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The God Gambit

2010-05-18T01:06:41Z

99.179.138.27: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|image=GodGambit Astrotrain is god.jpg
|caption=If anyone asks if you're a god, you say YES
|series=G1toon
|ep=42
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=32
|prev2=The Golden Lagoon
|next2=Make Tracks
|title="The God Gambit"
|airdate=[[October 28]], 1985
|written by=[[Buzz Dixon]]
|production code=#700-41
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Decepticons scheme to conquer a race of primitive humanoids by exploiting their religious beliefs.'''

:''Japanese title:'' スカイゴッド (''Sky God'')

==Synopsis==
The [[Titan (species)|people]] of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] (one of [[Saturn]]'s moons), are slaving under the tyrannical rule of [[Jero]], the head [[astrologer priest]]. The time has come for the harvest offerings and the Titans bring their contributions to the feet of the statue of their "Sky God".

[[Image:Gambittitans&cosmos.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Roll out... the barrel!]]

[[Talaria]], a rebel who believes in "reason and common sense", leads a revolt, shatters the statue, and exposes Jero for using the Sky Gods as an "excuse for high taxes and harsh laws".

At the same time, Cosmos is being chased through space by [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], with [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] aboard. Cosmos calls Autobot headquarters on Earth and tells [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] about energy data he gathered. During the transmission he gets hit and falls towards the surface of Titan.

[[Image:Gambitastrotrain&scream.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Well, since Megatron isn't here, someone has to [[:Image:UltimateDoom2 Strangling Starscream.jpg|do it]].]]

The Titans have gathered around a fire while Talaria tries to convince her people that the Sky Gods are an illusion. At that very moment, Cosmos crashes nearby, and Jero, tied up along with his high priests, uses the strange event to reclaim his place as leader.

Astrotrain, Starscream, and Thrust land in front of the temple, overhearing the struggle between Talaria and Jero. Astrotrain spontaneously decides to pretend to be the Titans' supreme god in order to enslave them. Starscream protests, but relents without much effort.

Starscream and Thrust prop up the unconscious Cosmos in the temple as a new idol in place of the shattered statue. Astrotrain then removes Cosmos' data storage, and points out a disconnected cable that prevents the Autobot from calling for help. He fails to notice that Talaria has been watching him. Unseen by the [[Decepticon]]s she slips to Cosmos's side and reconnects the cable, re-establishing the communication to Optimus Prime on Earth. Prime tells her how to activate Cosmos' homing beam. In that moment, the Decepticons notice her, but she escapes, thanks to Cosmos who woke up just in time to fire at Starscream. Cosmos is, however, quickly disabled again by Astrotrain.

[[Image:Gambitastro&crystals.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ooh, pretty...]]

Back on Earth, Optimus Prime orders [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] to take a team to Titan and rescue Cosmos. Omega informs Prime that the trip will use up 97% of his energy, which will leave him unable to transform. The team includes [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who will discover what the energy source was, and Optimus himself intends to go. However, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] warns Prime that as the [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot|Autobots]], they cannot afford to let Prime be killed or captured. [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] goes in Prime's place.

On Titan, Jero leads the Decepticons to a cave full of energy-rich crystals. Astrotrain forces the Titans to harvest crystals and carry them to the temple.

In the meantime, the Autobots arrive, with Omega crash landing on the edge of an abyss. Jazz and Perceptor leave in search of Cosmos and his energy source. They meet with Talaria, who takes them to the temple and to Cosmos.

[[Image:Gambitsacrifice.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Now lie still while I try and remove that tooth."]]

Before they can repair Cosmos, they are attacked by Starscream and Thrust. Jazz quickly gets the upper hand on Starscream. But Astrotrain has the Titans fire the crystals at the Autobots, and they have to retreat, leaving Talaria to be captured by Astrotrain. Astrotrain orders her to be sacrificed as a means to further intimidate the rest of the Titans.

Jazz and Perceptor soon find the crystal cave, where Perceptor notes the instability of the crystallized energy, as did Starscream earlier. They meet a group of Titans there who tell them about the sacrifice. While Perceptor takes some of the crystals to refuel Omega Supreme, Jazz heads for the temple to rescue Talaria.

He is successful, and he manages to hold off the Decepticons long enough for Omega and Perceptor to arrive.

The Decepticons flee after realising that they can't fight Omega Supreme. Before they leave Titan, however, they blow up the crystals, starting a chain reaction that will destroy the temple and the surrounding area.

Omega Supreme helps the Titans to escape over the abyss that surrounds the temple mount, and the Titans thank the Autobots for their help. Jazz expresses relief that the Decepticons won't be messing around with the Titans' religion again.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (6)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (7)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (9)
*[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] (12)

|c2=
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (8)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (10)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (11)

|h4=[[Titan (species)|Titans]]|c4=
*[[Jero]] (1)
*[[Talaria]] (2)
*[[Scrawney]] (3)
}}

==Quotes==
"Here's the church. Here's the steeple. Open the doors and where are the people?!"
:—'''Starscream''', playing the role of [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]

"Sarcasm, not appreciated."
:—'''Omega Supreme''' to Jazz's remark that he should stay put after the larger Autobot crash lands on a precarious cliff edge.

"Not the slightest sign of Cosmos, but there is a native in that tree shooting arrows at us."
:—'''Perceptor''' isn't that concerned about Talaria's attack

"A heretic. What more fitting end than to be sacrificed."
:—'''Astrotrain''' needs Talaria's blood in order to be appeased.

"Sorry to bust up your revival, but the Lady ain't got her heart in it."
:—'''Jazz''' while saving Talaria from being sacrificed.

"Lord Astrotrain, what about me?!" 
"Die, like the worm you are!"
:—'''Jero''' learns that he shouldn't have worshipped '''Astrotrain'''

"They started the chain reaction!" 
"Don't ya just hate sore losers?"
:—'''Perceptor''' and '''Jazz''' are not amused by the Decepticons' actions.

==Notes==

===Animation/Technical Errors===

* Listen closely as Perceptor explains why Jazz using a rock to loosen up some energy crystals is a bad idea. He starts off by saying, normally, "Set off one crystal, and a chain reaction..." and then continues, "...will blow us all up!" in ''Jazz's'' voice!

===Continuity errors===
* Omega Supreme can go to Cybertron and back without recharging, but a one-way trip to Saturn will use up 97% of his energy? Of course, he just may not be at his maximum energy level from the start, but that isn't mentioned anywhere.

===Real-world references===
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] recites a [[human]] nursery rhyme. "Here's the church. Here's the steeple. Open the doors and where are the people?!" He doesn't, however, do the hand gestures that go along with it.

===Trivia===
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] seems out of character in this episode, especially with him ordering Starscream around. It would seem that this episode ''may have'' been originally written for [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in the Astrotrain role and quickly re-written in order to feature Astrotrain (who was, not coincidentally, a new toy at the time). This would explain Starscream's deference (and apparent fear) of Astrotrain, plus Astrotrain's Megatron-esque dialogue.

*The inhabitants of Titan would never be seen again, but the moon would be [[Money Is Everything|revisited later]]. Apparently Titan had been "terraformed" in the meantime, which makes the unspoken fate of this civilization especially curious.

*Talaria is a really horrible shot, isn't she? When firing arrows at the Autobots, she manages to miss Jazz ''twice'' despite the fact that he's a relatively big target '''and''' standing in place. The way the arrows arc (as well as the fact that one falls before hitting Perceptor) also indicate that she's not even putting any strength behind those shots.

*This was one of several episodes subjected to the [[MSTF]] treatment at [[BotCon 1999]].

*This episode and "[[The Gambler]]" are the only episodes (pre-''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') that [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] doesn't appear in.

*Astrotrain proclaims that the people of Titan "[[Fandom|worship Transformers]]". Hmmmmmmm.

*This is the 1st episode where [[Frank Welker]] dosen't voice anyone.

==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]] 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. 5 (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'' — 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_god_gambit.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808854/ IMDb's page for this episode]

{{DEFAULTSORT:God Gambit}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Space (episode)

2010-04-29T16:44:53Z

99.179.138.27: /* Miscellaneous trivia */

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=5
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=6
|title="Space"
|japanese=脅威の惑星スピーディア
|romaji=Kyōi no Wakusei Speedia
|translation=Wondrous Planet Speedia
|image=Cyb ep5 space bridge.jpg
|caption=
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[we've|We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Hiro Masaki]]
|director=[[Fumiharu Kamanaka]], [[Megumi Sakai]] (asst. dir.)
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[February 12]], 2005 (Japanese) [[July 16]], 2005 (English)
|continuity=
}}

'''Scattorshot and Bud use the space bridge to travel beyond Earth's atmosphere, but a Decepticon attack could spell their doom!'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Cyb ep5 megatron vs override.jpg|left|thumb|225px|You're gonna regret tailgating me...]]
In the [[Autobot|Autobots]]' base on [[Earth]], [[Bud Hansen|Bud]] loudly announces his desire to follow in [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] and [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]]'s footsteps and travel into space. He manages to talk [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] into thinking it's a good idea, and Jolt in turn convinces [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] to take Bud above the Earth's atmosphere and into space using the [[space bridge]]. As [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] has taken most of the other Autobots to look for the [[Omega Lock]] in the [[United Kingdom|British Isles]], nobody is around to tell him what a crazy idea this is; by the time [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]], [[Coby Hansen|Coby]] and [[Lori]] realize that Bud and Scattorshot are not where they should be, the pair are already above the clouds.

Concurrently, on [[Velocitron]], Hot Shot is in awe of the planet's huge race tracks, while Red Alert can't see any point in them. But they are not the only offworlders on the Speed Planet: [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] is also there, and locates the planet's leader, [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]], just as she wins yet another race. Megatron directly questions her on the whereabouts of Velocitron's [[Cyber Planet Key]], but Override informs him that he will have to beat her in a race before she will tell him. Despite Megatron's use of his [[Cyber Key]] Power, Override still wins the race, but confesses to Megatron that she has never heard of the Cyber Planet Key, and just wanted a challenge.

[[Image:Cyb ep5 in space.jpg|right|thumb|225px|No, no worries about lack of gravity! Not to mention temperature, radiation, pressure...]]

Back on Earth—or rather, over it—Bud is having the time of his life on the space bridge. He and Scattorshot, encased in a gravity bubble, look down upon the Earth, but Bud's elation is cut short when Scattorshot spots [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] and [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] approaching the British Isles. The two [[Decepticon]]s attack Optimus Prime's team, and a stray missile flies into space and knocks Scattorshot and Bud off the bridge, sending them floating off into space. Unaware of the drama unfolding above, the Autobots down below continue their battle, and call on Jetfire to back them up. Just as Jetfire deploys from the Autobot base, however, Coby and Lori finally manage to wring Scattorshot and Bud's location out of Jolt, and they promptly flip out. Coby triangulates their position and finds that they're drifting helplessly, so they call on Jetfire to go to their aid. Jetfire wastes no time in breaching the atmosphere and locating his comrades, but just as he is about to take them to safety, a passing satellite collides with them, knocking the gravity bubble from Jetfire's hands and sending Scattorshot and Bud plummeting down through the atmosphere.

[[Image:Cyb ep5 reentry.jpg|left|thumb|225px|I just hope this is covered by my burn insurance!]]

Back with the battle, Optimus Prime and Vector Prime attempt to lure Starscream and Thundercracker down to ground level, but Starscream isn't falling for it, and seizes the two Autobots before they can get too low. However, they ''have'' managed to bring the Decepticons into range of [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]]'s Cyber Key-powered "Slam Attack" missile, and the small Autobot blasts Thundercracker, sending him spiralling into Starscream, who loses his grip on the two Primes. The Decepticons opt for retreat as the Primes, Jetfire and Jolt all try to reach Scattorshot and Bud as they come falling through the sky, their forcefield burning up as they hurtle downward. Suddenly, in a burst of white light, Scattorshot and Bud vanish, and rematerialize inside the Autobot base. Jolt almost offhandedly reveals that Vector Prime has taught him how to open [[dimension gate]]s, which he used to teleport them to safety.

[[Image:Cyb ep5 hot shot collision.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Taken out by a smaller car - how embarrassing.]]

Meanwhile, on Velocitron, Hot Shot and Red Alert watch from a distance as [[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]] summons his Cyber Key, piquing Red Alert's curiosity. As the medical Autobot muses on the fact that all the Velocitronians have Cyber Keys that are the same color, in contrast to the differently-colored keys the Autobots themselves use, Hot Shot's attention is caught by the sight of [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]]. The dastardly duo are terrorizing two Velocitronian natives: the youthful [[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] and his wise, elderly mentor [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]], who Megatron has ordered them to shake down in hopes of gaining information on the Cyber Planet Key. Red Alert attempts to stop Hot Shot from getting involved, reminding him of Optimus Prime's order not to interact with the locals, but when Crumplezone and Ransack draw their weapons on their two victims, the younger Autobot can't hold himself back, and leaps to their rescue. As Brakedown thanks him for his help, Hot Shot realizes the folly of what he has done...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (1)
* [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (3)
* [[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (4)
* [[Six-Speed]] (5)
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (6)
* [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (7)
* [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (8)
* [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (11)
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (12)
* [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] (13)
* [[Vector Prime]] (14)
* [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (15)
* [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] (22)
* [[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (23)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (16)
* [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (17)
* [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] (18)
* [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (19)
* [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (20)
* [[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]] (21)

|c3=
* [[Bud Hansen]] (2)
* [[Coby Hansen]] (9)
* [[Lori]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Aw, what a drag!" 
"Is something wrong, Master Bud?" 
"I'm not a master, I told you that!" 
"Right, sorry. Bud. Dude."
:—'''Bud''' and '''Jolt'''.

"How come everyone thinks I'm going to mess up, just 'cause I like to drive fast? I'd never break Optimus's orders!"
:—'''Hot Shot,''' who breaks Optimus's orders before the sun sets.

"One more second, and I'd have knocked you down like a bowling pin!" 
"Hmph. Keep dreaming."
:—'''Override''' and '''Megatron'''

"Nice view! You know, there was a scene like this in ''Mutants From Beyond''." 
"That's a movie, this is real life!" 
"Yeah, what's your point?"
:—'''Bud''' and '''Scattorshot'''

'''Crumplezone:''' "You raced against Override? Wow, did you win?" 
'''Megatron:''' "Never mind! She doesn't know anything about the Cyber Planet Key, so it doesn't matter!" 
'''Ransack:''' "In other words, you lost."
:—Ransack is either very brave or very stupid.

'''Coby and Lori:''' "He's in ''space?!''" 
'''Lori:''' "What do you mean?" 
'''Jolt:''' "He wanted to see space, and he seemed upset when I said no, so I finally said yes, and I talked Scattorshot into it...?" 
'''Lori:''' "So he got to go and ''we didn't?!''" 
'''Coby:''' "That's ''not'' the point."

"This is all my fault! I'm a worthless excuse for a [[Mini-Con]]!"
:—'''Jolt''''s not entirely wrong.

==Notes==

===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===

*When Megatron and Override first meet, in ''Cybertron'', Megatron is unaware of who he is addressing until Override tells him. In ''Galaxy Force'', on the other hand, Megatron already knows who Override is, and Override's part of the conversation is instead an expression of disbelief that life exists beyond Velocitron.
*In ''Cybertron'', Megatron believes Override has cheated to win their race; in ''Galaxy Force'', he is stoic in defeat.

===Pain count===
*"Cyber key power": Eight
*"Super Mode": One (anomalously named "Massive Attack Mode")

===Animation and/or technical glitches===
* In the opening scene, the tentacles Jolt is using to run the computer disappear between shots. As does the computer. (The chunk of metal he appears to be standing in front of in later shots is actually some distance away.)
* When Starscream launches his "Pulse Attack", he speaks with Vector Prime's voice.

===Continuity errors===
* The space bridge's relationship to Earth geography is fluid; the lower terminus is in the American Rockies, but in one scene, Scattorshot is clearly passing east-to-west over Mexico, while later he's close enough to the British Isles to get hit by a stray missile. Later yet, he's over Florida.
* When Thundercracker begins his attack on the Autobots, he says that he's taking "both" of them out. Apparently, he's completely ignoring Landmine and Overhaul in his headcount.

===Transformers references===

* Ransack invites Clocker to "[[Slag (slang)|Slag off!]]", dropping ''Cybertron'''s first use of the Transformer swear word that ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' made famous.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*As with Starscream and Thundercracker in the previous episode, Megatron now displays his Cyber Key Power for the first time, with no explanation ever being given for how he obtains the ability. On Velocitron, however, Brakedown, Crumplezone, Dirt Boss, and Ransack all summon Cyber Keys at various points in the episode, so it's clearly a widely-known ability there.
*Three episodes ago, there was one Cyber Key invocation. Two episodes ago, there were two. Last episode, there were four. This episode, there were ''eight.'' Thank [[Primus]] this progression didn't continue.
*So a missile just ''happens'' to fly off into space and hit Scattorshot and Bud? How convienent.

==Home video releases==
{{note|All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.}}
;VHS
*2005 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — A New Beginning ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]])
;DVD
*2005 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 02 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only.
*2005 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — A New Beginning (Paramount)
*2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Space (episode)

2010-04-29T16:44:17Z

99.179.138.27: /* Miscellaneous trivia */

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=5
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=6
|title="Space"
|japanese=脅威の惑星スピーディア
|romaji=Kyōi no Wakusei Speedia
|translation=Wondrous Planet Speedia
|image=Cyb ep5 space bridge.jpg
|caption=
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[we've|We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Hiro Masaki]]
|director=[[Fumiharu Kamanaka]], [[Megumi Sakai]] (asst. dir.)
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[February 12]], 2005 (Japanese) [[July 16]], 2005 (English)
|continuity=
}}

'''Scattorshot and Bud use the space bridge to travel beyond Earth's atmosphere, but a Decepticon attack could spell their doom!'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Cyb ep5 megatron vs override.jpg|left|thumb|225px|You're gonna regret tailgating me...]]
In the [[Autobot|Autobots]]' base on [[Earth]], [[Bud Hansen|Bud]] loudly announces his desire to follow in [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] and [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]]'s footsteps and travel into space. He manages to talk [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] into thinking it's a good idea, and Jolt in turn convinces [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] to take Bud above the Earth's atmosphere and into space using the [[space bridge]]. As [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] has taken most of the other Autobots to look for the [[Omega Lock]] in the [[United Kingdom|British Isles]], nobody is around to tell him what a crazy idea this is; by the time [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]], [[Coby Hansen|Coby]] and [[Lori]] realize that Bud and Scattorshot are not where they should be, the pair are already above the clouds.

Concurrently, on [[Velocitron]], Hot Shot is in awe of the planet's huge race tracks, while Red Alert can't see any point in them. But they are not the only offworlders on the Speed Planet: [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] is also there, and locates the planet's leader, [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]], just as she wins yet another race. Megatron directly questions her on the whereabouts of Velocitron's [[Cyber Planet Key]], but Override informs him that he will have to beat her in a race before she will tell him. Despite Megatron's use of his [[Cyber Key]] Power, Override still wins the race, but confesses to Megatron that she has never heard of the Cyber Planet Key, and just wanted a challenge.

[[Image:Cyb ep5 in space.jpg|right|thumb|225px|No, no worries about lack of gravity! Not to mention temperature, radiation, pressure...]]

Back on Earth—or rather, over it—Bud is having the time of his life on the space bridge. He and Scattorshot, encased in a gravity bubble, look down upon the Earth, but Bud's elation is cut short when Scattorshot spots [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] and [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] approaching the British Isles. The two [[Decepticon]]s attack Optimus Prime's team, and a stray missile flies into space and knocks Scattorshot and Bud off the bridge, sending them floating off into space. Unaware of the drama unfolding above, the Autobots down below continue their battle, and call on Jetfire to back them up. Just as Jetfire deploys from the Autobot base, however, Coby and Lori finally manage to wring Scattorshot and Bud's location out of Jolt, and they promptly flip out. Coby triangulates their position and finds that they're drifting helplessly, so they call on Jetfire to go to their aid. Jetfire wastes no time in breaching the atmosphere and locating his comrades, but just as he is about to take them to safety, a passing satellite collides with them, knocking the gravity bubble from Jetfire's hands and sending Scattorshot and Bud plummeting down through the atmosphere.

[[Image:Cyb ep5 reentry.jpg|left|thumb|225px|I just hope this is covered by my burn insurance!]]

Back with the battle, Optimus Prime and Vector Prime attempt to lure Starscream and Thundercracker down to ground level, but Starscream isn't falling for it, and seizes the two Autobots before they can get too low. However, they ''have'' managed to bring the Decepticons into range of [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]]'s Cyber Key-powered "Slam Attack" missile, and the small Autobot blasts Thundercracker, sending him spiralling into Starscream, who loses his grip on the two Primes. The Decepticons opt for retreat as the Primes, Jetfire and Jolt all try to reach Scattorshot and Bud as they come falling through the sky, their forcefield burning up as they hurtle downward. Suddenly, in a burst of white light, Scattorshot and Bud vanish, and rematerialize inside the Autobot base. Jolt almost offhandedly reveals that Vector Prime has taught him how to open [[dimension gate]]s, which he used to teleport them to safety.

[[Image:Cyb ep5 hot shot collision.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Taken out by a smaller car - how embarrassing.]]

Meanwhile, on Velocitron, Hot Shot and Red Alert watch from a distance as [[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]] summons his Cyber Key, piquing Red Alert's curiosity. As the medical Autobot muses on the fact that all the Velocitronians have Cyber Keys that are the same color, in contrast to the differently-colored keys the Autobots themselves use, Hot Shot's attention is caught by the sight of [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]]. The dastardly duo are terrorizing two Velocitronian natives: the youthful [[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] and his wise, elderly mentor [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]], who Megatron has ordered them to shake down in hopes of gaining information on the Cyber Planet Key. Red Alert attempts to stop Hot Shot from getting involved, reminding him of Optimus Prime's order not to interact with the locals, but when Crumplezone and Ransack draw their weapons on their two victims, the younger Autobot can't hold himself back, and leaps to their rescue. As Brakedown thanks him for his help, Hot Shot realizes the folly of what he has done...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (1)
* [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (3)
* [[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (4)
* [[Six-Speed]] (5)
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (6)
* [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (7)
* [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (8)
* [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (11)
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (12)
* [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] (13)
* [[Vector Prime]] (14)
* [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (15)
* [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] (22)
* [[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (23)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (16)
* [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (17)
* [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] (18)
* [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (19)
* [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (20)
* [[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]] (21)

|c3=
* [[Bud Hansen]] (2)
* [[Coby Hansen]] (9)
* [[Lori]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Aw, what a drag!" 
"Is something wrong, Master Bud?" 
"I'm not a master, I told you that!" 
"Right, sorry. Bud. Dude."
:—'''Bud''' and '''Jolt'''.

"How come everyone thinks I'm going to mess up, just 'cause I like to drive fast? I'd never break Optimus's orders!"
:—'''Hot Shot,''' who breaks Optimus's orders before the sun sets.

"One more second, and I'd have knocked you down like a bowling pin!" 
"Hmph. Keep dreaming."
:—'''Override''' and '''Megatron'''

"Nice view! You know, there was a scene like this in ''Mutants From Beyond''." 
"That's a movie, this is real life!" 
"Yeah, what's your point?"
:—'''Bud''' and '''Scattorshot'''

'''Crumplezone:''' "You raced against Override? Wow, did you win?" 
'''Megatron:''' "Never mind! She doesn't know anything about the Cyber Planet Key, so it doesn't matter!" 
'''Ransack:''' "In other words, you lost."
:—Ransack is either very brave or very stupid.

'''Coby and Lori:''' "He's in ''space?!''" 
'''Lori:''' "What do you mean?" 
'''Jolt:''' "He wanted to see space, and he seemed upset when I said no, so I finally said yes, and I talked Scattorshot into it...?" 
'''Lori:''' "So he got to go and ''we didn't?!''" 
'''Coby:''' "That's ''not'' the point."

"This is all my fault! I'm a worthless excuse for a [[Mini-Con]]!"
:—'''Jolt''''s not entirely wrong.

==Notes==

===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===

*When Megatron and Override first meet, in ''Cybertron'', Megatron is unaware of who he is addressing until Override tells him. In ''Galaxy Force'', on the other hand, Megatron already knows who Override is, and Override's part of the conversation is instead an expression of disbelief that life exists beyond Velocitron.
*In ''Cybertron'', Megatron believes Override has cheated to win their race; in ''Galaxy Force'', he is stoic in defeat.

===Pain count===
*"Cyber key power": Eight
*"Super Mode": One (anomalously named "Massive Attack Mode")

===Animation and/or technical glitches===
* In the opening scene, the tentacles Jolt is using to run the computer disappear between shots. As does the computer. (The chunk of metal he appears to be standing in front of in later shots is actually some distance away.)
* When Starscream launches his "Pulse Attack", he speaks with Vector Prime's voice.

===Continuity errors===
* The space bridge's relationship to Earth geography is fluid; the lower terminus is in the American Rockies, but in one scene, Scattorshot is clearly passing east-to-west over Mexico, while later he's close enough to the British Isles to get hit by a stray missile. Later yet, he's over Florida.
* When Thundercracker begins his attack on the Autobots, he says that he's taking "both" of them out. Apparently, he's completely ignoring Landmine and Overhaul in his headcount.

===Transformers references===

* Ransack invites Clocker to "[[Slag (slang)|Slag off!]]", dropping ''Cybertron'''s first use of the Transformer swear word that ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' made famous.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*As with Starscream and Thundercracker in the previous episode, Megatron now displays his Cyber Key Power for the first time, with no explanation ever being given for how he obtains the ability. On Velocitron, however, Brakedown, Crumplezone, Dirt Boss, and Ransack all summon Cyber Keys at various points in the episode, so it's clearly a widely-known ability there.
*Three episodes ago, there was one Cyber Key invocation. Two episodes ago, there were two. Last episode, there were four. This episode, there were ''eight.'' Thank [[Primus]] this progression didn't continue.
*So a missile just ''happens''to fly off into space and hit Scattorshot and Bud? How convienent.

==Home video releases==
{{note|All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.}}
;VHS
*2005 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — A New Beginning ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]])
;DVD
*2005 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 02 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only.
*2005 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — A New Beginning (Paramount)
*2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy

2010-04-22T20:23:49Z

99.179.138.27: /* Trivia */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=24
|image=SUV.jpg
|caption=Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? No! Are we there yet? NO!
|title="SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy"
|airdate=[[May 31]], 2008
|written by=[[Dean Stefan]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Ciro Nieli]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}
'''Aided by a mysterious benefactor, Detroit's B-level villains team up to take down the Autobots once and for all.'''
:''German title:'' "'''Der Zeitblocker'''" ("The Timeblocker")
:''Polish title:'' "'''Towarzystwo Zbrodni Wszelakich"''' ("Society of All Kinds of Crimes")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Bumblebee Slo Mo.jpg|thumb|left|Tell me, Doctor, where are we goin' this time? Is it the '50s, or 1999?]]

[[Nanosec]] is on the loose again and leading the [[Autobot]]s for a merry chase. As they pursue him, they wonder how and why he's young again. They're no closer to catching him, so [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] instructs [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] to head off down a side street and come back around to cut off his escape. Bumblebee disregards this order, reasoning that he's the "star player" and is more than fast enough to get Nanosec on his own. As he speeds up, a mysterious force hits him and stops him in his tracks, which leaves the other Autobots no room to react. Nanosec escapes, and before Bumblebee can snap out of it, the Autobots crash into him. Optimus Prime expresses his disappointment in the little yellow one and orders him back to base so that [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] can run a diagnostic on his drivetrain.

Bumblebee ignores this order as well, resolving to find Nanosec again to prove to Optimus that he isn't malfunctioning. His search proves fruitless until [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] discovers that due to his scanning of [[Captain Fanzone]]'s car, Bumblebee has a built-in police scanner. Hearing a report of a robbery in progress, he reasons it's Nanosec and heads over. He's wrong, though, as it turns out to be the [[Angry Archer]]. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he decides to capture the ''other'' villain. Again, he is about to pursue when mysterious blue energy skids him to a halt. Sari urges him to have Ratchet check him out, but he still believes it's nothing serious. A third and final crime scene turns out to be [[Professor Princess]] trying to level a video arcade. Yet again, Bumblebee is stopped by the blue energy, and since it affects him in his robot mode, he finally admits he has a problem. However, Sari has noticed that her key reacts when the energy lashes out, and she surmises that an AllSpark fragment may be at fault. As she deduces this, a shady figure on a rooftop skulks off.

[[Image:Clock hideout.jpg|thumb|right|The <s>Bat</s> Clock Cave]]

Soon, that same figure meets with the other three villains at her lair, introducing herself as [[Slo-Mo]]. She reveals that she has aided each of them on their respective heists recently by using her timepiece, which can disable machines, even Transformers. She and Nanosec hit it off immediately, due in no small part to the fact that her time-based superpowers are what restored him to the prime of youth. She proposes to all of them that they make a great team and should form a crime syndicate. Professor Princess protests that she is not a criminal, but is quickly convinced.

Soon, news reports are everywhere regarding the new crime wave and its perpetrators. Bumblebee is quite frustrated at being repeatedly thwarted by Slo-Mo, but is soon hopeful when he hears a burglar alarm. This time, the criminals have bitten off more than they can chew, having loaded themselves down with too much loot. They try to escape and are initially successful, stopping Bumblebee. However, the cops soon have them surrounded without any getaway car. Slo-Mo receives a call on her watch phone and gets an offer from an anonymous benefactor. Taking the deal, the gang pile into a dull-yellow Hummer and peel out. With the police in hot pursuit, their patron speaks through the vehicle's console and tells them he's a big fan of their weird, wacky adventures. He says to consider the Hummer a down payment on what he hopes will be a beautiful business relationship. Slo-Mo seems less than impressed, as she considers herself the leader of the cartel, and it's just a truck. The voice then tells her to press the red button. A humongous turret rises from the back of the Hummer, blasting the police to smithereens. Having gotten their attention, their newfound benefactor mentions a scheme of heists that should make them all fabulously rich, as they will be stealing components to a weapon they can sell on the open market.

Definitely interested, the gang heads to a Sumdac Systems factory. Angry Archer attempts to blast the lock open with an explosive arrow, but Professor Princess announces that she has defused all of his weapons because she disapproves of violence...unless it is really colorful and pretty. Gleefully blasting an even ''bigger'' hole in the fence, she leads them in. The voice instructs them on what to steal, which is quickly rounded up by Nanosec while Slo-Mo takes care of the police robots.

[[Image:Watching SUVs.jpg|thumb|left|Bee: Where are the donuts? Sari: Huh? Bee: You can't have a stakeout without donuts!]]

Bumblebee and Sari spot them and speculate on what they're up to based off of the items they stole, but hang back as they realize they'll never catch the crooks if they get blasted by Slo-Mo again. Shadowing the cartel from a safe distance, they follow them to the roof of a parking garage. The gang's unseen patron instructs them on how to assemble the device in spite of their skepticism. Archer and Nanosec ask the purpose of the device and how it's going to make them money. The voice explains that it's ultimately useless without the final piece: Slo-Mo's superpowered timepiece. The crazy doll refuses to give up her superpowers, which angers her benefactor, who reveals himself to ''be'' their getaway vehicle, the Decepticon [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]].

Swindle makes it clear to them that he isn't about to take "no" for an answer, and he isn't above using his multitude of weapons systems against the puny fleshlings either. Blasting the floor out from under her cohorts, he squares off against Slo-Mo. She's initially confident that her timepiece will take care of him, but a useful purchase from the Vok proves more than enough to deflect it. Bumblebee races to intervene, but the debilitating blasts ricocheting off of Swindle's force field mean he can't get near the battle. Realizing he's in over his head, with much haranguing from Sari, he calls in Optimus and the other Autobots. Leveling his main cannon at Slo-Mo, Swindle is reminded by the dame that if he blasts her, he risks destroying her watch as well. Feeling a bit silly, the Decepticon recovers quickly and reveals he could simply take it using his integrated tractor beam. The MacGuffin retrieved, he then blasts the floor out from under ''her'' too.

[[Image:TFASwindlefullyarmed.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Swindle is the reason the Autobots of ''Animated'' don't have guns. He stole them all.]]

Slipping the timepiece into its intended slot in the device, Swindle quickly dials up his favorite warmonger, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Expressing how glad he is that the old despot is still functional (and looking well), he brags about a weapon that would easily turn the tide against the Autobots and consign them to a fate worse than being offlined. Though his interest is piqued, Megatron is nonetheless dubious as to whether Swindle could pull it off. The arms dealer proves only too eager to show off the many merits of his wondrous new invention, and pulls a "But wait, that's not all!" that succeeds in blacking out every mechanical device in Detroit...even the Autobots!

Both Bumblebee and the Autobots speeding to the scene are left frozen, unable to move or talk, but aware of their surroundings. Sari notices, however, that [[Sumdac Tower]] is still powered up, and she deduces that its emergency forcefield kicked in, protecting it from the device as long as the emergency generators held. Unfortunately, being a little girl, Sari has no real chance of dragging Bumblebee to the safety of the tower. She receives aid from an unexpected source: the spurned cartel, who want to even the score with Swindle. Aiding her in transporting Bumblebee, they watch as she uses her key to gain access to the tower and suffers dismay when the Reception Bot announces their location as [[Porter C. Powell|Powell Tower]]. Once within the shield, both Bumblebee and Powdered Sugar are quickly revived, and Sari is able to use her key to jury-rig personal force fields for both the Autobot and his new, reluctantly accepted team of villainous backup. She also reprograms the Reception Bot's greeting to her satisfaction.

[[Image:Swindle gettin towed.jpg|left|thumb|And this is why [[Captain Fanzone|I]] ''like'' tow trucks!]]

Though Swindle proves quite ready for the big payback, the villains manage to buy enough time for Bumblebee to sucker-punch the Decepticon with his stingers, whilst Sari deactivates the device with her key. Slo-Mo attempts to retrieve her timepiece, and a scuffle ensues, resulting in it falling over the ledge and directly into Swindle's hands. All seems lost, but the rest of the Autobots arrive on the scene. Swindle is about to turn the timepiece upon Bumblebee's backup, but the little yellow Autobot charges in and lets his forcefield deflect the Decepticon's shot, paralyzing Swindle. Optimus Prime once again scolds the young hot shot, but Bumblebee gloats, shooting out Swindle's tires. Meanwhile the villains, showing ''why'' they're B-grade, attempt to escape in Swindle, only to be apprehended by the timely arrival of Captain Fanzone and the police. Fanzone notes that Swindle will be stripped at a police impound lot and sold for parts. He seems quite confident that the police department will get their Christmas bonus checks this year.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (12)

|c2 =
*[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] (10)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (11)

|c3 =
*[[Nanosec]] (1)
*[[Angry Archer]] (7)
*[[Professor Princess]] (8)
*[[Slo-Mo]] (9)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (13)

|c4 =
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==

"An Autobot. Verily, the arrows of outrageous misfortune seek to pierce me to the quick. ''Exeunt!''"
:—'''Angry Archer'''. Yon criminal maketh his escape...or something.

"Explosions aren't nice...except when they look like ''BEAUTIFUL RAINBOWS!''"
:—'''Professor Princess''', ever the fashion plate.

"Ooh, I like a man who works fast!" 
"And I like a girl who takes it slow."
:—'''Slo-Mo''' and '''Nanosec''' go over the target audience's heads. Hopefully.

"Negatronic force field emitter. A little something I picked up in an arms deal with the Vok of Nexus Zero. Nice creatures, the Vok. If you're ever in the Nexus Zero area, do yourself a favor and check them out. You won't be sorry."
:—'''Swindle''' thinks the Vok are quite nice. It probably helps if they're not [[Planet Buster|destroying your planet]].

"Megatron, you old warmonger! It's been stellar cycles. I can't tell you how tickled I was to learn that my favorite customer was still online. You look great by the way." 
"Oh, spare me the platitudes, Swindle. How did you get this frequency?" 
"A mutual bounty-hunting friend provided it in exchange for a weapon or two. Professional scruples prevent me from revealing his name." 
"Scruples? You'd sell your own motherboard to the highest bidder."
:—'''Swindle''' pours on the charm while '''Megatron''' pours on the acid.

"Are you seeing this? Are you loving this? Every machine, every robot in Detroit, inoperable! I could spring a leak, I'm so excited!"
:—'''Swindle''' about to sell you some Ginsu knives.

"Welcome to Sumdac Tower. Porter C. Powell is a booger-head."
:—'''Receptionist-Bot''' calls it like it is...with a little help from Sari Sumdac.

"Where's the off switch on this thing? Oh yeah, right here."
:—'''Sari.''' Yep, she found the right thing.

'''Optimus''': You should have called us sooner. If that weapon had gotten into Megatron's hands{{m-}} 
'''Bumblebee''': I know. I guess I just wanted to prove that I still had my touch. 
'''Ratchet''': Well, I hope you've learned something about team work. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, yeah. Even the star player needs backup sometimes.
:—Bumblebee learns the value of teamwork. Humility? Not so much...

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*Angry Archer uses an arrow that looks like a magnet to catch the bus. Except that it's the window, which wouldn't BE metal, that it sticks to.
*Nanosec's mugshot should either have a long beard, as he was [[Nanosec (episode)|apprehended]] right after Bumblebee had run him into old age, or be out of his costume, as he was also apprehended ''before'' he became a super-speedster.
*It was shown throughout the episode that the watch's slowdown effect was only temporary. It only gained the ability to "freeze" its targets permanently when it was put into Swindle's machine. Yet later, Swindle is said to be frozen "permanently" by a reflected blast from just the watch itself. Maybe it was holding a last fully charged shot?
*On the other hand, Swindle did seem to 'charge' his shot longer than the short bursts Slo-Mo was using, so the shot that reflected back at him had a longer effect. And maybe Bumblebee was just wrong. (Imagine that!)
*Swindle is all impressed by Vok forcefield technology, but apparently forcefields designed by [[Isaac Sumdac]] are just as powerful. Though Sumdac did steal all his technology from Megatron; perhaps a deal with the Vok was just (much, ''much, MUCH'') safer for Swindle.
*Either the S.U.V. team knew Swindle was time-blocked and they should have known he wouldn't move, or they thought he was still fully functional and were ready to climb into the Decepticon that tried to kill them 5 minutes ago. So what was their plan, exactly?
*Furthermore, when Angry Archer opens the window to ask for a push, it's clearly an electric window and even sounds like one. Which shouldn't have worked at all.
*While it's explained why Nanosec had the accelerated aging reversed, there's no given reason for the effect to have ''stopped'' once he was young again. Possibly Slo-Mo gave him "booster shots" off-camera.
*While selling Swindle's parts is a nice piece of poetic justice, realistically, his parts won't sell for much, if anything at all since they're all shut down. It's probably why [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] [[Five Servos of Doom|could have just bought him with a fine]].

===Transformers references===
*The final numbers on the cards the villains hold up in their mugshots correspond to the episodes in which they first appeared.
*Swindle mentions having dealings with the [[Vok]] on [[Nexus Zero]].
*Swindle mentions that he got Megatron's frequency from a "mutual bounty-hunting friend" in exchange for new weaponry. Gee, who could [[Lockdown (Animated)|THAT]] be?
*[[Slo-Mo]]'s watch functions similarly to the [[Immobilizer]], including how Autobots turn gray when frozen by it.

===Real-world references===
*Nanosec and the Archer's team name suggestions of "The Fast and the Villainous" and "The League of Extraordinary Criminals" are references to ''[[Wikipedia:The Fast and the Furious|The Fast and the Furious]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'', respectively.
*Nanosec calls the Archer "William Smell", referencing legendary Swiss archer [[Wikipedia:William Tell|William Tell]].
*Nanosec says he is "tanned, rested, and ready," which was a slogan attached to a [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE6DB103DF932A25754C0A961948260 fake 1988 presidential campaign] for Richard Nixon.
*The sign outside the videogame arcade features several blocks from ''Tetris'' as well as miscolored renderings of a Goomba and a Spiny from ''Super Mario Bros.''

===Trivia===
*This episode was first shown in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It made its English language debut in Canada, one week before its American debut.
*This episode has the most "guest" voice actors yet, at three: [[Brian Posehn]] (Nanosec), [[Kath Soucie]] (Professor Princess), and [[Fred Willard]] (Swindle).
*Bulkhead appears, but has no dialogue.
*Professor Princess... flowers in a wide spread attack beam? Seriously?
*Bumblebee's stingers actually knock Swindle down{{m-}}the first time in the entire series that this weapon hasn't just bounced ineffectually off a Decepticon's hide. Maybe Swindle should trade off some of his weapons for a little more armor.
*That... or Bumblebee's stingers plus the assault of Angry Archer and Professor Princess gave him enough power.
*When Professor Princess falls butt-first on Nanosec's face, there's an odd squishy sound, followed by her looking very surprised. Either this is a case of cartoon sound-effects gone wrong, or that fall REALLY scared her.
*In the end, Swindle is trapped in a state that Bumblebee could not stand being in for less than an hour, ''forever'', and the Autobots don't seem to object to him being ripped apart and sold for spare parts. That seems a ''tad'' excessive.
*Bumblebee and Sari discover that he has a built-in police scanner, which makes sense, since Bumblebee scanned Captain Fanzone's car for his vehicle mode.
*The Society members all put their seat belts on when they clamber into their getaway SUV. Even among villains, safety must always come first! [[Public service announcement|Now you know...]]
*''Now''we get to see if Sari's hair grew back from Rise of the Constructicons.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
*2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio.
*2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio.
*2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc99fe8a40179 "SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suv: Society of Ultimate Villainy}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Rampage (G1)

2010-04-21T17:29:41Z

99.179.138.27: /* Marvel Comics continuity */

{{factions|decepticon|predacon}}
{{disambig3|Rampage}}
{{picsneeded|Fictional appearances}}
:''Rampage is a [[Decepticon]] [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:G1 Rampage DWMTMTE.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Just hand over the remote control, and no one has to die here."]]
'''Rampage''' is a bundle of hyper-energetic, destructive fury. He has difficulty thinking or talking for more than a short time without bursting into a wild rage and smashing everything around him. This trail of wreckage makes it easy to follow him anywhere. The only thing that really calms him down is [[television]]. Generally the more mindless and stupid the programming, the more enraptured and entranced he becomes. Rampage can watch music videos for hours and hours without twitching a circuit.

He and his fellow Predacons can combine to form [[Predaking]].

:''Hungarian name'': '''Dühöngő''' ("Berserk")
:''Italian name'': '''Felin'''
:''French-Canadian name'': '''Furibo'''

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:NOOOOO.jpg|left|200px|thumb|It's better to fight and die than live with the knowledge that you — oh, forget it.]]
''As [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s paranoia reached its peak, [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] suggested that they enlist the help of the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] to flush out [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], allowing Megatron to finally defeat him. However, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] called them from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and gave the Predacon leader [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] secret orders to turn on Megatron at a crucial moment. The Predacons successfully hunted down Optimus, and when Megatron arrived, as Shockwave ordered, they turned on him. After learning of Shockwave and the Predacons' betrayal, Megatron summoned a [[space bridge]] to Cybertron to escape, but Prime flung them both through the bridge before it had fully materialized.'' {{storylink|Prey!}} {{storylink|The Harder They Die!}}

''Fortunately for Rampage and the other Predacons, Megatron lost his memory of this incident when [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] attempted to take over his body.'' {{storylink|Resurrection!}}

[[Image:Apeface smackdown.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bad kitty!]]
Rampage and the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] operated as mercenary hunters on Cybertron, willing to track and kill anyone for the right price, even [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] hired them to eliminate Megatron for him, and their ''second'' attempt proved successful enough to get him out of the way for a while. {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} The Predacons moved in full-time with the Decepticons of Earth after that, and Rampage later had a truly spectacular fight with [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s animal flunky [[Apeface]] during the first Decepticon Civil War — after he ripped off Apeface's arm and spat it out, the [[Horrorcon]] then proceeded to beat the Predacon with it severely. {{storylink|Cold War!}} Rampage shook the stars out of his optic sensors long enough to get blown to smithereens along with his teammates by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}

{{charstubfiction}}

====Earthforce====
{{note|These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See [[Earthforce]] for details.}}
''Rampage and Razorclaw were patrolling the Alaskan snowfields for Shockwave and bumped into [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], who had just been had by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] as an April Fools joke -- they had set up a fake challenge by Shockwave and lured him out into the cold, only to find a "Shockwave snowman" and a sign. Razorclaw and Rampage thought this was very funny. What Grimlock did to them ended up being censored, but it probably wasn't hugs and kisses. {{storylink|Snow Fun!}}''

''Later on, Rampage was seen at the [[Enclave]] talking to [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]]. {{storylink|The Bad Guy's Ball!}} He also joined Soundwave in attacking Autobot Earthbase after the two Decepticon factions reunited with each other. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}''

====Marvel UK future timelines====
''Rampage was part of the Decepticon army under [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s command in 2008, when they planned an all-out assault on the Autobot base on Cybertron. Unfortunately, the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] who tipped them off about the opportunity had been setting a trap, and the Decepticons were ambushed by [[Allicon]] warriors. Rampage and the other ground troops bailed out of [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] in mid-air, and he quickly assumed the high ground in order to gun down the opposition. Rampage was last seen fighting alongside his sub-commander, Razorclaw, but his final fate in the battle is unknown. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}''

===Cartoon continuity===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Laurie Faso]] (English), [[Osamu Saka]] (Japanese)

The Predacons landed on [[Jupiter]]'s moon of [[Io]] to attack the Autobot team carrying [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transformation cog]]. Rampage transformed into beast mode and charged at [[Marissa Faireborn|EDC Commander Marissa Faireborn]], but she easily leapt to avoid him, causing the Decepticon to stop in his tracks and accidentally get rammed in the flank by Tantrum. Rampage then joined the other Predacons in forming Predaking, who was promptly defeated by [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

On planet [[Dread]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] was using the Predacons to patrol his new [[death crystal]] mining operation when Sky Lynx and the Autobots came to the planet. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] were sent out first as scouts and the Predacons staged a coordinated assault against them. First Divebomb softened the duo up with some rocket bombs, then Rampage and Razorclaw tag-teamed Kup, keeping him busy while the others could finish off Blurr. The tide turned when Sky Lynx and the other Autobots came looking for their front-runners, though, and the Predacons were sent into retreat. {{storylink|Chaos (episode)|Chaos}}

When making an attempt on [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s life on Cybertron, Rampage and the Predacons were caught up in a nightmarish fantasy world, projected into reality by the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] by tapping [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]]'s subconscious mind. After Razorclaw was carried off with the Autobot [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] by one of the dream creatures, Rodimus suggested the two factions team up and search for their friends together. Headstrong and Tantrum were vehemently against the idea, and so Rampage stuck with his pack. After nearly being eaten by a giant plant, however, Rampage may've helped convince his teammates that togetherness was a good idea, because the Predacons started working more closely with Rodimus and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] after that. {{storylink|Nightmare Planet}}

====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ryōichi Tanaka]] (Japanese)

Rampage and the Predacons were part of Galvatron's strike force on Cybertron in 2011, seeking to wrest control of [[Vector Sigma]] from the Autobots. Along with the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s and [[Stunticon]]s, the Predacons outmaneuvered the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and [[Throttlebot]]s into the bottom of a canyon, and began firing down upon them. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Later, the Predacons traveled to Earth in order to stymie Hot Rod's attempt to locate the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. Rampage's unit found the former Autobot leader in the Arctic, but were held off by [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], his [[Autobot Mini-Cassette|Mini-Cassette]]s, and [[Superion (G1)|Superion]]. Rampage fought his fellow big cat, [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]], before cheating and turning into robot mode. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Rampage and the Predacons were among the Decepticons Galvatron brought with him to the planet [[Beest]], although they were absent during the Autobot attack that drove the Decepticons off. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beest}}

When the Autobots created a new kind of metal on Cybertron called [[Cybertonuron]], Galvatron wanted to claim it for himself. He sent Rampage and the Predacons to Cybertron as an advance guard to pave the way for his forces. They mowed down Cybertron's standing guardians and began to wreak havoc on the planet. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} Rampage and the Predacons assembled as Predaking to help [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] steal the [[Solar 1]] satellite, but they were driven off by [[Raiden]] and the Headmasters. {{storylink|The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok}} Next, Rampage and the Predacons helped Scorponok stage a crisis to keep the Autobots distracted, by setting off a volcano in [[Peru]]. On-scene to keep the Autobots from rescuing innocent villagers, Rampage's group first clashed with the Trainbots before joining forces as Predaking and once again fighting Raiden and the Headmasters. {{storylink|The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts}}

As Scorponok began his plan to capture the [[plasma energy]] of Mars by blowing it up, Rampage and the Predacons stood guard on Mars as the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s began planting the necessary bombs. When the Trainbots stumbled across the plot, the Predacons started up a firefight to dispose of the meddling Autobots. With Daniel Witwicky and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] missing, the Trainbots tagged out with the Autobot Headmasters to go looking for them. Razorclaw gave the order and Predaking was formed. Unfortunately, even Predaking was no match for [[Transtector]] power, and he was felled by a quadruple jump kick by the Headmasters. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}} Regrouping on Chaar, Rampage and the Predacons bore witness to the unveiling on MegaZarak, Scorponok's new super weapon Transtector. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears}}

Rampage and the Predacons attended Scorponok's ceremony on the [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. They were scattered by the Autobot attack, but rallied around Galvatron's late arrival and drove off their heroic opponents. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}} Rampage was present when Galvatron announced his plans to leave the galaxy and loot the energy resources of other solar systems. {{storylink|Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!!}}

As Scorponok abandoned Earth in favor of conquering [[Master (planet)|Master]], Rampage was one of his many troops seen attacking the planet's fortifications. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}} He also helped retrofit the [[Zarak Shield]] out of indestructible [[G-Metal]] so that it could stand up to the [[Master Sword]]. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}}

====''Zone'' OVA, manga and story pages====

Seeking to create a [[Decepticon Zone]] to counter the [[Micro|Autobot Zone]], [[Emperor of Destruction|Decepticon Emperor]] [[Violen Jiger]] gathered together the Nine Great Demon Generals, upgrading them with powerful new armor and weaponry, then sent them forth to conquer planets. Rampage was among the selected, but only as a part of Predaking. {{storylink|Zone (story page)|Zone Part 1}} {{storylink|Zone (manga)|Transformers: Zone}} {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
Rampage and his fellow Predacons were apparently Decepticon warlords at some point in the past. Exactly when is unclear, but they were exiled from Cybertron and eventually wound up on Planet [[Beast (planet) | Beest]]. The Predacons' higher brain functions degraded, and they became feral, wandering bestially on the planet until Megatron found them, tamed them, and taught them to beg for robo-kibble. {{storylink|Welcome to the Jungle}} Rampage and the others then helped him overcome Shockwave {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} and Starscream to reclaim Megatron's army for him. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===Devil's Due ''G.I.Joe Vs. Transformers'' continuity===
The Predacons menaced [[Nautilator]] as he traveled through their piece of the [[Gladiator Zone]], but the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacon]] escaped by diving into a pool of green liquid. Rampage was disappointed since he was "in the mood for seafood", only to have his wish granted when [[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]] emerged from the depths. In turn, the Predacons merged into Predaking and battled him, but the two giants were interrupted when [[Serpent O.R.]] arrived from Earth and convinced them to join new Decepticon army. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2}}

After helping in the capture of a few Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|human soldiers]], Rampage was part of a Decepticon gathering for recruiting more warriors for their army. As part of Predaking, he then attacked an Autobot peace ceremony. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3}} After returning to base he hung out with Divebomb, telling his partner how much he was looking forward to attacking Earth and tearing apart some "nice, soft humans". At that moment, their human prisoners escaped and released their Autobot friends, who introduced Rampage and Divebomb to a world of pain. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4}}

===IDW comics continuity===
[[Image:SpotlightBlaster Predacons.jpg|right|180px|thumb|First charge of the ''fight'' brigade.]]
Rampage joined the original Decepticons after participating in the gladiatorial games of [[Kaon]] for some time under Megatron's direction. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3}} During the subsequent war between the Autobots and Decepticons and shortly after the first defeat of [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], Rampage participated in the Decepticons' big push against the worn-out Autobot positions after [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] was taken out of commission by an [[Beachcomber (G1)|assassin]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

In the modern era, as a crewman aboard the Decepticon Warship ''[[Thanatos]]'', Rampage was dispatched to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to destroy the newly reactivated Thunderwing (and, if necessary, Cybertron). He expressed his admiration for the Autobots attempting to stop Thunderwing with too-few forces, to which Razorclaw agreed and dispatched teams of Decepticons to assist the Autobots. Rampage canceled the bombardment on [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]'s order with one second remaining after [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] neutralized Thunderwing. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4}}
{{-}}
===Beast Wars===
====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comic====
[[Image:Rampage symbol.png|right|100px|thumb|Thundercats!]]
On Cybertron, a group of five symbols appeared on the walls of a room containing a [[Transwarp|transwarp shunt]] device. The five symbols seemed to represent a lion, a bird, a bull, a rhinoceros, and a tiger. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 2}}

{{-}}
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Rampage serves under [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] as one of his Decepticon soldiers, battling [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1}}

*'''Rampage''' (Predacon, 1986)
**''Team ID number'': '''2'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-74'''
**''Accessories'': [[Thermo-sword]], 2 rifles, right Predaking fist.

[[Image:G1 Rampage toy.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Tyger, Tyger, burning neon...]]
:Rampage transforms into an orange, black and red robotic tiger. His beast mode legs and head have varying degrees of articulation (though the latter has more to do with his transformation). As was the norm for toys made during the period, he has limited articulation in robot mode. Rampage is armed with a black laser rifle and a gold sword.

: Normally, Rampage forms the right arm of Predaking, but can also be used as the combiner's left arm (which was the configuration seen for Predaking's comic and animation models).

: As with the rest of the Predacons, the initial release of Rampage had [[die-cast]] metal parts which were later replaced by plastic. In Japan, he was available individually or as part of a gift set with the rest of the Predacons.

{{-}}
{{anchor|Predaking}}
*'''Predaking''' (Multi-pack, 1986, 2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-78'''

: In Japan, all five Predacons were also made availabe as a very large gift-set. This huge box was reissued in 2004, using the die-cast contruction of the initial releases.

===Titanium series===
[[Image:Titanium Predaking.jpg|right|150px|thumb|]]
* '''Predaking''' (3" Robot Masters, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Display stand, sword

: The right arm of this ''[[Titanium Series]]'' 3" die-cast figurine is technically Rampage, following the cartoon/character model of Predaking, rather than the original toy's nominal layout.

{{-}}
==Merchandise==
{{anchor|3DBC}}
*'''Rampage''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)

: A 32-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Rampage "transforms" into a red and orange cat. He uses the same parts layout as [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys|Ravage]] and [[Optimus Primal/toys|Optimus Primal]].

==Notes==
*Rampage's [[Don Figueroa]]-designed Cybertronian alt-mode, as seen in ''[[Spotlight: Jazz]]'', is a mobile '''cat'''apult. This is awesome. <ref>http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=5621&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Decepticon/Rampage/rampage.htm Rampage at TFU.info]
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Rampage Rampage's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Gunners]]
[[Category:Headmasters characters]]
[[Category:Predacons]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]

Laserbeak (G1)

2010-04-16T00:34:16Z

99.179.138.27: /* Generation 1 */

{{picsneeded|Toys and cassette mode}}
{{factions|decepticon|predacon}}
{{disambig3|Laserbeak}}
:''Laserbeak is a [[Decepticon]] [[Decepticon Mini-Cassette|Mini-Cassette]] and a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He is also known as a tinfoil turkey.''

[[Image:Laserbeak-calendar.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Recognizable as the one who does not cannon-blast Omega Supreme.]]
'''Laserbeak''' is a follower, not a leader. In fact, he can often be found perched atop the shoulders of either [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] or whoever leads the Decepticons at a particular time. He can be utterly depended on to complete any mission that he is assigned.

Laserbeak is also an interrogator, though he is rarely depicted in that role, more often seen (or rather not seen) as a spy, roosting on some obscure perch, playing voyeur and eavesdropping on Autobot conversations. His backpack features two ruby-powered independently-targetable lasers that he uses to torture his subjects with. He's a coward, though, and when his ruby supplies run low, he transforms from ruthless condor to squawking chicken.

{{bigquote|Welcome, Laserbeak. Unlike some of my other warriors, you never fail me.|[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], sort of complimenting Laserbeak, but mostly insulting [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]|"[[The Transformers: The Movie]]"}}

:''Preliminary name:'' '''Slazer'''
:''Japanese name:'' '''Condor'''
:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Vautour''' (Vulture)
:''Hungarian name:'' '''Lézercsőr'''
:''Italian name:'' '''Gufo''' (Owl)
:''Portuguese name (Portugal comics):'' '''Lança-Laser'''
:''Portuguese name (Brazil comics):'' '''Bicolaser'''
:''Swedish name (cartoon):'' '''Lasernäbb'''
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Léi-shè Yīng''' (雷射鷹, "Laser Hawk") / '''Léi-shè Nǐau''' (雷射鳥, "Laser Bird")
:''Chinese name (China):'' '''Jiguang Niao''' (激光鳥, "Laser Bird")

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Laserbeakwarriorschool.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Laserbeak is Soundwave's bitch.]]
Laserbeak was among [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s attack party which attacked the [[Autobot]]s aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', crashing on [[Earth]] 4 million years ago. When the Autobots and Decepticons were revived in 1984, Laserbeak was given the [[alternate mode]] of a red cassette tape. He aided the Decepticons in their building of their new base, constructed of parts from [[Harrison Nuclear Power Plant]], and joined in their attack on [[Sparkplug Witwicky]]'s auto repair shop, where he got shot in the face by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]].

Though Laserbeak can speak, he stopped displaying this ability around the time that [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] arrived to reverse the Autobots' seemingly final victory over the Decepticons in a desperate last stand at the Ark. During Shockwave's rule, he sent [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (with Laserbeak stowed) to infiltrate [[Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One]], where they were carried inside in cassette deck mode by plant workers [[Ferdy and Gabe]]. Once inside, the two quickly besieged the plant's controls and enslaved its workers. {{storylink|Warrior School!}} Laserbeak served many functions during the Decepticons' occupation of this plant, such as squawking, heating up the workers' pizzas, and delivering recorded messages to the [[human]] military poised outside. {{storylink|Brainstorm!}} Laserbeak later accompanied Soundwave and a few of the other cassette-tape Decepticons to aid their impostor Optimus Prime's ambush of the Autobots, though all of them were easily defeated once the real Optimus Prime was restored. {{storylink|Prime Time!}}

[[Image:Laserbeakdeterminescommand.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Autobots pass the Matrix, Decepticons pass the Laserbeak.]]
Unlike the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]], Soundwave, Laserbeak, and the other animal cassettes remained more loyal to Megatron than to Shockwave, and so when the former [[Decepticon leader]] was discovered in a coal mine, they arrived swiftly to refuel and reclaim him. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}} One of Megatron's first acts upon returning to the Decepticons was to attack the Ark while seemingly all of the Autobots were attacking the Decepticon base, and he took the Seekers and all of the cassette Decepticons (minus [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]) with him. Unfortunately, the Ark was now defended by the newly-built [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. All of the attacking Decepticons except for Laserbeak and Megatron were obliterated, and it was only thanks to the wounded Laserbeak that he and the Decepticon leader escaped with their lives. When they returned to the Decepticon base, Laserbeak perched not on Megatron's shoulder, but Shockwave's, silently acknowledging their true leader. Shockwave rebuked Megatron for his poor command, but Megatron surprised him with a rationalization for his actions. As Shockwave again submitted to Megatron's leadership, Laserbeak exchanged perching positions, signifying the transfer of command. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

''When [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] travelled back in time and defeated Megatron it was once again Laserbeak who signified the transfer of Decepticon command in this manner. After Galvatron returned to the future Laserbeak promptly dug Megatron out from under the ruins of Galvatron's weapon and perched on the restored Decepticon commander. {{storylink|Target: 2006}} ''

When [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] came to Earth, Laserbeak aided him in overseeing his [[Wash and Roll]] car wash empire. Both were chased away when their hypnotized human subjects were shaken free of their programming by [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]. {{storylink|Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom}}

[[Image:Jetfireyourehit.jpg|left|200px|thumb|The bitch hierarchy: Soundwave > Laserbeak > Jetfire]]Years later, after Ratbat had assumed command in the absence of both Megatron and Shockwave, the Decepticons ambushed the Autobots on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]] while [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] were dueling for leadership. Laserbeak counted [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] among his victories, but he and the others were called back to their ship to retreat once Blaster and Grimlock disabled its guidance systems. {{storylink|Totaled!}}
Ratbat's troops soon met up with [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s troops, which resulted in a Decepticon civil war. Laserbeak and the others were called off the attack, however, when it was revealed that the civil war was instigated by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] to divert attention away from his grab for the [[Underbase]]. After a false start, an unprecedented Autobot/Decepticon alliance was formed to stop Starscream, and Laserbeak was assigned to a team headed by both [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] and Soundwave. Confronting the Underbase-enhanced Starscream in [[Buenos Aires]], Laserbeak met his doom. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}

In 2009, one possible future saw the Decepticons with control over all of [[North America]] and only a handful of Autobots and humans to oppose them. During a last-ditch Autobot/human raid on their [[New York City|New York]] stronghold, Laserbeak was instrumental in diverting [[Crossblades (G1)|Crossblades]], first disabling the Autobot and then ordering his comrades to blow him out of the sky. {{storylink|Rhythms of Darkness!}}

====Classics====
When Megatron reactivated on Earth and began building a power base again, Soundwave naturally returned to his side, and Laserbeak naturally came with him. {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 3}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Frank Welker]] (English), [[Ken Yamaguchi]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Cybertronlaserbeak.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Lasers? Check. Beak? Check.]]
Laserbeak was the first of the cassette Transformers.<ref>[[Secret Files of Teletraan II]]</ref> Prior to his arrival on Earth, Laserbeak had less of an avian shape, resembling instead a stylized jet with an ovoid silhouette and a hooked nosecone. He still transformed into a cassette, which is kind of strange when you consider his "carrier" transformed into a lamp-post and not necessarily any device that played cassettes. But anyway, this Laserbeak often carried out spy missions, able to sneak into places the larger [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] could not manage, including [[Iacon]], the Autobots' headquarters. There, Laserbeak learned of the Autobot mission to seek out new sources of energy away from Cybertron, which prompted a Decepticon interception mission in turn. This led to the whole lot of these spacefaring Transformers crashlanding on Earth and taking a four million-year dirtnap in the heart of a spastic volcano.

In the year 1984, the Transformers were awakened by volcanic activity, and Laserbeak was reformatted with terrestrial aesthetics in both robot and alt-mode. His alt-mode was an audiocassette, while his robot mode was that of a vulture. His missions, though, were largely unchanged, and he continued to serve as a spy.

Laserbeak was the first Decepticon to tangle with Autobots on Earth when he was dispatched by Soundwave and [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] to chase down two snooping Autobot spies, [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]. The Autobots tried to scurry away, splitting up so that Laserbeak couldn't follow both of them. He had the last laugh (or squawk) on them, as he launched one of his laser cannons to follow Cliffjumper remotely while he continued to hound Hound, at least until Cliffjumper gas-bombed the drone. Laserbeak fared better than his cannon, and managed to blast the Autobot snoop off the road. Continuing with his scouting missions, Laserbeak uncovered the oil refinery which served as the Decepticons' first major strike against Earth, and their first battle with the Autobots on our planet. Floating above the main battle, Laserbeak saw a safe chance to be useful, and flew between Megatron and Prime, pecking at Optimus's face long enough for Laserbeak's glorious leader to take to the skies. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} When the Autobots attacked the Decepticons' new space cruiser before it could depart, Laserbeak was ejected for warfare (for a change) along with his fellow Cassettes. Being the coward that he is, though, Laserbeak managed to be conspicuously absent throughout the battle, besides a single strafing run from the safety of the air. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

[[Image:Megslaserbeak.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Laserbeak, symbol of Decepticon leadership.]]
Once the Decepticons dug their space cruiser out of the briny deep, they resumed their attacks on a nearby solar power station. While the others engaged the larger Autobots, Laserbeak kept to squawking around [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s head. Later, Laserbeak spied on the Autobots to ensure they took the bait for a trap Megatron had set for them. He tried to help in the cave trap later on, but [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] trapped him instead inside a tiny net. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}} After Megatron was accidentally sent to Cybertron following an early [[space bridge]] test, Laserbeak and [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] were present to greet Megatron on his return. Laserbeak perched on Megatron's arm, signifying Megatron's resumption of command of the Earthbound Decepticons. Once the Decepticons set their sights on the anti-matter formula, Laserbeak attempted to steal it from [[Chip Chase]] and Bumblebee, but to no avail. {{storylink|Roll for It}}

After [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s strike team blasted [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] something fierce, Megatron assigned Laserbeak to infiltrate the Ark and ascertain the Autobot leader's true condition. For once, Laserbeak demonstrated his cowardice in Megatron's presence, but quickly and reluctantly went forth on his mission. Perhaps looking to prove himself after showing his yellow streak, Laserbeak took some extreme risks. First, he transformed into cassette mode and landed right on the powerhouse [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]'s shoulder to enter the Autobot base. Then, at Megatron's prodding, he flew down in full sight of the entire Autobot team and fired laser beams straight into Prime's exposed chest cavity. This exacerbated the damage and made the Autobot mission to find a replacement [[cosmotron]] for Prime of great priority. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}} On another scouting mission in the Arctic Circle, Laserbeak alerted Megatron to Starscream's bumbling execution of some Autobot prisoners using a weird Morse Code signal. {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}}

When the Decepticons were on a mission in South America, they were temporarily interrupted by an attack from Brawn and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]. Windcharger soon realized the duo were outclassed fighting so many Decepticons at once, and directed Brawn to pull back. Well, bless his cowardly tin-plated heart, Laserbeak waited until after Windcharger sounded the retreat to get involved, showing great "courage" as he shot the Autobots in the back as they were driving away. Still, never let it be said that Laserbeak doesn't have his uses. When Brawn later returned and stole Megatron's [[fusion cannon]], blasting the Decepticon leader with his own weapon, it was Laserbeak who flew in to retrieve the cannon for his master. Of course, he naturally flew in from ''behind'' Brawn for maximum safety, but really, who could blame him? {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}}

One afternoon, while the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] engaged in yet another grab for energy, Soundwave and the Cassettes carried out Operation: Guinea Pig at the Ark. As his partners Rumble and Ravage created a distraction for the present Autobots, Laserbeak swooped in and carried off one of their human comrades, [[Sparkplug Witwicky]]. Laserbeak delivered the human to Megatron and [[Doctor Arkeville]] for testing of their new [[hypno-chip]]. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} After a successful test, Laserbeak flew out to collect more potential slaves for the Decepticons. He also took advantage of a well-placed earthquake to kidnap [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] as well, while Bumblebee was dangling over a crevace. Unfortunately for the beryllium buzzard, [[Bluestreak]] was on the scene. His sharpshooting ability blasted Spike right out of Laserbeak's clutches, and drove off the Decepticon spy. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} After the plot to change Cybertron's orbit failed, Laserbeak reported to Megatron about the treachery of Starscream and Doctor Arkeville. Seeking out the traitors, Megatron and the Decepticons ran afoul of the Autobots along the way. To deter pursuit, Megatron led the Autobot cars into a valley of quicksand, hoping they would sink out of his way forever. He left Laserbeak behind to monitor their demise. When [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] started to get his hand free, Laserbeak tried to divebomb the Autobot, only to be blasted by [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]'s rocket launcher. Stunned, the Decepticon reverted to his cassette mode, and was captured by Jazz. Once the Autobots got free, Jazz used his own audio system to replay Laserbeak's findings, alerting the Autobots to the Decepticons' destination at Arkeville's secret lab. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}}

On a routine scouting mission, Laserbeak uncovered information about [[Insecticon (G1)|giant robotic insects]] in Bali, and relayed the info to Megatron. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}} When Megatron arranged a bout of single combat between himself and Optimus Prime, Soundwave ejected Laserbeak to watch the festivities along with the rest of the two armies. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

Proving once again that he spends more time at the Ark than with the Decepticons, Laserbeak happened to be on the scene to learn Spike Witwicky was mentally unstable and possessing the powerful "spare" Autobot called [[Autobot X]]. {{storylink|Autobot Spike}} On his next mission, Laserbeak attacked a group of innocent gold prospectors. After he had his fun, though, Soundwave put him back in his cage for awhile. He popped out again later on to take potshots at his favorite weak target, Bumblebee. {{storylink|Changing Gears}} When the Decepticons moved their operations to New York City, Laserbeak was put on Autobot patrol, and alerted Megatron to their enemies' rendez-vous in Central Park. He was also joined by his flying buddy, [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], for the first time in this battle. {{storylink|City of Steel}} In an attack on the Ark, Laserbeak and the Decepticons were charged with distracting the Autobots while Megatron and Starscream snuck inside to sabotage the Autobots' equipment. Laserbeak bit off more than he could handle with [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], though, and ended up being lassoed to the Autobot's rifle. It was a stand-off as Laserbeak fired at Prowl from the air while Prowl tried to drag him to the ground, until Megatron sounded the retreat. Laserbeak cut the wire with his blasts and took off as fast as his little wings could carry him. {{storylink|Attack of the Autobots}}

Laserbeak's next patrol duty was around the desert laboratory where Megatron was testing his stolen [[electro-cell]]s. He alerted Soundwave the moment he sighted Autobot intruders, then hid inside his cozy chest cavity. {{storylink|Traitor}} When the human girl named [[Carly]] attempted to raid Decepticon headquarters on her own, Soundwave sent Laserbeak up to the surface to capture her. He succeeded, proving once again that he is occasionally strong enough to defeat a single human. He did, however, fail to recapture the [[immobilizer]] for the Decepticons soon thereafter. {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} Returning to his spying duties, Laserbeak learned of Spike and Chip's plan for an Autobot road rally for charity. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}}

Laserbeak and Buzzsaw discovered the city of [[Sub-Atlantica]] on the bottom of the ocean floor, which led to an uneasy alliance between the Sub-Atlanticans and the Decepticons, and the subsequent attack of both parties on [[Washington, D.C.]] In D.C., Laserbeak popped out of Soundwave and was almost immediately shot down by Hound. By the time he was back in the air, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s had broken through the Decepticon defenses and [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] took out Laserbeak and Buzzsaw with missiles moments after arriving at the battle. Some days it just doesn't pay to come out of the tapedeck. {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}}

In order to gain control over the super-computer [[TORQ III]], Laserbeak was joined by Megatron and Soundwave in his infiltration of the defense compound where the computer was housed. Laser blasting their way to the core, Megatron was able to reprogram the computer to serve only him. Using TORQ to guide them, Megatron arranged for countless oil tankers to converge on Decepticon headquarters. An Autobot scouting party attempting to thwart his plans at the site, but Laserbeak swiped Spike Witwicky in the middle of battle and forced the Autobots to lay down their arms. Luckily, another contingent of Autobots confronted TORQ directly, deactivating the computer, and made their way to Megatron's refinery, freeing their friends. {{storylink|Day of the Machines}} At the unveiling of [[Doctor Fujiyama]]'s robot ninja, [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]], Laserbeak stormed the ceremony with Rumble and Frenzy, causing considerable chaos. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}}

Despite his well-documented cowardice, Laserbeak is sometimes surprisingly effective in combat. Immediately after Optimus Prime single-handedly disarmed Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp at once in battle, Laserbeak swooped out of the sky and managed to incapacitate Prime just as easily with a hail of laser beams. At Megatron's direction, however, he did not finish the job. Instead, Laserbeak used his recording equipment to create a fully-body holographic scan of the Autobot leader, allowing Megatron to manufacture a [[Optimus Prime clone|perfect duplicate]] of Optimus Prime for his plans. Later on, he also easily overpowered Starscream and unceremoniously dragged him back to Megatron in his talons. Clearly, Laserbeak had been eating some top notch birdfeed that week. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}}

Laserbeak observed the Autobots observing the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s deep core drilling project. He alerted Megatron to the spies, and the Decepticons rose to the surface to drive off the snoops. {{storylink|The Core}} When the Decepticons assaulted the [[Nova Power Plant]], Soundwave released Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to torment the Autobots. Instead, [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and Jazz were overjoyed at being part of an "overgrown turkey shoot", and they blasted Laserbeak out of the sky. Laserbeak was also briefly taken over by [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s [[cerebro-shell]]s when the Insecticons were at odds with Megatron, but soon recovered. {{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}}

Stationed outside the Autobot base, Soundwave learned of the prehistoric [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]] and its potential for rich sources of energy. At Megatron's behest, he dispatched Laserbeak to follow [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and the Dinobots to the island and observe. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} One time, he got "over-energized" and crashed beak-first into a sand dune. Did a nice loop-the-loop, though. {{storylink|Microbots}}

Megatron's next plan involved some masterful manipulation of the power-hungry human named [[Shawn Berger]]. Laserbeak snuck himself into Burger's office in cassette mode, then retrieved the human for a friendly chat with Megatron on a nearby hillside. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} When the Decepticons' plan to turn the people of Earth against the Autobots succeeded, they briefly acted as "friends of the Earth" for Megatron's amusement. Laserbeak and the cassettes went to a local teen dance with Soundwave to mingle with the fleshlings. One of the kids asked if "Laserbeak wanna cracker". Never has a giant, speechless robot bird conveyed so much raw hatred with a single look. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

When the Decepticons got involved in a massive scheme with the Insecticons, the Autobots attempted to acquire some [[robotic insecticide]] to use against the enemy. Laserbeak reported their search back to Megatron, who became interested in acquiring the insecticide himself, in case the Insecticons ever proved troublesome. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}} After receiving a distress signal from [[Deceptitran]], the Decepticons arrived to help stop the revolt of the [[Tlalakan]]s. Laserbeak performed some reconnaissance, and uncovered the Autobot allies of the Tlalakans. He also located the secret city of the Tlalakans after a raiding party hit Deceptitran's temple. {{storylink|Sea Change}}

Laserbeak's keen observational skills failed him when the Autobots disguised themselves as Stunticons in order to get close to Megatron and his latest scheme. His sensors were unable to penetrate the [[camouflage paint]] they used to hide their true identities. {{storylink|Masquerade}} After Megatron infected the Autobots with the [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|cosmic rust]] virus, Laserbeak infiltrated the Ark to bring back visuals of their enemies' suffering. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}} When Starscream finally mouthed off one time too many, Megatron finally kicked him out of the house. Soundwave sent Laserbeak to unceremoniously drop Starscream on an island near Guadalcanal. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}}

[[Image:Laserbeakmovie.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Maybe if Autobot Command didn't have so many open windows...]]
One of Laserbeak's greatest claims to fame was that he was partly responsible for the [[Battle of Autobot City]] in 2005. By that point, the Decepticons had succeeded in conquering Cybertron, but the Autobots retained two of its moons and a large force on [[Autobot City]]. Laserbeak was dispatched to spy on [[Moonbase One]], where he overheard Optimus Prime order a supply ship to acquire [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] for an upcoming assault. Laserbeak took the information back to Megatron, who hijacked the shuttle and used it to attack Autobot City. Megatron was left to rot in space by Starscream, and reformatted into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. However, Laserbeak was no longer able to perch on his leader's shoulder or arm. Also, that bureaucrat [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] was usually sent on the spying missions after this point. Laserbeak has been feeling unfulfilled ever since. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Laserbeak and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] were unleashed to stop the Autobots from restoring [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transforming cog]]. They failed thanks to [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]]'s lateral. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

Honestly, Laserbeak got off lucky when Galvatron didn't deign to carry him around all the time like Megatron did. After all, who'd want to perch on the shoulder of a madman who is known to blast more of his troops in 4 minutes than the Autobots had in 4000000+ years? It got so bad that when [[Motormaster]] and [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] threatened mutiny, Laserbeak sided with the would-be rebels. (He sure has guts considering his courage rating is a mere 2.) The fact that Laserbeak was with the mutiny may have led to [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] becoming [[Quintesson|desperate enough]] to seek aid on [[Torkulon]]. In any case, the mutiny never happened, even though Galvatron's sanity remained debatable. {{storylink|Webworld}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of American cartoon continuity, as detailed above, occur in the Japanese timeline, except the events of 2006 are pushed back to 2010. The Japanese continuity proceeds to insert many new storylines and events in, around, before and after the events of the Generation 1 cartoon, as covered below.}}

=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' manga=====
In Japan, Soundwave and his Cassettes made an attack on the lone Autobot scout, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. Bumblebee dodged their first attack, and so Laserbeak and his partners went chasing after him. Bumblebee circled back, however, damaging Soundwave's chest compartment so the Cassettes couldn't hide. Laserbeak got caught trying to re-enter his boss, and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] ripped out his magnetic tape instead. Harsh. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ken Yamaguchi]] (Japanese)

[[Image:MysteryPlanetMaster LaserbeakHead.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Such devotion.]]
When [[Rodimus Prime (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] was trying to recover the [[Matrix of Leadership]], Soundwave ambushed him at the North Pole and sent out Laserbeak and Buzzsaw as a distraction whilst hoping to shoot the Autobot in the back. Soundwave was subsequently killed by [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], and Laserbeak took his errant head back to Galvatron. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}}

Along with the other Decepticon cassettes, Laserbeak watched and cheered when Soundwave was rebuilt as Soundblaster. When Twincast, the rebuilt form of Blaster, later tried to halt Soundblaster's [[Madmachine|evil scheme]], Laserbeak attacked him alongside Buzzsaw and Ratbat. Twincast sent out his own [[Autobot Mini-Cassette|cassettes]] hold them off as he continued on his mission. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}}

Laserbeak later spied on the Autobot base on [[Athenia]], noting that the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] were heading towards Earth. {{storylink|The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts}} He then spied on his own leader, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], if only to look into the situation of [[Punch (G1)|Counterpunch]] getting his hands on information that Soundblaster and his spies did not. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}} Laserbeak and the other cassettes later patrolled the area around the Decepticon base on [[Master (planet)|Master]], alongside a few Decepticon [[Targetmaster]] partners. {{storylink|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}}

=====''The Headmasters'' manga=====
After Soundblaster crash-landed following his encounter with [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]]'s "Master Chrome Hurricane-Throw to the End of Hell" attack, Laserbeak and the other animal cassettes (minus [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]) stood stoicly over his groggy form while [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] panicked at the approach of [[Sixshot]]. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8}}

=====Call of the Future=====
Laserbeak has some involvement during the search of the investigation team. He finds the Autobots at the Geothermal Plant, finds the UFO, and tells Megatron of Starscream pilfering some energon cubes. {{storylink|Transformers: Call of the Future}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
{{notekeepers}}
After [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] became the new [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]], Laserbeak did a spying mission, where he saw the Autobots preparing starships for evacuation. Megatron was unconcerned, however, as he had other plans. Unfortunately, Starscream shot a bridge holding Megatron and Prime, sending them to their presumed destruction. Laserbeak was then manhandled by Starscream's personal henchmen and had all the information within him forcibly downloaded, all at Starscream's orders. This is why Starscream will never be Decepticon leader, as he doesn't know how to get Laserbeak to perch on him. {{storylink|The War Within}} Megatron eventually returned and put Starscream in his place. Sometime later, Megatron vanished in a [[Space Bridge]] accident, and control of the Decepticons split into several smaller factions. Laserbeak and the other Cassettes remained with Soundwave, under the command of Shockwave in the primary Decepticon faction. {{storylink|War Within: The Dark Ages}}

After the crash of the ''Nemesis'', Laserbeak was reactivated on Earth in 1984 and fought alongside the Decepticons in that pocket version of the greater war. Believed dead after the explosion of the ''[[Ark II]]'', Laserbeak and most of the other Transformers were in fact salvaged and reprogrammed by the human named [[Lazarus]]. The remote-controlled Laserbeak was sent on a mission of destruction with several other Cybertronians before Megatron broke free and restored autonomous control to his Decepticon brethren. {{storylink|Prime Directive}}

''After Megatron was kidnapped into deep space by the [[Keeper (species)|Keepers]] and Starscream assumed control of the Decepticons, Laserbeak accepted his rule along with Soundwave and the other Cassettes. They set up a new base of operation in the human city of [[Las Vegas]], Nevada. Taking a new tactic, Starscream arranged to work with the humans instead of against them, offering the residents of Sin City fame and fortune, while helping the Las Vegas PD coordinate their anti-crime efforts more effectively. Laserbeak performed constant reconnaissance patrols, reporting to Soundwave when human police officers were needed to perform "preventative maintenance" at potential crisis sites. {{storylink|Hardwired}}''

''Once Megatron returned, the Decepticons were broken into two factions under his and Starscream's control. Remarkably, Laserbeak chose to remain in Las Vegas with Starscream while Megatron and Soundwave left the city with their faction. He was taken prisoner with Starscream's other soldiers by the Keepers once they made Las Vegas their base of operations, and was trapped behind a massive force field. They eventually escaped thanks to the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and joined a united force of Autobots and Decepticons in assaulting the Keepers' position. Laserbeak joined [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] in performing aerial sweeps and strafing runs during the battle. {{storylink|Annihilation}} Later, during a battle with the American military in the Nevada desert, Laserbeak was struck down by [[deconstructionite]] rounds and had to be carried to safety by the [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]]. {{storylink|Fusion (novel)|Fusion}}''

When Shockwave later arrived on Earth and defeated Megatron, Soundwave allied himself and the Cassettes with Shockwave until they returned to Cybertron. At that point, Starscream made a proposal that they return to Earth (now virtually free of Autobots) and take control of its fuel resources. {{storylink|War and Peace}} Soundwave agreed, and he brought Laserbeak and the other Cassettes back with them to Earth. After briefly tolerating Screamer's leadership, Megatron mercifully returned and reassumed control of Laserbeak and the Decepticon forces on Earth. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' comics continuity===
Laserbeak was one of the many Transformers recovered from the crashed ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' by [[Cobra]]. He was repaired and retrofitted by [[Doctor Mindbender]], who proudly displayed him, Soundwave, and his fellow Mini-Cassettes to [[Destro]]. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2}} Laserbeak was released by Soundwave, along with [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], during an attack on the [[SPS Center]]. Laserbeak managed to escape the first wave of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] defenders and enter the building, gunning down [[Gung-Ho]] and [[Clutch (G.I. Joe)|Clutch]]. Shortly afterwards, he was decapitated by [[Snake-Eyes]]. His body was taken into custody by the Joes. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3}}

===Dreamwave ''Transformers/G.I. Joe'' comics continuity===
Laserbeak was among the Decepticons who lay deactivated on the [[Fera Islands]] for several million years, until [[Cobra]] awakened them and took control of them in 1938. One year later, after Cobra had used the Decepticons to ravage most of [[Europe]], Laserbeak was sent to the spy on how the [[United States of America|United States]] would react. He witnessed the creation of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]], although [[Duke]] spotted the spy and opened fire on him. Laserbeak made the human drop his gun by firing a precision laser through his hand, before escaping and reporting his findings to Soundwave. {{storylink|The Line}}

When G.I. Joe teamed up with the Autobots and attacked the Cobra [[Terrordrome]], Laserbeak was punched by [[Ironhide (G1)|Iron Hide]] {{sic}}. If he survived the battle, he most likely died anyway when the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] was destroyed. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}

===The Beast Within===
When the [[Beast (G1)|Beast]] formed, Starscream ordered the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] to attack the behemoth. Laserbeak, thinking that he was a Seeker, joined them, and was smacked along with [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], blowing up as a result. He blew up real good. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
Laserbeak and Ravage spied on Starscream after the Seeker's latest falling out with Megatron, and watched Starscream fall off a mountain. After reporting back to Soundwave, they spied some more and got footage of Starscream acting chummy with the Autobots. It was only after he spotted Laserbeak, that the amnesiac Starscream finally regained his memory. {{storylink|Redemption Center}}

Laserbeak was sent by Soundwave to spy on Swindle, who it turned out had been selling Decepticon weapons to [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombia]]. Laserbeak reported back to base with a recording of Swindle doing a deal, much to Megatron's rage. {{storylink|Two for the Price of One}}

===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
Long ago on Cybertron, Laserbeak helped Soundwave expose some spies for Megatron and assisted in executing the [[Senate]] members in [[Kaon]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin}}

Much later, Laserbeak was employed by Soundwave to remotely spy on [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] in 1984 but was knocked out in the skirmish. He was later buried by a volcanic eruption, but dug out a year later by a mysterious group of humans. {{storylink|Spotlight: Soundwave}} He was chained up in the [[Skywatch]] headquarters along with [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and reprogrammed to seek out the other Transformers. Needless to say, he was very pissed. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6}}

On his first mission out with Ravage, however, the pair's signal from Skywatch was blocked by Soundwave. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4}} Locating their master, Laserbeak and Ravage broke into young [[Jimmy (young boy)|Jimmy]]'s room and carried Soundwave away, only to learn that he was stuck in his alternate mode. Fortunately, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] soon met with them and negotiated a deal that would free him. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4}} As part of the plan, Laserbeak and Ravage were left lying dormant in a forest to be recaptured by Skywatch, only to awaken and murder their would-be captors as soon as Shockwave freed Soundwave from his condition. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5}}

Laserbeak returned to Soundwave, who in turn returned to Megatron, and a year later the Decepticons attacked [[New York City]]. During the battle, Laserbeak helped destroy some human jets. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1}} After some scouting, he learned that the humans were sending ground forces at them, then reported to Soundwave and perched on his shoulder. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2}} He was still on said shoulder when Megatron told Starscream that Soundwave and Laserbeak had been keeping their eyes on the Seeker as he planned his revolt. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10}} After the Autobots beat up Megatron, Laserbeak and the other Decepticons fled the planet. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12}}

===''Timelines:Dawn of Future's Past''===
[[Image:Laserbeakbuzzsawdawn.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Iron birds of fortune.]]
At the end of the great war most Decepticons granted amnesty simply retired and vanished from public life. So too would have been the fate of Laserbeak if not for the intervention of the [[Predacon (G1)| Predacon]] [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]]. Divebomb granted Laserbeak, [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] a new lease on life, rebuilding them into members of the new faction of Predacons.

Predacon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s theft of the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] was closely watched by Divebomb, who sent Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to ensure Megatron and his rogues reached their destination. Their ship intercepted the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', pummelling it with missiles. Before it could come back for another pass, it was fired upon by the ''[[Chromia 10]]'', giving the ''Axalon'' enough time to restore enough power to return fire and completely destroy Laserbeak and Buzzsaw's ship, with the pair inside. He's in the [[Allspark]] now, trying to perch on [[Primus]]' shoulder. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:LaserbeakG1toy.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Sure, Soundwave comes with that other guy, but you know you want me.]]
*'''Frenzy & Laserbeak''' (Cassette 2-pack, 1984/1985)

: Originally a ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]'' "Micro Cassette Robo Condor", Laserbeak transforms into a microcassette that can fit into the tape door of the [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] toys. He was released in a two-pack with [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] in the U.S. and Europe. His chromed thruster-blaster add-ons have some slight mold variations to them, like several other early ''Transformers'' toys.

: This mold was also used to make [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], [[Garboil]] and [[Sundor]].

*'''Condor''' (Cassettron, 1985/1986/1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''20''', '''D-60''', '''D-105'''

: Laserbeak (AKA "Condor") was available by himself in Japan. Like all Japanese cassettes, he came with a clear tape case to be "stored" in. He was re-released in Japan in 1986, and again in 1987.

*'''Soundwave''' (Decepticon, 2003)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TFC-10'''

: Laserbeak was reissued alongside Soundwave in 2003, as part of Takara's [[Transformers Collection]] line and again in 2007, as part of the [[Encore|Transformers Encore]] line. The 2007 release had the orange on his stickers modified to be lighter.

{{anchor|JapaneseMultipack}}
* '''Cassette Big Mission 3''' (2009)
**''Encore number'': '''19'''
: Laserbeak was reissued again in the Encore line, this time with [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]] and [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], as part of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s [[Encore]] line. This version features the darker orange stickers of the earlier reissues, but the red paint is now a reddish orange rather than the typical red. He came packed with a clear cassette case.

===Titanium Series===
*'''Soundwave''' (6" Cybertron Heroes)

: Among the smallest of all Transformers, this toy is a tiny 1" wide rendition of his cassette form, though without the holes normally seen on tapes. Like the larger Soundwave figure he comes with, his design deviates somewhat from his true design, instead being black with red stripes. He also does not come with his jet pack.

===Timelines===
*'''Laserbeak''' and '''Buzzsaw''' (Souvenir set, 2006)

: A [[redeco]] of the ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]] [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]], Laserbeak transforms from a humanoid robot to a robotic bird of prey. He came with a pair of clear-blue blades that can combine to form a large [[energon weapon]], plus a blue Decepticon-style [[energon chip]]. He was available only as a poly-bagged set with his mold-mate Buzzsaw, sold as an "at the show" souvenir set at [[BotCon 2006]], limited to 500 pieces.

: This mold was also used to make the Terrorcon [[Blackout (Terrorcon)|Blackout]].

===Classics===
*'''Soundwave''' (Decepticon, 2007)

: Laserbeak was reissued alongside Soundwave and [[Ravage (G1)/toys|Ravage]] in 2007 as part of the [[Classics (2006)|Classics]] series.

===Universe (2008)===
*'''Soundwave''' (2009)
: In 2009, Laserbeak was included with yet another reissue of Soundwave as part of the ''[[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' line, this time as a [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] exclusive that was prominently offered at San Diego Comic-Con 2009. Included were his weapons and his own cassette case.
{{-}}

===Attacktix===
*'''Laserbeak'''

:''[[Attacktix]]'' Laserbeak is a 10-point Trooper-type piece featuring a firing missile launcher on his back. The piece's base is shaped like Soundwave's arm, where Laserbeak rests while not in use. He is attached to the arm with a string, allowing him to take flight and get better shots at enemy pieces.

:While Hasbro showed off Laserbeak at some conventions, he was ultimately never released. Most of his in-game stats and abilities are as such unknown.

{{canceledtoy}}

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroesprowllaserbeak.jpg|right|300px|thumb|CAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWnceled.]]
*'''Prowl vs Laserbeak''' (2-pack, 2009)

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

==Trivia==
* Though Laserbeak is portrayed as a normal audio cassette in the various fictions, his original toy was a microcassette. (Likewise, Soundwave's toy was a microcassette recorder, rather than the "stereo cassette deck" he's stated to be elsewhere.)

* Laserbeak snores when he sleeps. It sounds just like a little chainsaw! (So cute!) {{storylink|Decepticon Poison}}

* It's possible that ''Beast Wars'' [[Lazorbeak]] was intended to be a new form for Laserbeak. Lazorbeak's on-package [[bio]] reads, "Lazorbeak upholds his motto of believing the only good point he likes about the Maximals is their melting point," a reference to Laserbeak's original motto. Also, both use laser weapons which frequently run out of energy.

* Laserbeak is possibly the most effective Decepticon in the entire G1 cartoon. Some of his shining moments include defeating Optimus Prime himself, snatching Starscream right out of the air, and sending Windcharger plummeting to his near-death ("[[A Prime Problem]]"), defeating Hound ("[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]"), and nearly killing Optimus Prime on the operating table ("[[Divide and Conquer]]"). He also managed to infiltrate Autobot Headquarters just about every other episode, and never once got caught.

* Laserbeak was part of the original Decepticon cast for the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 Transformers movie]], but was cut along with Ravage when Soundwave was removed. As part of the [[Sector Seven]] ARG, a "file" of confirmed [[N.B.E.]] activity has Laserbeak changing from cassette mode to robot mode (while remaining the same size).

* Although the Laserbeak and Buzzsaw toys had a standard cassette deco on one side, the animated cartoon chose to show the bird side in its depictions of their alt modes, effectively making either side accurate.

* [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]'s toy was sold with Soundwave. [[To sell toys|Consequently]], Buzzsaw had a much lower profile in the cartoon and his [[Tech Spec]] [[function]] of "spy" was open for the taking. Laserbeak was given this role presumably because he would have more opportunity to spy than his to use his own, non-kid-friendly, function of "interrogation".

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1984/Decepticon/Laserbeak/laserbeak.htm Laserbeak at TFU.info]
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Laserbeak Laserbeak's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Attacktix]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Interrogators]]
[[Category:Mini-Cassettes]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Predacons]]
[[Category:Spies]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]

Blitzwing Bop

2010-03-17T19:26:46Z

99.179.138.27: /* Transformer references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[Timelines (fiction)|Timelines]]
|prev=Wings of Honor
|next=At Fight's End
|seriesissue2=[[Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]
|prev2=Eye in the Sky
|next2=Transhuman
|image=Blitzwingbop.jpg
|caption=
|title="Blitzwing Bop"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[November 17]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Chad Porter]]
|cover=[[Chad Porter]]
|pagecount=35pp
|continuity=[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Blitzwing inadvertently becomes a musical countdown, and not the kind that sounds like Bluestreak.'''

==Synopsis==
{{stub}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s|c1=
* [[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]] (2)
* [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (6)
* [[Heatwave]] (7)
* [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] (18)
* [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (19)
* [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] (20)
* [[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]] (27)
* [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (28)
|h2=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
* [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (3)
* [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (4)
* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] (5)
* [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus "Prime"]] (13)
* [[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] (15)
* [[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] (16)
* [[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] (17)
* [[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] (21)
* [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (22)
* [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] (23)
* [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] (24)
|c3=
* [[Will Hayes|Will]] (1)
* [[Professor Arkeville]] (9)
* [[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] (11)
* [[Rick Ottman|Rick]] (12)
* [[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] (25)
* [[Wyatt]] (26)
|c4=
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (8)
* [[Teletraan-X]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"So tell me about Cybertron." 
"Why?" 
"I've never been there, Blitzwing. Thought it'd be interesting." 
"Okay. Imagine a junk yard. Now make it the size of a planet, and set big patches of it on fire. I suppose that's interesting in a horrible sort of way, but there's nothing appealing about it."
:—'''Will''' finds out from '''Blitzwing''' that Cybertron is not a good tourist destination.

"If my examination of Starscream's systems is accurate, unless we can stop the subspace transmission, Blitzwing's signal will eventually cause permanent memory damage... possibly even catastrophic data corruption." 
"Whoah, that means-" 
"If it's not stopped, this 'rock and roll' assault will rapidly become... '''death metal'''."
:—'''Arkeville''' and '''Soundwave''' engage in bad puns.

"Right now, I gots two idiot humans yammerin' 'bout venting exhaust stuck in my head. They will not shut up. An' I can still bend your fenders in a knot an' stick 'em in your reactor linkage! So '''up your tube with an energon cube! Capiche?!'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' lets Blaster know who's the boss.

''Beachcomber had survived the decon bath, the optic calibration process, the hallway filled with zero-friction lubricant and three chemical explosions since breaching the outer defenses of the Decepticon base. He had been thrown about, smashed and lit on fire by four puddles of organic waste.'' 
''He was not happy.'' 
''Now, however, the enemy was out of tricks, and out of places to run.'' 
''That made him happy. Insanely happy.''
:—Beachcomber deals with getting the "Home Alone" treatment from the humans.

==Notes==
===Errors===
*Heatwave's feelings of "joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction" should probably be "joy, ''peace'', compassion, love, and satisfaction" to be a completely accurate reference to [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]].

*While Cliffjumper in-character almost calls the [[Stellar Spanner]] a [[space bridge]], at one point the narration itself also calls it a "spacebridge".

*Not an error: Soundwave mentions that Astrotrain crashed in the Arctic instead of the Antarctic, but it's Soundwave's mistake, not the story's.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64373&st=0&p=1390930#entry1390930 Trent Troop answers "Shattered Glass"-related questions]</ref>

===Transformer references===
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] is mentioned as being granted honorary [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Ottoman citizenship]] after saving [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|President Fakkadi]].

*The Decepticons save [[Blackrock Industries|Blackrock Oil]] members from the Autobots.

*Soundwave attends a joint [[Misfits]]/[[Cold Slither]] concert, and the (opposite-themed) lyrics to a few Cold Slither songs from an album ''[[Thunder Hammer]]'' are included at the back of the story.

*Astrotrain is a [[Jetfire (G1)|shuttle that crash lands in Antarctica]].

*As noted in the [[#Errors|Errors]], the Stellar Spanner is essentially a [[redeco]]ed space bridge.

*[[Jet judo]] is a martial art done ''by'' jets instead of ''to'' jets.

*The Stellar Spanner is labelled with [[Cybertronian languages|Autobot letters]].

*One of the Autobots' schemes involve creating drone cars at a "[[Wash and Roll|Roll-N-Wash]]".

*Brawn is a practitioner of [[Tekkaido]].

*Rick's little sister fawns over [[Brad White]], the "dreamy" punk-ass counterpart to [[Rad White|some kid]].

*Sephie communicates via e-mail with someone who has the username "[[Stormbringer (disambiguation)|Stormbringer99]]".

*Will and Rick try to use on Beachcomber the same fire extinguisher trick they used on Goldbug in "[[Eye in the Sky]]". Sadly, it doesn't work nearly as well this time around.

*Soundwave mentions having gone through [[primary programming]] four million [[Units of time|stellar cycles]] ago.

*Thunderwing mentions that one of the criminals he's been chasing is a crime boss named [[Beta (SG)|Beta]].

*As noted in the Errors, when Heatwave gets sent through the Stellar Spanner, part of his trip involves the sensations of joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction, as well as a rainbow hue, no doubt coinciding with Aquarius activating the recall program that also [[Reunification|summoned the rest of the Nexus Prime gestalt to Cybertron]].

*Blaster on the moon is a reference to the G1 episode Blaster Blues.

===Real-world references===
*The title of the story is a reference to the song "[[wikipedia:Blitzkrieg Bop|Blitzkrieg Bop]]" by the [[wikipedia:Ramones|Ramones]].

*Starscream, at some point before the story begins, fights a super-criminal known as "[[Spider-Man|Arachnolord]]".

*Congressman Shore is mentioned, a reference to Blackthorn Shore from ''[[wikipedia:The Inhumanoids|The Inhumanoids]]''.

*Will listens to [[wikipedia:The White Stripes|"The Pale Lines"]] on his [[oPod|O-Pod]].

*Ratchet thinks the lyrics to "Zydrate Anatomy" from ''[[wikipedia:Repo! The Genetic Opera|Repo! The Genetic Opera]]'' are catchy.

*Rodimus complains about being stuck listening to "Jim-Bob and Willy", a reference to obnoxious southern-US morning show deejays [[wikipedia:John Boy and Billy|John Boy and Billy]].

*Rodimus' line, "So up your tube with an energon cube!" is based on [[wikipedia:Welcome_Back, Kotter#Vincent .22Vinnie.22 Barbarino|Vinnie Barbarino]]'s famous line, "Up your nose with a rubber hose!".

*Beachcomber's dialogue in the story is full of song lyric snippets:
**"[[wikipedia:Won't Get Fooled Again|Won't Get Fooled Again]]" by [[wikipedia:The Who|The Who]]
**"[[wikipedia:Carry On Wayward Son|Carry On Wayward Son]]" by [[wikipedia:Kansas|Kansas]]
**"Transmaniacon MC" by [[wikipedia:Blue Öyster Cult|Blue Öyster Cult]]
**"[[wikipedia:Magic Carpet Ride|Magic Carpet Ride]]" by [[wikipedia:Steppenwolf|Steppenwolf]]
**"PDA" by [[wikipedia:Interpol (band)|Interpol]]
**"Fire Poem" by [[wikipedia:Arthur Brown|Arthur Brown]]
**"[[wikipedia:(Don't Fear) The Reaper|(Don't Fear) The Reaper]]" by Blue Öyster Cult
**"[[wikipedia:Another One Bites the Dust|Another One Bites the Dust]]" by [[wikipedia:Queen|Queen]]
**"[[wikipedia:Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter]]" by [[wikipedia:The Beatles|The Beatles]]
**"Nowhere to Run (Vapor Trail)" by [[wikipedia:The Crystal Method|The Crystal Method]]
**"[[wikipedia:One Way or Another|One Way or Another]]" by [[wikipedia:Blondie|Blondie]]
**"[[wikipedia:Psycho Killer|Psycho Killer]]" by [[wikipedia:Talking Heads|Talking Heads]]
**"[[wikipedia:Ace of Spades (song)|Ace of Spades]]" by [[wikipedia:|Motörhead]]
**"[[wikipedia:Spirit in the Sky|Spirit in the Sky]]" by [[wikipedia:Norman Greenbaum|Norman Greenbaum]]

*Aquarius leaves a message for Heatwave to "[[wikipedia:Keep on Truckin'|Keep on Truckin']]".

*The Cold Slither album liner notes at the back of the story have a number of references:
**One of the album's producers is "Synergy Music Ltd.", a reference to Synergy from ''[[wikipedia:Jem (TV series)|Jem and the Holograms]]''.
**Some of the song writer credits reference various members of [[Cobra]]: Buzzer and Torch from the [[Dreadnok]]s and [[Destro]].
**The songs "[[wikipedia:Battle Song of Liberty|Battle Song of Liberty]]" and "[[wikipedia:The Star-Spangled Banner|The Star-Spangled Banner]]" are on the album.

==External links==
*[http://www.transformersclub.com/members/fiction.cfm Transformers Collectors' Club exclusive fiction] (must be a logged-in member to access)

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Shattered Glass issues]]
[[Category:Text stories]]

Blitzwing Bop

2010-03-17T19:26:10Z

99.179.138.27: /* Transformer references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[Timelines (fiction)|Timelines]]
|prev=Wings of Honor
|next=At Fight's End
|seriesissue2=[[Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]
|prev2=Eye in the Sky
|next2=Transhuman
|image=Blitzwingbop.jpg
|caption=
|title="Blitzwing Bop"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[November 17]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Chad Porter]]
|cover=[[Chad Porter]]
|pagecount=35pp
|continuity=[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Blitzwing inadvertently becomes a musical countdown, and not the kind that sounds like Bluestreak.'''

==Synopsis==
{{stub}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s|c1=
* [[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]] (2)
* [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (6)
* [[Heatwave]] (7)
* [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] (18)
* [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (19)
* [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] (20)
* [[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]] (27)
* [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (28)
|h2=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
* [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (3)
* [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (4)
* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] (5)
* [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus "Prime"]] (13)
* [[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] (15)
* [[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] (16)
* [[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] (17)
* [[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] (21)
* [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (22)
* [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] (23)
* [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] (24)
|c3=
* [[Will Hayes|Will]] (1)
* [[Professor Arkeville]] (9)
* [[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] (11)
* [[Rick Ottman|Rick]] (12)
* [[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] (25)
* [[Wyatt]] (26)
|c4=
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (8)
* [[Teletraan-X]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"So tell me about Cybertron." 
"Why?" 
"I've never been there, Blitzwing. Thought it'd be interesting." 
"Okay. Imagine a junk yard. Now make it the size of a planet, and set big patches of it on fire. I suppose that's interesting in a horrible sort of way, but there's nothing appealing about it."
:—'''Will''' finds out from '''Blitzwing''' that Cybertron is not a good tourist destination.

"If my examination of Starscream's systems is accurate, unless we can stop the subspace transmission, Blitzwing's signal will eventually cause permanent memory damage... possibly even catastrophic data corruption." 
"Whoah, that means-" 
"If it's not stopped, this 'rock and roll' assault will rapidly become... '''death metal'''."
:—'''Arkeville''' and '''Soundwave''' engage in bad puns.

"Right now, I gots two idiot humans yammerin' 'bout venting exhaust stuck in my head. They will not shut up. An' I can still bend your fenders in a knot an' stick 'em in your reactor linkage! So '''up your tube with an energon cube! Capiche?!'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' lets Blaster know who's the boss.

''Beachcomber had survived the decon bath, the optic calibration process, the hallway filled with zero-friction lubricant and three chemical explosions since breaching the outer defenses of the Decepticon base. He had been thrown about, smashed and lit on fire by four puddles of organic waste.'' 
''He was not happy.'' 
''Now, however, the enemy was out of tricks, and out of places to run.'' 
''That made him happy. Insanely happy.''
:—Beachcomber deals with getting the "Home Alone" treatment from the humans.

==Notes==
===Errors===
*Heatwave's feelings of "joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction" should probably be "joy, ''peace'', compassion, love, and satisfaction" to be a completely accurate reference to [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]].

*While Cliffjumper in-character almost calls the [[Stellar Spanner]] a [[space bridge]], at one point the narration itself also calls it a "spacebridge".

*Not an error: Soundwave mentions that Astrotrain crashed in the Arctic instead of the Antarctic, but it's Soundwave's mistake, not the story's.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64373&st=0&p=1390930#entry1390930 Trent Troop answers "Shattered Glass"-related questions]</ref>

===Transformer references===
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] is mentioned as being granted honorary [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Ottoman citizenship]] after saving [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|President Fakkadi]].

*The Decepticons save [[Blackrock Industries|Blackrock Oil]] members from the Autobots.

*Soundwave attends a joint [[Misfits]]/[[Cold Slither]] concert, and the (opposite-themed) lyrics to a few Cold Slither songs from an album ''[[Thunder Hammer]]'' are included at the back of the story.

*Astrotrain is a [[Jetfire (G1)|shuttle that crash lands in Antarctica]].

*As noted in the [[#Errors|Errors]], the Stellar Spanner is essentially a [[redeco]]ed space bridge.

*[[Jet judo]] is a martial art done ''by'' jets instead of ''to'' jets.

*The Stellar Spanner is labelled with [[Cybertronian languages|Autobot letters]].

*One of the Autobots' schemes involve creating drone cars at a "[[Wash and Roll|Roll-N-Wash]]".

*Brawn is a practitioner of [[Tekkaido]].

*Rick's little sister fawns over [[Brad White]], the "dreamy" punk-ass counterpart to [[Rad White|some kid]].

*Sephie communicates via e-mail with someone who has the username "[[Stormbringer (disambiguation)|Stormbringer99]]".

*Will and Rick try to use on Beachcomber the same fire extinguisher trick they used on Goldbug in "[[Eye in the Sky]]". Sadly, it doesn't work nearly as well this time around.

*Soundwave mentions having gone through [[primary programming]] four million [[Units of time|stellar cycles]] ago.

*Thunderwing mentions that one of the criminals he's been chasing is a crime boss named [[Beta (SG)|Beta]].

*As noted in the Errors, when Heatwave gets sent through the Stellar Spanner, part of his trip involves the sensations of joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction, as well as a rainbow hue, no doubt coinciding with Aquarius activating the recall program that also [[Reunification|summoned the rest of the Nexus Prime gestalt to Cybertron]].

*Blaster on the moon is a reference to the G1 episode Blaster Blues

===Real-world references===
*The title of the story is a reference to the song "[[wikipedia:Blitzkrieg Bop|Blitzkrieg Bop]]" by the [[wikipedia:Ramones|Ramones]].

*Starscream, at some point before the story begins, fights a super-criminal known as "[[Spider-Man|Arachnolord]]".

*Congressman Shore is mentioned, a reference to Blackthorn Shore from ''[[wikipedia:The Inhumanoids|The Inhumanoids]]''.

*Will listens to [[wikipedia:The White Stripes|"The Pale Lines"]] on his [[oPod|O-Pod]].

*Ratchet thinks the lyrics to "Zydrate Anatomy" from ''[[wikipedia:Repo! The Genetic Opera|Repo! The Genetic Opera]]'' are catchy.

*Rodimus complains about being stuck listening to "Jim-Bob and Willy", a reference to obnoxious southern-US morning show deejays [[wikipedia:John Boy and Billy|John Boy and Billy]].

*Rodimus' line, "So up your tube with an energon cube!" is based on [[wikipedia:Welcome_Back, Kotter#Vincent .22Vinnie.22 Barbarino|Vinnie Barbarino]]'s famous line, "Up your nose with a rubber hose!".

*Beachcomber's dialogue in the story is full of song lyric snippets:
**"[[wikipedia:Won't Get Fooled Again|Won't Get Fooled Again]]" by [[wikipedia:The Who|The Who]]
**"[[wikipedia:Carry On Wayward Son|Carry On Wayward Son]]" by [[wikipedia:Kansas|Kansas]]
**"Transmaniacon MC" by [[wikipedia:Blue Öyster Cult|Blue Öyster Cult]]
**"[[wikipedia:Magic Carpet Ride|Magic Carpet Ride]]" by [[wikipedia:Steppenwolf|Steppenwolf]]
**"PDA" by [[wikipedia:Interpol (band)|Interpol]]
**"Fire Poem" by [[wikipedia:Arthur Brown|Arthur Brown]]
**"[[wikipedia:(Don't Fear) The Reaper|(Don't Fear) The Reaper]]" by Blue Öyster Cult
**"[[wikipedia:Another One Bites the Dust|Another One Bites the Dust]]" by [[wikipedia:Queen|Queen]]
**"[[wikipedia:Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter]]" by [[wikipedia:The Beatles|The Beatles]]
**"Nowhere to Run (Vapor Trail)" by [[wikipedia:The Crystal Method|The Crystal Method]]
**"[[wikipedia:One Way or Another|One Way or Another]]" by [[wikipedia:Blondie|Blondie]]
**"[[wikipedia:Psycho Killer|Psycho Killer]]" by [[wikipedia:Talking Heads|Talking Heads]]
**"[[wikipedia:Ace of Spades (song)|Ace of Spades]]" by [[wikipedia:|Motörhead]]
**"[[wikipedia:Spirit in the Sky|Spirit in the Sky]]" by [[wikipedia:Norman Greenbaum|Norman Greenbaum]]

*Aquarius leaves a message for Heatwave to "[[wikipedia:Keep on Truckin'|Keep on Truckin']]".

*The Cold Slither album liner notes at the back of the story have a number of references:
**One of the album's producers is "Synergy Music Ltd.", a reference to Synergy from ''[[wikipedia:Jem (TV series)|Jem and the Holograms]]''.
**Some of the song writer credits reference various members of [[Cobra]]: Buzzer and Torch from the [[Dreadnok]]s and [[Destro]].
**The songs "[[wikipedia:Battle Song of Liberty|Battle Song of Liberty]]" and "[[wikipedia:The Star-Spangled Banner|The Star-Spangled Banner]]" are on the album.

==External links==
*[http://www.transformersclub.com/members/fiction.cfm Transformers Collectors' Club exclusive fiction] (must be a logged-in member to access)

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Shattered Glass issues]]
[[Category:Text stories]]

Blitzwing Bop

2010-03-17T19:25:28Z

99.179.138.27: /* Transformer references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[Timelines (fiction)|Timelines]]
|prev=Wings of Honor
|next=At Fight's End
|seriesissue2=[[Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]
|prev2=Eye in the Sky
|next2=Transhuman
|image=Blitzwingbop.jpg
|caption=
|title="Blitzwing Bop"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[November 17]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Chad Porter]]
|cover=[[Chad Porter]]
|pagecount=35pp
|continuity=[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Blitzwing inadvertently becomes a musical countdown, and not the kind that sounds like Bluestreak.'''

==Synopsis==
{{stub}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s|c1=
* [[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]] (2)
* [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (6)
* [[Heatwave]] (7)
* [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] (18)
* [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (19)
* [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] (20)
* [[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]] (27)
* [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (28)
|h2=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
* [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (3)
* [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (4)
* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] (5)
* [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus "Prime"]] (13)
* [[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] (15)
* [[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] (16)
* [[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] (17)
* [[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] (21)
* [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (22)
* [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] (23)
* [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] (24)
|c3=
* [[Will Hayes|Will]] (1)
* [[Professor Arkeville]] (9)
* [[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] (11)
* [[Rick Ottman|Rick]] (12)
* [[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] (25)
* [[Wyatt]] (26)
|c4=
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (8)
* [[Teletraan-X]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"So tell me about Cybertron." 
"Why?" 
"I've never been there, Blitzwing. Thought it'd be interesting." 
"Okay. Imagine a junk yard. Now make it the size of a planet, and set big patches of it on fire. I suppose that's interesting in a horrible sort of way, but there's nothing appealing about it."
:—'''Will''' finds out from '''Blitzwing''' that Cybertron is not a good tourist destination.

"If my examination of Starscream's systems is accurate, unless we can stop the subspace transmission, Blitzwing's signal will eventually cause permanent memory damage... possibly even catastrophic data corruption." 
"Whoah, that means-" 
"If it's not stopped, this 'rock and roll' assault will rapidly become... '''death metal'''."
:—'''Arkeville''' and '''Soundwave''' engage in bad puns.

"Right now, I gots two idiot humans yammerin' 'bout venting exhaust stuck in my head. They will not shut up. An' I can still bend your fenders in a knot an' stick 'em in your reactor linkage! So '''up your tube with an energon cube! Capiche?!'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' lets Blaster know who's the boss.

''Beachcomber had survived the decon bath, the optic calibration process, the hallway filled with zero-friction lubricant and three chemical explosions since breaching the outer defenses of the Decepticon base. He had been thrown about, smashed and lit on fire by four puddles of organic waste.'' 
''He was not happy.'' 
''Now, however, the enemy was out of tricks, and out of places to run.'' 
''That made him happy. Insanely happy.''
:—Beachcomber deals with getting the "Home Alone" treatment from the humans.

==Notes==
===Errors===
*Heatwave's feelings of "joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction" should probably be "joy, ''peace'', compassion, love, and satisfaction" to be a completely accurate reference to [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]].

*While Cliffjumper in-character almost calls the [[Stellar Spanner]] a [[space bridge]], at one point the narration itself also calls it a "spacebridge".

*Not an error: Soundwave mentions that Astrotrain crashed in the Arctic instead of the Antarctic, but it's Soundwave's mistake, not the story's.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64373&st=0&p=1390930#entry1390930 Trent Troop answers "Shattered Glass"-related questions]</ref>

===Transformer references===
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] is mentioned as being granted honorary [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Ottoman citizenship]] after saving [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|President Fakkadi]].

*The Decepticons save [[Blackrock Industries|Blackrock Oil]] members from the Autobots.

*Soundwave attends a joint [[Misfits]]/[[Cold Slither]] concert, and the (opposite-themed) lyrics to a few Cold Slither songs from an album ''[[Thunder Hammer]]'' are included at the back of the story.

*Astrotrain is a [[Jetfire (G1)|shuttle that crash lands in Antarctica]].

*As noted in the [[#Errors|Errors]], the Stellar Spanner is essentially a [[redeco]]ed space bridge.

*[[Jet judo]] is a martial art done ''by'' jets instead of ''to'' jets.

*The Stellar Spanner is labelled with [[Cybertronian languages|Autobot letters]].

*One of the Autobots' schemes involve creating drone cars at a "[[Wash and Roll|Roll-N-Wash]]".

*Brawn is a practitioner of [[Tekkaido]].

*Rick's little sister fawns over [[Brad White]], the "dreamy" punk-ass counterpart to [[Rad White|some kid]].

*Sephie communicates via e-mail with someone who has the username "[[Stormbringer (disambiguation)|Stormbringer99]]".

*Will and Rick try to use on Beachcomber the same fire extinguisher trick they used on Goldbug in "[[Eye in the Sky]]". Sadly, it doesn't work nearly as well this time around.

*Soundwave mentions having gone through [[primary programming]] four million [[Units of time|stellar cycles]] ago.

*Thunderwing mentions that one of the criminals he's been chasing is a crime boss named [[Beta (SG)|Beta]].

*As noted in the Errors, when Heatwave gets sent through the Stellar Spanner, part of his trip involves the sensations of joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction, as well as a rainbow hue, no doubt coinciding with Aquarius activating the recall program that also [[Reunification|summoned the rest of the Nexus Prime gestalt to Cybertron]].

Blaster on the moon is a reference to the G1 episode Blaster Blues

===Real-world references===
*The title of the story is a reference to the song "[[wikipedia:Blitzkrieg Bop|Blitzkrieg Bop]]" by the [[wikipedia:Ramones|Ramones]].

*Starscream, at some point before the story begins, fights a super-criminal known as "[[Spider-Man|Arachnolord]]".

*Congressman Shore is mentioned, a reference to Blackthorn Shore from ''[[wikipedia:The Inhumanoids|The Inhumanoids]]''.

*Will listens to [[wikipedia:The White Stripes|"The Pale Lines"]] on his [[oPod|O-Pod]].

*Ratchet thinks the lyrics to "Zydrate Anatomy" from ''[[wikipedia:Repo! The Genetic Opera|Repo! The Genetic Opera]]'' are catchy.

*Rodimus complains about being stuck listening to "Jim-Bob and Willy", a reference to obnoxious southern-US morning show deejays [[wikipedia:John Boy and Billy|John Boy and Billy]].

*Rodimus' line, "So up your tube with an energon cube!" is based on [[wikipedia:Welcome_Back, Kotter#Vincent .22Vinnie.22 Barbarino|Vinnie Barbarino]]'s famous line, "Up your nose with a rubber hose!".

*Beachcomber's dialogue in the story is full of song lyric snippets:
**"[[wikipedia:Won't Get Fooled Again|Won't Get Fooled Again]]" by [[wikipedia:The Who|The Who]]
**"[[wikipedia:Carry On Wayward Son|Carry On Wayward Son]]" by [[wikipedia:Kansas|Kansas]]
**"Transmaniacon MC" by [[wikipedia:Blue Öyster Cult|Blue Öyster Cult]]
**"[[wikipedia:Magic Carpet Ride|Magic Carpet Ride]]" by [[wikipedia:Steppenwolf|Steppenwolf]]
**"PDA" by [[wikipedia:Interpol (band)|Interpol]]
**"Fire Poem" by [[wikipedia:Arthur Brown|Arthur Brown]]
**"[[wikipedia:(Don't Fear) The Reaper|(Don't Fear) The Reaper]]" by Blue Öyster Cult
**"[[wikipedia:Another One Bites the Dust|Another One Bites the Dust]]" by [[wikipedia:Queen|Queen]]
**"[[wikipedia:Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter]]" by [[wikipedia:The Beatles|The Beatles]]
**"Nowhere to Run (Vapor Trail)" by [[wikipedia:The Crystal Method|The Crystal Method]]
**"[[wikipedia:One Way or Another|One Way or Another]]" by [[wikipedia:Blondie|Blondie]]
**"[[wikipedia:Psycho Killer|Psycho Killer]]" by [[wikipedia:Talking Heads|Talking Heads]]
**"[[wikipedia:Ace of Spades (song)|Ace of Spades]]" by [[wikipedia:|Motörhead]]
**"[[wikipedia:Spirit in the Sky|Spirit in the Sky]]" by [[wikipedia:Norman Greenbaum|Norman Greenbaum]]

*Aquarius leaves a message for Heatwave to "[[wikipedia:Keep on Truckin'|Keep on Truckin']]".

*The Cold Slither album liner notes at the back of the story have a number of references:
**One of the album's producers is "Synergy Music Ltd.", a reference to Synergy from ''[[wikipedia:Jem (TV series)|Jem and the Holograms]]''.
**Some of the song writer credits reference various members of [[Cobra]]: Buzzer and Torch from the [[Dreadnok]]s and [[Destro]].
**The songs "[[wikipedia:Battle Song of Liberty|Battle Song of Liberty]]" and "[[wikipedia:The Star-Spangled Banner|The Star-Spangled Banner]]" are on the album.

==External links==
*[http://www.transformersclub.com/members/fiction.cfm Transformers Collectors' Club exclusive fiction] (must be a logged-in member to access)

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Shattered Glass issues]]
[[Category:Text stories]]

Ghost in the Machine (G1)

2010-03-17T15:48:42Z

99.179.138.27: /* Featured characters */

{{episode|
|series=G1toon
|series2=2010
|ep=80
|ep2=16
|prev2=Fight or Flee
|next2=Webworld
|image=GhostMachine Starscream Scourge Unicron.JPG
|caption=Screw you guys, I'm going home.
|title="Ghost in the Machine"
|production code=700-100
|airdate=[[October 21]], 1986
|written by=[[Joey Kurihara Piedra]] [[Michael Charles Hill]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Set on regaining a physical body, the ghost of Starscream possesses Scourge and makes a deal with the devil.'''

:''Japanese title:'' スタースクリームの復活 (''Starscream no Fukkatsu'', "Starscream's Revival")
:''German title:'' "'''Der Geist im Roboter'''" ("The Ghost inside the Robot")
:''German'' Generation 2 ''title:'' "'''Starscream kehrt zurück'''" ("Starscream Returns")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:GhostMachine Scourge approaches Unicron.jpg|left|200px|thumb|]]

On [[Chaar]], the [[Decepticon]]s are following [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], when [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost appears and possesses [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]. Despite his better efforts, Starscream forces Scourge to fire on Galvatron, then flees with [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] in pursuit. Cyclonus follows as far as [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], where he breaks off, assuming that Scourge has defected to the [[Autobot]]s. But that is not Starscream's goal. He instead flies to the severed head of [[Unicron]]. Using Scourge to reactivate the Dark God, Starscream offers his services in exchange for a new body. Unicron agrees to restore him to life in exchange for three labors. The first labor is to bring [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[Sensors|eyes]] to Unicron. With nowhere else to go, Scourge agrees to serve Unicron.

[[Image:GhostMachine Metroplex eye explode.jpg|right|200px|thumb|There are no eye-drops for this.]]

On Earth, [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] arrives for an inspection of [[Autobot City]], when Scourge and Starscream make their move. Destroying Metroplex's security system, the two Decepticons steal the eyes, but [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] cause Scourge to drop one, shattering it. Fleeing, Metroplex [[Transformation|transforms]], but cannot see, and begins firing on the Autobots. However, a photon bomb disables Metroplex, causing him to crash. Lacking one eye, the two head back for Chaar, where they dispatch the [[Battlecharger]]s, outwit Starscream's [[Seeker (body-type)|former soldiers]], and steal one of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s eyes. In addition, Starscream possesses [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] to serve as their ride home, where Astrotrain is left to the mercy of the Autobots. Upon learning of what happened, Galvatron reacts in a rational, controlled manner... for Galvatron.

[[Image:Dirge AlmostDeath.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Galvatron settles an old score with the wall.]]

Pleased with his new eyes, Unicron informs Starscream and Scourge of their next labor: bring Trypticon to Unicron (should have told them that before they left). Starscream heads off to complete the task. Meanwhile, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] interrogates Astrotrain, who claims not to remember what happened, but [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] reveals that Unicron has his eyes back! [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] takes [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]], [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]], and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] to investigate, but Unicron drives them off. Scourge is becoming nervous, but Unicron warns his creation that he can take what he has given. On Chaar, Galvatron orders the Battlechargers and [[Conehead|Coneheads]] to locate Starscream and Scourge, only for Trypticon to transform, under Starscream's control, and depart, with the Decepticons in pursuit.

As the Autobots prepare for the Decepticon assault, Unicron commands Starscream to remove Trypticon's [[transformation cog]] and place it in Unicron. The Decepticons arrive and attack, but Starscream uses Trypticon to disable their weapons. As the Decepticons flee, Unicron commands his minions to complete the third labor—connect Unicron's head to Cybertron, making it his new body. Scourge decides to book it, and Starscream is left to complete the task. Scourge tries to warn Galvatron, but he doesn't care. Scourge then heads to the Autobots, and warns them of Unicron's intentions.

[[Image:GhostMachine Unicron starscream jumpers.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Refusing to call Triple-A, Starscream prepares to jumpstart Unicron.]]

Within Trypticon, the Battlecharges and the Coneheads disable Starscream's control over Trypticon, so Starscream demands his body to complete the labors. Unicron restores his body, but Starscream (surprise, surprise), tells Unicron to connect himself to Cybertron. However, the Autobots manage to plant some [[Energon cube|Energon cubes]] on Unicron's head. They detonate the [[Energon (fuel)|energon]], causing Unicron's head to return to orbit and Starscream to go flying. Thrown past the Decepticons, Galvatron orders them to fire on Starscream. When their shots begin hitting him, Cyclonus wonders why Starscream's ghost has lost control.

On Cybertron, Rodimus agrees to allow Scourge and Astrotrain to leave, in exchange for their help. He then tells the Autobots of their new mission to retrieve Metroplex's eye, but then reveals that he was joking, saying that the eyes were probably destroyed in the explosion.

Unseen by the Autobots, Unicron's eye twinkles in the night...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (with [[Scamper]]) (9)
* [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (10)
* [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (11)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (13)
* [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (14)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (15)
* [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (16)
* [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (17)
* [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (18)
* [[Slingshot]] (19)
* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] (26)
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (27)
* [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] (28)
* [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (29)
* [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (30)
* [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (31)
* [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] (cameo) (33)

|c2=
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
* [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] (2)
* [[Sweep|Sweeps]] (3)
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (4)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (5)
* [[Headstrong]] (6)
* [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (7)
* [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (20)
* [[Runabout]] (21)
* [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] (22)
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (23)
* [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (24)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (25)
* [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] (32)

|c3=
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (12)

|c4=
* [[Unicron|Unicron's head]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"DESTROY HIM! HE'S LOST HIS MIND!"
:—'''Galvatron''', calling [[Scourge (G1)|the kettle]] black.

"Aerialbots! Wait for... umm... nevermind."
:—'''Warpath''', getting left behind.

"Decepticon intruders IN MY BRAIN!"
:—'''Metroplex''', on the perils of being city-sized.

"Where are my eyes?!"
:—'''Metroplex''' would look around for them if he could.

"First, you two let Scourge and Starscream steal one of Trypticon's eyes. And then you two allowed Astrotrain to be used as their escape vehicle. So Scourge is helping Starscream voluntarily, and you four were unable to stop them! Well, all I can say is...BWWWAAAAAAA!"
:—'''Galvatron''', giving his outbust a rare preamble.

"Why did Galvatron have you attack Cybertron all by yourself? Are you stupid or just obedient?"
:—'''Rodimus Prime''', getting sassy with Astrotrain

"I don't have to show you no stinking passes."
:—'''Starscream''' has picked up some [[wikipedia:Stinking_badges|Earth culture]].

"Starscream! You're a dead mechanism!" 
"Of course I'm dead, Galvatron! But not for much longer. And then are you going to be sorry!" 
"I'm already sorry!"
:—'''Galvatron''' and '''Starscream''', bickering like [[Megatron (G1)|old times]].

"Wait, since when do ghosts tumble out of control through space?"
:—'''Cyclonus''', catching up with the plot.

"Now make the connection!" 
"Do it yourself!"
:—'''Unicron''' bet on the wrong pony, and '''Starscream''' just loves being a prick.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* After Rodimus jokes about recovering Metroplex's eyes from Unicron, Hot Spot is shown with Ultra Magnus's color scheme.
* When Bumblebee and Spike discover Scourge stealing Metroplex's eyes, Bumblebee has enormous wheels.
* In a few scenes Hot Spot has a mouth on his faceplate.
* During Scourge's attack on him, Sky Lynx has a Decepticon symbol on his nose.
* Groove has a totally different voice for his one line ("locked and loaded!"), sounding somewhat like Beachcomber. Usually he sounds more like a higher-pitched Trailbreaker.
* When Silverbolt says that he doesn't see any enemy, he and Skydive are both mouthing the words.

===Continuity errors===
*While Scourge makes a respectable attempt at fighting off Starscream's control of his body in this episode, he displayed no such strength of will when he was possessed by the latter at the end of "[[Starscream's Ghost]]". Of course this time he could have been some what familiar with Starscream's forceful takeover techniques and able to mount a better resistance.
*Although undoubtedly big, Metroplex and Trypticon's eyes should be ''way'' too small for Unicron to use as like-for-like replacements.
*When Scourge approaches Galvatron he says, "Galvatron, don't shoot!" Galvatron states he couldn't even if he wanted to, because Trypticon neutralized their weapons. Yet, when Starscream's out of control body flies past him, he begins firing on him.

===Transformers references===
*First appearance of [[Runabout]].
*This episode marks the last appearances of [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]], [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] in the series.
*This episode is the second appearance of Starscream's ghost. His first appearance was in the G1 episode "[[Starscream's Ghost]]". His ghost makes a third appearance in the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' episode "[[Possession]]" in which he takes over [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]].

===Real-world references===
* The title's literal meaning obviously applies to the events of the episode, but the phrase has a history in philosophical discourse. It was [[Wikipedia:Ghost in the machine|coined as a pejorative]] against the [[Wikipedia:Mind-body dichotomy|mind-body split]] of [[wikipedia:René Descartes|Cartesian]] dualism, and by the time this episode was made, it had also been used as the title of [[wikipedia:The Ghost in the Machine|a book]] and [[wikipedia:Ghost in the Machine (album)|a rock album]].

===Trivia===
* Scourge demonstrates an extraordinary level of willpower in this episode. Of all the Transformers Starscream is seen possessing in both this episode and "[[Starscream's Ghost]]", he is the only one who puts up a fight for control of his own body and retains his memories of what happened while "under the influence". (This is admittedly inconsistent with the ending of the prequel to this episode, however.)
* Unicron displays the ability to electrocute the Autobots inside his head and expel them through his neck.
* Starscream is last seen tumbling away through space in his new body, possibly damaged from Galvatron's attacks but still very much alive. This is sometimes seen as a point of conflict with his appearance as a ghost in the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Possession]]". Fans have reconciled this by speculating that he died again off-screen, or else traveled through time to the ''Beast Wars'' era (and back) before this episode took place chronologically. Alternatively, the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon does not follow strictly from any specific Generation 1 continuity, allowing the "error" to be dismissed entirely.

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

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]