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TransWarped

2010-07-15T20:53:45Z

98.199.36.222: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFA TransWarped Sari hands.jpg
|caption="WhY mY hAnDs HuRt?"
|prev=A Bridge Too Close, Part II
|next=Three's a Crowd
|ep=30, 31 and 32
|title="TransWarped"
|airdate=[[March 14]], 2009
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]] [[Michael Ryan]] [[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani]] [[Tetsuro Moronuki]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}
'''In the aftermath of the battle at the mine, Sari and her father’s relationship takes a strange turn; the Autobots have their work cut out for them trying to contact Cybertron; and Megatron and Starscream find a new opportunity'''

==Synopsis==
===Part I===
[[Image:TransWarpedRodimusCosmicRust.jpg|thumb|left|180px|No fair, I just got here!]]

Somewhere along the outer rim of the galaxy, a contingent of [[Autobot]]s led by [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]] defends [[space bridge 687-030]] against the [[Decepticon]]s' "[[Team Chaar]]," led by [[Strika (Animated)|Strika]]. She, [[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]] and [[Cyclonus (Animated)|Cyclonus]] strafe [[Brawn (Animated)|Brawn]], [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] and [[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]], badly injuring Hot Shot's leg and forcing team medic [[Red Alert (Animated)|Red Alert]] to perform an amputation. Before she can do so, however, she is swallowed up by [[Spittor (Animated)|Spittor]], who explosively vomits her back at her team. Rodimus contacts the [[Elite Guard]] for backup, but the Autobot forces are spread much too thin, defending space bridges from Decepticon attacks all across the galaxy. Oil Slick and Cyclonus proceed to take down Brawn and Ironhide, leaving Rodimus on his own, at which point Blackout arrives and all but finishes the fight with a huge electromagnetic pulse. Rodimus still has some fight left in him, but it drains away when Oil Slick offlines him with a vial of [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]]. Strika contacts [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], who informs her that nobody is to TransWarp to the planet until [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] himself arrives. But Megatron was supposed to be there megacycles ago...

[[Image:TransWarpedStarscreamsScream.jpg|thumb|right|180px|I'mma firin' my lazhar!.]]

Off in the depths of space, the disembodied head of [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] attempts to remove Megatron's stasis cuffs with his teeth as the Decepticon leader berates him all the while. As Starscream begins bellowing back at Megatron, the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragment in his forehead begins to glow, and he undergoes a surprising transformation: His mouth converts into a sonic blaster that shoots the cuffs clean off Megatron's wrists. There is no time for the two villains to celebrate, however, as the giant form of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] materializes above them. But after a moment, Megatron realizes that the colossus is offline...

[[Image:TransWarpedProtoform.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Hush little baby, don't say a word. Sumdac's gonna build you a mockingbird.]]

On [[Earth]], as the Autobots return to [[Detroit]], [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] explains [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] origins to her as best he can, revealing that he discovered her in his laboratory years ago, in the form of a small, liquid metal robot. Sari finds the story hard to believe, and her strained patience reaches its end when the group returns to [[Sumdac Tower]] and confronts [[Porter C. Powell]] and [[Henry Masterson]]. Powell tries to smooth things over with Isaac, but Masterson's belligerent attitude dispels any attempts at peace, which is further ruined when he demands the Autobots return his Headmaster, or "heads will roll." Having entered the lab from the elevator behind them, Optimus picks up Masterson and asks for clarification on his threat. Isaac immediately fires both Powell and Masterson, but Masterson refuses to vacate the premises, and Powell takes another shot at Sari's disputed parentage. In a moment of anger, Sari's hands transform into energy projectors that hurl the two men into the building's elevator. This newest revelation pushes Sari over the edge, and she walks out on the man she can no longer even think of as her father, returning to the Autobots' base with her "fellow machines." While [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] examines Sari—deducing that she's basically human, but partially Cybertronian—Prowl departs to carry out some research of his own. With Ratchet lost in his memories of [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]], [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] head back to the Decepticons' destroyed mine base to salvage some equipment that will let them contact Cybertron and inform the Autobots there of the traitor in their midst.

On a small planetoid somewhere in space, [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] is still trapped in a cement blob with Starscream's [[Thundercracker (Animated)|egomaniacal]] and [[Skywarp (Animated)|cowardly]] clones. Blurr proposes using sonic pulses to dissolve the glue, and the egomaniac takes the idea for his own and successfully frees them. Blurr immediately speeds off, launching into space and literally running across the galaxy, ricocheting off everything in his path (including the egomaniac) to get back to Cybertron and inform the Elite Guard of Megatron's invasion plan.

Megatron and Starscream force their way into Omega Supreme's body, but this action brings the giant Autobot back online, and his internal systems immediately seize the Decepticons. Megatron exploits Omega's simple processor and convinces the titan to take him back to Cybertron "to face justice." Omega transforms back into ship mode and TransWarps off toward Cybertron.

Back on Earth, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are searching through the ruins of the mine when Bumblebee discovers a [[Plasmadynamic thruster|plasmadynamic thruster]] space bridge component that abruptly TransWarps him away. While Bulkhead is wondering where his buddy went, he is suddenly attacked by Henry Masterson, who recovered his Headmaster unit and Starscream's headless body from the mine the night before.

At Sumdac Tower, Prowl shadows Sumdac into his laboratory, quickly accesses his computers, and scans the scientist in an attempt to learn more about Sari's origins. Ratchet is having distinctly less luck back at the Autobot base, where Sari refuses to let him perform an exploratory surgery. The whole unpleasant affair reminds Ratchet of his past on Cybertron, when he performed open-processor surgery on Arcee and discovered she was carrying the codes that were key to the creation of Omega Supreme. Prime snaps Ratchet out of his flashback with the news that he cannot contact Bumblebee and Bulkhead, and Ratchet heads out to the mine to investigate.

[[Image:TFA TransWarped Headmaster Starscream power up.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|Here we go again...]]]]
With the other Autobots busy, Optimus Prime tries to patch up the Sumdac family feud by surreptitiously opening a comm channel to Professor Sumdac's laboratory and explaining loudly and at length to Sari that he is going to take her to [[Burger Bot]]. Sumdac catches on and heads out to meet them there, but Sari is furious at being set up and refuses to talk to him. Unfortunately, the Headmaster soon arrives, having picked up Prime's phone call through bugs left in Sumdac Tower, and threatens to unleash t0t47 0wN4ge!

===Part II===
[[Image:TFAni TransWarped Headmaster PWN3D.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Heads out.]]
Optimus Prime engages the Headmaster, binding him with his grapplers and dragging him around the Burger Bot parking lot before taking a moment to usher the Sumdacs to safety behind a dumpster. The fight carries the two combatants to an overhead roadway and back, with the Headmaster eventually downing Prime with a slab of concrete. Sumdac is forced to take action, and he hides Sari within the dumpster so that he can draw the Headmaster's attention and keep her safe. Touched by this, Sari unleashes her energy projectors on the Headmaster in defence of her father, though they do little to the villain other than draw his attention. Prime rejoins the battle just in time, ramming the villain in truck mode and goading the Headmaster into trying to transform Starscream's body as well. Infuriated by Prime's claim that a n00b such as he would find it difficult, the Headmaster tries to meet the challenge... only to find his Headmaster unit squeezed clean off Starscream's body by the transformation process. As Starscream's lifeless carcass spirals off into the river, the Headmaster is apprehended by Prime and handed over to [[Captain Fanzone]].

Back at Sumdac tower, Prowl reveals his findings to Prime, Sari and Sumdac: He believes that the body Sumdac found in his lab was, in fact, a Cybertronian [[protoform]] that scanned Professor Sumdac's genetic data. Sari takes the revelation in stride, although everyone else remains mystified as to how a protoform wound up on Earth in the first place. There is no time to dwell on the subject, however, as Ratchet radios Prime to inform him of Bulkhead's injuries and Bumblebee's disappearance.

Out in space, Omega Supreme re-emerges from TransWarp, and his systems all power down, having been sapped of energy by the effort of the teleport. Megatron attempts to escape from the confines of the giant Autobot's body, but without his weapons, he is unable. Starscream's new sonic blaster is similarly ineffective, and Megatron instead schemes to take control of Omega's very body.

[[Image:TFAni TransWarped Blurr Crushed.jpg|180px|right|thumb|"We... are going... to die!"]]
On Cybertron, Shockwave (in the form of Longarm Prime) is informed by [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] that the space bridge network has been shut down to prevent a Decepticon invasion of the planet. Suppressing his frustration, Shockwave is promptly presented with an outlet for his anger when Blurr comes streaking out of the sky and crashes at his feet. Blurr informs him of the double-agent on Cybertron, whom he plans to identify by cross-referencing his voice-print with the Cybertron intelligence database, and Shockwave immediately attacks the speedster, intent on silencing him before his cover can be blown. Blurr streaks off into a series of nearby corridors, but his speed fails to carry him beyond Shockwave's reach: Using a control console, Shockwave seals off the tunnels, and Blurr is crushed between two walls.

Back on Earth, Ratchet's treatment of Bulkhead is interrupted by Sari, who volunteers use of her Key to fix the larger Autobot's wounds. Ratchet is indignant, insisting that just because something is new, it doesn't make it better, but Bulkhead requests the Key. While Sari goes to work on Bulkhead's injuries, the sullen medic is overtaken by his memories; he recalls the creation of Omega Supreme and how he was partnered with the newborn titan to serve as his mentor, teacher and friend. Ratchet is roused from his unpleasant trip down memory lane when discussion turns to the whereabouts of Bumblebee, and before long, Bulkhead figures out that the plasmadynamic thruster has TransWarped Bumblebee off across the galaxy. Bulkhead suggests using a retrieval beacon generator recovered from the mine ruins to pinpoint Bumblebee's location, and Sari uses her Key to fix it before Ratchet can even begin examining it.

Aboard Omega Supreme, Megatron uses his stasis cuffs to "hotwire" Omega's body and bring it back online. However, when the light from Omega's "headlights" falls upon a nearby asteroid, Megatron and Starscream are shocked to see the rock react to the light, transforming into a humanoid monster that immediately attacks the ship! As more asteroids transform around him, Omega transwarps away to safety...only for Bumblebee, cruising on the tail end of Omega's TransWarp field, to materialize in his place, right in the midst of the [[Rock Lord]]s! The largest creature swallows the tiny Autobot with a single gulp.

Simultaneously, on Earth, Bulkhead locks in on Bumblebee's position and teleports him back, but the Rock Lord he is inside comes with him and is immediately driven to a rampage by the blinding light of the [[Sun]]. Optimus Prime detects Bumblebee's signature within the creature, and the Autobots prepare to give chase as the alien stomps off through the city. Prowl is rather taken aback to see Ratchet wearing his EMP generator on his arm once more, while Prime has to deal with Sari's demands that she be allowed to join them in the fight now that she has powers. Prime refuses, and the Autobots zoom off after the rock monster, but Sari won't take no for an answer and is struck with inspiration: Give herself an upgrade! Sari concentrates, and a port opens in her chest, into which she inserts her Key...and in an explosion of energy, Sari's whole body transforms into a taller, older form, suited in combat armor!

[[Image:TFAni TransWarped Screamer Hotwire OmegaSupreme.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Name: Starscream Function: Jumper Cable]]
Meanwhile, Megatron has discovered that Omega Supreme has again expended all his power, and his stasis cuffs do not have the energy left to rectify the situation. He grabs Starscream's head and jams it into the circuits, where the traitor's AllSpark fragment energizes Omega's systems once more.

[[Image:TransWarpedBumblebeeSari.jpg|thumb|right|180px|So, kids, don't play with too many knives!]]
Back in Detroit, the Autobots are attempting to figure out how to stop the Rock Lord without hurting Bumblebee, when the upgraded Sari comes streaking onto the scene on jet skates. As the Autobots look on in shock, Sari begins attacking the alien with arm-blades and an energy-hammer that morph out of her arms. A single strike of the hammer reduces the alien to boulders, freeing Bumblebee, who is immediately struck by Sari's new look, but then shouts a warning: The smaller boulders surrounding the pair have transformed into small creatures. But the creatures pose no threat to Sari, and she pounds them into pebbles. As Sari basks in her triumph, Ratchet realizes with horror that she has used the Key on herself. The elderly Autobot's concern is soon proven valid, as the Key overloads Sari's systems, and she loses control of her body. With Sari attacking everything and everyone around her, the Autobots attempt to stop her with a variety of non-lethal strategies, but Sari counters everything they throw at her, including Prowl's processor-over-matter technique. Even as Prime and Sari tell Bumblebee to keep back, the young Autobot races to his friend's side...only for the out-of-control Sari to stab him through the chest! Frozen for a horrific moment, Bumblebee is then hurled back by an energy discharge, and the light dims from his optics...

===Part III===
Ratchet leaps to Bumblebee's aid, but without Sari's Key, Bulkhead fears his little buddy is done for. Ratchet denies that he requires the key to do his job, but his memories of when he was forced to place the dying Omega Supreme in stasis haunt him as he begins to operate on Bumblebee.

[[Image:TFAni TransWarped Ratchet Repairs Bumblebee.jpg|left|thumb|180px|Operator, what's the number for Nine-One-One?]]
Sari, meanwhile, is storming through the city streets, causing objects to explode when she comes into contact with them, and the Autobots head after her, seeking to remove the Key in hopes of bringing her back under control. They corral her with a wall of steel girders, affording Prowl the chance to get the drop on her and rip the Key from her chest, but Sari continues to rampage. With Bumblebee fading, Ratchet goes back on his previous claim and requests the Key be brought to him, but when Prowl complies, he discovers that the energy of the Key has been completely drained. Prowl assures Ratchet that he can accomplish the task without the Key, and the old medic gravely takes up the challenge and manages to bring Bumblebee back online.

Back with Sari, Prime and Bulkhead, Sari's energies are growing increasingly more out of control, as the street beneath her explodes with every step she takes. Bulkhead suggests just trying to "hold it in," but when Sari tries, things get even worse, as she begins to glow with so much energy that she is on the verge of exploding. Optimus summons Ratchet so that he can use his EMP generator to take Sari down, and while Ratchet is hesitant to do so, Sari begs him to stop her. Ratchet fires, and Sari collapses, her energy fading.

[[Image:TFAni TransWarped LongArm Cliffjumper Cube.jpg|right|thumb|180px|Kid's meal premiums aren't what they used to be.]]
On Cybertron, Longarm Prime has Cliffjumper dispose of the crushed remains of Blurr and is then contacted by Megatron. Learning that the space bridge network is down and that the Earth-based Autobots are poised to blow Shockwave's cover, Megatron orders the Decepticons to cease their attacks on the space bridges so that he can solve both problems his own way. Team Chaar receive the transmission and fall back, much to the Elite Guard's surprise.

In the Autobots' base, Ratchet completes a rewiring of Sari's systems, bypassing the circuits that caused her to run out of control. Professor Sumdac soon arrives, having been informed of the location of the base by Optimus Prime. The Autobots are a little upset by this, but Prime makes it clear that there are to be no more secrets in this "family". The Autobots step outside the plant to give the Sumdacs some time together, and are in the middle of catching Bumblebee up on recent events when the small Autobot suddenly begins to glow with TransWarp energies once more. Bulkhead quickly deactivates the plasmadynamic thruster, but the source of the TransWarp wave the thruster was picking up soon becomes apparent, as Omega Supreme materializes in the sky overhead. Much to the Autobots' surprise, the titan fires upon them before transforming to robot mode, revealing a projected image of Megatron's face upon his visor! The Decepticon leader is in complete control of Omega's body and begins attacking the Autobots, forcing Optimus Prime to consider unleashing an uncontrollable Sari on the giant. Before resorting to this desperate last resort, the Autobots attempt to lure Megatron away from the city. Ratchet even upgrades Bumblebee's stingers to a more powerful battle grade for the mission.

[[Image:TFAni TransWarped Prowl Megs OSFight.jpg|left|thumb|180px|I'm going to have to put you on the game grid.]]
Taking refuge in the nearby river, the Autobots attack Omega's legs, forcing open an access hatch through which Prime and Prowl enter Omega's body. Battling Omega's internal defences, Prowl taps into Omega's processor in order to help him fight off Megatron's control, and they succeed in forcing Megatron out of the system. Prime engages Megatronin order to keep Prowl safe, but as their battle rages, Starscream seizes control of Omega's mind and forcibly disconnects Prowl from Omega's processor. Prime and Prowl are unceremoniously ejected from Omega Supreme's body, but Starscream is not finished there; he uses Omega's internal defences to seize Megatron, and resumes attacking the Autobots all around him. Megatron manages to talk Starscream into an alliance, suggesting they forget Earth and conquer Cybertron together. Starscream struggles to activate Omega's TransWarp system, and while his attention is occupied with this task, Omega's consciousness fights its way to the surface and begs Ratchet to shut him down again. Ratchet regretfully unleashes his EMP generator upon Omega, but it has no effect, and Starscream transforms Omega into starship mode in order to begin the TransWarp. Bulkhead and Bumblebee hit upon the idea to plant the plasmadynamic thruster on Omega Supreme, and they hand it off to Prime to complete the task. Prime plants the thruster at the last second before Omega disappears into TransWarp, and Ratchet catches Prime with his magnets as he falls out of the sky.

Back at the Autobot base a little later, Sari comes to and admits to Ratchet that he was right about taking it slow. Sumdac apologizes for holding back the truth from Sari for so long, and Bumblebee thanks Ratchet for saving his tailpipe. Unfortunately, Bulkhead brings the mood down by reminding everyone that they still have to find a way to contact Cybertron.

[[Image:TFA TransWarped lost in space.JPG|thumb|right|180px|[[Ripped Up Space]]]]
On Cybertron, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] holds an Autobot council and announces that all the evidence points to a double agent on Cybertron. Longarm Prime implicates escaped convict [[Wasp]], and Ultra Magnus instructs [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] and [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] to put together a unit to hunt the fugitive down. Magnus also notes that he has to make contact with Optimus's crew on Earth, and Longarm hastily demands that all contact with them be filtered through him, responding to the council's wary looks by adding that it will be purely for security reasons.

In the sky above Cybertron, Omega Supreme materializes, and Starscream howls with glee...only for the Autobot spaceship to TransWarp away immediately to another random point in space...and another...and another...
{{--}}
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]] (2)
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (3)
*[[Brawn (Animated)|Brawn]] (4)
*[[Red Alert (Animated)|Red Alert]] (7)
*[[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (10)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (11)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (12)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (17)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (18)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (19)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (20)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (21)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (22)
*[[Mainframe (Animated)|Mainframe]] (27)
*[[Highbrow (Animated)|Highbrow]] (28)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (29)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] (31)
*[[Wheeljack (Animated)|Wheeljack]] (33)
*[[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] (34)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (36)
*[[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] (37)
|c2=
*[[Cyclonus (Animated)|Cyclonus]] (1)
*[[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]] (5)
*[[Strika (Animated)|Strika]] (6)
*[[Spittor (Animated)|Spittor]] (8)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime / Shockwave]] (13)
*[[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] (14)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (15)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (16)
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]] (30)
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]] (32)
|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (24)
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]] (25)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (26)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (35)
|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (23)
*[[Rock Lord]]s (38)
}}

==Quotes==
"'Bulkhead' and 'genius' in the same sentence? I'll never get used to that."
:—'''Bumblebee''' shows his high opinion of his best friend.

"I'll warn them even if I have to run halfway across the galaxy to Cybertron to do it!" 
:—'''Blurr''', who apparently does just that.

"Sari, I don't pretend to fully understand humans, but from what I've seen, being a father is far more than a simple organic bond. It has much more to do with the spark. With the heart."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' muses on the nature of family. Sadly, the [[fandom]] desires more [[Relatives|concrete answers]].

"Prepare for TOT! Total Ownage Time!"
:—'''Headmaster''' to Optimus Prime and the Sumdacs.

"You taught me to protect like an Autobot, but all I did was destroy like a Decepticon." 
"We do what we must, even if it sometimes doesn't make sense." 
:—'''Omega Supreme''' and '''Ratchet''', before the former is put into modified stasis

'''Ratchet''': Omega, what are you doing?! Don't you recognize your old friend?! 
'''Megatron''': The question should be, "Don't you recognize your old enemy?" 
'''Optimus Prime''': Megatron?! 
'''Megatron''': Ah, then you ''do'' remember my name. Pity I can't remember yours.
:—The Autobots learn that Megatron has taken control of Omega Supreme

"It appears you and I are destined to battle aboard this ship once more, Autobot." 
"Bring it on, Decepticon."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

"Starscream too powerful. Please, shut me down! I want to sleep again." 
"I already had to use this thing once today when I didn't want to. Don't make me use it again." 
"We do what we must, even if it sometimes doesn't make sense."
:—'''Omega Supreme''' tries to convince '''Ratchet''' to use his EMP Generator

"Someday I really have to learn how to fly."
:—Someday will come [[Endgame, Part I|soon]], '''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
* When Megatron is first seen in space, parts of his helmet are miscolored red.
* Just before Omega Supreme is activated Ultra Magnus accompanies High Brow and Ratchet on a lift, in this shot the part of the Magnus Hammer's handle is missing.
* When Sari removes her key in order to place it in the homing beacon generator, the string doesn't actually go over her head... It just phases through her neck. Somehow.
* The damage to Starscream's body disappears during the commercial break.
* When Bumblebee tells Sari to watch out, her back kibble disappears for a moment. It reappears in the next shot.
* Once the key has been removed from Sari, the string attached to it mysteriously reappears.
* When Ratchet is talking to Bumblebee about Sari's condition, the side of his head is miscolored white.
* When Blackout attacks Rodimus, his chest is miscolored gray.
* After Bumblebee is slashed, there's a red spot on Bulkhead with an Autobot symbol inside it.

===Continuity errors===
* Megatron finds both of his rotors/swords after being freed from the stasis cuffs, despite leaving ''at least'' one behind when he was sucked into the space bridge in "A Bridge Too Close".
* When Bumblebee gets blown away in "Part II" after being stabbed by Sari, he lands on his back. When we cut back to him in "Part III", he appears on his side.
* Bumblebee’s rocket boosters seemingly appear out of nowhere. With Ratchet's upgrading of his stingers and now this, it seems that <s>Hasbro</s> the Autobots have gotten over their "Upgrades are bad, m'kay" phase. Spending two seasons out-gunned will probably do that to you.
* If Sumdac was wearing gloves at the time he touched the protoform, how did it get his DNA? For that matter, how did Sari end up female?
*It is revealed that the streak of white in Isaac's hair came from the shock he received when he approached the protoform that would become Sari. Pay no attention to the streak in the hair of his younger self appearing in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", please...

===Continuity notes===
*As Sari dismisses Isaac Sumdac's story of her origin, she suggests that he should have told her how he found her "in a cabbage patch", or how "the stork" brought her. Similar ideas were suggested by Professors Bumblebee and Bulkhead in "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]". In that episode, the professors also suggested that Sari was really a robot, that she came to Earth in an egg, or that she could have fallen through a portal, ''all'' of which seem to have some nugget of truth to them: She ''is'' part-robot, she was contained in a strange pod, and she appeared in Sumdac's lab out of thin air. ''Foreshadowing!''
*After Sari mentions those theories, Optimus Prime recalls how Sari told him of human manufacturing, which occurred in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]".
*Starscream says Omega Supreme is "more powerful than I imagined...well, not AllSpark-powerful...", in reference to his use of the same phrase to describe the AllSpark way back in "Transform and Roll Out!"

===Transformers references===
*Bar Oil Slick, every member of the new squads harkens back to a previous series. Rodimus, Ironhide, Brawn and Cyclonus are heavily based off their Generation One counterparts. Red Alert and Hot Shot take after their Unicron Trilogy incarnations. Spittor and Strika are both modeled after Beast Era characters, and Blackout's design is heavily influenced by the live-action movie version.
*While lecturing her on taking it slow with her powers, Ratchet says that there's "more than meets the vis-scanners" on having powers, a clear reference to the time-honored Transformers tagline "[[More than Meets the Eye (disambiguation)|more than meets the eye]]".
*Arcee's open head [[:Image:Spotlight Arcee b.jpg|looks ''waaay'' too much]] like [[Alex Milne]]'s cover for [[IDW Publishing]]'s "[[Spotlight: Arcee]]" to be a coincidence.
*Blurr races along a Saturn-style planetary ring, as [[Blurr (G1)|his namesake]] had done in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)#Season 3|Generation 1 season 3]] opening credits.
*The building in which the [[Autobot High Council]] have their meeting looks [[Metroplex (G1)|somewhat familiar]].
*Blackout seems to have retained his seismic stomp that was used by his [[Blackout (Movie)|movie counterpart]].
*Team Chaar gets its name from [[Chaar|the planet of the same name]].

===Real-world references===
* Megatron tells Optimus, "You have persistence, Autobot. I hate persistence." This is based on Lou Grant's well-known dialogue from the first episode of ''[[:wikipedia:The Mary Tyler Moore Show|The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]''—"You know what, you've got spunk! … I hate spunk!"
* Sari's transformation sequence upon absorbing the power of the key is a nod to the transformation sequence of the title robot in ''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann''.
* Sari's use of a large hammer, sending it down with her buttocks in the air, references back to... about ninety billion different anime shows. Although they usually involve an upskirt of sorts that's very thankfully absent here.
* As Sari dismisses Isaac Sumdac's story of her origin, she suggests that he should have told her how he found her "in a cabbage patch", which is a reference to [[:wikipedia:Cabbage Patch Kids|popular 80s toy]].

===Trivia===
*[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] confirmed via. Twitter after the show aired that like the series pilot, "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", "TransWarped" was made "as one 70 minute movie", although it was also cut into 22-minute episodes for syndication.<ref>[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] — http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1329673450 — "We made it as one 70 minute movie, but it has also been cut into three 22s".</ref> Unlike the pilot, however, "TransWarped" counts as three episodes out of the thirteen alotted for the show's third season. While Cartoon Network aired all three episode in movie form for their premiere, Canadian network YTV opted to debut them in episodic form, airing only the first two in a double-bill, and then screening the final part the following week.
* The creatures that turn into rocks may be a reference to the Rock Lords from the [[Tonka GoBots]] movie ''[[wikipedia:GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords|GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]''
*Starscream gains a "sonic scream" as a head-mounted weapon in this episode. Coincidentally (or not?), in the initial [[Cartoon Network]] press release for Transformers Animated, Starscream's profile claimed that he had a sonic scream he could use to send foes spinning through the air. This ability is never seen again.
*The Headmaster's appearance in this episode marks the only time a human villain is used in Season 3. And even then, he's relatively minor compared to a Decepticon-controlled Omega Supreme.
*In his last line, Shockwave seems to forget to use his American accent. Probably because he's getting worried about getting caught.
*This episode marks the first live appearance of Cybertron.
*This episode marks the last time Blurr, Thundercracker, and Skywarp appear in the series.
*This is also the last appearance of 'Longarm's' crane mode. All subsequent appearances of Shockwave involve him transforming only into his Decepticon tank mode.

==Home video releases==
This episode has yet to be released on home video.

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transwarped}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Wreck-Gar (Animated)

2010-07-15T00:31:03Z

98.199.36.222: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the garbage truck from ''Transformers Animated''|the Junkion from Generation 1|Wreck-Gar (G1)}}
:''Wreck-Gar is a very confused individual from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Wreck-garanimatedpoint.jpg|right|360px|thumb|Put down that chainsaw and listen to me!]]
Recently brought to life by the power of the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], '''Wreck-Gar''' is simple-minded and highly suggestible. As he attempts to learn more about his identity, he never loses his sense of humor. His trash bin is an impressive bag of tricks, able to stash and deploy many useful (and even more useless) items at a moment's notice, or make them seemingly disappear forever. This ability is a bit of a mixed blessing, as Wreck-Gar will frequently confuse your request with something that sounds vaguely similar.

Wreck-Gar's primary goal in life is to acquire an identity. Additionally, he is eager to help people and be liked. He will automatically take on whatever role is suggested to him. This makes him rather unpredictable and prone to making the wrong move at the wrong time. However, if he can learn to think for himself instead of relying on others, there's potential in this friendly mix-and-match bot.

{{bigquote|I am Wreck-Gar! I am only good for one thing... '''GARBAGE!'''|Wreck-Gar cheerily takes [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] at his word, "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]"}}

:''Italian dub name'': '''Pattumiera''' ("Trash can")

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [["Weird Al" Yankovic|"Weird Al" Yankovic]] (English), [[Joachim Kaps]] (German), [[Claudio Moneta]] (Italian)

[[Image:Wreck-garisgoodforonlyonething.jpg|left|180px|thumb|OKAY I CAN HEAR YOU NOW!]]

Wreck-Gar emerged from a garbage scow, activated by a shard of [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] energy that was close to [[Sari Sumdac]]'s [[AllSpark Key]], self-aware but with no sense of history or identity. He tried to figure out what he was by studying objects in his environment and was briefly tricked by a food label into thinking he was high-fructose corn syrup. Spying a blimp proclaiming the [[Detroit]] Metro Police Department was "here to help", Wreck-Gar went off in search of the police for help. Once ashore, Wreck-Gar's clumsy curiosity prevented police officers from apprehending the [[Angry Archer]], and the villain quickly conscripted Wreck-Gar as a sidekick, even giving the confused mechanoid his new, shorter name (as "worthless-''wreck''-walking-pile-of-''gar''bage" was a bit overlong). Wreck-Gar helped the Archer disable an armored car, allowing him to steal a canister of unknown content right in front of the [[Autobot]]s [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]].

Upon seeing the Autobots and overhearing that they protected life and caught bad guys, Wreck-Gar decided he wanted to do that, slapped an [[Insignia|Autobrand]] on his chest, and chased the escaping Archer. Throwing the Archer high into the air in order to "catch" him, Wreck-Gar only got the canister, as the Archer used a grappling arrow to escape. After being harshly told by Ratchet he was only good for one thing, ''GARBAGE!'', Wreck-Gar proudly declared he was good for only one thing—''GARBAGE!''—and set about trying to deliver the stinky stuff to the entire citizenry of Detroit. (Detroit just happened to be in the middle of a garbage strike as well. Hooray!) The Autobots gave chase, having discovered the canister Wreck-Gar held contained experimental [[Sumdac Systems]] garbage-eating microbots, which Ratchet worried would be dangerously mutated by Wreck-Gar's AllSpark energy.

[[Image:Wreck-garanimatedvehicle.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevrolet!]]

This mission became much more dangerous when he was approached by [[Lugnut]], who was out to retrieve the AllSpark shard from Wreck-Gar's body. Thanks to Wreck-Gar's habit of repeating everything said to him (specifically, Ratchet's proclamation that "you're not an Autobot, and you never ''will be'' an Autobot!"), Lugnut believed the newcomer was just as much a loyal [[Decepticon]] as himself. When Ratchet accosted Wreck-Gar, Lugnut prepared his [[Punch of Kill Everything]], which Wreck-Gar took to mean the [[universal greeting]], so he gave Lugnut a high-five that left a colossal impact crater. As the Autobots ran for it, Wreck-Gar hopped on the pursuing Lugnut, pulling out the now-cracked microbot canister he'd gotten. A small amount spilled on Lugnut and began eating through his tail section. Wreck-Gar helpfully disassembled the tail, sending Lugnut plummeting somewhere in Detroit, with himself and the tail landing in a full garbage scow, which the nanobots quickly began to consume. From the shore, a group of bystanders began cheering as they saw the scow's load diminish. Now supplied with a fresh load of garbage and mistaking the cheers as intended for his delivery of said garbage, Wreck-Gar pushed the scow full steam ahead.

Wreck-Gar's attempt to deliver it was impeded by Ratchet, who first screamed at the junk-bot that the nanobots would destroy the entire city should they reach shore, but Wreck-Gar was adamant. Ratchet then did the hardest thing he'd ever had to do: ''apologize'' for his insults and bad attitude. Ratchet told the now-even-more-confused robot that he could be whatever he wanted and to not let others decide for him who he was. Wreck-Gar decided he truly wanted to be a hero, and slapping the Autobot symbol on his chest once again, began vacuuming up the nanobots. The nanobots began to overload within his backpack, however, and as Wreck-Gar tumbled off of what was left of the scow, he cried out his thank-you to Ratchet. An explosion of AllSpark energy burst from the water, and all Ratchet's magnetic power could retrieve was random junk...

And, at the bottom of the lake, Wreck-Gar smiled to himself, a hero. Despite being buried up to his shoulders, he assured the fish passing by he was there to help...but first...could somebody give him a hand or a fin? {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

[[Image:Wreck Gar Polka Party.jpg|thumb|180px|left|You better squeeze all the Charmin you can, when Mr. Whipple's not around!]]

Eventually roused from his lakebed slumber by the crude raft of Sari Sumdac's [[Scrapper (Animated)|ragtag]] [[Snarl (Animated)|crew]], he joined the [[Substitute Autobot]]s to help liberate Detroit from the grip of [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. A bit less befuddled than in previous encounters, he proved (mostly) effective in aiding Sari in battle, only being defeated once Soundwave was able to focus his attentions solely on controlling [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]. Afterward, he enthusiastically pitched in on the cleanup efforts, collecting the scraps of hundreds of [[Porter C. Powell]]'s damaged Soundwave toys.

[[Image:TFAni_Human_Error_Part2_Wreck-Gar_Merry_Trashmas.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The sleigh bells are ringing and the carolers are singing while the air raid sirens blare!]]

He even got into the [[Christmas|holiday]] spirit a bit, playing Santa and handing out garbage to all the good little girls and boys. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:Wreckgaranimatedvoyager.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Ya gotta buy one if you wanna get one free!]]
*'''Wreck-Gar''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Accessories'': 2 scissor-blade weapons

: Wreck-Gar transforms into a garbage truck with articulated lifting-forks. Pushing a small spring-loaded lever on the back of either of the lifting forks will extend the fork forward. The sliding lever on the top of the truck exposes both of his weapons from slots in the rear. These blade- or scissor-like weapons can attach to his forearms, or combine into a single bladed weapon which can also attach to either of his forearms. (Don't run with them!) His [[Shellformer|transformation]] involves pulling nearly his entire robot mode out from under the truck mode, meaning he wears his vehicle mode like a backpack. However, you don't care because Wreck-Gar is awesome (and it's show-accurate).

:According to the back of his box, he collects things others throw out, watches more TV than even Bumblebee, and believes everything he reads on the internet. How he did these at ''the bottom of a lake'' is unknown.

:Rather annoyingly, a number of Wreck-Gars have a problem with their right shoulders that causes the pin to move out of its position when the shoulder is moved during transformation. It is currently unknown if this would eventually cause the pin to pop out completely.

:He does have a waist joint, but it can only move slightly because of the backpack.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/Wreck-Gar/wreck-gar.htm More information on Wreck-Gar at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* Originally, the creators wanted [[Eric Idle]] to play Wreck-Gar, as he was the original voice for his [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Generation 1 namesake]]. As Idle was busy with the production of ''Spamalot'', Weird Al was selected instead.

* Wreck-Gar's head is an old-fashioned portable TV set, complete with channel selection dials, aerial and a handle for transport. As art director/character designer [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has admitted to being heavily influenced by [[wikipedia:Gainax|Gainax]] shows, this may well be a visual cue to [[wikipedia:FLCL|FLCL]], along with the resemblance to the original Wreck-Gar's head and his "TV talk" persona. Plus, in the music video for Dare To Be Stupid, Weird Al 's head turns into a tv at one point.

* Wreck-Gar's line "I ''dare'' to be stupid!" is something of a double-callout, as the Weird Al song "[[Dare to Be Stupid]]" was featured in the original [[The Transformers: The Movie|''Transformers'' movie]] during the battle against the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], and Wreck-Gar himself is voiced by Al.

* Then, of course, there's the accordion in one of the above images. Al himself has been an accordion player since the age of 7.

* ''Transformers Animated'' story editor [[Marty Isenberg]] stated in an interview that the idea of a garbage bin that Wreck-Gar can pull anything out of was inspired by Harpo Marx.<ref>[http://www.cvcomics.com/artandstory/?p=242 CVComics.com's Art & Story 68 audio interview with Marty Isenberg.]</ref>

* Among the things that Wreck-Gar throws at Ratchet and Bumblebee when they meet is a motorcycle resembling the alt mode of the original Wreck-Gar.

* Weird Al stated in a Q&A at BotCon '09 that Wreck-Gar ended up working with Detroit's sanitation committee. Sounds like he's living the American dream!

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]

Wreck-Gar (Animated)

2010-07-14T21:35:07Z

98.199.36.222: /* Animated */

{{factions|autobot|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the garbage truck from ''Transformers Animated''|the Junkion from Generation 1|Wreck-Gar (G1)}}
:''Wreck-Gar is a very confused individual from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Wreck-garanimatedpoint.jpg|right|360px|thumb|Put down that chainsaw and listen to me!]]
Recently brought to life by the power of the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], '''Wreck-Gar''' is simple-minded and highly suggestible. As he attempts to learn more about his identity, he never loses his sense of humor. His trash bin is an impressive bag of tricks, able to stash and deploy many useful (and even more useless) items at a moment's notice, or make them seemingly disappear forever. This ability is a bit of a mixed blessing, as Wreck-Gar will frequently confuse your request with something that sounds vaguely similar.

Wreck-Gar's primary goal in life is to acquire an identity. Additionally, he is eager to help people and be liked. He will automatically take on whatever role is suggested to him. This makes him rather unpredictable and prone to making the wrong move at the wrong time. However, if he can learn to think for himself instead of relying on others, there's potential in this friendly mix-and-match bot.

{{bigquote|I am Wreck-Gar! I am only good for one thing... '''GARBAGE!'''|Wreck-Gar cheerily takes [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] at his word, "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]"}}

:''Italian dub name'': '''Pattumiera''' ("Trash can")

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [["Weird Al" Yankovic|"Weird Al" Yankovic]] (English), [[Joachim Kaps]] (German), [[Claudio Moneta]] (Italian)

[[Image:Wreck-garisgoodforonlyonething.jpg|left|180px|thumb|OKAY I CAN HEAR YOU NOW!]]

Wreck-Gar emerged from a garbage scow, activated by a shard of [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] energy that was close to [[Sari Sumdac]]'s [[AllSpark Key]], self-aware but with no sense of history or identity. He tried to figure out what he was by studying objects in his environment and was briefly tricked by a food label into thinking he was high-fructose corn syrup. Spying a blimp proclaiming the [[Detroit]] Metro Police Department was "here to help", Wreck-Gar went off in search of the police for help. Once ashore, Wreck-Gar's clumsy curiosity prevented police officers from apprehending the [[Angry Archer]], and the villain quickly conscripted Wreck-Gar as a sidekick, even giving the confused mechanoid his new, shorter name (as "worthless-''wreck''-walking-pile-of-''gar''bage" was a bit overlong). Wreck-Gar helped the Archer disable an armored car, allowing him to steal a canister of unknown content right in front of the [[Autobot]]s [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]].

Upon seeing the Autobots and overhearing that they protected life and caught bad guys, Wreck-Gar decided he wanted to do that, slapped an [[Insignia|Autobrand]] on his chest, and chased the escaping Archer. Throwing the Archer high into the air in order to "catch" him, Wreck-Gar only got the canister, as the Archer used a grappling arrow to escape. After being harshly told by Ratchet he was only good for one thing, ''GARBAGE!'', Wreck-Gar proudly declared he was good for only one thing—''GARBAGE!''—and set about trying to deliver the stinky stuff to the entire citizenry of Detroit. (Detroit just happened to be in the middle of a garbage strike as well. Hooray!) The Autobots gave chase, having discovered the canister Wreck-Gar held contained experimental [[Sumdac Systems]] garbage-eating microbots, which Ratchet worried would be dangerously mutated by Wreck-Gar's AllSpark energy.

[[Image:Wreck-garanimatedvehicle.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevrolet!]]

This mission became much more dangerous when he was approached by [[Lugnut]], who was out to retrieve the AllSpark shard from Wreck-Gar's body. Thanks to Wreck-Gar's habit of repeating everything said to him (specifically, Ratchet's proclamation that "you're not an Autobot, and you never ''will be'' an Autobot!"), Lugnut believed the newcomer was just as much a loyal [[Decepticon]] as himself. When Ratchet accosted Wreck-Gar, Lugnut prepared his [[Punch of Kill Everything]], which Wreck-Gar took to mean the [[universal greeting]], so he gave Lugnut a high-five that left a colossal impact crater. As the Autobots ran for it, Wreck-Gar hopped on the pursuing Lugnut, pulling out the now-cracked microbot canister he'd gotten. A small amount spilled on Lugnut and began eating through his tail section. Wreck-Gar helpfully disassembled the tail, sending Lugnut plummeting somewhere in Detroit, with himself and the tail landing in a full garbage scow, which the nanobots quickly began to consume. From the shore, a group of bystanders began cheering as they saw the scow's load diminish. Now supplied with a fresh load of garbage and mistaking the cheers as intended for his delivery of said garbage, Wreck-Gar pushed the scow full steam ahead.

Wreck-Gar's attempt to deliver it was impeded by Ratchet, who first screamed at the junk-bot that the nanobots would destroy the entire city should they reach shore, but Wreck-Gar was adamant. Ratchet then did the hardest thing he'd ever had to do: ''apologize'' for his insults and bad attitude. Ratchet told the now-even-more-confused robot that he could be whatever he wanted and to not let others decide for him who he was. Wreck-Gar decided he truly wanted to be a hero, and slapping the Autobot symbol on his chest once again, began vacuuming up the nanobots. The nanobots began to overload within his backpack, however, and as Wreck-Gar tumbled off of what was left of the scow, he cried out his thank-you to Ratchet. An explosion of AllSpark energy burst from the water, and all Ratchet's magnetic power could retrieve was random junk...

And, at the bottom of the lake, Wreck-Gar smiled to himself, a hero. Despite being buried up to his shoulders, he assured the fish passing by he was there to help...but first...could somebody give him a hand or a fin? {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

[[Image:Wreck Gar Polka Party.jpg|thumb|180px|left|You better squeeze all the Charmin you can, when Mr. Whipple's not around!]]

Eventually roused from his lakebed slumber by the crude raft of Sari Sumdac's [[Scrapper (Animated)|ragtag]] [[Snarl (Animated)|crew]], he joined the [[Substitute Autobot]]s to help liberate Detroit from the grip of [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. A bit less befuddled than in previous encounters, he proved (mostly) effective in aiding Sari in battle, only being defeated once Soundwave was able to focus his attentions solely on controlling [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]. Afterward, he enthusiastically pitched in on the cleanup efforts, collecting the scraps of hundreds of [[Porter C. Powell]]'s damaged Soundwave toys.

[[Image:TFAni_Human_Error_Part2_Wreck-Gar_Merry_Trashmas.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The sleigh bells are ringing and the carolers are singing while the air raid sirens blare!]]

He even got into the [[Christmas|holiday]] spirit a bit, playing Santa and handing out garbage to all the good little girls and boys. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:Wreckgaranimatedvoyager.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Ya gotta buy one if you wanna get one free!]]
*'''Wreck-Gar''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Accessories'': 2 scissor-blade weapons

: Wreck-Gar transforms into a garbage truck with articulated lifting-forks. Pushing a small spring-loaded lever on the back of either of the lifting forks will extend the fork forward. The sliding lever on the top of the truck exposes both of his weapons from slots in the rear. These blade- or scissor-like weapons can attach to his forearms, or combine into a single bladed weapon which can also attach to either of his forearms. (Don't run with them!) His [[Shellformer|transformation]] involves pulling nearly his entire robot mode out from under the truck mode, meaning he wears his vehicle mode like a backpack. However, you don't care because Wreck-Gar is awesome (and it's show-accurate).

:According to the back of his box, he collects things others throw out, watches more TV than even Bumblebee, and believes everything he reads on the internet. How he did these at ''the bottom of a lake'' is unknown. Well...maybe if his head (which IS a older model of a tv) could transform into television...but that's impossible, right?

:Rather annoyingly, a number of Wreck-Gars have a problem with their right shoulders that causes the pin to move out of its position when the shoulder is moved during transformation. It is currently unknown if this would eventually cause the pin to pop out completely.

:He does have a waist joint, but it can only move slightly because of the backpack.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/Wreck-Gar/wreck-gar.htm More information on Wreck-Gar at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* Originally, the creators wanted [[Eric Idle]] to play Wreck-Gar, as he was the original voice for his [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Generation 1 namesake]]. As Idle was busy with the production of ''Spamalot'', Weird Al was selected instead.

* Wreck-Gar's head is an old-fashioned portable TV set, complete with channel selection dials, aerial and a handle for transport. As art director/character designer [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has admitted to being heavily influenced by [[wikipedia:Gainax|Gainax]] shows, this may well be a visual cue to [[wikipedia:FLCL|FLCL]], along with the resemblance to the original Wreck-Gar's head and his "TV talk" persona.

* Wreck-Gar's line "I ''dare'' to be stupid!" is something of a double-callout, as the Weird Al song "[[Dare to Be Stupid]]" was featured in the original [[The Transformers: The Movie|''Transformers'' movie]] during the battle against the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], and Wreck-Gar himself is voiced by Al.

* Then, of course, there's the accordion in one of the above images. Al himself has been an accordion player since the age of 7.

* ''Transformers Animated'' story editor [[Marty Isenberg]] stated in an interview that the idea of a garbage bin that Wreck-Gar can pull anything out of was inspired by Harpo Marx.<ref>[http://www.cvcomics.com/artandstory/?p=242 CVComics.com's Art & Story 68 audio interview with Marty Isenberg.]</ref>

* Among the things that Wreck-Gar throws at Ratchet and Bumblebee when they meet is a motorcycle resembling the alt mode of the original Wreck-Gar.

* Weird Al stated in a Q&A at BotCon '09 that Wreck-Gar ended up working with Detroit's sanitation committee. Sounds like he's living the American dream!

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]

Human Error, Part II

2010-07-14T21:03:54Z

98.199.36.222: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFAni Human Error Part2 Substitute Autobots.jpg
|caption=That tiny thing at their feet? Yeah, that's right, that's their leader...
|ep=38
|title="Human Error, Part II"
|airdate=[[April 25]], 2009
|written by=[[Tom Pugsley]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yosuke Hatta]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}
'''While the Autobots are held captive by one of their deadliest foes, Sari must recruit a team of "Substitute Autobots" to rescue them.'''
==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Human Error Part II Ratchet fleshbag.jpg|thumb|left|180px|"No, this big, I swear!"]]
In Soundwave's virtual reality, the Autobots struggle to get themselves free of the giant Soundwave, only for a wire damaged by Sari's recent attack to sever Soundwave's connection to them. As Soundwave makes repairs, Prowl is briefly able to escape the virtual world using [[processor-over-matter]]. However, his attempt to free Optimus Prime is interrupted as Soundwave plugs him back into the VR computer. His control reestablished, Soundwave reverts the Autobots to their human forms. Recognizing that reprogramming will take longer now, Soundwave instructs his [[Sound Wave|toy replicas]] to begin hypnotizing the humans of Detroit.

In the virtual world, Bulkhead has taken to smashing things in the hopes that it will get them out. Ratchet says that the only way they can do that is to find Soundwave's interface, a virtual icon with his representation. Bumblebee quickly notices a potential icon: Soundwave's vehicle mode, which nearly runs them down. Optimus orders the Automen to follow Soundwave in vehicles on which their own [[alternate mode]]s are based, including the virtual [[Captain Fanzone's car]]. Upon looking at the driving equipment, however, Optimus realizes that he may be in a little over his head.

Heading back to Sumdac Tower, Sari seeks out her father's help. She is briefly found by a Sound Wave toy, but knocks it aside. Observing that she is immune to his hypnotics, Soundwave decides that she must be terminated. Finding her father in the lab, Sari is horrified when he tries to attack her, but is able to delay him by burying him under a fallen shelf. Sari quickly takes flight, hoping to find help elsewhere.

[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part2 Electrostatic Soundwave Reprogramming.jpg|thumb|right|180px|"Now you will watch as I complete ''Through the Fire and Flames'' on EXPERT!"]]
In the virtual reality, the Autobots are following Soundwave's avatar, but not very well: Bulkhead and Bumblebee keep ramming into other drivers, Optimus's fire-suppressant equipment is out of control, Ratchet is driving backwards, and Prowl is having trouble avoiding popping wheelies. Cornering Soundwave at a dilapidated drive-in movie, Ratchet is convinced that they have the Decepticon right where they want him—only for a dozen of the Soundwave vehicle modes to appear and surround them. It's a trap! As the Automen try to flee, Soundwave appears on the movie screen and begins broadcasting a reprogramming frequency. Prowl begins another processor-over-matter attempt, but one by one, the Autobots' optics begin to turn red...

[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part2 Beachbum Scrapper.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Surprised he didn't name the Dinobot "Friday". Or "Wilson".]]
On Dinobot Island, Sari looks for the Dinobots, but they find her when Swoop knocks her out of the air. Grimlock shows up and declares her an intruder. Sari says that she wants their help, but Grimlock informs Sari that Dinobots don't help puny humans—they ''destroy'' puny humans! The two Dinobots transform and Grimlock attacks, only for Sari to return fire with a blast from her weapon as well. Grimlock decides against destroying her, but says that they won't help either. Sari then notices that the triceratops is missing and asks where he is, but Grimlock says that they aren't talking to him, as Dinobots aren't pets. Heading to the shore, Sari finds Scrapper, who has been marooned for almost seven weeks, separated from [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]] after their last misadventure. Scrapper reveals that he's taken the triceratops as a pet and named him Snarl (as the Dinobot didn't take kindly to [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]). Scrapper also points out that even if he wanted to help, they're stuck on the island. Sari asks why he doesn't make himself a boat. Scrapper admits that he never thought of that.

[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part2 Evil Autobots.jpg|180px|right|thumb|Quick! [[Attack of the Autobots|Drain their evil and recharge their good!]]]]
On the way to the mainland, Sari says that the three of them will need to rescue the Autobots immediately, but Scrapper reminds her that he never said he'd help. He plans to take Snarl up north, having heard it's good oil country. Sari angrily tells him that it's time to be a hero, and a voice from underwater answers, jumping onto the raft—it's [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]]! Reluctantly, Sari takes him. As the [[Substitute Autobot]]s reach the mainland, Sari tells them to [[transform and roll out|roll out]], but they quickly leave without her. Once she catches up to them, Sari and the Substitutes are quickly confronted by Soundwave, when the Autobots appear as well. Sari is relieved at the sight of her friends, as she had little hope for the Substitute Autobots. But her cheer turns to horror as she realizes that the Autobots are under Soundwave's control.

[[Image:PrimeReadyToRock.jpg|thumb|left|180px|"Autobots, transform and ''rock out!''"]]
Converting to battle mode, Sari instructs the Substitute Autobots to attack. However, the Substitutes are not up to the Autobots' own skills. Wreck-Gar follows the orders of everyone too literally, Scrapper's snowball attack is just plain ineffective, and Snarl barely does anything. Sari is amazed that mindless zombies are more effective than her own team, until Scrapper comments that it's because they're being controlled by one guy. Sari realizes that he's right, and orders the Substitute Autobots to attack on their own. Sure enough, it works: Soundwave begins having trouble multitasking, and the Substitute Autobots' effectiveness begins to wear them down. One of Prowl's attacks even saves Sari from being blasted by Bumblebee. Soundwave eventually decides to use just Optimus Prime instead, and he is able to take down each Substitute Autobot until only Sari is left. Prime nearly slices her in half before Prowl throws his shuriken at Soundwave, knocking his keytar out of his hands and freeing the Autobots. Sari had suspected that he had been faking, but Prowl admits that it took a great deal of effort to fight off Soundwave's control.

[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part2 Soundwave Destroyed.jpg|thumb|right|175px|The day the music died.]]
Furious at Prowl's deception, Soundwave orders Laserbeak and Ratbat, the keytar, to attack. Ratbat dispatches Prowl, while Laserbeak goes for Sari. Soundwave himself tackles Prime and knocks Optimus's axe out of his hands, so Prime decides to use Soundwave's other axe—Laserbeak. The two engage in what may be the most epic rock-off of all time as they try to counter each other's harmonics. Ultimately, Optimus Prime uses the instrument-locked Laserbeak to shatter Soundwave and Ratbat, freeing the humans from Soundwave's control. However, Laserbeak grabs Soundwave's remaining functional piece and flies off.

Later, it's a very merry Christmas indeed for the Autobots and the Sumdacs: Not only are they freed of Soundwave's control, but Porter C. Powell is about to be financially ruined by the impending Sound Wave refunds. Scrapper decides to call it quits and head back to Dinobot Island for a long vacation, but Snarl refuses to let the Constructicon ride him. Wreck-Gar, however, chooses to stay and help clean up the mess from the battle, ending the fine career of the Substitute Autobots. Sari also has a better appreciation for what Optimus goes through being in command, while the Autobots understand the rigors of being human. As the Autobots reflect on their newfound understanding, Wreck-Gar begins distributing garbage to all the good little girls and boys.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (5)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (6)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (19)
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] (1)
*[[Ratbat (Animated)|Ratbat]] (7)
*[[Laserbeak (Animated)|Laserbeak]] (23)
|c3=
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (10)
*[[Miss Adrias]] (11)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike Witwicky]] (12)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]] (13)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] (14)
*[[Nancy Witwicky]] (15)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (17)
|h4=[[Substitute Autobot]]s|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (16)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (20)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (21)
*[[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] (22)
}}

==Quotes==

'''Driver''': Hey! Take it easy, leadfoot! 
'''Bulkhead''': What, it's not lead any more! 
''[Bumblebee's car hits Bulkhead's car]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Virtual Fanzone's gonna be ticked! 
'''Optimus''': I have to hand it to the humans, driving is much more difficult than it looks. 
'''Ratchet''': ''[Driving backwards]'' This ain't so hard. 
'''Prowl''': It's merely a matter of becoming one with the machiAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ''[Begins popping a wheelie]''
:—The Autobots take their turn at driving... and fail miserably.

"Hey, weren't there three of you? Where's the other one?" 
"Me Grimlock not talking to him. Him traitor. Dinobots not pets."
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' and '''Grimlock''' on the status of the Dinobots.

''[Writing in the sand]'' "Day 48: Still no sign of my collea-...my buds. I have befriended and trained one of the local wildlife." ''[Tide comes up and erases writing]'' "Oh, not again!"
:—'''Scrapper''' just can't win.

'''Sari''': All right. Substitute Autobots, transform and roll out! 
'''Wreck-Gar''': Transform. What a good idea! 
''[Transforms and drives off]'' 
'''Scrapper''': ''[Riding Snarl]'' Hi-ho, Snarl! 
''[Snarl slips on some ice, knocking off Scrapper, who transforms and follows]'' 
'''Scrapper''': Hey, Snarl, wait for Daddy! 
'''Sari''': Hey, wait for me! I'm your leader!
:—The Substitute Autobots aren't getting off to a good start.

'''Sari''': All right, big guy. I'd hate to do this, but.. 
''[Sari fires a blast at Optimus, but he uses Wreck-Gar as a shield, causing some of his junk to fly out and hit him]'' 
'''Wreck-Gar''': ''[Dazed]'' Ha ha! The mighty Wreck-Gar is no match for...the mighty Wreck-Gar. Wait, whose side am I on?
:—Wreck-Gar, actually more confused than usual.

"Time to change your tune, Soundwave. Operation: face the music."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', being awesome.

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
[[Image:Laserbreak.jpg|right|thumb]]
* When they're cuaght by Soundwave in the drive-in theather, as Optimus leans out the window, HIS ARM IS MISSING!
* Human Ratchet has his scar on the wrong side of his face in one scene.
* After Sari says, "Well, I sure am glad that's over," Snarl begins to walk off, and puts some good distance between himself and the group as Scrapper talks. Immediately after Scrapper hits the floor when Snarl kicks him off, Snarl appears close up again to the group, almost as if he's just ''now'' leaving
* After Wreck-Gar is thrown to the ground by Optimus the hole in his backpack is missing although that AllSpark fragment could have fixed that.
* When Optimus delivers his final strike with Laserbeak, the force of the blow snaps off the Decepticon bird's frets, leaving a jagged break (circled in the image at right). When Laserbeak pops back up a few moments later to carry Soundwave off, however, he's still in one piece; at the very least, he should be missing his tail.
{{--}}

===Continuity errors===

===Transformers references===
* Soundwave's virtual form at the beginning of the episode is in the colors of TakaraTomy's "[[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Music Label|Sonic White]]" Soundwave MP3 player.
* Soundwave's virtual avatars are depicted in the color scheme of the [[Soundwave (Animated)#Electrostatic Soundwave|Electrostatic Soundwave]] toy.
* The traffic light [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] swings around is based on the weapon that came with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl's]] first toy.
* Dinobot Island is missing a huge chunk of itself after the events of "[[Predacons Rising]]".
* Scrapper is revealed to have survived the explosion the Constructicons were caught in back in "[[Three's a Crowd]]". According to him, it's been forty-eight days since the events of that episode. The fates of [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]], however, are less certain.
[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part2 Laserbeack&Soundwave Flee.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Next time, Gadget! Next time!]]
* [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] names the triceratops [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]] "Snarl" as a second choice after the Dinobot took offense to "[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]", referencing the [[Snarl (Animated)#Notes|real-life name change]] for Snarl. This is the first time Snarl has been given a name in the cartoon—[[Swoop (Animated)|the pteranodon]] has still not been named in the show itself.
* Wreck-Gar has been at the bottom of the lake since his debut episode, "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]".
* Laserbeak flying away with Soundwave's remaining component could be a reference to the action that [[Laserbeak (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]] took after [[Soundwave (G1)|his master's]] destruction in the ''Headmasters'' episode "[[The Mystery of Planet Master]]", in which Laserbeak flew off with Soundwave's head after he was blown to smithereens.
* Evil, brain-washed Autobots? That's [[Attack of the Autobots|familiar]]...
* Optimus Prime's "mile high into the sun" jump attack on Soundwave at the end of the battle is eerily similar to [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s attack on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]".
*This is not the first time a [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] has mass-hypnotized humans [[Auto-Bop|with his musical skills]].
*Soundwave has the ability to fly, despite having a land-based vehicle alt mode. This was a common characteristic of Decepticons in the original cartoon.

===Real-world references===
* The "castaway" Scrapper is dressed in [[wikipedia:Robinson Crusoe|Robinson Crusoe]] garb, including a rust beard.
* Both Wreck-Gar and his voice actor, [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], play the [[:Image:WeirdAl.jpg|accordion]].
* Optimus refers to Laserbeak as an "axe" (a common nickname for guitars) before forcibly transforming him into his alt mode.
* Scrapper's cry of "Hi-ho, Snarl!" is a reference to the Lone Ranger's cry of "Hi-ho, Silver!"
* The Christmas carols continue in this episode, as Scrapper starts singing a bit of "[[Wikipedia:Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!|Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!]]" and Wreck-Gar offers up his own unique version of "[[Wikipedia:Deck the Halls|Deck the Halls]]" (given his voice actor, this isn't much of a surprise). Sari's comment, "It's supposed to be a 'Silent Night.'" as she shuts Soundwave off refers to the carol of the same name. As in the previous episode, "[[Wikipedia: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen|God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen]]" is incorporated into the background music of this episode's final scene.
* Some of the sound effects used when Optimus attacks Soundwave with Laserbeak date back to Hanna-Barbara's ''Quickdraw McGraw'', whose title character's alter ego, El Kabong, used a guitar as a melee weapon.
* Meanwhile, Ratbat's shrieks are either taken directly from the original ''[[wikipedia:Scooby Doo|Scooby Doo, Where Are You!]]'' intro, or are a very close approximation thereof.
* The stylized animation of Optimus Prime's final strike with Laserbeak is highly reminiscent of [[wikipedia:Haruhara_Haruko|Haruko Haruhara's]] attacks with her guitar in ''[[wikipedia:FLCL|FLCL]]''—one of Derrick J. Wyatt's admitted influences for this show.
* When Soundwave breaks apart and his mind control power dissipates, the sound effect is of a dial-up modem.

===Trivia===
*Several questions were left unanswered in this two-parter, including how Soundwave was rebuilt after the destruction of his body in "[[Sound and Fury]]", and where Laserbeak and Ratbat come from.
*This episode marks the return of [[Captain Fanzone's car]]. Even in the virtual world, it's still absolutely filthy, inside and out.
*Soundwave says he "reprograms" the Autobots into Decepticons. However, it seems more like he put a receiver in their bodies and used them as puppets. If they were properly processor-washed, then they would do what he says on their own, not need directions from a remote. Perhaps the reprogramming is simply to make them easier to control.
*This episode marks the last appearance of quite a few characters, namely, Wreck-Gar, Scrapper, Soundwave, all three Dinobots, Porter C. Powell, Mayor Edsel and his aide, and the Witwickies.
*Captain Fanzone appears several times in the episode, but has no speaking lines. Even after coming out of hypnosis, he doesn't make a remark about his reasons for disliking mechanical entities.
*The tag on Fanzone's present reads "A machine even you could love."
*Who knew Optimus could shred?
*Angry Archer was meant to make his Season 3 debut in this episode, but the scene was cut during production. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac Volume 2}}

==Home video releases==
This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Five Servos of Doom

2010-07-14T16:17:39Z

98.199.36.222: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFA Five Servos Yoketron vs Prowl.JPG
|caption=Wax on, wax off.
|ep=35
|title="Five Servos of Doom"
|airdate=[[April 4]], 2009
|written by=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Sentinel Prime has incredible success capturing fugitive Decepticons, leading Prowl to suspect he's getting help. '''

==Synopsis==

[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-CapturedDecepticons.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"We're gonna need a bigger shelf..."]]

In the dead of night, the [[Autobot]]s steal through the streets of [[Detroit]], on the trail of a [[Decepticon]] energy signature. With the source of the signal cornered, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] makes his move and dives through a window, only to find that the signal is coming from a beacon and that the Autobots have been tricked. To make matters worse, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] has disappeared, and the Autobots spread out to search for him. During the search, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] spots an unfamiliar shadow and follows it around a corner...to find the [[Sunstorm (Animated)|sycophantic Starscream clone]], captured and [[stasis cuffs|stasis-cuffed]] by Sentinel Prime. They take the prisoner back to the [[Elite Guard]]'s ship, where Optimus is stunned to discover that Sentinel has also recently captured [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] as well.

[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] and [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] are eager to know how Sentinel managed to apprehend the Starscream clone, as is Optimus, but Sentinel gets defensive and tells Optimus it does not concern him. Prime confides in Prowl his suspicion that Sentinel is hiding something, and tells about the strange shadow he saw. Back at the Autobot plant, the pair consult computer records to see if Optimus can identify the distinctive helmet the robot was wearing, and when they find one that fits the bill, the stunned Prowl flashes back to his past on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]…

[[Image:TFA Five Servos Prowl meets Yoketron.JPG|thumb|right|200px|"Blam! Pow! You want I should leave this here?"]]

:''The helmet belongs to [[Yoketron]], the ninja master who trained Prowl centuries ago. Attempting to dodge the draft during the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], Prowl was apprehended by Elite Guardsman [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] and placed into the care of Yoketron, who saw potential in him and offered to train him in exchange for the charges against him being dropped.''

Optimus pulls Prowl out of his ruminations, and the ninja-bot silently speeds back to the Elite Guard ship to converse with [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]], another of Yoketron's old students. The pair suspect that their old sensei may somehow be on Earth, capturing Decepticons, and that Sentinel is taking the credit. Sentinel walks in on the middle of the discussion and laughs off the notion that Yoketron is even still online, before departing on another patrol. Knowing that something is not right, Jazz and Prowl shadow Sentinel, but when Sentinel rounds a corner and disappears, Prowl lapses into his memories once again, recalling when Yoketron taught him that it was the robot himself, not his tools, that made the ninja. With nothing left to do, the pair return to the Elite Guard's ship, where Jetfire and Jetstorm are working to repair their communications system.

[[Image:Jetstormpose.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Say cheeeeeese!]]

The two brothers tell the ninjas that Sentinel is waiting for them in the brig, and Jazz and Prowl are amazed to see that Sentinel has brought in [[Lugnut]]! As Sentinel gloats, Prowl calls him on the unlikelihood of the whole scenario and accuses him of having "help". The ninja-bot points out the missing weapons on all the Decepticons, and notes that [[Lockdown (Animated)|only one bot]] that he knows of takes trophies from his victims, but Sentinel silences him by revealing that he has removed Lugnut's "[[Punch of Kill Everything]]" and placed it in a storage compartment in that very hallway. Embarrassed, Prowl leaves, and Sentinel turns on Optimus, telling him to keep Prowl in line, lest he "bust him back to protoform". The word echoes down the hallway, and Prowl pauses…

:''As Prowl's skills increase under Yoketron's tutelage, he is deemed worthy of a weapon by his master and is given his shuriken. Yoketron leads Prowl into a chamber containing holographic busts of his greatest students, but one plinth is empty—a spot, Yoketron reveals, previously held by a former student who disgraced the cyber-ninja corps. Prowl is amazed when Yoketron uses a technique known as "[[processor-over-matter]]" to open the far wall of the chamber with the power of his mind, revealing a greater chamber beyond, its walls lined with [[protoform]]s that the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]] has been charged with protecting. Yoketron challenges Prowl to close the chamber using processor-over-matter, but Prowl is unable to accomplish the task, and Yoketron sends him on an "optics quest" to find his center and become a true cyber-ninja.''

Prowl's trip down memory lane is cut off as Sentinel comes down the hallway. He uses his hologram projector to disguise himself as a cabinet and listen in as Sentinel talks with parties unknown over his communicator. Prowl alerts Jazz before trailing Sentinel to [[Tigatron Stadium]], where he learns that his suspicions were correct: Sentinel is working with [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]], who is wearing Yoketron's helmet! Prowl busts up the prisoner exchange, but it is soon revealed that Lockdown has double-crossed Sentinel, having been made a better offer by [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]]. Lockdown and Prowl engage in battle, and Lockdown reveals that he was also a student of Yoketron...

:''Returning from his unsuccessful optics quest, Prowl discovers that Yoketron's dojo has been attacked, the protoforms almost all stolen, and Yoketron himself fatally wounded. As Yoketron's spark begins to fade, Prowl recovers one of the remaining protoforms and places his master's spark in it, saving Yoketron's life. Yoketron, however, is appalled by his student's actions; one must never sacrifice a piece of the future in order to save a piece of the past. When Prowl's time comes, Yoketron tells him, he too will understand. As Prowl looks on, Yoketron allows his spark to fade out.''

[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-Yoketron%27sDeath.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"You must not sacrifice a piece of the future to bring back the past." "But the seeds of the future lie buried in the past!" "... shut up, boy."]]

At last, all is clear to Prowl: Lockdown led the attack on the dojo and took the protoforms! Prowl pins Lockdown and demands the return of Yoketron's helmet; Lockdown appears to comply, but the helmet has been booby-trapped and binds Prowl in a tangle of cables. The captured Prowl is taken to [[Death's Head (Animated)|Lockdown's ship]], where the bounty hunter intends to remove his jump jets and holo-projector in order to complete a duplicate set of the armor that he loaned Prowl during their [[A Fistful of Energon|last encounter]]. Lying on Lockdown's "operating table", Prowl concentrates, and at last masters processor-over-matter, freeing his body from the cables with the power of his mind.

[[Image:Sentinel-derp.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Sentinel displays his ''Unfortunate Accident'' mode.]]

Meanwhile, Optimus Prime, Jazz, Jetfire and Jetstorm have arrived to rescue Sentinel Prime from the clutches of the Starscream clone, but the fight is not going well, as the clone uses Sentinel for a shield most of the time. The clone takes to the air, but Prime blinds him with a faceful of foam, and he crashes into the middle of the stadium field, dropping Sentinel head-first into the ground.

Back aboard Lockdown's ship, the bounty hunter turns to discover that Prowl has freed himself and donned both Yoketron's helmet and the armor, knowing that he will be able to handle its power this time because of the lesson he has finally learned: It is the ninja-bot, not the weapon. The two engage in battle once more, and their fight soon carries them out of the ship and into the middle of the other fight going on in the field outside. Optimus Prime and Jazz are in the process of dropping the stadium's scoreboard onto the Starscream clone, but Prowl and Lockdown get in the way at the last second, before they can stop the giant screen's tumble. As the dust clears, Optimus and Jazz discover that Prowl has used processor-over-matter to protect the combatants from the debris. Optimus quickly stasis-cuffs the Starscream clone, but Lockdown gets away.

[[Image:TFA Five Servos processor over matter.JPG|right|thumb|200px|...Show-off.]]
A little later, everyone has returned to the Elite Guard ship, where Jetstorm and Jetfire open a communications channel with [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] on Cybertron. Cliffjumper tells the Autobots about [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]'s attack on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], and rather than add to the trouble, Prime refrains from reporting Sentinel's misconduct, instead simply informing Cliffjumper of the capture of the Decepticons on [[Earth]], crediting Prowl. Sentinel thanks Optimus for covering for him, but Optimus promises that once everything is done, he and Sentinel will have it out.

Back at the Autobot base, Jazz compliments Prowl on his armor, and tells him that Yoketron would be proud to have him wear his helmet. Prowl vows to do everything he can to be worthy of it.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (1)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (8)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (9)
*[[Yoketron]] (10) (Flashback)
*[[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] (11) (Flashback)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (15)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (16)

|c2=
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (5)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (6)
*[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] (7)
*[[Lugnut]] (12)
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (13)
*[[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (14)

}}

==Quotes==
'''Jetfire''': Sentinel Prime, sir, tell please. 
'''Jetstorm''': How did you making to capture this badness bot? 
'''Optimus''': Yes, Sentinel. How did you capture this badness bot?
:—Optimus Prime and the twins question Sentinel and butcher the English language.

'''Warpath''': Ask me, he should rust in the stockade. Any Autobot who won't fight the Decepticons is no better than a Con himself. We're at war. 
'''Prowl''': It's not my war! 
'''Warpath''': Then maybe I should take you out back and ''make it'' your war! 
'''Yoketron''': I believe I can take it from here. 
'''Warpath''': Bam pow! Lousy draft-dodgin' peacenik.
:—Warpath has no time for draft-dodgers.

"Give. Me. Yoketron's. Helmet."
:—'''Prowl''', not pissing around.

"Couldn't resist that old armor, though, could ya? What makes you think you can handle it this time?" 
"I've learned something since then. It's the ninja-bot, not the weapon."
:—'''Lockdown''' and '''Prowl'''

"Whoa, bro. P-over-M."
:—'''Jazz''', impressed with Prowl's processor-over-matter mastery.

"Diggin' the new armor, specially Yoketron's helmet. He'd be proud to have you wear it." 
"Thank you. I plan to do everything in my power to be worthy of it."
:—'''Jazz''' and '''Prowl'''

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===

*When the scoreboard crashes onto Prowl, Lockdown, and Ramjet, Prowl is missing his samurai armor.
*Lockdown seems to have...lost a...tooth?
*When Prowl readies himself to kick Lockdown, his animation model doesn't have Yoketron's helmet, but rather, the helmet from the episode "[[A Fistful of Energon]]". This error reappears when Prowl charges at Lockdown a few seconds later.

===Continuity errors===
*It's not ''technically'' an error, since Prowl has always remained quiet on his history and could just have been holding back from correcting anyone, but this episode reveals that he was online during the Great War, prior to the creation of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]], where previous episodes have suggested that none of the main ''Animated'' Autobot cast, except for [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], were around back then. Notably, this makes Prowl older than Optimus Prime, which... sits ill, at best. Then again, it is possible Prime and possibly a few others were online during the war as well, but were merely still being trained at the time and were too "young" to take part.
*The dialogue exchanged between Prowl, Jazz and later on Sentinel Prime, suggests that Master [[Yoketron]] mysteriously disappeared, and nobody apparently knew whether or not he was online for sure. Later on in the episode, (during Prowl's final flashback), Master Yoketron ''clearly'' dies in the presence of Prowl, making one wonder why the Autobots seem to be in the dark with his status. Did Prowl acknowledge his death, bury the body and keep this knowledge to himself to preserve his master's dignity? Or was this information covered up by Autobot Intelligence to prevent planet-wide panic? Sadly, now, [[Endgame, Part II|we may never know for sure.]]
*On a related note, this also means that Jazz was active in the Cyber-Ninja Corps during the war, apparently long before Sentinel even came online (much less joined the Elite Guard). Even ignoring Sentinel's various flaws, this raises legitimate questions about just how promotions are handed out in the Elite Guard.
*Swindle is still in one piece, despite [[Fanzone|a certain cop]] telling the Autobots he would be stripped down and sold at an auction. Foreshadowing of his return, or just exaggeration on Fanzone's part?
*Lockdown has never mentioned Prowl's fighting before, referred to any cyber-ninja training, or, perhaps most noticeably, worn Yoketron's helmet prior to this episode. The latter may have been meant to be explained by Lockdown's stated interest in Prowl's use of the samurai armor during their last encounter, however it's still a little clunky.
*The [[protoform]] in this episode is a whole lot different than the one featured in "[[TransWarped]]". This new look will remain constant for the rest of the series.

===Transformers references===
*Prowl performed the titular "Five Servos of Doom" technique back in "[[The Elite Guard]]".

*Swindle is still stuck in vehicle mode after the events of "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]".

*Yoketron is named for [[Takara]]'s lead designer, [[Hideaki Yoke]].

[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-TempleCameos.jpg|thumb|right|250px|For those who thought getting [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] just wasn't good enough...]]

*In addition to Yoketron and Jazz, the busts in Yoketron's little "hall of fame" depict ''Animated'' incarnation of various Transformers that have otherwise not appeared in the series (yet?). Those clearly visible onscreen include [[Springer (Animated)|Springer]], [[Sky Garry (Animated)|Sky Garry]], [[Devcon (Animated)|Devcon]], [[Dai Atlas (Animated)|Dai Atlas]], [[Heavy Load (Animated)|Heavy Load]], [[Star Upper (Animated)|Star Upper]] and [[Roadhandler (Animated)|Roadhandler]], but there are many more busts in the room that are only seen from a distance, and are essentially unidentifiable. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has identified the other Transformers as [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Star Saber (Animated)|Star Saber]], [[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]], [[Kick-Off (Animated)|Kick-Off]], [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]], [[Motorarm (Animated)|Motorarm]], [[Powerhug (Animated)|Powerhug]] and [[Road Rocket (Animated)|Road Rocket]].
** Additionally, Wyatt classifies the characters as being specialists in different categories, namely Fencing/Swordfighting/Melee Weapons (Star Saber, Magnus, Dai Atlas, Springer) , Boxing/Kick-Boxing/Street-Fighting (Tap-Out, Star Upper, Sky Garry, Kick-Off, Devcon), Sumo/Wrestling (Grandus, Motorarm, Powerhug and Roadhandler) and Martial Arts/Ninja (Yoketron, Jazz, Heavy Load and Road Rocket). These classifications speak for themselves more often than not (no explanation is needed for the melee-weapon characters, nor for someone like Star Upper, who was all about boxing), but sometimes the rationale is a bit more obscure (Heavy Load, for instance, was only ever noted to be a martial artist in his [[bio]]; it never came across in the cartoon), or is a reference to some past fiction (Roadhandler being classified as a wrestler is the main example, being that it's a reference to his stint in the squared circle from the Marvel Comics story, "[[The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!]]"). Conversely, sometimes it's just a joke—Grandus as a sumo, for instance, is purely a gag based on the fact that he's a big fatty fat-fat.

*[[Tigatron]] Stadium!

*Lockdown identifies Prowl's techniques as [[Metallikato]] and [[Circuit-Su]].

*Prowl's samurai armor was previously seen in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]", in which Lockdown last appeared. Additionally, it was in that episode that Starscream escaped from the Elite Guard flagship, which is the "last time" that Sentinel refers to while arguing with Optimus.

*Yoketron's Spark container is similar to design to [[Big Convoy]]'s Matrix, with two L-shaped handles instead of U-shaped ones. Fitting, when one considers Yoketron's Japanese-based aesthetic.

*One of the upgrades seen on Lockdown's shelves is [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave's]] G1 shoulder-mounted missile launcher.

*The protoform Prowl takes from the room is has a design similar to the ones in ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.

*Also, the protoform-pods-or-whatever-it-is-called on the walls looks like the [[stasis pods]] from [[Beast Wars (franchise)|the same franchise]]...where the protoforms were guarded as well! Coincidence? Perhaps...

*Master Yoketron's dying words to Prowl are [[Endgame, Part II|rather foreshadowing....]]

===Real-world references===
*The title of the episode is apparently derived from the 1972 Hong Kong martial arts movie [[wikipedia:Five Fingers Of Death|''Five Fingers Of Death'']]. The movie's name is a regular source of recycling, including wrestler Bret Hart's "Five Moves Of Doom" and the mockumentary ''18 Fingers Of Death'' to name a few.
*Tigatron Stadium is named after and largely based on [[wikipedia:Tiger Stadium|Tiger Stadium]], the former home field of the [[wikipedia:Detroit Tigers|Detroit Tigers]], which has been partially demolished.

===Trivia===
*Like [[Where Is Thy Sting?|the previous episode]], this episode received an early online debut when a copy loaded onto the Cartoon Network website server, intended to go live after the episode premiered, was leaked out on [[March 27]], over a week before the episode premiered on television.
*The voice cast for this episode does not credit [[David Kaye]] with the role of Cliffjumper.
[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-CapturedBlitzwingFaces.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Watch out, it bites!]]
*Having three faces warrants three mouth clamps, it seems, as the animation depicts the mouth clamps on Blitzwing's faces rotating when he switches personality.
*While trying to identify the helmet Optimus Prime saw, Prowl brings up the images of the helmets worn by Ultra Magnus and Blitzwing on the computer.
*As of this episode, we've seen all the Cybertronian modes for the main Bots.
*As of this episode all the main bot's have had flashback episodes (including Bulkhead's appearance in Bumblebee's [[Autoboot Camp|flashback's to boot camp]] as his).
*Prowl's keeping of his new armor continues the trend started in "[[Transwarped]]" with Bumblebee and Ratchet that upgrades are okay now because damnit, this is war. This is a notable turnaround from the position of the first two seasons.
*As of the end of this episode, most of the originally Earth-based Decepticons have been destroyed, captured, or scattered, with exceptions including [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] and maybe a [[Slipstream (Animated)|clone]] or two.
*This is the last episode to feature Lockdown.

==Home video releases==
This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Where Is Thy Sting?

2010-07-14T15:17:11Z

98.199.36.222: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=WhereIsThySting-reflectingface.jpg
|caption=Get out of my head!
|ep=34
|title="Where Is Thy Sting?"
|airdate=[[March 28]], 2009
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Shigeharu Takahashi]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''A crazed Wasp finds his way to Earth to exact his revenge on Bumblebee... but he doesn't count on the Elite Guard following him.'''

==Synopsis==
Drawing closer to [[Earth]] in their pursuit of the presumed traitor [[Wasp]], [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] and [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] are at their stations on the bridge of the [[Elite Guard]]'s ship when [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime]] contacts them and demands to know what they are doing in Earth Sector. [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] joins the conference call to apologize for not letting Longarm know of the situation, pointing out that they couldn't risk tipping off Wasp when he stands poised to lead them to his Decepticon contact on the planet. Except, as Jazz points out, Wasp isn't headed for the [[Decepticon]]s... he's making a <s>bee</s>waspline for the [[Autobot]]s' base!

In the Autobots' headquarters, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] is immersed in a game of ''[[Ninja Gladiator]]'' when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] shuts the television off and reprimands Bumblebee for neglecting his monitor duty. In mid-argument, the base computers detect a [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] signal nearby, but no other information can be obtained due to interference caused by recent torrential rain. Prime and the other Autobots thus have to depart to investigate firsthand. Bumblebee, of course, returns to playing his video game.

The Elite Guard ship touches down in Detroit, and Sentinel and Jazz disembark. Sentinel is immediately disgusted by the notion of liquid falling from the sky, and he finds himself all but incapable of driving on the slick roads, but Jazz just rolls with it.

[[Image:WhereIsThySting-Bumblebeecreepilydefeated.jpg|left|thumb|200px|We enjoyed that together.]]
Back at the base, Bumblebee continues playing games until the base is suddenly plunged into darkness. As the red emergency lights come on, Bumblebee finds himself staring into the all-too-familiar face of Wasp, now sporting an Earth-mode body styled after Bumblebee's own. Bumblebee tries to explain that they had both been set up by Longarm, but the insane Wasp doesn't care. He downs Bumblebee with a blast of his stingers and takes off his own helmet, revealing a wound on the top of his head. Just before passing out, Bumblebee sees Wasp standing over him, holding a strange gun fitted with a glowing green canister and vowing to make Bumblebee lose everything, just like he did...

A little later, Bumblebee awakens to find the other Autobots all staring down at him, including...himself? Looking down at himself, Bumblebee is horrified to discover that Wasp has repainted his armor, swapped their helmets, and exchanged their vocal synthesizers, making each a dead ringer for the other. As Wasp stands there, with Bumblebee's [[battle mask]] "stuck" up, Bumblebee attempts to convince the other Autobots that he is himself, but they aren't sold. When [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] attempts to [[stasis cuffs|stasis cuff]] him, Bumblebee is forced to shoot out the lights and make a break for it. He zooms out of the plant, right past Sentinel Prime and Jazz, who intercept Prime and the other Autobots when they try to pursue him. Sentinel demands to know why Optimus's Autobots haven't checked in in so long, but when Optimus tries to explain, Sentinel refuses to listen, informing them he is here to bring in Wasp...who, Optimus points out, just drove right past him. Sentinel ignores Optimus when he tries to tell him that Longarm is the real traitor, and departs immediately to hunt down "Wasp". Optimus instructs his Autobots to locate Wasp first, and they head out to search, while the true Wasp tells them he will stay behind in case Bumblebee comes back.

On Cybertron, Shockwave desperately makes another attempt to contact the missing [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. He transmits a message to him alerting him to the direness of the situation, adding that Shockwave is about to take matters into his own hands...

[[Image:WhereIsThySting-obligatorymisunderstanding.jpg|right|thumb|200px|I has logos-Autobot on my shoulders, da?]]
Back on Earth, Optimus and Ratchet are discussing how odd "Bumblebee" has been behaving when two jets suddenly come roaring by overhead. Knowing that no organic could pilot a plane the way these two crafts fly, the two Autobots assume they are dealing with Decepticons and zoom after them in hot pursuit. The two jets soon track down "Wasp", who is desperately attempting to rub his green paint off with a discarded couch cushion, and transform to robot mode to attack him with blasts of flame and roaring hurricane winds. Ratchet and Optimus arrive to hold off these apparent Decepticons, who reveal a remarkable power to combine into [[Safeguard (Animated)|one mighty robot]], but before the fighting can get too intense, Sentinel and Jazz arrive to reveal that these two are, in fact, Autobots! Sentinel introduces [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]], Elite Guard warriors created using specs from [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], and orders the duo to resume their mission.

In the Autobots' base, Wasp is playing (and losing) ''Ninja Gladiator'', and he decides that he could get used to being Bumblebee. In order to complete the illusion, Wasp scans the Autobots' computer files, so that he can learn everything about Bumblebee and better pass himself off as his old rival.

[[Image:WhereIsThySting-hotdogbot.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Bumblebee needs a lesson in [[kitbashing]].]]
Racing through the city streets, Bumblebee discovers a hot dog cart and desperate tries slathering his armor in mustard to make him look more like himself. He is caught in the act by [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], but he is finally able to convince Bulkhead of his true identity when he tells him something only he could know: namely, that he took the blame for Bulkhead knocking a tower over on Sentinel Prime at [[Autobot boot camp|boot camp]]. Jetfire and Jetstorm arrive just in time to witness this happy scene, but get the wrong end of the stick and assume that Bulkhead and Prowl are traitors as well! The twins report this to Sentinel, and he, Optimus, Jazz and Ratchet head for their position, with Sentinel obstinately refusing to listen to Optimus's attempts to explain the numerous misunderstandings that have happened. When everyone reunites, Bulkhead explains that Bumblebee is definitely Bumblebee, and Optimus orders everyone back to the plant to straighten everything out.

[[Image:WhereIsThySting-UltraMagnusDamaged.jpg|thumb|right|200px|If anyone inserts a "He's been dealt with" caption here, so help us...]]
A little later, back at the plant, Wasp cheerily denies Bumblebee's accusations, using the information he has gleaned from the Autobots' files to "prove" he is who he claims. When interrogation yields no results, Bulkhead comes up with the best way to figure out who's who: a versus match on ''Ninja Gladiator''! Before the game even starts, Wasp chokes and grabs Bumblebee, holding his stinger to 'Bee's neck. Wasp insists that he was always a good bot, but Bulkhead says that isn't true; he might not be a traitor, but he was always mean to Bulkhead and Bumblebee and was hardly good. Wasp blasts out the lights to cover his escape, and when the emergency lights kick in, both Wasp and Bumblebee are gone. The Autobots head outside, where they spot what looks like Bumblebee lying on the ground. Bulkhead assumes it is Wasp and leaps upon the prone figure, pummeling him and ripping off his helmet...only to find out that it really is Bumblebee underneath. Prowl examines Bumblebee's helmet and discovers that their colors were switched so quickly because Wasp had hit him with an [[electronic paint job]] that he could turn off with the press of a button. As things begin to calm down, the truth of the whole matter hits Jazz—if Wasp really was innocent, that means that Longarm Prime really is a Decepticon spy!

Sometime later, on Cybertron, [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] is searching for Longarm in order to apprehend him. Entering the council chamber, Ironhide is horrified to discover the mangled, barely-alive body of Ultra Magnus. He asks the Supreme Commander where [[Magnus Hammer|his hammer]] is and who was responsible. Before collapsing, Ultra Magnus manages to choke out, "Shock...wave..."

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters

|c1=
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (1)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (2)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Wasp]] (7)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (8)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (11)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (12)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (13)
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (14)

|c2=
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave/Longarm Prime]] (3)
|}}

==Quotes==
"Besides, if I'm playing ''Ninja Gladiator'', I'm at least getting valuable combat training." 
:—'''Bumblebee''' gives justification for slacking off.

"Liquid falling from the sky? What is ''wrong'' with this planet?!" 
"Crazy! It's like a planet ''and'' a car wash! You diggin' this or what?"
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' and '''Jazz''' share their thoughts on the rain.

"Wasp—I mean, Bumblebot—I mean, ''I'' will stay here in case Bumblebot—I mean, Wasp comes back." 
:—'''Wasp''' blows his cover several times, but the Autobots still don't pick it up.

'''Ratchet''': Come on! You're doing it wrong! Turn ''into'' the skid! 
'''Sentinel''': Into the skid? That's stupid! 
'''Jazz''': Just gotta go with the flow, S.P.! 
'''Optimus''': How do you put up with him? 
'''Jazz''': I just tune out half of everything he spits out. 
'''Optimus''': Only half?
:—The Autobots attempt to put up with the jerk, with no such luck.

"You're not arresting ''anyone'', Sentinel." 
"So you ''are'' in on it, Optimus." 
"No, Sentinel. I just have something you never will: respect for my teammates." 
:—'''Optimus Prime''' defines exactly ''how'' '''Sentinel Prime''' is a jerk.

"So hit me with that one more time. A robot in disguise swaps metal with a double agent, who is really on the level?" 
"Makes even less sense when you say it."
:—'''Jazz''' and '''Bulkhead''' try their best to fathom what's been going on.

"You were always mean to me and Bumblebee. You may not be a traitor... but you were ''never'' a good bot."
:—'''Bulkhead''' has a go at the traumatised victim of a frame-job—who's holding his best friend hostage.

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
* Optimus Prime's right arm, after he turns off the tv, it's at a weird angle.
*When Bulkhead knocks Jetfire back, Jazz (who isn't even ''there'' yet), instead of Jetstorm, is standing next to Bumblebee.
*When Wasp is playing Bumblebee's video game (and liking it), the characters on screen switch sides as he loses.
*It seems that the animators can't decide which parts of the city are raining.
*Oddly, for a cartoon that tries to stay close to the transformation of the actual toys, Safeguard's transformation is nothing like the toy.
*When Wasp is on his own playing ''Ninja Gladiator'' and later, when he breaks character near the end, he has his original voice. How come Bumblebee couldn't do that?
*For that matter, after Wasp leaves Bumblebee behind, he has his original voice back too. Bumblebee is also still sporting a yellow version of Wasp's helmet.
*At certain points in the episode, Wasp (as Bumblebee) and Bumblebee (as Wasp) wear the design of their false identity's thighs.
*During the close up of Bumblebee (as Wasp), Jetfire and Jetstorm switch places. They're in the correct order in the next scene.

===Continuity errors===
*This isn't an ''error'' as such, but just when did Wasp get an identical Earth form to Bumblebee's? And perhaps more to the point, ''how'' did he change form - both Optimus' crew and the Elite Guard reformatted on their well-equipped ships. Wasp was last seen beside a space bridge with no ship of any kind. Though it's possible that Wasp has the same ability as [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut]] to scan and adapt [[alternate mode]]s on his own.
*Given how close Ratchet is to [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] you'd think he'd know better than to say "no Autobot flies."

===Transformers references===
[[Image:WhereIsThySting-Bumblebeesvideogame.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Referenciality!]]
*We last saw Wasp in "[[Autoboot Camp]]", to which this episode is essentially a sequel. A brief flashback from the episode is shown after Bumblebee says he "took the rap" for Bulkhead for what happened to Sentinel Prime. In an attempt to maintain his ruse, Wasp also mentions all the things that Bumblebee had done then which accidentally embarrassed Sentinel Prime.He also mentions the events in "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]".
* Optimus' Autobots discovered that Wasp wasn't guilty in "[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II]]".
* The background of the ''Ninja Gladiator'' video game prominently features [[TORQ III]].
* In the scene before he switches places with "Bumble-Bot", Wasp is wearing a [[rubsign]] in place of a conventional Autobot insignia. This is identical to [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] - at this time he does not belong to either faction.
* Sentinel Prime discusses the modifications made to Jetfire and Jetstorm, which took place in the "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]" comic book.
* Sentinel Prime still doesn't remember his time with Bumblebee and Bulkhead, as he did (didn't?) in "[[The Elite Guard]]".
* [[Tigatron]] Stadium, which will be seen in the next episode, can be seen in the background.

===Real-world references===
* The episode's title is a reference a Bible verse: namely, [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2015:55&version=31 1 Corinthians 15:55]: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
* Sentinel Prime's cry of "Arrest 'em all and let Ultra Magnus sort 'em out!" is a reference to a popular English translation of a saying by Abbot [[:wikipedia:Arnaud Amalric|Arnold Amaury]], before the massacre of Béziers during the Albigensian Crusade: "Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out."
** According to [[David Kaye]], [[Jeff Bennett]] once used this line in a recording session during the first season, causing the cast to burst into laughter and forcing them to take five.{{fact}}
* The four-armed insect from ''Ninja Gladiator'' is [http://www.micro-outpost.com/pictures/aliens/antron/antron.html Antron] from the ''[[Micronauts]]''. According to Derrick Wyatt, the black figure the insect fights is [[Snake-Eyes]].[http://twitter.com/SentinelPrime/status/1418651506][http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1418656175]
* The Jet bros. combination sequence, like much else about them, is based on the stock footage sequences of the various Symmetrical Docking robots from ''King Of [[Brave]]s GaoGaiGar''.
* Bumblebee's line, 'Deceptions, why'd it have to be Decepticons?' hearkens back to ''Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark''.

===Trivia===
*This episode received an impromptu online debut on [[March 25]], [[2009]], when a copy loaded onto the [[Cartoon Network]] website's server, intended to go live after the episode aired a few days later, was pilfered and leaked by some ne'er-do-wells. The next episode, "[[Five Servos of Doom]]", was leaked a few days later.
*Wasp has purple eyes, which were visible even with Bumblebee's battle mask up, and retained the striped design on his thighs. Bumblebee still had his blue eyes and other retained properties. The Autobots didn't notice this because...?
*You could ask the same question regarding the Jet twins. Although their Elite Guard insignias are on their hips, Optimus and Ratchet should have seen the insignia on their shoulders when they merged into Safeguard.
*Not to mention that Optimus and Ratchet have very obvious Autobot symbols. Why didn't the twins try to introduce themselves before diving into battle with them? Course, if Sentinel trained them, they might be bigger jerks then we realize and just assumed them traitors.
*When Bulkhead runs into the green Bumblebee in the street, Bumblebee puts his hands in the air to surrender and starts wailing that he's Bumblebee. Bulkhead ''knows'' Wasp was framed, locked up in the stockade for years, may well be traumatised, and has not as yet EVER actually hurt anybody, but he still starts swinging his wrecking ball with intent to pummel. Later on when Wasp is revealed and uses Bumblebee as a shield, Bulkhead starts telling the ''frightened and angry'' mech that he was "never a good bot." And when Wasp runs off ''without hurting anybody,'' and Bulkhead sees a yellow mech lying outside face down and motionless, he instantly attacks what he thinks is Wasp. This episode doesn't do anything for Bulkhead's rep as an Autobot ''at all.''
**None of the other Autobots seem to have a problem with his actions either.
*Apparently it doesn't rain on Cybertron, because Sentinel Prime was irritated that liquid falls from the sky on Earth.
*Strangely, the Autobots don't try and work out who's Wasp and who's Bumblebee by [[A Prime Problem|having a race]].

==Home video releases==
This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Three's a Crowd (episode)

2010-07-14T14:47:15Z

98.199.36.222: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFAni Threes a Crowd Constructicons.jpg
|caption=
|ep=33
|title="Three's a Crowd"
|airdate=[[March 21]], 2009
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by= [[Kalvin Lee]] [[Tetsuro Moronuki]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Bulkhead seeks the help of the Constructicons for a vital construction project, but, thanks to their new leader, the Constructicons have bigger and deadlier plans.'''

==Synopsis==
At [[Sumdac Tower]], [[Isaac Sumdac]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are spending the night working to construct a new [[space bridge]], although Isaac is a bit distracted by the damaged [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster unit]] sitting in the lab. Bulkhead is eager to get the job done, but Sumdac is tired, having spent the previous night overriding the signal dampeners he created for the [[Decepticon]]s.

Elsewhere in [[Detroit]], the other Autobots are taking advantage of the overridden dampeners, and are on the trail of a Decepticon energy signature at that very moment. Unfortunately, the Decepticon in question turns out to be [[Lugnut]], who doesn't shy away from a fight, and drops out of the sky on the pursuing Autobots, unleashing his "[[Punch of Kill Everything]]".

Back at Sumdac Tower, Sumdac loads the power core for the space bridge onto a forklift, as Bulkhead fits a few [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragments into it in order to give it a boost. When Bulkhead reclines against the core, however, the floor beneath them gives out, and the core, the forklift and the Headmaster unit go tumbling down, taking out a few more floors on their way. Luckily, Sumdac is saved from the fall by Bulkhead's wrecking ball, and retires to bed to recover from the shock. Bulkhead examines the damage, and decides that he knows just the experts to help him fix it... but as he departs, at the bottom of the pit, the Headmaster, the forklift, and the power core begin creeping towards each other, as the familiar glow of an AllSpark fragment lights up the darkness...

[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Stop Hitting Yourself.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself!]]
Across town, [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] are enjoying the "show" at an automotive disassembly plant when Bulkhead, having tracked them down through their energy signatures, arrives to ask them for help. The two [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] refuse to work for the Autobots, until Bulkhead promises to keep the job "off the books". The trio return to Sumdac Tower, and Scrapper begins clearing the debris when suddenly, something grabs the other end of his shovel. The Constructicons reel in the offending item, which turns out to be a forklift... which promptly transforms into a diminutive robot that introduces itself as [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]]. Bulkhead realizes that the forklift has fused with the Headmaster unit and the AllSpark fragment, and the perpetually cranky Dirt Boss quickly announces his intention to take charge of the Constructicons. Scrapper is amused by this prospect, but Dirt Boss brings him around to his way of thinking by launching a shell from his forehead which burrows into Scrapper's head and gives the tiny terror control of Scrapper's motor functions. Bulkhead contacts the other Autobots to inform them of the new problem, but they are too busy battling Lugnut to offer any help. Bulkhead is struggling to figure out what to do when Sumdac appears to find out what the commotion is all about. In order to keep his human friend safe from Dirt Boss, Bulkhead introduces Sumdac as his servant, and barks an order at the scientist to get back to work finishing the [[plasmadynamic thruster]] they require. Sumdac, of course, completely fails to understand Bulkhead's ruse, and becomes genuinely afraid of the big Autobot, scampering off in terror to complete his task. With that taken care of, Dirt Boss announces his plan to take back the city that machines like he helped build, by stealing the its oil. That, as it turns out, is a plan Mixmaster and Scrapper can definitely get behind! The Constructicons commence Dirt Boss's plan by hijacking a tanker truck, but when Bulkhead tries to talk them out of it, Mixmaster turns on him and glues him to the road with a pair of cement galoshes. The evil trio proceed to go on a crime spree, stealing oil from all over the city.
The other Autobots, meanwhile, have managed to get a pair of [[stasis cuffs]] on Lugnut, but find themselves lacking in the physical strength necessary to haul his paralyzed body out of the crater his punch had created earlier. The cable they are using to haul the huge Decepticon soon snap, putting them right back where they started.

[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Lugnut Ratchet.jpg|thumb|right|180px|"Oh, glorious Megatron!! I fear that your humble servant has fallen and can't [[rise up]]!!"]]
Back at the Constructicons' plant, Mixmaster and Scrapper celebrate their successful run of heists by enjoying a tipple, but Dirt Boss promptly smacks the barrels from their hands, telling them they didn't steal the oil to drink it. Bulkhead, meanwhile, is snooping on the Constructicons through a nearby window when Professor Sumdac comes running up to him, with the plasmadynamic thruster completed as requested. Bulkhead struggles to make the human understand that he was merely acting before, but when the Constructicons hear the noise outside and come to investigate, Bulkhead has to start acting again and sends Sumdac away. This time, however, Sumdac has grasped Bulkhead's deception, and eavesdrops as Dirt Boss reveals his plan to blow up fossil fuel refinery, thereby giving him control of the largest supply of oil in the city. Bulkhead decides that he cannot let things go any further and attacks the Constructicons, but when his wrecking ball becomes jammed in Mixmaster's arm-cannon, the three Decepticons simply walk off, dragging the helpless Bulkhead behind them. They soon arrive at the refinery, where Bulkhead is able to give Scrapper and Mixmaster pause by asking them where they'll get any oil to drink if they blow up the refinery. With Mixmaster wavering, Dirt Boss takes control of his body, and orders him to finish Bulkhead off. The resulting fight is a bit on the awkward side, given that the two combatants are stuck together, and Bulkhead is able to open a comm channel to the other Autobots, transmitting the noise of the fight to them. Realizing their friend is in trouble, the other Autobots leave Lugnut lying in his crater, and race off to aid Bulkhead in battle.

The fight between Mixmaster and Bulkhead winds up damaging the refinery's main fuel tank, which begins leaking oil everywhere. Dirt Boss proceeds to remove his control shell from Mixmaster, and plants it in Bulkhead instead, intending to use the Autobot to ignite the oil and send the refinery up in flames. Mixmaster is distressed at this prospect, given that he is still stuck to Bulkhead, but neither Dirt Boss nor Scrapper are particularly bothered.

[[Image:Three'saCrowdConstructiconsOilrefinery.jpg|thumb|left|180px|"Ahhh... brotherly love, don't you see."]]
The other Autobots soon arrive at the refinery and nearly run over Professor Sumdac, who quickly brings them up to speed. Suddenly, Bulkhead comes storming towards the Autobots, whirling his wrecking ball (and Mixmaster) as he and Scrapper follow Dirt Boss's command to attack. Luckily, Ratchet is able to magnetically extract Dirt Boss's control shell, and Bulkhead uses some of the spill oil to loosen his wrecking ball and disconnect himself from Mixmaster. He then hurls the Constructicon at Scrapper, but when the two collide, their metal bodies create a spark that sets the refinery ablaze. Worse yet, Scrapper's fist has become lodged in Mixmaster's chest drum, but as the pair struggle to free themselves from each other so they can make themselves scarce, Dirt Boss leaps on Scrapper's head and takes manual control of his body, refusing to let either of them chicken out. The Constructicons wind up on top of the main fuel tank as the Autobots try to fight the fire below, but it soon becomes apparent that the heroes can't stop the tank from blowing. Sumdac suggests using the plasmadynamic thruster to [[transwarp|TransWarp]] the tank away, and Bulkhead reprograms the device to do the job. Bulkhead hurls the thruster onto the top of the tank, and it and the Constructicons are warped away, materializing just off the shores of [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] seconds before the tank explodes.

With the Constructicon threat dealt with, the Autobots return to the crater to take Lugnut back into custody. Unfortunately, someone has beaten them to it: Lugnut has been liberated by [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]], who ''promises'' he'll ''never'' speak a word of the whole embarrassing affair.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (6)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (14)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (15)
|c2=
* [[Lugnut]] (7)
* [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (8)
* [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (9)
* [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]] (10)
* [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (16)
|c3=
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] (11)
* [[Captain Fanzone]] (12)
|c4=

}}

==Quotes==
'''Bulkhead''': These AllSpark fragments should give the power core a boost. 
'''Sumdac''': Be careful, Bulkhead! We don't want to overload it. 
'''Bulkhead''': Relax. When it comes to space bridges, I know what I'm doing. 
''[The floor starts to give way beneath them]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': But I'm not so hot at structural integrity!
:—Bulkhead and Sumdac learn that there are flaws with building a giant space bridge in a tower.

'''Scrapper''': ''[viewing the forklift he's just hauled up]'' What the slag is that? 
''[Forklift transforms into Dirt Boss]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': If I had to guess, a forklift, a Headmaster unit, an Allspark fragment, and a whole lot of trouble.
:—Dirt Boss's first transformation speaks volumes to Bulkhead.

'''Dirt Boss''': What are you cogs looking at? You want a piece of me? Try it and you'll be going to the scrapyard in a cracker box. 
'''Bulkhead''': Whoa! Someone's got a big chip on their engine block. 
'''Dirt Boss''': You ever tried working for a livin', tiny? Takin' orders from the man? "Move this! Move that!" Well, forget about that! I'm in charge now! 
'''Scrapper''': ''[whispering to Mixmaster]'' Who stalled and made him boss? 
'''Dirt Boss''': That's ''Dirt Boss'' to you! Ya got a problem with that? ''[fires cerebro-shell into Scrapper's forehead]'' 
'''Scrapper''': What? No! Ow! Stop! 
'''Dirt Boss''': Ya got a problem? ''[Scrapper hits himself]'' Ya got a problem? ''[Scrapper hits himself]'' Ya got a problem? ''[Scrapper hits himself]'' 
:—Dirt Boss establishes his position in the pecking order.

"Tell 'em there's a new boss in town: Dirt Boss!"
:—'''Dirt Boss''', every chance he gets.

"Will you slag that annoying little pipsqueak already?!" 
"Who're you calling "pipsqueak", short stuff?
:—'''Dirt Boss''' and '''Bumblebee''' engage in height cracks.

"Oh, I so don't have time for this."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', in desperate need of some leave.

"Uh, you promise me you will, ahem, never speak of this to Megatron..." 
"Oh, I promise."
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Ramjet''' engage in epic foreshadowing of something that, sadly, <s>probably won't be</s> is never brought up again.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*Bulkhead is shown with the other Autobots as Lugnut crashes to the ground.
*One of the ''[[Detroit Powell Press]]'' editions has a headline typo: "RACKETEERS STRIKES OIL" should read "RACKETEERS STRIKE OIL".
*During Dirt Boss's debut scene and when he's telling his plan to blow up the fossil-fuel refinery, the position of his mouth switches several times from the middle of his face (at the "W" shape) to the bottom, and presumably correct, position.

===Continuity errors===
*When Bulkhead confronts Mixmaster and Scrapper, they speak to Bulkhead as if they remember the events that transpired in "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]", saying that they "don't work for no crankin' Autobots anymore" and referring to Bulkhead as "Bulky". While nothing says they can't have regained those memories by some point, if that's the case, it wasn't shown when this happened.

*More AllSpark fragments are shown in the beginning of the episode, yet all the previously collected pieces the Autobots found were placed into Omega Supreme last season. It's possible the Autobots have found some more since then, off-screen, but it seems an odd thing to omit, plus they would have only had between the end of "[[TransWarped]]" and the start of this episode to do so, which doesn't seem like a long time.

*The Constructicons' rampage goes on for long enough that newspapers pick up the story, and oil profits are seriously hurt. How long are the other Autobots hauling Lugnut out of that crater?

*Beginning in season 3 all [[Slag (slang)|slag]] lines were edited out in the [[UK]]. In this episode this results in Bumblebee inexplicably yelling "Who you calling pipsqueak? Short stuff!" even though no one calls him pipsqueak.
* Where the hell did the fire at the oil rig go after the oilsplosion?

===Transformers references===
[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Sludge Sign.jpg|thumb|right|So cars & trucks ''do'' eat dinosaurs!]]

* At least one Detroit paper is titled the ''Detroit Powell Press''. [[Porter C. Powell]] has corporate investments everywhere, it seems.

* The Headmaster unit was recovered [[TransWarped|last episode]].

* The [[Fossil Fuel]] Oil Company's logo is [[Generation 1]] [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] doing an impression of the [[wikipedia:Sinclair Oil Corporation|Sinclair Oil]] logo.

* This isn't the first series to have [[Space bridge#Generation 1 cartoon|a space bridge in a tower.]]

* Several dockworkers are dressed in the standard Generation 1 cartoon [[Hard hat|costume]].

* Dirt Boss would not be [[Bombshell (G1)|the first Transformer]] to use [[cerebro shell|shells fired from his head]] to control others.

===Real-world references===
*The ''Detroit Powell Press'' is a reference to a real-life Detroit paper, the ''Detroit Free Press''. Minus the freedom.

*Scrapper and Mixmaster are found drinking heavily in a manufacturing plant that is deconstructing luxury cars piece by piece. Striptease, anyone?

*The climactic scene with Dirt Boss on top of the oil tank is closely based on the ending of the gangster movie ''[[Wikipedia:White Heat|White Heat]]''.

===Trivia===
* The Detroit newspaper business is incredible; within what is apparently a single night of Constructicon rampage, the ''Detroit Powell Press'' puts out three separate editions announcing the new threat. Either that, or the Autobots spend a ''long'' time focusing on hauling Lugnut out of his crater and nothing else. (Though really, it's impressive that newspapers even still ''exist'' in the future...)
*It appears that Lugnut has accepted [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Starscream's clones]] (or at least Ramjet) as part of the main Decepticon force. Apparently, being Starscream's duplicate is fine as long as you worship the GLORIOUS Megatron.
*What ''exactly'' did Dirt Boss hope to accomplish by climbing up to the top of the oil tank, again?
*An exploding oil tank in the middle of Lake Erie is probably going to be a real mess, isn't it?
*There is also a Decepticon forklift named [[Dirt Boss (ROTF)|Dirt Boss]] in the ''[[Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|toyline]]. This is supposedly completely coincidental.
*This episode marks the final appearance of Mixmaster and Dirt Boss.

==Home video releases==
This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Three's a Crowd (episode)

2010-07-14T14:43:21Z

98.199.36.222: /* Trivia */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFAni Threes a Crowd Constructicons.jpg
|caption=
|ep=33
|title="Three's a Crowd"
|airdate=[[March 21]], 2009
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by= [[Kalvin Lee]] [[Tetsuro Moronuki]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Bulkhead seeks the help of the Constructicons for a vital construction project, but, thanks to their new leader, the Constructicons have bigger and deadlier plans.'''

==Synopsis==
At [[Sumdac Tower]], [[Isaac Sumdac]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are spending the night working to construct a new [[space bridge]], although Isaac is a bit distracted by the damaged [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster unit]] sitting in the lab. Bulkhead is eager to get the job done, but Sumdac is tired, having spent the previous night overriding the signal dampeners he created for the [[Decepticon]]s.

Elsewhere in [[Detroit]], the other Autobots are taking advantage of the overridden dampeners, and are on the trail of a Decepticon energy signature at that very moment. Unfortunately, the Decepticon in question turns out to be [[Lugnut]], who doesn't shy away from a fight, and drops out of the sky on the pursuing Autobots, unleashing his "[[Punch of Kill Everything]]".

Back at Sumdac Tower, Sumdac loads the power core for the space bridge onto a forklift, as Bulkhead fits a few [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragments into it in order to give it a boost. When Bulkhead reclines against the core, however, the floor beneath them gives out, and the core, the forklift and the Headmaster unit go tumbling down, taking out a few more floors on their way. Luckily, Sumdac is saved from the fall by Bulkhead's wrecking ball, and retires to bed to recover from the shock. Bulkhead examines the damage, and decides that he knows just the experts to help him fix it... but as he departs, at the bottom of the pit, the Headmaster, the forklift, and the power core begin creeping towards each other, as the familiar glow of an AllSpark fragment lights up the darkness...

[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Stop Hitting Yourself.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself!]]
Across town, [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] are enjoying the "show" at an automotive disassembly plant when Bulkhead, having tracked them down through their energy signatures, arrives to ask them for help. The two [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] refuse to work for the Autobots, until Bulkhead promises to keep the job "off the books". The trio return to Sumdac Tower, and Scrapper begins clearing the debris when suddenly, something grabs the other end of his shovel. The Constructicons reel in the offending item, which turns out to be a forklift... which promptly transforms into a diminutive robot that introduces itself as [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]]. Bulkhead realizes that the forklift has fused with the Headmaster unit and the AllSpark fragment, and the perpetually cranky Dirt Boss quickly announces his intention to take charge of the Constructicons. Scrapper is amused by this prospect, but Dirt Boss brings him around to his way of thinking by launching a shell from his forehead which burrows into Scrapper's head and gives the tiny terror control of Scrapper's motor functions. Bulkhead contacts the other Autobots to inform them of the new problem, but they are too busy battling Lugnut to offer any help. Bulkhead is struggling to figure out what to do when Sumdac appears to find out what the commotion is all about. In order to keep his human friend safe from Dirt Boss, Bulkhead introduces Sumdac as his servant, and barks an order at the scientist to get back to work finishing the [[plasmadynamic thruster]] they require. Sumdac, of course, completely fails to understand Bulkhead's ruse, and becomes genuinely afraid of the big Autobot, scampering off in terror to complete his task. With that taken care of, Dirt Boss announces his plan to take back the city that machines like he helped build, by stealing the its oil. That, as it turns out, is a plan Mixmaster and Scrapper can definitely get behind! The Constructicons commence Dirt Boss's plan by hijacking a tanker truck, but when Bulkhead tries to talk them out of it, Mixmaster turns on him and glues him to the road with a pair of cement galoshes. The evil trio proceed to go on a crime spree, stealing oil from all over the city.
The other Autobots, meanwhile, have managed to get a pair of [[stasis cuffs]] on Lugnut, but find themselves lacking in the physical strength necessary to haul his paralyzed body out of the crater his punch had created earlier. The cable they are using to haul the huge Decepticon soon snap, putting them right back where they started.

[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Lugnut Ratchet.jpg|thumb|right|180px|"Oh, glorious Megatron!! I fear that your humble servant has fallen and can't [[rise up]]!!"]]
Back at the Constructicons' plant, Mixmaster and Scrapper celebrate their successful run of heists by enjoying a tipple, but Dirt Boss promptly smacks the barrels from their hands, telling them they didn't steal the oil to drink it. Bulkhead, meanwhile, is snooping on the Constructicons through a nearby window when Professor Sumdac comes running up to him, with the plasmadynamic thruster completed as requested. Bulkhead struggles to make the human understand that he was merely acting before, but when the Constructicons hear the noise outside and come to investigate, Bulkhead has to start acting again and sends Sumdac away. This time, however, Sumdac has grasped Bulkhead's deception, and eavesdrops as Dirt Boss reveals his plan to blow up fossil fuel refinery, thereby giving him control of the largest supply of oil in the city. Bulkhead decides that he cannot let things go any further and attacks the Constructicons, but when his wrecking ball becomes jammed in Mixmaster's arm-cannon, the three Decepticons simply walk off, dragging the helpless Bulkhead behind them. They soon arrive at the refinery, where Bulkhead is able to give Scrapper and Mixmaster pause by asking them where they'll get any oil to drink if they blow up the refinery. With Mixmaster wavering, Dirt Boss takes control of his body, and orders him to finish Bulkhead off. The resulting fight is a bit on the awkward side, given that the two combatants are stuck together, and Bulkhead is able to open a comm channel to the other Autobots, transmitting the noise of the fight to them. Realizing their friend is in trouble, the other Autobots leave Lugnut lying in his crater, and race off to aid Bulkhead in battle.

The fight between Mixmaster and Bulkhead winds up damaging the refinery's main fuel tank, which begins leaking oil everywhere. Dirt Boss proceeds to remove his control shell from Mixmaster, and plants it in Bulkhead instead, intending to use the Autobot to ignite the oil and send the refinery up in flames. Mixmaster is distressed at this prospect, given that he is still stuck to Bulkhead, but neither Dirt Boss nor Scrapper are particularly bothered.

[[Image:Three'saCrowdConstructiconsOilrefinery.jpg|thumb|left|180px|"Ahhh... brotherly love, don't you see."]]
The other Autobots soon arrive at the refinery and nearly run over Professor Sumdac, who quickly brings them up to speed. Suddenly, Bulkhead comes storming towards the Autobots, whirling his wrecking ball (and Mixmaster) as he and Scrapper follow Dirt Boss's command to attack. Luckily, Ratchet is able to magnetically extract Dirt Boss's control shell, and Bulkhead uses some of the spill oil to loosen his wrecking ball and disconnect himself from Mixmaster. He then hurls the Constructicon at Scrapper, but when the two collide, their metal bodies create a spark that sets the refinery ablaze. Worse yet, Scrapper's fist has become lodged in Mixmaster's chest drum, but as the pair struggle to free themselves from each other so they can make themselves scarce, Dirt Boss leaps on Scrapper's head and takes manual control of his body, refusing to let either of them chicken out. The Constructicons wind up on top of the main fuel tank as the Autobots try to fight the fire below, but it soon becomes apparent that the heroes can't stop the tank from blowing. Sumdac suggests using the plasmadynamic thruster to [[transwarp|TransWarp]] the tank away, and Bulkhead reprograms the device to do the job. Bulkhead hurls the thruster onto the top of the tank, and it and the Constructicons are warped away, materializing just off the shores of [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] seconds before the tank explodes.

With the Constructicon threat dealt with, the Autobots return to the crater to take Lugnut back into custody. Unfortunately, someone has beaten them to it: Lugnut has been liberated by [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]], who ''promises'' he'll ''never'' speak a word of the whole embarrassing affair.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (6)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (14)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (15)
|c2=
* [[Lugnut]] (7)
* [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (8)
* [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (9)
* [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]] (10)
* [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (16)
|c3=
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] (11)
* [[Captain Fanzone]] (12)
|c4=

}}

==Quotes==
'''Bulkhead''': These AllSpark fragments should give the power core a boost. 
'''Sumdac''': Be careful, Bulkhead! We don't want to overload it. 
'''Bulkhead''': Relax. When it comes to space bridges, I know what I'm doing. 
''[The floor starts to give way beneath them]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': But I'm not so hot at structural integrity!
:—Bulkhead and Sumdac learn that there are flaws with building a giant space bridge in a tower.

'''Scrapper''': ''[viewing the forklift he's just hauled up]'' What the slag is that? 
''[Forklift transforms into Dirt Boss]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': If I had to guess, a forklift, a Headmaster unit, an Allspark fragment, and a whole lot of trouble.
:—Dirt Boss's first transformation speaks volumes to Bulkhead.

'''Dirt Boss''': What are you cogs looking at? You want a piece of me? Try it and you'll be going to the scrapyard in a cracker box. 
'''Bulkhead''': Whoa! Someone's got a big chip on their engine block. 
'''Dirt Boss''': You ever tried working for a livin', tiny? Takin' orders from the man? "Move this! Move that!" Well, forget about that! I'm in charge now! 
'''Scrapper''': ''[whispering to Mixmaster]'' Who stalled and made him boss? 
'''Dirt Boss''': That's ''Dirt Boss'' to you! Ya got a problem with that? ''[fires cerebro-shell into Scrapper's forehead]'' 
'''Scrapper''': What? No! Ow! Stop! 
'''Dirt Boss''': Ya got a problem? ''[Scrapper hits himself]'' Ya got a problem? ''[Scrapper hits himself]'' Ya got a problem? ''[Scrapper hits himself]'' 
:—Dirt Boss establishes his position in the pecking order.

"Tell 'em there's a new boss in town: Dirt Boss!"
:—'''Dirt Boss''', every chance he gets.

"Will you slag that annoying little pipsqueak already?!" 
"Who're you calling "pipsqueak", short stuff?
:—'''Dirt Boss''' and '''Bumblebee''' engage in height cracks.

"Oh, I so don't have time for this."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', in desperate need of some leave.

"Uh, you promise me you will, ahem, never speak of this to Megatron..." 
"Oh, I promise."
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Ramjet''' engage in epic foreshadowing of something that, sadly, <s>probably won't be</s> is never brought up again.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*Bulkhead is shown with the other Autobots as Lugnut crashes to the ground.
*One of the ''[[Detroit Powell Press]]'' editions has a headline typo: "RACKETEERS STRIKES OIL" should read "RACKETEERS STRIKE OIL".
*During Dirt Boss's debut scene and when he's telling his plan to blow up the fossil-fuel refinery, the position of his mouth switches several times from the middle of his face (at the "W" shape) to the bottom, and presumably correct, position.

===Continuity errors===
*When Bulkhead confronts Mixmaster and Scrapper, they speak to Bulkhead as if they remember the events that transpired in "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]", saying that they "don't work for no crankin' Autobots anymore" and referring to Bulkhead as "Bulky". While nothing says they can't have regained those memories by some point, if that's the case, it wasn't shown when this happened.

*More AllSpark fragments are shown in the beginning of the episode, yet all the previously collected pieces the Autobots found were placed into Omega Supreme last season. It's possible the Autobots have found some more since then, off-screen, but it seems an odd thing to omit, plus they would have only had between the end of "[[TransWarped]]" and the start of this episode to do so, which doesn't seem like a long time.

*The Constructicons' rampage goes on for long enough that newspapers pick up the story, and oil profits are seriously hurt. How long are the other Autobots hauling Lugnut out of that crater?

*Beginning in season 3 all [[Slag (slang)|slag]] lines were edited out in the [[UK]]. In this episode this results in Bumblebee inexplicably yelling "Who you calling pipsqueak? Short stuff!" even though no one calls him pipsqueak.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Sludge Sign.jpg|thumb|right|So cars & trucks ''do'' eat dinosaurs!]]

* At least one Detroit paper is titled the ''Detroit Powell Press''. [[Porter C. Powell]] has corporate investments everywhere, it seems.

* The Headmaster unit was recovered [[TransWarped|last episode]].

* The [[Fossil Fuel]] Oil Company's logo is [[Generation 1]] [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] doing an impression of the [[wikipedia:Sinclair Oil Corporation|Sinclair Oil]] logo.

* This isn't the first series to have [[Space bridge#Generation 1 cartoon|a space bridge in a tower.]]

* Several dockworkers are dressed in the standard Generation 1 cartoon [[Hard hat|costume]].

* Dirt Boss would not be [[Bombshell (G1)|the first Transformer]] to use [[cerebro shell|shells fired from his head]] to control others.

===Real-world references===
*The ''Detroit Powell Press'' is a reference to a real-life Detroit paper, the ''Detroit Free Press''. Minus the freedom.

*Scrapper and Mixmaster are found drinking heavily in a manufacturing plant that is deconstructing luxury cars piece by piece. Striptease, anyone?

*The climactic scene with Dirt Boss on top of the oil tank is closely based on the ending of the gangster movie ''[[Wikipedia:White Heat|White Heat]]''.

===Trivia===
* The Detroit newspaper business is incredible; within what is apparently a single night of Constructicon rampage, the ''Detroit Powell Press'' puts out three separate editions announcing the new threat. Either that, or the Autobots spend a ''long'' time focusing on hauling Lugnut out of his crater and nothing else. (Though really, it's impressive that newspapers even still ''exist'' in the future...)
*It appears that Lugnut has accepted [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Starscream's clones]] (or at least Ramjet) as part of the main Decepticon force. Apparently, being Starscream's duplicate is fine as long as you worship the GLORIOUS Megatron.
*What ''exactly'' did Dirt Boss hope to accomplish by climbing up to the top of the oil tank, again?
*An exploding oil tank in the middle of Lake Erie is probably going to be a real mess, isn't it?
*There is also a Decepticon forklift named [[Dirt Boss (ROTF)|Dirt Boss]] in the ''[[Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|toyline]]. This is supposedly completely coincidental.
*This episode marks the final appearance of Mixmaster and Dirt Boss.

==Home video releases==
This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Dirt Boss (Animated)

2010-07-14T14:10:45Z

98.199.36.222: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Dirt Boss}}
:''Dirt Boss is a [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicon]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AnimatedDirtBoss.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Diminutive, ain't he?]]

Created accidentally by the fusion of a forklift, a [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster unit]] and an [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragment, '''Dirt Boss''' is a little bot with big, big plans. Sick of having been bossed around back when he was nothing more than a simple machine, he's decided that ''he's'' going to be giving the orders from now on!

His nasty attitude might be enough to accomplish this on its own, but he's capable of getting muscle for his jobs very quickly. He can fire a small remote control device from his forehead, tipped with a drill that allows it to bore its way into other other machines—Transformers included—giving Dirt Boss direct control of their motor functions. And if he really has to get his servos dirty, his stumpy little legs are actually quite capable of delivering a brutal roundhouse. Now he's taken command of the other [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicon]]s and is going to make sure [[Detroit]] knows who's boss!

{{bigquote|Bots like us, we helped build this city! An' now we're gonna take a piece of it back! ''With interest!''|Dirt Boss about five minutes after activation|"[[Three's a Crowd]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor'': [[John Mariano]] (English)
[[Isaac Sumdac]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] were using the forklift that would become Dirt Boss in their [[space bridge]] recreation project at [[Sumdac Tower]], but Bulkhead's natural clumsiness sent the forklift, the recently recaptured Headmaster unit, and three Allspark fragments plummeting several floors. While Isaac went to sleep off his scare and Bulkhead went to get help with reinforcing the tower's structural support for the new space bridge, the fallen objects fused together.

[[Image:Imgdirtboss-animated.jpg|left|thumb|I gotta deal you can't-a refuse, icehole!]]

By the time Bulkhead returned with [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]], who were beginning to come around to the idea of becoming [[Autobot]]s, Dirt Boss had come to life. Pulled up by Scrapper, the tiny terror immediately used his motor-control power on Scrapper to make him hit himself repeatedly. The three far larger robots were quickly cowed into submission, and Dirt Boss revealed his plan to hijack oil shipments to increase his power base in the city...a plan with which the two Constructicons quickly got on board.

Leading the two on an overnight crime spree (and occasionally beating the Constructicons for drinking the profits), he revealed his plan to torch the [[Fossil Fuel]] plant, forcing the city to come to him for oil. Bulkhead attempted to stop them before they left, but that didn't go too well. Bulkhead was dragged to the fuel plant, and eventually Dirt Boss used his motor-control on him, intending him to start a fire that would destroy the plant (sacrificing the bound Mixmaster in the process). The rest of the Autobots arrived, but a stray spark set the spilled oil ablaze anyway. Dirt Boss took control of Mixmaster and Scrapper, who had become stuck together in the fight, and rode them to the top of the oil tower. Fortunately, Sumdac had followed them, carrying the [[plasmadynamic thruster]] from their space bridge. Bulkhead reprogrammed the device and transported the oil tanker—and the three Constructicons—to just offshore of [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] just before it exploded. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}

48 days later, Scrapper had still not managed to contact or locate Dirt Boss or Mixmaster. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

==Notes==
* Well, it took a while, but anime fans can at last point to an honest-to-gosh reference to the anime ''[[wikipedia:Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' in ''Animated'': As confirmed by [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] over his Twitter feed, Dirt Boss is designed in homage to the small Lagann mecha from the show.
* Despite having just been created, Dirt Boss manages to have a Decepticon insignia without [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]'s influence.
* Dirt Boss can fire shells from his forehead to control other robots? [[Bombshell (G1)|Sounds familiar...]]
* Dirt Boss's ultimate fate was never revealed before the end of the series, so it is up for debate as to whether or not he survived the oil tank explosion at the end of "Three's a Crowd". Derrick J. Wyatt says that he and Mixmaster "exploded away", whatever that means.[http://www.formspring.me/DerrickJWyatt/q/497123253]
[[Category: Animated characters]]
[[Category: Cartoon-only characters]]
[[Category: Constructicons]]
[[Category: Gangsters]]
* Dirt Boss's forklift (in robot mode) can move into the front of robot mode. And it's in a weird place...

Prime Target (G1)

2010-07-06T03:55:15Z

98.199.36.222: /* Quotes */

{{episode
|image=Lord chumley plaque.jpg
|caption=...This pretty much speaks for itself.
|series=G1toon
|ep=51
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=51
|prev2=Blaster Blues
|next2=Auto-Bop
|title="Prime Target"
|written by=[[Flint Dille]] [[Buzz Dixon]]
|production code=700-50
|airdate=[[November 14]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The big-game hunter Lord Chumley begins hunting Autobots, and he's gunning for Optimus Prime.'''

:''Japanese title:'' ターゲットはコンボイ (''Target wa Convoy'', "The Target is Convoy")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Jagd auf Prime'''" ("Hunt for Prime")

==Synopsis==
Over the [[Arctic]], [[Daina|Oktober Guard One]] is flying an experimental jet, when it is suddenly speared by a submarine under the ice. She ejects, but the plane is captured. It turns out that the plane was stolen by [[Lord Chumley]], a game hunter, who tells his manservant [[Dinsmoore]] that he needs one more thing to complete his collection...the head of Optimus Prime.

[[Image:Primetargetchumleydinsmore.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Dinsmoore, I believe the Autobots are about to suffer a series of unfortunate events!"]]

Heading into town, [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] spot [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and head after them. However, it is actually a trap set by Chumley. Back at the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Autobots are watching a soap opera which is interrupted by a news broadcast about the theft of the plane. Apparently, the [[Soviet Union]] is accusing the [[United States of America]] of the theft, which the United States denies, and the two countries are ready to go to war. Having not heard back from Bumblebee and Tracks, Prime orders the Autobots to search for their friends. However, Chumley has devised several traps for the Autobots and manages to capture [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], [[Grapple]], [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], the latter of whom sends a message to Prime about the capture. Not wanting to risk the others, Prime orders the Autobots to return to base.

[[Image:Primetargetbotsintraps.jpg|right|200px|thumb|And you thought Hasbro safety tests were tough.]]

While they regroup, [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] sends a message to Prime, saying that he's found the missing bots, who are being held in (poorly designed) traps intended to prevent them from escaping. Chumley himself contacts Prime and requests his presence. Pissed at seeing his friends tortured, Prime overloads Chumley's screen and orders the Autobots to remain at the base.

However, [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] has been keeping an eye on the events and feels that Chumley, though a flesh creature, may be useful...especially since he's done more in two days than Megatron has done in two years, which [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] takes the time to point out. Unaware that Chumley is only after Prime, Megatron sends Blitzwing and Astrotrain (surprise, surprise) to make a deal between Chumley and the [[Decepticon]]s.

Arriving at Chumley's castle, Prime finds himself in a "well researched" mock-up of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. He unleashes a monster on Prime, but Prime is able to defeat it. Heading down a corridor, Prime finds a young woman imprisoned, but leaves. Blitzwing investigates, and gets trapped in a goo-net intended for Prime, much to Astrotrain's irritation. Finally, Chumley sends out a mechanical scorpion (no, not [[Scorponok (G1)|that one]]), but Prime is shot in the back by Astrotrain and apparently killed. Furious that his prize has been ruined, Chumley takes the Decepticons prisoner and defuses their energy weapons.

[[Image:PrimetargetOPvsspider.jpg|left|200px|thumb|[[Blackarachnia (disambiguation)|Blackarachnia]]'s debut was not the most glamorous.]]

Knowing that Prime is alive, Bumblebee sends their coordinates to the Autobot leader, who enters the castle. A mechanical spider is dispatched, but Prime destroys it and heads into Chumley's control room. Dinsmoore hides in a tank while Chumley frees the Decepticons on the promise that they'll fight the Autobot. Instead Astrotrain and Blitzwing go after Chumley to "See how he likes being hunted." The Autobots are freed by Prime, and Blitzwing and Astrotrain retreat after realizing that they are unarmed. Chumley is left at the mercy of Prime.

The Autobots return the plane to the Soviet Union, with Chumley strapped to its nose. The world thanks Optimus Prime for his efforts in solving the mystery.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (4)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (5)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (9)
* [[Grapple]] (10)
* [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (11)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (12)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (13)
* [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (14)
* [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (15)
* [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (16)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (17)
* [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (18)
* [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (19)
* [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (20)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (21)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (24)
* [[Bluestreak]] (25)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (26)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (27)

|c2=
* [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (7)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (8)
* [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (22)
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (23)

|c3=
* [[Daina|Oktober Guard One]] (1)
* [[Dinsmoore]] (2)
* [[Lord Chumley]] (3)
* [[Hector Ramirez (G1)|Hector Ramirez]] (6)
* Russian sentry (28)
}}

==Quotes==
"She's a lovely specimen, Lord Chumley, but, there's a frightful international row brewing over it." 
"Ahhh. These things blow over... Remember the [[Boer War]]?" 
"Painfully, sir." 
"Oh, yes, well. Everybody else has forgotten it."
:—'''Dinsmoore''' and '''Chumley''' are older'n hell, apparently.

'''News Announcer''': "We interrupt 'As the Kitchen Sinks' for this special news bulletin." 
'''Jazz, Blaster, Beachcomber''' and '''Grapple''' in unison: "Awwwwwwwww..."
:—The Autobots do not like to miss their soaps.

"Amazing. A booby trap that actually captures boobies."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' says "boobies". Teheheh

"Bah! Impenetrable! Blitzwing, how do you get into these messes?!"
:—'''Astrotrain''' vainly tries to free Blitzwing

"Decepticons! Trust them to spoil the hunt." 
"Yes, sir. Just like the Humane Society, in a way."
:—'''Chumley''' and '''Dinsmoore'''

'''Chumley''': I say, old chaps. If I free you, will you fight Optimus Prime? 
'''Astrotrain''': Trust us! 
'''Chumley''': There he is, lads! Ha ha! Give him a good thrashing! 
[''Astrotrain immediately tries to stomp Chumley''] 
'''Astrotrain''': See how ''you'' like being hunted! 
'''Chumley''': But—you said— 
'''Blitzwing''': Never trust Decepticons, flesh creature!
:—Chumley gets a lesson in Decepticon ethics.

==Notes==
===Animation and/or technical glitches===
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] is standing alongside Megatron and Starscream. And we all thought [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] was the one who would end up defecting. [[Sideswipe (SG)|But then again...]]
* During the scene when [[Lord Chumley|Chumley]] contacts Optimus at the Autobots headquarters, both [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] can be seen standing next to Optimus even though earlier, they got captured by Chumley.
* A large number of sound effects are missing or oddly truncated throughout the episode. Inferno smashes his way into the burning building without any smashy-smashy-type noises, and a second later his wrist communicator is snipped off in total silence. Prime shoots a bear trap with only about a fourth of his usual blaster sound effect; a second later he throws open a castle gate, which only makes half of a clang.
* Likewise, there are a few lines of dialogue present in the episode's shooting script that are dropped from the final version. This in and of itself is hardly unusual, except in one instance, an odd technical glitch results. In the script, after Prime flattens Chumley's robotic scorpion, Chumley entreats Astrotrain to "help [his] machine to its feet," and Astrotrain replies "Certainly!" In the finished episode, however, Chumley's request is removed but Astrotrain's response is ''not'', leaving the Decepticon randomly saying "Certainly!" for no apparent reason.
* A billboard urging viewers to "Don't drink and drive" has a second message to "Don't fly drive".
* When Blitzwing says "Never trust Decepticons, flesh creature", Chumley mouths along. A few seconds later Blitzwing says "Look out, the Autobots are free!" in Astrotrain's voice.

===Continuity errors===
* Oktober Guard One received a sonar reading from beneath the ice while flying over in her jet. Sonar doesn't work that way.
* Any other cartoon (or real-life) jet would have completely exploded either upon being struck, or upon smashing nose-first into the ice.
* Why is footage of the "top secret Russian jet fighter" being shown on the American nightly news?
* When Bumblebee radios Prime, the blades swinging at him conveniently disappear.
* Chumley's devices seem to change from "capture" to "kill" about the time Prime recalls the Autobots to base. Both Windcharger and Huffer narrowly escape traps that seem likely to inflict major damage, at the very least (an onrushing train and a drill descending from a streetlight, respectively).

===Real-world references===
* Dinsmoore was apparently alive for the [[wikipedia:Second_Boer_War|Second Boer War]]. At least, we're assuming it's the second one, since the [[wikipedia:First_Boer_War|first one]] happened in the 1880s. If he was alive and could remember that one, he must be some sort of super human.
* Chumley boasts of having hunted [[wikipedia:Javan_Tiger|Javanese tigers]].... which were actually hunted to extinction by the late 1970s. ''Bastard.''
* The show ''As The Kitchen Sinks'' the Autobots were watching is a reference to the show ''As The World Turns''.

===Trivia===
* The Oktober Guard are a Soviet special operations force from the ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' cartoons and comics.
* Several of the Autobots are revealed to be fans of an Earth soap opera entitled ''[[As the Kitchen Sinks]]''. Clearly, they've been away from Cybertron too long.
* Chumley has several ''unfathomably'' improbable traps and devices. The most hilarious are a pair of giant hands that come to life from a billboard to fold up Blaster into his tape mode (somehow forcing him to shrink at the same time). The list also includes a giant fully-animated mechanical scorpion that is impervious to Optimus Prime's laser fire, some sort of instant-hardening liquid which is ''also'' impervious to Astrotrain's blaster, a [[Ms. Black Widow|giant mechanical black widow]], a "holographic projection rifle" that projects fully-animated 3D images of Astrotrain and Blitzwing, giant mechanical tentacle arms (which can somehow be transported by a comparatively tiny forklift), a set of heavy steel girders which can assemble themselves into a cage while in freefall, and some kind of dragon.
* Furthermore, he's somehow worked quite a few of his traps and gadgets right into publicly-owned infrastructure. A suction clamp comes snaking out of a toll booth; a giant drill comes out of a street lamp while clamps emerge from a manhole; and railroad crossing gates descend at his command.
* Obviously, he's ''insanely'' rich. In addition to all the crazy technology he uses for recreational purposes, he's seen to own a submarine, a sprawling clifftop castle, a fully operational steam locomotive, a custom-modified car wash, an apartment building (which he casually burns), a veritable fleet of flatbed and other trucks, a heavy construction crane (and presumably the entire construction site where it's located), a taxi cab, a fire truck, and a barge.
* He also has the money to build a replica of part of Cybertron just to hunt Optimus in, and gets it alarmingly accurate for a guy who's never been there.
* Seriously. What does this guy ''do'' for a living??

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;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. 6 (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 05: Stagione Due Parte Terza ([[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/prime_target.html Dossier on the Cybertron Chronicle]

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

A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)

2010-06-29T07:51:37Z

98.199.36.222: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|image=G1toon starscream king of the castle.jpg
|caption="It's only a model." "Shhh."
|series=G1toon
|ep=40
|prev2=Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
|next2=The Golden Lagoon
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=30
|title="A Deceptacon Raider in King Arthur's Court" "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court"
|airdate=[[October 24]], 1985
|written by=[[Douglas Booth]]
|production code=#700-39
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Transformers go to the sixth century but avoid Camelot, as it is a silly place.'''

:''Japanese title:'' タイムトラベラー (''Time Traveller'', "Time Travellers")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Sprung in die Vergangenheit'''" ("Jump into the Past")
:''Brazilian title:'' '''Um Decepticon na Corte do Rei Arthur''' ("A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Ramjetinpast.gif|left|175px|thumb|You yellow bastard! Come back here, and get what's coming to you! I'll bite yer legs off!]]

[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] are battling it out with [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]. When the [[Decepticon]]s retreat out of exhaustion, Rumble detects energy in a nearby cave. After they wander inside they are transported them to 543 A.D., where they are greeted by [[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] and his knights, who believe the [[Transformer]]s are knights of an enemy realm. Their arrival is also observed by an owl, who flies off to inform his master, the wizard [[Beorht]], of this strange new development.

[[Image:Raiderrumblejoust.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Look. In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a Ramjet has to spin its turbines 43 times every second, right?]]

Nearby, [[Nimue]], princess of that enemy kingdom, is spying on their conversation and runs to warn her father, [[Sir Aetheling the Red]], but she bumps into Spike (literally). The Decepticons agree to help Blackthorne's knights win their conflict with Aetheling, but Starscream obviously wants to rule and have a land of his own. Spike enters the jousting tournament between the two kingdoms (which has been rigged by the Decepticons, of course), but quickly fails.

Ramjet and Rumble enter the tournament together (Rumble riding Ramjet in vehicle mode), but are defeated by Warpath and Sir Aetheling. An enraged Starscream is sick of chivalry, kidnaps Nimue and threatens her life unless Sir Aetheling agrees to give up his realm. The Autobots give chase but cannot keep up due to lack of energy and collapse out of exhaustion.

[[Image:Raiderstarscreamcooks.jpg|left|175px|thumb|What manner of man are you, that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?]]

Starscream holds Nimue prisoner in Blackthorne's castle, which he has commandeered, and forces its residents to construct and power a primitive electrical generator to keep the Decepticons energized. Starscream then sends Rumble to get [[wikipedia:potassium nitrate|potassium nitrate]] (in other words, LOTS of bird crap) to make gunpowder.

[[Image:Raiderrollinthehay.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Yes! Yes! You must give us ALL a good spanking!]]

Spike attempts to save Nimue from Blackthorne's keep, only to find she and Sir Blackthorne are now a happy couple. Despite feeling rejected, Spike still agrees to help fight the war against the Decepticons.

Meanwhile, the Autobots and Sir Aetheling's knights charge towards the castle to battle it out with the Decepticons. The Autobots help the knights cross the moat and scale the walls, but they can't put up much of a fight due to their dangerously low energy levels. Starscream's gunpowder projectiles make short work of the invading forces.

[[Image:Raiderdragonvsautobots.jpg|left|175px|thumb|When suddenly... the ANIMATOR suffered a fatal heart attack! And the cartoon peril was no more.]]

Beorht the wizard appears and summons lightning that fills Warpath and Hoist back up to full strength. They take back the battle with Starscream and are victorious. Beorht concludes the robots are time travelers and leads them all back to the cave in which they arrived, only to find it guarded by a [[dragon]]. Starscream refuses to go any closer, but Beorht pulls out a pouch of "[[Dragon's Bane]]", noting that a little bit of it works every time. He throws the concoction at the dragon, and it explodes, frightening away the beast.

Spike and the Transformers go back into the cave and return to the present using the [[Dragon Mound]]. When they arrive back in their own time, they are greeted by multiple cannon blasts by [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Starscream tackles his leader in a burst of enthusiasm at being back safely. Megatron, on the other hand, isn't nearly as happy to see Starscream, who has just ruined his shot...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (5)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (6)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (2)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (3)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (14)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]

|c3=
*[[Nimue]] (7)
*[[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] (8)
*[[Sir Wulf]] (9)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (10)
*[[Sir Aetheling the Red]] (11)
*[[Beorht]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Solomon]] the owl
* A [[dragon]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oohh! I just changed heads last week!"
:—A ground-bound '''Ramjet''' strangely comes off second best after attempting to ram Warpath.

"Out of the way, Rumble! It could be dangerous. As your leader, I must take the risk. Anyway, I'm lower on energy than you!"
:—'''Starscream''' acting true to form.

"Huh! Inferior construction, even for an Autobot. One good whack, it breaks right in two!"
:—'''Ramjet''' examining the "wreckage" of Sir Wulf and his horse.
[[Image:Beorht01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Look! It's the old man from Scene 24!]]

"What's more important is that we have 1,451 years to go before we have to worry about the Autobots and that bungler Megatron!"
:—Even trapped in the past, '''Starscream''' looks on the bright side, unaware his math is failing.

"Whatcha waiting for, Red Knight? Don't you wanna rumble with Rumble?"
:—"Sir" '''Rumble''' prepares to joust.

[[Image:Raiderrumblepoo.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Who's that there?" "I dunno. Must be a king." "Why?"]]

"Make some idiot twenty feet tall, and he thinks he rules the Earth."
:— '''Beorht''' isn't too impressed by Starscream.

"Starscream! Lower the drawbridge! ''Ugh!'' I got your stupid potassium nitrate!"
:—'''Rumble''', carrying a pot of bird droppings while also covered in same.

"What's the matter? Aren't you glad to see us?" 
"RRRRAGGGH!!"
:—'''Starscream''' asks a rather loaded question of '''Megatron'''.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*Warpath's chest cannon's length changes frequently during the episode.
* The first shot of Warpath has him rolling along in tank mode, drawn at about a 1/4-angle viewpoint, but the ground beneath him is scrolling parallel to the camera.
* A bizarre flash of energy envelopes Ramjet as he returns to robot mode after colliding with Warpath.
* When Starscream raises his right arm to point, the Decepticon emblem on his wing is no longer there.
* Again showing a wanton disregard for the background matte, Warpath slides sideways as he drives down the hill.
[[Image:DecepticonRaider Nimue.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Oh, wicked, bad, evil, ''naughty'' Zoot!]]

* Princess Nimue has cleavage that appears and disappears from shot to shot and sometimes frame to frame. And no, you are not a pervert if you watched the episode six times to chronicle this error.
* The script seems to have called for a trumpet fanfare to summon Spike to the jousting field (thus Hoist's "That's your call!" line.) The sound editors complied by timing a fanfare in the background music to coincide with the moment, but the resulting effect is that Warpath seems to be listening to the background music.
* A glint of light off of Sir Aetheling's sword gets a ''very'' loud sound effect. Since sunlight is so loud, y'know.
* When Ramjet rams into Warpath in the jousting duel, his canopy is smashed and nose cone crushed in, yet less than a minute later, he's back to normal when the remaining Decepticons attempt to flee with Starscream.
* As Starscream walks up to kidnap Nimue, the background scrolls behind him much faster than the speed of his walk.
* Starscream is missing his wing emblems as he drives off with Nimue.
* Warpath's tank mode is rather consistently portrayed as bigger and taller than Hoist's truck mode. While that would be accurate in the real world, Hoist is taller than Warpath in robot mode.
* Starscream's mouth doesn't move during most of his "No, Rumble, not I..." line.
* After he throws the gunpowder and puts his hands on his hips, one of Starscream's arm guns isn't quite attached to his arm.
* The tires on Hoist's feet are white instead of black as he stands up after the lightning recharge.
* Hoist tackles Starscream even though one frame later he's seen in vehicle mode.
* A bit of clumsy sound editing towards the end of this episode results in a small but noticeable error. As Hoist says, "That is, if there's a way—" his voice is very abruptly cut off. Then Beohrt announces: "Hoist said 'time'!" when Hoist has actually said nothing of the sort. The line as recorded was "That is, if there's a way back to our own time!" and it was followed by a short scene of Starscream feebly requesting a little energy and being threatened by Warpath, before Beorht makes his proclamation. The removal of the Warpath/Starscream scene appears to have inadvertently clipped the relevant few words off the end of Hoist's line.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Spike gets kissed.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Look, let me go back in there and face the peril." "No, it's too perilous." "...Oh, let me have just a little bit of peril?"]]
* If Warpath crushes Ramjet's nosecone in their second collision...why didn't he crush it in their ''first'' encounter?
* The historical accuracy of some aspects of this episode is somewhat lacking. (No! Really?)
** While the recipe for gunpowder expressed in this episode is roughly correct, gunpowder would not make its way to medieval Europe for another eight hundred years or so, and then only from the Far East. Of course, the whole ''point'' of its appearance is that it's a rare, mysterious, wizardly type of thing, so hey.
** Plate armour of the kind worn by the various knights in this episode was not introduced into medieval Europe until around the year 1400—almost a thousand years from the stated ''anno domini'' 543. Even so, one should be fair to the writers and cartoonists, given that major motion pictures like ''Excalibur'' also made this sort of error (or used it for dramatic effect because audiences would easily recognise a stereotypical "knight" as opposed to a historically accurate version). We can let slide the armor that Hoist creates for Spike.
**Also, everyone seems to be speaking [[Wikipedia:Modern English|Modern English]] instead of [[Wikipedia:Old English|Old English]]. Way to go!

* Starscream's math is out by a decade: 543 + 1451 = 1994, rather than the correct date of the Transformers' awakening, 1984.
* What is Megatron shooting at at the end?

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:G1 DecepRaiderinKingArthurs WarpathramsRamjet.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''In war we're tough and able Quite in-de-fa-ti-gable Although at times, we're given rhymes That are quite un-sing-able!'']]

* Ramjet apparently changes his head on a regular basis. Hah!
* Fans have made much of the fact that Warpath defeats Ramjet in a collision, but really, Ramjet's specialty is hitting ''other planes''. Even a tough jet doesn't compare to a ''tank''.
* Warpath makes a strange observation, noting that he's so low on energy that he "can't even stay transformed". Apparently, remaining in vehicle mode consumes energy.
* Warpath speaks with a moving mouthplate in this episode, rather than the cheek blinkers he sometimes has.
* Even if he can't fire lasers, Warpath can still fire shells (and does so, trying to hit Ramjet in the castle).

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Exteriordragonmound.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"SO, brave knights, if you do DOUBT your courage or your strength, come no further! For ''[[Death|DEATH]]'' awaits you ALL...with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"]]

* The title of this episode is an homage to the novel ''[[wikipedia:A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]'' written by [[Mark Twain]] and published in 1889.
* The Dragon Mound is surrounded by a Stonehenge-like structure.
* Surprisingly, there is a slight bit of Arthurian legend present in the episode. Nimue is an Arthurian character who fell in love with Merlin. Unsurprisingly, that Nimue is nothing like this episode's Nimue.
* ''[[Star Wars]]'' sound effects:
** Luke's saber deflecting the seeker ball bolts can be faintly heard as Beorht recharges Warpath and Hoist.
** The sound of a light saber igniting is used as Beorht drops his electrically charged staff.
* Despite the title, King Arthur doesn't make an appearance in this tale, thus making him Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film.

===Trivia===
[[Image:Deceptacon.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Nu!" "No no no no, it's not that, it's 'ni'." "Nu!" "No no, 'ni'. You're not doing it properly."]]

* The original broadcast version of this episode featured the mis-spelled title, "A Decept'''a'''con Raider..." The error was corrected for the ''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|Generation 2]]'' version of the episode. Likewise, when [[Kid Rhino]] recreated the title cards for their DVD release of the series, it was also amended. This flub seemed minor then, [[Scorpinok|but]] [[A Tale of Two Heros|years]] [[Imprisoned Inferno|later...]]

* This episode was never broadcast in Italy in the '80s and, as such, it only got dubbed in Italian with the 2008 full G1 redubbing.

* Spike actually gets a kiss from a girl. What will [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|Carly]] think?

* This episode is one of three pre-movie episodes in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] does not appear.

[[Image:DecepticonRaider-NotHank.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fear not, Ranger! Or is that "Fear not-Ranger"?]]

* Among the audience members watching the joust is a dark-skinned man whose outfit greatly resembles the one worn by Hank the Ranger in the [[wikipedia:Dungeons and Dragons (TV series)|''Dungeons and Dragons'' animated series]]—not entirely surprising, as that program was produced by [[Marvel Productions]], who partnered with [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]] on ''Transformers'', and both shows were animated by [[Toei]]. Next to "Hank" are a man with a shield and a woman in a cloak, but they do not otherwise strongly resemble Eric the Cavalier or Sheila the Thief, characters who were associated with magical versions of those items in the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' cartoon.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 4 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 04: Stagione Due Parte Seconda ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)

2010-06-29T07:50:47Z

98.199.36.222: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode
|image=G1toon starscream king of the castle.jpg
|caption="It's only a model." "Shhh."
|series=G1toon
|ep=40
|prev2=Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
|next2=The Golden Lagoon
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=30
|title="A Deceptacon Raider in King Arthur's Court" "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court"
|airdate=[[October 24]], 1985
|written by=[[Douglas Booth]]
|production code=#700-39
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Transformers go to the sixth century but avoid Camelot, as it is a silly place.'''

:''Japanese title:'' タイムトラベラー (''Time Traveller'', "Time Travellers")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Sprung in die Vergangenheit'''" ("Jump into the Past")
:''Brazilian title:'' '''Um Decepticon na Corte do Rei Arthur''' ("A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Ramjetinpast.gif|left|175px|thumb|You yellow bastard! Come back here, and get what's coming to you! I'll bite yer legs off!]]

[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] are battling it out with [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]. When the [[Decepticon]]s retreat out of exhaustion, Rumble detects energy in a nearby cave. After they wander inside they are transported them to 543 A.D., where they are greeted by [[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] and his knights, who believe the [[Transformer]]s are knights of an enemy realm. Their arrival is also observed by an owl, who flies off to inform his master, the wizard [[Beorht]], of this strange new development.

[[Image:Raiderrumblejoust.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Look. In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a Ramjet has to spin its turbines 43 times every second, right?]]

Nearby, [[Nimue]], princess of that enemy kingdom, is spying on their conversation and runs to warn her father, [[Sir Aetheling the Red]], but she bumps into Spike (literally). The Decepticons agree to help Blackthorne's knights win their conflict with Aetheling, but Starscream obviously wants to rule and have a land of his own. Spike enters the jousting tournament between the two kingdoms (which has been rigged by the Decepticons, of course), but quickly fails.

Ramjet and Rumble enter the tournament together (Rumble riding Ramjet in vehicle mode), but are defeated by Warpath and Sir Aetheling. An enraged Starscream is sick of chivalry, kidnaps Nimue and threatens her life unless Sir Aetheling agrees to give up his realm. The Autobots give chase but cannot keep up due to lack of energy and collapse out of exhaustion.

[[Image:Raiderstarscreamcooks.jpg|left|175px|thumb|What manner of man are you, that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?]]

Starscream holds Nimue prisoner in Blackthorne's castle, which he has commandeered, and forces its residents to construct and power a primitive electrical generator to keep the Decepticons energized. Starscream then sends Rumble to get [[wikipedia:potassium nitrate|potassium nitrate]] (in other words, LOTS of bird crap) to make gunpowder.

[[Image:Raiderrollinthehay.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Yes! Yes! You must give us ALL a good spanking!]]

Spike attempts to save Nimue from Blackthorne's keep, only to find she and Sir Blackthorne are now a happy couple. Despite feeling rejected, Spike still agrees to help fight the war against the Decepticons.

Meanwhile, the Autobots and Sir Aetheling's knights charge towards the castle to battle it out with the Decepticons. The Autobots help the knights cross the moat and scale the walls, but they can't put up much of a fight due to their dangerously low energy levels. Starscream's gunpowder projectiles make short work of the invading forces.

[[Image:Raiderdragonvsautobots.jpg|left|175px|thumb|When suddenly... the ANIMATOR suffered a fatal heart attack! And the cartoon peril was no more.]]

Beorht the wizard appears and summons lightning that fills Warpath and Hoist back up to full strength. They take back the battle with Starscream and are victorious. Beorht concludes the robots are time travelers and leads them all back to the cave in which they arrived, only to find it guarded by a [[dragon]]. Starscream refuses to go any closer, but Beorht pulls out a pouch of "[[Dragon's Bane]]", noting that a little bit of it works every time. He throws the concoction at the dragon, and it explodes, frightening away the beast.

Spike and the Transformers go back into the cave and return to the present using the [[Dragon Mound]]. When they arrive back in their own time, they are greeted by multiple cannon blasts by [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Starscream tackles his leader in a burst of enthusiasm at being back safely. Megatron, on the other hand, isn't nearly as happy to see Starscream, who has just ruined his shot...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (5)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (6)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (2)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (3)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (14)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]

|c3=
*[[Nimue]] (7)
*[[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] (8)
*[[Sir Wulf]] (9)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (10)
*[[Sir Aetheling the Red]] (11)
*[[Beorht]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Solomon]] the owl
* A [[dragon]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oohh! I just changed heads last week!"
:—A ground-bound '''Ramjet''' strangely comes off second best after attempting to ram Warpath.

"Out of the way, Rumble! It could be dangerous. As your leader, I must take the risk. Anyway, I'm lower on energy than you!"
:—'''Starscream''' acting true to form.

"Huh! Inferior construction, even for an Autobot. One good whack, it breaks right in two!"
:—'''Ramjet''' examining the "wreckage" of Sir Wulf and his horse.
[[Image:Beorht01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Look! It's the old man from Scene 24!]]

"What's more important is that we have 1,451 years to go before we have to worry about the Autobots and that bungler Megatron!"
:—Even trapped in the past, '''Starscream''' looks on the bright side, unaware his math is failing.

"Whatcha waiting for, Red Knight? Don't you wanna rumble with Rumble?"
:—"Sir" '''Rumble''' prepares to joust.

[[Image:Raiderrumblepoo.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Who's that there?" "I dunno. Must be a king." "Why?"]]

"Make some idiot twenty feet tall, and he thinks he rules the Earth."
:— '''Beorht''' isn't too impressed by Starscream.

"Starscream! Lower the drawbridge! ''Ugh!'' I got your stupid potassium nitrate!"
:—'''Rumble''', carrying a pot of bird droppings while also covered in same.

"What's the matter? Aren't you glad to see us?" 
"RRRRAGGGH!!"
:—'''Starscream''' asks a rather loaded question of '''Megatron'''.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*Warpath's chest cannon's length changes frequently during the episode.
* The first shot of Warpath has him rolling along in tank mode, drawn at about a 1/4-angle viewpoint, but the ground beneath him is scrolling parallel to the camera.
* A bizarre flash of energy envelopes Ramjet as he returns to robot mode after colliding with Warpath.
* When Starscream raises his right arm to point, the Decepticon emblem on his wing is no longer there.
* Again showing a wanton disregard for the background matte, Warpath slides sideways as he drives down the hill.
[[Image:DecepticonRaider Nimue.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Oh, wicked, bad, evil, ''naughty'' Zoot!]]

* Princess Nimue has cleavage that appears and disappears from shot to shot and sometimes frame to frame. And no, you are not a pervert if you watched the episode six times to chronicle this error.
* The script seems to have called for a trumpet fanfare to summon Spike to the jousting field (thus Hoist's "That's your call!" line.) The sound editors complied by timing a fanfare in the background music to coincide with the moment, but the resulting effect is that Warpath seems to be listening to the background music.
* A glint of light off of Sir Aetheling's sword gets a ''very'' loud sound effect. Since sunlight is so loud, y'know.
* When Ramjet rams into Warpath in the jousting duel, his canopy is smashed and nose cone crushed in, yet less than a minute later, he's back to normal when the remaining Decepticons attempt to flee with Starscream.
* As Starscream walks up to kidnap Nimue, the background scrolls behind him much faster than the speed of his walk.
* Starscream is missing his wing emblems as he drives off with Nimue.
* Warpath's tank mode is rather consistently portrayed as bigger and taller than Hoist's truck mode. While that would be accurate in the real world, Hoist is taller than Warpath in robot mode.
* Starscream's mouth doesn't move during most of his "No, Rumble, not I..." line.
* After he throws the gunpowder and puts his hands on his hips, one of Starscream's arm guns isn't quite attached to his arm.
* The tires on Hoist's feet are white instead of black as he stands up after the lightning recharge.
* Hoist tackles Starscream even though one frame later he's seen in vehicle mode.
* A bit of clumsy sound editing towards the end of this episode results in a small but noticeable error. As Hoist says, "That is, if there's a way—" his voice is very abruptly cut off. Then Beohrt announces: "Hoist said 'time'!" when Hoist has actually said nothing of the sort. The line as recorded was "That is, if there's a way back to our own time!" and it was followed by a short scene of Starscream feebly requesting a little energy and being threatened by Warpath, before Beorht makes his proclamation. The removal of the Warpath/Starscream scene appears to have inadvertently clipped the relevant few words off the end of Hoist's line.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Spike gets kissed.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Look, let me go back in there and face the peril." "No, it's too perilous." "...Oh, let me have just a little bit of peril?"]]
* If Warpath crushes Ramjet's nosecone in their second collision...why didn't he crush it in their ''first'' encounter?
* The historical accuracy of some aspects of this episode is somewhat lacking. (No! Really?)
** While the recipe for gunpowder expressed in this episode is roughly correct, gunpowder would not make its way to medieval Europe for another eight hundred years or so, and then only from the Far East. Of course, the whole ''point'' of its appearance is that it's a rare, mysterious, wizardly type of thing, so hey.
** Plate armour of the kind worn by the various knights in this episode was not introduced into medieval Europe until around the year 1400—almost a thousand years from the stated ''anno domini'' 543. Even so, one should be fair to the writers and cartoonists, given that major motion pictures like ''Excalibur'' also made this sort of error (or used it for dramatic effect because audiences would easily recognise a stereotypical "knight" as opposed to a historically accurate version). We can let slide the armor that Hoist creates for Spike.
**Also, everyone seems to be speaking [[Wikipedia:Modern English|Modern English]] instead of [[Wikipedia:Old English|Old English]]. Way to go!

* Starscream's math is out by a decade: 543 + 1451 = 1994, rather than the correct date of the Transformers' awakening, 1984.

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:G1 DecepRaiderinKingArthurs WarpathramsRamjet.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''In war we're tough and able Quite in-de-fa-ti-gable Although at times, we're given rhymes That are quite un-sing-able!'']]

* Ramjet apparently changes his head on a regular basis. Hah!
* Fans have made much of the fact that Warpath defeats Ramjet in a collision, but really, Ramjet's specialty is hitting ''other planes''. Even a tough jet doesn't compare to a ''tank''.
* Warpath makes a strange observation, noting that he's so low on energy that he "can't even stay transformed". Apparently, remaining in vehicle mode consumes energy.
* Warpath speaks with a moving mouthplate in this episode, rather than the cheek blinkers he sometimes has.
* Even if he can't fire lasers, Warpath can still fire shells (and does so, trying to hit Ramjet in the castle).

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Exteriordragonmound.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"SO, brave knights, if you do DOUBT your courage or your strength, come no further! For ''[[Death|DEATH]]'' awaits you ALL...with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"]]

* The title of this episode is an homage to the novel ''[[wikipedia:A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]'' written by [[Mark Twain]] and published in 1889.
* The Dragon Mound is surrounded by a Stonehenge-like structure.
* Surprisingly, there is a slight bit of Arthurian legend present in the episode. Nimue is an Arthurian character who fell in love with Merlin. Unsurprisingly, that Nimue is nothing like this episode's Nimue.
* ''[[Star Wars]]'' sound effects:
** Luke's saber deflecting the seeker ball bolts can be faintly heard as Beorht recharges Warpath and Hoist.
** The sound of a light saber igniting is used as Beorht drops his electrically charged staff.
* Despite the title, King Arthur doesn't make an appearance in this tale, thus making him Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film.

===Trivia===
[[Image:Deceptacon.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Nu!" "No no no no, it's not that, it's 'ni'." "Nu!" "No no, 'ni'. You're not doing it properly."]]

* The original broadcast version of this episode featured the mis-spelled title, "A Decept'''a'''con Raider..." The error was corrected for the ''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|Generation 2]]'' version of the episode. Likewise, when [[Kid Rhino]] recreated the title cards for their DVD release of the series, it was also amended. This flub seemed minor then, [[Scorpinok|but]] [[A Tale of Two Heros|years]] [[Imprisoned Inferno|later...]]

* This episode was never broadcast in Italy in the '80s and, as such, it only got dubbed in Italian with the 2008 full G1 redubbing.

* Spike actually gets a kiss from a girl. What will [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|Carly]] think?

* This episode is one of three pre-movie episodes in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] does not appear.

[[Image:DecepticonRaider-NotHank.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fear not, Ranger! Or is that "Fear not-Ranger"?]]

* Among the audience members watching the joust is a dark-skinned man whose outfit greatly resembles the one worn by Hank the Ranger in the [[wikipedia:Dungeons and Dragons (TV series)|''Dungeons and Dragons'' animated series]]—not entirely surprising, as that program was produced by [[Marvel Productions]], who partnered with [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]] on ''Transformers'', and both shows were animated by [[Toei]]. Next to "Hank" are a man with a shield and a woman in a cloak, but they do not otherwise strongly resemble Eric the Cavalier or Sheila the Thief, characters who were associated with magical versions of those items in the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' cartoon.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 4 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 04: Stagione Due Parte Seconda ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)

2010-06-29T07:49:06Z

98.199.36.222: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode
|image=G1toon starscream king of the castle.jpg
|caption="It's only a model." "Shhh."
|series=G1toon
|ep=40
|prev2=Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
|next2=The Golden Lagoon
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=30
|title="A Deceptacon Raider in King Arthur's Court" "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court"
|airdate=[[October 24]], 1985
|written by=[[Douglas Booth]]
|production code=#700-39
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Transformers go to the sixth century but avoid Camelot, as it is a silly place.'''

:''Japanese title:'' タイムトラベラー (''Time Traveller'', "Time Travellers")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Sprung in die Vergangenheit'''" ("Jump into the Past")
:''Brazilian title:'' '''Um Decepticon na Corte do Rei Arthur''' ("A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Ramjetinpast.gif|left|175px|thumb|You yellow bastard! Come back here, and get what's coming to you! I'll bite yer legs off!]]

[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] are battling it out with [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]. When the [[Decepticon]]s retreat out of exhaustion, Rumble detects energy in a nearby cave. After they wander inside they are transported them to 543 A.D., where they are greeted by [[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] and his knights, who believe the [[Transformer]]s are knights of an enemy realm. Their arrival is also observed by an owl, who flies off to inform his master, the wizard [[Beorht]], of this strange new development.

[[Image:Raiderrumblejoust.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Look. In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a Ramjet has to spin its turbines 43 times every second, right?]]

Nearby, [[Nimue]], princess of that enemy kingdom, is spying on their conversation and runs to warn her father, [[Sir Aetheling the Red]], but she bumps into Spike (literally). The Decepticons agree to help Blackthorne's knights win their conflict with Aetheling, but Starscream obviously wants to rule and have a land of his own. Spike enters the jousting tournament between the two kingdoms (which has been rigged by the Decepticons, of course), but quickly fails.

Ramjet and Rumble enter the tournament together (Rumble riding Ramjet in vehicle mode), but are defeated by Warpath and Sir Aetheling. An enraged Starscream is sick of chivalry, kidnaps Nimue and threatens her life unless Sir Aetheling agrees to give up his realm. The Autobots give chase but cannot keep up due to lack of energy and collapse out of exhaustion.

[[Image:Raiderstarscreamcooks.jpg|left|175px|thumb|What manner of man are you, that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?]]

Starscream holds Nimue prisoner in Blackthorne's castle, which he has commandeered, and forces its residents to construct and power a primitive electrical generator to keep the Decepticons energized. Starscream then sends Rumble to get [[wikipedia:potassium nitrate|potassium nitrate]] (in other words, LOTS of bird crap) to make gunpowder.

[[Image:Raiderrollinthehay.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Yes! Yes! You must give us ALL a good spanking!]]

Spike attempts to save Nimue from Blackthorne's keep, only to find she and Sir Blackthorne are now a happy couple. Despite feeling rejected, Spike still agrees to help fight the war against the Decepticons.

Meanwhile, the Autobots and Sir Aetheling's knights charge towards the castle to battle it out with the Decepticons. The Autobots help the knights cross the moat and scale the walls, but they can't put up much of a fight due to their dangerously low energy levels. Starscream's gunpowder projectiles make short work of the invading forces.

[[Image:Raiderdragonvsautobots.jpg|left|175px|thumb|When suddenly... the ANIMATOR suffered a fatal heart attack! And the cartoon peril was no more.]]

Beorht the wizard appears and summons lightning that fills Warpath and Hoist back up to full strength. They take back the battle with Starscream and are victorious. Beorht concludes the robots are time travelers and leads them all back to the cave in which they arrived, only to find it guarded by a [[dragon]]. Starscream refuses to go any closer, but Beorht pulls out a pouch of "[[Dragon's Bane]]", noting that a little bit of it works every time. He throws the concoction at the dragon, and it explodes, frightening away the beast.

Spike and the Transformers go back into the cave and return to the present using the [[Dragon Mound]]. When they arrive back in their own time, they are greeted by multiple cannon blasts by [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Starscream tackles his leader in a burst of enthusiasm at being back safely. Megatron, on the other hand, isn't nearly as happy to see Starscream, who has just ruined his shot...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (5)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (6)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (2)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (3)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (14)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]

|c3=
*[[Nimue]] (7)
*[[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] (8)
*[[Sir Wulf]] (9)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (10)
*[[Sir Aetheling the Red]] (11)
*[[Beorht]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Solomon]] the owl
* A [[dragon]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oohh! I just changed heads last week!"
:—A ground-bound '''Ramjet''' strangely comes off second best after attempting to ram Warpath.

"Out of the way, Rumble! It could be dangerous. As your leader, I must take the risk. Anyway, I'm lower on energy than you!"
:—'''Starscream''' acting true to form.

"Huh! Inferior construction, even for an Autobot. One good whack, it breaks right in two!"
:—'''Ramjet''' examining the "wreckage" of Sir Wulf and his horse.
[[Image:Beorht01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Look! It's the old man from Scene 24!]]

"What's more important is that we have 1,451 years to go before we have to worry about the Autobots and that bungler Megatron!"
:—Even trapped in the past, '''Starscream''' looks on the bright side, unaware his math is failing.

"Whatcha waiting for, Red Knight? Don't you wanna rumble with Rumble?"
:—"Sir" '''Rumble''' prepares to joust.

[[Image:Raiderrumblepoo.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Who's that there?" "I dunno. Must be a king." "Why?"]]

"Make some idiot twenty feet tall, and he thinks he rules the Earth."
:— '''Beorht''' isn't too impressed by Starscream.

"Starscream! Lower the drawbridge! ''Ugh!'' I got your stupid potassium nitrate!"
:—'''Rumble''', carrying a pot of bird droppings while also covered in same.

"What's the matter? Aren't you glad to see us?" 
"RRRRAGGGH!!"
:—'''Starscream''' asks a rather loaded question of '''Megatron'''.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*Warpath's chest cannon's length changes frequently during the episode.
* The first shot of Warpath has him rolling along in tank mode, drawn at about a 1/4-angle viewpoint, but the ground beneath him is scrolling parallel to the camera.
* A bizarre flash of energy envelopes Ramjet as he returns to robot mode after colliding with Warpath.
* When Starscream raises his right arm to point, the Decepticon emblem on his wing is no longer there.
* Again showing a wanton disregard for the background matte, Warpath slides sideways as he drives down the hill.
[[Image:DecepticonRaider Nimue.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Oh, wicked, bad, evil, ''naughty'' Zoot!]]

* Princess Nimue has cleavage that appears and disappears from shot to shot and sometimes frame to frame. And no, you are not a pervert if you watched the episode six times to chronicle this error.
* The script seems to have called for a trumpet fanfare to summon Spike to the jousting field (thus Hoist's "That's your call!" line.) The sound editors complied by timing a fanfare in the background music to coincide with the moment, but the resulting effect is that Warpath seems to be listening to the background music.
* A glint of light off of Sir Aetheling's sword gets a ''very'' loud sound effect. Since sunlight is so loud, y'know.
* When Ramjet rams into Warpath in the jousting duel, his canopy is smashed and nose cone crushed in, yet less than a minute later, he's back to normal when the remaining Decepticons attempt to flee with Starscream.
* As Starscream walks up to kidnap Nimue, the background scrolls behind him much faster than the speed of his walk.
* Starscream is missing his wing emblems as he drives off with Nimue.
* Warpath's tank mode is rather consistently portrayed as bigger and taller than Hoist's truck mode. While that would be accurate in the real world, Hoist is taller than Warpath in robot mode.
* Starscream's mouth doesn't move during most of his "No, Rumble, not I..." line.
* After he throws the gunpowder and puts his hands on his hips, one of Starscream's arm guns isn't quite attached to his arm.
* The tires on Hoist's feet are white instead of black as he stands up after the lightning recharge.
* Hoist tackles Starscream even though one frame later he's seen in vehicle mode.
* A bit of clumsy sound editing towards the end of this episode results in a small but noticeable error. As Hoist says, "That is, if there's a way—" his voice is very abruptly cut off. Then Beohrt announces: "Hoist said 'time'!" when Hoist has actually said nothing of the sort. The line as recorded was "That is, if there's a way back to our own time!" and it was followed by a short scene of Starscream feebly requesting a little energy and being threatened by Warpath, before Beorht makes his proclamation. The removal of the Warpath/Starscream scene appears to have inadvertently clipped the relevant few words off the end of Hoist's line.
* What is Megatron shooting when they come back from the past?

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Spike gets kissed.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Look, let me go back in there and face the peril." "No, it's too perilous." "...Oh, let me have just a little bit of peril?"]]
* If Warpath crushes Ramjet's nosecone in their second collision...why didn't he crush it in their ''first'' encounter?
* The historical accuracy of some aspects of this episode is somewhat lacking. (No! Really?)
** While the recipe for gunpowder expressed in this episode is roughly correct, gunpowder would not make its way to medieval Europe for another eight hundred years or so, and then only from the Far East. Of course, the whole ''point'' of its appearance is that it's a rare, mysterious, wizardly type of thing, so hey.
** Plate armour of the kind worn by the various knights in this episode was not introduced into medieval Europe until around the year 1400—almost a thousand years from the stated ''anno domini'' 543. Even so, one should be fair to the writers and cartoonists, given that major motion pictures like ''Excalibur'' also made this sort of error (or used it for dramatic effect because audiences would easily recognise a stereotypical "knight" as opposed to a historically accurate version). We can let slide the armor that Hoist creates for Spike.
**Also, everyone seems to be speaking [[Wikipedia:Modern English|Modern English]] instead of [[Wikipedia:Old English|Old English]]. Way to go!

* Starscream's math is out by a decade: 543 + 1451 = 1994, rather than the correct date of the Transformers' awakening, 1984.

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:G1 DecepRaiderinKingArthurs WarpathramsRamjet.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''In war we're tough and able Quite in-de-fa-ti-gable Although at times, we're given rhymes That are quite un-sing-able!'']]

* Ramjet apparently changes his head on a regular basis. Hah!
* Fans have made much of the fact that Warpath defeats Ramjet in a collision, but really, Ramjet's specialty is hitting ''other planes''. Even a tough jet doesn't compare to a ''tank''.
* Warpath makes a strange observation, noting that he's so low on energy that he "can't even stay transformed". Apparently, remaining in vehicle mode consumes energy.
* Warpath speaks with a moving mouthplate in this episode, rather than the cheek blinkers he sometimes has.
* Even if he can't fire lasers, Warpath can still fire shells (and does so, trying to hit Ramjet in the castle).

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Exteriordragonmound.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"SO, brave knights, if you do DOUBT your courage or your strength, come no further! For ''[[Death|DEATH]]'' awaits you ALL...with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"]]

* The title of this episode is an homage to the novel ''[[wikipedia:A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]'' written by [[Mark Twain]] and published in 1889.
* The Dragon Mound is surrounded by a Stonehenge-like structure.
* Surprisingly, there is a slight bit of Arthurian legend present in the episode. Nimue is an Arthurian character who fell in love with Merlin. Unsurprisingly, that Nimue is nothing like this episode's Nimue.
* ''[[Star Wars]]'' sound effects:
** Luke's saber deflecting the seeker ball bolts can be faintly heard as Beorht recharges Warpath and Hoist.
** The sound of a light saber igniting is used as Beorht drops his electrically charged staff.
* Despite the title, King Arthur doesn't make an appearance in this tale, thus making him Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film.

===Trivia===
[[Image:Deceptacon.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Nu!" "No no no no, it's not that, it's 'ni'." "Nu!" "No no, 'ni'. You're not doing it properly."]]

* The original broadcast version of this episode featured the mis-spelled title, "A Decept'''a'''con Raider..." The error was corrected for the ''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|Generation 2]]'' version of the episode. Likewise, when [[Kid Rhino]] recreated the title cards for their DVD release of the series, it was also amended. This flub seemed minor then, [[Scorpinok|but]] [[A Tale of Two Heros|years]] [[Imprisoned Inferno|later...]]

* This episode was never broadcast in Italy in the '80s and, as such, it only got dubbed in Italian with the 2008 full G1 redubbing.

* Spike actually gets a kiss from a girl. What will [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|Carly]] think?

* This episode is one of three pre-movie episodes in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] does not appear.

[[Image:DecepticonRaider-NotHank.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fear not, Ranger! Or is that "Fear not-Ranger"?]]

* Among the audience members watching the joust is a dark-skinned man whose outfit greatly resembles the one worn by Hank the Ranger in the [[wikipedia:Dungeons and Dragons (TV series)|''Dungeons and Dragons'' animated series]]—not entirely surprising, as that program was produced by [[Marvel Productions]], who partnered with [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]] on ''Transformers'', and both shows were animated by [[Toei]]. Next to "Hank" are a man with a shield and a woman in a cloak, but they do not otherwise strongly resemble Eric the Cavalier or Sheila the Thief, characters who were associated with magical versions of those items in the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' cartoon.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 4 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 04: Stagione Due Parte Seconda ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)

2010-06-29T07:45:03Z

98.199.36.222: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode
|image=G1toon starscream king of the castle.jpg
|caption="It's only a model." "Shhh."
|series=G1toon
|ep=40
|prev2=Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
|next2=The Golden Lagoon
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=30
|title="A Deceptacon Raider in King Arthur's Court" "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court"
|airdate=[[October 24]], 1985
|written by=[[Douglas Booth]]
|production code=#700-39
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Transformers go to the sixth century but avoid Camelot, as it is a silly place.'''

:''Japanese title:'' タイムトラベラー (''Time Traveller'', "Time Travellers")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Sprung in die Vergangenheit'''" ("Jump into the Past")
:''Brazilian title:'' '''Um Decepticon na Corte do Rei Arthur''' ("A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Ramjetinpast.gif|left|175px|thumb|You yellow bastard! Come back here, and get what's coming to you! I'll bite yer legs off!]]

[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] are battling it out with [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]. When the [[Decepticon]]s retreat out of exhaustion, Rumble detects energy in a nearby cave. After they wander inside they are transported them to 543 A.D., where they are greeted by [[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] and his knights, who believe the [[Transformer]]s are knights of an enemy realm. Their arrival is also observed by an owl, who flies off to inform his master, the wizard [[Beorht]], of this strange new development.

[[Image:Raiderrumblejoust.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Look. In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a Ramjet has to spin its turbines 43 times every second, right?]]

Nearby, [[Nimue]], princess of that enemy kingdom, is spying on their conversation and runs to warn her father, [[Sir Aetheling the Red]], but she bumps into Spike (literally). The Decepticons agree to help Blackthorne's knights win their conflict with Aetheling, but Starscream obviously wants to rule and have a land of his own. Spike enters the jousting tournament between the two kingdoms (which has been rigged by the Decepticons, of course), but quickly fails.

Ramjet and Rumble enter the tournament together (Rumble riding Ramjet in vehicle mode), but are defeated by Warpath and Sir Aetheling. An enraged Starscream is sick of chivalry, kidnaps Nimue and threatens her life unless Sir Aetheling agrees to give up his realm. The Autobots give chase but cannot keep up due to lack of energy and collapse out of exhaustion.

[[Image:Raiderstarscreamcooks.jpg|left|175px|thumb|What manner of man are you, that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?]]

Starscream holds Nimue prisoner in Blackthorne's castle, which he has commandeered, and forces its residents to construct and power a primitive electrical generator to keep the Decepticons energized. Starscream then sends Rumble to get [[wikipedia:potassium nitrate|potassium nitrate]] (in other words, LOTS of bird crap) to make gunpowder.

[[Image:Raiderrollinthehay.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Yes! Yes! You must give us ALL a good spanking!]]

Spike attempts to save Nimue from Blackthorne's keep, only to find she and Sir Blackthorne are now a happy couple. Despite feeling rejected, Spike still agrees to help fight the war against the Decepticons.

Meanwhile, the Autobots and Sir Aetheling's knights charge towards the castle to battle it out with the Decepticons. The Autobots help the knights cross the moat and scale the walls, but they can't put up much of a fight due to their dangerously low energy levels. Starscream's gunpowder projectiles make short work of the invading forces.

[[Image:Raiderdragonvsautobots.jpg|left|175px|thumb|When suddenly... the ANIMATOR suffered a fatal heart attack! And the cartoon peril was no more.]]

Beorht the wizard appears and summons lightning that fills Warpath and Hoist back up to full strength. They take back the battle with Starscream and are victorious. Beorht concludes the robots are time travelers and leads them all back to the cave in which they arrived, only to find it guarded by a [[dragon]]. Starscream refuses to go any closer, but Beorht pulls out a pouch of "[[Dragon's Bane]]", noting that a little bit of it works every time. He throws the concoction at the dragon, and it explodes, frightening away the beast.

Spike and the Transformers go back into the cave and return to the present using the [[Dragon Mound]]. When they arrive back in their own time, they are greeted by multiple cannon blasts by [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Starscream tackles his leader in a burst of enthusiasm at being back safely. Megatron, on the other hand, isn't nearly as happy to see Starscream, who has just ruined his shot...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (5)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (6)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (2)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (3)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (14)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]

|c3=
*[[Nimue]] (7)
*[[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] (8)
*[[Sir Wulf]] (9)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (10)
*[[Sir Aetheling the Red]] (11)
*[[Beorht]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Solomon]] the owl
* A [[dragon]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oohh! I just changed heads last week!"
:—A ground-bound '''Ramjet''' strangely comes off second best after attempting to ram Warpath.

"Out of the way, Rumble! It could be dangerous. As your leader, I must take the risk. Anyway, I'm lower on energy than you!"
:—'''Starscream''' acting true to form.

"Huh! Inferior construction, even for an Autobot. One good whack, it breaks right in two!"
:—'''Ramjet''' examining the "wreckage" of Sir Wulf and his horse.
[[Image:Beorht01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Look! It's the old man from Scene 24!]]

"What's more important is that we have 1,451 years to go before we have to worry about the Autobots and that bungler Megatron!"
:—Even trapped in the past, '''Starscream''' looks on the bright side, unaware his math is failing.

"Whatcha waiting for, Red Knight? Don't you wanna rumble with Rumble?"
:—"Sir" '''Rumble''' prepares to joust.

[[Image:Raiderrumblepoo.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Who's that there?" "I dunno. Must be a king." "Why?"]]

"Make some idiot twenty feet tall, and he thinks he rules the Earth."
:— '''Beorht''' isn't too impressed by Starscream.

"Starscream! Lower the drawbridge! ''Ugh!'' I got your stupid potassium nitrate!"
:—'''Rumble''', carrying a pot of bird droppings while also covered in same.

"What's the matter? Aren't you glad to see us?" 
"RRRRAGGGH!!"
:—'''Starscream''' asks a rather loaded question of '''Megatron'''.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*Warpath's chest cannon's length changes frequently during the episode.
* The first shot of Warpath has him rolling along in tank mode, drawn at about a 1/4-angle viewpoint, but the ground beneath him is scrolling parallel to the camera.
* A bizarre flash of energy envelopes Ramjet as he returns to robot mode after colliding with Warpath.
* When Starscream raises his right arm to point, the Decepticon emblem on his wing is no longer there.
* Again showing a wanton disregard for the background matte, Warpath slides sideways as he drives down the hill.
[[Image:DecepticonRaider Nimue.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Oh, wicked, bad, evil, ''naughty'' Zoot!]]

* Princess Nimue has cleavage that appears and disappears from shot to shot and sometimes frame to frame. And no, you are not a pervert if you watched the episode six times to chronicle this error.
* The script seems to have called for a trumpet fanfare to summon Spike to the jousting field (thus Hoist's "That's your call!" line.) The sound editors complied by timing a fanfare in the background music to coincide with the moment, but the resulting effect is that Warpath seems to be listening to the background music.
* A glint of light off of Sir Aetheling's sword gets a ''very'' loud sound effect. Since sunlight is so loud, y'know.
* When Ramjet rams into Warpath in the jousting duel, his canopy is smashed and nose cone crushed in, yet less than a minute later, he's back to normal when the remaining Decepticons attempt to flee with Starscream.
* As Starscream walks up to kidnap Nimue, the background scrolls behind him much faster than the speed of his walk.
* Starscream is missing his wing emblems as he drives off with Nimue.
* Warpath's tank mode is rather consistently portrayed as bigger and taller than Hoist's truck mode. While that would be accurate in the real world, Hoist is taller than Warpath in robot mode.
* Starscream's mouth doesn't move during most of his "No, Rumble, not I..." line.
* After he throws the gunpowder and puts his hands on his hips, one of Starscream's arm guns isn't quite attached to his arm.
* The tires on Hoist's feet are white instead of black as he stands up after the lightning recharge.
* Hoist tackles Starscream even though one frame later he's seen in vehicle mode.
* A bit of clumsy sound editing towards the end of this episode results in a small but noticeable error. As Hoist says, "That is, if there's a way—" his voice is very abruptly cut off. Then Beohrt announces: "Hoist said 'time'!" when Hoist has actually said nothing of the sort. The line as recorded was "That is, if there's a way back to our own time!" and it was followed by a short scene of Starscream feebly requesting a little energy and being threatened by Warpath, before Beorht makes his proclamation. The removal of the Warpath/Starscream scene appears to have inadvertently clipped the relevant few words off the end of Hoist's line.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Spike gets kissed.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Look, let me go back in there and face the peril." "No, it's too perilous." "...Oh, let me have just a little bit of peril?"]]
* If Warpath crushes Ramjet's nosecone in their second collision...why didn't he crush it in their ''first'' encounter?
* The historical accuracy of some aspects of this episode is somewhat lacking. (No! Really?)
** While the recipe for gunpowder expressed in this episode is roughly correct, gunpowder would not make its way to medieval Europe for another eight hundred years or so, and then only from the Far East. Of course, the whole ''point'' of its appearance is that it's a rare, mysterious, wizardly type of thing, so hey.
** Plate armour of the kind worn by the various knights in this episode was not introduced into medieval Europe until around the year 1400—almost a thousand years from the stated ''anno domini'' 543. Even so, one should be fair to the writers and cartoonists, given that major motion pictures like ''Excalibur'' also made this sort of error (or used it for dramatic effect because audiences would easily recognise a stereotypical "knight" as opposed to a historically accurate version). We can let slide the armor that Hoist creates for Spike.
**Also, everyone seems to be speaking [[Wikipedia:Modern English|Modern English]] instead of [[Wikipedia:Old English|Old English]]. Way to go!

* Starscream's math is out by a decade: 543 + 1451 = 1994, rather than the correct date of the Transformers' awakening, 1984.

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:G1 DecepRaiderinKingArthurs WarpathramsRamjet.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''In war we're tough and able Quite in-de-fa-ti-gable Although at times, we're given rhymes That are quite un-sing-able!'']]

* Ramjet apparently changes his head on a regular basis. Hah!
* Fans have made much of the fact that Warpath defeats Ramjet in a collision, but really, Ramjet's specialty is hitting ''other planes''. Even a tough jet doesn't compare to a ''tank''.
* Warpath makes a strange observation, noting that he's so low on energy that he "can't even stay transformed". Apparently, remaining in vehicle mode consumes energy.
* Warpath speaks with a moving mouthplate in this episode, rather than the cheek blinkers he sometimes has.
* Even if he can't fire lasers, Warpath can still fire shells (and does so, trying to hit Ramjet in the castle).

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Exteriordragonmound.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"SO, brave knights, if you do DOUBT your courage or your strength, come no further! For ''[[Death|DEATH]]'' awaits you ALL...with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"]]

* The title of this episode is an homage to the novel ''[[wikipedia:A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]'' written by [[Mark Twain]] and published in 1889.
* The Dragon Mound is surrounded by a Stonehenge-like structure.
* Surprisingly, there is a slight bit of Arthurian legend present in the episode. Nimue is an Arthurian character who fell in love with Merlin. Unsurprisingly, that Nimue is nothing like this episode's Nimue.
* ''[[Star Wars]]'' sound effects:
** Luke's saber deflecting the seeker ball bolts can be faintly heard as Beorht recharges Warpath and Hoist.
** The sound of a light saber igniting is used as Beorht drops his electrically charged staff.
* Despite the title, King Arthur doesn't make an appearance in this tale, thus making him Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film.

===Trivia===
[[Image:Deceptacon.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Nu!" "No no no no, it's not that, it's 'ni'." "Nu!" "No no, 'ni'. You're not doing it properly."]]

* The original broadcast version of this episode featured the mis-spelled title, "A Decept'''a'''con Raider..." The error was corrected for the ''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|Generation 2]]'' version of the episode. Likewise, when [[Kid Rhino]] recreated the title cards for their DVD release of the series, it was also amended. This flub seemed minor then, [[Scorpinok|but]] [[A Tale of Two Heros|years]] [[Imprisoned Inferno|later...]]

* This episode was never broadcast in Italy in the '80s and, as such, it only got dubbed in Italian with the 2008 full G1 redubbing.

* Spike actually gets a kiss from a girl. What will [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|Carly]] think?

* This episode is one of three pre-movie episodes in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] does not appear.

[[Image:DecepticonRaider-NotHank.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fear not, Ranger! Or is that "Fear not-Ranger"?]]

* Among the audience members watching the joust is a dark-skinned man whose outfit greatly resembles the one worn by Hank the Ranger in the [[wikipedia:Dungeons and Dragons (TV series)|''Dungeons and Dragons'' animated series]]—not entirely surprising, as that program was produced by [[Marvel Productions]], who partnered with [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]] on ''Transformers'', and both shows were animated by [[Toei]]. Next to "Hank" are a man with a shield and a woman in a cloak, but they do not otherwise strongly resemble Eric the Cavalier or Sheila the Thief, characters who were associated with magical versions of those items in the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' cartoon.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 4 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 04: Stagione Due Parte Seconda ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

The Core

2010-06-28T21:58:09Z

98.199.36.222: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=28
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=49
|prev2=Cosmic Rust (episode)
|next2=Blaster Blues
|image=TheCore Devastator zapped.jpg
|caption=
|title="The Core"
|production code=#700-27
|airdate=[[October 29]], 1985
|written by=[[Dennis Marks]]
|animation studio=[[AKOM]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron tries to drill his way to the center to the Earth, while the Autobots take control of Devastator with mind-controlling Dominator Discs.'''

:''Japanese title:'' デバスターを倒せ! (''Devastor o Taose!'', "Defeat Devastor!")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:''' "'''Erde in Gefahr'''" ("Earth in Danger")
:''Brazilian title:'' '''O Núcleo'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Coredevastatorattacks.jpg|left|175px|thumb|"Devastator use boulder as ball and Autobots as pins!"]]

At an underground cavern near a waterfall, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] are digging with a massive drill. However, the rock they're drilling through breaks, and only some quick work on [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]'s part plugs it up. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] orders Mixmaster to look over [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]]'s sensory equipment, while [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] does his daily whine-about-Megatron's-nefarious-plan bit. Megatron counters that if they manage to tap into the Earth's molten core, it will give the [[Decepticon]]s geothermal energy, a limitless power source. Starscream counters that if they breach the core, the Earth runs the risk of exploding. However, Megatron doesn't care: he's placed a [[space bridge]] near the drilling site, which will take the Decepticons to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] if the Earth's stability should be threatened.

[[Image:Coreautobotsinnet.jpg|right|175px|thumb|This is the worst tent ever!]]

Meanwhile, [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Gears (G1)|Gears]], [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] are driving around in that general area, when Sunstreaker realizes that there should be a river where they're driving through. The Autobots head to investigate, and see Mixmaster and Scavenger. The Autobots [[Transformation|transform]] to attack, only to see that the Constructicons have disappeared, and to fail to notice [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] above them. Informed by [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]], Megatron orders the Constructicons to destroy the Autobots and form [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. The Decepticon [[combiner]] knocks the Autobots off the cliff, but Mirage goes invisible on them. He remains undetected as Devastator attacks the others, and finds the drill. As Mirage rejoins the group, Jazz does a [[sound and light show]] which distracts Devastator, allowing Mirage and Sunstreaker to lasso his legs with a rope, allowing the Autobots to escape.

[[Image:Coredevastator%26prime.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Devastator has no idea how to start transforming 20th Anniversary Prime.]]

At the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Autobots use [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] to calculate what will happen if the drill hits the Earth's core. The result will be total annihilation, but the Autobots have little hope of defeating the Decepticons with Devastator. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Chip Chase]] present [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] with their new [[dominator disc]]s, which will be placed on the individual Constructicons and take control of them when they form Devastator. Convinced, Optimus Prime orders a commando team to plant the discs on the Constructicons. Heading for the drilling site, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] freezes the falls, causing the drill to heat up. [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] orders the Constructicons to the surface, during which the Autobots plant a disc on each Constructicon. As the commandos are pulled out, Starscream has them dead to rights, but Megatron orders him to let them pass, saying that he knows of their plan to control Devastator. As Megatron positions the Decepticons, he orders the Decepticons to attack. The Decepticons fire on the still moving Autobots, who break formation, as the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] transform to [[bring the rain]] on the Autobots. Megatron orders the Constructicons to form Devastator, who grabs Prime. Wheeljack activates the discs, and Optimus orders Devastator to release him. Devastator follows the Autobot leader's orders, and attack the Decepticons. Megatron orders the Decepticons to retreat to the cave, and Devastator seals them in. Optimus orders the Autobots to break off, as they can finish the Decepticons at their leisure.

[[Image:Corediagramscene.jpg|right|175px|thumb|I didn't know the Earth's centre was made from green layers.]]

Within the caverns, Starscream whines about being trapped, not having enough water to keep drilling, and so on. However, Megatron reveals that this was all part of his plan: he has a device that will override the dominator discs and stored enough water to continue drilling for some time. He just didn't tell Starscream because he's a terrible actor. At the Autobot base, the Constructicons are helping with repairs, when an earthquake hits. Realizing that the Decepticons are still drilling, the Autobots head to put them out of commission. However, Megatron is aware of their coming, watching them through the Constructicons' eyes. The Autobots and Devastator head for the cave, and Devastator is set to destroy it, at which point Megatron uses his control switch to deactivate the discs. Devastator begins attacking the Autobots, so Wheeljack tries to boost power to the discs. Unfortunately, this fries Devastator's [[Circuits|logic circuits]] and sends him into a killing frenzy, attacking both Autobot and Decepticon alike.

[[Image:Coremegs%26wheeljack.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Take off your clothes and come on in!]]

Finally, the drill hits the core, and the cave—and the earth itself—begin to come apart. Unfortunately, Devastator's rampage has damaged the drill's controls. Megatron orders the Decepticons to the space bridge, but Devastator damages it. Optimus convinces Megatron to give his control switch to Wheeljack, who uses it to deactivate the discs and bring Devastator back to normal. Devastator then heads to destroy the drill, while the Decepticons flee for their [[Spark|lives]]. Devastator succeeds, but is surprised by Megatron's absence. Chip tells Devastator that he ran, but Devastator believes that "Noble Megatron" merely left to plan their next attack and leaves (he really is as dumb as a post). Chip is somewhat saddened, as he was hoping that Devastator would join the Autobots. Optimus tells him not to let go of his dreams.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (8)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (9)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (10)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (11)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (12)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (17)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (19)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (20)
* [[Bluestreak]] (24)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (25)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (26)
|c2=
* [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (1)
* [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (2)
* [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (3)
* [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (4)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (5)
* [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (7)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (13)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (14)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (15)
* [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (16)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (21)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (22)
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (23)
|c3=
* [[Chip Chase]] (18)
}}

==Quotes==
"Autobots, move out!"
:—'''Sunstreaker''', thinking he outranks Jazz and Prowl.

"It's like shooting [[dynametal duck]]s in a beryllium barrel."
:—'''Starscream''' wonders if they store [[Cybertronian food|beryllium baloney]] in beryllium barrels.

"Traitor!"
:—'''Starscream''' to Megatron. No, you read that right.

"I do this only for the benefit of my Decepticons. It grieves me that you may also profit."
:—'''Megatron''', agreeing to ally with the Autobots and lying through his teeth (he's doing it to save his own chassis).

"What's the matter, Chip?" 
"I guess I was hoping Devastator might join the Autobots for good, but that's probably just a dumb old dream." 
"Hang on your dreams, Chip. The future is built on dreams. Hang on."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gives '''Chip Chase''' valuable words to live by.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
This being one of the Season 2 AKOM episodes, many characters have unusual color schemes which persist through the entire episode. This includes:
* Megatron's gun barrel is dark gray.
* Gears' truck mode is red with blue fenders instead of blue with a red camper top. His white robot bits are colored light gray.
* Prowl is a light gray instead of white.
* Optimus Prime's backpack is white instead of red.
* Chip has a blue jacket instead of brown. This is ''good'', though. It means that, unlike a lot of cartoon humans, he actually changes clothes.
* The circle on Bumblebee's back is dark gray instead of yellow.

Errors not attributable to model sheets include:
* It seems unlikely that the metal ring surrounding the drill would fracture in exactly the same way as the rock surrounding it.
* Hook's first transformation is bizarre. His crane-mode cab just kind of disappears into his stomach... only to reappear as his foot a second later.
* Scavenger's voice gives the "emergency!" lines that follow, but Scrapper is shown. It's not clear from the animation who's actually speaking, though.
* When the Constructicons are all shown zapping the fissure shut, all the other cracks are gone.
* Subsequent shots of the drill show no trace of the Constructicons' ad hoc ground repairs. Did they pave them over??
* Missing Seeker insignia:
** When he's first seen sitting at the console, Starscream is missing the Decepticon emblems on his wings.
** Starscream has only one wing emblem as he watches Megatron walk through the holographic rock wall.
** The Seekers are all missing their wing emblems as the Decepticons launch their counterattack on the approaching Autobots in the canyon.
** Starscream's missing his wing emblems yet again as he turns and says "You thought of everything".
** Starscream's got only one emblem as he runs crying to Devastator for help. Seriously, how hard is it to keep track of two emblems?
* It's not indisputably an error, but Starscream's hand makes none of the typical whirring/sliding noises as he retracts it and replaces it with the drill (which, holy cow, where does he ''keep'' that thing?)
* The animation of the Autobots driving up the slope out of the riverbed is crude and mistimed—Mirage drives all the way into the slope before he tilts to start climbing it. The other Autobots all tilt up as a group, even though they're in a line.
* Laserbeak's missing his transformation sound as he returns to Soundwave's chest compartment after sighting the Autobots.
* As Laserbeak plays back the Autobots' words, a second voice seems to be echoing Jazz's "Constructicons!"
* As the Constructions all transform to vehicle mode, both Hook and Mixmaster suffer from their feet failing to become the corresponding part of their vehicle modes. All of the Constructicons have completely changed positions from where they were standing in the preceding shot.
* The boulder that Devastator uses against the Autobots is never seen to hit bottom.
* As usual, Devastator's combination sequence is screwed up. In addition to lacking any transformation noise, Long Haul only forms about half of his actual contribution, with Hook getting the rest. At least they got the other four guys correct!
* Three of the Constructicons are shown monitoring the drill, while at the same time Devastator is outside fighting the rest of the Autobots. In the same scene, Starscream's missing one of his wing emblems yet again.
* As Devastator falls from Sunstreaker and Mirage's snare, he has two eyes instead of his usual visor.
* Wheeljack has some strange white areas on his head when he's first seen inside Autobot Headquarters.
* The center line on Scrapper's face mask disappears as he orders the Constructicons to the surface.
* The Constructicons' elevator isn't animated, making them appear to just levitate into the air in vehicle mode. A whirring effects noise, and a lack of glow effects, makes it seem that this was ''not'' supposed to be the levitation beam used earlier by Starscream and Megatron. A second later, however, they ''do'' drive off the levitation beam, complete with glow effect.
* There is ''no way'' Ironhide has room for that much of the water-freezing liquid inside him.
* Appearing/disappearing Autobots:
** Ironhide is shown retreating into the cage at the bottom of the cliff, even though he was never shown to have left the top of the cliff. He seems to have taken Sunstreaker's place. As the cage begins to rise, Sunstreaker reappears (with a strangely miscolored or off-model head), but Jazz is missing.
** The roster of Autobots on the return mission to the cave fluctuates all over the place. Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide and Sideswipe are shown leaving Autobot HQ (and Devastator apparently just sits there while the Autobots move out!) When they arrive at the cave, Hound and Wheeljack have replaced Prowl and Ironhide. After Chip is trapped in the cave, Ratchet shows up among Devastator's victims. After the commercial break, Ironhide is back with the group. As the earthquakes begin, Sunstreaker shows up out of nowhere to rescue Chip.
* Five Autobots fit inside Prime's pyramid cage, which then fits inside his trailer. Huge trailer, or tiny Autobots?
* As he ejects Ravage, the inside of Soundwave's chest compartment is bright yellow.
* Devastator's second combination sequence contains the same visual errors as the first one; plus, Hook's mass includes Bonecrusher's scoop.
* Once the Autobots subjugate Devastator, he's seen swatting Skywarp, but the next shot is of Thundercracker spinning out of control. Then Thundercracker immediately flies back in ''again'' and is swatted off, screaming in Starscream's voice. The shot following that has Skywarp standing with the other Decepticons.
* Wheeljack's roof is orange instead of white as Chip leans out his window.
* As Devastator blasts the Decepticons' cave shut, the frozen falls spontaneously unfreeze for no apparent reason.
* Bumblebee is with the cheering Autobots as Devastator flies out of the canyon, despite not being seen anywhere else in the episode.
* Again, the metal in Autobot Headquarters splits as though it were rock.
* After Hook repairs Jazz, he drives over to Devastator and transforms into ''nothing but his head''.
* When Devastator blasts the cave entrance open again, the falls are once again frozen!
* Skywarp and Starscream both have yellow nosecones as they transform back into robot mode en route to the space bridge.
* Megatron has a red Decepticon symbol when he orders the Constructicons to stop the drill.
* Third Devastator sequence: worst one yet! Scrapper's not really visible at all. ''Scavenger'' and Mixmaster form not only the legs but also half of Long Haul's bits (the same incomplete half that Long Haul himself formed the first time around!) Long Haul then ''splits in two'' to become the rest of Devastator's torso, including everything formed by Hook, ''and'' Bonecrusher and Scavenger's vehicle treads. Bonecrusher and ''Hook'' then form the arms. When he's finished forming, Devastator's torso plate is green instead of purple.
* Wheeljack's ears don't flash as he and Prime snicker at Chip's "Mr. Nobility" line.
* Though maintaining a consistent scale has [[Scale|never been a particularly important issue]] in Transformers fiction, this episode is a particularly notable offender, with Devastator's relative size fluctuating wildly: in some scenes Megatron appears to be almost half his height, whilst at other times the Autobots barely come up to the top of his ''foot''. In one scene, vehicle mode Bonecrusher seems to be almost as high as robot-mode Megatron. Chip's scaling is also wildly variable: when Sunstreaker rescues him from the cave, he appears knee-high to the Autobots, but in the very next scene he has suddenly become as large as Wheeljack.

===Continuity errors===
* Megatron's assertion that the Earth's core is the richest source of energy in [[Milky Way|the galaxy]] is not even remotely true, even within the bizarre realm of the cartoon's physics. Heck, just within our own little [[solar system]], the [[Sun]] is infinitely more potent.
* Why the heck is Sunstreaker giving orders to a group that includes Prowl and Jazz?
* Mirage turns invisible as he hangs by a tree branch, saying "the Decepticons will never find my pieces". Assuming he's being literal, wouldn't his invisibility shut down if he actually was deactivated by his fall?
* What kind of tree branch (growing out of a cliff, no less) is strong enough to support a falling Transformer?
* Jazz and Sunstreaker both use wrist-rockets to lower themselves into the canyon. According to the tech specs, that's really supposed to be Wheeljack's schtick.
* How does freezing the waterfall stop the whole river? Wouldn't it make more sense to break the dam that's diverting the river upstream?
* How did the Constructions not notice the Autobots as they were placing the Dominator Disks on them?
* How ''did'' Megatron figure out the Autobots' strategy?
* Is Devastator ''really'' the only one who can stop the drill? Can't anybody just shoot the thing at its source?
* Why do the Constructicons all feel the need to simultaneously transform to robot mode (then have a little out-of-character heroic chat) when ordered to transform to Devastator? This is one of the episodes where they are assumed to need to be in vehicle mode—which they are already in—to combine.
* The whole countdown to the Earth's core, down to the ''second'', is patently ridiculous. The boundary of the Earth's core is not nearly so neatly defined. And penetrating it with such a comparatively tiny drill would be unlikely to shatter the planet.
* While counting down the time before the drill hits the Earth's core, Prime says 10 seconds, then Megatron says 1 second immediately thereafter. Somehow, 9 seconds disappear without any editing or time lapse. A lot more than 1 second elapses before Devastator destroys the drill.
* How did Devastator get all the way from near the earth's surface to near its core so quickly? How did he slow himself at the end to avoid crashing? And how did he withstand the heat down there, when his component parts [[Heavy_Metal_War|are not even very keen on ordinary lava]]?
* Where did the fleeing Decepticons think they were ''going'', anyway?

===Continuity notes===
*Megatron takes a jab at Starscream's acting abilities, which we witnessed just [[A Prime Problem|one episode ago]]. He's no [[Shia LaBeouf|Beef]], but hey, he's just starting [[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2|his]] [[Starscream's Ghost|career]] at this point.
* Gadgets and powers: Everyone's arms are completely hollow in this ep. One character after the next retracts their hands into their wrists:
** Starscream reveals an improbably large drill in place of his retracted hand.
** Mirage has a tow cable in his wrist.
** Ironhide retracts his hands to fire an improbably huge torrent of blue liquid that freezes the waterfall.
** Sunstreaker, Jazz, and Wheeljack all retract their hands and replace them with wrist-rockets. Wheeljack is ''supposed'' to be able to do this according to his tech spec, but it's never been explicitly shown before (he flew without retracting his wrists in "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]" and "[[S.O.S. Dinobots]]".)
** Jazz also has a grappling hook/tow line. Of all these gimmicks, this is the only one that's actually appeared before, way back in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]" and [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|Part 3]].
** Hook uses his crane-mode hook as a welding tip.

===Real-world references===
* ''Star Wars'' sound effects:
** As often happens, Laserbeak gets the TIE Fighter engine sound just after he flies over the Autobots.

===Trivia===
* Prime sure goes along with the notion of enslaving one of his enemies pretty readily, huh? What happened to his ol' "Freedom is the Right of All Sentient Beings" schtick?
* After all the fuss the others go through while getting into the canyon (wrist rockets, grappling hook slides), Prowl just ''jumps'' down.
* Jazz skips his dominator disk onto Scavenger, like skipping a rock on water. Stylish!
* When Megatron orders a retreat, cat-mode Ravage flies off into the air alongside his comrades.
* Megatron stops Starscream from sniping the Autobots as Optimus Prime reels them up the cliff, arguing that killing six Autobots would be pointless since he plans on having Devastator destroy all the Autobots at the right moment. When that moment comes, there are still only (give or take) six Autobots to be had. Should have gone with your gut, Starscream.
* This episode is one of a trio, including "[[City of Steel]]" and "[[The Autobot Run]]", that was animated by the Korean studio [[AKOM]]. They are distinguished by simplistic art, prominent use of the Constructicons, surprisingly high frame rates, some Hanna-Barbara-style animation shortcuts, and various character model oddities, such as Optimus Prime's white backpack (which would show up again in "[[The Rebirth, Part 1|The Rebirth]]") and Chip Chase's blue jacket... not to mention a ''crapload'' of animation errors. Sheesh, AKOM.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;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]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Core}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

The Core

2010-06-28T21:46:54Z

98.199.36.222: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=28
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=49
|prev2=Cosmic Rust (episode)
|next2=Blaster Blues
|image=TheCore Devastator zapped.jpg
|caption=
|title="The Core"
|production code=#700-27
|airdate=[[October 29]], 1985
|written by=[[Dennis Marks]]
|animation studio=[[AKOM]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron tries to drill his way to the center to the Earth, while the Autobots take control of Devastator with mind-controlling Dominator Discs.'''

:''Japanese title:'' デバスターを倒せ! (''Devastor o Taose!'', "Defeat Devastor!")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:''' "'''Erde in Gefahr'''" ("Earth in Danger")
:''Brazilian title:'' '''O Núcleo'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Coredevastatorattacks.jpg|left|175px|thumb|"Devastator use boulder as ball and Autobots as pins!"]]

At an underground cavern near a waterfall, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] are digging with a massive drill. However, the rock they're drilling through breaks, and only some quick work on [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]'s part plugs it up. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] orders Mixmaster to look over [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]]'s sensory equipment, while [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] does his daily whine-about-Megatron's-nefarious-plan bit. Megatron counters that if they manage to tap into the Earth's molten core, it will give the [[Decepticon]]s geothermal energy, a limitless power source. Starscream counters that if they breach the core, the Earth runs the risk of exploding. However, Megatron doesn't care: he's placed a [[space bridge]] near the drilling site, which will take the Decepticons to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] if the Earth's stability should be threatened.

[[Image:Coreautobotsinnet.jpg|right|175px|thumb|This is the worst tent ever!]]

Meanwhile, [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Gears (G1)|Gears]], [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] are driving around in that general area, when Sunstreaker realizes that there should be a river where they're driving through. The Autobots head to investigate, and see Mixmaster and Scavenger. The Autobots [[Transformation|transform]] to attack, only to see that the Constructicons have disappeared, and to fail to notice [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] above them. Informed by [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]], Megatron orders the Constructicons to destroy the Autobots and form [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. The Decepticon [[combiner]] knocks the Autobots off the cliff, but Mirage goes invisible on them. He remains undetected as Devastator attacks the others, and finds the drill. As Mirage rejoins the group, Jazz does a [[sound and light show]] which distracts Devastator, allowing Mirage and Sunstreaker to lasso his legs with a rope, allowing the Autobots to escape.

[[Image:Coredevastator%26prime.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Devastator has no idea how to start transforming 20th Anniversary Prime.]]

At the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Autobots use [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] to calculate what will happen if the drill hits the Earth's core. The result will be total annihilation, but the Autobots have little hope of defeating the Decepticons with Devastator. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Chip Chase]] present [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] with their new [[dominator disc]]s, which will be placed on the individual Constructicons and take control of them when they form Devastator. Convinced, Optimus Prime orders a commando team to plant the discs on the Constructicons. Heading for the drilling site, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] freezes the falls, causing the drill to heat up. [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] orders the Constructicons to the surface, during which the Autobots plant a disc on each Constructicon. As the commandos are pulled out, Starscream has them dead to rights, but Megatron orders him to let them pass, saying that he knows of their plan to control Devastator. As Megatron positions the Decepticons, he orders the Decepticons to attack. The Decepticons fire on the still moving Autobots, who break formation, as the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] transform to [[bring the rain]] on the Autobots. Megatron orders the Constructicons to form Devastator, who grabs Prime. Wheeljack activates the discs, and Optimus orders Devastator to release him. Devastator follows the Autobot leader's orders, and attack the Decepticons. Megatron orders the Decepticons to retreat to the cave, and Devastator seals them in. Optimus orders the Autobots to break off, as they can finish the Decepticons at their leisure.

[[Image:Corediagramscene.jpg|right|175px|thumb|I didn't know the Earth's centre was made from green layers.]]

Within the caverns, Starscream whines about being trapped, not having enough water to keep drilling, and so on. However, Megatron reveals that this was all part of his plan: he has a device that will override the dominator discs and stored enough water to continue drilling for some time. He just didn't tell Starscream because he's a terrible actor. At the Autobot base, the Constructicons are helping with repairs, when an earthquake hits. Realizing that the Decepticons are still drilling, the Autobots head to put them out of commission. However, Megatron is aware of their coming, watching them through the Constructicons' eyes. The Autobots and Devastator head for the cave, and Devastator is set to destroy it, at which point Megatron uses his control switch to deactivate the discs. Devastator begins attacking the Autobots, so Wheeljack tries to boost power to the discs. Unfortunately, this fries Devastator's [[Circuits|logic circuits]] and sends him into a killing frenzy, attacking both Autobot and Decepticon alike.

[[Image:Coremegs%26wheeljack.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Take off your clothes and come on in!]]

Finally, the drill hits the core, and the cave—and the earth itself—begin to come apart. Unfortunately, Devastator's rampage has damaged the drill's controls. Megatron orders the Decepticons to the space bridge, but Devastator damages it. Optimus convinces Megatron to give his control switch to Wheeljack, who uses it to deactivate the discs and bring Devastator back to normal. Devastator then heads to destroy the drill, while the Decepticons flee for their [[Spark|lives]]. Devastator succeeds, but is surprised by Megatron's absence. Chip tells Devastator that he ran, but Devastator believes that "Noble Megatron" merely left to plan their next attack and leaves (he really is as dumb as a post). Chip is somewhat saddened, as he was hoping that Devastator would join the Autobots. Optimus tells him not to let go of his dreams.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (8)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (9)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (10)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (11)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (12)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (17)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (19)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (20)
* [[Bluestreak]] (24)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (25)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (26)
|c2=
* [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (1)
* [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (2)
* [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (3)
* [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (4)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (5)
* [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (7)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (13)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (14)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (15)
* [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (16)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (21)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (22)
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (23)
|c3=
* [[Chip Chase]] (18)
}}

==Quotes==
"Autobots, move out!"
:—'''Sunstreaker''', thinking he outranks Jazz and Prowl.

"It's like shooting [[dynametal duck]]s in a beryllium barrel."
:—'''Starscream''' wonders if they store [[Cybertronian food|beryllium baloney]] in beryllium barrels.

"Traitor!"
:—'''Starscream''' to Megatron. No, you read that right.

"I do this only for the benefit of my Decepticons. It grieves me that you may also profit."
:—'''Megatron''', agreeing to ally with the Autobots and lying through his teeth (he's doing it to save his own chassis).

"What's the matter, Chip?" 
"I guess I was hoping Devastator might join the Autobots for good, but that's probably just a dumb old dream." 
"Hang on your dreams, Chip. The future is built on dreams. Hang on."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gives '''Chip Chase''' valuable words to live by.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
This being one of the Season 2 AKOM episodes, many characters have unusual color schemes which persist through the entire episode. This includes:
* Megatron's gun barrel is dark gray.
* Gears' truck mode is red with blue fenders instead of blue with a red camper top. His white robot bits are colored light gray.
* Prowl is a light gray instead of white.
* Optimus Prime's backpack is white instead of red.
* Chip has a blue jacket instead of brown. This is ''good'', though. It means that, unlike a lot of cartoon humans, he actually changes clothes.
* The circle on Bumblebee's back is dark gray instead of yellow.

Errors not attributable to model sheets include:
* It seems unlikely that the metal ring surrounding the drill would fracture in exactly the same way as the rock surrounding it.
* Hook's first transformation is bizarre. His crane-mode cab just kind of disappears into his stomach... only to reappear as his foot a second later.
* Scavenger's voice gives the "emergency!" lines that follow, but Scrapper is shown. It's not clear from the animation who's actually speaking, though.
* When the Constructicons are all shown zapping the fissure shut, all the other cracks are gone.
* Subsequent shots of the drill show no trace of the Constructicons' ad hoc ground repairs. Did they pave them over??
* Missing Seeker insignia:
** When he's first seen sitting at the console, Starscream is missing the Decepticon emblems on his wings.
** Starscream has only one wing emblem as he watches Megatron walk through the holographic rock wall.
** The Seekers are all missing their wing emblems as the Decepticons launch their counterattack on the approaching Autobots in the canyon.
** Starscream's missing his wing emblems yet again as he turns and says "You thought of everything".
** Starscream's got only one emblem as he runs crying to Devastator for help. Seriously, how hard is it to keep track of two emblems?
* It's not indisputably an error, but Starscream's hand makes none of the typical whirring/sliding noises as he retracts it and replaces it with the drill (which, holy cow, where does he ''keep'' that thing?)
* The animation of the Autobots driving up the slope out of the riverbed is crude and mistimed—Mirage drives all the way into the slope before he tilts to start climbing it. The other Autobots all tilt up as a group, even though they're in a line.
* Laserbeak's missing his transformation sound as he returns to Soundwave's chest compartment after sighting the Autobots.
* As Laserbeak plays back the Autobots' words, a second voice seems to be echoing Jazz's "Constructicons!"
* As the Constructions all transform to vehicle mode, both Hook and Mixmaster suffer from their feet failing to become the corresponding part of their vehicle modes. All of the Constructicons have completely changed positions from where they were standing in the preceding shot.
* The boulder that Devastator uses against the Autobots is never seen to hit bottom.
* As usual, Devastator's combination sequence is screwed up. In addition to lacking any transformation noise, Long Haul only forms about half of his actual contribution, with Hook getting the rest. At least they got the other four guys correct!
* Three of the Constructicons are shown monitoring the drill, while at the same time Devastator is outside fighting the rest of the Autobots. In the same scene, Starscream's missing one of his wing emblems yet again.
* As Devastator falls from Sunstreaker and Mirage's snare, he has two eyes instead of his usual visor.
* Wheeljack has some strange white areas on his head when he's first seen inside Autobot Headquarters.
* The center line on Scrapper's face mask disappears as he orders the Constructicons to the surface.
* The Constructicons' elevator isn't animated, making them appear to just levitate into the air in vehicle mode. A whirring effects noise, and a lack of glow effects, makes it seem that this was ''not'' supposed to be the levitation beam used earlier by Starscream and Megatron. A second later, however, they ''do'' drive off the levitation beam, complete with glow effect.
* There is ''no way'' Ironhide has room for that much of the water-freezing liquid inside him.
* Appearing/disappearing Autobots:
** Ironhide is shown retreating into the cage at the bottom of the cliff, even though he was never shown to have left the top of the cliff. He seems to have taken Sunstreaker's place. As the cage begins to rise, Sunstreaker reappears (with a strangely miscolored or off-model head), but Jazz is missing.
** The roster of Autobots on the return mission to the cave fluctuates all over the place. Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide and Sideswipe are shown leaving Autobot HQ (and Devastator apparently just sits there while the Autobots move out!) When they arrive at the cave, Hound and Wheeljack have replaced Prowl and Ironhide. After Chip is trapped in the cave, Ratchet shows up among Devastator's victims. After the commercial break, Ironhide is back with the group. As the earthquakes begin, Sunstreaker shows up out of nowhere to rescue Chip.
* Five Autobots fit inside Prime's pyramid cage, which then fits inside his trailer. Huge trailer, or tiny Autobots?
* As he ejects Ravage, the inside of Soundwave's chest compartment is bright yellow.
* Devastator's second combination sequence contains the same visual errors as the first one; plus, Hook's mass includes Bonecrusher's scoop.
* Once the Autobots subjugate Devastator, he's seen swatting Skywarp, but the next shot is of Thundercracker spinning out of control. Then Thundercracker immediately flies back in ''again'' and is swatted off, screaming in Starscream's voice. The shot following that has Skywarp standing with the other Decepticons.
* Wheeljack's roof is orange instead of white as Chip leans out his window.
* As Devastator blasts the Decepticons' cave shut, the frozen falls spontaneously unfreeze for no apparent reason.
* Bumblebee is with the cheering Autobots as Devastator flies out of the canyon, despite not being seen anywhere else in the episode.
* Again, the metal in Autobot Headquarters splits as though it were rock.
* After Hook repairs Jazz, he drives over to Devastator and transforms into ''nothing but his head''.
* When Devastator blasts the cave entrance open again, the falls are once again frozen!
* Skywarp and Starscream both have yellow nosecones as they transform back into robot mode en route to the space bridge.
* Megatron has a red Decepticon symbol when he orders the Constructicons to stop the drill.
* Third Devastator sequence: worst one yet! Scrapper's not really visible at all. ''Scavenger'' and Mixmaster form not only the legs but also half of Long Haul's bits (the same incomplete half that Long Haul himself formed the first time around!) Long Haul then ''splits in two'' to become the rest of Devastator's torso, including everything formed by Hook, ''and'' Bonecrusher and Scavenger's vehicle treads. Bonecrusher and ''Hook'' then form the arms. When he's finished forming, Devastator's torso plate is green instead of purple.
* Wheeljack's ears don't flash as he and Prime snicker at Chip's "Mr. Nobility" line.
* Though maintaining a consistent scale has [[Scale|never been a particularly important issue]] in Transformers fiction, this episode is a particularly notable offender, with Devastator's relative size fluctuating wildly: in some scenes Megatron appears to be almost half his height, whilst at other times the Autobots barely come up to the top of his ''foot''. In one scene, vehicle mode Bonecrusher seems to be almost as high as robot-mode Megatron. Chip's scaling is also wildly variable: when Sunstreaker rescues him from the cave, he appears knee-high to the Autobots, but in the very next scene he has suddenly become as large as Wheeljack.

===Continuity errors===
* Megatron's assertion that the Earth's core is the richest source of energy in [[Milky Way|the galaxy]] is not even remotely true, even within the bizarre realm of the cartoon's physics. Heck, just within our own little [[solar system]], the [[Sun]] is infinitely more potent.
* Why the heck is Sunstreaker giving orders to a group that includes Prowl and Jazz?
* Mirage turns invisible as he hangs by a tree branch, saying "the Decepticons will never find my pieces". Assuming he's being literal, wouldn't his invisibility shut down if he actually was deactivated by his fall?
* What kind of tree branch (growing out of a cliff, no less) is strong enough to support a falling Transformer?
* Jazz and Sunstreaker both use wrist-rockets to lower themselves into the canyon. According to the tech specs, that's really supposed to be Wheeljack's schtick.
* How does freezing the waterfall stop the whole river? Wouldn't it make more sense to break the dam that's diverting the river upstream?
* How did the Constructions not notice the Autobots as they were placing the chips on them?
* How ''did'' Megatron figure out the Autobots' strategy?
* Is Devastator ''really'' the only one who can stop the drill? Can't anybody just shoot the thing at its source?
* Why do the Constructicons all feel the need to simultaneously transform to robot mode (then have a little out-of-character heroic chat) when ordered to transform to Devastator? This is one of the episodes where they are assumed to need to be in vehicle mode—which they are already in—to combine.
* The whole countdown to the Earth's core, down to the ''second'', is patently ridiculous. The boundary of the Earth's core is not nearly so neatly defined. And penetrating it with such a comparatively tiny drill would be unlikely to shatter the planet.
* While counting down the time before the drill hits the Earth's core, Prime says 10 seconds, then Megatron says 1 second immediately thereafter. Somehow, 9 seconds disappear without any editing or time lapse. A lot more than 1 second elapses before Devastator destroys the drill.
* How did Devastator get all the way from near the earth's surface to near its core so quickly? How did he slow himself at the end to avoid crashing? And how did he withstand the heat down there, when his component parts [[Heavy_Metal_War|are not even very keen on ordinary lava]]?
* Where did the fleeing Decepticons think they were ''going'', anyway?

===Continuity notes===
*Megatron takes a jab at Starscream's acting abilities, which we witnessed just [[A Prime Problem|one episode ago]]. He's no [[Shia LaBeouf|Beef]], but hey, he's just starting [[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2|his]] [[Starscream's Ghost|career]] at this point.
* Gadgets and powers: Everyone's arms are completely hollow in this ep. One character after the next retracts their hands into their wrists:
** Starscream reveals an improbably large drill in place of his retracted hand.
** Mirage has a tow cable in his wrist.
** Ironhide retracts his hands to fire an improbably huge torrent of blue liquid that freezes the waterfall.
** Sunstreaker, Jazz, and Wheeljack all retract their hands and replace them with wrist-rockets. Wheeljack is ''supposed'' to be able to do this according to his tech spec, but it's never been explicitly shown before (he flew without retracting his wrists in "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]" and "[[S.O.S. Dinobots]]".)
** Jazz also has a grappling hook/tow line. Of all these gimmicks, this is the only one that's actually appeared before, way back in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]" and [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|Part 3]].
** Hook uses his crane-mode hook as a welding tip.

===Real-world references===
* ''Star Wars'' sound effects:
** As often happens, Laserbeak gets the TIE Fighter engine sound just after he flies over the Autobots.

===Trivia===
* Prime sure goes along with the notion of enslaving one of his enemies pretty readily, huh? What happened to his ol' "Freedom is the Right of All Sentient Beings" schtick?
* After all the fuss the others go through while getting into the canyon (wrist rockets, grappling hook slides), Prowl just ''jumps'' down.
* Jazz skips his dominator disk onto Scavenger, like skipping a rock on water. Stylish!
* When Megatron orders a retreat, cat-mode Ravage flies off into the air alongside his comrades.
* Megatron stops Starscream from sniping the Autobots as Optimus Prime reels them up the cliff, arguing that killing six Autobots would be pointless since he plans on having Devastator destroy all the Autobots at the right moment. When that moment comes, there are still only (give or take) six Autobots to be had. Should have gone with your gut, Starscream.
* This episode is one of a trio, including "[[City of Steel]]" and "[[The Autobot Run]]", that was animated by the Korean studio [[AKOM]]. They are distinguished by simplistic art, prominent use of the Constructicons, surprisingly high frame rates, some Hanna-Barbara-style animation shortcuts, and various character model oddities, such as Optimus Prime's white backpack (which would show up again in "[[The Rebirth, Part 1|The Rebirth]]") and Chip Chase's blue jacket... not to mention a ''crapload'' of animation errors. Sheesh, AKOM.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;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]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[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]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Core}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]