upon him. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''War for Cybertron''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.]] (English)
[[Image:Coreprecorruption.jpg|thumb|300px|Get your icky tentacles away from me!]]
In the closing stages of the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]], the [[Decepticon]] leader [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] learnt of the existence of a powerful corruptive energy source known as [[Dark Energon]] located at an orbital station. After acquiring the station and manufacturing it through the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]], Megatron decided to corrupt the Core of Cybertron itself in order to win his war against the [[Autobot]]s. To accomplish this feat, he first needed the Omega Key and thus laid siege to [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] itself and journeyed into the [[Vaults]] where he battled [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Zeta Prime]] for the relic. It was only after the battle did he learn of Omega Supreme being the key to the Core and battled the gigantic Autobot as well as defeating him. With Omega Supreme defeated, Megatron forced the Guardian to open the Omega Gate and took his Decepticons to the Core. There, he used Corruptors to infuse the Core with Dark Energon which began to manifest all over the planet Cybertron and threatening its survival.

With the defeat of Zeta Prime, the [[Autobot High Council|High Council of Elders]] promoted [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]] to the position of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] in order to lead the Autobots. Seeing the continued corruption of Dark Energon spreading across Cybertron, Optimus Prime decided to journey deep into the planet and purge the infestation at its source. Taking [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]] and [[Warpath (WFC)|Warpath]] with him, they learnt that [[Space slug]]s were fighting a losing battle in cleansing the Core of Dark Energon. Furthermore, the trio of Autobots had to fight against a garrison of Decepticons left behind by Megatron to ensure that the Core remained corrupted. Despite their resistance, Optimus Prime and his team managed to reach the centre of Cybertron and kill a corrupted space slug thus freeing the Core. There, the Core spoke to Optimus Prime and revealed that the corruption of Dark Energon had been too extensive and in order to conserve itself - the Core had to shut down and purge itself in a process that would take millions of years where it would no longer be able to produce large quantities of Energon.

This meant that the planet Cybertron would be barren as a result and insufficient energy would be present for those that remained on the surface. Despite claiming that the line of Primes had failed in their mission, the Core decided to impart the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to Optimus Prime stating that so long as it functioned; its own [[Spark]] would continue. With that done, Optimus Prime returned to the surface and began the [[Great Exodus]] of Cybertron, leaving only a small number of them behind who vowed to continue to fight Megatron's tyrannical rule. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

==Notes==
*Whilst not stated in the game, the Core is likely the shell that houses [[Primus]] himself. In ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'', the core refers to Primus separately, so it is probably a [[Oracle (BM)|shell program]]. [[One Shall Rise, Part 1|Episode 24]] of the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime cartoon]] confirmed that Primus became one with the Core.

[[Category:Planet Cybertron]]
[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron]]