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Other Victories

2010-07-31T13:06:40Z

99.245.165.68: /* Notes */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=50
|image=OVic opening.JPG
|caption=Sure is nice in the lifeless void.
|title="Other Victories"
|production=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[May 5]], 1999
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[William Lau]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The aliens send their powerful new emissary Tigerhawk to Earth to stop the continued disruption of the time stream.'''

:''French-Canadian title:'' '''La Victoire''' ("The Victory")
:''Japanese title:'' ただいまでござる (''Tadaima de Gozaru'', "I Hath Returned")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Otras Victorias'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Un nuovo amico''' ("A new friend")
:''Brazilian name:'' '''Outras Vitórias'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:OtherVictories BirthofTigerhawk.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh yeah, we still have these two guys.]]
Somewhere in the vast universe, two entities are discussing the experiment on [[Earth|"Nexus Earth"]]. Though the project was "sterilized", there remains a threat. The entities then reveal [[Tigatron]] and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], then merge their bodies together, creating a new [[Transformer]]. The aliens inhabit the body and depart in a ball of energy, while two [[Spark|sparks]] follow.

[[Image:Judge Megatron.JPG|right|150px|thumb|Believe it or not, you may have better luck on [[Quintessa]].]]
At the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]], the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] are holding a "trial" for [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]. [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] is the "defense", [[Dinobot II|Dinobot]] and [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] are the jury, [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] is taking the minutes, and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] is the judge, not to mention the fact that he's all dressed up for the occasion. Quickstrike begs for mercy, saying he doesn't know what [[Tarantulas]]'s intentions for destroying the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'']] were, but offers to hunt him down for Megatron. Suddenly, the sensors detect an energy surge on a ballistic approach for the base. Tarantulas and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] both detect the surge as well and recognize that it can only be one thing.

The aliens are back.

[[Image:OtherVictories clash.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Flying Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]
The Predacons' automated defenses are ineffective against the anomaly, and Megatron orders them to abandon the base. Making contact, the energy ball destroys the Predacon ship instantly. [[Optimus Primal]] heads for the base, fearing that the spark of [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]] may have been destroyed, and sends [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] to assist.

From the ashes of the Predacon base, the alien Transformer appears and introduces himself as Tigerhawk, emissary of the [[Vok]]. He dispatches the other Predacons with ease, then sentences Megatron to death for his interference with the timestream. The two battle, but Tigerhawk is victorious. During the fight, Cheetor is incapacitated. As Tigerhawk prepares the killing blow, Optimus arrives. Tigerhawk greets him in a friendly manner, but asks him not to interfere. Optimus tries to explain Megatron's situation, but is entombed in the earth for his efforts. However, Tigerhawk is attacked by Tarantulas's spider drones, which allows Tarantulas to drag him to his lair. Meanwhile, an unconscious Cheetor dreams that he is visited by the sparks of Tigatron and Airazor, who fuse together before he is attacked by the two Vok seen in the beginning of the episode. He wakes up to see the fused spark, which guides him to the lair and the emissary.

[[Image:Tarantulas death.JPG|right|150px|thumb|The most hardcore death of ''Beast Wars''.]]
At the lair, Tigerhawk revives and claims to know Tarantulas. The mad scientist states that he intends to use Tigerhawk to destroy the [[Maximal|Maximals]] while he detonates the ''Ark''. He also reveals why he wants to destroy it: Tarantulas and the [[Tripredacus Council]] are not descendants of the [[Autobot|Autobots]] and the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], but have "other origins". This would allow them to control [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and conquer the universe. Cheetor jumps in around this time and looks on amazed at the scene. As Tarantulas activates the deprogramming device, the two Vok entities emerge from Tigerhawk's mouth and enter him. The device then shoots a bolt of energy at Tarantulas, which throws him into a nearby [[Energon crystal]]. The crystal detonates, destroying Tarantulas and the two aliens in a freakish yet totally hardcore manner. Cheetor manages to drag Tigerhawk out, but is knocked unconscious when the lair explodes.

Optimus locates Cheetor and Tigerhawk as the merged sparks of Tigatron and Airazor enter the emissary. Welcoming their old friends and new friend back, the Maximals depart for home…as Megatron watches on.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (3)
*[[Tigatron]] (4)
*[[Tigerhawk]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (13)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (14)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (15)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (16)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (17)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (6)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Dinobot II]] (8)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (9)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (10)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (11)
*[[Tarantulas]] (12)

|c4=*Magenta-eyed [[Vok]] (1)
*Yellow-eyed Vok (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ooooo, Waspinator ''like'' defense! A little ''more'' defense, and maybe Waspinator not get blown up all the time!" 
''gulp'' "Looks like this is my last round-up." 
"Aheh-ahem! Two-Head throw Megatron in lava pit. Megatron ''angry''. Think Two-Head a traitor. Want to ''slag'' Two-Head. Waspinator down with that!"
:—'''Waspinator''' "defends" '''Quickstrike'''

"I -- I plum don't know! But I do know this. That dang spider double-crossed ''both'' of us. I'd be happy to track him down for ya, a-and kick his keister!" 
"Ah hah hah. 'Dang spider'. I applaud your good intentions. But we are ''through'' being lenient with traitors!"
:—'''Quickstrike''' learns that '''Megatron''' is no longer [[Master Blaster|tolerant of treachery.]]

"Well, i-i-if it's not a comet, what is it?" 
"Somethin' I thought we'd never see again."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Rhinox''', monitoring Tigerhawk's approach toward prehistoric Earth

"Looks like the Beast Wars are over... FOR THE PREDS! Eheheh! Eheheh!" ''[looks for high-five]''
:—'''Rattrap''' after the Predacon base is destroyed.

"They're back... just like Tarantulas always said they'd be."
:—'''Blackarachnia'''

"I am Tigerhawk, emissary of the Vok. Your form's changed, but I know you, Megatron. The Vok charge you with the willful disruption of time and space. Surrender to me immediately. Violence will not be tolerated." 
[''chuckles''] "Megatrons do not surrender." [''transforms to robot mode''] "We conquer! Predacons, attack!"
:—'''Tigerhawk''' and '''Megatron'''

"This is my world now. YOU have no place in it!"
:—'''Megatron''' has a low opinion of squatters.

"Just when things were finally looking up... eheheh... we're all gonna die."
:—'''Rattrap''' after the situation has been explained to him.

"You're insane!" 
"So they say. Brrrrar!"
:—'''Tarantulas''' proves '''Tigerhawk''''s assertion

==Notes==
* Cheetor has his last of four strange dreams in this episode, wherein Airazor and Tigatron appear to him and fuse together before his eyes. When he wakes up, he sees and follows the new joint spark over the landscape. He also sees the Vok in this dream before he sees them in real life, perhaps because Tigerhawk shows him or perhaps precognitive.
* Not only is this the first time that Airazor and Tigatron have appeared since being abducted in "[[Other Visits (Part 1)|Other Visits]]," it's the first time they've even been mentioned by other characters. Some friends the Maximals are.
**This is debatable. Optimus makes a remark in "Transmutate", that is a definite reference to Dinobot's death, but given the fact that it was not too long after Tigatron and Airrazor disappeared, it could well apply to them, too. However, "Other Visits: Part 2" was the last time before this episode that the two were mentioned by name.
* In the comics continuity, Tarantulas survives this encounter and really used it as a means to absorb the Vok. That makes the fact that this super genius character idiotically killed himself by repeatedly blasting his death ray machine thing until it turned around and killed him... a little easier to swallow.
* This episode [[To sell toys|really wants you to buy a Tigerhawk toy]]. Can you tell?
* This is the last episode to show Tarantulas, The Vok, Tigatron, Airazor and the [[Darksyde]].

===Continuity errors===
*Despite being described as having "different origins" than being Decepticon descendants, in "[[The Agenda (Part 1)|The Agenda]]," the Tripredacus Council specifically refer to the Decepticons as being their ancestors while talking ''in private to themselves''. Bit of a glaring [[Retcon|retcon]] there. (We could be charitable and assume they meant the Decepticon-born [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]].)
*Considering at least some time has passed since the last episode, there's no logical explanation for why no one had bothered to explain to Rattrap that Megatron now had the original Megatron's spark and thus why he needed it explained to him in this episode. Nor has Rattrap been portrayed as anything but intelligent up until this point so that he'd need this explained to him a second time if we're to assume they did tell him and he just... forgot. This was likely only done to serve as exposition for the audience.

===Technical/animation glitches===
*During one shot as the Predacons are scrambling to battle stations before Tigerhawk arrives, Megatron's eyes are green instead of red.
*During one shot as the Predacons open fire on Tigerhawk, Dinobot II fires a green beam instead of a red one.

===Transformers references===
*The ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' is seen on Tarantulas's computer. It would have significance in the [[Nemesis Part 1|series]] [[Nemesis Part 2|finale]].

===Real-world references===
[[Image:TarantulasVok SignOfTheCross.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"The power of [[Christmas]] compels you!"]]
* As the Vok approach Tarantulas, he attempts to ward them off by forming a [[Jesus|crucifix]] with his fingers, a sacred item often used to ward off [[Energy vampire|vampires]] in folklore.
* During Quickstrike's court-martial, Megatron wears a barrister's wig like those worn by British attorneys and judges. Inferno acts as stenographer (complete with typewriter).

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals'' — We Have Returned ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 4 ([[Universal]])
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals'' — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Third Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 3 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Transmutate (episode)

2010-07-31T12:55:38Z

99.245.165.68: /* Continuity */

{{disambig2|the Beast Wars cartoon episode|the spotlight character of this episode|Transmutate (character)}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=36
|image=Transmutate base.jpg
|caption=You cried. Don't lie!
|title="Transmutate"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[March 10]], 1998
|written by=[[Christy Marx]]
|directed by=[[J. Falconer]] [[Sean Osborne]] [[George Samilski]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''A strange creature emerges from a damaged stasis pod, and both Rampage and Silverbolt find a strange type of kinship with it.'''

:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Mutation'''
:''Japanese title:'' カニじゃい! (''Kani Jai!'', "I'm a Crab!")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Transmutante'''
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Transmutante'''
:''Italian title:'' '''L'arrivo di Convertor''' ("Arrival of Convertor")
:''Brazilian name:'' '''Transmutante''' ("Transmutant")

==Synopsis==
Within the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]], Megatron dozes in his quarters, an opportunity which Rampage uses to make a grab for his Spark. His efforts earn him nothing but painful punishment and a sharp rebuke from the suddenly-awake Predacon leader.

[[Image:Transmutate Pod.jpg|left|200px|thumb|That's a fancy looking pod.]]
Elsewhere, Rattrap, Silverbolt and Cheetor are searching for another Pred jamming tower in a mountainous, seismically unstable region; Megatron monitors them, and sends Inferno and Rampage to deal with them. Worried about the growing earthquakes, Primal heads out to back up his teammates. A huge earth tremor emits strange energon discharges, knocking out Rattrap and Cheetor and burying them under a rock slide. The quake also uncovers a buried stasis pod; Megatron immediately sends Inferno after it; Rampage follows.

Inferno arrives at the pod, which is badly malfunctioning. Silverbolt arrives and takes him out of the picture. Rampage arrives, intrigued by the pod's contents. As its computer warns that "deconstruction" is "imminent", he urges the powerful spark within to fight its way free. With a mighty shriek, the pod explodes, releasing its passenger.

[[Image:Transmutate Rampage.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo.]]
Rattrap and Cheetor free themselves, and behold the new arrival: a strangely misshapen, almost skeletal creature. Rampage is impressed. He urges the newcomer to destroy the Maximals; Silverbolt counters that they offer friendship. The new robot doesn't seem to know what to make of either side, until Inferno returns, opening fire on the Maximals but hitting the new arrival instead. In response, it unleashes a sonic shriek that shorts out the Maximals and drives Inferno off. As the last one standing, Rampage leads "Transmutate" away, telling it that he is its only friend.

Away from the others, Rampage examines Transmutate. Inferno catches up and demands to return the creature to Megatron. Rampage is prepared to fight it out, till Megatron sends a holo-communicator to speak with the new creature. When it can't even transform, he deems it worthless and orders it destroyed; Rampage pleads to give it a chance to destroy the Maximal to prove its worth. Megatron agrees.

[[Image:Transmutate Silverbolt.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Silverbolt attempts to communicate via sign language.]]
Primal and Silverbolt split up to hunt for Transmutate, sending the others back. Rampage uses Transmutate to lure Silverbolt into an ambush; he and Inferno blast the Maximal unconscious. When Transmutate hesitates to finish off Silverbolt, Inferno bashes it aside and prepares to finish the job himself. Transmutate responds by blasting him over the horizon. Primal arrives and buries Rampage; Silverbolt's intervention keeps Transmutate from blasting Primal in defense of its friend. Primal and Transmutate take Silverbolt away, Transmutate revealing that it can fly. Rampage breaks free and promises that Primal will not have the creature.

At the Maximal base, Rhinox scans the creature and finds that its malformed structure and datatrax make it a danger to itself and everyone else. He recommends putting it into stasis, a suggestion that angers Silverbolt. As the team argues, Transmutate wanders off, then bursts out of the base in response to a call from Rampage. A still-fuming Silverbolt stalks off. Primal orders the team to find Transmutate.

[[Image:BWTransmutate Rampage mourning.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Alas, poor Transmutate, we knew her for one episode.]]
Rampage welcomes Transmutate, but Silverbolt arrives, and a fight ensues, with Transmutate watching unhappily. As the two struggle, they eventually launch weapons. Transmutate lands between the opposing missiles of its two friends with a cry of "Stop!"; its energies destroy the missiles but overloads the creature, destroying it.

Rampage cradles the creature's head in his hands as its spark fades out. As Primal arrives, Silverbolt urges him to leave Rampage be; they are "brothers" for the moment, both mourning the loss.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Rattrap]] (3)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (6)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]
|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (2)
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (8)

|c4=
*[[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]] (9)

}}
==Quotes==
"Man, I am tellin' ya, the things coming out of these pods is just getting weirder and weirder."
:—'''Rattrap''' on spotting the title character.

"Do not speak. None shall hurt you now. Come with me, come. I will protect you... I am your friend. Your only friend."
:—'''Rampage''' shows his compassionate side to Transmutate.

'''Inferno''': "Speak up! I won't have you freaks plotting behind [[Megatron (BW)|the Royalty]]'s back!" 
'''Rampage''': "I was explaining what it means to be a Predacon. Deceit, treachery, ''mindless'' loyalty." 
'''Inferno''': "Loyalty comes first!" *nod*
:—Inferno has his priorities straight.

"Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a subtle blend of mech-fluid and grated gears?"
:—'''Rampage''' being creepy again

"NOOO! You will not have him, Optimus! The darkness of its Spark echoes my own! It belongs with me!"
:—'''Rampage'''

"Are we Predacons now?! Do we destroy whatever does not fit our definition of perfection?!"
:—'''Silverbolt''', who is very pissed off that the rest of the Maximals want to put Transmutate into stasis-lock.

''[to Transmutate]'' "I knew you wouldn't fail me. We are two of a kind. We belong together." 
"Stop! This one is not for you." 
"It is only for me!"
:—'''Rampage''' and '''Silverbolt'''

"No hurt."
:—'''Transmutate''', during Silverbolt and Rampage's fight

"Time to go back to the Matrix, hero!"
:—'''Rampage''', before firing on Silverbolt

"[[Silverbolt (BW)|Friend… good]]. [[Rampage (BW)|Friend… dark]]. I… am… hurt."
:—'''Transmutate''''s last words

"It's over. It's gone. We extinguished its Spark before we ever saw its true light."
:—'''Silverbolt''', mourning Transmutate

'''Optimus Primal:''' Cheetor and I will take care of Rampage. 
'''Silverbolt:''' No. Let him be. For the moment, we are brothers.
:—Silverbolt showing mercy towards Rampage after Transmutate's death.

==Notes==
* When new, this episode was at the center of an April Fool's joke gone horribly, horribly wrong. A copy of the script was altered by persons unknown at [[Mainframe Entertainment]] to include some rather lurid scenes, such as [[Rattrap]] mounting Transmutate. Regardless of whomever the victim of the joke was intended to be, the altered script found its way onto [[alt.toys.transformers]], to the horrified chagrin of the fandom.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_frm/thread/a0692716a917082/2e1b7bbc8c17d4bb?hl=en&lnk=st&q=#2e1b7bbc8c17d4bb It's like a wreck on the freeway.]</ref><ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/d437ac801e991775?hl=en&&q=transmutate+script You don't want to look, but you know you will.]</ref>
* As if that weren't bad enough, the script was leaked ''before'' the episode actually aired in the United States, leaving the fandom debating whether the entire story, and the naughty bits in particular, were actually legitimate.
* This episode features one of the rare instances of Inferno referring to Megatron by name rather than as "Royalty" or "my queen."
* This is the first episode of the series in which Waspinator does not appear.

===Technical/Animation glitches===
* At the very beginning of the episode, Megatron's energon-infusion bag disappears between two angled shots.
* Rampage just can't keep himself together in this episode. When Transmutate unleashes a burst of energy upon exiting its pod, Rampage is missing his robot mode "[[kibble]]". He is also missing it while he is trying to step on Silverbolt during the last battle. In many other scenes in this episode, Rampage's back kibble is present but out of alignment.
* Similarly, when Silverbolt declares to Rampage "This one is not for you!", he's missing his wing assembly.
* How the hell is Cheetor holding Rattrap in mid-air by the tail? His paws lack opposable thumbs!
* When Rampage drives up to the cliff where Transmutate's stasis pod in tank mode, just before he transforms to robot mode, his crawler treads just disappear. They don't retract, just vanish.
* Not exactly a glitch but a sequence of poor direction: when the Maximals awaken after the first time Transmutate zaps them, we hear a sound effect and then Silverbolt says "Optimus--thank the Matrix!".... but we don't actually see Optimus.

===Continuity===
* When leaving to help Cheetor, Rattrap, and Silverbolt, Optimus makes a remark about not wanting to lose any more friends. This is a reference to Dinobot (who died in the previous episode), and most likely also a nod to Tigatron and Airrazor (who were abducted by the Vok a few episodes earlier).

===Continuity errors===
* Rampage matter-of-factly calls the protoform "Transmutate" several minutes before the sequence in which he asks it for its name and then slowly "figures out" that it should be Transmutate.

===Transformers references===
*[[Rattrap]] claims that [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] is his great-aunt.
*Also, [[Susan Blu]], Arcee's voice actor, provided the voice of Transmutate.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals'' — I'm a Crab! ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 7 ([[Universal]])
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Second Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Transmutate (episode)

2010-07-31T12:55:16Z

99.245.165.68: Adding Continuity section

{{disambig2|the Beast Wars cartoon episode|the spotlight character of this episode|Transmutate (character)}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=36
|image=Transmutate base.jpg
|caption=You cried. Don't lie!
|title="Transmutate"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[March 10]], 1998
|written by=[[Christy Marx]]
|directed by=[[J. Falconer]] [[Sean Osborne]] [[George Samilski]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''A strange creature emerges from a damaged stasis pod, and both Rampage and Silverbolt find a strange type of kinship with it.'''

:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Mutation'''
:''Japanese title:'' カニじゃい! (''Kani Jai!'', "I'm a Crab!")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Transmutante'''
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Transmutante'''
:''Italian title:'' '''L'arrivo di Convertor''' ("Arrival of Convertor")
:''Brazilian name:'' '''Transmutante''' ("Transmutant")

==Synopsis==
Within the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]], Megatron dozes in his quarters, an opportunity which Rampage uses to make a grab for his Spark. His efforts earn him nothing but painful punishment and a sharp rebuke from the suddenly-awake Predacon leader.

[[Image:Transmutate Pod.jpg|left|200px|thumb|That's a fancy looking pod.]]
Elsewhere, Rattrap, Silverbolt and Cheetor are searching for another Pred jamming tower in a mountainous, seismically unstable region; Megatron monitors them, and sends Inferno and Rampage to deal with them. Worried about the growing earthquakes, Primal heads out to back up his teammates. A huge earth tremor emits strange energon discharges, knocking out Rattrap and Cheetor and burying them under a rock slide. The quake also uncovers a buried stasis pod; Megatron immediately sends Inferno after it; Rampage follows.

Inferno arrives at the pod, which is badly malfunctioning. Silverbolt arrives and takes him out of the picture. Rampage arrives, intrigued by the pod's contents. As its computer warns that "deconstruction" is "imminent", he urges the powerful spark within to fight its way free. With a mighty shriek, the pod explodes, releasing its passenger.

[[Image:Transmutate Rampage.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo.]]
Rattrap and Cheetor free themselves, and behold the new arrival: a strangely misshapen, almost skeletal creature. Rampage is impressed. He urges the newcomer to destroy the Maximals; Silverbolt counters that they offer friendship. The new robot doesn't seem to know what to make of either side, until Inferno returns, opening fire on the Maximals but hitting the new arrival instead. In response, it unleashes a sonic shriek that shorts out the Maximals and drives Inferno off. As the last one standing, Rampage leads "Transmutate" away, telling it that he is its only friend.

Away from the others, Rampage examines Transmutate. Inferno catches up and demands to return the creature to Megatron. Rampage is prepared to fight it out, till Megatron sends a holo-communicator to speak with the new creature. When it can't even transform, he deems it worthless and orders it destroyed; Rampage pleads to give it a chance to destroy the Maximal to prove its worth. Megatron agrees.

[[Image:Transmutate Silverbolt.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Silverbolt attempts to communicate via sign language.]]
Primal and Silverbolt split up to hunt for Transmutate, sending the others back. Rampage uses Transmutate to lure Silverbolt into an ambush; he and Inferno blast the Maximal unconscious. When Transmutate hesitates to finish off Silverbolt, Inferno bashes it aside and prepares to finish the job himself. Transmutate responds by blasting him over the horizon. Primal arrives and buries Rampage; Silverbolt's intervention keeps Transmutate from blasting Primal in defense of its friend. Primal and Transmutate take Silverbolt away, Transmutate revealing that it can fly. Rampage breaks free and promises that Primal will not have the creature.

At the Maximal base, Rhinox scans the creature and finds that its malformed structure and datatrax make it a danger to itself and everyone else. He recommends putting it into stasis, a suggestion that angers Silverbolt. As the team argues, Transmutate wanders off, then bursts out of the base in response to a call from Rampage. A still-fuming Silverbolt stalks off. Primal orders the team to find Transmutate.

[[Image:BWTransmutate Rampage mourning.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Alas, poor Transmutate, we knew her for one episode.]]
Rampage welcomes Transmutate, but Silverbolt arrives, and a fight ensues, with Transmutate watching unhappily. As the two struggle, they eventually launch weapons. Transmutate lands between the opposing missiles of its two friends with a cry of "Stop!"; its energies destroy the missiles but overloads the creature, destroying it.

Rampage cradles the creature's head in his hands as its spark fades out. As Primal arrives, Silverbolt urges him to leave Rampage be; they are "brothers" for the moment, both mourning the loss.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Rattrap]] (3)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (6)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]
|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (2)
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (8)

|c4=
*[[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]] (9)

}}
==Quotes==
"Man, I am tellin' ya, the things coming out of these pods is just getting weirder and weirder."
:—'''Rattrap''' on spotting the title character.

"Do not speak. None shall hurt you now. Come with me, come. I will protect you... I am your friend. Your only friend."
:—'''Rampage''' shows his compassionate side to Transmutate.

'''Inferno''': "Speak up! I won't have you freaks plotting behind [[Megatron (BW)|the Royalty]]'s back!" 
'''Rampage''': "I was explaining what it means to be a Predacon. Deceit, treachery, ''mindless'' loyalty." 
'''Inferno''': "Loyalty comes first!" *nod*
:—Inferno has his priorities straight.

"Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a subtle blend of mech-fluid and grated gears?"
:—'''Rampage''' being creepy again

"NOOO! You will not have him, Optimus! The darkness of its Spark echoes my own! It belongs with me!"
:—'''Rampage'''

"Are we Predacons now?! Do we destroy whatever does not fit our definition of perfection?!"
:—'''Silverbolt''', who is very pissed off that the rest of the Maximals want to put Transmutate into stasis-lock.

''[to Transmutate]'' "I knew you wouldn't fail me. We are two of a kind. We belong together." 
"Stop! This one is not for you." 
"It is only for me!"
:—'''Rampage''' and '''Silverbolt'''

"No hurt."
:—'''Transmutate''', during Silverbolt and Rampage's fight

"Time to go back to the Matrix, hero!"
:—'''Rampage''', before firing on Silverbolt

"[[Silverbolt (BW)|Friend… good]]. [[Rampage (BW)|Friend… dark]]. I… am… hurt."
:—'''Transmutate''''s last words

"It's over. It's gone. We extinguished its Spark before we ever saw its true light."
:—'''Silverbolt''', mourning Transmutate

'''Optimus Primal:''' Cheetor and I will take care of Rampage. 
'''Silverbolt:''' No. Let him be. For the moment, we are brothers.
:—Silverbolt showing mercy towards Rampage after Transmutate's death.

==Notes==
* When new, this episode was at the center of an April Fool's joke gone horribly, horribly wrong. A copy of the script was altered by persons unknown at [[Mainframe Entertainment]] to include some rather lurid scenes, such as [[Rattrap]] mounting Transmutate. Regardless of whomever the victim of the joke was intended to be, the altered script found its way onto [[alt.toys.transformers]], to the horrified chagrin of the fandom.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_frm/thread/a0692716a917082/2e1b7bbc8c17d4bb?hl=en&lnk=st&q=#2e1b7bbc8c17d4bb It's like a wreck on the freeway.]</ref><ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/d437ac801e991775?hl=en&&q=transmutate+script You don't want to look, but you know you will.]</ref>
* As if that weren't bad enough, the script was leaked ''before'' the episode actually aired in the United States, leaving the fandom debating whether the entire story, and the naughty bits in particular, were actually legitimate.
* This episode features one of the rare instances of Inferno referring to Megatron by name rather than as "Royalty" or "my queen."
* This is the first episode of the series in which Waspinator does not appear.

===Technical/Animation glitches===
* At the very beginning of the episode, Megatron's energon-infusion bag disappears between two angled shots.
* Rampage just can't keep himself together in this episode. When Transmutate unleashes a burst of energy upon exiting its pod, Rampage is missing his robot mode "[[kibble]]". He is also missing it while he is trying to step on Silverbolt during the last battle. In many other scenes in this episode, Rampage's back kibble is present but out of alignment.
* Similarly, when Silverbolt declares to Rampage "This one is not for you!", he's missing his wing assembly.
* How the hell is Cheetor holding Rattrap in mid-air by the tail? His paws lack opposable thumbs!
* When Rampage drives up to the cliff where Transmutate's stasis pod in tank mode, just before he transforms to robot mode, his crawler treads just disappear. They don't retract, just vanish.
* Not exactly a glitch but a sequence of poor direction: when the Maximals awaken after the first time Transmutate zaps them, we hear a sound effect and then Silverbolt says "Optimus--thank the Matrix!".... but we don't actually see Optimus.

===Continuity===
- When leaving to help Cheetor, Rattrap, and Silverbolt, Optimus makes a remark about not wanting to lose any more friends. This is a reference to Dinobot (who died in the previous episode), and most likely also a nod to Tigatron and Airrazor (who were abducted by the Vok a few episodes earlier).

===Continuity errors===
* Rampage matter-of-factly calls the protoform "Transmutate" several minutes before the sequence in which he asks it for its name and then slowly "figures out" that it should be Transmutate.

===Transformers references===
*[[Rattrap]] claims that [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] is his great-aunt.
*Also, [[Susan Blu]], Arcee's voice actor, provided the voice of Transmutate.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals'' — I'm a Crab! ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 7 ([[Universal]])
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Second Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]