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A Bridge Too Close, Part II

2020-04-29T05:35:43Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=29
|ep2=26
|prev2=A Bridge Too Close, Part I
|next2=TransWarped
|image=TFA ABTC Megatron monologue.JPG
|caption= And don't forget my [[cy-gar]]s!
|title="A Bridge Too Close, Part II"
|airdate=[[June 28]], 2008 (Canada) [[July 5]], 2008 (US)
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Noboro Huruse]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The fates of Cybertron and Earth lie in the balance as Optimus Prime and his Autobots battle Megatron and his Decepticons in a fight to the finish for the AllSpark.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:ABridgeTooCloseII-Mixmasteroilburst.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|left| "'Ey! I was drinkin' dat!"]]

[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] and [[Starscream clone (Animated)|his clones]] swoop into the [[Decepticon]]s' mine headquarters and concentrate their fire on [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Chaos erupts as the [[Autobot]]s free themselves and start tackling the clones, and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] attempt to deactivate the [[space bridge]]. Mixmaster is attacked by the [[Thundercracker (Animated)|Egomaniac Starscream]] and binds him in cement, while [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] [[stasis cuffs]] the [[Skywarp (Animated)|coward]]. As fast as he is, though, Blurr fails to get out of the way of Thundercracker, who crashes into both him and Skywarp, getting them caught in his cement overcoat and sending them all tumbling into the space bridge. Bulkhead attempts to recall them, but explains that the targeting coordinates of the bridge were never set, meaning that they could have been sent anywhere in the galaxy. Before he can complete his task, he is attacked by the [[Slipstream (Animated)|female clone]], but she overpowers him and hits him with stasis cuffs. Simultaneously, Megatron and Starscream engage in a one-on-one duel, but the balance doesn't last long, as the female and [[Ramjet (Animated)|the Liar]] approach Megatron from behind. [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], of all 'Bots, comes to Megatron's rescue, though the irony is not lost on the two combatants.

Meanwhile, on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] finishes loading the [[AllSpark]] fragments into Teletran-1's [[spark]] chamber. [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] uses the [[AllSpark Key]] to jump-start the craft, but still can't fathom why Ratchet is talking to the ship...until the ship talks back! Ratchet explains that the ship used to be a warrior who sacrificed his spark to win the Great War, and whose body has been in a state of modified stasis ever since.

[[File:TFA ABTC2 Head Starscream.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|right|Total ownage, n00b.]]

Back in the mine, Prime and Megatron continue battling the remaining Starscream clones, but Megatron is not above seizing Prime and using him as a shield. He calls for Mixmaster, currently battling [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], to focus his efforts on the "head Starscream," giving Professor Sumdac an idea. Just as the clones overpower Megatron and Starscream prepares to finish him, Sumdac clambers inside the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit and uses it to decapitate Starscream and take over his body. As Sumdac-Starscream lunges for Megatron, however, the Decepticon leader makes it clear that he is not impressed, and he blasts the Headmaster and Sumdac clean off Starscream's body. With Starscream now in two pieces and thoroughly defeated, the clones swear loyalty to Megatron.

Back on Dinobot Island, Ratchet and Sari put the AllSpark Key to work repairing the ship's memory core. The ship comments that it is unable to see, and Ratchet explains that's because it's buried in a cliff and that getting out is priority number one. With another Key boost to help, the ship fires up its engines and manages to tear itself free and take to the air once more.

In the mine, things are looking bad for the Autobots—they've all been stasis-cuffed, Professor Sumdac is a captive again, and Scrapper has found [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]. Prowl tries a mind-over-matter style of humming (which is annoying Bumblebee) to get rid of the Stasis Cuffs. Bulkhead was surprised he could do that. However, he said it was only in theory, as he never actually ''completed'' his Cyber-Ninja training. In true supervillain style, Megatron explains to the Autobots that he plans to use the space bridge to lead his Decepticons in an attack on the under-protected [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], where they will take over the entire space bridge network and transport the entire Decepticon army to the planet. Bulkhead notes that the space bridge requires a receiving code to work, which would mean Megatron would have to have someone on Cybertron, but Bumblebee points out that there ''is'' someone: [[Wasp]], the spy he caught at [[Autoboot Camp|boot camp]]. Someone is eager to correct Bumblebee, however, as Megatron's true double agent, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], appears on a monitor and reveals how he, as Longarm Prime, deceived Bumblebee so long ago. With the theatricalities and exposition complete, Megatron prepares to toss Optimus Prime through the space bridge as a test, when suddenly, the base is rocked by heavy fire from outside. Teletran-1 has arrived!

[[File:ABridgeTooCloseII-OmegaSupremeRobotMode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.85| "Stock footage? Bite me."]]

The fight moves outside as the Starscream clones, Lugnut and Blitzwing all lay siege to the Autobot ship, which is quickly overpowered by the onslaught and begins to fall out of the sky. With another burst of AllSpark Key power to boost its systems, Ratchet has the ship activate its emergency defense system, codename: Omega. As the shocked Decepticons look on, the ship transforms into a colossal [[robot mode]]—the mountainous [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]!

[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] directs the Decepticons to fire on his legs to bring him down, and the move succeeds, but Ratchet links his own systems up to Omega to give him the strength he needs to rise back up and strike back. A hail of lasers and missiles is unleashed upon the villains as Omega strikes, kicks and headbutts them all across the battlefield.

[[File:TFA ABTC sacrifice.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.85|Omega Supreme, no! You're too cool to die so soon!]]
Down in the mine, as the Constructicons clear rubble away from the space bridge and Megatron prepares to continue his test, Prowl successfully employs a [[processor-over-matter]] focusing technique to escape his stasis cuffs. Just as Prime is about to disappear through the bridge, Prowl hurls a [[shuriken]] that breaks his leader's cuffs, enabling him to fire his grappling line and haul himself to safety. At this point, the space bridge shuts down, and Megatron quickly deduces that the AllSpark fragment powering it is not strong enough. Luckily for him, he has another one—and he promptly grabs Starscream's head and stuffs it in the power core, along with the fragment the head contains. This, however, causes the core to overload and the bridge to malfunction. As it begins to pull in all surrounding material, Shockwave reports that the destination code has been deleted and that the bridge could send them anywhere. Even in defeat, Megatron attempts to take Prime with him, but before he can fire the blast that will rid him of the Autobot leader, Prime manages to slap a pair of stasis cuffs on Megatron, immobilizing him and causing his body to be sucked into the space bridge. Prowl and Prime free Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Sumdac, but the bridge still threatens to consume the entire state until help comes from above in the form of Omega Supreme. Omega blocks the bridge with his massive body and absorbs its [[transwarp]] energies, willing to sacrifice himself once more to save the Autobots. After ejecting Sari and Ratchet from his body, Omega is sucked into the bridge, which collapses in upon itself and vanishes in a dramatic implosion. As Sari and her father are reunited at last, the mine begins to cave in, and the Autobots escape while the Constructicons are buried alive attempting to save their oil.

[[File:TFA ABTC Sari spoilers.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|...There's no way we can make a funny without being [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|jerk]]s.]]
Retreating to the edge of a nearby cliff that overlooks the destruction, the Autobots reflect on the fact that Omega is probably still out there, somewhere. As Sumdac expresses relief that the whole ordeal is over, Sari once again tells the Autobots that she knew her father could never have betrayed them to the Decepticons. However, even as she espouses her father's honesty, Sari looks down at a cut on her arm...and beneath her skin, she and all around her are shocked to see the sparking circuitry of robotics. Terrified and confused, Sari clutches her arm and takes a few steps away from her father, who explains that they...need to talk...

[[File:TFA ABTC2 Megatron Screamer End.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|right|Next, on ''Crossfire''...]]
Somewhere out in the endless void of space, Megatron and the decapitated Starscream float aimlessly in the cosmic night, with nothing to do but snark back and forth at each other.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (10)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] (11)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (12)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (16)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (20)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] (2)
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]] (3)
*[[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (4)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (5)
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]] (6)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (8)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (9)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (14)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (15)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime / Shockwave]] (21)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (17)

|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Thundercracker, the Egomaniac Starscream''': Fool! A mere construction-bot is no match for ''my'' superior firepower. 
'''Mixmaster''': Oh, really. Well, you know where you can stick it? 
''(Traps the clone with a glob of adhesive goo)'' 
'''Thundercracker''': Impossible! You cannot defeat me! You are not worthy! You are inferior! And your joke stinks!
:—Arrogance claims yet another [[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscream]].

'''Slipstream''': WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!! AIM FOR HIS SPARK CHAMBER! 
'''Starscream''': ''(Mocking her)'' 'Aim for his spark chamber!' Don't tell me how to slag Megatron! I was slagging Megatron when you were still a dream in my spark! 
'''Slipstream''': And look how well that turned out!
:—Ah! '''Screamer''' and '''Streamer'''! Don't they make a lovely couple?

"It's not like you to hide behind an Autobot." 
"But it's ''completely'' like you to hide behind an army of cheap [[knockoff]]s."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Megatron''' always discuss each other's flaws—even in the midst of battle.

'''Starscream''': What are you waiting for? Destroy Megatron! Now! 
'''Slipstream''':...Any leader has to be an improvement over you! 
'''Sunstorm, the Sycophant Starscream''': Oh wise and great Megatron, you have truly proven your vast superiority! 
'''Ramjet, the Liar Starscream''': I will remain loyal to you forever! 
''[Kicks Starscream's body and walks over to Megatron]''
:—Starscream learns that his clones all share the worst aspect of his personality—his treachery.

'''Prowl''': ''*humming*'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Will you stop that stupid humming!? 
'''Prowl''': This "stupid humming" is a focusing technique. A trained [[Cyber-Ninja Corps|Cyber-Ninja]] can use [[Processor-over-matter]] to remove these cuffs. 
'''Bulkhead''': You can really do that? 
'''Prowl''': In theory... I never actually completed my Cyber-Ninja training.
:—'''Prowl's''' skills don't seem like what they're cracked up to be... [[Five Servos of Doom|yet.]]

'''Optimus''': I still don't see where all this "expertise" came from. 
'''Bulkhead''': I had a lot of time to study space bridge schematics back on the [[energon farm]]. I just had a knack for 'em, I guess. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, well, that's great. So the ''one thing'' you're good at is going to hand Cybertron over to the Decepticons.
:—Even after being declared a technical genius, Bulkhead still can't catch a break.

'''Megatron''': Decepticons! Prepare for our conquest of Cybertron! 
''[The Decepticons start cheering wildly.] 
'''Scrapper''': What's a Cybertron? 
'''Mixmaster''': I have no idea, he lost me at "Your fate is sealed now."
:—The Constructicons are in this for the oil, not the conquests.

'''Ratchet''': Careful not to fire on our friends! 
'''Sari Sumdac''': And try to get a visual of my dad! 
'''Omega Supreme''': Sure... what's a dad?
:—Omega Supreme is confused on the concept of organics and their paternal relationships. Bit like us really.

"Sari, we... need to talk."
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''''s entry in "The Understatement of the Year" competition.

'''Megatron:''' Stop ''staring'' at me. 
'''Starscream:''' No. ''You'' stop staring at ''me''! 
'''Megatron:''' Do you think I actually ''want'' to spend the rest of eternity gazing at your unsightly visage? 
'''Starscream:''' Trust me: your visage is no picnic either. And your face is ugly too! 
'''Megatron:''' Oh, someone just take me offline now... 
'''Starscream:''' What do you think I've been trying to ''do'' for the last four million stellar cycles?! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's funny, really, when you think about it. Tragic, but ''funny''! AHAHAHAHAHA! 
'''Megatron:''' Oh, shut up.
:—Stranded and helpless in space, Megatron and Starscream bicker to the end.

==Notes==
===Animation errors===
*When Skywarp is dodging Bumblebee's stinger blasts, his eyes shift to Autobot blue for a split-second.
*After Shockwave reveals to Bumblebee that he is Longarm Prime, the pan-across shot that follows shows Shockwave on the monitor. In the next close-up of the monitor, Longarm is shown transforming back into Shockwave.
*When Megatron closes in on Optimus to toss him into the space bridge, Sunstorm's face is dark grey instead of white.
*Just before Ratchet gives his "don't give up on me now" speech to Omega, there is a shot from the front showing Ratchet with Sari tucked into the mouth of his "backpack". In the next shot, it shows Ratchet from behind, with Sari ''on top of'' the backpack, and then switches back to the front view with Sari back in the gap.
*When Megatron is dragged into the Space Bridge, only one hand is cuffed. When we see him next, both of them are.
*When Ratchet was about to slam a button inside Omega Supreme, his hand was missing in one frame.
*When Starscream is holding Megatron's sword, the glow of his AllSpark Fragment isn't reflected but the rest of his face is.
*At many points in the episode, Slipstream is shown with the face (and [[chin]]) of her male counterparts.
*As Bulkhead says Bumblebee sent an innocent bot to the stockade, both Optimus and Prowl sit up despite being stasis-cuffed.

===Continuity errors===
*Several immobilised characters are shown in different positions to last episode:
**Lugnut and Blitzwing are shown lying face-down on the floor, when they were sitting back-to-back last episode.
**Bumblebee and Blurr apparently swapped positions in Scrapper's arms since last episode.

===Transformers references===
*Omega Supreme refers to the energy given off by the space bridge as [[Transwarp|Transwarp energy]], similar to the transwarp drives used in the [[Beast Era]].
*A Starscream lookalike [[The Transformers: The Movie|kicks his prone, defeated leader before walking away]]. However, [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick Wyatt]] later said this similarity had been a coincidence.
*[[Knockoff]]s? Oh my...

===Real-world references===
*The restoration of Omega Supreme's memory is very similar to the scene in ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey}}'' when Dave Bowman takes HAL-9000's higher functions offline (just in reverse).
*Prowl's humming forcing the stasis cuffs to open seems inspired by a similar sequence in British superspy spoof movie ''{{w|Johnny English}}'', where the titular hero attempts to escape a prison cell by whistling at the door-lock in the hope that the right frequency will cause the tumblers to rotate. Unlike Johnny however, Prowl succeeded. He is ''that'' awesome.

===Trivia===
[[File:TFA Headmaster unit facial expression changed.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|right|GASP!!!]]
*The Headmaster unit even works on Decepticons, whose armor is much tougher than Bulkhead's. Where did [[Headmaster (Animated)|Masterson]] get that cutting beam?
*Speaking of the Headmaster unit, this is the first time its facial expression has changed.
*Mixmaster is ''veeery'' disobedient in this episode. Megatron orders him to find Lugnut and Blitzwing at the start of the battle, but Scrapper does it instead. Then, after he cements Bumblebee to the wall, Megatron orders Mixmaster to attack Starscream, instead he just disappears until after Omega Supreme gets free. And yet Megatron never punishes him.
*In the shots after Slipstream yells "Aim for the legs", Lugnut is shown firing his engine pods (which are his hands in [[robot mode]]) as missiles at Omega. Those probably weren't supposed to come off. However he's shown doing the same thing a minute later, and this time in robot mode, so it isn't a lone animation error. One has to wonder where he keeps all the spare hands. Certainly nothing up his sleeve...
*Fans had been theorizing that the Autobot ship was Omega Supreme since quite literally the first episode.
*Fans had ''also'' been theorizing that Sari had a li'l bit of robot in her since the first episode too! [[Bee in the City|How silly!]]
*Fans did ''not'' theorize that when this episode premiered on YTV ''AND'' on Cartoon Network, the announcers would happily yammer inanely over the closing credits sequence of Megatron and Starscream insulting each other in space. The Cartoon Network repeat the following day aired the credits without incident, thankfully.
*It was said at [[BotCon 2008]] that the entire closing credits sequence was improvised.
*When Omega Supreme transforms, he uses the same transformation sound [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] used in the battle of Mission City when he was attacking [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]].
*When Omega Supreme is trying to get out of the cliff, some music from [[Transform and Roll Out|the movie]] can be heard.
*In this episode, this is the first time that Shockwave speaks with his real accent while still in Autobot mode as Longarm, indicating that he has to mask his voice in that mode.
*Several times after Starscream's head is cut off, he is shown with pupils.
*This episode, along with part 1, was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as "[[Transformers Animated Volume 13]]".

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La porte d'à côté, 2ème partie'''" ("The Next Door, 2nd Part")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Weltraumbrücke, Teil 2'''" ("The Spacebridge, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 31|31 July]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A un puente de distancia, parte 2'''" ("A bridge away, part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 13|13 December]] [[2008]]
::* Unfortunately, this was the last espisode being dubbed on Chile. The next season was changed to Colombia instead.

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Ponte Troppo Vicino (Seconda Parte)'''" ("A Bridge Too Close (Second Part)")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 11|11 April]] [[2009]]
::* Sadly, this is the last episode in the Italian dub of Animated. Season 3 was never dubbed for unknown reasons.

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kyōdai naru Chikara'''" (強大なる力, "The Enormous Power")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 25|25 September]] [[2010]]
::* Ratchet's turn on a new transforming [[stock footage]], with Blitzwing and Lugnut doing the intro.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Jeden Most Za Blisko, Część 2'''" ("A Bridge Too Close, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 7 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

A Bridge Too Close, Part II

2020-04-29T05:32:50Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=29
|ep2=26
|prev2=A Bridge Too Close, Part I
|next2=TransWarped
|image=TFA ABTC Megatron monologue.JPG
|caption= And don't forget my [[cy-gar]]s!
|title="A Bridge Too Close, Part II"
|airdate=[[June 28]], 2008 (Canada) [[July 5]], 2008 (US)
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Noboro Huruse]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The fates of Cybertron and Earth lie in the balance as Optimus Prime and his Autobots battle Megatron and his Decepticons in a fight to the finish for the AllSpark.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:ABridgeTooCloseII-Mixmasteroilburst.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|left| "'Ey! I was drinkin' dat!"]]

[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] and [[Starscream clone (Animated)|his clones]] swoop into the [[Decepticon]]s' mine headquarters and concentrate their fire on [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Chaos erupts as the [[Autobot]]s free themselves and start tackling the clones, and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] attempt to deactivate the [[space bridge]]. Mixmaster is attacked by the [[Thundercracker (Animated)|Egomaniac Starscream]] and binds him in cement, while [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] [[stasis cuffs]] the [[Skywarp (Animated)|coward]]. As fast as he is, though, Blurr fails to get out of the way of Thundercracker, who crashes into both him and Skywarp, getting them caught in his cement overcoat and sending them all tumbling into the space bridge. Bulkhead attempts to recall them, but explains that the targeting coordinates of the bridge were never set, meaning that they could have been sent anywhere in the galaxy. Before he can complete his task, he is attacked by the [[Slipstream (Animated)|female clone]], but she overpowers him and hits him with stasis cuffs. Simultaneously, Megatron and Starscream engage in a one-on-one duel, but the balance doesn't last long, as the female and [[Ramjet (Animated)|the Liar]] approach Megatron from behind. [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], of all 'Bots, comes to Megatron's rescue, though the irony is not lost on the two combatants.

Meanwhile, on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] finishes loading the [[AllSpark]] fragments into Teletran-1's [[spark]] chamber. [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] uses the [[AllSpark Key]] to jump-start the craft, but still can't fathom why Ratchet is talking to the ship...until the ship talks back! Ratchet explains that the ship used to be a warrior who sacrificed his spark to win the Great War, and whose body has been in a state of modified stasis ever since.

[[File:TFA ABTC2 Head Starscream.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|right|Total ownage, n00b.]]

Back in the mine, Prime and Megatron continue battling the remaining Starscream clones, but Megatron is not above seizing Prime and using him as a shield. He calls for Mixmaster, currently battling [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], to focus his efforts on the "head Starscream," giving Professor Sumdac an idea. Just as the clones overpower Megatron and Starscream prepares to finish him, Sumdac clambers inside the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit and uses it to decapitate Starscream and take over his body. As Sumdac-Starscream lunges for Megatron, however, the Decepticon leader makes it clear that he is not impressed, and he blasts the Headmaster and Sumdac clean off Starscream's body. With Starscream now in two pieces and thoroughly defeated, the clones swear loyalty to Megatron.

Back on Dinobot Island, Ratchet and Sari put the AllSpark Key to work repairing the ship's memory core. The ship comments that it is unable to see, and Ratchet explains that's because it's buried in a cliff and that getting out is priority number one. With another Key boost to help, the ship fires up its engines and manages to tear itself free and take to the air once more.

In the mine, things are looking bad for the Autobots—they've all been stasis-cuffed, Professor Sumdac is a captive again, and Scrapper has found [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]. Prowl tries a mind-over-matter style of humming (which is annoying Bumblebee) to get rid of the Stasis Cuffs. Bulkhead was surprised he could do that. However, he said it was only in theory, as he never actually ''completed'' his Cyber-Ninja training. In true supervillain style, Megatron explains to the Autobots that he plans to use the space bridge to lead his Decepticons in an attack on the under-protected [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], where they will take over the entire space bridge network and transport the entire Decepticon army to the planet. Bulkhead notes that the space bridge requires a receiving code to work, which would mean Megatron would have to have someone on Cybertron, but Bumblebee points out that there ''is'' someone: [[Wasp]], the spy he caught at [[Autoboot Camp|boot camp]]. Someone is eager to correct Bumblebee, however, as Megatron's true double agent, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], appears on a monitor and reveals how he, as Longarm Prime, deceived Bumblebee so long ago. With the theatricalities and exposition complete, Megatron prepares to toss Optimus Prime through the space bridge as a test, when suddenly, the base is rocked by heavy fire from outside. Teletran-1 has arrived!

[[File:ABridgeTooCloseII-OmegaSupremeRobotMode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.85| "Stock footage? Bite me."]]

The fight moves outside as the Starscream clones, Lugnut and Blitzwing all lay siege to the Autobot ship, which is quickly overpowered by the onslaught and begins to fall out of the sky. With another burst of AllSpark Key power to boost its systems, Ratchet has the ship activate its emergency defense system, codename: Omega. As the shocked Decepticons look on, the ship transforms into a colossal [[robot mode]]—the mountainous [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]!

[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] directs the Decepticons to fire on his legs to bring him down, and the move succeeds, but Ratchet links his own systems up to Omega to give him the strength he needs to rise back up and strike back. A hail of lasers and missiles is unleashed upon the villains as Omega strikes, kicks and headbutts them all across the battlefield.

[[File:TFA ABTC sacrifice.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.85|Omega Supreme, no! You're too cool to die so soon!]]
Down in the mine, as the Constructicons clear rubble away from the space bridge and Megatron prepares to continue his test, Prowl successfully employs a [[processor-over-matter]] focusing technique to escape his stasis cuffs. Just as Prime is about to disappear through the bridge, Prowl hurls a [[shuriken]] that breaks his leader's cuffs, enabling him to fire his grappling line and haul himself to safety. At this point, the space bridge shuts down, and Megatron quickly deduces that the AllSpark fragment powering it is not strong enough. Luckily for him, he has another one—and he promptly grabs Starscream's head and stuffs it in the power core, along with the fragment the head contains. This, however, causes the core to overload and the bridge to malfunction. As it begins to pull in all surrounding material, Shockwave reports that the destination code has been deleted and that the bridge could send them anywhere. Even in defeat, Megatron attempts to take Prime with him, but before he can fire the blast that will rid him of the Autobot leader, Prime manages to slap a pair of stasis cuffs on Megatron, immobilizing him and causing his body to be sucked into the space bridge. Prowl and Prime free Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Sumdac, but the bridge still threatens to consume the entire state until help comes from above in the form of Omega Supreme. Omega blocks the bridge with his massive body and absorbs its [[transwarp]] energies, willing to sacrifice himself once more to save the Autobots. After ejecting Sari and Ratchet from his body, Omega is sucked into the bridge, which collapses in upon itself and vanishes in a dramatic implosion. As Sari and her father are reunited at last, the mine begins to cave in, and the Autobots escape while the Constructicons are buried alive attempting to save their oil.

[[File:TFA ABTC Sari spoilers.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|...There's no way we can make a funny without being [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|jerk]]s.]]
Retreating to the edge of a nearby cliff that overlooks the destruction, the Autobots reflect on the fact that Omega is probably still out there, somewhere. As Sumdac expresses relief that the whole ordeal is over, Sari once again tells the Autobots that she knew her father could never have betrayed them to the Decepticons. However, even as she espouses her father's honesty, Sari looks down at a cut on her arm...and beneath her skin, she and all around her are shocked to see the sparking circuitry of robotics. Terrified and confused, Sari clutches her arm and takes a few steps away from her father, who explains that they...need to talk...

[[File:TFA ABTC2 Megatron Screamer End.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|right|Next, on ''Crossfire''...]]
Somewhere out in the endless void of space, Megatron and the decapitated Starscream float aimlessly in the cosmic night, with nothing to do but snark back and forth at each other.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (10)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] (11)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (12)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (16)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (20)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] (2)
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]] (3)
*[[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (4)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (5)
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]] (6)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (8)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (9)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (14)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (15)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime / Shockwave]] (21)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (17)

|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Thundercracker, the Egomaniac Starscream''': Fool! A mere construction-bot is no match for ''my'' superior firepower. 
'''Mixmaster''': Oh, really. Well, you know where you can stick it? 
''(Traps the clone with a glob of adhesive goo)'' 
'''Thundercracker''': Impossible! You cannot defeat me! You are not worthy! You are inferior! And your joke stinks!
:—Arrogance claims yet another [[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscream]].

'''Slipstream''': WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!! AIM FOR HIS SPARK CHAMBER! 
'''Starscream''': ''(Mocking her)'' 'Aim for his spark chamber!' Don't tell me how to slag Megatron! I was slagging Megatron when you were still a dream in my spark! 
'''Slipstream''': And look how well that turned out!
:—Ah! '''Screamer''' and '''Streamer'''! Don't they make a lovely couple?

"It's not like you to hide behind an Autobot." 
"But it's ''completely'' like you to hide behind an army of cheap [[knockoff]]s."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Megatron''' always discuss each other's flaws—even in the midst of battle.

'''Starscream''': What are you waiting for? Destroy Megatron! Now! 
'''Slipstream''':...Any leader has to be an improvement over you! 
'''Sunstorm, the Sycophant Starscream''': Oh wise and great Megatron, you have truly proven your vast superiority! 
'''Ramjet, the Liar Starscream''': I will remain loyal to you forever! 
''[Kicks Starscream's body and walks over to Megatron]''
:—Starscream learns that his clones all share the worst aspect of his personality—his treachery.

'''Prowl''': ''*humming*'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Will you stop that stupid humming!? 
'''Prowl''': This "stupid humming" is a focusing technique. A trained [[Cyber-Ninja Corps|Cyber-Ninja]] can use [[Processor-over-matter]] to remove these cuffs. 
'''Bulkhead''': You can really do that? 
'''Prowl''': In theory... I never actually completed my Cyber-Ninja training.
:—'''Prowl's''' skills don't seem like what they're cracked up to be... [[Five Servos of Doom|yet.]]

'''Optimus''': I still don't see where all this "expertise" came from. 
'''Bulkhead''': I had a lot of time to study space bridge schematics back on the [[energon farm]]. I just had a knack for 'em, I guess. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, well, that's great. So the ''one thing'' you're good at is going to hand Cybertron over to the Decepticons.
:—Even after being declared a technical genius, Bulkhead still can't catch a break.

'''Megatron''': Decepticons! Prepare for our conquest of Cybertron! 
''[The Decepticons start cheering wildly.] 
'''Scrapper''': What's a Cybertron? 
'''Mixmaster''': I have no idea, he lost me at "Your fate is sealed now."
:—The Constructicons are in this for the oil, not the conquests.

'''Ratchet''': Careful not to fire on our friends! 
'''Sari Sumdac''': And try to get a visual of my dad! 
'''Omega Supreme''': Sure... what's a dad?
:—Omega Supreme is confused on the concept of organics and their paternal relationships. Bit like us really.

"Sari, we... need to talk."
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''''s entry in "The Understatement of the Year" competition.

'''Megatron:''' Stop ''staring'' at me. 
'''Starscream:''' No. ''You'' stop staring at ''me''! 
'''Megatron:''' Do you think I actually ''want'' to spend the rest of eternity gazing at your unsightly visage? 
'''Starscream:''' Trust me: your visage is no picnic either. And your face is ugly too! 
'''Megatron:''' Oh, someone just take me offline now... 
'''Starscream:''' What do you think I've been trying to ''do'' for the last four million stellar cycles?! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's funny, really, when you think about it. Tragic, but ''funny''! AHAHAHAHAHA! 
'''Megatron:''' Oh, shut up.
:—Stranded and helpless in space, Megatron and Starscream bicker to the end.

==Notes==
===Animation errors===
*When Skywarp is dodging Bumblebee's stinger blasts, his eyes shift to Autobot blue for a split-second.
*After Shockwave reveals to Bumblebee that he is Longarm Prime, the pan-across shot that follows shows Shockwave on the monitor. In the next close-up of the monitor, Longarm is shown transforming back into Shockwave.
*When Megatron closes in on Optimus to toss him into the space bridge, Sunstorm's face is dark grey instead of white.
*Just before Ratchet gives his "don't give up on me now" speech to Omega, there is a shot from the front showing Ratchet with Sari tucked into the mouth of his "backpack". In the next shot, it shows Ratchet from behind, with Sari ''on top of'' the backpack, and then switches back to the front view with Sari back in the gap.
*When Megatron is dragged into the Space Bridge, only one hand is cuffed. When we see him next, both of them are.
*When Ratchet was about to slam a button inside Omega Supreme, his hand was missing in one frame.
*When Starscream is holding Megatron's sword, the glow of his AllSpark Fragment isn't reflected but the rest of his face is.
*At many points in the episode, Slipstream is shown with the face (and [[chin]]) of her male counterparts.
*As Bulkhead says Bumblebee sent an innocent bot to the stockade, both Optimus and Prowl sit up despite being stasis-cuffed.

===Continuity errors===
*Several immobilised characters are shown in different positions to last episode:
**Lugnut and Blitzwing are shown lying face-down on the floor, when they were sitting back-to-back last episode.
**Bumblebee and Blurr apparently swapped positions in Scrapper's arms since last episode.

===Transformers references===
*Omega Supreme refers to the energy given off by the space bridge as [[Transwarp|Transwarp energy]], similar to the transwarp drives used in the [[Beast Era]].
*A Starscream lookalike [[The Transformers: The Movie|kicks his prone, defeated leader before walking away]]. However, [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick Wyatt]] later said this similarity had been a coincidence.
*[[Knockoff]]s? Oh my...

===Real-world references===
*The restoration of Omega Supreme's memory is very similar to the scene in ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey}}'' when Dave Bowman takes HAL-9000's higher functions offline (just in reverse).
*Prowl's humming forcing the stasis cuffs to open seems inspired by a similar sequence in British superspy spoof movie ''{{w|Johnny English}}'', where the titular hero attempts to escape a prison cell by whistling at the door-lock in the hope that the right frequency will cause the tumblers to rotate. Unlike Johnny however, Prowl succeeded. He is ''that'' awesome.

===Trivia===
[[File:TFA Headmaster unit facial expression changed.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|right|GASP!!!]]
*The Headmaster unit even works on Decepticons, whose armor is much tougher than Bulkhead's. Where did [[Headmaster (Animated)|Masterson]] get that cutting beam?
*Speaking of the Headmaster unit, this is the first time its facial expression has changed.
*Mixmaster is ''veeery'' disobedient in this episode. Megatron orders him to find Lugnut and Blitzwing at the start of the battle, but Scrapper does it instead. Then, after he cements Bumblebee to the wall, Megatron orders Mixmaster to attack Starscream, instead he just disappears until after Omega Supreme gets free. And yet Megatron never punishes him.
*In the shots after Slipstream yells "Aim for the legs", Lugnut is shown firing his engine pods (which are his hands in [[robot mode]]) as missiles at Omega. Those probably weren't supposed to come off. However he's shown doing the same thing a minute later, and this time in robot mode, so it isn't a lone animation error. One has to wonder where he keeps all the spare hands. Certainly nothing up his sleeve...
*Fans had been theorizing that the Autobot ship was Omega Supreme since quite literally the first episode.
*Fans had ''also'' been theorizing that Sari had a li'l bit of robot in her since the first episode too! [[Bee in the City|How silly!]]
*Fans did ''not'' theorize that when this episode premiered on YTV ''AND'' on Cartoon Network, the announcers would happily yammer inanely over the closing credits sequence of Megatron and Starscream insulting each other in space. The Cartoon Network repeat the following day aired the credits without incident, thankfully.
*It was said at [[BotCon 2008]] that the entire closing credits sequence was improvised.
*When Omega Supreme transforms, he uses the same transformation sound [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] used in the battle of Mission City when he was attacking [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]].
*When Omega Supreme is trying to get out of the cliff, some music from [[Transform and Roll Out|the movie]] can be heard.
*In this episode, this is the first time that Shockwave speaks with his real accent while still in Autobot mode as Longarm, indicating that he has to mask his voice in that mode.
*Several times after Starscream's head is cut off, he is shown with pupils.
*This episode, along with part 1, was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as "[[Transformers Animated Volume 13]]".

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La porte d'à côté, 2ème partie'''" ("The Next Door, 2nd Part")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Weltraumbrücke, Teil 2'''" ("The Spacebridge, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 31|31 July]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A un puente de distancia, parte 2'''" ("A bridge away, part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 13|13 December]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Ponte Troppo Vicino (Seconda Parte)'''" ("A Bridge Too Close (Second Part)")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 11|11 April]] [[2009]]
::* Sadly, this is the last episode in the Italian dub of Animated. Season 3 was never dubbed for unknown reasons.

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kyōdai naru Chikara'''" (強大なる力, "The Enormous Power")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 25|25 September]] [[2010]]
::* Ratchet's turn on a new transforming [[stock footage]], with Blitzwing and Lugnut doing the intro.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Jeden Most Za Blisko, Część 2'''" ("A Bridge Too Close, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 7 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

A Bridge Too Close, Part I

2020-04-29T05:31:47Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=28
|ep2=25
|prev2=Black Friday (episode)
|next2=A Bridge Too Close, Part II
|image=TFA ABTC1 Space Bridge operational.JPG
|caption=Closer... closer...
|title="A Bridge Too Close, Part I"
|airdate=[[June 28]], 2008 (Canada) [[July 5]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Decepticons kidnap Bulkhead to aid in Megatron's ultimate plan to take over Cybertron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Megatron branding.jpg|thumb|left|"Can't you just paint the insignia on our chests?" "Now, where's the fun in that?"]]

Now serving under [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] have completed construction of the villain’s [[space bridge]]. They are rewarded for their efforts by being officially inducted into the [[Decepticon]] army in a small ceremony led by Megatron, with [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] serving as witnesses (and, for some reason, holding candles). After the Constructicons have recited the oath of allegiance, Megatron [[branding|brands]] them, quite literally, with a [[Redeco|color-change]] for their armor and eyes thrown into the bargain. At Megatron’s instruction, [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] fires up the bridge, but when it fails to activate due to the professor’s simple lack of understanding of the technology, Megatron realizes that he will require additional help...

[[File:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Argue.jpg|thumb|"There's something in your [[Sensor|optic]]." "No, there isn't!"]]

On [[Earth]]'s [[Moon (moon)|moon]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] gloats over five new [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]] of himself, to which he is in the process of putting the finishing touches. The final clone is completed and, like its fellows, brought online with a tiny chip of the [[AllSpark]] that gives Starscream life. Immediately, however, Starscream has to wrestle with the various wacky personalities the clones have wound up with, each one an exaggerated aspect of his own: [[Skywarp (Animated)|a coward]], [[Sunstorm (Animated)|a sycophant]], [[Thundercracker (Animated)|an egomaniac]], [[Ramjet (Animated)|a pathological liar]] . . . and [[Slipstream (Animated)|a short-tempered female who insists that Starscream not ask what aspect of his personality gave birth to her]].

Megatron contacts [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in order to have him [[DataNet|track down]] the top space bridge engineer on the planet. Shockwave is surprised to report that the engineer in question is on Earth—it’s [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]! Megatron decides to capture Bulkhead personally and instructs Lugnut and Blitzwing to pick up an item from [[Sumdac Tower]] to aid in “convincing” the Autobot to help them. When Lugnut points out that Sumdac cannot be trusted in the base alone with the Constructicons, Megatron decides to take the professor with him. As all this scheming goes on, however, someone else is listening in—the mysterious “Blue Racer” that [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] recently encountered.

[[File:TFA ABTC1 painting time.JPG|thumb|left|Optimus Prime has deemed this image in need of a caption!]]

At the [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobot base]], Bulkhead is working on his latest painting, an abstract rendition of [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]]. Unfortunately, backseat artistry from the other Autobots winds up ruining the painting, and Bulkhead goes for a walk with Sari to vent a little. Bumblebee follows to apologize, but just as he catches up to them, Megatron appears in the sky overhead and opens fire. Using Sumdac as a human shield to stop the Autobots from firing back, Megatron continues to rain destruction down on the Autobots as Bumblebee and Sari argue over whether or not Sumdac has been working with Megatron.

[[File:TFA ABTC1 Megatron Sumdac Hostage.jpg|thumb|right|...dads?]]
Suddenly, the Blue Racer speeds onto the scene, and Bumblebee, believing the enigmatic speedster to be working with Megatron, chases him off through the city and manages to run him off the road. When he attempts to report his success to Bulkhead, though, there’s no response—because Megatron has captured Bulkhead and is airlifting him away. Bumblebee’s failure is compounded by the next turn of events: The Blue Racer reveals himself to be [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]], a fast-talking member of the [[Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]] who has been covertly monitoring Megatron’s activities.

Back at the Decepticon headquarters, Bulkhead refuses to help Megatron, so the villain unveils the fruit of Blitzwing and Lugnut’s labor: a [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit! Faced with the threat of once again having his body taken over and being used to destroy his fellow Autobots, and failing to elicit any help from [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] or [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]], Bulkhead relents and agrees to work on the space bridge.

At the Autobots’ base, Blurr relates his mission to [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and company and brings them up to speed, quite literally. While Prime leads the rest of the team to the Decepticon base, the location of which is provided by Blurr, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and Sari head for Teletran-1 to try to get it online one last time. Just like [[Lost and Found (episode)|last time]], their efforts lead to nothing, forcing Ratchet to attempt one last drastic approach: using the AllSpark fragments the Autobots have gathered to jump-start the ship’s systems.

[[File:TFA ABTC1 Bulkhead Sumdac.JPG|thumb|left|Merry Christmas!]]

Prime’s team is led by Blurr into the Decepticons’ coal mine base, where they are immediately attacked by Lugnut and Blitzwing. The fight is a brief one, as Blurr uses his super-speed to bind the odd couple with [[stasis cuffs]]. Meanwhile, as the space bridge nears completion, Bulkhead insists on modifying many aspects of Sumdac’s design, and winds up in an argument with the human, which Sumdac interprets as Bulkhead trying to sabotage the bridge deliberately. When the bridge is activated, however, it functions perfectly—Bulkhead knew full well that Sumdac’s design was wrong, and he corrected it!

[[File:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Emerge.jpg|thumb|right|Why, I'm beside myself! And myself! And...]]
As the bridge flares into life, Prime’s team bursts into the main chamber, but they are instantly immobilized by cement booties, courtesy of Mixmaster. With the Autobots out of the picture, it seems there is nothing to stop Megatron now...until the roof of the cavern explodes, and Starscream and his clone army make their grand entrance!

[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|To be continued…]]
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (15)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (17)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (19)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (2)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (3)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (4)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (5)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (7)
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]] (8)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (9)
*[[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (10)
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]] (11)
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] (12)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, never before have I seen such an impressive group of lethal fighting machines! And pretty good-looking, if I do say so myself."
:—The ever-humble '''Starscream''' comments on his clone army.

"So, which part of me did you come from?" 
"Don't ask." 
''[sigh]'' "This is going to be a long orbital cycle."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Slipstream, the female clone'''

"I just didn't think my head was so big." 
"That's your leg."
:—'''Sari''' and '''Bulkhead'''. Oh, the irony!

'''Sari''': No, don't shoot! You'll hit my dad! 
'''Bulkhead''': She's right! 
'''Bumblebee''': So what are we supposed to do? Fight him with snappy comebacks?
:—'''Bumblebee''' conveniently forgets his normal attack strategy.

"All right, Zippy, start talking!" 
"First of all, the name's not "Zippy"! As a matter of fact, I don't believe I've ever met another bot named Zippy, so one can only assume that you came up with "Zippy" in reference to my speed, which may be technically accurate, but lacks a certain creativity!" 
"Eh...eh-eh..." 
:—It took '''Bumblebee''' a long time to get '''Blurr''' to start talking. From this point on, he doesn't shut up.

'''Bumblebee''': Woah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up! 
'''Prowl''': Did he just say Bulkhead? 
'''Optimus Prime''': ''Our Bulkhead?'' 
'''Ratchet''': ''An expert?'' On anything?!
:—The Autobots aren't terribly impressed with Bulkhead.

"I must be a bigger pain in the gearshaft than I thought." 
"Well, well, well, look who just got to the party!" 
"Don't ''start'' with me, woman!" 
:—'''Starscream''' [[Total War!#Quotes|openly admits]] one of his primary faults, much to '''Slipstream's''' annoyance.

"Okay, I give. I'm officially no longer the fastest thing on wheels."
:—'''Bumblebee''' is humbled after seeing Blurr's speedy takedown of Blitzwing and Lugnut.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*When Mixmaster encases Optimus and Prowl in concrete, his colors shift back to his neutral, pre-Decepticon color scheme.
*When Megatron attacks the Autobots, his cockpit changes from black to grey for a brief moment, then back.
*When Megatron transforms with Isaac Sumdac in his cockpit, Isaac moves from his cockpit/feet to his chest; complete with new ropes tying him.
*Blurr's mouth disappears for a frame after he introduces himself to Bumblebee and is pointing at him for the second time.
*Right before Starscream and his clones take off, the Thundercracker-esque one looks like he's.......um.......

===Continuity errors===
*Not so much an error as a quirk: During the engagement in the mines, Icy Blitzwing is scowling noticeably, while Hothead Blitzwing is...''smiling???''
*When Bulkhead is brought into Decepticon HQ, Prof. Sumdac says his name as if he is surprised to see the Autobot, despite the fact that Sumdac was ''there'' when Bulkhead was kidnapped by Megatron.
*It's odd that while Bumblebee wasn't fast enough to catch up with Blurr with his turbo boosters in "[[Velocity (episode)|Velocity]]", he can catch up to him and hit him while he hasn't got them on in this episode. Maybe he was doing the speed limit?
*How exactly did Megatron know about the Headmaster unit or for that matter that it was being kept at Sumdac Tower?
*So no one told Optimus that one of his crewmembers was an expert on the devices they were tasked with repairing? It never occurred to anyone that the commander of a space bridge repair crew might need to know who is the expert on space bridges amongst said crew? Similarly, after Primus knows how long repairing space bridges, no one ever noticed Bulkhead actually seemed very familiar with the functioning of such devices?
* If the Elite Guard knows Bulkhead is such a genius and the greatest expert in his field, then why did they give him such an unimportant job as maintenance guy on a repair crew? Isn't that kind of a waste of his genius?

===Transformers references===
[[File:ABridgeTooClosePart1-MegatronHandExtendtion.jpg|thumb|right|His special hand! There's none other like it!]]
*Shockwave's report on Bulkhead appears to be in the form of [[Tech Spec]]s.
*After branding, the Constructicons' color schemes match those of their Generation 1 counterparts.
*Megatron takes control of the Headmaster unit by launching his middle and index fingers, connecting himself to it via extendible cables - possibly a callback to [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]] and his "special arm".
*What Starscream says about his clones is similar to what [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his Generation 1 cartoon counterpart]] remarked on [[Starscream clone (G1)|his clone]].

===Real-world references===
*In ''{{w|The Bridge on the River Kwai}}'', [[Obi-Wan Kenobi|Alec Guinness]] is a prisoner of war who is forced to build a bridge. Even though the bridge will help his enemies, he builds the bridge to the best of his ability just to demonstrate how capable he is. In "A Bridge Too Close"...replace "Alec Guinness" with "Bulkhead".
*The title is a reference to the movie ''{{w|A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far}}''.
*Among the parts needed for a space bridge are "[[hollow cathode tube]]s", parts which until recently made up computer monitor displays.

===Trivia===
*So in all the months that Isaac Sumdac has been missing, it never occurred to anyone that the Decepticons kidnapped him? Perhaps everyone thought he was dead.
*All of the heavy exposition is given to the guy who talks really, really fast. Handy.
*Megatron initiates new Decepticons by [[branding]] the symbol onto them with cattle brands. How bovine.
*This is not the first time Bulky has transformed his [[Total Meltdown|kibble into a chair]].
*Starscream opens a hatch on his head to pick parts from his AllSpark fragment to bring the clones to life, suggesting that in all of the episodes when you do see it, he has his hatch open, exposing the AllSpark fragment.
*Starscream's clones are never named on-screen in the original version. The Japanese dub has Slipstream namesdrop them all while pointing out their personalities, and after that intriducing herself instead of giving Starscream her original sassy response.
*This episode, along with part 2, was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as "[[Transformers Animated Volume 13]]".

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La porte d'à côté, 1ère partie'''" ("The Next Door, 1st Part")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Weltraumbrücke, Teil 1'''" ("The Spacebridge, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 30|30 July]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A un puente de distancia, parte 1'''" ("A bridge away, part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 6|6 December]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Ponte Troppo Vicino (Prima Parte)'''" ("A Bridge Too Close (First Part)")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 4|4 April]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sorezore no Omowaku'''" (それぞれの思惑, "Respective Expectations")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 18|18 September]] [[2010]]
::* New [[stock footage]] for Bulkhead's transformation, him doing the introduction, and the return of the additional sound effects last seen in "[[The Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]" during the [[title sequence|opening sequence]].
::* The [[Otoboto family]] attempt to win a Wingblade Optimus on answering what year did Transformers begin airing in Japan (the hint: "25 years ago"). The correct answer is "[[1985]]", but instead of writing "9", [[Tatsuya Otoboto|Tatsuya]] wrote the hiragana for "sha" しゃ.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Jeden Most Za Blisko, Część 1'''" ("A Bridge Too Close, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 7 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Sari, No One's Home

2020-04-29T05:28:24Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=27
|image=SariNoOne'sHome-Mixmaster%2CScrapperandSari.jpg
|caption= THAT'S MY PURSE! I DON'T KNOW YOU!
|title="Sari, No One's Home"
|airdate=[[June 5]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[June 28]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Left alone in the Autobots' home base, Sari must defend it against an intrusion by the Constructicons.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Sari No One Home Bulkhead freakout.JPG|thumb|left|[[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|"LEAKIN' LUBRICANT!"]]]]
At the Autobot base, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] is going through his obstacle course and passes with ease. [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] comes in and decides that anything a living hunk of metal can do, she can do better. Prowl allows her to proceed, but only at one quarter speed—which proves to be about a quarter speed too high for her as, a swinging crane arm clocks her in the back of the head, knocking her flat on her face. Sari starts complaining, and an amused Prowl consoles her, when [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] barges in, complaining about the sound of constant dripping. Tracking it down, he finds the drip in an [[oil]] leak in [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s arm. [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] offers a tune up, but Bumblebee is adamant about being in perfect working order. His argument is weakend by the fact that when he rotates his arm around, drops of oil fly everywhere. Before a proper argument breaks out, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] appears and turns on the news, which shows [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] robbing oil from an auto supply shop. The Autobots debate whether or not the two bots will remember them and note they have to get to them before [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].

[[File:Animated Sarinoonehome chocolate.JPG|thumb|Some stay dry and others feel the pain!]]
The Autobots transform and roll out, but Optimus stops Sari from following, pointing out that a) the last time she was near those two, they nearly took her head off, and b) a kid isn't going to be a match for a two-story robot. Prime catches up with the rest, and they head towards the pair's last known location, not noticing that Bumblebee's leak is leaving a trail straight to the factory. Sari, meanwhile, is moping over being left home...before realising she's been left home ''alone''! She then proceeds to stuff her face with chocolate, strap herself to a crane and have her own homemade funfair ride, and attempt Prowl's course at full pelt (which goes about as well as the first time).
The Autobots are en route with Bumblebee's leak slowly driving Bulkhead insane. After reaching his limit, he slaps an "I love Autobots" sticker on the hole, and it seems to solve the problem. Unfortunately, they are a little late, as Scrapper and Mixmaster have spotted the trail. Lamenting their inability to remember where they got the real good stuff, the Constructicons decide to follow the yellow twit's trail and see if it leads 'em to anything worth drinking.
Unknown to all and sundry, Megatron has picked up the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons']] location. He hands [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] a barrel of oil and orders him to find the pair and bring them back, while at the same time avoiding confrontation with the Autobots. Blitzwing is happy to oblige, transforming to [[alternate mode|jet mode]] and heading for the city.

[[File:TFA Sari No One Home Sari teddy bear.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.1|We will fight them in the kitchens! We will fight them in the recrooms! We will fight them in the living rooms!]]
Meanwhile, the Constructicons have arrived at the factory, and Mixmaster promptly melts the door. Sari, hanging out in Prowl's room with her headphones on, doesn't hear the alarm go off. Scrapper has a sense of ''deja vu'' about the plant, convinced that they've been here and that something bad went down, but Mixmaster is unconcerned. Skating through the hallways, Sari promptly runs into the Constructicons. Screaming at the top of her lungs disorients the two long enough for her to escape. Scrapper is convinced that Sari had something to do with their memory loss, while Mixmaster, still wanting some oil, tells him that they're staying.
Meanwhile, the Autobots have found nothing on their search. Bumblebee briefly mistakes a regular construction vehicle for Mixmaster, while Bulkhead sees what he thinks is Blitzwing, but isn't sure. Bumblebee decides to call in Sari, but she doesn't answer (unaware that Scrapper just accidentally crushed Sari's phone). When he sees the Autobots, Icy Blitzwing remembers that he is not to engage them, but Hothead and Random Blitzwing decide to crush them anyway. The Autobots try to draw him away from civilians, but they end up at a backed-up on ramp. With nowhere to move, Prime orders Ratchet and Bumblebee to clear the humans out while the he and the others take on Blitzwing.

[[File:'sHome Constructicons Slip.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"Don'tcha know a kid always wins against two idiots?"]]
At the plant, Sari holds a council of war (with her teddy bear) and decides to fight them off herself. Arming herself with hockey pads, she puts on a helmet and picks up a hockey stick. As the intruders explore the rec room, Sari attacks, and but her hockey stick shatters. Hiding in Prowl's room until the Constructicons move on, she gets outside through a drainage pipe, reenters through the melted front gate, and contacts the Autobots in the communication center. Unfortunately, they are taking a pounding from Blitzwing, so Bumblebee tells her to hide until they can get there. Unwilling to wait, Sari decides to set a trap...with some nice, delicious cans of oil. Predictably, the two neutrals walk in and see Sari with three barrels ready. Mixmaster demands the oil, despite Scrapper's fear that's it a trap. He's right, for Sari uses the machines to dump it on the ground, causing Mix and Scrap to fall down and go boom and allowing her time to escape.

[[File:'sHome Autobots Huddle.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Triple Takeover|We need zone defense!]]
Elsewhere, Blitzwing is dominating the Autobots, so Prime decides to end this with an [[Omega Formation]]. Bumblebee goes in first, but his stingers do little damage. Then Bulkhead throws Prowl, allowing him to execute a high-speed kick, but Ratchet's attempt to finish off Blitzwing gets him taken hostage. At this point, however, Megatron orders Blitzwing to disengage, and he takes to the air.
At the plant, Mix and Scrap decide to take down Sari, but Sari sets up the factory machines to thrash them, put them on the assembly line, get riveted, magnetized, and dumped on the ground. Mix finally calls it quits, and the two roll out. When the Autobots return, they fear the worst upon seeing the damage, but Sari shows up and tells them how she drove them off. Prime apologizes for doubting her and offers praise for her bravery and ability to drive off Mixmaster and Scrapper—until he sees the candy wrappers...

[[File:'sHome The End.jpg|thumb|200px-'sHome_The_End.jpg|Th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks!]]
On the road, Mixmaster and Scrapper are still fleeing Sari, when Blitzwing spots them. He offers them some oil, which Mixmaster remembers as the great stuff they previously had. He offers them more if they follow him, and the trio walk into the sunset. After all, Megatron has plans for them.
[[A Bridge Too Close, Part I|''Endgame'' plans...]]
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)

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

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (9)
*[[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (7)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"'S'matter witchoo?! You're an excavator, not a golf cart! Grow a backhoe and let's get some oil!"
:—'''Mixmaster''' tells Scrapper to man up.

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': AUTOBOTS! I WILL CRUSH THEM INTO IRON FILINGS! 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': But my orders are to find the Constructicons. 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Ooh, but I LIKE iron filings! Especially sprinkled on top of servo salad!
:—Ladies and gentlemen, Random Blitzwing just got a little scarier.

Now I'll have to call Prime and the others from the Communication center, out there. By the time they get here, those two oil guzzlers'll wreck the whole place. ''[stares at her teddy bear]'' "No. This is my house, and I'm going to defend it! I'll show them I'm just as tough as they are!" ''[quieter]'' "Even though I'm talking to a teddy bear."
:—'''Sari''' becomes the next {{w|Macaulay Culkin}}

"You broke my cell phone, but you are ''not'' gonna break my TV!"
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' is filled with righteous fury.

"YI-AHHHHHH!" 
''[hits Mix with a hockey stick, which breaks]'' 
"Okay...that's as far as my plan got."
:—'''Sari''' vs. the Constructicons.

(''after Sari's 'hockey attack' fails'') 
'''Mixmaster''': What the front-end loader was that?
:—You all wish he'd said "[[Dirt Boss (Animated)|forklift]]", don't you?

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': COME BACK HERE, SO I CAN PULL YOUR PISTONS OUT THROUGH YOUR TAILPIPES! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Oh, and void your warranty with excess wear and tear. AAAHAHAHA!
:—Ah, Blitzwing, how we've missed you.

'''Optimus Prime''': "I, uh, apologize for underestimating you, Sari. You performed bravely today." 
'''Bumblebee''': "Glad you're okay, squirt." 
''[they walk inside and see candy all over the floor]'' 
'''Optimus Prime''': <big>''"SAAARRRIII!!!"''</big>
:—Optimus officially becomes a father.

"You were right, Scrap. That little beast is a terror! I'll never doubt you again!" 
"I think we lost her." 
"Nah, I doubt it."
:—'''Mixmaster''' can't keep his word to '''Scrapper''' for three seconds, can he?

==Notes==
*A run of Season 2 episodes were first shown in Dubai, but this episode was not among them; instead, it was first seen in the UK.
*This episode was also aired at TFcon 2008.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Megatron gives Blitzwing his mission objectives, while the camera is focused on his face, Blitzwing is miscoloured, with the beige torso sections opposite his cockpit now coloured purple.
*During several shots, the brow areas of the Constructicons are miscoloured, swapping colours on occasions.
*Once again, Optimus has a firetruck for his back half when he returns to base (though it was missing at his departure), but it's gone as soon as he transforms.
*When Blitzwing debates with himself on whether or not to attack the Autobots, his cannons are not on his person.
*Blitzy has his cannons back, but as he gets ready to fire on Bulkhead in tank-mode, the insides of the barrels are transulent, enough to see him and the road straight through them.

===Continuity errors===
*For about half of the episode, we see that Bumblebee is leaking oil out of his left arm. Bulkhead thinks it's annoying and makes a big deal out of it. Yet even after the battle is over, nobody even bothers to fix the (now-patched) leak.
*Although sirens go off when the Constructicons break into the base, the Autobots don't seem to have a way to detect that their base has been broken into unless they're actually present at the base. They have also stopped by the time Sari takes off her headphones, making the point of self-dismissing sirens unclear.
*When Blitzwing leaves the Decepticon base, Megatron gives him one barrel of oil, but when he meets up with the Constructicons, he has two.
*Bumblebee's stingers [[To sell toys#Power Levels|have been rather inconsistently powered]]. In previous episodes, they've been able to shove [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] back and take down a building, but do nothing to a regular construction vehicle, or Blitzwing.

===Transformers references===
*The same worker from "[[Nature Calls]]" reappears here, and he's even got a name in the credits: Sparkplug. And the fandom rejoiced.
*When Sari is listening to music in Prowl's room, she is humming the [[Theme song|"More than Meets the Eye" theme]] (despite the music being a completely different tune).
*[[Maramba Brothers Auto Supply]] is named after ''Animated'' director [[Irineo Maramba]].

===Real-world references===
*There's a general similarity between this episode and the movie ''{{w|Home Alone}}''. Sari quotes {{w|Macaulay Culkin}}'s character Kevin (see above), Scrapper acts as dumb as {{w|Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern}}'s character Marv, and Mixmaster has always sounded like {{w|Joe Pesci}}...
*Bulkhead launching Prowl at Blitzwing is remarkably similar to the "[[Fastball Special]]" maneuver from the ''[[X-Men]]'' comics, in which Colossus uses his super-strength to launch [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]] at villains. Bulkhead also did this with Bumblebee in "[[Along Came a Spider]]".
*As Sari prepares for battle with the Constructicons, her hockey stick makes a [[lightsaber]] sound effect when she swings it.

===Trivia===
*Blitzwing's jet mode seems to have VTOL capabilities.
*Blitzwing just stands around while the Autobots attempt to plot his downfall using a football huddle. Is he arrogant or just plain crazy? Yes.
*According to the [[Cartoon Network]] panel at [[BotCon 2008]], Mixmaster's line "What the front-end-loader was ''that''?" was originally scripted "What the forklift was ''that''?". However, BS&P caught the very intentional verbal similarity to a dirty dirty word, so the line was changed.
*Bumblebee leaks oil in a manner that is analogous to either blood or bodily waste. The Constructicons find said oil delicious.
*When in his alt-mode, Bumblebee's leak seems to come from his door—somewhere that oil is not usually found in a real car. Maybe this oil is used for the transformation process?
*While the Hothead and Icy personalities typically blast only fire or ice respectively, Random Blitzwing is shown using both at once.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 12]]", with "[[Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Seule à la maison'''" ("Home Alone")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sari - Allein zu Haus'''" ("Sari - Alone at Home")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 29|29 July]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sari, No hay nadie en casa'''" ("Sari, No One's home")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 29|29 November]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il Coraggio di Sari'''" ("Sari's Courage")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 28|28 March]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sari no Rusuban'''" (サリの留守番, "House-sitter Sari")
::*For whatever reasons, this episode never aired in Japan, but is included in the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video#Japan|Transformers Animated Vol. 7 DVD]] as episode 27.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nikogo nie ma w domu'''" ("No One's Home")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 7 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Black Friday (episode)

2020-04-29T05:25:02Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{featured}}
{{disambig2|the episode of ''Transformers Animated''|the day after Thanksgiving|Black Friday (event)}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=26
|ep2=24
|prev2=Autoboot Camp
|next2=A Bridge Too Close, Part I
|image=Animated Black Friday Grimlock Prime lasso.jpg
|caption=You should see the pooper scooper.
|title="Black Friday"
|airdate=[[June 4]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[June 21]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by= [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Blackarachnia enlists Prometheus Black, a.k.a. Meltdown, to aid her with a dangerous experiment, while Optimus and Dinobot Grimlock are forced to team up to stop them.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Black Friday Meltdown Bee.jpg|left|thumb|Weirdest funhouse mirror ''ever''.]]
[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] is growing ever more frustrated by [[Porter C. Powell]]'s callous actions towards both herself and her father, and she wants payback. She and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] visit the maximum-security prison that is the current abode of [[Meltdown (Animated)|Prometheus Black, a.k.a. Meltdown]], and speak to him in the undissolvable crystalline cube that is his cell. Black sarcastically welcomes them, noting that he has ever so few visitors, and Sari snarks in return that he'd probably have more friends if he wasn't always trying to mutate other people into [[Survival of the Fittest|transformational experiments]]. Sari knows that Black and Powell had once been business partners, and she asks the acidic villain for any information that would help her expose Powell as a criminal. Black asks why he should help her at all, and Sari reminds him that his own misfortunes began with the breakdown of his business partnership with Powell. Meltdown replies—with apparently genuine regret—that Powell was far too canny a businessman ever to get his fingerprints on anything truly illegal. He presents a different plan: If Sari and Bumblebee would be so kind as to break him out of prison, he would happily kill Powell himself. A bit taken aback, Sari insists she isn't willing to go that far, and she and Bumblebee depart. Later that night, however, a massive explosion signifies a break-in at the prison. At first, Meltdown confidently welcomes his visitors, assuming Sari has had a change of heart, but that confidence turns to fear when he sees he is actually being visited by the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]]. [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] cryptically announces that "she" wants to see Meltdown. Though still afraid of his former flunkies, Meltdown tries to warn them away, pointing out that a prison cell constructed to hold him is indestructible—nothing can get out or in. But the Dinobots don't need to break the box when they can simply ''take'' it.

Meltdown soon finds himself transported to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], where the Dinobots are behaving very strangely indeed, chanting and bowing towards a high hill. The object of their interest soon is revealed to be [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], who washed up on the island after [[Megatron Rising - Part 2|the recent defeat of Megatron]] and has since used her beauty and wily ways to captivate the simple-minded Dinobots. As she explored the island, she found Meltdown's [[Meltdown's Subterranean Lab|subterranean lab complex]], including his computer files on genetic manipulation. She insists that Black help her purge the organic material from her body, and since she has just drained Grimlock, becoming powerful enough to crack open his supposedly indestructible prison cell with the bonus of the Dinobots being quite willing to follow any command, Black has no choice but to agree.

Back on the mainland, [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] and the Detroit P.D. are investigating the prison break. Porter C. Powell arrives, very agitated by the escape of his evil former associate. He produces security camera footage of Sari's visit, accusing the girl of trying to have him killed. Fanzone asks just how he got his hands on that footage, but Powell becomes more evasive. When the Autobots magnify the camera footage, they can see the Dinobots reflected on the surface of Meltdown's cube. While they ponder what to do about this, Bumblebee's constant chattering begins to wear on [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], who boldly insists that it is ''impossible'' for Bumblebee to remain silent for more than a few cycles. Bumblebee is angered by these doubts against him and tries to show how quiet he can be...which isn't at all, since he pipes in with a self-defense or denial every few moments. This bickering continues as he, Prowl, and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] head to Dinobot Island.

[[File:TFA Black Friday ME GRIMLOCK IN LOVE.jpg|thumb|Me Grimlock king, but me want queen.]]
Once they arrive, the Autobots split up to search for evidence. Prowl finds more of Meltdown's burnt footprints, as well as yet more proof that Bumblebee really can't pipe down, since he keeps calling Prowl's name. But when Prowl investigates, he sees Bumblebee had good reason to yell: He's caught in a giant web and deactivated. Shortly thereafter, Blackarachnia attacks Prowl and deactivates him too. Rushing to help, Optimus attempts to confront Blackarachnia, but she is able to flatter and cajole Grimlock into defending her (and soundly walloping Optimus). There's no time for a real fight, though, as Blackarachnia has loaded up both Prowl and Bumblebee with a potentially lethal dose of her cybervenom. They will die unless she administers the antidote within 2 megacycles, and she'll only do that if Optimus helps Grimlock locate Meltdown's [[genetic modifier]] to make the experiment work.

[[File:Animated Black Friday Grimlock Prime Powell.jpg|thumb|left|No, Grimlock! He needs to show us the genetic modifier. ''Then'' you can eat him.]]
Returning to the mainland, Optimus and Grimlock attempt to work together, but it's difficult because Grimlock simply will not hear that Blackarachnia might be using him or would in any way be deceiving him. For his part, Grimlock doesn't want to work with "puny" Optimus, but has no choice, as only Optimus knows how to find the genetic modifier. Heading to Sumdac Tower, the two confront Porter C. Powell. Grimlock tries not to terrify Powell, but Optimus, low on time and tolerance for the businessman, allows Grimlock to swallow Powell long enough for him to tell the two Transformers where the modifier is. Powell takes them to the workshop, untouched and in the same state of disrepair as [[Total Meltdown|when Black had his drastic accident]]. Though tempted to let Grimlock finish off Powell, Optimus takes the genetic modifier and leaves with Grimlock.

Arriving to find Meltdown ready for the procedure, Optimus refuses to hand over the modifier until Blackarachnia hands over the anti-venom. Meltdown grows bored and sics his [[Fusion creature|early experiments]] to stop the two Transformers. Once he has the necessary tools and Blackarachnia strapped down to his lab table (for her own safety, of course, he swears), Meltdown decides to change his lab procedure ever so slightly. Reminding his captor-turned-prisoner of his longstanding hatred of robots, he will still be genetically separating Blackarachnia's organic and mechanical elements...but now the mechanical will be discarded and only the organics left behind, and his goal of having created a purely organic transforming being will have been realized. Outside, the battle is going poorly for Optimus and Grimlock, as the experiments seem particularly stronger. Things aren't helped when Grimlock, in his shortsighted fury, ignores Optimus's warnings and uses his flaming sword so carelessly that it practically burns down the entire island. The tide finally turns with the arrival of the other two Dinobots. [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] lifts one of the mutants completely clear of the battlefield, keeping it from attacking further, while [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] pounds the other senseless with his giant, flaming cudgel.

[[File:TFA Black Friday Meltdown melts.jpg|thumb|I'm mellttiinngg!]]
Optimus extinguishes the flames, then races back into the lab. He manages to detach the genetic modifier from the lab equipment, stopping the procedure before Blackarachnia can be divided up. An enraged Meltdown attacks Optimus and begins to melt his chest armor, but during the course of the action, Meltdown's body surface comes into contact with the genetic modifier. It unleashes a massive dose of energy into him, apparently causing his body to lose cohesion and degenerate into a pure liquid state, oozing out of his containment suit and leaking through cracks in the floor. Optimus frees Blackarachnia from her bonds on the table, and she senses an easy way to escape: Feigning weakness, she asks Optimus to come closer and hold her tight...as Grimlock is watching. His predictable jealousy makes him attack Optimus once again, and the sneaky spider manages to escape. When he finally sees she is gone, Grimlock begs her to return and professes his love for her, but it is too late.

A despairing Optimus returns to the web-covered bodies of Prowl and Bumblebee in the forest, apologizing to them that he was unable to rescue them in time. Then he notices the antidote has been placed right next to them. He quickly administers it just in the nick of time. Bumblebee notes with pride that he did indeed manage to remain totally silent for the whole 2 megacycles. When Prowl protests that it doesn't really count because he was unconscious and paralyzed, they have a rousing argument about the nature of the rules of their bet. An enraged Powell demands that Fanzone arrest Optimus Prime for assault and theft, but Fanzone says he's more inclined to arrest Powell for being a public nuisance and walks off. Optimus Prime begins to wonder if maybe, underneath it all, there is some good left in Blackarachnia, since (apparently) she did leave the antidote for him.

Later, in the island's abandoned underground lab, puddles of nasty-looking acidic goo begin to coalesce together around an empty containment suit. As the merging lump grows bigger, a familiar face appears on its surface. You can't keep a bad guy down....

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (1)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (5)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (11)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
|c2=
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
|c3 =
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] (3)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm not going anywhere! This cell is impenetrable, much like that thick skull of yours. No one can break in or out." 
"Dinobots not break box. Dinobots ''take'' box!"
:—'''Meltdown''' gets "released" from prison by '''Grimlock'''

'''Blackarachnia''': You want to steal a kiss from me? 
''[Grimlock nods eagerly and puckers up, and Blackarachnia drains his powers.]'' 
'''Blackarachnia''': But that means I steal something from you too! 
''[Shoots a stream of flame at Snarl and Swoop]''
:—Blackarachnia: every evil girlfriend you've ever had rolled into one.

"My life could be in danger. I deserve protection!" 
"Oh, you want protection? Get a Schnauzer."
:—'''Porter C. Powell''' discovers '''Fanzone''' cares not for his problems.

[[File:Jurassic Grimlock.JPG|thumb|Dinobots RULE!]]
"We're not here to scare people! We're here to get Meltdown's genetic modifier. Maybe you'd be less conspicuous in [[robot mode]]." 
"Okay..." ''[transforms]'' "But me Grimlock still taller than YOU. That why Spider-Lady like me Grimlock best."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Grimlock''' have a pissing contest, Transformer-style.

[[File:TFA Black Friday Him Did It.jpg|thumb|Him [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|truck]] pushed me.]]
"Don't touch anything! Since he went bankrupt, technically all this belongs to me." 
''[Grimlock falls and breaks everything, then points at Optimus]'' "Him did it." 
:—'''Powell''' and '''Grimlock'''

"It's time for your extreme ''MAKEOVER!''"
:—'''Meltdown''' enjoying himself just a little too much.

''[Prowl and Bumblebee wake up after being cured by Blackarachnia's venom]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Uhh...how long have we been here? 
'''Optimus''': Almost two mega-cycles. 
'''Bumblebee''': Ha! And you said I couldn't go ten cycles without talking! 
'''Prowl''': Mmm-hmm, all it took was being paralyzed. 
'''Bumblebee''': What, you're making new rules now? I don't think so! Pay up with that sweet axle grease.
:—Prowl and Bumblebee debate the rules of their bet.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*When Meltdown gets his face and hands "splattered" against the wall in his cell, his hands ooze out, despite his gloves being closed.
*When the Dinobots are arguing amongst themselves, Snarl's face briefly loses its red, and Swoop is shown in his [[beast mode]].

===Continuity errors===
*Blackarachnia describes how she was washed ashore on Dinobot Island after falling off the Autobot ship during "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]", however Lake Erie was completely frozen over during that story.

===Real-world references===
*The title is a reference to [[Black Friday (event)|the day after Thanksgiving]], a traditionally busy shopping day in the U.S., on which [[Hasbro]] often releases [[exclusive]]s.
*Grimlock's groaning cry of "Fire Bad" is a reference to the Tarzan-Tonto-[[Frankenstein's monster]] sketches from ''Saturday Night Live''. At one of the voice actor panels at [[BotCon 2008]], David Kaye mentioned that he'd specifically been directed to insert elements of the ''SNL'' Frankenstein's Monster into his Grimlock performance.
*Grimlock uses the T-Rex sound effect from the movie ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' when he "swallows" Porter C. Powell.
*Meltdown informs Blackarachnia that she is about to get an "extreme makeover", a reference to the [[w:Extreme Makeover|reality series]] of that name.

===Trivia===
*Bulkhead and Ratchet appear, but do not speak.
*This episode showcases a [[stock footage|detailed transformation]] for Optimus Prime, Prowl and Bumblebee.
*Optimus states that Prowl knows Dinobot Island like the back of his hand and tells Prowl and Bumblebee to come with him, yet it is Bulkhead who has been on the island many times with Prowl. Maybe Optimus wants to see who wins the bet?
*In some shots, the button that makes Grimlock's toy chomp its jaws can be seen on his neck.
*It appears to be common knowledge that Porter C. Powell was Prometheus Black's business partner, yet in "[[Blast from the Past]]", he is seen among the group that witnesses the showing of the Dinobots, implying that he is working for Sumdac Systems at this point. Why would [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] hire the former partner of his bitterest corporate rival?
*Grimlock states that Autobots are bad. Perhaps Grimlock is forgetting that ''he's'' an Autobot?
*According to Grimlock, Dinobots rule. We already knew that.
*This is the second Transformers episode where a voice actor [[The Low Road|spends most of it arguing with himself]], although [[Scott McNeil]] usually managed it for at least 5 minutes [[Dinobot (BW)|every]] [[Rattrap (BW)|episode]].
*[[Colossus Rhodes]] is decidedly absent from this episode, despite being arrested with Meltdown. Maybe he got a cushy job in the prison library?
*This is the second episode to include [[Fusion creature|Meltdown's bat/human and shark/human hybrid experiments]].
*So, why ''was'' Powell watching Meltdown? Expecting revenge from his former client?
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 12]]", with "[[Sari, No One's Home]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le baiser de l'araignée'''" ("The Kiss of the Spider")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Día Negro'''" ("A Black Day")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 15|15 November]] [[2008]]

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Schwarzer Freitag'''" ("Black Friday")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 28|28 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Venerdì Nero'''" ("Black Friday")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 21|21 March]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kumo-Onna no Kokoro'''" (クモ女の心, "Heart of the Spider Woman")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 11|11 September]] [[2010]]
::*Grimlock's turn on having a new [[stock footage]] of him transforming and doing the introduction.
::*After administering the antidote to Prowl and Bumblebee, Optimus chuckles a bit when he smiles and thanks Blackarachnia.
::*'''Cut:''' The rest of the episode where Powell demands Fanzone to arrest the Autobots, Optimus pondering Blackarachnia still having some good left, and Meltdown coalescing back together.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Czarny Piątek'''" ("Black Friday")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] [[2009]] — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] [[2011]] — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 7 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Autoboot Camp

2020-04-29T05:23:25Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=25
|ep2=23
|prev2=SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy
|next2=Black Friday (episode)
|image=Autobot Cadets.jpg
|caption=Class of 2008. The ENTIRE Class of 2008.
|title="Autoboot Camp"
|airdate=[[June 3]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[June 14]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''On the trail of an escaped Autobot traitor, Bumblebee flashes back to a previous encounter with the traitor when he first met Bulkhead in Autobot Boot Camp.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Autoboot Camp Wasp Salute.jpg|thumb|left|"Sayonara, suckerzzz."]]
Somewhere in space, an Autobot shuttle streaks through the solar night and crash-lands on an asteroid, where its lone occupant races off across the barren ground in [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]]. Hot on his trail is [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], who chases him to a [[space bridge]] node on the asteroid. The green-armoured escapee triggers the space bridge with a blast from a familiar pair of stingers, and Sentinel loses his quarry as the portal explodes with light.

On Earth, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] reports the news of the escapee to the [[Autobot]]s. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] immediately recognizes the criminal in question as [[Wasp]], a 'bot sharing his bodyform whom he met when during his [[Elite Guard]] training days.

[[File:TFA Autoboot Camp Bee Sentinel.jpg|thumb|Living rooms of America, do you catch my drift? Do... you... dig?]]
In the [[Decepticon]]s' underground lair, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] contacts his double-agent on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and congratulates him on orchestrating Wasp's breakout. The double-agent is concerned that they are speaking so freely on the subject, but Megatron assures him that nobody will be able to listen in on the broadcast. [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] has other plans, though, as he secretly taps into the communication frequency and bounces it to the [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobots' base]]. Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are on monitor duty at the time, and the message comes through exceedingly scrambled, but they are at least able to comprehend the existence of a double-agent. Naturally, Bumblebee immediately assumes it to be Wasp, and he decides to settle his old score, with Bulkhead tagging along. Bumblebee remembers how it all went down...

''Stellar cycles ago, on Cybertron, Bumblebee meets Bulkhead for the first time when they both attend boot camp to train under Sentinel Minor, alongside Wasp, super-durable [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] and telescopic-limbed [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm]]. The two B's immediately earn Sentinel's ire—Bumblebee for his impetuous bungling, and Bulkhead for his desire to be nothing more than a space bridge technician—and the pair gets saddled with [[oil]] cleanup. Of course, Bumblebee begins goofing off, which results in a stack of oil drums collapsing on Sentinel, which results in Bumblebee being made to stand in the middle of the courtyard in the dead of night, holding up oil drums and repeatedly declaring himself a “worthless oil stain.”''

[[File:AutobootCamp-Sentinelgetsowned(Secondtime).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Hardly a relaxing oil bath.]]
''After a while, though, Bumblebee calls it quits, but as he is walking by a warehouse, he spots a shadowy figure speaking into a communicator, with the voice of Megatron responding! After a moment's hesitation, Bumblebee pops his stingers and commands the spy-bot to show himself...but the figure has vanished. When Bumblebee turns to leave, however, he spots Wasp walking out of the warehouse.''

''Unsure of how to proceed, Bumblebee confides in Longarm, who encourages him to gather some evidence and present it to Sentinel. Bumblebee tries setting up a trap, planting a box with the Elite Guard symbol on it in the open, hoping Wasp will grab it...except Sentinel is the first to come upon it, and it explodes, covering him in paint. Next, Bumblebee tries a listening device, but accidentally winds up broadcasting Sentinel over the camp's loudspeakers as he jokes about Ultra Magnus being too old to hack the commander role. In traditional boot camp manner, Sentinel makes the whole team suffer for Bumblebee's mistakes, and Wasp and Ironhide take it out on the little 'bot by disconnecting his legs and stuffing him in a locker. Longarm comes to Bumblebee's rescue, and urges Bumblebee not to give in.''

[[File:TFA Autoboot Camp Oh Slag.jpg|thumb|Optimus must be kicking himself for having missed this.]]
''But the bullying doesn't stop, as Wasp hits Bumblebee with a burst of “friendly fire” in a simulated combat training exercise. Of course, it's just a paint grenade, but when Bulkhead offers to help Bumblebee up, Bumblebee snaps and insults Bulkhead's lack of ambition before storming off. Turning a corner, Bumblebee yelps as he finds several auto-cannons pointed in his face, but then laughs as he remembers that they're only loaded with paint rounds for the simulated combat. Or rather, they ''were'', as the shadowy figure from the warehouse slinks by the cannons and switches them to active ammunition. As the cannons open fire on Bumblebee, Bulkhead speeds to his rescue and takes out the cannons by dropping a building on them with his wrecking ball...only for Sentinel to get squashed under it as well. Bumblebee encourages Bulkhead to scarper, rather than risk his career by owning up.''

Tracking the message Sumdac broadcast to them, Bumblebee and Bulkhead wander through the wilderness, reminiscing about the old days. When Bumblebee stumbles into a patch of quicksand, Bulkhead plucks him out, but the conflict between the pair from their boot camp days starts bubbling back to the surface, and Bulkhead leaves Bumblebee to the mission himself. Angrily stomping up a mountain, Bumblebee loses his footing and falls off a cliff, becoming buried in an avalanche.

[[File:TFA Autoboot Camp Wasp Captured.jpg|thumb|left|Will go on to star in ''{{w|The Count of Monte Cristo}}''.]]

''Longarm informs Bumblebee that Sentinel is about to conduct a surprise locker examination, meaning that it's his last chance to find evidence on Wasp before Sentinel can take credit for it himself. Using his extensible limbs to trip up Wasp, Longarm allows Bumblebee to "help him up" and finger his locker key in the process. As Bumblebee quickly opens Wasp's locker, Sentinel appears behind him, demanding to know what he's doing, only to be quickly silenced when Bumblebee presents him with a Decepticon communicator. Impressed with Bumblebee's work, Sentinel plans to recommend him for an Elite Guard position. After Wasp is carted off, screaming his innocence all the way, Sentinel brings up the matter of the building being dropped on him. Since nobody has owned up, he decides to kick out whoever he feels like—and he feels like Bulkhead. Before he can give Bulkster the boot, however, Bumblebee steps forward and claims responsibility, sheepishly asking if it will affect his Elite Guard position.''

[[File:TFA Shockwave DoubleAgent.jpg|thumb|Sometimes, when you stare into the abyss, it stares right back.]]
''Some time later, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are on an asteroid, working on a space bridge node, as Bulkhead cheerfully announces "I have arrived!"''

Buried under the rockslide, Bumblebee reflects on his friendship with Bulkhead out loud, and about how he saved Bulkhead's career, even ''if'' his friend never dreamed big. But Bulkhead ''did'' dream big; as the bulky bot appears above Bumblebee and hauls him out from beneath the boulders, he announces that he dreamed of being Bumblebee's friend. Bumblebee thanks his big buddy, and the pair drive off...having only been mere feet from the secret entrance to the Decepticon base.

Out in space, it turns out that Wasp didn't escape to Earth at all, and that he is still on the asteroid, huddled up in a ball. His mind clearly broken, the insectoid 'bot buzzes and twitters to himself about how he will find Bumblebee and make him pay for ruining his life.

Back at the Autobot base, our heroes contact Cybertron to alert the Autobots there about Megatron's double-agent. As it turns out, Bumblebee's old boot camp buddy Longarm is now Longarm ''Prime'', head of Cybertronian Intelligence, and he promises to root out the traitor no matter what.

In the Decepticon base, Megatron communicates once again with his double-agent... Longarm Prime! But the deception is a dual-layered one, for Longarm is, in fact, the shape-shifting [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Wasp]] (1)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (2)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (11) (Flashback)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (14) (Flashback)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (13, voice only)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime/Shockwave]] (12)
|c3 =
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Hey, little fella. Can you scan a picture of me with these big tall buildings? They'll never believe this back home." 
"Mhm. First time off the [[energon farm]]?" 
"How'd you know?"
:—'''Bulkhead''' and '''Bumblebee''', together for the first time.

'''Sentinel Minor''': Wipe that smile off your face, dullspark! 
'''Bulkhead''': Uh, I'm not smiling, sir! My jaw is just tempered that way, sir! 
'''Bumblebee''': Forget Mudflap's jaw, check out the asteroid-sized chin on Sarge! 
'''Sentinel Minor''': YOU GOT A COMMENT, FUNNY-BOT?! 
'''Bumblebee''': No, sir!
:—The future Sentinel Prime is a little sensitive about his [[chin]]. Maybe it's why he's such a jerk.

'''Sentinel Minor''': Now here's a bot who knows his place. You should try to be more like your friend here. 
'''Bumblebee''': He's not my friend, sir! 
'''Sentinel Minor''': WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE!
:—Mr. Personality does it again.

"You are nothing but a BUMBLER! From now on, your name is...BUMBLEBEE!"
:—And thus, a legend was born, thanks to '''Sentinel Minor'''

"You would not '''believe''' the glitches the Commander's saddled me with this time. I'm starting to think that Ultra Magnus is a few circuits shy of a full processor, know what I mean? Oh, sure, he was The Bot back in the day, but now? Ultra Magnus is just a rusted-out, obsolete model sorely in need of an upgrade."
:—'''Sentinel Minor''' is a suck-up only to the boss's face. ''Quelle surprise''.

"I couldn't leave you all alone out here like that. I should've, but I didn't."
:—'''Bulkhead''' is loyal, but not stupid.

"Bumblebot not hide from Wasp. Wasp swears he find Bumblebot. Wasp make Bumblebot pay for RUINING WASP'S LIFE!"
:—There lies a broken '''Wasp'''...

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* In the scene after Sentinel Prime rips off Wasp's insignia, you can see him still wearing it.

===Continuity errors===
* Bumblebee's stingers are shown to be powerful enough to knock down a building; yet in prior episodes they were only useful for zapping debris and bouncing uselessly off Decepticon armor. The discrepancy is somewhat explained in "[[TransWarped]]" when Ratchet gives Bumblebee battle-grade stingers to boost his power. Maybe when he was demoted to space bridge duty, his stingers were downgraded.
* If Professor Sumdac can reroute a Decepticon message between Earth and Cybertron to the Autobots on Earth, why can't he call for help too?
* If Cybertronians live on a planet with no organic life-forms, how does Sentinel know that wasps and bumblebees exist?

===Continuity notes===
* Sentinel's speech about his troops being "cogs in a machine" is very similar to Optimus's comment at the beginning of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" (although Optimus gets the message across without the attitude); it may be a standard message from the Autobot Academy.
* Clearly, when Bumblebee and Bulkhead noted that Sentinel Prime didn't remember them back in "[[The Elite Guard]]", they were referring to their boot camp days.
* It was explained back in "The Elite Guard" that "Prime" was a rank, and this episode reveals that before attaining the rank, Sentinel was known as "Sentinel Minor". [[Optimus Minor|Sounds a little familiar]].

===Transformers references===
* When Bulkhead makes the comment about his jaw being molded a certain way, Bumblebee mockingly calls him [[Mudflap (slang)|Mudflap]].
* In the final moments of the episode, the addled Wasp (who has spoken perfectly normally throughout the flashbacks) begins speaking in the buzzing, third-person style of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]].

===Trivia===
[[File:TFA-AutobootCamp-TransformUp.gif|thumb]]
*Marty Isenberg has revealed that the other boot-campers being [[repaint]] characters was an idea of [[Derrick J. Wyatt]]'s, that the inclusion of Shockwave was a late decision, and that originally ''Cliffjumper'' was going to be the falsely accused. [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/tfw2005-interviews-transformers-animated-story-editor-marty-isenberg-165509/]
*Sentinel Prime has switched back to his Cybertronian alt-form, presumably since arriving back on Cybertron (since he still had his Earth form in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]"). Considering what he thought of Earth, it's not really a surprise that he'd want to change back as soon as possible. [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] even muses over this in an entry in ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]]'', where he also explains that the only reason Sentinel is seen with his Earth mode later on is because he (Ultra Magnus) decided to keep his.
*[[Transformation]] is apparently a form of work. Or, at least, [[transform-up|repeated transformation]] is, being analogous to push-ups or sit-ups.
*This episode certainly explains a lot about Bumblebee's independent streak. His very first "team" effort was basically people being colossal jerks to him for no reason (well, except for Sentinel, really...drill sergeants are ''supposed'' to be like that) except for the big goofy country-bot...and standing up for said bot basically led to his dreams being crushed.
*On the other hand, if names get assigned by drill sergeants, you have to wonder exactly to what levels Ultra and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] stooped in order to get those names...
**As later revealed in the Allspark Almanac, Elita-1 was named by [[Kup (Animated)|Kup]] for her snobby demeanor.
*Lugnut is not shown, but is briefly heard saying "Megatron will speak to you now," when Megatron is contacted by Shockwave in the flashback, ten minutes into the episode.
*In this episode, when Sentinel gives Bumblebee his name, Bumblebee reacts as if he doesn't like it. However, in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", when Bumblebee tells Sari his name and she responds, "I'm Sari," Bumblebee then says, "Oh, don't be. I like my name." Maybe he got over it?
[[File:Chugway.jpg|thumb|Closed Captioning provided by the Zero Wing Translation Team.]]
*Bulkhead used to have a "hick" accent while in boot camp that he lost sometime after starting work on space bridges with Bumblebee and the others.
*What, exactly, was the point of Sentinel Prime keeping one arm in a bandage and sling? And for that matter, why do robots have slings?
*When commenting on Sentinel's chin, Bumblebee looks directly at the "camera", so to speak, making this one of the few occasions where animated ''Transformers'' media break the fourth wall.
*The closed captioning on the [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|DVD release]] for this episode (contained in "Transformers Animated — Volume Six: Black Friday") mistakenly spells Shockwave's name as '''Chugway'''.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 11]]", with "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]" making up the other half.
* The [[Shout! Factory]] release of the entire series misspells this episode's title as "Autobot Camp" in the episode selection menu and on the inside of the DVD case, apparently believing that the episode's original title was a typo itself.

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Grupo Autobot'''" ("Autobot Group")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 8|8 November]] [[2008]]

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Formation et trahison'''" ("Training and Treason")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Spion-Bot'''" ("The Spy-Bot")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 25|25 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Antichi Dissapori'''" ("Ancient Hatreds")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 14|14 March]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Double Agent'''" (ダブルエージェント)
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 4|4 September]] [[2010]]

::*Since wordplay is rarely translation-friendly, the Japanese dub uses new puns for the origins of Wasp and Bumblebee's names. In Wasp's case, his name (pronounced "Wasupu") is derived from combining the first syllables of the words in "Wow, nice precision" ("'''Wa'''u, '''su'''goi '''pu'''re"), which is Sentinel's reaction to his aim. Upon witnessing Bumblebee (pronounced "Banburubī") use his weapons ("banban", onomatopoeia for gunfire) to destroy a building ("biru"), Sentinel initially dubs him "Banbanbī", then changes it slightly to make Bumblebee.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Maszeruj, Autobocie"''' ("March, Autobot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 6 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy

2020-04-29T05:22:03Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the episode of Transformers Animated|the titular group of super-villains|Society of Ultimate Villainy}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=24
|ep2=22
|prev2=A Fistful of Energon
|next2=Autoboot Camp
|image=SUV.jpg
|caption="Are we there yet?" "No." "Are we there yet?" "No." "Are we there yet?" "No!" "Are we there yet?" "Yes, we're here." "LIAR!"
|title="SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy"
|airdate=[[May 31]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[June 7]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Dean Stefan]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Ciro Nieli]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Aided by a mysterious benefactor, Detroit's B-level villains team up to take down the Autobots once and for all.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File: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 (Animated)|Sari]] discovers that due to his scanning of [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]'s [[Captain Fanzone's car|car]], Bumblebee has a built-in police scanner. Hearing a report of a [[Circiut Guys Electronics|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.

[[File:Clock hideout.jpg|thumb|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.

[[File:Watching SUVs.jpg|thumb|left|"Where are the donuts?" "Huh?" "You can't have a stakeout without donuts!"]]
Bumblebee and Sari spot them and speculate on what they're up to based on 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 then 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 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.

[[File:TFASwindlefullyarmed.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|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 force field kicked in, protecting it from the device as long as the emergency generators held. Unfortunately, being a mere child, 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.

[[File:Swindle gettin towed.jpg|left|thumb|And this is why [[Carmine 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 force field 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]] (14)
|c2=
*[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (13)
|c3=
*[[Nanosec]] (1)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Angry Archer]] (7)
*[[Professor Princess]] (8)
*[[Slo-Mo]] (9)
*[[Lester Black]] (10)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (17)
|c4 =
*[[Police drone]]s (12)
*[[Trash Bot]] (15)
*[[Reception Bot]] (16)
}}

==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— 
'''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==
===Animation and technical errors===
*When Slo-Mo pushes "the red button", and Swindle's cannon fires, they're going in reverse for a second.

===Continuity errors===
*Angry Archer uses an arrow that looks like a magnet to catch the bus. Except that it sticks to the glass of the window.
*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 force field technology, but apparently force fields designed by [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] are just as powerful. Of course, Sumdac did steal all his technology from Megatron, so 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 so should have known he wouldn't move, or they thought he was still fully functional and were ready to climb into the Decepticon that had 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, so it 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]].

===Continuity notes===
*The Archer also narrates his own escape by declaring "exeunt!" - in keeping with his character idiom, this is a well-known element of stage direction in the plays of [[William Shakespeare]]. However, it is also a plural; if he really knew what he was talking about and wasn't just cosplaying, he would have used the singular "exit."
*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?

===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]].
*[[Slo-Mo]]'s watch functions similarly to the [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]], including how Autobots turn gray when frozen by it.

===Real-world references===
*The sign outside the arcade features several blocks from ''Tetris'' as well as miscolored renderings of a Goomba and a Spiny from ''Super Mario Bros.''
*Nanosec and the Archer's team name suggestions of "The Fast and the Villainous" and "The League of Extraordinary Criminals" are references to ''{{w|The Fast and the Furious}}'' and ''{{w|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen}}'', respectively.
*Nanosec calls the Archer "William Smell", referencing legendary Swiss archer {{w|William Tell}}.
*Nanosec says he is "tanned, rested, and ready," which was a slogan attached to a [http://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/11/us/after-nixon-and-reagan-young-republicans-face-88-with-uncertainty.html fake 1988 presidential campaign] for Richard Nixon.

===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—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]]".
*This episode, while barely passing the series' half-way point, marks the final appearance of six characters; Angry Archer, Nanosec, Professor Princess, Slo-Mo, Lester Black and the Receptionist Bot.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 11]]", with "[[Autoboot Camp]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''SUV: Sociedad Unida de Villanos'''" ("SUV: Society of United Villains")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 1|1 November]] [[2008]]

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''À la poursuite du temps volé'''" ("Chasing the Stolen Time")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Zeitblocker'''" ("The Timeblocker")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Banda di Criminali'''" ("Criminal Gang")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 7|7 March]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Swindle no Sakuryaku'''" (スィンドルの策略, "Swindle's Scheme")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 28|28 August]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Towarzystwo Zbrodni Wszelakich"''' ("Society of All Kinds of Crimes")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 6 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

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

A Fistful of Energon

2020-04-29T05:19:02Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=23
|ep2=21
|prev2=Velocity (episode)
|next2=SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy
|image=AFistfulofEnergon-StarscreamPurpleclone.jpg
|caption=Has the Allspark Power line ended yet? Is it safe for redecos to come out now?
|title="A Fistful of Energon"
|airdate=[[May 24]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[May 31]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter. '''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Fistful Energon Starscream escape.JPG|thumb|left|"Okay, Starscream farted on us and escaped during our confusion. Let's never talk about this again." "Agreed."]]

As the [[Elite Guard]]'s [[Sigma Supreme|ship]] proceeds on its journey, an explosion rocks the hull, and out flies [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], declaring vengeance against [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] once again.

On [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are on the lookout for their feral friends in response to reports of some rampaging going on. Prowl has been sent along with [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet's]] EMP generator and some [[stasis cuffs]], but doubts he will need them since the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] are such gentle spirits when left alone and he has always been able to reason with them. [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] soon contradicts Prowl's perspective by charging into the clearing like an angry rhino. Prowl is still determined to take it easy on the big guy until Grimlock's jaws get dangerously close to a nest filled with adorable little baby birdies. Using an EMP blast, Prowl quickly incapacitates Grimlock.

[[File:AFistfulofEnergon-ProwlEMPGenerator.jpg|thumb|We can use my wrist thingy to track Bender's [[Personality component|brain]].]]

Prowl and Bulkhead are both surprised that it came to that, but Prowl rationalizes that he did what he had to do to save the little birds. At this point, he notices a thorn stuck in Grimlock's paw as the likely source of the Dinobot's extra aggression. With some advice from Ratchet over the comm, Prowl uses controlled bursts from the EMP to stabilize the affected area, and Bulkhead yanks out the spike. Grimlock sighs in relief, and everything is all better.

Before they can head home, however, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] contacts the [[Autobot]] base with a message that Starscream has escaped and was last seen headed back to Earth. They would have sent that message sooner, but it seems [[Mission Accomplished|their tachyon transmitter has gone missing]]. Megatron, who has been intercepting the message, takes a look at his own tachyon transmitter and sarcastically wonders where the Autobots' could have gone. He then wastes no time putting out a bounty on the escaped [[Decepticon]] traitor.

Back on the island, Prowl is feeling pretty tough after taking down the big, bad Grimlock all by himself and is already contemplating a similar hunt for Starscream. At the very least, while they're in the neighborhood, he and Bulkhead use [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Teletran-1]]'s sensitive scanners to locate Starscream's [[AllSpark]] fragment...on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. Prowl believes they have everything they need to go after him right away, but Bulkhead reminds him that Starscream is a little out of their league if it's just the two of them. Prowl agrees, but as soon as Bulkhead is off the ship and his back is turned, Prowl takes off in the [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|ship]]'s [[emergency shuttle]] by himself and heads for the Moon.

Prowl tracks the AllSpark fragment to the remains of the Decepticon warship. Optimus and Ratchet try to warn him how crazy his plan is and order him to return, but Prowl disregards them with some unconvincing fake static and heads inside the ship. He believes the mission of apprehending Starscream is best suited to a single bot built for stealth. Then, as he's sneaking around, his target finds him first and asks him derisively whom he's seeking here. Way to use that stealth...

[[File:TFA Fistful Energon Prowl vs Lockdown.JPG|thumb|left|[[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowls]] and their [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|sexual tension]].]]

Before Starscream can fire his null ray, a well-placed [[shuriken]] disables it. The fight begins, and thanks to the EMP, Prowl manages to hold his own. Starscream eventually gets in a direct hit, but on a hologram. The real Prowl gets into position, and an EMP blast knocks out the Decepticon. As soon as the fugitive is stasis-cuffed, a newcomer walks up and offers to take the bounty off his hands. It's [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]...wearing a poncho? He and Prowl start to fight over the prize. Meanwhile, Starscream comes to and yells at them to stop fighting because (as he says) he is afraid of rusting well before anybody wins. Neither combatant appreciates Starscream's comments, and both yell back at him to shut up and to lie still. He follows their orders and keeps silent for some time. But soon the fighters notice that their "prize" is silent for a bit too long. Looking down, they discover that he has already released his stasis cuffs and escaped safely. Outside, Starscream (who is strangely brown-coloured) blasts Prowl's shuttle and flies off toward Earth. Lockdown decloaks [[Death's Head (Animated)|his own ship]] and takes pursuit, with Prowl hitching a ride on the hull.

Lockdown is finding it difficult to locate Starscream's Decepticon signal when Prowl ambushes him, deflecting a counter-attack with a shield mod borrowed from Lockdown's own display case. Once they're at a standstill, Prowl points out that he knows how to track Starscream's AllSpark fragment, but he'll need Lockdown's sensors to do it. Thus a partnership is created, and Lockdown offers his new friend a few more upgrades to make sure they get the job done right.

[[File:Samprowl.jpg|thumb|Okay, let's '''ignore''' the fact that Samurai and Ninja are polar opposites, and bask in the '''total''' awesomeness that is Samurai Prowl.]]

Lockdown's ship touches down in Detroit and disguises itself as a building again. Lockdown and Prowl transform and roll out, with Prowl enjoying the feel of his new samurai armor/sidecar. They track the signal to a highway where Starscream is cowering beneath a bridge. When they confront him, they notice that there's something wrong with him. He behaves considerably more cowardly than usual, and is painted considerably more purple. Prowl shows off his upgrades, flying circles around the fleeing Decepticon and eventually taking him down with an EMP blast. Lockdown is impressed. With the bounty secured, he contacts Megatron and arranges a meeting at an abandoned warehouse. Prowl is shocked to learn the two-faced bounty hunter he'd partnered with had been working for someone evil. When Starscream begs Lockdown not to hand over him to Megatron, Prowl tells him to calm himself and attempts to cross Lockdown. However, the tough bounty-hunter ''double''-crosses Prowl, tying him up with a bola, and drives off with his bounty in tow.

The other Autobots show up to untie their errant companion and chew him out, but Prowl is more interested in continuing pursuit of Starscream. The rest of the team follow, but point out that Prowl is starting to sound too much like Lockdown, as the mods are going to his head.

They almost catch up with Lockdown and the purple Starscream when they're stopped on the road by the arrival of ''another'' Starscream. This one sports a brown and off-white color scheme and rather a sly and manipulative personality. He attempts to negotiate a pact with the Autobots to work together and destroy Megatron, but Prowl turns down the offer and attacks. Using his new arsenal, he leads, disarms, and disables the brown Starscream. It's a cool but messy victory. Ratchet scolds Prowl for not just taking him out with a single EMP blast. Prowl attests that his way was more fun, but Ratchet points out all the collateral damage he caused, including a knocked down bird's nest with its eggs broken all over the sidewalk. On the contrary, Starscream praises Prowl's "fine and effective sudden attack" and even doubts if he is really an Autobot "from top to toe". Prowl feels awful upon realizing what he has done, but puts it aside. Chasing Lockdown is still more important for him.

[[File:TFA Fistful Energon Decepticons turbulence.JPG|thumb|left|"Augh, Primus! Even his CLONES' gas is rancid!"]]

Prowl sneaks into the warehouse where Lockdown had set up the meeting with Megatron, intending to prevent the Decepticon leader from dealing with Starscream. Megatron declares his intention to punish Starscream exemplarily. But before he has the chance, Prowl accidentally gives away his presence. Megatron orders Blitzwing and Lugnut to take "the Autobot offender" in charge, but the other Autobots burst in, bringing yet another Starscream. Before anyone can figure out which is the real one, the two Starscreams open their cockpits to reveal a pair of ticking time bombs. The real Starscream's voice announces that it was all part of his plan to take his enemies all out at once. Megatron isn't about to sit around and be blown up, though, so he shoots the skylight and calls for the Decepticons to transform and rise up. Lockdown escapes safely, though rewardless.

The blast will take out half the city, so Prowl uses his mods to weld the Starscreams together and jam their jets on so they rocket straight up into the atmosphere. The explosion doesn't harm the city (besides setting off a lot of car alarms) but does do a number on the fleeing Decepticons.

While Lockdown is escaping from the planet again, he contacts Prowl and offers a permanent partnership, since they're so much alike. Prowl turns down the offer, claiming it was fun while it lasted, but the super-charged bounty hunter life just wasn't his style. With all his upgrades shorted out or gone, Prowl detaches the one mod that got out without a scratch, Ratchet's EMP generator, and returns it to its rightful owner.

[[File:Lotta starscreams.jpg|thumb|Begun, the [[Clone Wars|Clone War]] has.]]

Later, Starscream sits within his new base aboard the wreckage of the [[Nemesis (Animated)|Decepticon warship]] and watches an announcement from Megatron stating that the bounty on the fugitive has been increased, but whoever captures him had better make sure it's the real deal. Starscream himself is furious that his trap failed, but it doesn't matter, as he has plenty more decoys where that came from...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Icy Blitzwing]] (14)<ref>Yes, it's true. Blitzwing went the entire episode without switching personalities.</ref>
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (15)
*[[Clone number 2716057|Clone #2716057]] (16)
*[[Clone number 3370318|Clone #3370318]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==
''[Ratchet and Prime are communicating with Prowl and Bulkhead over the radio]'' 
'''Ratchet''': Prowl, any sign of the Dinobots? 
'''Prowl''': Negative, Ratchet. I'm starting to think those reports of rampages were nothing but exaggeration. 
'''Optimus''': We're not taking any chance, Prowl. That's why I had Ratchet lend you his EMP generator and those stasis cuffs. 
'''Prowl''': Still, I hardly think they're necessary. The Dinobots are territorial, but if left alone, they're perfectly happy. 
''[Grimlock roars, then runs out of the forest, charging the Autobots]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': He doesn't look too happy to me!
:—The Autobots are Dinobot hunting...and things are not going well.

"Me Grimlock...''better''."
:—'''Grimlock''' after Bulkhead removes the spike, but before he passes out.

"I'm afraid Sari and Bumblebee left on an important fact-finding mission this morning. To someplace called... 'Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom'."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets duped.

"Prowl, exactly what line of JUNK CODE is scrambling your software?!"
:—Prowl is in hot water with '''Ratchet'''.

"Personally, I've always found Bumblebee's fake static to be a lot more convincing."
:—'''Ratchet''' doesn't get duped.

'''Starscream''': You call this a fight? I'll rust before someone wins! And I'm in a vacuum! 
'''Prowl''' and '''Lockdown''': Will you keep quiet?!
:—Prowl and Lockdown tell Starscream where to stick it.

"No! No, please! Leave me alone!" 
"Maybe it's me, but that doesn't sound like the Starscream I know..."
:—His reaction to '''Coward Starscream'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s plea for mercy leaves one wondering if '''Lockdown''' has ever met the real Screamer...

'''Sycophant Starscream''': Well, if it isn't my favorite band of plucky little Autobots. 
'''Optimus''': Autobots, prepare for battle! 
'''Sycophant Starscream''': Wait, you misunderstand. Noble Optimus Prime, wise Ratchet, stealthy Prowl and ''mighty''...eh... 
'''Bulkhead''': Bulkhead! 
'''Sycophant Starscream''': Ooh, that's too bad.
:—'''Starscream''' pulls a [[Transform and Roll Out#Quotes|Bumblebee]]

"Did you really think I would offer so little a challenge? I allowed you to capture these ''clones'' to fulfill my plan to eliminate you all! Especially you, MegaFOOL! Mwa-hah-ha-ha-ha! In moments you will be blown to bits, and I will become the Supreme Leader of ALL DECEPTICONS!"
:—Speaking through his clones, the real '''Starscream'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s speech-making tendencies are undimmed, even if he now prefers to do it from a safe distance.

'''Megatron''': Attention all Decepticons. I, Megatron, am increasing the bounty on the traitor Starscream. Only this time, make sure you find the ''real'' Starscream. 
'''Starscream''': Curse you Megatron! What does it take to destroy you? Oh well, plenty more where they came from.
:—'''Starscream''' intercepting a transmission from '''Megatron'''.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
[[File:AFistfulofEnergon-Grimlockfootshard.jpg|thumb|So painful, resting in between my toes harmlessly!]]
* The large spike stuck in Grimlock's foot is nowhere to be seen in the full-body shots previous to Prowl discovering it.
* The dialogue suggests that the spike is jammed through Grimlock's foot, but the animation shows it merely stuck between his toes.
* When Lockdown first appears, his head is missing the design across his forehead.
* Just after mud-coloured Starscream tells the Autobots of his plan in joining forces, his mouth disappears.
* Ratchet's war wound disappears when he's telling Prowl to get rid of his mods, just after his showy (and destructive) capture of the red Starscream clone.
* After Lockdown's ship lands and he and Prowl transform, Lockdown's head is seen forming the engine block. In the next shot, his engine emerges from the hood, where his head previously formed it.
* Blitzwing's "missing wings" bit from "[[Mission Accomplished]]" returns when we first see him.

===Continuity errors===
* When Starscream tells them he'll rust, in a ''vacuum'', Lockdown and Prowl tell him to shut up, an action that should be impossible, given that sound cannot carry in space. In fact, during all the time spent in space, the characters interact with each other as if they were under atmospheric conditions - of course, they could have open commlinks to each other.
* Why doesn't anyone notice that the Starscreams are different colors? Sure, the coward's paint job isn't that noticeable, but wouldn't they notice that the other guy's orange?

===Transformers references===
* The Starscream clones are, of course, a reference to the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] of [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]], most notable for being [[Air Warrior|hordes of disposable Decepticons]] in "[[More than Meets the Eye (mini-series)|More than Meets the Eye]]" (and then kinda vanishing save for [[Rainmaker|rare appearances later]]).

===Continuity notes===
*It seems that since the [[Rise of the Constructicons|events of the last episode]] Bulkhead has grown a taste for oil, as he can be seen drinking it when he and Prowl are first on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]].
*Starscream's cloning process will be revealed in "[[A Bridge Too Close, Part I]]", using pieces of his Allspark fragment to power them and explaining why they show up on the Allspark scanners in this episode. Exactly where he got the raw material for the clones won't be revealed until "[[Endgame, Part I]]", in which we're told they're made from the [[protoform]]s stolen back in "[[Five Servos of Doom]]".
*It's not the first time in ''Animated'' that an Autobot [[Nanosec (episode)|sacrifices a new upgrade to launch a bomb that could destroy Detroit into upper atmosphere]].

===Real-world references===
[[File:AFistfulofEnergon-Lockdowninponcho.jpg|thumb|Space banditos? Never heard of them.]]
*This episode contains numerous references to ''{{w|A Fistful of Dollars}}'', including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance, and the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.
*''A Fistful of Dollars'' is, in turn, a Western adaptation of ''{{w|Yojimbo (film)|Yojimbo}}'', which also accounts for Prowl's samurai armor.
*Grimlock's foot problem recalls "The Lion and the Mouse", an Aesop's fable about a mouse who befriends a lion by pulling a thorn out of his paw. Or the tale of the Christian Saint Jerome, whose life was saved by the lion he'd helped when he later encountered it in a Roman circus. Or the story of Androcles and the Lion...it's been done a lot.
*Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom is a reference to the {{w|Six Flags}} chain of amusement parks and possibly {{w|Magic Kingdom}} as well.

===Trivia===
*This episode was first aired in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact-finding mission" (an amusement park). Therefore, we don't get to see if Sari's hair grew back since [[Rise of the Constructicons|last episode]].
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], on the other hand, appear but say nothing, as do [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] and even [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]. Result!
*The clones seem to embody elements of Starscream's personality, the purple Starscream representing Starscream's cowardice and the reddish-brown Starscream representing Starscream's sycophantic, flattering nature. This is confirmed to be the case in "[[A Bridge Too Close, Part I]]."
*Both altered-color clones use Starscream's original colors as a base, but the sycophantic one runs towards "hotter" colors playing up the red and white (a little devilish, perhaps?), while the cowardly one has colors more on the "cold" end, leaning into purple and stony grey.
[[File:AFistfulofEnergon-Lockdownwithhelmet.jpg|thumb|I can't believe they ran out of voice-changer helmets!]]
*While you could be forgiven for assuming Prowl's armor was a Hasbro idea, it actually predates the toy. Hasbro decided to make a toy of it after watching the episode.<ref>http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html</ref>
*The other Autobots, and eventually Prowl as well, treat his upgrades as a bad thing. In the story, this makes sense because Lockdown acquires his trophies by hacking them off other Cybertronians, a practice the other characters had [[The Thrill of the Hunt|previously shown]] to find extremely distasteful (at best). Oddly, this goes against [[retool|everything Hasbro wants us to believe]].
*While Ratchet seems to be the moral compass of this episode, the day is only saved by Prowl's use of his upgrades.
*Apparently Starscream put a few extra zeros in when programming the timer on the clones. His plot might have worked if he hadn't given Megatron three minutes to run away.
*Exactly ''why'' does Lockdown wear a poncho? Apparently it's a handy dandy stealth device. That's right people, stealth poncho! No good ninja pretending to be Mexican should be without it.
*When the probe from ''Teletran-1'' deploys, there is a [[Star Trek]] communicator chirp clearly heard.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 10]]", with "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]" making up the other half. It was also adapted in book format as "[[Starscream Flies Again]]".

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Pour une poignée d'Énergon'''" ("For a Fistful of Energon")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Puñado de Energon'''" ("A fistful Of Energon")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 25|25 October]] [[2008]]

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der doppelte Starscream'''" ("Double Starscream")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 23|23 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Potenza non è Tutto'''" ("Power is not Everything")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 28|28 February]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Zōshoku-suru Teki'''" (増殖する敵, "Increasing Enemies")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 21|21 August]] [[2010]]
::* New stock footage of Starscream transforming and delivering the warning, with Prowl doing the intro.
::* The [[Otoboto family]] segment has all four members participating in a quiz contest, [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]] wondering where the announcer's voice is coming from in a no-fourth-wall moment. The first question asks what was the second half of the title to 2007 ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki> sequel. They respond with "[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge]]"—[[Megumi Otoboto|each]] [[Yūka Otoboto|family]] [[Tatsuya Otoboto|member]] writing the individual katakana "リベンジ" separately. The prize for the second question is the gold [[Lucky Draw figure|Lucky Draw]] Optimus figure, although it has nothing to do with Transformers—it's regarding 5-time Olympic judo medalist {{w|Ryoko Tani|Ryōko "Yawara-chan" Tani}}.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Garść Energonu'''" ("A Fistful of Energon")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 6 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

A Fistful of Energon

2020-04-29T05:18:52Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

Rise of the Constructicons

2020-04-29T05:16:23Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFA Rise Constructicons online.JPG
|caption=Sadly, Soundwave isn't around to tell them how superior he is to them.
|ep=22
|title="Rise of the Constructicons"
|airdate=[[May 17]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[May 24]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Stan Berkowitz]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Bulkhead befriends a pair of construction vehicles brought to life by AllSpark energy. But the Decepticons have their scanners set on the duo for their latest construction project.'''

==Synopsis==
The Autobots once again must aid in the restoration of the increasingly disaster-prone city of [[Detroit]]. There is an odd amount of balking, considering they're a [[space bridge]] repair crew, but Optimus Prime reminds them that a fair amount of the destruction is indeed their fault. These musings are cut short by Bumblebee spotting the ''other'' party to Detroit's deterioration, the Decepticons. Blitzwing and Lugnut are scurrying by in a most undignified manner, carrying construction supplies for Megatron. A combined effort by Bumblebee and Ratchet manages to knock the two Decepticons skidplate-over-processing unit, but they still manage to flee with a much smaller portion of the supplies. The Autobots are prevented from giving chase by the cracking of a bridge support, which they then repair. At the end of the day, the Autobots are ready to head home. Bulkhead tells Optimus Prime he'll catch up, to mask the fact that he's accidentally adhered his feet to the ground with cement.

[[File:RiseoftheConstructicons-Gen2HomageVehicleModes.jpg|left|thumb|Whoa! Some fanboys is sleepin' easy tonight.]]

Meanwhile, across town, two construction vehicles are seen with [[AllSpark#Animated|AllSpark]] fragments embedded in them. The two fragments activate, and the machines gain sentience. After a brief debate over naming, they discover their new ability to turn into giant robots. This does not faze them in the slightest, and soon they chase off after a highly attractive sports car.

Thanks to the use of expired fixative, Bulkhead's attempts at mixing more cement prove explosive, knocking him out and nearly getting him skewered by iron girders. Thankfully, the newly minted Constructobots spot this and save his skidplate. They then help the lumbering Autobot to do the job ''right'' (making sure he doesn't leave the fixative lying around, either) and then take him off to a tanker for an [[oil]] break. Though Bulkhead is quite pleased with the oil he is served, he soon voices misgivings as to whether they ought to be doing this. Asked by the Constructobots whether he's going to act like a little yellow compact, he remembers his friends back at the base and invites his new acquaintances back to meet them.

[[File:Rise Constructicons Sari no pigtails.jpg|thumb|Relax, Sari, they'll have grown back by next week's episode.]]

At the base, the Autobots are not impressed with the crass pair. Loudly carousing to the point that even Ratchet thinks they're a bit rude, they soon wake up Sari. Wondering what all the commotion is, the poor girl gets her pigtails amputated by a game of smashed-oil-barrel frisbee. This is the last straw for Optimus Prime, who kicks the two paisanos out on their keisters.

The next day, Blitzwing and Lugnut are once again hauling heavy construction materials, this time Laurel and Hardy style up a steep hill. Blitzwing's footing slips, and he is nearly offlined by the heavy trailer that sends him careening towards a wall. Bracing for an impact that never comes, he is startled to find Mixmaster and Scrapper have saved him. Immediately, he asks them who and ''what'' they are. At first, the jovial pair answer that they are Autobots, but as this is met with some static, they quickly amend it to ''Constructobots''. Blitzwing sees an opportunity in the pair's brawn, and as police sirens approach, he convinces them to help haul the load. Lugnut objects, worried about Megatron's reaction. Blitzwing reassures him, ''sotto voce'', that they will offline the two goombahs immediately after the work is done. Lugnut is all for this plan, and once the goods are delivered, he charges up the [[Punch of Kill Everything]] while Blitzwing distracts the pair. However, Megatron arrives and gives Lugnut an awful case of ''punchus interruptus''.

[[File:TFA Rise Constructicons punch interruption.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hate to break it to you Lugnut, but nobody around you cares that you're all right.]]

Megatron invites the Constructobots into the Decepticon inner sanctum, which they would find to be quite commodious if they knew the meaning of the word. Once there, they express how cute [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Megatron's pet]] is, and the interstellar warlord shows them the schematics he stole from the Autobots' ship for the building of a space bridge. His hunch turns out to be correct when he finds that the Constructobots display an intuitive knack for grasping construction projects, and they tell him that the supplies he's been gathering will be insufficient to the task. Megatron grins as they reveal to him that they know exactly what is needed and where to get it.

The following morning, Bulkhead goes looking for his wayward friends. He finds them, pursued by [[Sumdac Systems]] [[Police drone|police robots]] after a daring heist of construction supplies. Stepping in and generally making a mess of the pursuers, he asks Mixmaster and Scrapper what they're up to. After being told that they stole these materials, he becomes irate because he thought they were so helpful before. They tell him they still are, they're just helping ''other'' bots. Becoming suspicious, Bulkhead presses them further and finds out they're working for Blitzwing and Lugnut. The large Autobot tries to convince them that the Decepticons are bad news, but is less than effective. The Constructobots think the Decepticons are just regular fellas and that Megatron is a laugh riot. Bulkhead grows still angrier, saying that Megatron is the worst of the bunch and was only tricking them. This finally clicks in their heads, and they drop what they're doing—on Bulkhead—and tear off down the road to take up their grievances with Megatron. Covered in girders, Bulkhead is unable to pursue.

[[File:Rise Constructicons Megatron what.jpg|thumb|I'm not a heartless mass murderer. I give all my victims their choice of execution method.]]

Upon discovering the Constructobots pounding on the steel door of the mine, Megatron is a bit less genial in tolerating their antics. Picking them up by their collars, he slams them against the mountainside and demands to know what they're doing. They explain that they want a piece of him because Bulkhead told them that Decepticons are the scum of the universe and that he'd tricked them. Megatron softens his demeanor and tells a tragic tale of Autobot oppression and the Decepticons being driven from their homeworld by these cruel tyrants. The Constructobots only understand about every third word of what he says, so he submits it would be a little easier to understand over a barrel of oil. Once inside, Mixmaster and Scrapper are quite impressed by the potency of the oil they're offered, which Megatron reveals to be his "special blend". Suitably placated, they listen to his pitch in which he stresses that as Constructobots, they can spend their lives fixing highway bridges, but as Constructi''cons'', they can build ''space bridges'' and be the heroes of millions of Cybertronians.

[[File:RiseoftheConstructicons-Megatron'sprivateblend.jpg|left|thumb|So tell me, fellas, Orlando Bloom or Johnny Depp?]]

Back at the auto assembly plant, Bulkhead is relaying his latest encounter with the Constructobots to his fellow Autobots. This doesn't go over well, so he attempts to convince Optimus Prime that his friends were actually ''angry'' at the Decepticons and that there's nothing to worry about, as afterwards they can lead the Autobots to the Decepticon base. Ratchet, however, worries that they'll do the exact opposite. Right on cue, Scrapper and Mixmaster arrive. Bulkhead is initially hopeful, as they are still his friends. The two bots agree with him, but business is business, and Megatron has better oil. Thus they say that they won't fight anyone, so long as they can pick up the fragments of the AllSpark and be on their way. Optimus Prime objects, and the Constructicons announce that they're sick and tired of the little dipstick and knock him over. A fight ensues, in which the industrial chassis of the Constructicons prove fairly impervious to most of what the Autobots can dish out. Bumblebee is taken hostage and ransomed for the AllSpark fragments. Optimus attempts to stall, but Bulkhead hands them over. As all the Autobots look on in disbelief, he encourages his old friends to have "one for the road." They partake in the offered oil and depart.

[[File:TFA Rise Constructicons explosion.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Mixmaster and Scrapper after the "All-Night All-You-Can-Eat Jalapeño Buffet."]]

The Autobots give chase, berating Bulkhead for trusting them. The large Autobot, however, states simply that the Constructicons aren't going ''anywhere''. His plan is revealed as Mixmaster and Scrapper start to slow down, emitting smoke and having increasing trouble running. Soon, there is an explosion, and the AllSpark fragments' container lands at Bulkhead's feet. He had tainted the oil with the expired chemicals from his earlier botched repair job. Bulkhead confronts his former friends, but the blast has scrambled their memory. Confused and frightened, they haul tail out of there. The not-so-gentle giant is disappointed, but Optimus reminds him that even if they've lost their memories, they still have a choice not to serve Megatron.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (6)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (7)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (11)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (10)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (8)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (9)
*[[Police drone]] (13)

}}

==Quotes==
''[Scrapper bangs his shovel into Mixmaster]'' 
'''Mixmaster''': Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing, shovel-head! 
'''Scrapper''': Who you calling "shovel-head", cement-breath?! 
'''Mixmaster''': My name ain't "cement-breath", okay? It's...it's...uh... 
'''Scrapper''': Your little name tag says "Mixmaster". 
'''Mixmaster''': Nah, that's too long. Just call me "Mix". 
'''Scrapper''': All right, you got it, Mix. And you can call me... 
''[Sees a sign that says "SCRAP"] ''
'''Scrapper''': ...Scrap. 
'''Mixmaster''': All right, that's too short. How 'bout "Scrapper"? 
'''Scrapper''': I like it. 
:—The Constructicons come to life and name themselves. They had an easier time than [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]].

'''Scrapper''': So, uh, what do we do now? 
'''Mixmaster''': Duh, we, like, build things. Alright? 
''[Mixmaster transforms to robot mode] ''
'''Scrapper''': Uh, Mix? You're buildin' things out of yourself. 
''[Scrapper does the same] ''
'''Mixmaster''': Yo, Scrapper! You're doing it too! 
'''Scrapper''': Uh, we couldn't do that before, right?. 
'''Mixmaster''': What, talk, think, move by ourselves? I don't think so. We couldn't do any of that stuff before. 
'''Scrapper''': Do you think that this is happening for, like, a reason? 
'''Mixmaster''': Uh, yeah. 
''[A red car speeds by.] ''
'''Mixmaster''': Whoa! Check out the chassis on that one, huh? 
'''Scrapper''': And those tight little tailpipes! Yo, baby, over here! 
'''Mixmaster''': Yeah, I like it when they play hard to get. 
''[They transform and speed off.] ''
:—The Constructicons contemplate their new-found existence but quickly throw it out the window when [[Side Burn (RID)|red cars]] are concerned.

"Hey, those don't grow back overnight!"
:—'''Sari''' loses her pigtails. Of course, they're back by next episode.

'''Mixmaster''': You okay, bro? 
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': DO I LOOK OKAY?! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Or do these wing struts make me look fat? 
:—Blitzwing focuses on the important stuff.

''[Lugnut prepares to use his punch]'' 
'''Megatron''': Wait! 
''[Lugnut falls back into the mine, where his punch backfires]'' 
'''Lugnut''':...I'm okay. 
:—Lugnut's life sucks, sometimes, you know?

'''Mixmaster''': "You tricked us! You Decepticons are the scum o' the universe!" 
'''Megatron''': "...Whaaat? Who told you that?" 
'''Scrapper''': "Our friend Bulkhead." 
'''Megatron''': "And you believed him?" 
'''Mixmaster''': "Well, sure, he's our friend." 
'''Megatron''': "And did your friend tell you how his Autobot kind have oppressed us? Driven us from our rightful home? Oh, they may come across as complete imbeciles, but Autobots are cunning, ruthless, unforgiving." 
'''Mixmaster''': "Okay, like, this is too confusin' for me." 
'''Megatron''': "Then why don't I explain everything over a few barrels of oil?" 
'''Mixmaster''' and '''Scrapper''': ''[faces light up]'' "Oil?!"
:—Seduction of the stupid.

"The Autobots' oil tastes like ''water'' next to this stuff!" 
"It's my private blend."
:—'''Mixmaster''' discovers that '''Megatron''''s an oil connoisseur.

'''Bulkhead''': But...I thought we were friends. 
'''Mixmaster''': We are friends, Bulky, that's why we ain't gonna hurt you, okay? Long as you hand over whatever bits you got of the...th-...what did he call it again? 
'''Scrapper''': Uh, SparkAll? AllSpark, AllSpark. 
'''Optimus''': Over my offline body! 
'''Mixmaster''': Aghh—you know what? I have had ''enough'' of this dipstick-in-the-mud! 
''[Mixmaster shoves Prime back]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Hey! He's ''our'' dipstick! 
'''Ratchet''': And nobody pushes him around! 
:—The Autobots defend the honor of their [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]...and fail miserably.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
[[File:Bumblebeeanimatedconsigil.JPG|thumb|[[Goldbug (SG)|Who's bad?]]]]
*When Ratchet tells Bumblebee to "vamoose" (around 1:30), Bumblebee has a red Decepticon insignia.
*When Bulkhead frees his foot from the cement, his jaw appears out of alignment, then realigns itself.
*When Bulkhead is jumping at the idea of Mix and Scrapper meeting the Autobots, Scrapper's left arm clips through his body, then the forearm briefly vanishes before his arm reappears in the correct place.
*As Megatron explains the Autobots' "cunning" to Mixmaster and Scrapper, the white outline around his insignia is not complete (either that or it's part of a shadow).
*When Optimus delivers his "over my offline body" line, his entire left arm appears to be floating ahead of his body.
*After the Constructicons flee, the road Bulkhead smashed up is in perfect condition.

===Transformers references===
*Megatron corrupting the Constructicons may also be a nod to the Generation 1 series, in which he did the same thing in "[[The Secret of Omega Supreme (episode)|The Secret of Omega Supreme]]". Except, instead of using the [[Robosmasher|Robo-Smasher]], this time he gets them [[Microbots|robo-smashed]]...
*The two surveyors on top of the bridge are decked out in blue jeans, white shirts, tan jackets and yellow [[hard hat]]s and boots, just like a disproportionate amount of humans from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]].
*A construction crane which appears in a few scenes early in the episode is colored in the traditional Constructicon green-and-purple ([[Hook (G1)|Maybe a Constructicon in disguise?]]). Purple and green excavation vehicles were previously seen in "[[Nature Calls]]", and yet the ''Animated'' Constructicons themselves are yellow and grey, which ''might'' be an homage to the ''Generation 2'' Constructicon toys.
*Scrapper and Mixmaster hit on a little red sports car. [[Side Burn (RID)|Sound familiar?]]
*Blitzwing's complaining about hauling heavy loads recalls [[Long Haul (G1)|another Constructicon member]].
*Constructicons cheating an Autobot has happened [[The Master Builders (episode)|once before]].

===Real-world references===
*The Constructicons often hit on cars (which could be the equivalent for them to female 'bots...[[Tracks (G1)|or something]]), just like real cartoon construction workers with passing women.
*The Constructicons beep as they back up.
*The whole plot seems to be pretty thoroughly cribbed from every after-school special on the dangers of peer pressure ever...except with giant robots, attempted murder, extortion, and a plot to overthrow one interstellar empire and reestablish another.
*While the "working-class" Constructicons drink their oil straight from the can, the "upper-class" Megatron drinks his oil out of "{{w|goblet}}s".
*Mixmaster and Scrapper have a very loose resemblance to [http://www.mariowiki.com/Mario Mario] and [http://www.mariowiki.com/Luigi Luigi] (respectively), mostly in build. Their vaguely Italian-American accents are more native New Yorker than the plumbers' immigrant accents, though.

===Trivia===
*It was revealed at [[BotCon 2008]] that much of Scrapper and Mixmaster's dialogue was ad-libbed by their respective actors [[Tom Kenny]] and [[Jeff Glen Bennett]].
*This episode first aired in Dubai, around two weeks before its English-language broadcast premiere in Canada.
*It seems that in the Animated-verse, yellow eyes represent the neutral position. Good to know there is a Switzerland equivalent on Cybertron.
*The Constructicons first start off as Constructobots, a portmanteau of "construction" and "Autobot", but later Megatron gives them a new name, formed from "construction" and "Decepticon" instead.
*Even assuming the Constructicons don't drink anything off-screen, they still consume what looks like half their weight in oil over the course of the episode. Where does it go?
*On second thought, [[Humanization|don't think about it]].
*Bumblebee receives a [[Stock footage|detailed transformation sequence]] for his stingers...which becomes extremely anticlimactic when his attacks just bounce off Lugnut seconds later. Likewise, Prowl commences his attack against Scrapper with a sequence showing him deploying his throwing stars, but he has better success hand-to-hand, after the stars ricochet harmlessly.
*Assuming oil prices didn't somehow decrease by the twenty-second century, the "snack" the Constructicons took was worth several hundred dollars or more. Shouldn't the world be out of oil by then, anyway? Then again, Mixmaster mentions "synthetic junk", which implies a way of creating artificial oil may have been invented.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 10]]", with "[[A Fistful of Energon]]" making up the other half. It was also adapted in book form as "[[Clash of the Constructicons]]".

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Aparción De Los Constructicons'''" ("The Appearance Of The Constructicons")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 18|18 October]] [[2008]]

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Des Constructicons dans la ville'''" ("Constructicons in the City")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bulkheads neue Freunde'''" ("Bulkhead's New Friends")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 22|22 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Due Amici per Bulkhead'''" ("Two Friends for Bulkhead")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 21|21 February]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Scrapper to Mixmaster'''" (スクラッパーとミックスマスター, "Scrapper and Mixmaster")
::*For reasons unknown (though probably due to its heavy focus on non-toy characters), this episode never aired in Japan. However, it is included in the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video#Japan|''Transformers Animated Vol. 6'' DVD]] as episode 22.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Narodziny Constructiconów'''" ("Birth of the Constructicons")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 6 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Velocity (episode)

2020-04-29T05:13:02Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Velocity}}

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Velocity Bumblebee Blurr meet.JPG
|caption="One shall stand, one shall eat dust."
|ep=21
|ep2=20
|prev2=Garbage In, Garbage Out
|next2=A Fistful of Energon
|title="Velocity"
|airdate=[[May 10]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[May 17]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Len Uhley]]
|directed by= [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Kenji Itoso]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Investigating a mysterious race car, Bumblebee gets involved with an illegal underground street racing circuit, which also captures the attention of the Decepticons.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Velocity Prowl Blade.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Yeah, sure, '''this''' oughta help her stay calm.]]

On the highways of Detroit, the [[Autobot]]s are driving under the moonlight, searching for an [[AllSpark]] fragment. As Bumblebee complains about the boring nature of their task, several cars speed past them. Bulkhead recognizes them as racers for ''[[Street Demon]]'', a show he and Sari watch. Calling them amateurs, Bumblebee decides to show off and speeds ahead. As he boasts, a blue racer comes in and rams two drivers off the road. Bumblebee wants to go after him, while Prime says that the drivers need help. Still, Bumblebee pursues, discovering that the car is quite fast. As the Autobots render assistance, Captain Fanzone arrives and arrests the two drivers. Bulkhead is shocked to learn that the Street Demons are on an illegal racing circuit, while Bumblebee rolls up, transforms, and falls down, breathing heavily...somehow.

Back at the [[Autobot Earth Base|plant]], Bumblebee thinks that he can beat the blue racer with his [[turbo booster]]s. Prime and Ratchet refuse, and Bumblebee shouts that nothing on Earth is faster than him. This train of thought leads Bumblebee to the conclusion that the blue racer is a Decepticon. Prowl points out that the racer was uninterested in the Autobots, and Prime orders Bumblebee not to use the boosters. Meanwhile, Bulkhead comes down on Sari over ''Street Demon'', but Sari says that they're not helping the illegal show in any way, since she's pirating the signal. As Bulkhead laments about how the Autobots need to set a good example, Bumblebee walks in and smooths things over, saying that he'll straighten out Sari. Once Bulkhead is out of [[Sensors|audio sensor]] range, Bumblebee has Sari show him the races. He asks her to track down where the broadcast came from, and with the help of the [[AllSpark Key]], he finds out where they are.

[[File:TFA Velocity Master Disaster remote.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|The universal remote of doom.]]

At an irrigation channel, Bumblebee, having taken his turbo boosters, joins in a training race, finally getting the hang of his boosters. Seeing what is going on, Master Disaster, the host of ''Street Demon'', uses some sort of remote control to send out the blue racer to attack Bumblebee. Finally getting tired of being attacked, Bumblebee transforms into robot mode, causing Master Disaster to call off the attack. Instead, Disaster invites the Autobot to participate in the next race. Bumblebee agrees, on the condition that blue racer is present. As Bumblebee [[roll out|rolls out]], Disaster notes that with an Autobot racing, their ratings will triple...and get even higher if said Autobot were to suffer an "accident".

At the plant, Bulkhead brings Sari a cup of hot chocolate, but Bumblebee calls on her cell phone, revealing his misadventure and allowing Bulkhead to learn what is going on. Before he can further <s>dig his own grave</s> elaborate, Bumblebee stops short when he sees a plane—Blitzwing. Following the Decepticon, Bumblebee overhears Blitzwing communicate with Megatron about an AllSpark fragment he was tracking. Convinced it involves the blue racer, Bumblebee heads back to the plant. He tells Sari what is going on, only for Bulkhead to come down on Bumblebee for what he's doing. Bumblebee tells him about Blitzwing, the AllSpark fragment, and his suspicions about the blue racer being a Decepticon, insisting that he can only discover the truth if he races. Bulkhead agrees to allow it on the condition that he is brought along as well, but Bumblebee fibs. However, when Sari catches him going out, she forces him to take her...as Bulkhead listens in.

In an interrogation room, Fanzone questions one of the drivers. Using the threat of imprisonment, Fanzone learns that the next race will be at Dix and Vernor, and he intends to get there before the races begins...at which point he walks right into a door.

[[File:TFA Velocity air chicken.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|IT IS BETTER TO FIGHT AND DIE—than live with the knowledge that I ran. We can run?! Let's do that!]]

At the race site, Master Disaster is making the final preparations, when the AllSpark Key glows in the direction of Disaster's truck. Sneaking aboard, she finds the remote, then flees while Disaster announces the two-minute mark. As he reaches for the remote, he discovers what Sari did, forcing Bumblebee and Sari to escape. Thinking the race has started, the other drivers follow. As Bulkhead prepares to roll out and follow them, Blitzwing freezes the Autobot, then flies after the other two. Sari opens the remote and finds the AllSpark fragment, while Bumblebee detects Blitzwing. Seeing the flier, he dives through an arch, which Blitzwing freezes, cutting off the rest of the racers. Failing in his attempts to destroy Bumblebee from above, Blitzwing goes to tank mode, but is buried under rubble when he destroys a bridge support.

[[File:TFA Velocity Bumblebee Blitzwing Scale.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|...kinda one-sided, ain't it?]]

Meanwhile, Bumblebee sees Fanzone's car and tries to reach him. Fanzone is forced to jump into Bumblebee as Blitzwing destroys his car. As Blitzwing continues his strafing, Sari uses the remote to control Blitzwing, but it falls from her hands and out of the car. As they near another bridge, the blue racer crashes through the bridge's retaining wall and plays a game of Midair Chicken with Blitzwing. At first, Blitzwing is prepared to [[Furmanism|fight and die]], but he turns away, crashing first into a building and then into Master Disaster's truck. Bumblebee deposits the two humans on the road, then goes to finish off Blitzwing, despite being vastly outsized and outgunned. Fortunately, the fight has brought them back to where the remote was. However, Blitzwing destroys a bridge above Bumblebee, also freeing Bulkhead. As Blitzwing prepares to deliver the killing blow, Sari uses the remote to control Blitzwing (as well as Bumblebee, who crashes into Bulkhead). Finally, Sari sends Blitzwing into high altitude. As Master Disaster tries to sneak away, Fanzone places him under arrest.

Back at the plant, Prime decides to store the remote in a safe place, while Bumblebee decides to set a better example for Sari—starting by ending her pirated satellite connection. As Sari jokingly warns Bumblebee not to set too good of an example (lest she not recognize him), Bumblebee notices the blue racer speed past the plant. Bumblebee shouts out a "thank you", but is left wondering who the blue racer really is.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blue Racer]] (6)
|c2=
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (12)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (voice only) (13)
|c3=
*[[Ming-Li]] (7)
*[[Roxy Sparkles]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (10)
*[[Master Disaster (Animated)|Master Disaster]] (11)
*[[Shana Story]] (14)
*[[Solon Kitakaze (Animated)|Solon Kitakaze]] (15)
|c4=
}}

==Quotes==
'''Fanzone''': I've been after them for weeks. They're part of an underground racing circuit. 
'''Bulkhead''': You mean they race in tunnels? 
'''Fanzone''': Underground as in illegal. As in they race in the streets and don't care who gets hurt. 
'''Bulkhead''': That's not what Sari told me. 
'''Optimus''': What purpose does this street race serve? 
'''Fanzone''': Eh, what else? They get a couple a' million pay-per-view customers for their pirate broadcasts, then it's "cha-ching cha-ching", big bucks.
:—Captain Fanzone introduces the Autobots to the seedy world of underground racing.

'''Bumblebee''': Lighten up, Bulkhead. We're supposed to be the ''fun'' bots, remember? 
'''Bulkhead''': Yeah, but we still gotta set a good example. She looks up to us. 
'''Bumblebee''': Hello, she looks up to everybody. 
'''Sari''': HEY!
:—Bumblebee should be more sensitive about [[Scale|size issues]].

"Uh oh. Goodbye traction . . . hello scrapheap!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' about to be run down.

"Hey...you know that's comin' out of my paycheck."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' manages to see the down side of being saved before Blitzwing destroyed his car.

''[referring to Bumblebee's vehicle mode]'' 
"How come your interior's so much cleaner than mine?" 
"Hmm, maybe 'cause it's not on fire?"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' gets zinged by '''Sari'''.

'''Blitzwing (Hothead):''' Why can't I control myself?! 
'''Blitzwing (Random):''' Not zat I ever could! AHAHAHA! 
:—Blitzwing while under the remote's influence.

"Oh, dizzy. Not liking the dizzy."
:—'''Random Blitzwing'''

"Well, that's the trouble with bending the rules—''cough''—they usually snap right back in your face."
:—Lessons in life from '''Captain Fanzone'''

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': Never give up! 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': Never surrender! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': NEVER MIND!! 
''[Blitzwing swerves off into a nearby building]''
:—Blitzwing and the mysterious racer play a game of Chicken.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* Sari doesn't actually take off her seatbelt when she leaves Bumblebee's driver's seat to investigate Master Disaster's trailer. The whole shoulder-strap just moves with her, then we hear the sound of Bumblebee's door opening then closing.
* In the long overhead shot towards the beginning of the Bumblebee/Blitzwing chase (shortly after a wall of ice blocks the human racers off), Bumblebee does not get smaller as he moves further into the distance.
* When Bumblebee is stuck in some [[oil]], he is unable to speed forward, even with his boosters. Yet, seconds later, he speeds backwards without a problem.

===Continuity errors===
* Hothead [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] demonstrates the ability to function in jet mode, instead of automatically switching to tank mode as he did in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]". His ice missiles are replaced with conventional explosive ones. Or maybe it was just Crazy who was in control at that moment?
* Bumblebee is using rocket boosters similar to the ones in "[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]," despite the fact they were destroyed and lost. It could be that Isaac Sumdac built him new ones, but given his absence and the fact that the replacements are never touched upon before hand, it seems unlikely.
* In "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]", Blitzwing freezes Ratchet, but he's able to break free a few minutes later. In this episode, when Blitzwing freezes Bulkhead, he cannot move.
* In "Nanosec", Bumblebee's boosters gave enough propulsion to match Nanosec in speed, so fast that he became a blur. In this episode, he is only on par with Blitzwing and cannot match the blue car even with the boosters. What gives?

===Real-world references===
* Wondering where Bumblebee came from, Master Disaster invokes the name of [[Detroit]] auto mogul Henry Ford (and also calls Bumblebee a "clown car").
* This episode borrows several plot and thematic elements from the popular street racing film ''{{w|The Fast and the Furious}}''.
* Blitzwing's "Never give up! Never surrender! NEVER MIND!" quote refers to the catchphrase from the [[DreamWorks]] film, ''{{w|Galaxy Quest}}''.
* Blitzwing haphazardly fires off multiple missiles in all directions in a style reminiscent of the Valkyrie Fighters from ''{{w|Macross|Super Dimension Fortress Macross}}''.
* In this episode, Blitzwing's cannons make the familiar "high tension cable twang" normally associated with laser cannons in the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' films.
* The first car that passes Bumblebee at the beginning of the episode resembles the 1999 Nissan Skyline From 2003's ''2 Fast 2 Furious''.
* Some of the scenes in this episode may be construed as parodies of ''{{w|Speed Racer}}''.

===Trivia===
* Fanzone's car explodes. Again. At least we know where he gets the replacements.
* It seems that the Autobots have gained a better culinary understanding than they had in "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]" to the point where they know how heated cocoa powder in milk and hot water can be considered edible.
* This is the first episode in which [[Blitzwing (Animated)|a Decepticon]] is defeated by a [[Human|puny organic]].
* It's slightly odd that Optimus Prime and Fanzone chew out Sari and Bumblebee for hacking into pay-per-view broadcasts of illegal street races. It's not like the promoters deserve to profit from these broadcasts.
* This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 9]]", with "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Velocidad'''" ("Velocity")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 11|11 October]] [[2008]]

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Velo-Cité'''" ("Velo-City")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Schneller als der Wind'''" ("Faster than the Wind")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 21|21 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''I Demoni della Strada'''" ("The Speed Demons")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 14|14 February]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shichōritsu Race!'''" (視聴率レース!, "Ratings Race!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 14|14 August]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Prędkość'''" ("Velocity")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Garbage In, Garbage Out

2020-04-29T05:11:44Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Wreck-Gar-Ani.jpg
|caption=Wreck-Gar auditions for the role of {{w|WALL-E|WALL·E}}.
|ep=20
|ep2=19
|prev2=Mission Accomplished
|next2=Velocity (episode)
|title="Garbage In, Garbage Out"
|airdate=[[May 3]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[May 10]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''AllSpark energy turns a junkpile into a sentient robot who tries to help the Autobots, but ends up doing more harm than good.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Garbage In Out Garbage bots malfunction.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Too much garbage in your face? There's plenty of space out in space!"]]

Garbage is piling up all over [[Detroit]], as the trash-bots are malfunctioning and [[Sumdac Systems]] CEO Porter C. Powell refuses to repair them until the city and he can come to an agreement on payment. In Powell's office, a technician demonstrates a new form of the [[Nanite|nanobots]] that [[Transform and Roll Out|caused big problems a while back]], designed this time to break down garbage into its component molecules, quickly and cheaply solving the garbage problem (while allowing Powell to charge the city a hefty fee).

Elsewhere, the [[Autobot]]s are trying to patch up their still-damaged reputation by helping pile garbage into scows. Ratchet (who is *very* cranky due to the fact that they are cleaning up garbage when they should be looking for Megatron's hideout) ends up getting into a shouting match with an old man whose car ended up under a garbage mound, resulting in the car being dumped in the river and the two old grouches almost coming to blows. Captain Fanzone arrives to break up the scene and remarks that Ratchet needs to work on his "people skills". Prime agrees and assigns Bumblebee and Sari to try and help out Ratchet while they work more on the garbage problem. Ratchet is not happy with this.

Just before the Autobots depart, though, Sari's [[AllSpark Key]] glows, but she quickly disregards this, and so she misses the emergence of a junk-robot from the scow, brought to life by an [[AllSpark]] shard. The confused machine tries to figure out his identity using the scraps around him, but is unsatisfied with the results. Spying a passing [[hover-billboard]] with a sign for the Detroit police department with the slogan "We're Here to Help", the robot happily goes about trying to find the police for some help with his identity.

[[File:TFA Garbage In Out Megatron twitch.JPG|right|upright=1.1|thumb|If [[Inferno (BW)|you]] call me your [[Megatron (BW)|queen]] ''one more time''...]]

At the Decepticon base, Lugnut detects a surge in AllSpark energy, and Megatron concludes that another fragment must have turned up. Megatron orders Lugnut to retrieve it, and Lugnut continues his glory-spouting as he leaves. Megatron's optical sensor begins to twitch noticeably.

Stuck in a traffic jam, Ratchet is about to display some serious road rage when Bumblebee puts on his siren and clears a path for them. Heading through, they find [[Witwicky|a familiar couple]] who are expecting a child, but their car has broken down on the way to the hospital. Ratchet agrees to take them to the hospital, then jets off at high speed, despite Sari's warning to keep the mother calm.

Meanwhile, the new robot is walking through downtown Detroit, nearly causing several accidents. The police, pursuing the [[Angry Archer]], crash into the robot, who subsequently asks them for help. Archer tells the robot to throw them aside so that they can escape, and the robot agrees. When Archer inquires as to his identity, the robot responds that he is "worthless-wreck-walking-pile-of-garbage" (all things he had been called by citizens who nearly slammed into him), so the Archer dubs him Wreck-Gar for short. He tries to explain that they steal from the rich and give to the poor (themselves), but Wreck-Gar gets the Archer's words confused. Seeing a passing armored car, Archer tells Wreck-Gar that they must "knock it over", so Wreck-Gar proceeds to chase the armored car and do just that.

[[File:TFA Garbage In Out Spike Carly bumpy ride.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh shit, what are we gonna do now?!]]

Meanwhile, expecting mother Carly asks her husband, Spike, to ask the driver to slow down, only for Spike to learn that there is only a little girl in the car—and no driver! Ratchet tells them to keep quiet as he tries to find a hospital, only for the armored car knocked over by Wreck-Gar to land in his way. Jettisoning the humans, Ratchet and Bumblebee try to stop Wreck-Gar, but before they can do anything, the Angry Archer snags and flees with a canister that was in the armored car. Sari points out that Autobots are supposed to catch the bad guys, and Wreck-Gar assumes that he is an Autobot, slaps on an [[Insignia|Autobrand]], and goes after the Archer. Bumblebee and Sari go after him, while Ratchet offers to drive Spike and Carly to the hospital. They say they'll take a cab, leaving Ratchet miffed at their rudeness.

Outrunning the swinging Archer, Wreck-Gar hurls him into the air so he can "catch" him, allowing the Angry Archer to escape, but the canister falls into Wreck-Gar's backpack. As the Autobots and Sari show up, the Key starts to glow, and they realize that Wreck-Gar was created by an AllSpark fragment. Ratchet rudely tells Wreck-Gar that he is not an Autobot and is only good for one thing: GARBAGE! Wreck-Gar therefore [[Transformation|transforms]] into his garbage truck [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] and leaves to deliver garbage to the people of Detroit—starting by covering Sari and the Autobots in a pile of it.

[[File:GarbageInGarbageOut-Wreck-GarandLugnutwithaxe.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|It's no Star Saber but it'll do.]]

Meanwhile, Lugnut has reached the city, and he confronts Wreck-Gar at the military base he and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] previously visited. Lugnut demands the AllSpark fragment from the vehicle's driver, but Wreck-Gar transforms, revealing his robotic nature. When Wreck-Gar repeats Ratchet's statement that he's no Autobot, Lugnut concludes that Wreck-Gar is a loyal Decepticon, so Wreck-Gar slaps on a Decepticon symbol.

Back at the crime scene, Ratchet is removing the driver of the armored car when Powell and Fanzone show up. Powell reveals that the car was carrying the garbage-devouring microbots to a demonstration for Mayor Edsel. However, the canister carrying them is gone. Sari is more than willing to let Powell suffer, but Ratchet is concerned about what the microbots might do if infused with AllSpark energy. Tracking Wreck-Gar to the base, Ratchet demands the Microbots, only for Lugnut to transform and activate his [[Punch of Kill Everything]]. Wreck-Gar interprets this as the [[universal greeting]] and gives Lugnut a high five. Sari and the Autobots barely manage to avoid ground zero. As Lugnut transforms to attack, Wreck-Gar takes out the canister, which has cracked, allowing some of the microbots to touch Lugnut. Crying out in pain, Lugnut commands Wreck-Gar to get them off, so Wreck-Gar dissects Lugnut, causing his tail end, still carrying Wreck-Gar, to crash onto a garbage scow. Bumblebee declares their problems over, but Ratchet is worried. If those microbots could eat through Decepticon [[armor-plating]], there's no telling what they'll do to downtown Detroit.

[[File:Garbage In Garbage Out Wreck-Gar stuck.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|[[Lost and Found (episode)#Quotes|Help! Give me a hand! Or-or a foot! How about a pelvis?]]]]

On the river bank, Powell arrives to cancel the presentation with the mayor, only for the group to see the microbots eat the garbage on the scow. Powell quickly takes advantage of the situation to start wheeling and dealing. As the scow gets closer, Ratchet jumps from a nearby bridge to stop it. He tries to reason with Wreck-Gar, but everything fails, forcing Ratchet to make the ultimate sacrifice...and apologize. He tells Wreck-Gar he can be whatever he wants, and Wreck-Gar decides to save the city, vacuuming up the microbots. However, the microbots overload Wreck-Gar's backpack, causing him to fall into the river. Ratchet tries to pull him out with his magnets, but only finds junk. As Bumblebee and Sari declare Ratchet a hero, Powell cries foul, saying that Ratchet destroyed his product. Thus there is no deal with the city, and the garbage dispute will continue. Ratchet picks up Powell, the Mayor, and the Mayor's aide, and tells them to make peace or be thrown into the river. Powell and Edsel agree to a small increase to re-service the garbage bots, ending the dispute. Ratchet decides the cheering bystanders are lauding him, leading him to conclude that he does have people skills. Sari and Bumblebee know differently, however.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the river, Wreck-Gar, buried shoulder-deep in sediment, assures the sea life that he is a hero and is there to help. First, however, he needs a hand. Or a fin.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)
|c2=
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (14)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (15)
|c3=
*[[Lester Black]] (2)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (3)
*[[Eddie Fairchild and Matt Conroy|Sumdac technician]]s (4)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (9)
*[[Irate Citizen]] (11)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (12)
*Police officer (16)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike Witwicky]] (17)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]] (18)
*[[Angry Archer]] (19)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (20)
*[[Adrias]] (21)
|c4=
*[[Trash Bot]]s (1)
*[[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] (13)

}}

==Quotes==
"Stasis lock itself could not deter me from your grand and glorious plan, oh wise and noble Megatron!" 
''[Left optic twitches]'' "Just...''go''..."
:—'''Lugnut's''' blind worship can be too much even for '''Megatron''' sometimes.

"I don't suppose you can tell me what I am, funny green man?" 
"You are...my partner-in-crime. They call me Angry Archer!" 
"They call me 'worthless-wreck-walking-pile-of-garbage'!" 
"Oh, really? Bit of a mouthful. Perhaps we should just call you 'Wreck-Gar' for short."
:—'''Angry Archer''', Renaissance Man, does some on-the-spot dubbing.

''[The Autobots are stuck in traffic]'' 
'''Ratchet''': Move it, already! Don't you humans have anything better to do?! 
'''Sari''': You should really try to be more patient with people. 
'''Ratchet''': I'd be a lot more patient with them...if they'd GET OUT OF MY WAY!
:—Ratchet shows that road rage is alive and well in the 22nd century.

'''Bumblebee''': ''[To Wreck-Gar]'' What are you? ''[To Sari]'' What is he? 
'''Sari''': I don't know, but he's givin' off a ton of AllSpark energy. 
'''Wreck-Gar:''' I am Wreck-Gar! I give off a ton of AllSpark energy! 
'''Bumblebee''': So, what, an AllSpark fragment just brought a junk pile to life and made some new kind of Autobot?! 
'''Wreck-Gar''': I am Wreck-Gar! I am some new kind of Autobot?! 
'''Ratchet''': Listen up, scrapheap. You're not an Autobot, and you never will be an Autobot. You're only good for one thing...'''''GARBAGE!''''' 
'''Wreck-Gar''': I am Wreck-Gar! I am only good for one thing...'''''GARBAGE!''''' I must deliver garbage to all! ''[transforms and rolls out]''
:— Ratchet's lack of people skills backfires again.

'''Lugnut''': Are you an Autobot? 
'''Wreck-Gar''': I am Wreck-Gar! I am not an Autobot and never will be an Autobot! 
'''Lugnut''': Ah! Then you must be a Decepticon! 
'''Wreck-Gar''': I am Wreck-Gar! I...must be a Decepticon! 
''[Wreck-Gar places a Decepticon badge on his chest]'' 
'''Lugnut''': Aah, ALL HAIL MEGATRON! 
'''Wreck-Gar''': All hail Megatron! Uh...w-what's a 'Megatron'?
:— Wreck-Gar makes a new friend.

"You glitch-head! You're gonna destroy the whole city! You wouldn't dare do something THAT stupid!" 
"I am Wreck-Gar! I ''dare'' to be stupid! I will destroy the whole city!"
:— '''Ratchet''' and '''Wreck-Gar'''. Yes, but does he count his chickens before they hatch?

"Well, whaddaya know. They like me. They really like me! Guess I got a way with words."
:— '''Ratchet''', discovering what we've known all along.

==Notes==
* This episode was first shown on Friday, [[April 25]]th at [[BotCon 2008]] (with the time-code running in the top-left corner).

===Animation or technical errors===
* In one scene where Ratchet crosses his arms, he gains a second war wound on his right arm.
* After Lugnut uses his "Punch of Kill Everything", causing an explosion at the airport, a lining on the concrete vanishes before the explosion damages the fighter jets.
* When Wreck-Gar asks Bumblebee and Ratchet if they want garbage, his forehead is white instead of orange.
* Though Wreck-Gar calls what he pulls from his backpack a "microscope", it's actually a telescope. Of course this ''could'' just be ignorance on his part as he had not been online for a single day yet...

===Continuity errors===
* Optimus pays honor to the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|long-standing tradition]] of his [[trailer]] disappearing when he transforms. His dump-truck trailer disappears magically along with all the garbage in it!
* Why don't Sari or Ratchet react to the Key when it starts to glow, indicating the presence of AllSpark energy?
* Sari uses the Key to help track down Wreck-Gar...which seems rather unnecessary, considering the noticeable trail of garbage he left behind.
* The previously cylindrical trash-bots now appear somewhat rectangular.

===Transformers references===
[[File:Beemeatcycle.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Most fanwanky episode ever? Most likely.]]
* Wreck-Gar interprets Lugnut's incoming rocket punch as an invitation to a high five, and he happily delivers the [[universal greeting]].
*Wreck-Gar appears to have the original's near-invulnerability. After triggering Lugnut's [[Punch of Kill Everything]] and causing a huge explosion, Wreck-Gar is simply knocked down, but otherwise fine.
* Wreck-Gar's shifting allegiance and red optics as he faces down Ratchet on the garbage scow appear to be callbacks to the [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|original Wreck-Gar]], who seemed to be an enemy to the Autobots in his initial movie appearance, complete with red optics, and was even marketed as such in television [[commercial]]s.
* The ''Animated'' incarnations of Spike and Carly, who made a cameo in [[Transform and Roll Out|the pilot episode]], reappear with speaking lines and even get their names called out. In the process, Corey Burton reprises his post-[[The Transformers: The Movie|Movie]] voice for the adult [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]].
* Generation 1 Wreck-Gar's motorcycle alt mode can be spotted amongst the garbage that Wreck-Gar throws at Bumblebee.
* The term "microbots" is a reference to one of the [[Microbots|good old G1 episodes]].

===Real-world references===
* The title "Garbage In, Garbage Out" is a phrase used in computing meaning that if you give a computer bad data, or garbage, it gives you the same, as it just does what it's programmed to do without correcting your errors. This makes it very appropriate for Wreck-Gar's introductory episode, as it seems to be the case for him as well.
* While driving Spike and Carly to the hospital, Ratchet drives past the Wyatt Toys toy store, a reference to Art Director [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] previously seen in "[[Sound and Fury]]".
* The line "Thumb tack? Carpet tack? Income tack?" bears a striking resemblance to a gag used by Groucho Marx in ''Duck Soup''.
* The line "They like me, they really like me!" refers to Sally Field's Oscar acceptance speech in 1985.
* Wreck-Gar's "I ''dare'' to be stupid!" is, of course, a reference to one of [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]'s most well-known songs, "[[Dare to Be Stupid]]"–a {{w|Devo}} "style parody" which appeared on the soundtrack to [[The Transformers: The Movie|the original animated movie]], and was used there in the scene with the [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|original Wreck-Gar]].

===Trivia===
*Even Megatron gets annoyed by Lugnut's constant worshipping. [[Inferno (BW)|Sound familiar]]?
*The mayor still doesn't talk, letting his [[Adrias|Press Secretary]] speak for him instead.
*Aside from Wreck-Gar, Weird Al also voices the Sumdac Systems technician who explains the new version of the nanobots to Porter C. Powell.
*This is the first and only time we see Lugnut use his mace/axe weapon. Originally, Hasbro never told the cartoon team that they had included it with the toy. As such, they only found out after Season 1 was finished.
*Given that Carly is about to give birth when she seemed to have a wafer-thin profile in [[Transform and Roll Out|the pilot]], the Autobots seem to have spent at least six months or so in Detroit.
*This episode sees the return of the human newscaster.
*Wreck-Gar appears to have access to [[subspace storage pocket|Hammerspace]].
*Bulkhead appears, but has no lines. Blitzwing and Isaac Sumdac are also absent.
*One of the two policemen Wreck-Gar picks up resembles Officer Dibble from ''{{w|Top Cat}}''.
*This episode is the first to feature Ratchet's full robot-to-vehicle [[stock footage|transformation animation sequence]].
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 9]]", with "[[Velocity (episode)|Velocity]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Lixo dentro, lixo fora'''" ("Garbage In, Garbage Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un tri trop sélectif'''" ("A Too Selective Sorting")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Basura Entra, Basura Sale'''" ("Garbage In, Garbage Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 4|4 October]] [[2008]]

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Müll-Bots'''" ("The Garbage-Bots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 18|18 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rifiuti'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 7|7 February]] [[2009]]
::* Wreck-Gar is renamed "Pattumiera" (Trashcan), getting the dubious award of being the first Autobot renamed in Italy since ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''. ([[Mega-Octane]] already had the crown as the first overall Transformer with a different Italian name after BW, FYI)

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Wreck-Gar no Bōsō'''" (レックガーの暴走, "Wreck-Gar's Rampage")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 7|7 August]] [[2010]]
::* It's Optimus's turn for the warning message and stock footage. Wreck-Gar wonders what he is and doesn't understand anything, other than that the show is starting during the intro.
::* The [[universal greeting]] doesn't quite work out in Japanese, and Wreck-Gar instead sings a little ditty. The "carpet/thumb/income tack" gag also doesn't work as well.
::* The outro [[commercial bumper]] for Wreck-Gar shows his [[robot mode]] in black silhouette with him asking who it is. The intro bumper shows his robot mode and has him announcing his name. This is a send-up/homage to the [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Who's_That_Pokémon? "Who's that Pokémon?"] bumpers from the ''Pokémon'' TV series.
::* The [[Otoboto family]] act as news anchors, the family obviously trying not to lose their composure. It's also a promotion for the recently released DVD and the exclusive gold-chromed Optimus figure.
::* During the "next episode" segment, Bumblebee and Ratchet promote a contest for which entries—drawings of the entrant's favorite Transformer—must be postmarked by [[August 31]] to TV Aichi, the prizes being Voyager Optimus and TF-26 Megatron Light & Sound. Additional information can be found at [http://www.tv-aichi.co.jp/TF-animated/news/index.html#100726a TV Aichi's site].

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Śmieci weszły, Śmieci wyszły'''" ("Garbage In, Garbage Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Mission Accomplished

2020-04-29T05:09:11Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Jagged.JPG
|caption=Starscream refused to invoke his right to remain silent, so the Autobots decided to enforce it.
|ep=19
|ep2=18
|prev2=The Return of the Headmaster
|next2=Garbage In, Garbage Out
|title="Mission Accomplished"
|airdate= [[April 26]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[May 3]], 2008 (USA)
|written by= [[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani|Yoshio Chatani]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Convinced there are no Decepticons left on Earth, the Elite Guard prepares to take Optimus Prime and his crew back to Cybertron, unaware of the increasing Decepticon activity taking place under their very noses.'''

==Synopsis==
The Autobot [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] sends a message to the Earth-based Autobots, revealing he is under [[Decepticon Uprisings|attack]] from Decepticons and has already lost one [[space bridge]]. He requests backup, but the transmission is cut off. Ultra Magnus explains this is but one of many reports of rising Decepticon activity. Jazz thinks it is due to the rumours of Megatron's survival, and Sentinel can't resist an opportunity to make a snide comment about the source of those rumours: Optimus Prime. Magnus therefore decides that all Earth-bound Autobots will make preparations to leave the planet. When Optimus protests due to the presence of Decepticons on Earth, Ultra Magnus brushes him off, whilst Sentinel butts in with another tirade about putting Prime up for an inquiry (or a {{w|court-martial}}, as Optimus perceives it). Ultra Magnus tries to make his position clear; that in the long run, everyone is better off believing Megatron is dead. Putting forward the idea of the Decepticon leader surviving and the [[AllSpark]] being destroyed would cause panic among the Autobots and strengthen the resolve of the Decepticons. An outraged Optimus is forced into compliance.

Back at the [[Autobot Earth Base|factory]], Sari is heartbroken by the idea of her friends being forced to leave Earth. The situation is made worse when Sentinel shows up. With his usual grace and tact, he tells Sari to belt up and officially inducts Optimus's team into the war effort. In the middle of insulting the "repair grunts", he makes a gesture of sorts to Optimus: Do as Ultra Magnus says, admit he's been lying, and Sentinel will use his connections to get Optimus's military career back on track, as thanks for [[The Return of the Headmaster|the recent Headmaster incident]]. When Optimus tells him what to do with his offer, Sentinel places him under formal arrest.

[[File:Tooyoungtodie.JPG|left|thumb|Go to your happy place, Screamer.]]

On a garbage scow moving along the river, Starscream suddenly reactivates. Disorientated, he panics when he realises that not only can he not pick up any other Decepticon energy signatures, he can't even pick up his own! After a moment of shock, he recovers and gets his bearings: he's alive and still on Earth. Furious at Megatron's attempt on his life, he transforms and blasts off into the sky.

At the Decepticon base, Blitzwing and Lugnut successfully test out Professor Sumdac's new Decepticon signal dampener. Mildly impressed, Megatron quickly moves on, demanding the creation of a subspace communicator so he can contact his forces in space to cease their aimless attacks in favor of a coordinated assault. When Sumdac comments that Earth technology is too primitive to create a tachyon transmitter, Megatron smugly informs him that they will simply steal the required tech from the Elite Guard's ship. Meanwhile, the Autobots are trying to figure out what to do with Sari, so they take her to the most together human they know, Captain Fanzone—although they do point out that most of the humans they know are criminally insane, such as [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] and [[Nanosec]].

[[File:MissionAccomplished-Fanzoneindressinggown.jpg|right|thumb|It's not what it looks like.]]

While they handle that, Optimus is on the Elite Guard's ship, with Sentinel still trying to convince him to play ball. Optimus refuses to lie, while Sentinel says that confirming there are no Decepticons on Earth would merely confirm what their sensors are saying. While they argue, Lugnut and Blitzwing tunnel under the ship's shield and steal a tachyon transmitter. As they make their escape, they fail to notice Starscream tailing them back to base.

[[File:Swordscream.JPG|left|thumb|And so begins the greatest ''Transformers'' montage of all time.]]

As Lugnut presents his prize to Megatron, Starscream makes his presence known. What follows is a quick but decisive victory for Megatron, who simply slashes Starscream before blasting him point-blank. Lugnut checks to see if Starscream is still online, and finding no spark, helps Blitzwing toss his corpse into the river. After floating downstream, Starscream suddenly reactivates again. He realises he lacks a spark and discovers he is being kept alive by a fragment of the AllSpark buried in his head, effectively making him immortal. Delighted, he declares the end of Megatron's era. As Megatron sends his message out to the Decepticons, Starscream attacks...and is promptly killed again. After a couple more fruitless attempts, he starts to wonder if he needs a new strategy. His fragment allows him to locate a second shard, and a plan begins to formulate...

[[File:Sentinel Prime shocked.jpg|right|thumb|Sentinel Prime: Totally owned. Again.]]

At the Elite Guard ship, Magnus presses Optimus Prime to cooperate, when Jazz reveals that he's discovered a sudden surge in AllSpark energy. Concluding that it's another shard, Magnus and Jazz go to retrieve it, while Sentinel is to remain and watch Optimus. As Sentinel moans, Optimus realizes that they had only found AllSpark shards before due to [[AllSpark Key|Sari's key]]. Doing a thermal scan, he discovers Starscream. Optimus tries to warn Ultra Magnus, but Sentinel threatens to put him in [[stasis cuffs]] if he tries to leave. Optimus is able to take down Sentinel and place him in the cuffs, then [[Roll out|rolls out]].

Meanwhile, Optimus' crew are watching Sari "interview" Captain Fanzone, who is not very fond of children, when Optimus contacts them and tells his team to meet him en route to the train.

As Starscream gloats about his plan to draw out Megatron and kill him in a massive explosion, Ultra Magnus and Jazz arrive, as do Megatron and Blitzwing. Megatron realizes that it's a trap set by Starscream, while Magnus and Jazz have trouble extracting the shard. An energy surge throws the Elite Guard off the train. Further ahead along the tracks, Optimus orders Prowl to sever the passenger cars from the main car, while Bumblebee takes Sari to use her key to remove the shard. They succeed, but the train still nearly crashes, only stopped because Ratchet uses his magnets from ahead while Bulkhead, anchored by Optimus Prime, grabs the rear of the train. High in the air, as Starscream fumes about the lost opportunity, Megatron appears, ready to beat him senseless.

On the ground, Ultra Magnus reprimands Optimus Prime, while Sentinel Prime arrives and accuses him of assault. Though Optimus defends his position, both Elite Guardsmen point out that there is no evidence of Decepticons—only for Starscream to crash into the ground mere meters away, causing Sentinel Prime to freak out at the sight of an actual Decepticon. Quickly coming back online, Starscream takes advantage of Magnus's momentary inattention to blast the Autobot leader into unconsciousness from point-blank range, taking the shard with him. The Autobots' attempts to take down Starscream fail, until Optimus comes up with a plan—although an intervention from Jazz is required to make Sentinel go along with it. Having Sentinel draw Starscream's attention, Optimus uses the stasis cuffs on the Decepticon, who is then taken to the Elite Guard ship—with his mouth riveted shut.

Ultra Magnus admits that Optimus Prime was right about there being Decepticons on Earth, and though Sentinel Prime brings up the assault and insubordination charges, Magnus still supports Optimus's actions. Magnus decides that Optimus Prime's crew will remain on Earth to locate the remaining AllSpark shards and capture the Decepticons, while the Elite Guard returns to Cybertron for Magnus to conduct the war effort. Sari is overjoyed that the Autobots are staying, but promises Captain Fanzone that they can still hang out.

Meanwhile, Megatron tells his minions to inform their [[Shockwave (Animated)|double agent]] on Cybertron that the Decepticons have repledged their allegiance to him and are proceeding with their leader's plan to make coordinated strikes on the edge of the galaxy so as to draw the Autobots away from Cybertron. Once the space bridge technology is fully developed, Megatron's group will return to the defenseless Cybertron and conquer the planet from within...

==Featured characters==

{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (8)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (11)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (12)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (15)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (14)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (16)
}}

==Quotes==
"You dare strike ME, Megatron? After all my loyal stellar cycles of—wh-wu-wait, where is everybody? How did I get here? I'm not picking up any Decepticon energy signatures... not even my own. I'm too young to be offline!"
:—On coming back from the dead, '''Starscream''''s speech-making tendencies outweigh his observational skills.

'''Starscream''': Ahhh. If it isn't my old pal Megatron. And by old pal, I mean the piece of scum who tried to incinerate me into oblivion! 
'''Megatron''': Starscream... you're alive. 
'''Starscream''': What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost. Well, maybe you ''have!'' 
''[Starscream opens fire on Megatron, who simply picks up his sword and strikes Starscream with it]'' 
'''Megatron''': Is that the best you can do, Starscream? And to think you actually believed you could take over as leader of the Decepticons. You couldn't lead a parade. 
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Megatron''' get reacquainted again.

[[File:Number one wink.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Thumbs up, soldier!]]
'''Fanzone''': Why me? 
'''Bumblebee''': You're tops on the list of all the humans we know personally. 
'''Bulkhead''': Although, it is kind of a short list. 
'''Prowl''': And it does include [[Meltdown (Animated)|Prometheus Black]] and [[Nanosec]]. 
'''Bumblebee''': But still, you're number one! 
:—The Autobots try to get Captain Fanzone to adopt Sari. They need to work on their sales pitch.

"Fellow Decepticons, take heed. Your leader, Megatron, still lives! Though we remain dispersed throughout the far reaches of the galaxy, exiled from our true home, we are all still Decepticons, united by a common purpose. The time has come for us to put aside our differences and act as one under my undisputed leadership. Only then can we cast off the shackles of Autobot oppression. Working together, we can raise up our glorious empire once more and crush all who stand in our way!"
:—'''Megatron''' has a good speechwriter

"When are you going to get it through your thick processor? There are no Decepticons on this planet! So keep your audio unit shut or I'll do it for you." ''[brandishes stasis cuffs]'' 
''[beat]'' "I'd like to see you try, you worthless crankshaft!" 
"THAT'S IT!" ''[ten seconds later]'' "You put me in stasis lock?!"
:—'''Sentinel Prime''', owned by '''Optimus Prime''' yet again.

"This day couldn't possibly get any worse!" ''[Megatron appears in front of him]'' "I stand corrected." 
"'''''STARSCREEEEEEAM!!!!!'''''" 
"Sorry, you must have me confused with some other harrier jet."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Megatron'''. We don't think he bought it, Screamer.

'''Sentinel''': Optimus Prime, you are under arrest for assaulting an Elite Guard officer. Add that to the other charges against you, and you can kiss your career goodbye. Do you have anything to say for yourself? 
'''Optimus''': ...Incoming! 
''[Starscream crashes from high altitude into the ground.]'' 
'''Sentinel''': WHAT IS THAT THING?! 
'''Optimus''': Oh, that's right, you've never seen one up close. It's called...a Decepticon.
:—Starscream crashes to Earth, freaks out Sentinel Prime, and gives Optimus Prime the proof he needs.

"Yeesh, Optimus, think you could have drawn that one out any longer?" 
"You're welcome, Sentinel." 
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' and '''Optimus Prime''', same old song and dance.

==Notes==
*This episode was first broadcast in Canada on April 26, one week before its United States premiere, and during the American premiere of the episode "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]".

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Optimus stops Bumblebee from going after Sari when she learns they’re leaving Earth, his crotch is missing all detail.
* When Starscream drops into Megatron's mountain base for the first time, the "glow" effect on his jet exhaust is misaligned for several seconds until he 'catches up' to it.
* Just before Prime activates the thermal scan of the cloud bank supposedly concealing Starscream, Starscream is already plainly visible on the viewscreen. If Starscream wasn't meant to be concealed, then it's a continuity error, as Prime wouldn't need a thermal scan to detect him, just a magnified visual, unless Starscream has a different heat signature than normal Harrier Jets.
* When Megatron comments on the success of Isaac Sumdac's Decepticon signal dampener, Blitzwing's wings disppear. This error is repeated in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]".
*When the screen scrolls to the side after Isaac Sumdac starts working on Megatron's body, Megatron's head is clearly too big for the body, and it's farther away.

===Continuity errors===

* Megatron and the other Decepticons don't seem to wonder why it is that Starscream keeps coming back, despite the fact that they note that his spark compartment is empty. (Unless Megs knew of Screamer's fragment in advance and decided to keep him around as a playtoy for violence.)
* Megatron shatters Starscream's yellow cockpit the first and fourth times he "kills" him in the episode, leaving his empty spark chamber visible. When Starscream pulls a {{w|Jack Harkness|Captain Jack}}, it is still missing. After he sees his reflection in the water the first time, and simply when they cut to a different angle on the fourth time, it is suddenly present and intact once more. (It's possible that's because of the miraculous powers of the AllSpark shard; if it can keep Starscream online, it surely can regenerate any damage he has taken.)
* The AllSpark shard Starscream recovers changes size constantly, from barely fitting into Starscream's hand, to small enough to fit into Optimus's palm with his hand closed.
* How did Sentinel get the stasis cuffs off?
* Captain Fanzone's wife is mentioned in "[[Total Meltdown]]", but she's neither seen nor mentioned here. A possible divorce, perhaps?
* When Optimus Prime puts the newly acquired fragment of the AllSpark into its housing, there are four shards total, even though only two have been recovered by the Autobots on-screen by this episode. It is possible that they located the additional fragments off-screen, as Optimus notes that, in the past, [[AllSpark Key|Sari's key]] had been the primary tool used to locate fragments of the AllSpark. Since this has only been done once before, it can be assumed they used the same technique to find those fragments.
* As Lugnut and Blitzwing tunnel under the force shield to the Elite Guard's ship, they leave a gigantic hole, which no one notices. And later on, the hole has mysteriously disappeared.
* When the Autobots stop the train, Sari is somehow not hurled forward off its roof by her own momentum, even though she is not restrained in any fashion.

===Transformers references===
* Much like [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his Generation 1 counterpart]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] is now immortal, only this time they actually explain why and leave him with a body.

===Real-world references===
* {{w|Mission Accomplished speech|The title. Nuff said.}}
* Starscream refers to his disguise as a {{w|Harrier Jump Jet|Harrier Jet}}. Pity his model won't turn up for another hundred years or so.

===Trivia===
* Along with [[Transformer|machines]] and [[Survival of the Fittest|lawyers]], it seems [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] doesn't like kids.
* It's not clear from the episode itself how Starscream ended up in the garbage scow, but according to ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]]'' the other Decepticons threw him in there.
* In the first interior shot of the Decepticons' hideout, we see the markings on the top of their computer station resemble the upper half of the Decepticon sigil, complete with glowing eyes.
* In his speech, Megatron goes on about how the Decepticons are united by a common purpose and need to put aside their differences, yet Megatron himself is beating the slag out of a fellow Decepticon for the duration of the speech. How ironic.
* Starscream is not just beaten up, but ''killed'' by Megatron five times in a ''single episode''. Definitely a new record.
* The Elite Guard does not come off very well in this episode: Ultra Magnus and Jazz fail to notice a large hole the size of [[Lugnut (Animated)|a B2 bomber]] when leaving their ship, a tachyon transmitter gets ripped off their ship without them even noticing, Sentinel Prime freaks out at the mere sight of a Decepticon, and Ultra Magnus gets defeated by Starscream after only one shot. (To be fair, it ''was'' at point-blank range, ''right in the face''.)
* Megatron mentions having a double agent on Cybertron. [[Shockwave (Animated)|Who could it be?]]
* With this episode, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|all]] [[Ironhide (Movie)|five]] [[Bumblebee (Movie)|of]] [[Jazz (Movie)|the]] [[Ratchet (Movie)|Autobots]] from [[Transformers (film)|the live-action movie]] have appeared in ''Transformers: Animated''.
* When Sentinel is trying to bribe Optimus, he says he could get Optimus re-instated in the Elite Guard, yet in the flashback in "[[Endgame, Part I]]", Optimus would be expelled from the Autobot Academy, and rendered permanently ineligible from joining the Elite Guard in the first place.
* Optimus Prime's crew has already proven to be smaller and less powerful than the Decepticons yet these Autobots are all that the great Autobot Supreme Commander could think of to leave behind on Earth to fight and capture the really powerful MEGATRON!? Sure, he left some stasis cuffs, but it's still a gross overestimation of their abilities. That plan is worse than movie Optimus Prime's.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Mission accomplie'''" ("Mission Accomplished")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Mission erfüllt'''" ("Mission Fulfilled")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 17|17 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Missione Compiuta'''" ("Mission Complete")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 31|31 January]] [[2009]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Misión Cumplida'''" ("Mission Accomplished")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 27|27 September]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bakuchin Kanryō!'''" (爆鎮完了!, "Blast-Extinguishing Complete!")<ref>This is the title of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whraac3aqhc second opening theme] for ''{{w|Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire}}'', the live-action ''{{w|tokusatsu}}'' show that previously held ''Transformers: Animated''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s time slot. It was sung by [[JAM Project]], who also sings the [[Japanese themes|Japanese]] [[Transformers Evo.|opening theme to ''Animated'']]. In-jokes, ahoy!</ref>
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 31|31 July]] [[2010]]
::* New stock footage of Prowl transforming has him delivering the "watch TV in a bright room" message, while Jazz does the intro.
::* The scene where Sentinel tells Optimus to "Stand down" and having a temporarily feud with him and Jazz talking down both Primes are cut.
::* In this [[Otoboto family]] segment, [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]] and [[Tatsuya Otoboto|Tatsuya]] are demonstrating gameplay of ''[[Transformers Animated: The Chase]]'' and ''[[Transformers Animated: The Shooting]]''. ...all to see who gets to eat a {{w|taiyaki}}.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Misja wykonana'''" ("Mission Accomplished")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

== Footnotes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Return of the Headmaster

2020-04-29T05:07:26Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series= Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image= Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg
|caption= Schadenfreude.
|ep=18
|ep2=17
|prev2=The Elite Guard
|next2=Mission Accomplished
|title="The Return of the Headmaster"
|airdate=[[April 19]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[April 26]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival Sentinel Prime after Sentinel has a humiliating encounter with the Headmaster.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Returnofheadmaster sarisroom.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|im in ur room, shackin in ur cribs]]
In Sari's room at [[Sumdac Tower]], Sari bitterly packs her things while grumbling about [[Porter C. Powell]] taking over her home and throwing her to the curb. She doesn't notice Powell enter as she badmouths him, but rather than get upset, the man smugly proves many of her points right and adds insult to injury by introducing her bedroom's new tenant, the freshly re-hired [[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]]. As the Headmaster makes himself at home, Sari protests, pointing out the man's lack of sanity, but Powell merely rushes her out the door. Then, just as Sari's day can't get any worse, Powell claims [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] and [[Tutor Bot]] as company property. Harsh.

[[File:Returnofheadmaster sentinelspeaks.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere.]]

Meanwhile, the Primes [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] stand at a press conference along with the mayor and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]. Sentinel is his usual charming self, boasting the significance of the [[Elite Guard]]'s presence, condescending to the [[Human|icky organics]], showing complete ignorance of the planet's customs, and insulting his comrade's lowly position at every opportunity. Optimus tries his best to ignore all this and put the humans' minds at ease about the current situation, but finds it difficult to get a word in edgewise as Sentinel cuts him off, determined to do all the talking, refusing to let Optimus speak for him.

Powell and Masterson watch the press conference with intent. Powell says he expects great things from Masterson, intending to tap the lucrative military hardware market that Sumdac so foolishly ignored. Masterson is itching to get to work, but wants new robots on which to test his Headmaster units. The old Autobot crew won't cut it, however; he wants the new models, and he eagerly eyes Sentinel Prime's image on the screen.

Masterson calls up Fanzone with a false Decepticon sighting in Old Detroit. Fanzone relays the information to the Primes, and the heroes transform and roll out. Sentinel still hasn't gotten the hang of the city's traffic customs, however, and spends more time driving over other cars than on the road.

[[File:AnimatedBumbleeBulkheadProfessor.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|We tackle any topic, immense or microscopic!]]

Meanwhile, Sari is moving in with the Autobots at the [[Autobot Earth Base|old factory]]. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are eager to cheer up the sullen girl with loud TV, music, and a misguided tutoring session in which they end up throwing around theories about her mysterious origins. Predictably, everything they try only seems to make her more miserable.

Sentinel soon arrives at the scene of the supposed Decepticon sighting, prying a stop sign from his shoulder, and is quickly joined by Optimus and the police. Optimus starts making suggestions, but Sentinel shuts him up, opting to split up and search on his own, as he doesn't need help from a scrub.

The search drags on into the night, and Sentinel is jumping at shadows, turning the advanced weaponry of the Cybertron Elite Guard on such dire threats as [[Skippy|stray cats]]. This distracts him, and Masterson gets the jump on him with the Headmaster unit. Shortly afterwards, Sentinel contacts Optimus, telling him it was a false alarm and to send the police away. He then demands Optimus come to his position alone and promise not to laugh. Soon after, Optimus finds Sentinel's decapitated head and breaks out in laughter. Bitter and humiliated, Sentinel pleads with Optimus to help him get his body back without [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] finding out. Optimus guesses that the reason Sentinel is trusting him with the task is that he's just not important enough for his opinion to matter, but Sentinel is careful not to say something so insulting in his position. How about that.

[[File:Returnofheadmaster optimuslaughs.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Haw-haw!]]

Optimus learns of Masterson's re-hiring thanks to a conveniently timed message from Bumblebee, reporting what he's heard from Sari. The next day, Optimus pays a visit to Sumdac Tower, hiding Sentinel's head under a tree trunk while he chats with Powell. The new manager makes it clear that the Autobots aren't free to waltz into his building as they please any more, but assures their leader that Masterson isn't there. However as soon as Optimus leaves, he phones the Headmaster with information on the new development, warning his employee not to jeopardize the company's image. Lucky for the Primes, Optimus thought ahead enough to intercept the phone call with his ear transceiver as soon as he was out of sight. He traces the call to a cargo ship at the docks.

It's night again when the 1.5 Primes arrive at the docks and start searching for Sentinel's body. They don't get far before a nearby crate bursts open, revealing a sinister Sparkplug and Tutor Bot outfitted with miniature Headmaster Units. Sentinel isn't too worried by the puny automatons until they reveal some powerful laser-shooting upgrades. They send Optimus scrambling for cover while Sentinel's head bounces around impotently on the ground. When the ship Masterson is supposedly on starts casting off, they can't play around any longer, and Optimus rushes through the laser fire, ramps off the deck, transforms in mid-air and rides a powerful burst from his rocket axe to hook into the side of the ship's hull. Awesome. His grappling hooks probably would have worked equally well, but dude, flying rocket axe!

[[File:Returnofheadmaster headmastersvictim.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur. It bites.]]

On the ship, Optimus and Sentinel try to find Sentinel's body...until it finds them. The Headmaster pushes Optimus down with Sentinel's shield. Sentinel is surprised that it's so powerful, to which Masterson gloats he upgraded his equipment. Pulling out Sentinel's beam [[lance]] and expanding the shield into a spikier version, the Headmaster clashes with Optimus while Sentinel bounces around impotently on the ground some more.

Masterson manages to knock Optimus's axe off the ship, leaving him unarmed. After being pinned to the ground with shield spikes inches from his face, Optimus returns the favor by ripping off Sentinel's arm, shield and all. Sentinel is mortified by the dismemberment, but Optimus feels it was justified. He then uses Sentinel's arm as a makeshift axe and fights back the body, eventually severing the Headmaster unit. The head quickly converts to robot mode and starts to run off, but this time Optimus stops him by kicking Sentinel's head into the fleeing villain like a soccer ball. Again, Sentinel is appalled. Optimus has less of an excuse this time.

[[File:Headm anim.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Salut!]]

Back on land, Fanzone has Masterson in cuffs, and it looks like a happy ending until Powell shows up, pointing out that the ship was Sumdac Systems property, the assaulted robots don't have rights protected by the law, and the whole incident occurred over international waters between the [[United States of America|United States]] and [[Canada]]. Masterson is free to go, much to the chagrin of everybody else.

Meanwhile, at the factory, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are about to try another zany scheme to cheer up Sari, but Prowl stops them and tells them just to listen to her instead. When they try this last resort, Sari opens up about all her worries regarding her [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|missing father]], her lost home and company, and her questioned existence. Bumblebee and Bulkhead aren't sure what to do, but they assure her they are there for her.

Finally, aboard the Elite Guard's ship the next day, Sentinel and Optimus report to Ultra Magnus, who has heard something about Sentinel "losing his head". Sentinel trembles uncomfortably in silence, but Optimus reports that they worked together to solve the crisis, effectively covering for his comrade, who really doesn't deserve it. Ultra Magnus congratulates both of them and takes his leave to contact [[Cybertron Command]] on an issue of great importance. As the Primes walk down the hallway, Sentinel struggles out a "thank you" to his compatriot. Optimus notes that it must have hurt to say that, and Sentinel acknowledges the fact and reaches out his hand.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (16)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (5)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (9)
*[[Adrias]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Tutor Bot]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (3)
* [[News Bot]] (11)
* [[Trash Bot]] (14)
* [[Skippy]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Whoa, hey! Check it! Major cribbage! And it's mine. It's all mine!"
:—'''Masterson''', who is surprisingly okay with the fact that his new "facilities" are frilly, lacy, and painted pink.

'''Sentinel''': Organics of Earth! Mr. Mayor! Captain Fanzone! I, ''Sentinel'' Prime, speak to you at the behest of our great commander Ultra Magnus, who could not be here because he has more important matters to attend to than to worry about this small, underdeveloped planet! Which is not to say that we of Cybertron ''mind'' helping you eh, ''[Fanzone looks at Optimus, who simply shrugs]'' simple organics, especially in light of the fact that, so far, our scanners have yet to detect any cyber-contaminants on your ... ''[clears throat]'' your, eh ''[to Optimus]'' what is it called again? 
'''Optimus''': Skin. 
'''Adrias''': ''[To the mayor]'' Sorry, Mr. Mayor. I thought this was supposed to be a friendly photo-op!
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' clearly representing Cybertron's best interests. ''Scary!''

'''Sentinel''': Don't ever presume you can speak for me, Optimus! The last thing we need is some over-glorified repairbot shooting his audio-processor off about things he doesn't understand! ''[Turns to crowd and smiles and wave. Then goes back to Optimus]'' A scrub like you should just smile and wave and stay out of the way! ''[To the crowd]'' Now, let's get this over with! ''[To Optimus]'' Eh, what am I supposed to do, now? 
'''Optimus''': Well, eh, according to human custom [smiles] you shake hands with the Mayor! 
''[Sentinel takes one look at the Mayor's hand]'' 
'''Sentinel''':''[looking disgusted at this idea]'' TOUCH AN ORGANIC?! 
'''Optimus''':Unless you want to pass such a great, diplomatic responsibility to a ''lowly'' repairbot. 
''[Sentinel clenches his teeth, then shakes hands with the mayor via his finger. Then, wrenching his finger away, he cleans it with some spray!]'' 
'''Optimus''':''[To himself]'' Same old Sentinel!
:— Yet another example of '''Sentinel Prime''''s diplomatic tact!

"This is why I hate machines...especially arrogant, full-of-themselves machines!"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''', also saying what we're all thinking.

'''Optimus''': Sentinel, we should scramble our comlink frequencies in case the Decepticons are listening in! 
'''Sentinel''': What you ''should'' do is stick within the scope of your programming. If I need a trash can emptied or a floor mopped, I'll call on my buddy Optimus Prime. Or should I say...''Maintenance'' Prime? Hahahaha! 
''[Sentinel turns and walks away; Optimus does the same]'' 
'''Optimus''': 'Maintenance Prime'...then I'll just call you 'Pompous Gas-Bag Prime'. Yeah...that's what I should have said.
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Sentinel Prime''' match wits. Somehow, Optimus loses.

'''Sentinel''': Uhhh, Optimus. Tell the organic Fanzone that he can send his police force home. It's a false alarm. 
'''Optimus''': How do you know? 
'''Sentinel''': I just know, okay?! Now I need you to come to my position. ''ALONE''. And promise me one more thing... 
'''Optimus''': What? 
'''Sentinel''': That you won't laugh! 
''[Optimus looks around the rubble for Sentinel]'' 
'''Optimus''': Sentinel? Where are you? 
'''Sentinel''': ''[quietly]'' Look down... 
''[Optimus looks down to see Sentinel's head severed from his body]'' 
'''Optimus''': ''[lets out a hearty laugh]'' 
'''Sentinel''': You promised you wouldn't laugh!
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets a kick out of '''Sentinel Prime''''s misfortune

'''Sentinel''': "You kicked me! ''On purpose!''
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets another, slightly more literal kick out of said misfortune.

'''Bumblebee''': Just because you don't have a tutor bot anymore doesn't mean you have to stop learning. 
'''Bulkhead''': Right. We can teach you. 
'''Bumblebee''': So, class, today's lesson is regarding...um...well, stuff, and how it works. Any questions? 
'''Sari''': Yeah. Why is there no record of my existence? 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay...a little bit outside the lesson plan. Professor Bulkhead, your thoughts? 
'''Bulkhead''': Maybe she came here from another planet in some kinda egg and crashed on Sumdac's doorstep. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or a portal could have opened and she fell through from another dimension. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or maybe she's really a robot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or maybe Sumdac found her in a cabbage patch. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or that stork thing.
:—Professors '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' have obviously been visiting the fan forums...

"Yes! I am so 1337!" 
"Yeah? Well, I have no idea what that means!"
:—'''Headmaster''' boasts as '''Optimus Prime''' scores a blow against over-sized egos everywhere.

==Notes==
* This episode was first broadcast in Canada on [[April 19]], one week before its United States premiere.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Optimus picks up Sentinel's head in Sumdac Tower, his [[Autobrand]] '''winks'''. It is ''quite'' disturbing.

===Continuity errors===
* As with Bulkhead previously, it is unknown how Sentinel's head survived being separated from his spark.
* When Optimus stops Masterson's escape, he asserts the villain is going "back to prison". However, the Headmaster does not serve time until "[[TransWarped]]".

===Continuity notes===
*When Sentinel asks for Optimus to cover for him, Optimus mentions how Sentinel "covered for him" all those years ago, presumably after the [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] [[Along Came a Spider|incident]]. Maybe this is the reason that Optimus washed out of the [[Autobot Academy]]? Answer: [[Endgame, Part I|Yes. It is.]]
*This is the only episode of Season Two where the Decepticons don't appear.
*How did Powell clear the Headmaster for his attempt to destroy Michigan in his previous appearance?
*Bulkhead's guesses about Sari's origin were quite accurate: [[TransWarped|She is part robot and she did come to earth in an egg-like thing that just happened to land near Sumdac]]. Foreshadowing there, Bulky?

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee mentions Sari could have come from a cabbage patch, a reference to the popular explanation of where babies come from - or to the {{w|Cabbage Patch Kids}} said explanation inspired.
* Powell makes a passing reference to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]], also known as "the Mounties".
* Bulkhead's "came here from another planet in some kind of egg" comment could be a reference to 1970s sitcom ''{{w|Mork and Mindy}}'', or also a reference to the [[Superman|Superman origin]] story.
* The appearance of [[Detroit]]'s real-life Wayne County Building and the Renaissance Center in this episode gives a firm location for [[Sumdac Tower]]—it's on one of two blocks of Randolph Street, currently occupied by a parking garage and a surface parking lot.

===Trivia===
*Powell claims Optimus and Sentinel's clash with Masterson took place in "international waters". While the nation in which the incident occurred may be in question, there are no ''international'' waters in Lake St. Clair or Lake Erie, just American and Canadian waters. (But then, this is the future.) The "Mounties" remark is still relevant.
*Apparently, calling the police to report fabricated events (about Decepticons) doesn't constitute a crime in [[Detroit]]. Either that, or Fanzone didn't put two and two together as to Masterson being the caller of the faux incident.
*Either the events of this episode span at least two days and two nights, or the sun goes down roughly [[Transformers (film)|every couple of hours]].
*Given they presumably had very little time to prepare, the Autobots have whipped up a surprisingly comfortable room for Sari in their factory, doubly surprising given the lack of proper materials on hand. Who wouldn't want to sleep in a bed made from a giant radial tire!?
*On the other hand, their idea of proper human cuisine needs some work, since the meal they provide for Sari consists of a bunch of acorns, a fish skeleton (with flies buzzing around it), a live rabbit, and some miniature barrels of [[oil]].
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 8]]", with "[[The Elite Guard]]" making up the other half.
===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Regreso De La SúperCabeza'''" ("The Return of the SuperHead")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 20|20 September]] [[2008]]

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno da Unidade Mestre'''" ("The Return of the Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour du cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Return of the Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il Ritorno di Headmaster'''" ("The Return of Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 24|24 January]] [[2009]]

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmasters Rückkehr'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 16|16 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmaster, Futatabi!'''" (ヘッドマスター、ふたたび!, "Headmaster, Once Again!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2010]]
[[File:ReturnHeadmaster Otoboto insignia.jpg|thumb|200px]]
::* An entirely new stock footage of Bumblebee transforming delivers the usual warning of watching in a bright room. This episode also debuts a slightly new [[title sequence#Animated|title sequence]], using the second half of "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" and replacing the footage of the Starscream clones and Cybertronian-mode Megatron with Earth-mode Megatron, [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], Soundblaster, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], and two [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] lookalikes. However, it doesn't have the additional sound effects used in the previous four episodes.
::* '''Cut:''' Optimus laughing upon discovering Sentinel's detached head and Sentinel's dismay at Optimus breaking his promise not to laugh.
::* The [[Otoboto family]] reveals [[Sega]]'s arcade games ''[[Transformers Animated: The Chase]]'' and ''[[Transformers Animated: The Shooting]]''. It's preceded by the famous faction-swipe with a Decepticon-[[insignia|symbol]] modified to incorporate [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]]'s face in the bottom half. [[Megumi Otoboto|Megumi]] then shows off the [[Transformers Cards|cards]] that can be used to play the two games and reveals what A-021 looks like: a gold-foil Voyager Optimus with his axe. [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Father]] and [[Tatsuya Otoboto|son]] proceed to hog the machines, to [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]'s disappointment.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Headmastera'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Headmaster}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Return of the Headmaster

2020-04-29T05:07:01Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series= Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image= Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg
|caption= Schadenfreude.
|ep=18
|ep2=17
|prev2=The Elite Guard
|next2=Mission Accomplished
|title="The Return of the Headmaster"
|airdate=[[April 19]], [[2008]] (Canada) [[April 26]], 2008 (USA)
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival Sentinel Prime after Sentinel has a humiliating encounter with the Headmaster.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Returnofheadmaster sarisroom.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|im in ur room, shackin in ur cribs]]
In Sari's room at [[Sumdac Tower]], Sari bitterly packs her things while grumbling about [[Porter C. Powell]] taking over her home and throwing her to the curb. She doesn't notice Powell enter as she badmouths him, but rather than get upset, the man smugly proves many of her points right and adds insult to injury by introducing her bedroom's new tenant, the freshly re-hired [[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]]. As the Headmaster makes himself at home, Sari protests, pointing out the man's lack of sanity, but Powell merely rushes her out the door. Then, just as Sari's day can't get any worse, Powell claims [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] and [[Tutor Bot]] as company property. Harsh.

[[File:Returnofheadmaster sentinelspeaks.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere.]]

Meanwhile, the Primes [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] stand at a press conference along with the mayor and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]. Sentinel is his usual charming self, boasting the significance of the [[Elite Guard]]'s presence, condescending to the [[Human|icky organics]], showing complete ignorance of the planet's customs, and insulting his comrade's lowly position at every opportunity. Optimus tries his best to ignore all this and put the humans' minds at ease about the current situation, but finds it difficult to get a word in edgewise as Sentinel cuts him off, determined to do all the talking, refusing to let Optimus speak for him.

Powell and Masterson watch the press conference with intent. Powell says he expects great things from Masterson, intending to tap the lucrative military hardware market that Sumdac so foolishly ignored. Masterson is itching to get to work, but wants new robots on which to test his Headmaster units. The old Autobot crew won't cut it, however; he wants the new models, and he eagerly eyes Sentinel Prime's image on the screen.

Masterson calls up Fanzone with a false Decepticon sighting in Old Detroit. Fanzone relays the information to the Primes, and the heroes transform and roll out. Sentinel still hasn't gotten the hang of the city's traffic customs, however, and spends more time driving over other cars than on the road.

[[File:AnimatedBumbleeBulkheadProfessor.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|We tackle any topic, immense or microscopic!]]

Meanwhile, Sari is moving in with the Autobots at the [[Autobot Earth Base|old factory]]. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are eager to cheer up the sullen girl with loud TV, music, and a misguided tutoring session in which they end up throwing around theories about her mysterious origins. Predictably, everything they try only seems to make her more miserable.

Sentinel soon arrives at the scene of the supposed Decepticon sighting, prying a stop sign from his shoulder, and is quickly joined by Optimus and the police. Optimus starts making suggestions, but Sentinel shuts him up, opting to split up and search on his own, as he doesn't need help from a scrub.

The search drags on into the night, and Sentinel is jumping at shadows, turning the advanced weaponry of the Cybertron Elite Guard on such dire threats as [[Skippy|stray cats]]. This distracts him, and Masterson gets the jump on him with the Headmaster unit. Shortly afterwards, Sentinel contacts Optimus, telling him it was a false alarm and to send the police away. He then demands Optimus come to his position alone and promise not to laugh. Soon after, Optimus finds Sentinel's decapitated head and breaks out in laughter. Bitter and humiliated, Sentinel pleads with Optimus to help him get his body back without [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] finding out. Optimus guesses that the reason Sentinel is trusting him with the task is that he's just not important enough for his opinion to matter, but Sentinel is careful not to say something so insulting in his position. How about that.

[[File:Returnofheadmaster optimuslaughs.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Haw-haw!]]

Optimus learns of Masterson's re-hiring thanks to a conveniently timed message from Bumblebee, reporting what he's heard from Sari. The next day, Optimus pays a visit to Sumdac Tower, hiding Sentinel's head under a tree trunk while he chats with Powell. The new manager makes it clear that the Autobots aren't free to waltz into his building as they please any more, but assures their leader that Masterson isn't there. However as soon as Optimus leaves, he phones the Headmaster with information on the new development, warning his employee not to jeopardize the company's image. Lucky for the Primes, Optimus thought ahead enough to intercept the phone call with his ear transceiver as soon as he was out of sight. He traces the call to a cargo ship at the docks.

It's night again when the 1.5 Primes arrive at the docks and start searching for Sentinel's body. They don't get far before a nearby crate bursts open, revealing a sinister Sparkplug and Tutor Bot outfitted with miniature Headmaster Units. Sentinel isn't too worried by the puny automatons until they reveal some powerful laser-shooting upgrades. They send Optimus scrambling for cover while Sentinel's head bounces around impotently on the ground. When the ship Masterson is supposedly on starts casting off, they can't play around any longer, and Optimus rushes through the laser fire, ramps off the deck, transforms in mid-air and rides a powerful burst from his rocket axe to hook into the side of the ship's hull. Awesome. His grappling hooks probably would have worked equally well, but dude, flying rocket axe!

[[File:Returnofheadmaster headmastersvictim.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur. It bites.]]

On the ship, Optimus and Sentinel try to find Sentinel's body...until it finds them. The Headmaster pushes Optimus down with Sentinel's shield. Sentinel is surprised that it's so powerful, to which Masterson gloats he upgraded his equipment. Pulling out Sentinel's beam [[lance]] and expanding the shield into a spikier version, the Headmaster clashes with Optimus while Sentinel bounces around impotently on the ground some more.

Masterson manages to knock Optimus's axe off the ship, leaving him unarmed. After being pinned to the ground with shield spikes inches from his face, Optimus returns the favor by ripping off Sentinel's arm, shield and all. Sentinel is mortified by the dismemberment, but Optimus feels it was justified. He then uses Sentinel's arm as a makeshift axe and fights back the body, eventually severing the Headmaster unit. The head quickly converts to robot mode and starts to run off, but this time Optimus stops him by kicking Sentinel's head into the fleeing villain like a soccer ball. Again, Sentinel is appalled. Optimus has less of an excuse this time.

[[File:Headm anim.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Salut!]]

Back on land, Fanzone has Masterson in cuffs, and it looks like a happy ending until Powell shows up, pointing out that the ship was Sumdac Systems property, the assaulted robots don't have rights protected by the law, and the whole incident occurred over international waters between the [[United States of America|United States]] and [[Canada]]. Masterson is free to go, much to the chagrin of everybody else.

Meanwhile, at the factory, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are about to try another zany scheme to cheer up Sari, but Prowl stops them and tells them just to listen to her instead. When they try this last resort, Sari opens up about all her worries regarding her [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|missing father]], her lost home and company, and her questioned existence. Bumblebee and Bulkhead aren't sure what to do, but they assure her they are there for her.

Finally, aboard the Elite Guard's ship the next day, Sentinel and Optimus report to Ultra Magnus, who has heard something about Sentinel "losing his head". Sentinel trembles uncomfortably in silence, but Optimus reports that they worked together to solve the crisis, effectively covering for his comrade, who really doesn't deserve it. Ultra Magnus congratulates both of them and takes his leave to contact [[Cybertron Command]] on an issue of great importance. As the Primes walk down the hallway, Sentinel struggles out a "thank you" to his compatriot. Optimus notes that it must have hurt to say that, and Sentinel acknowledges the fact and reaches out his hand.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (16)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (5)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (9)
*[[Adrias]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Tutor Bot]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (3)
* [[News Bot]] (11)
* [[Trash Bot]] (14)
* [[Skippy]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Whoa, hey! Check it! Major cribbage! And it's mine. It's all mine!"
:—'''Masterson''', who is surprisingly okay with the fact that his new "facilities" are frilly, lacy, and painted pink.

'''Sentinel''': Organics of Earth! Mr. Mayor! Captain Fanzone! I, ''Sentinel'' Prime, speak to you at the behest of our great commander Ultra Magnus, who could not be here because he has more important matters to attend to than to worry about this small, underdeveloped planet! Which is not to say that we of Cybertron ''mind'' helping you eh, ''[Fanzone looks at Optimus, who simply shrugs]'' simple organics, especially in light of the fact that, so far, our scanners have yet to detect any cyber-contaminants on your ... ''[clears throat]'' your, eh ''[to Optimus]'' what is it called again? 
'''Optimus''': Skin. 
'''Adrias''': ''[To the mayor]'' Sorry, Mr. Mayor. I thought this was supposed to be a friendly photo-op!
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' clearly representing Cybertron's best interests. ''Scary!''

'''Sentinel''': Don't ever presume you can speak for me, Optimus! The last thing we need is some over-glorified repairbot shooting his audio-processor off about things he doesn't understand! ''[Turns to crowd and smiles and wave. Then goes back to Optimus]'' A scrub like you should just smile and wave and stay out of the way! ''[To the crowd]'' Now, let's get this over with! ''[To Optimus]'' Eh, what am I supposed to do, now? 
'''Optimus''': Well, eh, according to human custom [smiles] you shake hands with the Mayor! 
''[Sentinel takes one look at the Mayor's hand]'' 
'''Sentinel''':''[looking disgusted at this idea]'' TOUCH AN ORGANIC?! 
'''Optimus''':Unless you want to pass such a great, diplomatic responsibility to a ''lowly'' repairbot. 
''[Sentinel clenches his teeth, then shakes hands with the mayor via his finger. Then, wrenching his finger away, he cleans it with some spray!]'' 
'''Optimus''':''[To himself]'' Same old Sentinel!
:— Yet another example of '''Sentinel Prime''''s diplomatic tact!

"This is why I hate machines...especially arrogant, full-of-themselves machines!"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''', also saying what we're all thinking.

'''Optimus''': Sentinel, we should scramble our comlink frequencies in case the Decepticons are listening in! 
'''Sentinel''': What you ''should'' do is stick within the scope of your programming. If I need a trash can emptied or a floor mopped, I'll call on my buddy Optimus Prime. Or should I say...''Maintenance'' Prime? Hahahaha! 
''[Sentinel turns and walks away; Optimus does the same]'' 
'''Optimus''': 'Maintenance Prime'...then I'll just call you 'Pompous Gas-Bag Prime'. Yeah...that's what I should have said.
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Sentinel Prime''' match wits. Somehow, Optimus loses.

'''Sentinel''': Uhhh, Optimus. Tell the organic Fanzone that he can send his police force home. It's a false alarm. 
'''Optimus''': How do you know? 
'''Sentinel''': I just know, okay?! Now I need you to come to my position. ''ALONE''. And promise me one more thing... 
'''Optimus''': What? 
'''Sentinel''': That you won't laugh! 
''[Optimus looks around the rubble for Sentinel]'' 
'''Optimus''': Sentinel? Where are you? 
'''Sentinel''': ''[quietly]'' Look down... 
''[Optimus looks down to see Sentinel's head severed from his body]'' 
'''Optimus''': ''[lets out a hearty laugh]'' 
'''Sentinel''': You promised you wouldn't laugh!
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets a kick out of '''Sentinel Prime''''s misfortune

'''Sentinel''': "You kicked me! ''On purpose!''
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets another, slightly more literal kick out of said misfortune.

'''Bumblebee''': Just because you don't have a tutor bot anymore doesn't mean you have to stop learning. 
'''Bulkhead''': Right. We can teach you. 
'''Bumblebee''': So, class, today's lesson is regarding...um...well, stuff, and how it works. Any questions? 
'''Sari''': Yeah. Why is there no record of my existence? 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay...a little bit outside the lesson plan. Professor Bulkhead, your thoughts? 
'''Bulkhead''': Maybe she came here from another planet in some kinda egg and crashed on Sumdac's doorstep. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or a portal could have opened and she fell through from another dimension. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or maybe she's really a robot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or maybe Sumdac found her in a cabbage patch. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or that stork thing.
:—Professors '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' have obviously been visiting the fan forums...

"Yes! I am so 1337!" 
"Yeah? Well, I have no idea what that means!"
:—'''Headmaster''' boasts as '''Optimus Prime''' scores a blow against over-sized egos everywhere.

==Notes==
* This episode was first broadcast in Canada on [[April 19]], one week before its United States premiere.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Optimus picks up Sentinel's head in Sumdac Tower, his [[Autobrand]] '''winks'''. It is ''quite'' disturbing.

===Continuity errors===
* As with Bulkhead previously, it is unknown how Sentinel's head survived being separated from his spark.
* When Optimus stops Masterson's escape, he asserts the villain is going "back to prison". However, the Headmaster does not serve time until "[[TransWarped]]".

===Continuity notes===
*When Sentinel asks for Optimus to cover for him, Optimus mentions how Sentinel "covered for him" all those years ago, presumably after the [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] [[Along Came a Spider|incident]]. Maybe this is the reason that Optimus washed out of the [[Autobot Academy]]? Answer: [[Endgame, Part I|Yes. It is.]]
*This is the only episode of Season Two where the Decepticons don't appear.
*How did Powell clear the Headmaster for his attempt to destroy Michigan in his previous appearance?
*Bulkhead's guesses about Sari's origin were quite accurate: [[TransWarped|She is part robot and she did come to earth in an egg-like thing that just happened to land near Sumdac]]. Foreshadowing there, Bulky?

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee mentions Sari could have come from a cabbage patch, a reference to the popular explanation of where babies come from - or to the {{w|Cabbage Patch Kids}} said explanation inspired.
* Powell makes a passing reference to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]], also known as "the Mounties".
* Bulkhead's "came here from another planet in some kind of egg" comment could be a reference to 1970s sitcom ''{{w|Mork and Mindy}}'', or also a reference to the [[Superman|Superman origin]] story.
* The appearance of [[Detroit]]'s real-life Wayne County Building and the Renaissance Center in this episode gives a firm location for [[Sumdac Tower]]—it's on one of two blocks of Randolph Street, currently occupied by a parking garage and a surface parking lot.

===Trivia===
*Powell claims Optimus and Sentinel's clash with Masterson took place in "international waters". While the nation in which the incident occurred may be in question, there are no ''international'' waters in Lake St. Clair or Lake Erie, just American and Canadian waters. (But then, this is the future.) The "Mounties" remark is still relevant.
*Apparently, calling the police to report fabricated events (about Decepticons) doesn't constitute a crime in [[Detroit]]. Either that, or Fanzone didn't put two and two together as to Masterson being the caller of the faux incident.
*Either the events of this episode span at least two days and two nights, or the sun goes down roughly [[Transformers (film)|every couple of hours]].
*Given they presumably had very little time to prepare, the Autobots have whipped up a surprisingly comfortable room for Sari in their factory, doubly surprising given the lack of proper materials on hand. Who wouldn't want to sleep in a bed made from a giant radial tire!?
*On the other hand, their idea of proper human cuisine needs some work, since the meal they provide for Sari consists of a bunch of acorns, a fish skeleton (with flies buzzing around it), a live rabbit, and some miniature barrels of [[oil]].
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 8]]", with "[[The Elite Guard]]" making up the other half.
===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Regreso De La SúperCabeza'''" ("The Return of the SuperHead")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 13|13 September]] [[2008]]

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno da Unidade Mestre'''" ("The Return of the Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour du cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Return of the Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il Ritorno di Headmaster'''" ("The Return of Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 24|24 January]] [[2009]]

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmasters Rückkehr'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 16|16 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmaster, Futatabi!'''" (ヘッドマスター、ふたたび!, "Headmaster, Once Again!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2010]]
[[File:ReturnHeadmaster Otoboto insignia.jpg|thumb|200px]]
::* An entirely new stock footage of Bumblebee transforming delivers the usual warning of watching in a bright room. This episode also debuts a slightly new [[title sequence#Animated|title sequence]], using the second half of "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" and replacing the footage of the Starscream clones and Cybertronian-mode Megatron with Earth-mode Megatron, [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], Soundblaster, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], and two [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] lookalikes. However, it doesn't have the additional sound effects used in the previous four episodes.
::* '''Cut:''' Optimus laughing upon discovering Sentinel's detached head and Sentinel's dismay at Optimus breaking his promise not to laugh.
::* The [[Otoboto family]] reveals [[Sega]]'s arcade games ''[[Transformers Animated: The Chase]]'' and ''[[Transformers Animated: The Shooting]]''. It's preceded by the famous faction-swipe with a Decepticon-[[insignia|symbol]] modified to incorporate [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]]'s face in the bottom half. [[Megumi Otoboto|Megumi]] then shows off the [[Transformers Cards|cards]] that can be used to play the two games and reveals what A-021 looks like: a gold-foil Voyager Optimus with his axe. [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Father]] and [[Tatsuya Otoboto|son]] proceed to hog the machines, to [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]'s disappointment.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Headmastera'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Headmaster}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Elite Guard

2020-04-29T05:04:53Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the '''Transformers Animated''' episode|the Autobot military team featured in this episode|Elite Guard}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Eliteguardleaveshuttle.jpg
|caption=The cool kids always arrive fashionably late.
|ep=17
|ep2=16
|prev2=Megatron Rising - Part 2
|next2=The Return of the Headmaster
|title="The Elite Guard"
|airdate=[[April 12]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Cybertron Elite Guard arrives on Earth to retrieve the AllSpark and relieve Prime and his crew of their post, but they prove less than adept at blending in with the human world.'''

==Synopsis==
On the extensive highway system of [[Detroit]], the [[Autobot]]s are aiding in the repair efforts after their titanic battle with the [[Decepticon]]s. Unfortunately the residents of the city don't seem to ''understand'' that the road system was blown to rubble by the battle, and are upset that the Autobots are holding up traffic. Optimus Prime heads over to address their concerns, and they flee in fear. Bulkhead comments that he liked it better when they were heroes, to which Optimus retorts that they still are. All of them wonder what the heck has happened that Bumblebee isn't there helping them.

[[Image:Super secretary.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Sure thing, dollface!]]

There's no reason for them to be jealous though, as the little yellow bot has been pressed into service as Sari's secretary at [[Sumdac Tower]]. The little girl realizes that there's a lot of pressure in running a business, and feels sorry for her father's having had to deal with this. Porter C. Powell is less patient, and expresses a fairly cold attitude towards her "wasting" company funds on locating the genius who designs all the company's myriad robotic technologies. Sari yells at him that as long as the company's name is Sumdac she's in charge, cuts him off, and tells Bumblebee to hold her calls. Bumblebee tells the "Boss Lady" sure, but points to the TV, showing an unidentified flying object headed for Detroit, saying she might want to look at that.

[[Image:Elite ship.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Those Elite guys always got ships that could actually land.]]

Spotting it, the Autobots speed to the scene, only to be met with some justified resentment by Captain Fanzone. However they are allowed to pass once the [[Sigma Supreme|ship]] is revealed to be crewed by Autobots. Sentinel Prime, Jazz, and Ultra Magnus step out of the ship, while Optimus Prime and company walk up the gangplank, giving Magnus a salute. The [[Supreme Commander]] orders a force field thrown up to quarantine the entire area from organics. Jazz is interested in interacting with the locals, but quickly loses his interest when Sentinel Prime warns that they'll spit slime that will melt him down.

Sentinel is assigned to decontaminate the long-lost Autobot crew, a task he takes to with relish until he is interrupted by Jazz for overdoing it. Released, the Autobots are informed that the [[Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]] have come to retrieve the [[AllSpark#Animated continuity family|AllSpark]]. Optimus explains that it was dispersed in the battle with the Decepticons, a fact that Sentinel accuses him of lying about, saying there is no evidence of the Decepticons being on the planet. Ratchet says that Optimus is a hero for keeping the AllSpark out of Megatron's hands, while Bulkhead nearly comes to blows with Sentinel after the out-of-line guardsman says that Optimus is anything but a hero. Ultra Magnus orders the Autobots to calm down and tells Optimus to take him and Sentinel to where the AllSpark was dispersed, though he insists that Optimus Prime's crew remain with Jazz until they return. The two Elite Guardsmen have some very unsubtle [[alternate mode]]s, chosen by Sentinel (Magnus is a military transport and Sentinel is a monster truck with a snow plow), and damage some cars near the ship as they [[roll out]]. Optimus tries to instruct them on the finer points of traffic laws, but Sentinel rams him aside without any regards for driver safety. He pays for this by driving off a damaged bridge and crashing into the ground below.

[[Image:Animated-DecepticonLair.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Meanwhile, in the evil lair...]]

Elsewhere, the Decepticons have holed themselves up in an underground mine with carbon deposits to hide them from the Autobots' sensors. Lugnut wants to go topside and fight, but his arm falls off mid-rant. Besides, Megatron has other priorities: the conquest of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Although Blitzwing thinks that the three of them conquering Cybertron is crazy, Lugnut [[Apeface|strikes him with his own severed arm]], telling him to never doubt Megatron, though he does admit that he'd like to know Megatron' plan. According to Megatron, the reasons the Decepticons lost the [[Great War (Animated)|Great Wars]] were due to the Autobots' possession of the AllSpark and [[space bridge]] technology. However, Megatron was able to download a partial schematic from the [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Autobot ship]] before his defeat. A completed space bridge would allow the Decepticons to teleport into Cybertron and conquer the planet from the inside. The rest of the space bridge's schematics, however, would have to be reverse-engineered by Isaac Sumdac, who is still the Decepticons' prisoner. Sumdac says that he doesn't know anything about teleportation, but a malfunctioning service drone gets him to shut up. Megatron blasts the drone and discovers that a piece of the AllSpark is embedded in its circuitry. This gives Megatron hope that the AllSpark was not entirely destroyed and could still be salvaged...

[[Image:Freaked jazz-1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!]]

At a Sumdac Systems manufacturing plant, an assembly line building [[police drone]]s has been embedded with a piece of the AllSpark, and the drones begin to go haywire. Powell tells Sari what is happening, but refuses to do anything about it. Sari decides to free the Autobots, using the [[AllSpark Key]] to move through the shield and get onto the ship. Tripping an alarm, Sari is soon confronted by Jazz, who tries to coax her off the ship without provoking her. Realizing Jazz is afraid of her, Sari scares the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of the poor bot. Optimus's crew arrive and explain that Sari is harmless. Sari tells them what's going on at the plant, but Jazz says they need to stay with him. Bumblebee says that Magnus didn't specify where, and Jazz, wanting to try out his stylish alternate mode, goes with them to the plant.

On [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], Optimus warns Sentinel and Magnus about the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], who take that moment to jump out, but Sentinel is unworried. Grimlock's [[transformation]] and flaming sword are a little more impressive, especially as they manage to force back Sentinel Prime, even through his shield. Ultra Magnus uses his hammer to call down lightning and scare away the Dinobots, while Sentinel appears to have learned nothing.

[[Image:TFA Elite Guard Optimus console slice.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Optimus Prime Tech Support, at your service!]]

Arriving at the plant, the police drones attack the Autobots. Jazz shows off his [[Metallikato]] skills, and Bulkhead smashes and smashes, but there is just no end to the drones. Magnus and the Primes arrive to provide backup, but Sentinel thinks that they should abort rather than risk organic contamination. Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz force their way into the plant and get Sari to a control console, into which she places the AllSpark Key, shutting down the assembly line, and Magnus uses his hammer to destroy the rest of the drones. Unfortunately, the Key is stuck. Sentinel Prime says that he'll see Optimus tried for insubordination and high treason for destroying the AllSpark, but Optimus finally tells Sentinel to shove it in his hard drive, reminding him they are of equal [[Prime (rank)|rank]]. Using his axe, Prime destroys the console and discovers that the Key was attached to a piece of the AllSpark. Examining it, Ultra Magnus accepts Optimus Prime's story. Sentinel still tries to badmouth Optimus, saying he's a liar, but Ultra Magnus finally puts Sentinel in his place, saying Optimus has demonstrated strategic thinking, determination, and loyalty towards his comrades—all qualities that Sentinel Prime could use.

[[Image:Dramatic change in plot.jpg|right|180px|thumb|See that, Pat Lee? It's called an expression!]]

Heading home, Sari and Bumblebee find that she has been locked out of her office. Powell says that he's been elected CEO and Chairman of the Board, and is now head of Sumdac Systems. Sari still insists that it's her family's company, but Powell reveals that there is no will or adoption papers from Isaac Sumdac, nor does Sari have a birth certificate or social security number. As Sari realizes that she has no way to prove that she is Sumdac's daughter, Powell puts it even more bluntly—there's no evidence to prove that she legally exists...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (10)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (12)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (19)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (20)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (14)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (15)

|c3=
*[[Gary's mother]] (3)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Police drone]]s (17)
}}

==Quotes==
"This is completely unnecessary, Sentinel!" 
"Can't risk an infestation, 'old buddy'. Take it like a real bot."
:—Undergoing "decontamination", '''Optimus''' rediscovers that '''Sentinel''' is a jerk.

"Man, that was some funky blinkin' colored light show! What'd you call those things again?" 
"Traffic lights?" 
"Traffic lights. Solid."
:—'''Jazz''' discovers the wonderful world of commuting with the help of '''Bulkhead'''.

"What kind of screwloose planet IS this?!"
:—Between broken bridges and now Dinobots, '''Sentinel Prime''' isn't having a good day.

'''Bulkhead''': It's no good! These things are rolling off the assembly line faster than I can smash 'em! 
'''Jazz''': Is it always like this on this crazy planet? 
'''Prowl''': Pretty much.
:—Jazz learns that Prime's crew has anything but a quiet life.

'''Sentinel Prime''': I think you've done enough, Optimus! I'll make sure you're tried for high treason for destroying the AllSpark! Now come with me! 
'''Optimus Prime''': No! 
''[Shoves Sentinel aside]'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': That wasn't a request. That's a direct order, Optimus! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's Optimus ''Prime''. I may be an Elite Guard washout and a glitch-detail flunky, but the last time I checked, you and I still had equal rank. So, Sentinel Prime, take your order ''and'' your condescending attitude, and stick it in your hard drive! You're on ''my'' turf now! 
:— Optimus says what we've all wanted to say to Sentinel.

"Definitely appears to be a fragment of the AllSpark. Apparently, your story about dispersing it may not be so far-fetched after all." 
"But sir, you can't honestly believe that. He's a lying, insubordinate crankshaft." 
"He may be a little rough around the edges, but in the heat of battle, Optimus Prime exhibited the qualities of a true leader: strategic thinking, determination, and above all, loyalty. Something ''you'' could stand to learn a thing or two about, Sentinel Prime."
:— '''Ultra Magnus''' lets '''Sentinel Prime''' know how much of an Auto-Ass he is.

[[Image:No Sari Sumdac.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"[[The_Agenda_(Part_III)|And you—YOU no longer EXIST!]]"]]

"Hey, why is my office locked?" 
"Miss Sumdac, I regret to inform you that your services will no longer be required. The board has unanimously elected me to take over as CEO of [[Sumdac Systems]]." 
"You can't do that! It's still my family's company!" 
"Is it? I took the liberty of doing some research into your claim. It might interest you to know that there is no will, no birth certificate, no adoption papers, social security number, or any kind of record whatsoever for a 'Sari Sumdac'." 
"Are you saying I can't prove I'm Isaac Sumdac's daughter?" 
"I'm saying you can't even prove you exist."
:—'''Sari''' and '''Porter C. Powell''' create a drastic change in plot.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When the Elite Guard first appear on the ramp of their ship, Jazz is missing the arrow decal on his crotch.
* When Sentinel Prime is asking for proof that the Allspark was not completely destroyed, in the next shot, Bumblebee is seen missing the plate on top of his head. It comes back in the next scene.
* When Optimus is walking down the ramp reassuring the humans that the other Autobots are friendly, Sentinel Prime can be seen in vehicle mode coming down behind him. Yet in the next shot after Optimus has transformed, Ultra Magnus is the first to follow suit.
* When the Autobots go to check out the drones, they take shelter behind a bunch of wooden crates as the police drones fire on them. ''How are they not being blasted to bits?''

===Continuity errors===
* Captain Fanzone is ''still'' driving [[Captain Fanzone's car|the car]] that was crushed! He must know [[Sparkplug Witwicky|one hell of a mechanic]]. Or he's obsessive enough to buy an identical car.
* Jazz says he has orders to "stick with you" [Optimus's crew], to which Bumblebee is delighted to inform him about the loophole. But really, the order was to stay "here" [on the ship]. So either Jazz forgot his orders, or [[Tracks (G1)|cared more about his vehicle mode]].

===Continuity notes===
*Sumdac Tower is still damaged from "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".
*When they're being "decontaminated", Bulkhead remarks that Sentinel doesn't remember them, to which Bumblebee replies that he wants it that way. The meaning of this exchange is revealed in "[[Autoboot Camp]]".
*Lugnut's left arm falling off is likely a result of the damage inflicted on it when Bulkhead prematurely activated his explosive punch in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

===Transformers references===
* This episode reveals that both Prowl and Jazz are practitioners of the Cybertronian martial art of [[Metallikato]], originally used by the Generation 1 character [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].
* In voicing Ultra Magnus, Jeff Bennett is doing a ''rather'' good impression of [[Robert Stack]], who originally voiced the character in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 movie]], as well as a bit of a take on {{w|Alec Guinness}}'s portayal of [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] from the original ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' trilogy. Very cool.
* Likewise, [[Phil LaMarr]]'s Jazz also seems to be heavily inspired by [[Scatman Crothers]]' take on the character, though lower in tone and slightly less jivey.
* The giant ship in which the Elite Guard arrives on Earth bears a strong resemblance to the shuttles used by the Autobots in the 1986 movie, only in blue, and a whole lot bigger.
* After dismembering a bunch of drones with his energon axe, Optimus asks, [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|"Mind if I cut in?"]]
* That shot of Optimus reaching down and picking up a tiny fragment of the AllSpark [[Transformers (film)|does look familiar, doesn't it?]]

===Real-world references===
* Ultra Magnus' Hammer appears to have been modeled after [[Thor]]'s hammer {{w|Mjolnir}}.
* Captain Fanzone homages the ''{{w|Indiana Jones}}'' line, "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" replacing "snakes" with "robots".

===Trivia===
* Jazz doesn't react at all to Bumblebee's summation that Sentinel's a glitch-head (all due respect). Maybe he's not getting much in the way of job satisfaction...
*[[News Bot]] and [[Tutor Bot]] are listed as appearing in the episode credits, but do not actually appear. There ''is'' a televised news bulletin regarding the object that would be revealed as the Elite Guard's ship, but the unseen reporter is voiced by [[Jeff Glen Bennett|Jeff Bennett]] instead of [[Townsend Coleman]].
*The Autobots have trouble proving to the Guard that there is Decepticon activity on Earth. There were dozens of human witnesses to the recent battle. Even if the Guard does not trust organic testimony, did ''none'' of the humans have cameras?
*Come to think of it, what happened to the news footage of Starscream Megatron watched when he reactivated?
*Megatron is evidently fully repaired now, while his subordinates are having trouble keeping their arms from falling off. Guy's got priorities, certainly.
*In the ''Animated'' universe, "Prime" is a military rank, as Optimus forcefully reminds Sentinel.
*It was unclear if either part of Ultra Magnus's name was a rank, particularly since he's commonly addressed as "Commander". Later, in "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]", it was revealed that "Magnus" is a rank.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 8]]", with "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La garde d'élite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Elitegarde'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 15|15 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Guardia d'Elite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 17|17 January]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Elite Guard'''" (エリートガード)
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 17|17 July]] [[2010]]
::* Ultra Magnus uses the "Magnus Hammer Thunder Attack" when he wipes out the police drones.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gwardzista Elitarny'''" ("The Elite Guardsman")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A Guarda De Elite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Guardia De Elite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 13|13 September]] [[2008]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elite Guard}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Elite Guard

2020-04-29T05:04:31Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the '''Transformers Animated''' episode|the Autobot military team featured in this episode|Elite Guard}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Eliteguardleaveshuttle.jpg
|caption=The cool kids always arrive fashionably late.
|ep=17
|ep2=16
|prev2=Megatron Rising - Part 2
|next2=The Return of the Headmaster
|title="The Elite Guard"
|airdate=[[April 12]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Cybertron Elite Guard arrives on Earth to retrieve the AllSpark and relieve Prime and his crew of their post, but they prove less than adept at blending in with the human world.'''

==Synopsis==
On the extensive highway system of [[Detroit]], the [[Autobot]]s are aiding in the repair efforts after their titanic battle with the [[Decepticon]]s. Unfortunately the residents of the city don't seem to ''understand'' that the road system was blown to rubble by the battle, and are upset that the Autobots are holding up traffic. Optimus Prime heads over to address their concerns, and they flee in fear. Bulkhead comments that he liked it better when they were heroes, to which Optimus retorts that they still are. All of them wonder what the heck has happened that Bumblebee isn't there helping them.

[[Image:Super secretary.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Sure thing, dollface!]]

There's no reason for them to be jealous though, as the little yellow bot has been pressed into service as Sari's secretary at [[Sumdac Tower]]. The little girl realizes that there's a lot of pressure in running a business, and feels sorry for her father's having had to deal with this. Porter C. Powell is less patient, and expresses a fairly cold attitude towards her "wasting" company funds on locating the genius who designs all the company's myriad robotic technologies. Sari yells at him that as long as the company's name is Sumdac she's in charge, cuts him off, and tells Bumblebee to hold her calls. Bumblebee tells the "Boss Lady" sure, but points to the TV, showing an unidentified flying object headed for Detroit, saying she might want to look at that.

[[Image:Elite ship.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Those Elite guys always got ships that could actually land.]]

Spotting it, the Autobots speed to the scene, only to be met with some justified resentment by Captain Fanzone. However they are allowed to pass once the [[Sigma Supreme|ship]] is revealed to be crewed by Autobots. Sentinel Prime, Jazz, and Ultra Magnus step out of the ship, while Optimus Prime and company walk up the gangplank, giving Magnus a salute. The [[Supreme Commander]] orders a force field thrown up to quarantine the entire area from organics. Jazz is interested in interacting with the locals, but quickly loses his interest when Sentinel Prime warns that they'll spit slime that will melt him down.

Sentinel is assigned to decontaminate the long-lost Autobot crew, a task he takes to with relish until he is interrupted by Jazz for overdoing it. Released, the Autobots are informed that the [[Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]] have come to retrieve the [[AllSpark#Animated continuity family|AllSpark]]. Optimus explains that it was dispersed in the battle with the Decepticons, a fact that Sentinel accuses him of lying about, saying there is no evidence of the Decepticons being on the planet. Ratchet says that Optimus is a hero for keeping the AllSpark out of Megatron's hands, while Bulkhead nearly comes to blows with Sentinel after the out-of-line guardsman says that Optimus is anything but a hero. Ultra Magnus orders the Autobots to calm down and tells Optimus to take him and Sentinel to where the AllSpark was dispersed, though he insists that Optimus Prime's crew remain with Jazz until they return. The two Elite Guardsmen have some very unsubtle [[alternate mode]]s, chosen by Sentinel (Magnus is a military transport and Sentinel is a monster truck with a snow plow), and damage some cars near the ship as they [[roll out]]. Optimus tries to instruct them on the finer points of traffic laws, but Sentinel rams him aside without any regards for driver safety. He pays for this by driving off a damaged bridge and crashing into the ground below.

[[Image:Animated-DecepticonLair.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Meanwhile, in the evil lair...]]

Elsewhere, the Decepticons have holed themselves up in an underground mine with carbon deposits to hide them from the Autobots' sensors. Lugnut wants to go topside and fight, but his arm falls off mid-rant. Besides, Megatron has other priorities: the conquest of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Although Blitzwing thinks that the three of them conquering Cybertron is crazy, Lugnut [[Apeface|strikes him with his own severed arm]], telling him to never doubt Megatron, though he does admit that he'd like to know Megatron' plan. According to Megatron, the reasons the Decepticons lost the [[Great War (Animated)|Great Wars]] were due to the Autobots' possession of the AllSpark and [[space bridge]] technology. However, Megatron was able to download a partial schematic from the [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Autobot ship]] before his defeat. A completed space bridge would allow the Decepticons to teleport into Cybertron and conquer the planet from the inside. The rest of the space bridge's schematics, however, would have to be reverse-engineered by Isaac Sumdac, who is still the Decepticons' prisoner. Sumdac says that he doesn't know anything about teleportation, but a malfunctioning service drone gets him to shut up. Megatron blasts the drone and discovers that a piece of the AllSpark is embedded in its circuitry. This gives Megatron hope that the AllSpark was not entirely destroyed and could still be salvaged...

[[Image:Freaked jazz-1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!]]

At a Sumdac Systems manufacturing plant, an assembly line building [[police drone]]s has been embedded with a piece of the AllSpark, and the drones begin to go haywire. Powell tells Sari what is happening, but refuses to do anything about it. Sari decides to free the Autobots, using the [[AllSpark Key]] to move through the shield and get onto the ship. Tripping an alarm, Sari is soon confronted by Jazz, who tries to coax her off the ship without provoking her. Realizing Jazz is afraid of her, Sari scares the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of the poor bot. Optimus's crew arrive and explain that Sari is harmless. Sari tells them what's going on at the plant, but Jazz says they need to stay with him. Bumblebee says that Magnus didn't specify where, and Jazz, wanting to try out his stylish alternate mode, goes with them to the plant.

On [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], Optimus warns Sentinel and Magnus about the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], who take that moment to jump out, but Sentinel is unworried. Grimlock's [[transformation]] and flaming sword are a little more impressive, especially as they manage to force back Sentinel Prime, even through his shield. Ultra Magnus uses his hammer to call down lightning and scare away the Dinobots, while Sentinel appears to have learned nothing.

[[Image:TFA Elite Guard Optimus console slice.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Optimus Prime Tech Support, at your service!]]

Arriving at the plant, the police drones attack the Autobots. Jazz shows off his [[Metallikato]] skills, and Bulkhead smashes and smashes, but there is just no end to the drones. Magnus and the Primes arrive to provide backup, but Sentinel thinks that they should abort rather than risk organic contamination. Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz force their way into the plant and get Sari to a control console, into which she places the AllSpark Key, shutting down the assembly line, and Magnus uses his hammer to destroy the rest of the drones. Unfortunately, the Key is stuck. Sentinel Prime says that he'll see Optimus tried for insubordination and high treason for destroying the AllSpark, but Optimus finally tells Sentinel to shove it in his hard drive, reminding him they are of equal [[Prime (rank)|rank]]. Using his axe, Prime destroys the console and discovers that the Key was attached to a piece of the AllSpark. Examining it, Ultra Magnus accepts Optimus Prime's story. Sentinel still tries to badmouth Optimus, saying he's a liar, but Ultra Magnus finally puts Sentinel in his place, saying Optimus has demonstrated strategic thinking, determination, and loyalty towards his comrades—all qualities that Sentinel Prime could use.

[[Image:Dramatic change in plot.jpg|right|180px|thumb|See that, Pat Lee? It's called an expression!]]

Heading home, Sari and Bumblebee find that she has been locked out of her office. Powell says that he's been elected CEO and Chairman of the Board, and is now head of Sumdac Systems. Sari still insists that it's her family's company, but Powell reveals that there is no will or adoption papers from Isaac Sumdac, nor does Sari have a birth certificate or social security number. As Sari realizes that she has no way to prove that she is Sumdac's daughter, Powell puts it even more bluntly—there's no evidence to prove that she legally exists...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (10)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (12)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (19)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (20)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (14)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (15)

|c3=
*[[Gary's mother]] (3)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Police drone]]s (17)
}}

==Quotes==
"This is completely unnecessary, Sentinel!" 
"Can't risk an infestation, 'old buddy'. Take it like a real bot."
:—Undergoing "decontamination", '''Optimus''' rediscovers that '''Sentinel''' is a jerk.

"Man, that was some funky blinkin' colored light show! What'd you call those things again?" 
"Traffic lights?" 
"Traffic lights. Solid."
:—'''Jazz''' discovers the wonderful world of commuting with the help of '''Bulkhead'''.

"What kind of screwloose planet IS this?!"
:—Between broken bridges and now Dinobots, '''Sentinel Prime''' isn't having a good day.

'''Bulkhead''': It's no good! These things are rolling off the assembly line faster than I can smash 'em! 
'''Jazz''': Is it always like this on this crazy planet? 
'''Prowl''': Pretty much.
:—Jazz learns that Prime's crew has anything but a quiet life.

'''Sentinel Prime''': I think you've done enough, Optimus! I'll make sure you're tried for high treason for destroying the AllSpark! Now come with me! 
'''Optimus Prime''': No! 
''[Shoves Sentinel aside]'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': That wasn't a request. That's a direct order, Optimus! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's Optimus ''Prime''. I may be an Elite Guard washout and a glitch-detail flunky, but the last time I checked, you and I still had equal rank. So, Sentinel Prime, take your order ''and'' your condescending attitude, and stick it in your hard drive! You're on ''my'' turf now! 
:— Optimus says what we've all wanted to say to Sentinel.

"Definitely appears to be a fragment of the AllSpark. Apparently, your story about dispersing it may not be so far-fetched after all." 
"But sir, you can't honestly believe that. He's a lying, insubordinate crankshaft." 
"He may be a little rough around the edges, but in the heat of battle, Optimus Prime exhibited the qualities of a true leader: strategic thinking, determination, and above all, loyalty. Something ''you'' could stand to learn a thing or two about, Sentinel Prime."
:— '''Ultra Magnus''' lets '''Sentinel Prime''' know how much of an Auto-Ass he is.

[[Image:No Sari Sumdac.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"[[The_Agenda_(Part_III)|And you—YOU no longer EXIST!]]"]]

"Hey, why is my office locked?" 
"Miss Sumdac, I regret to inform you that your services will no longer be required. The board has unanimously elected me to take over as CEO of [[Sumdac Systems]]." 
"You can't do that! It's still my family's company!" 
"Is it? I took the liberty of doing some research into your claim. It might interest you to know that there is no will, no birth certificate, no adoption papers, social security number, or any kind of record whatsoever for a 'Sari Sumdac'." 
"Are you saying I can't prove I'm Isaac Sumdac's daughter?" 
"I'm saying you can't even prove you exist."
:—'''Sari''' and '''Porter C. Powell''' create a drastic change in plot.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When the Elite Guard first appear on the ramp of their ship, Jazz is missing the arrow decal on his crotch.
* When Sentinel Prime is asking for proof that the Allspark was not completely destroyed, in the next shot, Bumblebee is seen missing the plate on top of his head. It comes back in the next scene.
* When Optimus is walking down the ramp reassuring the humans that the other Autobots are friendly, Sentinel Prime can be seen in vehicle mode coming down behind him. Yet in the next shot after Optimus has transformed, Ultra Magnus is the first to follow suit.
* When the Autobots go to check out the drones, they take shelter behind a bunch of wooden crates as the police drones fire on them. ''How are they not being blasted to bits?''

===Continuity errors===
* Captain Fanzone is ''still'' driving [[Captain Fanzone's car|the car]] that was crushed! He must know [[Sparkplug Witwicky|one hell of a mechanic]]. Or he's obsessive enough to buy an identical car.
* Jazz says he has orders to "stick with you" [Optimus's crew], to which Bumblebee is delighted to inform him about the loophole. But really, the order was to stay "here" [on the ship]. So either Jazz forgot his orders, or [[Tracks (G1)|cared more about his vehicle mode]].

===Continuity notes===
*Sumdac Tower is still damaged from "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".
*When they're being "decontaminated", Bulkhead remarks that Sentinel doesn't remember them, to which Bumblebee replies that he wants it that way. The meaning of this exchange is revealed in "[[Autoboot Camp]]".
*Lugnut's left arm falling off is likely a result of the damage inflicted on it when Bulkhead prematurely activated his explosive punch in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

===Transformers references===
* This episode reveals that both Prowl and Jazz are practitioners of the Cybertronian martial art of [[Metallikato]], originally used by the Generation 1 character [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].
* In voicing Ultra Magnus, Jeff Bennett is doing a ''rather'' good impression of [[Robert Stack]], who originally voiced the character in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 movie]], as well as a bit of a take on {{w|Alec Guinness}}'s portayal of [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] from the original ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' trilogy. Very cool.
* Likewise, [[Phil LaMarr]]'s Jazz also seems to be heavily inspired by [[Scatman Crothers]]' take on the character, though lower in tone and slightly less jivey.
* The giant ship in which the Elite Guard arrives on Earth bears a strong resemblance to the shuttles used by the Autobots in the 1986 movie, only in blue, and a whole lot bigger.
* After dismembering a bunch of drones with his energon axe, Optimus asks, [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|"Mind if I cut in?"]]
* That shot of Optimus reaching down and picking up a tiny fragment of the AllSpark [[Transformers (film)|does look familiar, doesn't it?]]

===Real-world references===
* Ultra Magnus' Hammer appears to have been modeled after [[Thor]]'s hammer {{w|Mjolnir}}.
* Captain Fanzone homages the ''{{w|Indiana Jones}}'' line, "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" replacing "snakes" with "robots".

===Trivia===
* Jazz doesn't react at all to Bumblebee's summation that Sentinel's a glitch-head (all due respect). Maybe he's not getting much in the way of job satisfaction...
*[[News Bot]] and [[Tutor Bot]] are listed as appearing in the episode credits, but do not actually appear. There ''is'' a televised news bulletin regarding the object that would be revealed as the Elite Guard's ship, but the unseen reporter is voiced by [[Jeff Glen Bennett|Jeff Bennett]] instead of [[Townsend Coleman]].
*The Autobots have trouble proving to the Guard that there is Decepticon activity on Earth. There were dozens of human witnesses to the recent battle. Even if the Guard does not trust organic testimony, did ''none'' of the humans have cameras?
*Come to think of it, what happened to the news footage of Starscream Megatron watched when he reactivated?
*Megatron is evidently fully repaired now, while his subordinates are having trouble keeping their arms from falling off. Guy's got priorities, certainly.
*In the ''Animated'' universe, "Prime" is a military rank, as Optimus forcefully reminds Sentinel.
*It was unclear if either part of Ultra Magnus's name was a rank, particularly since he's commonly addressed as "Commander". Later, in "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]", it was revealed that "Magnus" is a rank.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 8]]", with "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La garde d'élite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Elitegarde'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 15|15 July]] [[2008]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Guardia d'Elite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 17|17 January]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Elite Guard'''" (エリートガード)
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 17|17 July]] [[2010]]
::* Ultra Magnus uses the "Magnus Hammer Thunder Attack" when he wipes out the police drones.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gwardzista Elitarny'''" ("The Elite Guardsman")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A Guarda De Elite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La guardia de Elite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 13|13 September]] [[2008]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elite Guard}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Predacons Rising (Animated)

2020-04-29T04:55:40Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Predacons Rising}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=PredaconsRising-WaspinatorBlackarachnia.jpg
|caption=Battle of the arthropods.
|ep=36
|ep2=33
|prev2=Five Servos of Doom
|next2=Human Error, Part I
|title="Predacons Rising"
|airdate=[[April 11]], 2009
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]] [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Blackarachnia has plans... for Wasp!'''

==Synopsis==
The [[Autobot]]s engage in a high-speed chase after [[Wasp]] through the city of [[Detroit]]. Though [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] says he believes even Wasp doesn't know where he's going, the fugitive former Autobot makes clear one thing: they're not going to take him while he's still online. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] nearly catches Wasp, but the interference of [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] allows him to get away again. Optimus insists that Sentinel's responsibility lies on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and that he ought to deliver the remaining prisoners to the stockade. Sentinel counters that he's sure that Wasp knew about the attack on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], and he intends to bring him in.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Cornered.jpg|thumb|left|"Word on street izzz you're a jerk!"]]
With the help of [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]], the crew finally corners Wasp. Bumblebee tries to talk him down, but finds that his excuses fail to placate the fugitive. Optimus tells Wasp that the espionage charges against him have been dropped, but Sentinel again interferes and the two Primes get into an argument about jurisdiction. In the confusion, Wasp escapes again.

Taking pursuit, the Autobots are stymied when Wasp is plucked from the ground by the arrival of [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]]. They are only able to pursue the flying [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]] to the pier before being forced to break off. Sentinel is infuriated, and has the twins grapple him to continue the chase. Optimus, realizing that Swoop is likely taking Wasp to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], begs Sentinel to hold off, as he hasn't yet explained what his former comrade would find there. Sentinel disregards this, and tells the twins to continue onward.

Wasp is brought to [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown's]] [[Meltdown's Subterranean Lab|old lab]], which has seen a considerable refit. In charge now is [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], who looks him over. Satisfied that he has pure Cybertronian circuitry, she decides that he is ideal for her purposes and offers him a chance to have enough power to get his revenge on the Autobots. Showing him a [[transwarp]] generator, she explains that it has only been used for transport before, but she has found a new application.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Change.jpg|thumb|"Why Wasp always get seated in smoking section?"]]
After reaching the island (with mild discomfort), Sentinel orders the twins to distract the Dinobots. They take this as a chance to attack, with Jetfire engaging in a dogfight with Swoop, and Jetstorm using his wind cannon to knock poor [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] offline and lead [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] away from the entrance to the lab. Making his way inside, Sentinel is surprised by Blackarachnia and finds himself disgusted at the prospect of a Cybertronian with an organic mode. His disgust turns to horror when she reveals that she was Elita-1. Sentinel tries to explain that it was Optimus's fault for leaving her behind and that he'd always assumed she was dead. Instead, he finds her current condition a fate worse than death. As they talk, the transwarp pods begin to overload, and out of the explosion comes Wasp—now a techno-organic wasp who has renamed himself Waspinator!

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina Unmasked Sentinel.jpg|thumb|left|Now we know what lies behind her masquerade!]]
Reaching the island, Bumblebee has given up on trying to talk things out with Wasp, while Optimus says that he could start by apologizing first. In the lab, Sentinel is horrified by what Blackarachnia has done to Wasp and says that she has to be stopped. Blackarachnia is not that surprised that he's willing to kill his old friend, but Sentinel screams that she is not Elita-1, driving his [[lance]] forward and knocking her helmet off...revealing the horrifying technorganic face she now has underneath. Not wanting to see "Spider-bot" hurt, Waspinator attacks, but flies out of the room and crashes into Bumblebee. Taken aback by Wasp's new appearance, Bumblebee says that he's sorry for everything he did and didn't do during boot camp. Thinking about it, Wasp admits that he can forgive Bumblebee. Unfortunately, ''Waspinator'' is more interested in revenge. As he tries to attack, however, Waspinator begins to discharge transwarp energy.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina sans Helmet.jpg|thumb|You! You're not Sylvia! You're one of the Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage....2!]]
In the lab, Optimus confronts Blackarachnia and says that he's the one responsible for her condition, not Sentinel. Blackarachnia doesn't care; she has every right to destroy them both because of what happened to her. She also explains that she changed Wasp in the hopes that if she could change him back, she could change herself back into Elita-1. She isn't that concerned if he goes offline in the process. Unfortunately, Waspinator hears that comment and begins trying to attack Blackarachnia. With Waspinator's body starting to go critical, Blackarachnia flees outside, as do the Autobots, where the twins have dispatched the Dinobots. However, to contain Waspinator, Blackarachnia wraps him in a cocoon, and the Autobots barely manage to avoid being caught in the blast, which appears to destroy most of Dinobot Island. Optimus believes that Blackarachnia sacrificed herself to save them, but Sentinel believes that she sacrificed Waspinator to allow herself to escape.

At the Elite Guard ship, Optimus Prime's crew is seeing the [[Elite Guard]] off, though Sentinel is late. The twins poke fun at Sentinel's fear of organics, but Optimus tells them to give Sentinel a break: For all his flaws, Sentinel is still a good bot, in Optimus's opinion. Sentinel then arrives to have a private conversation with Optimus. Optimus apologizes for not letting Sentinel to go back and try to save Elita, and for not telling him sooner about Blackarachnia. Sentinel says that he's sorry they ever went to that planet, but it's too late for apologies, and the two Primes finally appear to bury the hatchet. Optimus points out that Cybertron's need for a leader is top priority, and that Sentinel is that leader, for better or worse.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Waspinator Hazz Planzzz.jpg|thumb|left|Some pieces are made to detach if excessive force is applied.]]
Elsewhere, in a strange-looking jungle, Waspinator is still online, but must reassemble himself, muttering that he has "planzzz". A short distance away, Blackarachnia finds herself confronted with some local animals...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (5)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (10)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (15)
|c2=
*[[Wasp|Wasp/Waspinator]] (1)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Bumblebee''': Hate to say it, but Sentinel's got a point. I'd feel a lot safer with Wasp behind bars. 
'''Optimus''': That's not your call to make, Bumblebee. 
'''Sentinel''': And it's not ''your'' call to make either, Optimus. I'm in command. 
'''Optimus''': On ''Cybertron''. This planet is ''my'' jurisdiction. 
'''Sentinel''': This is a Cybertronian fugitive, and I'll enforce my authority as the...the uh...''primer'' Prime! 
'''Optimus''': Did you just make that up?! 
'''Sentinel''': No! 
'''Optimus''': There's no such thing as a Primer Prime! 
'''Sentinel''': It's a real term. Look it up. 
'''Optimus''': I'm not gonna look it up! 
'''Sentinel''': 'Fraid I'm right?
:—Optimus and Sentinel engage in what can be politely described as a pissing contest.

'''Sentinel''': Right, okay. Here's the plan. Give me a few nanokliks to get into position and, then, give me a diversion to draw them away from the entrance. 
'''Jetfire''': De version? Vat kind of version? 
'''Jetstorm''': Means for we to blow something up! 
'''Jetfire''': Oh, good! I am liking de version!
:—The Twins enjoy blowing stuff up.

"I just never knew, never imagined that something this... unspeakable could have happened to you. How can you even live like that?! It's horrible! It's disgusting!" 
"Okay, okay, I get it! It's bad, but it's not ''that'' bad, all right?!" 
"No. It's worse. You should have gone offline."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' has more issues with '''Blackarachnia'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s condition than she does.

'''Blackarachnia''': So that's it?! You just slag your old friend Elita-1? 
'''Sentinel Prime''': ''Don't say that name!'' You don't deserve to say that name! 
''(Sentinel swipes, knocking Blackarachnia's helmet off, revealing her true face)'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': You're not Elita-1, you mutant freak. Elita-1 went offline a long time ago.
:—Sentinel may actually be right for once, albeit coming from the wrong direction.

"Let him go, Blackarachnia." 
"Why should I, Optimus?" 
"Because I'm the one who left you behind. Sentinel's not the one to blame for what you look like." 
"What I look like is only half the story. What I am is a lot more complicated."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Blackarachnia''', as the latter attacks Sentinel

'''Bumblebee''': Soooo, Wasp... -inator, you've gotten taller. And you can fly! That's-that's cool. 
'''Waspinator''': Wazzpinator megacool, thanks to new friend. 
'''Bumblebee''': Hey, speaking of friends, I wanted to say I'm sorry—you know, for everything I did and didn't do. 
'''Waspinator''': ''(with Wasp's voice)'' Wasp forgive Bumble-bot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh. Really? 
'''Waspinator''': ''(with normal voice)'' BUT WAZZPINATOR NEVER FORGIVE!
:—Bumblebee makes his final attempt to make amends with Wasp(inator)... and totally blew it.

"C'mon, ease up, you two. [Sentinel]'s been through a lot." 
"Never thought I'd hear ''you'' sticking up for S.P." 
"He's a good bot... even if he doesn't know how to let go of a grudge."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' surprises '''Jazz''' and the audience.

"Wazzpinator cannot go offline. Wazzpinator have planzz."
:—'''Waspinator''', foreshadowing.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* When Sentinel Prime attacks Blackarachnia, he knocks off a helmet that she was wearing to hide her true mutant face. The helmet was previously seen in "[[Along Came a Spider]]" as Optimus entered a room in the wrecked Decepticon warship.

===Transformers references===
[[File:PredaconsRising-craziestofcameos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|What, no eagle/wolf Fuzor?]]
*As the plot of this episode centers on Blackarachnia and Waspinator, the ''Animated'' staff recruited Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, the head writers of the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' animated series, to script it. It was also the final script written by DiTillio prior to his passing in 2019. Consequently, the episode has quite a few references to ''Beast Wars'', including:
**The title itself is, of course, a reference to the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] from ''Beast Wars'', but it's a reference that doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to anyone who doesn't already know what a Predacon is, since no one in the episode is actually ''called'' a Predacon at any stage.
**Although it's hardly a ''Transformers''-specific term, Sentinel instructs Jetfire and Jetstorm to fire their jets at "Maximum Burn", which was a pretty common command phrase used by the Beast Warriors for firing their own jets. If it were anybody but DiTillio and Forward on scripting duties, we'd probably write it off, but...
**Just like [[Waspinator (BW)|his predecessor]], this Waspinator can survive being blown to scraps.
**The immortal phrase "Waspinator has plans!" was first uttered by the original ''Beast Wars'' incarnation of the character in "[[Other Voices, Part 2]]", and has since become one of the lovable little guy's most famous and popular lines amongst the fandom, leading to a reprisal in "[[Nemesis Part 1]]". In context, he was bemoaning his apparent looming demise and merely indicating that he had stuff he wanted to do with his life, but like a lot of the aspects of the original Waspinator that are adapted into ''Animated'' Waspy, here, it just comes off as pretty ''sinister''.
**At the end of the episode, Blackarachnia comes face to face with [[Optimus Primal|a gorilla]], [[Rhinox (BW)|a rhino]], [[Cheetor (BW)|a green-eyed cheetah]], [[Rattrap (BW)|and a very large rat]]. Interestingly, the script even calls the setting where this scene takes place a "primitive Earthlike planet." Hmmm. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] [http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1500152931 encourages us] not to read too much into the scene, however.
* "It's too late for apologies" is one of the most infamous lines of dialogue from the hilariously inept [[Omni Productions]] dub of the Japanese ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' cartoon, where it was spoken by a Goth-angsty [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]].

===Animation errors===
* When Waspinator confronts Blackarachnia (immediately after she confesses to using him), his mandible does not move as he speaks. A screenshot of this error can be seen at the top of this page.
* In one scene, the Jet Twins' Elite Guard symbols on their hips are missing.
* Just after Waspinator runs into Bumblebee in pursuit of Blackarachnia, Bumblebee's chest plate briefly shrinks while tumbling then reverts to normal size after.

===Real-world references===
*When Blackarachnia presses some buttons on her computer, they sound the [[theme song|theme]] from ''{{w|Close Encounters of the Third Kind}}''.
*The transwarp experimentation chambers look and function exactly like the telepods from David Cronenberg's [[Fly|''The Fly'']].

===Trivia===
*Bumblebee can drive up the sides of buildings! [[Spy Changer|He's not the only one]].
*When Optimus contacts Sentinel Prime to warn him about Dinobot Island, Sentinel shuts him off by tilting the 'antenna' on the left side of his head. [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)#Animated|His Deluxe toy actually does allow you to do this]], but backwards.
*In the English language, ''"optimus"'' is a synonym for ''"prime"'', both of which are synonyms of "elite" or "best". So, by definition, Optimus Prime's name literally means ''"Primer Prime"''. Too bad for you, Sentinel.
*Waspinator wasn't the only one damaged in the transwarp explosion. If you take a close look at Blackarachnia at the end of the episode, you'll notice that her 'stingers' (which act as her [[beast mode]]'s front legs) have been blown off.
*When Optimus and Sentinel discuss Sentinel taking over from Ultra Magnus, observe Optimus as he says "...and for better or worse..." He appears to squint uncomfortably, almost as if it pained him to say what he's going to say. [[This Is Why I Hate Machines|Huh.]]
*Speaking of jerk-face, Sentinel's drill-sergeant side is still very much in evidence when he barks at the twins to not "stand around with your pistons in your servos", a [[Anatomic euphemism|euphemistic]] Cybertronian equivalent of a rather off-color fleshling phrase we can't repeat here.
*Prowl continues to wear his new samurai armor even when he's not really needing it. [[To sell toys|Gotta sell that brand-spankin' new figure, you know?]]
*This episode marked the last appearance of Blackarachnia and Waspinator.
*The animals that observe Blackarachnia are roughly the same size she is. Unless they are on an alien world where [[Scale|the creatures are all over-sized]], those animals are positively HUGE.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Révolte des Predacons'''" ("Predacons Revolt")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kanashiki Seimeitai'''" (悲しき生命体, "Sorrowful Lifeform")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 13|13 November]] [[2010]]

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Os Predadores Ressurgem'''" ("Predators Resurface")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "''' Los Predacons Crecen '''" ("The Predacons Grow")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 17|17 November]] [[2009]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 9 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Recruits Part II

2019-10-07T12:51:23Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy (cartoon)|Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy]]'' ep 2
|image=RBA - Recruits Part 2 - Not Sure If Srs.jpg
|caption=Hot Shot just learned there are thirty-''two'' flavors.
|prev=Recruits Part I
|next=If at First...
|title="Recruits Part II"
|airdate=[[December 8]], [[2018]]
|production company=[[Allspark Animation]]
|writer=[[Nicole Dubuc]]
|animation studio=[[Boulder Media Studio]]
|director=[[Pete Slattery]]
}}

'''Hot Shot learns to find his place on the Rescue Bot Recruit team with the help of the Mul-T-Cog and his friends.'''

==Synopsis==
A dejected [[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] enters the [[GroundBridge]] room, but is forced to hide when [[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] and [[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]] come looking for him. Once they give up and leave, Hot Shot attempts to activate the bridge without sucess. [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] appears and announces he has something to show the young cadet. Hot Shot expresses his lack of confidence in his ability to be a Rescue Bot. Optimus presents Hot Shot with the [[Mul-T-Cog Badge]], a relic that will bestow on the young bot the ability to transform into two more alternate modes, a jet and a hovercraft, but he can only use one mode per day. Hot Shot believes this will give him what he needs to be an effective rescuer.

Hot Shot rejoins the other recruits, who are taking instruction from [[Chase (RB)|Chase]]. After Hot Shot gets a question right, [[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] puts this down to luck, and Hot Shot takes this as a challenge. Chase has the recruits undergo an obstacle course, with Hot Shot and Wedge eagerly volunteering to go first. As the race starts, Hot Shot is delayed by [[Tough Luck Chuck]] on a crosswalk, but he manages to catch up with Wedge, and passes the other bot as they scale a rock wall. Hot Shot loses his grip partway up, allowing Wedge to slip into the lead again, however Hot Shot wins by using his new jet mode, much to the surprise of the other recruits.

The rest of the team are impressed at Hot Shot's multiple modes and the fact he knows Optimus, except Wedge who is still unconvinced he'll make a good rescuer. The rescue alarm goes off, and the recruits assemble to be informed by [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] that he's organized a rescue in the caves near [[Milford]] with [[Cody Burns|Cody]] being who they'll need to rescue. The recruits roll out to the caves, and Hot Shot immediately charges in, followed by Wedge and the others. They end up at a dead end. After consulting a map, Hot Shot and Wedge take off again, however their jostling each other causes a cave in that traps Cody. As the recruits start digging the boy out, Hot Shot realizes his jet form is useless in the cave, however the other recruits encourage him to do his best, and he's able to use jets of water from his knuckles to weaken the rockfall, allowing them to rescue Cody.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] (1)
*[[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] (2)
*[[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Chase (RB)|Chase]] (5)
*[[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] (6)
*[[Medix (RB)|Medix]] (7)
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] (8)
|c3=
*[[Cody Burns]] (10)
|c4=
*[[Tough Luck Chuck]] (9)
|}}

==Quotes==
"This is exactly what I need to prove to Wedge that I'm a better rescuer then- Uh, I mean, this will help me, ah, be a great part of the team!"
:—'''Hot Shot''' wears his motivations on his chassis.

"Please. You think your vehicle form is what makes you a hero? Rescue work is about who you are in your spark."
:—'''Wedge'''

"Any questions?" 
"So is string cheese made of string or cheese?" 
"Any questions ''about the rescue''?"
:—'''Heatwave''' and '''Whirl'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The Mul-T-Cog Badge is revealed from a hidden compartment accessed using a bust of [[Charlie Burns]].

===Transformers references===
*TBA

===Animation and technical errors===
*TBA

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Reclutas Parte 2'''" ("Recruits Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 14|14 July]] [[2019]]

==Home video releases==
{{epstub}}

[[Category:Rescue Bots Academy episodes]]

Whirl'd View

2019-10-07T12:36:48Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy (cartoon)|Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy]]'' ep 5
|image=RBA - Whirl'd View - Sleigh Ride.jpg
|caption=Starring Megatron as The Grinch.
|prev=Tough Luck Chuck (episode)
|next=Plan Bee
|title="Whirl'd View"
|airdate=[[January 12]], [[2019]]
|production company=[[Allspark Animation]]
|writer=[[Jodi Reynolds]]
|animation studio=[[Boulder Media Studio]]
|director=[[Pete Slattery]]
}}

'''Whirl's Police Bot attention to procedure and detail saves the day when the recruits get caught in a snow storm.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] merrily plays a [[Cube (sport)|Cube]] hand-held game, despite the fact he's in class and should be listening to [[Chase (RB)|Chase]]. Chase grills him on Rescue Bot police codes, and though most of the recruits are bored, [[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] is in her element. [[Medix (RB)|Medix]] suggests that they would learn better doing an actual rescue, and though Chase is dubious, they convince him to set up a practice rescue in the field. He's soon lecturing them on procedure in front of the [[GroundBridge]], and stresses the importance of proper equipment, though it turns out Whirl has a compass.

The recruits arrive in a wooded area and look for the hikers they're supposed to be rescuing, which turn out to be barrels with faces painted on. Despite Whirl's insistence that they follow the rules, the other recruits round up the barrels while she's interrogating a woodpecker. Hot Shot decides to fill in time by playing tag, and the four of them race off, leaving Whirl to find the barrels abandoned. It suddenly starts snowing. Whirl realizes she's going to have to go find the other recruits before the mission's accomplished.

The other four recruits trudge through the freshly fallen snow until they end up falling into a hole. Meanwhile Whirl employs her knowledge of police tracking to follow the trail of evidence the others have left. Hot Shot tries unsuccessfully to climb out of the hole, and [[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] discovers their comms are out. Hot Shot grouses about the fact he's already used his hovercraft mode, so he can't just turn into a jet, and though Wedge suggests he could "hover out", his attempt at doing so ends in failure. Whirl, now in her helicopter mode, manages to spot the trapped recruits, and uses her arm rotors to clear a gap in the side of the hole. They build a sled out of the barrels in order to get down the hill and though Whirl forgets the brakes, Chase manages to stop them short of the portal. The recruits head back to the warm, dry classroom, though as Chase notes, they forgot to take the hikers.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] (1)
*[[Chase (RB)|Chase]] (2)
*[[Medix (RB)|Medix]] (3)
*[[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] (4)
*[[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] (5)
*[[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]] (6)
|c4=
*Hikers (7-11)
|}}

==Quotes==
"Let's turn to Rescue Bot police code five-eight-nine: cat up a tree; six-eight-nine: bird up a tree; seven-eight-nine: bot up a tree; and the unusual, but still possible, eight-eight-nine: tree up a tree."
:—'''Chase'''

"But in a real rescue, it won't be that simple. You never know what could happen. Avalanche. A tiger. A avalanche ''of'' tigers! That's why it's super important to practice following the rules like Chase said."
:—'''Whirl'''

"We've tried everything! And by everything, I mean turning into a hovercraft."
:—'''Hot Shot'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*TBA

===Transformers references===
*TBA

===Animation and technical errors===
*TBA

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Vista Whirl'''" ("Whirl View")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 7|7 July]] [[2019]]

==Home video releases==
{{epstub}}

[[Category:Rescue Bots Academy episodes]]

Whirl'd View

2019-10-07T12:36:24Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy (cartoon)|Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy]]'' ep 5
|image=RBA - Whirl'd View - Sleigh Ride.jpg
|caption=Starring Megatron as The Grinch.
|prev=Tough Luck Chuck (episode)
|next=Plan Bee
|title="Whirl'd View"
|airdate=[[January 12]], [[2019]]
|production company=[[Allspark Animation]]
|writer=[[Jodi Reynolds]]
|animation studio=[[Boulder Media Studio]]
|director=[[Pete Slattery]]
}}

'''Whirl's Police Bot attention to procedure and detail saves the day when the recruits get caught in a snow storm.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] merrily plays a [[Cube (sport)|Cube]] hand-held game, despite the fact he's in class and should be listening to [[Chase (RB)|Chase]]. Chase grills him on Rescue Bot police codes, and though most of the recruits are bored, [[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] is in her element. [[Medix (RB)|Medix]] suggests that they would learn better doing an actual rescue, and though Chase is dubious, they convince him to set up a practice rescue in the field. He's soon lecturing them on procedure in front of the [[GroundBridge]], and stresses the importance of proper equipment, though it turns out Whirl has a compass.

The recruits arrive in a wooded area and look for the hikers they're supposed to be rescuing, which turn out to be barrels with faces painted on. Despite Whirl's insistence that they follow the rules, the other recruits round up the barrels while she's interrogating a woodpecker. Hot Shot decides to fill in time by playing tag, and the four of them race off, leaving Whirl to find the barrels abandoned. It suddenly starts snowing. Whirl realizes she's going to have to go find the other recruits before the mission's accomplished.

The other four recruits trudge through the freshly fallen snow until they end up falling into a hole. Meanwhile Whirl employs her knowledge of police tracking to follow the trail of evidence the others have left. Hot Shot tries unsuccessfully to climb out of the hole, and [[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] discovers their comms are out. Hot Shot grouses about the fact he's already used his hovercraft mode, so he can't just turn into a jet, and though Wedge suggests he could "hover out", his attempt at doing so ends in failure. Whirl, now in her helicopter mode, manages to spot the trapped recruits, and uses her arm rotors to clear a gap in the side of the hole. They build a sled out of the barrels in order to get down the hill and though Whirl forgets the brakes, Chase manages to stop them short of the portal. The recruits head back to the warm, dry classroom, though as Chase notes, they forgot to take the hikers.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] (1)
*[[Chase (RB)|Chase]] (2)
*[[Medix (RB)|Medix]] (3)
*[[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] (4)
*[[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] (5)
*[[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]] (6)
|c4=
*Hikers (7-11)
|}}

==Quotes==
"Let's turn to Rescue Bot police code five-eight-nine: cat up a tree; six-eight-nine: bird up a tree; seven-eight-nine: bot up a tree; and the unusual, but still possible, eight-eight-nine: tree up a tree."
:—'''Chase'''

"But in a real rescue, it won't be that simple. You never know what could happen. Avalanche. A tiger. A avalanche ''of'' tigers! That's why it's super important to practice following the rules like Chase said."
:—'''Whirl'''

"We've tried everything! And by everything, I mean turning into a hovercraft."
:—'''Hot Shot'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*TBA

===Transformers references===
*TBA

===Animation and technical errors===
*TBA

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Vista Whirl'''" ("Whirl View")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 07|07 July]] [[2019]]

==Home video releases==
{{epstub}}

[[Category:Rescue Bots Academy episodes]]

Recruits Part I

2019-10-07T12:33:22Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy (cartoon)|Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy]]'' ep 1
|image=RBA - Recruits Part 1 - Recruitment Pitch.jpg
|caption="Little robots from outer space need your talent to win a Cube match against [[Kremzeek (G1)|Kremzeek]]."
|prev=Transformations
|next=Recruits Part II
|title="Recruits Part I"
|airdate=[[December 8]], [[2018]]
|production company=[[Allspark Animation]]
|writer=[[Nicole Dubuc]]
|animation studio=[[Boulder Media Studio]]
|director=[[Ray Quigley]]
}}

'''Optimus Prime picks Hot Shot to be part of a new team of Rescue Bot recruits, but even Hot Shot himself has doubts he's up to the task.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:RBAOptimusPrimeCube.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|''Come on and slam'' ''And welcome to the jAaM'']]
[[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] and his friends are engaged in a game of [[Cube (sport)|Cube]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], though Hot Shot manages to neglect his teammate while scoring. As his disgruntled friends leave, Hot Shot finds himself in the presence of none other than [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]. Optimus has an offer for Hot Shot — he wants to recruit the young Autobot for a new team of [[Rescue Bot]]s. Hot Shot has his doubts, but is baited by Optimus into agreeing, and one quick [[space bridge]] trip later, Optimus leaves him in the [[Rescue Bot Training Center]] on [[Earth]]. The startled Hot Shot is rapidly introduced to fellow recruits [[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]], [[Medix (RB)|Medix]] and [[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]], who list off their rescue expertise before asking what Hot Shot does. He claims to do a bit of everything, which impresses the others, but [[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] is more skeptical — Whirl explains Wedge won a competition to earn his spot at the center. Further talk is interrupted by [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] appearing on a nearby monitor to welcome them and order them to the briefing room.

[[File:RecruitsI recruits in hall.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
The recruits are awed at getting to work with Heatwave. He instructs them that they need to keep their status as aliens secret, and hands them badges to give them new Earth modes. Wedge is bemused by Hot Shot's new ATV form, questioning its usefulness as a rescue vehicle. Heatwave takes them outside and has them show him their moves. However the other recruits are surprised by Hot Shot's antics as he kicks a road cone like a ball. Heatwave next takes the team to the simulation gymnasium, AKA "Hero Hall", for a simulated team rescue. He sets up a simulation involving a burning building and directs them on the rescue — while Hoist and Medix attempt to rescue the test dummy [[Tough Luck Chuck]], Whirl is assigned to extinguish the fire using cans of foam passed to her by Wedge and Hot Shot. Unfortunately, Hot Shot's attempts to pass on the foam cans are met with failure, and he instead decides to use a fire hose to put out the fire. Despite the others' warnings not to use water on a grease fire, he lets loose and the mission promptly ends in a failure. The other recruits unload on Hot Shot, who admits he never undertook rescue training.

Later, Hot Shot wanders into a room and encounters [[Cody Burns]]. Though Hot Shot instinctively changes to his alternate mode, Cody explains that his family has worked with the Rescue Bots for years. Cody gives him a pep talk to the effect that Optimus must have seen something in him to assign him to Rescue Bot training. Hot Shot rejoins the others, promising to work harder to help the team. Wedge immediately challenges him to a stacking contest, which Hot Shot loses badly. Demoralized once more, Hot Shot resolves to return to the Cube courts on Cybertron.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*Hot Shot's friends (1-3)
*[[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] (6)
*[[Medix (RB)|Medix]] (7)
*[[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]] (8)
*[[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] (9)
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] (10)
|c3=
*[[Cody Burns]] (12)
|c4=
*[[Tough Luck Chuck]] (11)
|}}

==Quotes==
"Optimus Prime! I didn't know you were a Cube-head. Uh, wanna play?" 
"Perhaps another time."
:—'''Hot Shot''' meets '''Optimus Prime'''.

"He seems cool." 
"Cool? Try epic. He's basically a Prime. Do you know how many lives he's saved? Disasters he's stopped? We're lucky he even knows we exist."
:—'''Hot Shot''' and '''Wedge''' discuss Heatwave.

"Hey guys! Miss me?" 
"Do you really want an answer to that question?"
:—'''Hot Shot''' and '''Medix'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This episode is set an unclear amount of time after the end of ''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (cartoon)|Transformers: Rescue Bots]]''. Cody notes that he and his family have worked with the Rescue Bots for "years", and the fact Optimus can freely move about Cybertron without being targeted by the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] suggests it takes place after the events of the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' series finale.
*The training center was built during the last season of ''Rescue Bots'', originally being conceived of in "[[New Normal]]" and completed in "[[The More Things Change...]]". It's not explained why it took so long after its completion for them to actually conduct training classes in the training center - long enough for Cody to well and truly grow up. But then, this [[New Normal|wouldn't be the first time]] Heatwave took his sweet time.
*Elma, the center's [[The More Things Change...|holographic]] [[The More Things Stay the Same|command and]] [[Uninvited Guest|security system]], is noticeably missing.
*The center's GroundBridge was previously described as being a [[Bridge Building|dedicated two-way link]] between the center and the [[Griffin Rock Firehouse Headquarters|fire station]] on [[Griffin Rock]], and incapable of going anywhere else. In "[[Upgrades]]", it was revealed to be capable of going to [[China]] and the [[United States of America|U.S. western coast]]. However, it now appears to have been upgraded to a full [[space bridge]], capable of travel to Cybertron.
[[File:RBA-RecruitsPart1-Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
*While welcoming the new recruits, Heatwave says that "my team and I will teach you" as images of Blades, Chase, Bumblebee and Boulder appear on the overhead screens. [[Bumblebee (WFC)#Rescue Bots Academy cartoon|Bumblebee]] is not known to be part of Heatwave's team; [[Freedom Fighters|when last we saw him]], Bee was rolling out with [[Bee Team (RID)|his own team]] to hunt [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] and generally be Cybertron's ambassadors to Earth. Whether he decided to pursue rescue work in the absence of a Decepticon threat, or it's nothing more than a narrative shortcut remains unclear, as Bumblebee has not appeared in-person in the show.
**This scene is also the only full-length look at the ''Academy''-styled Bumblebee. His face would later be seen in "[[Battle of the Bots]]". Bee also uses the [[Evergreen]] design used by [[Bumblebee (Cyberverse)|''Cyberverse'' Bumblebee]].
*New Earth-based modes have previously been obtained by [[Scanning#Rescue Bots cartoon|scanning]], however the recruits are given theirs by simply attaching a badge to themselves. The mechanism for this is not explained. Perhaps the badges are analogous to a flash drive and contain the pre-scanned data already loaded?
**In the context of these badges, Wedge's criticism of Hot Shot's alt-mode seems misdirected.

===Transformers references===
*Two of Hot Shot's friends appear to be based on [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], but they go unnamed.
*Cube is a sport introduced in the ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|Transformers: Cyberverse]]'' episode "[[Cube (episode)|Cube]]".
*Optimus comments that Hot Shot might find Earth to be "more than meets the eye" ''because of course''.

===Animation and technical errors===

===Foreign localization===

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Reclutas Parte 1'''" ("Recruits Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 30|30 June]] [[2019]]

==Home video releases==
{{epstub}}

[[Category:Rescue Bots Academy episodes]]

Blame Game

2019-09-30T14:06:30Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy (cartoon)|Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy]]'' ep 13
|image=BlameGame Hot Shot's rescue.jpg
|caption=
|prev=Rescue Promo
|next=Surprise, Medix!
|title="Blame Game"
|airdate=[[February 9]], [[2019]]
|production company=[[Allspark Animation]]
|writer=[[Peter A. Dowling]]
|animation studio=[[Boulder Media Studio]]
|director=[[Pete Slattery]]
}}

'''Blaming his teammates for a failed exercise that made him miss a cube game on Cybertron, Hot Shot tackles a rescue alone to show off his solo skills.'''

==Synopsis==
The recruits work on stabilizing a bridge so they can rescue [[Tough Luck Chuck|the occupant]] of a car trapped on top of it. After [[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]]'s adhesive inadvertently weakens it, [[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] steps in to hold it up—he's keen to succeed at the mission so the recruits can go to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] for the [[Cube (sport)|Cube]] playoffs. Unfortunately his argument with [[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] leads to a series of mishaps, causing them to fail the rescue exercise and gluing Chuck to the ceiling. When [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] asks them what happened, the recruits start slinging blame around, and he assigns them to chores.

While the others clean the base, Heatwave puts Hot Shot to monitor duty, with instructions to inform [[Boulder]] if an emergency crops up. Hot Shot rapidly grows bored with his task. Over in [[Griffin Rock]], [[Jerry (RB)|Jerry]] accidentally runs his truck into a tree and calls in the emergency. Hot Shot's unable to contact Boulder, but spot s the still-open [[GroundBridge]]. [[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] and Hoist are busy dusting when they hear Hot Shot using the GroundBridge—Whirl volunteers to go get the team, but Hot Shot heads off to do the rescue on his own. With the tree threatening to topple on a house, Hot Shot grabs it to steady it, but quickly realizes he has no one to actually remove the tree.

[[Medix (RB)|Medix]]'s repair of Chuck is interrupted by the rest of the recruits, who tell him about Hot Shot's disappearance, and after some discussion, realize they have to go give their teammate a hand. Hot Shot is just starting to lose his grip on the tree when the other recruits arrive and rescue him. At base, Heatwave discovers everyone is missing. The recruits finish stabilizing the tree and head back through the GroundBridge to find an annoyed Heatwave. Hot Shot owns up to going off on his own, and the others admit they should have reported that Hot Shot had left the base. Impressed that they've learned the right lesson, Heatwave says they can go to the Cube game after they finish cleaning the base.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] (1)
*[[Medix (RB)|Medix]] (2)
*[[Hoist (RB)|Hoist]] (4)
*[[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] (5)
*[[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] (6)
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] (7)
|c3=
*[[Jerry (RB)|Jerry]] (8)
|c4=
*[[Tough Luck Chuck]] (3)
|}}

==Quotes==
"We'll have these cleaned up in no time!" 
"Now we know dusting means taking the dust off instead of putting it on." 
"Yeah, shouldn't this really be called undusting?"
:—'''Whirl''' and '''Hoist''' discuss the finer points of cleaning.

"Heatwave didn't mention me? Ever? Wow, that hurts a little."
:—'''Hot Shot'''

"What's wrong, Hot Shoes? Should I call the Rescue Bots?"
:—'''Jerry'''

"There's no I in team, but there's three of them in responsibility!"
:—'''Whirl'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*TBA

===Transformers references===
*Hot Shot mentions [[space barnacle]]s.

===Animation and technical errors===
*TBA

===Foreign localization===

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Juego de la culpa'''" ("Blame game")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 29|29 September]] [[2019]]

==Home video releases==
{{epstub}}

[[Category:Rescue Bots Academy episodes]]

Nekomimi A and Nekomimi B

2018-03-19T01:38:43Z

Autobot Power: /* Notes */

: ''Nekomimi A and Nekomimi B are characters from the [[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Nekomimi-1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Virtual robot catgirl maids. Goddamn it, Japan.]]

'''Nekomimi A''' (ネコミミA, the "brunette") and '''Nekomimi B''' (ネコミミB, the "blonde") are horrifying robotic {{w|catgirl}} celebrities whose exploits are apparently enjoyed by both humans and Transformers. Between appearing in cafeterias to meet-and-greet with scientific minds, guest-hosting virtual reality battle tournaments, and starring in comic books detailing their (presumably) fictional adventures, they get around quite a bit.

Meow.

==Fiction==
===''Energon'' cartoon===
:''Nekomimi A voice actor:'' [[Jocelyne Loewen]] (English), [[Masumi Asano]] (Japanese)
:''Nekomimi B voice actor:'' [[Chiara Zanni]] (English), [[Yukiko Tagami]] (Japanese)

[[Image:NekoMimiOpSup01.jpg|left|200px|thumb|You're gonna wanna enlarge this.]]

The Nekomimis attended a real-world cafeteria at the same time as the [[Kicker Jones|Jones]] family, who were present there for a meal. The pair could be seen chatting with several human scientists, though one can only imagine what the two of them would have in common with scientists. {{storylink|Optimus Supreme}}

[[Image:Nekomimi-2.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Nekomimi A (backache queen) and Nekomimi B ("I LOVE YOU, HOT SHOT"), respectively.]]

Nekomimis A and B reappeared within a video game-cum-virtual battle training simulator used by the Autobots. The duo acted as announcers and referees for a series of tournament fights held between the Autobots at a low point during their war for [[energon]], which included digital clones of the deceased and the previous bodies of characters who had been upgraded, as well as several Decepticons, who hacked into the system in order to join the fun.

Nekomimi B seemed to be infatuated with [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], calling him "dreamy" twice. Unlike Nekomimi B, Nekomimi A thought Hot Shot was "scrawny" and had her sights set on [[Megatron (Armada)|Galvatron]]. However, perhaps changing her mind after witnessing Galvatron's brutal takedown of [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] and [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]], she joined Nekomimi B in calling Hot Shot "dreamy" near the end of the tournament.

[[Image:GalvatronTerror-NekomimiComic.jpg|left|thumb|Having no hands won't stop Six Shot from reading about catgirls.]]

Following Hot Shot and [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]]'s victory by ring-out against [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Supreme]] in the final round, Nekomimi A and Nekomimi B presented the winning team with trophies—shortly before they announced that Hot Shot and Rodimus would now take on the "special guest fighter", a pint-sized virtual incarnation of [[Unicron]]. As this last battle commenced, the two announcers wished the audience goodbye. {{storylink|Distribution}}

Some time after the tournament, [[Six Shot]] was seen reading a humorous, Transformer-sized comic book featuring the two of them. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}

{{-}}
===''Transformers Legends'' comic===
[[File:LegendsBusinessTrip11-ChromiaTransform.jpg|thumb|100px]]
Nekomimi A was among the heroic female Transformers (and assorted robots) who appeared in one of [[Tigatron]]'s dreams to protect him from the evil female Transformers. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 11|Bonus Edition Vol. 11}} In the waking world, Nekomimi A appeared on a billboard advertisement. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 40}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Nekomimisab.jpg|250px|thumb|'''Attention'''. The following are '''not''' good stripper names: Celia Sextion. Baron Ovaries. General Herpes. Patches. That is all.]]
*Though they were not named in either the ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' cartoon or the original Japanese dialogue, the Japanese ending credits to the episode identified them with the designations used in this article. "''Nekomimi''" is roughly Japanese for "kitty ears", and is a term generally applied in Japan to "catgirls".
*In the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' universe, the Nekomimis appear to be "[[Hello Kitty]]"-style mascots called "Hello Nekomimi Pop-Star". Notebook paper used by [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] to recount the events of [[The Return of the Headmaster|the Autobots' second clash]] with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] and [[Sari, No One's Home|her own battle]] with the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] features [[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|illustrations of them]].
[[File:SoLongInumimiRockstar-CAA.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.65]]
*In the ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]] Animated'' universe, the role of the Nekomimis are filled by "So Long Inumimi Rock-Star", dog themed girls.

[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Energon characters]]
[[Category:Entertainers]]
[[Category:Cats]]
[[Category:Fiction-only characters]]
[[Category:Legends characters]]

File:Nekomimisab.jpg

2018-03-19T01:30:58Z

Autobot Power: Edited clean version from the one in the Almanac.

Edited clean version from the one in the Almanac.

Endgame, Part I

2017-11-15T15:43:28Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the ''Animated'' episode|the ''Beast Machines'' episode|Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral}}

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni EndgamePart1 Autobots Ready.jpg
|caption=You're telling us this entire series was just to get Prime a jetpack? ''Again''?
|ep=41
|ep2=38
|prev2=This Is Why I Hate Machines
|next2=Endgame, Part II
|title="Endgame, Part I"
|airdate=[[May 16]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Autobots race to find an advantage over Megatron's control of Omega Supreme.'''

==Synopsis==
At the [[Autobot Earth Base|plant]], [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] are working on Prowl's [[processor-over-matter]] by having Prowl lift some [[oil]] cans. Jazz is impressed with Prowl's skills, and wonders why he never completed his training. Suddenly, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] come tearing in, causing Prowl to lose his concentration and drop the oil can. Bumblebee and Bulkhead skid on the spilled oil across the floor, crashing into the wall. As the two bots collect themselves, Prowl says that they're two reasons he never completed his training. Bulkhead and Bumblebee then explain why they came in so quickly: They've found [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]'s energy signature, and it's on Earth's [[moon (moon)|moon]].

[[File:TFAni EndgamePart1 Lugnut vs Shockwave.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|And to think, this dance scene almost got cut.]]
On the Moon, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] continues his efforts to probe [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]'s memory banks for the [[activation code]]s to Omega Supreme. However, all he's found so far are some prewar datatrax of her school-teaching days. [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is convinced that his "most loyal servant" can find it in time. [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] takes a moment to goad [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] that Megatron has another favorite, and Lugnut bashes Shockwave aside in protest, citing his great loyalty and never-ending search for Megatron. Shockwave counters that while Lugnut was fawning at Megatron's stabilizing servos, he risked his [[spark]] by going spying on the Autobots for stellar cycles. The two get into a fight, much to Megatron's annoyance, while Starscream gloats and rolls his head out of the room...

At the plant, the Autobots debate their options. [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] says that they need to act now, and that they need to use the [[Magnus Hammer]]. [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] is hesitant, and thinks back to his past...

:''At the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] chambers, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] reviews Cadet Optimus and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Cadet Sentinel]]'s recent unauthorized visit to an organic world, which resulted in the loss of Cadet [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]]. Sentinel makes a final statement that he wanted to go back for Elita, but Optimus prevented him. Ultra Magnus again asks whose idea it was to go to the planet, and Optimus takes full responsibility as the senior Cadet. Ultra Magnus had high hopes for Optimus, even believing he could one day be [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]], but now that will never be. Ultra Magnus pronounces his judgment: Optimus is to be expelled from the [[Autobot Academy]] and be ineligible for service in the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]].''

Snapped back to the present, Optimus reaffirms that they don't need to use the Magnus Hammer. Instead, he was considering a flight mechanism to keep up with Megatron. Ratchet is resistant, but the other Autobots point out various examples of Autobot flight, and Ratchet finally relents. Optimus says that they need more information, so Prowl volunteers to go and spy on the Decepticons. Jazz vetoes this, saying that Prowl is on the verge of a major training breakthrough, so someone else must go. Bumblebee gets volunteered, much to his own annoyance.

[[File:TFA-Endgame-ShockwavePointsAndLaughs.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Statement: LOL]]
In the ruins of the [[Nemesis (Animated)|Decepticon warship]], Starscream creates a new body for himself from the shell of a [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clone]] and a [[protoform]]. However, as soon as the process is complete and Starscream's head is attached, Megatron reveals his presence and destroys the already complete clones. Starscream begs for mercy, saying he planned to make an army for the Decepticon cause, but Megatron has bigger plans in mind for the protoforms: Not to clone himself, nor even Lugnut. No, even bigger—about the size of Omega Supreme...

In the woods, Jazz guides Prowl in meditation, directing him to commune with the [[AllSpark#Animated continuity family|AllSpark]]. His efforts succeed, collecting the ambient dispersed AllSpark energy in the area and forming it into a solid AllSpark fragment. Meanwhile, Bumblebee is transwarped to the Moon. He manages to avoid being seen, but the transmitter he brought is destroyed when he avoids some construction work that Shockwave and Lugnut are doing. Making his way into Omega Supreme, he finds Arcee and realizes that she isn't quite functioning right. Since he doesn't know how to disconnect her without deactivating her, Bumblebee decides to activate her communicator to allow them to listen in on the Decepticons, and he quickly transwarps out. On Earth, the Autobots are unable to get the specifics of what's going on, but it quickly becomes obvious that Megatron is building something.

[[File:EndGamePart1-Autobotscantfly.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Wingblade Prime]]
At the plant, Ratchet, [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]], and [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] work on the [[jet pack]] they're building for Prime. Ratchet is having trouble, so Sari scans the device and discovers the problem. Once it's ready, they have Optimus take it for a test run. After he loses control, flies around the city, and crashes in front of the plant, all on five percent power, Ratchet and Sari decide to add some stabilizers. Once those are ready, Optimus conducts another test run. This one is much more successful, and Optimus actually enjoys his flying, thinking back to a conversation with Ultra Magnus...

:''Despite being expelled from the Academy, Optimus still impressed Ultra Magnus with the considerable skills he'd already shown in his stellar cycles of service. Managing to pull some strings, Ultra Magnus has been able to get Optimus promoted to [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] and get him a ship to command. Although Optimus is grateful, he soon sees his ship, ''[[Teletran-1]]'', a rusted out piece of junk. Ratchet is performing maintenance and tells Optimus to ignore the appearance of the ship. Indicating Bumblebee and Bulkhead, he notes it's the young bots Optimus should be worried about...''

[[File:TFAni EndgamePart1 Optimus FemScream.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|"What the hell is that noise?" "Oh, that? I'm just driving with the top down."]]

While Optimus flies around the city, he attracts the attention of [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]], who thinks that he's Starscream returned to Earth. Her overriding (and still unexplained) hatred of Starscream compels her fly and attack him. Optimus takes a hit and crashes into the river, while she flies off as she realizes he's not her progenitor.

On the Moon, Shockwave is finally able to bring Arcee's memory to the point where she and Ratchet were attacked by [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]. Posing as Longarm Prime, he asks if she still has the activation codes for Project: Omega, which she does. Pleased, Shockwave pulls her wires and takes her to Megatron. Bulkhead and Bumblebee alert Optimus, who is in quite a funk after being beaten by a "Starscream wannabe".

[[File:TFAni EndgamePart1 Screamer NotAgain.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|De agony of de feet.]]

Finally, the time has come to implant the protoforms into their base shells. They scan Omega Supreme, assuming his form. Longarm reawakens Arcee and instructs her to transfer the access code to Megatron, but she recognizes him and refuses. Shockwave thus deactivates her and prepares to upload the information to his leader. However, Starscream knocks Megatron aside to take the codes, but Lugnut knocks ''him'' aside and receives the codes instead—just as Megatron wanted. He knew that imprinting his personality onto the clones risked making them too ambitious, but there is no such threat from Lugnut, Megatron's "most loyal lieutenant"—a description which pleases Lugnut greatly. Furthermore, with the AllSpark fragments from Omega Supreme, they no longer have need of Starscream, whom Megatron immediately shoots, breaking his new body into several pieces.

At the plant, Optimus is being repaired, and Ratchet insists that he must use the Magnus Hammer. Optimus still believes that using it isn't in his programming. Prowl, however, believes that fate makes its own programming, prompting Optimus to think back...

:''Working on repairing the space bridge where it all started, Bumblebee and Bulkhead stumble upon Prowl meditating in a cavern, having failed to commune with the AllSpark so far despite trying for a thousand stellar cycles. Unfortunately, one of the [[energon cube]]s Ratchet was setting up falls into Prowl's cavern. They barely make it out, but Prowl's ship is destroyed. Optimus offers to take him back to Cybertron in about fifty stellar cycles, after the crew finishes there, but notes that with Prowl's help, it could be sooner. Prowl bemoans how he has strayed so far from his path, and Optimus says that he can sympathize.''

[[File:TFA-Endgame-LugnutsSupreme.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Great, so now we know what the children would look like.]]

Optimus is snapped back to reality when Bulkhead says that he's getting several signals from the Moon. Meanwhile, Lugnut has finished uploading the codes, but a glitch forces him to remain on Omega Supreme with Shockwave to coordinate. Megatron, meanwhile, says that he will take the clones on a test run by destroying [[Detroit]]. As they launch, the Autobots head out to get a visual, while Optimus reluctantly grabs the Magnus Hammer. He asks Ratchet if they can still reason with Omega Supreme, but Ratchet doubts it, as the [[Lugnut Supreme|Lugnuts Supreme]] transform and prepare to touch down.

[[Endgame, Part II|To be concluded...]]
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (5)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (6)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (11)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (12)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (14, flashback)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Cadet Sentinel]] (15, flashback)

|c2=
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave / Longarm Prime]] (7)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (9)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (10)
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] (17)
*Three [[Lugnut Supreme]]s (18–20)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Uh-oh. Looks like Megatron has a new favorite, and I'll give you a hint – it ain't you!"
:—'''Starscream''' to Lugnut

[[File:TFAni EndgamePart1 Megatron Facepalm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|*faceplateservo*]]
'''Megatron''': Can't you shut [[Arcee (Animated)|her]] up? She makes [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] sound like he's got his head screwed on straight. 
'''Starscream''': You see? Now he even likes Blitzwing better than you. 
''[Lugnut bashes Shockwave aside while making his way to Starscream]'' 
'''Lugnut''': No! ''I'' am the most faithful! 
'''Shockwave''': Have you blown a diode?! I'm trying to work here! 
''[A scuffle ensues]'' 
'''Megatron''': Oh, for spark's sake...
:—You get what you pay for, Megatron. And these guys are free.

'''Prowl''': I'll transwarp to the Moon and spy on him. 
'''Jazz''': And take five on your Cyber-Ninja training? No dice. You're close to a real breakthrough. And I got a vibe that says we're gonna need every advantage we can get our servos on. 
'''Optimus''': Agreed. We'll send someone else. 
'''Bumblebee''': Who'd be crazy enough to volunteer for ''that'' mission? ''[Everyone looks at Bumblebee]'' Why's everyone looking at me? Why's everyone ''always'' looking at me?!
:—Bumblebee gets tired of all his suicide missions.

'''Starscream''': Have mercy, Megatron! I was merely building you an army to serve our great Decepticon cause. 
'''Megatron''': Ah, but you think too small, Starscream. I have plans for these protoforms. Much bigger plans. 
'''Starscream''': Naturally, you'd want to clone yourself, oh great one. 
'''Megatron''': Bigger. 
'''Starscream''': ''[Looks out the window]'' Not that idiot Lugnut 
''[Lugnut falls on his back, causing Shockwave to point and laugh]'' 
'''Megatron''': ''Bigger''... 
''[Starscream sees the base shells near Omega Supreme]'' 
'''Starscream''': Oh. I see... 
:—Megatron [[army-building|army-builds]] in the [[Size class|Supreme-class range]]. That's hardcore.

"Get with it, Prowl. The AllSpark ain't just in your circuits, dig. It's grooving all around us. Reach out and hook yourself into it. 
:—'''Jazz''', being all mystical ''and'' hip at the same time.

'''Sari''': ''[Scans the boosters]'' You're right. We need to add a microaerator to the fuel line. 
'''Ratchet''': And I suppose the rocket boosters just told you that? 
'''Sari''': Kinda. 
'''Ratchet''': That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever— 
''[Ratchet checks the rocket boosters]'' 
'''Ratchet''': Wait! I've got it! We'll add a microaerator to the fuel line! 
'''Sari''': Hmm, now why didn't I think of that? 
:—Ratchet is either a glory hog or going senile. Possibly both.

'''Slipstream''': [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]! You got some nerve showing your wing struts back here! ''[transforms and flies after 'Starscream'. She reaches 'him' and fires upon 'him', knocking Optimus Prime out of the sky]'' Wait. You're not Starscream. You're ... a flying Autobot? 
'''Optimus Prime''': Whoa! 
''[Optimus falls into the river. Then Slipstream stops to admire her handy-work, before transforming and flying away.]'' 
:-Slipstream making an honest mistake.

"Instilled with my own powerful personality, the clones might try to overthrow me. But not so my ''most loyal'' lieutenant..." 
''[to Megatron]'' "Ah. I am honoured, my Lord." ''[to Shockwave]'' "Hah. Megatron trusts '''me''' the most!"
:—'''Megatron''' makes all '''Lugnut'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s dreams come true. Lugnut responds by showing what a child he is.

"First I fail to protect the protoforms and now this! Do you have any idea what it's like to embark on a path, only to find it so completely twisted and turned that you have no idea where you are?!" 
"Oddly enough, I do."
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===

===Continuity notes===
*Prowl's failure to complete his [[Cyber-Ninja Corps|Cyber-Ninja]] training, as previously mentioned in "[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II]]", is again brought up. We learn in this episode that his failure is partially due to the fact that while trying to commune with the AllSpark, he was interrupted by Optimus Prime's crew and wound up joining up with them out of necessity, bridging the storytelling gap between "[[Five Servos of Doom]]" and "[[Transform and Roll Out]]".
*The events of the "[[Along Came a Spider]]" flashbacks are at last confirmed to be the reason that Optimus was kicked out of the [[Autobot Academy]].
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] returns for the first time since "A Bridge Too Close, Part II".
*The [[protoform]]s that [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] stole in "Five Servos of Doom" return in this episode, when it is revealed that the bounty hunter appropriated them for Megatron, and that they have been in the remains of his crashed warship all this time. As many fans had suspected, the protoforms are confirmed to have been used by Starscream to create his [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]] in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]" and "[[A Bridge Too Close, Part I]]". As the events of "Five Servos" suggested, the protoforms are shown to be [[blank]], without [[spark]]s.
*Ratchet once again repeats the oft-heard mantra that "Autobots don't fly", a common (if frequently broken) rule throughout most of the Transformers fiction, and one that has received quite a bit of attention in ''Animated''. Like quite a lot of fans before them, Bulkhead and Bumblebee promptly confront Ratchet with the harsh reality: [[Jetfire (Animated)|quite]] [[Jetstorm (Animated)|a]] [[Swoop (Animated)|few]] ''[[Prowl (Animated)|Animated]]'' [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Autobots]] have taken to the skies at this point.
*In [[TransWarped]] Optimus mentions one day he'd learn how to fly. Looks like he held on to that thought.

===Transformers references===
[[File:GodGinrai toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Now, that's some upgrade...]]
*While more viewers will likely be reminded of ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]'s super mode, ''Animated'' Optimus's new flight attachments (specifically, the colors and details of his wings and gauntlets) are based on [[Ginrai (human)|God Ginrai]]'s flight-endowing [[Godbomber]] components. The flight pack itself, to which the wings attach, doesn't seem to owe as much to Ginrai's, however; even its resemblance to the [[Jetfire (G1)|original Jetfire]]'s booster pack is unintentional, according to [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] (any connection between it and [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|the time Prime wore Sideswipe's]] [[jet pack|rocket pack]] is unconfirmed). His shoulder cannons, however, do appear to be based on his Voyager-class toy's water blaster.
*As he jets into the sky, Optimus shouts out [[Megatron (BW)|"Yessssss!" and "Excellent"]].
*The creation of the Lugnut Supremes, evil clones of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]], hearkens back to previous evil Omegas such as the [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] and the [[Dark Guardian]]s.
*Starscream's line "It's so nice to have a real body again!" after rebuilding himself (for the first time) is almost word-for-word the same line he uses in [[Starscream's Ghost|a certain G1 episode]] after inhabiting [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus's]] body.

===Real-world references===
*The scene in which Optimus tests his jet pack for the first time appears to be a reference to a similar scene in the ''[[Iron Man]]'' motion picture, as he starts out using only a tiny percentage of the pack's power and still winds up shooting off out of control. When he achieves successful flight on his next test, he's also just as elated as Stark was. Amusingly, this isn't even the first time [[David Kaye]]'s played the part of Iron Man, having voiced the character in the ''[[wikipedia: Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes|Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes]]'' animated series.

===Trivia===
*Prowl had been on his optics quest for at least "a million stellar cycles" before he joined up with Optimus...and had accomplished jack squat in all that time. Of course, he could have been exaggerating out of frustration, but still...slow going.
*Megatron purposely started the Shockwave/Lugnut feud, knowing Starscream would try to seize Omega Supreme's access codes, just to be sure Lugnut would be in his most loyal state at the moment of the transfer? Now, that's some sleeky fore-thinkings...
*Shockwave has enough of a sense of humor that he can laugh. Who knew?
*Interestingly, Megatron destroys all of the remaining (albeit inert) Starscream clone shells, instead of reprogramming them to serve him and boost the number of troops under his command. [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] even suggests this, but apparently Megatron prefers [[Lugnut Supreme|sheer brute force]] over [[Air Warrior|numbers]]. Considering who they're clones of, this isn't really that surprising.
*After spending all of Season 3 as a disembodied head, Starscream finally regains his body....only to have Megatron blow it to smithereens at the end of the episode. ''Tough break'', Screamer.
*Prowl punches a boulder out of frustration and the boulder ''splits neatly in half!'' Holy crap man.
*This is not the [[Matrix Blade|first time]] that an Optimus has taken up a huge, Matrix-related melee weapon for the final battle against a Megatron.
*In this episode, Longarm's rank is "Security Chief". This is most likely because his cover has been blown or the fact that he was speaking to Arcee, who is unaware [[Great War (Animated)|the war]] has ended.
*This episode is not only the last to feature Slipstream, but the only one in the entire season.
*During Shockwave and Lugnut's fight you can actually hear Shockwave say "Liar, Lying Liar". No seriously.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La bataille finale 1/2'''" ("The Final Battle 1/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fim de Jogo Parte 1'''" ("Game Over Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fin del juego, pare 1'''" ("Game over, part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 22|22 December]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Tobitate! Optimus Prime'''" (翔びたて! オプティマスプライム, "Take Off! Optimus Prime")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 18|18 December]] [[2010]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 10 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

This Is Why I Hate Machines

2017-11-15T15:41:22Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni ThisisWhyIHateMachines Fanzone Crowd.jpg
|caption=
|ep=40
|ep2=37
|prev2=Decepticon Air
|next2=Endgame, Part I
|title="This Is Why I Hate Machines"
|caption=This is what hell looks like to Captain Fanzone.
|airdate=[[May 9]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Rob Hoegee]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Hirata]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''A space bridge accident sends Ratchet and Captain Fanzone to Cybertron, right as the Decepticon controlled Omega Supreme arrives.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA ThisIsWhyIHateMachines Fanzone SpaceBridge.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|That's it! I'm firing my travel agent.]]
[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] is trying to calibrate the newly constructed [[space bridge]] properly to begin the hunt for [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]. Unfortunately, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]'s advanced notation system of adhesive note papers leaves something to be desired. [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] chooses that moment to step off [[Sumdac Tower]]'s elevator, engaged in a spirited discussion with [[Sumdac Systems]] technical support over some malfunctioning police drones. Fanzone has come to take up the matter with [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] himself, but before he can start looking for the scientist, a pair of police drones catch up to him and open fire with lethal force. Now dodging gunfire while the oblivious Ratchet continues to sort through Bulkhead's notes, Fanzone grows progressively more irate until the space bridge suddenly activates, having located Omega Supreme's transwarp signature. Ratchet looks up just in time to see the hapless Fanzone being sucked into the space bridge portal, and, deciding that this probably isn't a good thing, opts to follow.

[[File:ThisIsWhyIHateMachines-Glyphandothers.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Just robot asses as far as the eye can see.]]

Fanzone finds himself unceremoniously dumped in the middle of a large city on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], a situation he's less than thrilled about. A crowd of Autobots freaks out at the presence of the horrifying organic lifeform. Nearly stepped on by the immense [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]] at the urging of a [[Flareup (Animated)|friend]], Fanzone is rescued by the timely arrival of Ratchet. Fanzone wants to return home immediately, but Ratchet insists that while they're on Cybertron, they may as well hit up [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]]. To his dismay, his favorite watering hole has been shut down, along with other "subversive" gathering places, by order of [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]. After watching one of Sentinel Prime's propaganda videos, the pair are soon approached by the Elite Guard, and Sentinel Prime demands to know how they have been able to get to Cybertron with space bridge travel locked down. Ratchet angrily explains that they didn't use the space bridge network, but rather piggybacked on Omega Supreme's transwarp signature. Sentinel, well-informed as always, laughs off Ratchet, thinking that Omega Supreme had been decommissioned centuries ago. He is immediately proven wrong as the looming shape of Omega Supreme's robot form appears in the Cybertronian skies.

Above the city, aboard Omega's inert body, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] muses on this (glorious!) moment for the [[Decepticon]]s: those who were once driven away from Cybertron in exile are now poised over it in one of its greatest weapons. As [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] points out that they have no means actually to ''use'' said weapon, [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] comes to Megatron's defense, saying that with the [[plasma dynamic thruster]] removed, the Decepticons have control over Omega's navigational systems, transformation, and free access to the ship. Starscream points out that they have no control over the weapons systems, but Megatron rebuffs him with the revelation that he still has a spy on Cybertron who can fetch him the access codes to Omega Supreme. On cue, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] contacts the Decepticons, saying that he knows of another means to the get the codes, only needing time to get to it. Starscream comments that this will only work if the Cybertronian defense cannons don't shoot them out of the sky, but Megatron doubts that they would fire on one of the greatest symbols of Autobot military strength.

Meanwhile, Sentinel advocates that they fire the Cybertronian defense cannons on one of the greatest symbols of Autobot military strength. This understandably does not go over well with several prominent members of the [[Autobot High Council]], to say nothing of Omega Supreme's former mentor, Ratchet, who warns that destroying Omega with the amount of transwarp energy currently stored within him could cause a blast that would wipe out Cybertron itself. [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] rebuff Sentinel and inform him to wait for the council's decision. Ratchet warns Sentinel that there will be consequences if Omega is harmed, and Sentinel prepares to lock up Ratchet and Fanzone, but they make a break for it when Fanzone fakes a sneeze. The Elite Guard pursue the two, but lose them outside the [[Metroplex (Animated)|Metroplex]]. Sentinel orders Jazz to continue searching, while he and the twins head to [[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]] to prepare the defense cannons, as Sentinel intends to attack regardless of the Council's decision.

Meanwhile, Ratchet and Fanzone take refuge in the forgotten network of maintenance tunnels beneath the city, which have been sealed for quite some time, but soon realize that someone ''else'' has been hiding in the tunnels quite recently. The occupant of that hideout is revealed to be none other than the double-agent [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], who nearly gets the jump on the duo, still armed with the stolen [[Magnus Hammer]]. Ratchet fights back, surmising that Shockwave wishes to hack his processor to get the access codes to Omega Supreme, but Shockwave scoffs at this, revealing that he plans to go right to the original source: [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]! Horrified, Ratchet loses his concentration, allowing Shockwave to hurl him aside and escape.

At Fortress Maximus, Sentinel's diverting of all but essential [[Energon]] has not gone unnoticed, and Perceptor contacts him for an explanation. Sentinel says that the Elite Guard is simply preparing to attack if the Council gives the okay, and Alpha Trion informs him that they will have a decision shortly. As the council continues to deliberate a course of action, Sentinel Prime orders [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] to arm the weapons of the Elite Guard's base and aim at Omega Supreme. Lugnut advocates that they leave Omega's body and retaliate, something Starscream agrees to for different reasons, but Megatron silences them, claiming he has a reason for exposing their position. Shockwave then contacts Megatron to inform him that he has acquired clearance codes to enter the facility holding Arcee.

[[File:TFA-ThisIsWhyIHateMachines-UltraMagnusSparkSupport.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|"Is it water on the knee?" "A whole bucket, see?" "A Charley Horse, it's true!" "I'm the doctor for YOU!"]]
Fanzone puts his cop instincts to work and quickly tracks down the local stoolie, [[Rattletrap]], the bot who gave Shockwave the clearance codes. With a little organic coercion, the pair are able to force an access card from Rattletrap, but when they attempt to use it, they discover that the codes are bogus. Just as they make this discovery, [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] steps from the shadows to offer them his aid. He has finally had it with Sentinel Prime's attitude, and he gives Fanzone and Ratchet a functioning access card. The duo quickly locate Arcee, only to find that they have inadvertently led Shockwave right to her. A running firefight ensues as Ratchet tries to get Arcee to safety while Shockwave pursues them, and the battle carries them to the medical bay in which [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] is convalescing. Thinking that Ratchet is out of commission after a blow from the Magnus Hammer, Shockwave decides to finish the job on Ultra Magnus and turns his back on his fallen foe. Ratchet is still very much alive and kicking, however, and he downs Shockwave with a blast from his [[electromagnetic pulse]] generator, allowing him to reclaim the Magnus Hammer from the Decepticon's clutches. Of course, Sentinel Prime chooses that moment to enter the room, and he promptly leaps to the conclusion that Ratchet is trying to do away with Ultra Magnus. This distraction offers Shockwave the time he needs to escape with Arcee, which prompts Sentinel to issue the command to fire on Omega Supreme. Fortress Maximus opens fire, but Omega transwarps out of the path of the blast, which shoots off harmlessly through the sky.

A short while later, the council and Elite Guard see Ratchet and Fanzone to the [[space bridge nexus]] so that they can return to [[Earth]]. Alpha Trion chastises Sentinel for his actions, making it clear that if it was up to him alone, Sentinel wouldn't be Magnus for a second longer. Trion extends his thanks to Ratchet and Fanzone, but Ratchet sees little reason to celebrate, as the Decepticons now have Arcee. Perceptor tries to assure Ratchet that the damage done to Arcee's processor is irreversible, but Ratchet is not cheered up at the prospect. Just before they enter the space bridge, Sentinel orders Ratchet to hand over the Magnus Hammer, but Ratchet refuses, telling him they will give it back to its rightful owner, Ultra Magnus, when he is repaired. Before Sentinel can object, Ratchet and Fanzone dart off through the space bridge. Sentinel is about to pursue them, but Jazz blocks his path and offers to go in his stead. Ratchet and Fanzone are not happy to see Jazz when he appears in front of them, but Jazz explains that he is unable to condone Sentinel's actions any more and is deserting to join the Autobots on Earth.

[[File:TFAni ThisisWhyIHateMachines Arcee Earth.jpg‎|thumb|upright=1.1|Insert ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' instrumental here.]]
Out in space, Omega Supreme rematerializes close to Earth's [[moon (moon)|moon]]. Aboard the dormant Autobot, Shockwave bows before Megatron and abandons his [[electronic paint job]] so that he can finally serve his leader under his true colors. Megatron bids his "most loyal servant" to rise, sending Lugnut into fits of silent, quivering rage—much to Starscream's amusement. On the other side of the bridge, the ''conscious'' Arcee lies upon a table and looks out at the Earth below, quietly whispering Ratchet's name...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Freeway (Animated)|Freeway]] (4)
*[[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]] (5)
*[[Huffer (Animated)|Huffer]] (6)
*[[Sedan (Animated)|Sedan]] (7)
*[[Glyph (Animated)|Glyph]] (8)
*[[Bumper (Animated)|Bumper]] (9)
*[[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]] (10)
*[[Powerglide (Animated)|Powerglide]] (11)
*[[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]] (12)
*[[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]] (13)
*[[Steeljaw (Animated)|Steeljaw]] (14)
*[[Zaur]] (15)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (16)
*[[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]] (21)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (22)
*[[Tracks (Animated)|Tracks]] (23)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (24)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (25)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (26)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (27)
*[[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] (28)
*[[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] (29)
*[[Rattletrap]] (30)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (31)

|c2=
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] (17)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (18)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (19)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (20)
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (32, flashback)

|c3=
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (2)

|c4=
*[[Copterdrone]]s (3)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Security Bot''': ''Halt. You are in violation of Criminal Code 30114. Lethal force has been authorized.'' 
''[Security bots open fire]'' 
'''Fanzone''': Hey! Ow! Hey! 
'''Ratchet''': Think you have it bad? I got to decipher ''Bulkhead''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> handwriting! And those claws of his aren't exactly designed for penbotship.
:—As the Security Bots try to kill Captain Fanzone, Ratchet shows the depth to which he does not care.

"I'd be a happy man if I never see another—"''[Fanzone takes in his surroundings]''"...''robot''?"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' enters his own personal hell, and its name is Cybertron.

"I can't believe we're on Cybertron! Of all the places we transwarped, this is great!"
:—'''Ratchet''', happy for the first time since...well, since we've seen him.

"Citizens of Cybertron, Decepticons are in our midst! Neighbours, friends, even ''your own model'' can be a spy! Do your duty and report any suspicious activity to the Elite Guard immediately." 
"...what is this scrap?!" 
"For your protection, all potentially subversive gathering places remain closed. Curfew remains in effect. Remember, Decepticons will stop at nothing to destroy our way of life! Don't let THIS ''[picture of Ultra Magnus on [[spark support]]]'' happen to you. As your Magnus, I will continue to defeat the Decepticon scourge and bring peace and security to Cybertron! I'm Sentinel Prime, and I approve of this message." 
"No-good glory-hog's got a lot of steel. It was [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] who caught those 'Cons!"
:—'''Sentinel Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s propaganda film, with commentary by '''Ratchet'''

"Cybertron. At last, our ultimate goal is at our feet. And here we stand, aboard its ultimate weapon." 
"Now, wouldn't it be nice if we could actually figure out how to use it!" 
:—'''Megatron''' has a moment, which '''Starscream''' ruins.

'''Megatron''': No Autobot would be foolish enough to fire upon their greatest weapon. 
'''Sentinel Prime''': I say we fire on Omega Supreme! 
:—Even '''Megatron''' can't predict what goes on in '''Sentinel Prime's''' head.

'''Perceptor''': Sentinel Prime, please explain why all but essential Energon has been diverted to Fortress Maximus. 
'''Alpha Trion''': Need we remind you that the Council is still deliberating? 
'''Sentinel Prime''': As acting Magnus, I must be ready to strike should Omega... should Megatron make a move against us. 
'''Alpha Trion''': Very well. We will inform you of our decision shortly.
:—Sentinel Prime reveals his secret dream of blowing up Omega Supreme and covers it up neatly.

"How'd you know about this bot?" ''[indicating Rattletrap]'' 
"Ehh. There's one in every town." 
:—'''Ratchet''' learns a little more about how '''Captain Fanzone''' works.

"This is why I hate machines." ''[looks at Sentinel Prime]'' "Certain machines more than others."
:—We all wish '''Captain Fanzone''' was tall enough to bust particular jerks.

'''Captain Fanzone''': I get mixed up in a war, nearly stepped on, blasted, buried, and possibly zapped into space, and now, you've just made me an accomplice to INTERGALACTIC GRAND THEFT!! 
'''Police Drone:''' Halt. You are under arrest. 
''(Ratchet blows it up with his magnetic powers)'' 
'''Captain Fanzone''': Let's say we call it even.
:—Captain Fanzone complains about the worst day of his life and then blows it off.

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
[[File:Bulkhead's postit notes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"No TV and no beer make Homer something something"?]]
* All of Bulkhead's post-its say exactly the same thing.
* A few of the laser blasts that the drone fires at Captain Fanzone (before he gets sucked up by the Space Bridge) are out of sync with the animation of the strafing drone.
* Shockwave's head model changes randomly throughout the episode in shape, size and in the positioning of his optic.
* When Shockwave holds up the Magnus Hammer and starts generating lightning, its handle is only half as long as usual.
* When Sentinel Prime first sees Omega Supreme, his shoulder pads end up behind the circle around his neck.

===Continuity notes===
* Parade footage from "[[Decepticon Air]]" is used in Sentinel's little propaganda video. (See said episode for the list of cameos within.)
* Ratchet remarks that [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] was the one to capture the Decepticon prisoners, as seen in "[[Five Servos of Doom]]".
* Ratchet's flashback uses footage from "[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]", giving Lockdown a brief "appearance" in this episode.

===Transformers references===
* Captain Fanzone's arrival on Cybertron treats us to another crowd scene full of cameos, some of which we haven't seen before. Notable newbies in this crowd include [[Glyph (Animated)|Glyph]], [[Bumper (Animated)|Bumper]] and his white recolor [[Sedan (Animated)|Sedan]], [[Steeljaw (Animated)|Steeljaw]], [[Zaur]] and robot-mode [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]]. We also get a closer look at [[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]], but only from behind, as he talks to [[Lightbright]].
* Ratchet's favorite hangout is [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]].
* The Autobot Council's headquarters is known as "the [[Metroplex (Animated)|Metroplex]]", and the Elite Guard's battle station is "[[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]]".
* At the end of the episode, Shockwave utilizes an [[electronic paint job]] to reveal his "true colors", represented by a [[Target]] [[exclusive]] [[redeco]] reminiscent of his [[Shockwave (G1)|Generation 1 namesake]]'s color scheme.
* Rattletrap's design and speech patterns are modelled after [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]].

===Real-world references===
*Sentinel Prime's broadcast was based on [[wikipedia:The Red Scare|The Red Scare]] during the Cold War. The broadcast concludes with him saying "I'm Sentinel Prime, and I approve of this message."—in the style of contemporary [[President of the United States|political campaign ads]].
*Sentinel's insistence that he is the one who "makes the tough decisions" and insistence that any questioning of his orders is tantamount to treason is probably some kind of statement about [[Mission Accomplished|some''one'' or some''thing'']], but we'll leave it at that.
*Shockwave's slow, deadpan delivery of "I'm afraid I can't let you do that" is a reference to the menacing supercomputer HAL from Stanley Kubrick's ''[[wikipedia:2001 (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', who also featured an unblinking single red eye.
* When Ratchet and Fanzone are headed to Maccadam's, they stop in front of a building which appears to have [[Target]]'s trademark "bull's-eye" logo.
* Ratchet retorts to Shockwave about taking the activation codes from his "cold, offline processor", similar to one of Charlton Heston's most famous quotes in support of the NRA. He'd previously used a similar line in [[Megatron Rising - Part 1]].

===Trivia===
*This is the first, and only, episode in which [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] does not appear at all.
*There is oxygen on Cybertron.
*This episode marks the last appearances of Jetfire, Jetstorm, Ultra Magnus and Captain Fanzone in the series.
*Arcee wasn't actually offline at the end of the flashbacks in "The Thrill of the Hunt"—although she was amnesiac, she could stand, talk and take in her surroundings. This implies that it was the vivisection of her head in the "[[TransWarped]]" flashbacks in an attempt to retrieve the activation codes for Omega Supreme which caused the "damage to her circuitry" that Perceptor called "completely irreversible", and meant she was left, comatose, in a hospital bed for millions of stellar cycles.
*Everything has to be [[Megatron Rising - Part 1|"cold and offline"]] with Ratchet, doesn't it?

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Por esto odio las maquinas'''" ("This is why I hate machines")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 15|15 December]] [[2009]]

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Voila pourquoi je hais tant les machines'''" ("This Is Why I Hate Machines")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fanzone, Cybertron-Sei e Iku'''" (ファンゾーン、サイバトロン星へ行く, "Fanzone Goes to the Planet Cybertron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 11|11 December]] [[2010]]
::*New [[stock footage]] for Megatron in his Earth form as he doles out the warning.

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''É Por isso Que Eu Odeio Máquinas'''" ("This Is Why I Hate Machines")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 10 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

This Is Why I Hate Machines

2017-11-15T15:40:50Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni ThisisWhyIHateMachines Fanzone Crowd.jpg
|caption=
|ep=40
|ep2=37
|prev2=Decepticon Air
|next2=Endgame, Part I
|title="This Is Why I Hate Machines"
|caption=This is what hell looks like to Captain Fanzone.
|airdate=[[May 9]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Rob Hoegee]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Hirata]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''A space bridge accident sends Ratchet and Captain Fanzone to Cybertron, right as the Decepticon controlled Omega Supreme arrives.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA ThisIsWhyIHateMachines Fanzone SpaceBridge.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|That's it! I'm firing my travel agent.]]
[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] is trying to calibrate the newly constructed [[space bridge]] properly to begin the hunt for [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]. Unfortunately, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]'s advanced notation system of adhesive note papers leaves something to be desired. [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] chooses that moment to step off [[Sumdac Tower]]'s elevator, engaged in a spirited discussion with [[Sumdac Systems]] technical support over some malfunctioning police drones. Fanzone has come to take up the matter with [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] himself, but before he can start looking for the scientist, a pair of police drones catch up to him and open fire with lethal force. Now dodging gunfire while the oblivious Ratchet continues to sort through Bulkhead's notes, Fanzone grows progressively more irate until the space bridge suddenly activates, having located Omega Supreme's transwarp signature. Ratchet looks up just in time to see the hapless Fanzone being sucked into the space bridge portal, and, deciding that this probably isn't a good thing, opts to follow.

[[File:ThisIsWhyIHateMachines-Glyphandothers.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Just robot asses as far as the eye can see.]]

Fanzone finds himself unceremoniously dumped in the middle of a large city on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], a situation he's less than thrilled about. A crowd of Autobots freaks out at the presence of the horrifying organic lifeform. Nearly stepped on by the immense [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]] at the urging of a [[Flareup (Animated)|friend]], Fanzone is rescued by the timely arrival of Ratchet. Fanzone wants to return home immediately, but Ratchet insists that while they're on Cybertron, they may as well hit up [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]]. To his dismay, his favorite watering hole has been shut down, along with other "subversive" gathering places, by order of [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]. After watching one of Sentinel Prime's propaganda videos, the pair are soon approached by the Elite Guard, and Sentinel Prime demands to know how they have been able to get to Cybertron with space bridge travel locked down. Ratchet angrily explains that they didn't use the space bridge network, but rather piggybacked on Omega Supreme's transwarp signature. Sentinel, well-informed as always, laughs off Ratchet, thinking that Omega Supreme had been decommissioned centuries ago. He is immediately proven wrong as the looming shape of Omega Supreme's robot form appears in the Cybertronian skies.

Above the city, aboard Omega's inert body, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] muses on this (glorious!) moment for the [[Decepticon]]s: those who were once driven away from Cybertron in exile are now poised over it in one of its greatest weapons. As [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] points out that they have no means actually to ''use'' said weapon, [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] comes to Megatron's defense, saying that with the [[plasma dynamic thruster]] removed, the Decepticons have control over Omega's navigational systems, transformation, and free access to the ship. Starscream points out that they have no control over the weapons systems, but Megatron rebuffs him with the revelation that he still has a spy on Cybertron who can fetch him the access codes to Omega Supreme. On cue, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] contacts the Decepticons, saying that he knows of another means to the get the codes, only needing time to get to it. Starscream comments that this will only work if the Cybertronian defense cannons don't shoot them out of the sky, but Megatron doubts that they would fire on one of the greatest symbols of Autobot military strength.

Meanwhile, Sentinel advocates that they fire the Cybertronian defense cannons on one of the greatest symbols of Autobot military strength. This understandably does not go over well with several prominent members of the [[Autobot High Council]], to say nothing of Omega Supreme's former mentor, Ratchet, who warns that destroying Omega with the amount of transwarp energy currently stored within him could cause a blast that would wipe out Cybertron itself. [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] rebuff Sentinel and inform him to wait for the council's decision. Ratchet warns Sentinel that there will be consequences if Omega is harmed, and Sentinel prepares to lock up Ratchet and Fanzone, but they make a break for it when Fanzone fakes a sneeze. The Elite Guard pursue the two, but lose them outside the [[Metroplex (Animated)|Metroplex]]. Sentinel orders Jazz to continue searching, while he and the twins head to [[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]] to prepare the defense cannons, as Sentinel intends to attack regardless of the Council's decision.

Meanwhile, Ratchet and Fanzone take refuge in the forgotten network of maintenance tunnels beneath the city, which have been sealed for quite some time, but soon realize that someone ''else'' has been hiding in the tunnels quite recently. The occupant of that hideout is revealed to be none other than the double-agent [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], who nearly gets the jump on the duo, still armed with the stolen [[Magnus Hammer]]. Ratchet fights back, surmising that Shockwave wishes to hack his processor to get the access codes to Omega Supreme, but Shockwave scoffs at this, revealing that he plans to go right to the original source: [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]! Horrified, Ratchet loses his concentration, allowing Shockwave to hurl him aside and escape.

At Fortress Maximus, Sentinel's diverting of all but essential [[Energon]] has not gone unnoticed, and Perceptor contacts him for an explanation. Sentinel says that the Elite Guard is simply preparing to attack if the Council gives the okay, and Alpha Trion informs him that they will have a decision shortly. As the council continues to deliberate a course of action, Sentinel Prime orders [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] to arm the weapons of the Elite Guard's base and aim at Omega Supreme. Lugnut advocates that they leave Omega's body and retaliate, something Starscream agrees to for different reasons, but Megatron silences them, claiming he has a reason for exposing their position. Shockwave then contacts Megatron to inform him that he has acquired clearance codes to enter the facility holding Arcee.

[[File:TFA-ThisIsWhyIHateMachines-UltraMagnusSparkSupport.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|"Is it water on the knee?" "A whole bucket, see?" "A Charley Horse, it's true!" "I'm the doctor for YOU!"]]
Fanzone puts his cop instincts to work and quickly tracks down the local stoolie, [[Rattletrap]], the bot who gave Shockwave the clearance codes. With a little organic coercion, the pair are able to force an access card from Rattletrap, but when they attempt to use it, they discover that the codes are bogus. Just as they make this discovery, [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] steps from the shadows to offer them his aid. He has finally had it with Sentinel Prime's attitude, and he gives Fanzone and Ratchet a functioning access card. The duo quickly locate Arcee, only to find that they have inadvertently led Shockwave right to her. A running firefight ensues as Ratchet tries to get Arcee to safety while Shockwave pursues them, and the battle carries them to the medical bay in which [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] is convalescing. Thinking that Ratchet is out of commission after a blow from the Magnus Hammer, Shockwave decides to finish the job on Ultra Magnus and turns his back on his fallen foe. Ratchet is still very much alive and kicking, however, and he downs Shockwave with a blast from his [[electromagnetic pulse]] generator, allowing him to reclaim the Magnus Hammer from the Decepticon's clutches. Of course, Sentinel Prime chooses that moment to enter the room, and he promptly leaps to the conclusion that Ratchet is trying to do away with Ultra Magnus. This distraction offers Shockwave the time he needs to escape with Arcee, which prompts Sentinel to issue the command to fire on Omega Supreme. Fortress Maximus opens fire, but Omega transwarps out of the path of the blast, which shoots off harmlessly through the sky.

A short while later, the council and Elite Guard see Ratchet and Fanzone to the [[space bridge nexus]] so that they can return to [[Earth]]. Alpha Trion chastises Sentinel for his actions, making it clear that if it was up to him alone, Sentinel wouldn't be Magnus for a second longer. Trion extends his thanks to Ratchet and Fanzone, but Ratchet sees little reason to celebrate, as the Decepticons now have Arcee. Perceptor tries to assure Ratchet that the damage done to Arcee's processor is irreversible, but Ratchet is not cheered up at the prospect. Just before they enter the space bridge, Sentinel orders Ratchet to hand over the Magnus Hammer, but Ratchet refuses, telling him they will give it back to its rightful owner, Ultra Magnus, when he is repaired. Before Sentinel can object, Ratchet and Fanzone dart off through the space bridge. Sentinel is about to pursue them, but Jazz blocks his path and offers to go in his stead. Ratchet and Fanzone are not happy to see Jazz when he appears in front of them, but Jazz explains that he is unable to condone Sentinel's actions any more and is deserting to join the Autobots on Earth.

[[File:TFAni ThisisWhyIHateMachines Arcee Earth.jpg‎|thumb|upright=1.1|Insert ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' instrumental here.]]
Out in space, Omega Supreme rematerializes close to Earth's [[moon (moon)|moon]]. Aboard the dormant Autobot, Shockwave bows before Megatron and abandons his [[electronic paint job]] so that he can finally serve his leader under his true colors. Megatron bids his "most loyal servant" to rise, sending Lugnut into fits of silent, quivering rage—much to Starscream's amusement. On the other side of the bridge, the ''conscious'' Arcee lies upon a table and looks out at the Earth below, quietly whispering Ratchet's name...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Freeway (Animated)|Freeway]] (4)
*[[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]] (5)
*[[Huffer (Animated)|Huffer]] (6)
*[[Sedan (Animated)|Sedan]] (7)
*[[Glyph (Animated)|Glyph]] (8)
*[[Bumper (Animated)|Bumper]] (9)
*[[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]] (10)
*[[Powerglide (Animated)|Powerglide]] (11)
*[[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]] (12)
*[[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]] (13)
*[[Steeljaw (Animated)|Steeljaw]] (14)
*[[Zaur]] (15)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (16)
*[[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]] (21)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (22)
*[[Tracks (Animated)|Tracks]] (23)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (24)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (25)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (26)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (27)
*[[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] (28)
*[[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] (29)
*[[Rattletrap]] (30)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (31)

|c2=
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] (17)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (18)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (19)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (20)
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (32, flashback)

|c3=
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (2)

|c4=
*[[Copterdrone]]s (3)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Security Bot''': ''Halt. You are in violation of Criminal Code 30114. Lethal force has been authorized.'' 
''[Security bots open fire]'' 
'''Fanzone''': Hey! Ow! Hey! 
'''Ratchet''': Think you have it bad? I got to decipher ''Bulkhead''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> handwriting! And those claws of his aren't exactly designed for penbotship.
:—As the Security Bots try to kill Captain Fanzone, Ratchet shows the depth to which he does not care.

"I'd be a happy man if I never see another—"''[Fanzone takes in his surroundings]''"...''robot''?"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' enters his own personal hell, and its name is Cybertron.

"I can't believe we're on Cybertron! Of all the places we transwarped, this is great!"
:—'''Ratchet''', happy for the first time since...well, since we've seen him.

"Citizens of Cybertron, Decepticons are in our midst! Neighbours, friends, even ''your own model'' can be a spy! Do your duty and report any suspicious activity to the Elite Guard immediately." 
"...what is this scrap?!" 
"For your protection, all potentially subversive gathering places remain closed. Curfew remains in effect. Remember, Decepticons will stop at nothing to destroy our way of life! Don't let THIS ''[picture of Ultra Magnus on [[spark support]]]'' happen to you. As your Magnus, I will continue to defeat the Decepticon scourge and bring peace and security to Cybertron! I'm Sentinel Prime, and I approve of this message." 
"No-good glory-hog's got a lot of steel. It was [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] who caught those 'Cons!"
:—'''Sentinel Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s propaganda film, with commentary by '''Ratchet'''

"Cybertron. At last, our ultimate goal is at our feet. And here we stand, aboard its ultimate weapon." 
"Now, wouldn't it be nice if we could actually figure out how to use it!" 
:—'''Megatron''' has a moment, which '''Starscream''' ruins.

'''Megatron''': No Autobot would be foolish enough to fire upon their greatest weapon. 
'''Sentinel Prime''': I say we fire on Omega Supreme! 
:—Even '''Megatron''' can't predict what goes on in '''Sentinel Prime's''' head.

'''Perceptor''': Sentinel Prime, please explain why all but essential Energon has been diverted to Fortress Maximus. 
'''Alpha Trion''': Need we remind you that the Council is still deliberating? 
'''Sentinel Prime''': As acting Magnus, I must be ready to strike should Omega... should Megatron make a move against us. 
'''Alpha Trion''': Very well. We will inform you of our decision shortly.
:—Sentinel Prime reveals his secret dream of blowing up Omega Supreme and covers it up neatly.

"How'd you know about this bot?" ''[indicating Rattletrap]'' 
"Ehh. There's one in every town." 
:—'''Ratchet''' learns a little more about how '''Captain Fanzone''' works.

"This is why I hate machines." ''[looks at Sentinel Prime]'' "Certain machines more than others."
:—We all wish '''Captain Fanzone''' was tall enough to bust particular jerks.

'''Captain Fanzone''': I get mixed up in a war, nearly stepped on, blasted, buried, and possibly zapped into space, and now, you've just made me an accomplice to INTERGALACTIC GRAND THEFT!! 
'''Police Drone:''' Halt. You are under arrest. 
''(Ratchet blows it up with his magnetic powers)'' 
'''Captain Fanzone''': Let's say we call it even.
:—Captain Fanzone complains about the worst day of his life and then blows it off.

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
[[File:Bulkhead's postit notes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"No TV and no beer make Homer something something"?]]
* All of Bulkhead's post-its say exactly the same thing.
* A few of the laser blasts that the drone fires at Captain Fanzone (before he gets sucked up by the Space Bridge) are out of sync with the animation of the strafing drone.
* Shockwave's head model changes randomly throughout the episode in shape, size and in the positioning of his optic.
* When Shockwave holds up the Magnus Hammer and starts generating lightning, its handle is only half as long as usual.
* When Sentinel Prime first sees Omega Supreme, his shoulder pads end up behind the circle around his neck.

===Continuity notes===
* Parade footage from "[[Decepticon Air]]" is used in Sentinel's little propaganda video. (See said episode for the list of cameos within.)
* Ratchet remarks that [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] was the one to capture the Decepticon prisoners, as seen in "[[Five Servos of Doom]]".
* Ratchet's flashback uses footage from "[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]", giving Lockdown a brief "appearance" in this episode.

===Transformers references===
* Captain Fanzone's arrival on Cybertron treats us to another crowd scene full of cameos, some of which we haven't seen before. Notable newbies in this crowd include [[Glyph (Animated)|Glyph]], [[Bumper (Animated)|Bumper]] and his white recolor [[Sedan (Animated)|Sedan]], [[Steeljaw (Animated)|Steeljaw]], [[Zaur]] and robot-mode [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]]. We also get a closer look at [[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]], but only from behind, as he talks to [[Lightbright]].
* Ratchet's favorite hangout is [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]].
* The Autobot Council's headquarters is known as "the [[Metroplex (Animated)|Metroplex]]", and the Elite Guard's battle station is "[[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]]".
* At the end of the episode, Shockwave utilizes an [[electronic paint job]] to reveal his "true colors", represented by a [[Target]] [[exclusive]] [[redeco]] reminiscent of his [[Shockwave (G1)|Generation 1 namesake]]'s color scheme.
* Rattletrap's design and speech patterns are modelled after [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]].

===Real-world references===
*Sentinel Prime's broadcast was based on [[wikipedia:The Red Scare|The Red Scare]] during the Cold War. The broadcast concludes with him saying "I'm Sentinel Prime, and I approve of this message."—in the style of contemporary [[President of the United States|political campaign ads]].
*Sentinel's insistence that he is the one who "makes the tough decisions" and insistence that any questioning of his orders is tantamount to treason is probably some kind of statement about [[Mission Accomplished|some''one'' or some''thing'']], but we'll leave it at that.
*Shockwave's slow, deadpan delivery of "I'm afraid I can't let you do that" is a reference to the menacing supercomputer HAL from Stanley Kubrick's ''[[wikipedia:2001 (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', who also featured an unblinking single red eye.
* When Ratchet and Fanzone are headed to Maccadam's, they stop in front of a building which appears to have [[Target]]'s trademark "bull's-eye" logo.
* Ratchet retorts to Shockwave about taking the activation codes from his "cold, offline processor", similar to one of Charlton Heston's most famous quotes in support of the NRA. He'd previously used a similar line in [[Megatron Rising - Part 1]].

===Trivia===
*This is the first, and only, episode in which [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] does not appear at all.
*There is oxygen on Cybertron.
*This episode marks the last appearances of Jetfire, Jetstorm, Ultra Magnus and Captain Fanzone in the series.
*Arcee wasn't actually offline at the end of the flashbacks in "The Thrill of the Hunt"—although she was amnesiac, she could stand, talk and take in her surroundings. This implies that it was the vivisection of her head in the "[[TransWarped]]" flashbacks in an attempt to retrieve the activation codes for Omega Supreme which caused the "damage to her circuitry" that Perceptor called "completely irreversible", and meant she was left, comatose, in a hospital bed for millions of stellar cycles.
*Everything has to be [[Megatron Rising - Part 1|"cold and offline"]] with Ratchet, doesn't it?

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Por esto odio las maquinas'''" ("This is why I hate machines")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 8|8 December]] [[2009]]

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Voila pourquoi je hais tant les machines'''" ("This Is Why I Hate Machines")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fanzone, Cybertron-Sei e Iku'''" (ファンゾーン、サイバトロン星へ行く, "Fanzone Goes to the Planet Cybertron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 11|11 December]] [[2010]]
::*New [[stock footage]] for Megatron in his Earth form as he doles out the warning.

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''É Por isso Que Eu Odeio Máquinas'''" ("This Is Why I Hate Machines")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 10 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Decepticon Air

2017-11-15T15:37:09Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni Decepticon Air Decepticons Freed.jpg
|caption=So which one of them is [[John Malkovich]]?
|ep=39
|ep2=36
|prev2=Human Error, Part II
|next2=This Is Why I Hate Machines
|title="Decepticon Air"
|airdate=[[May 2]], 2009
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Shigeharu Takahashi]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Decepticons aboard the Elite Guard ship decide to take down the Autobots that turned them in.'''

==Synopsis==
On [[Earth]], [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] have completed a [[space bridge]] terminal in record time, for which [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] congratulates them. However, the [[transwarp]] field sequencers still have to be recalibrated, and Sumdac and Bulkhead argue over whose fault that is. [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] insists she could have helped get it right, but both builders politely rebuff her as insufficiently knowledgeable. As they continue arguing about getting the resequencing done, she takes matters into her own hands—almost literally. Using her new abilities, she fixes the terminal's calibrations and gets it to activate, to the surprise of the others.

[[File:TFAni Decepticon Air Sentinel Typing.jpg|thumb||left|"[[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]] has poked me on Facebook ''how many'' times?"]]
Meanwhile, out in space, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] fruitlessly attempts to interrogate his [[Decepticon]] prisoners for info on the military cells that have been attacking space bridge outposts. He returns to the bridge after [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] tells him there's an incoming message from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]], [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] indicate that the [[Autobot High Council]] has decided to make public the news of the assault on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]]. Sentinel tries to pull rank on them, since he's now technically the ''pro tempore'' [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]], and advises them to keep it quiet, but Alpha Trion makes it clear that they don't quite recognize his authority. Frustrated, Sentinel tries to pull rank on Jazz instead, commanding him to take the ship at full thrust through an energy cloud, despite any risks, as that heading will be the shortest route to Cybertron. Jazz complies despite objections, and of course, his worries prove justified: The energy strikes and flows through the ship, re-energizing [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] and bringing him out of time-stasis. Swindle soon frees and re-arms the other Decepticons, even if they don't have payment up front for it, as they work for [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], his best customer. With the alarms muted by Swindle's [[Sonic Jammer 3000]], the Decepticons strike at the ship's bridge just after the ship emerges from the energy cloud. Swindle quickly takes out [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] with a demo of the SJ3K's other function, a [[stasis suspension ray]]. Sentinel and Jazz put up a fight, but to little avail, and finally, Sentinel sends a brief, encrypted call for help to his old buddy, Optimus Prime (as he's too embarrassed to call Cybertron). Shortly afterward, [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] strikes him down, but Swindle convinces the massive Decepticon to spare their prisoners' lives: Not only could selling off their [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] parts earn a fortune, but they could be a bargaining chip in finding Megatron.

On Earth, Optimus receives Sentinel's message, which decrypts to "[[Broken Lance]]", a coded call for help that Sentinel used with him back in their [[Autobot Academy|academy]] days. Bulkhead notes the space bridge terminal detects an unusual transwarp field aboard the Elite Guard's ship. With Sari's help, the terminal locks onto the field, providing stable coordinates for an arrival point. [[File:TFAni Decepticon Air Swindle Optimus Hand.jpg|thumb||HUNGER GETS WHAT HUNGER WANTS.]] The space bridge is activated, and Optimus steps through... only to emerge from Swindle's chest, having arrived via the private storage dimension he uses for holding all his stock.

Rather than attack against overwhelming odds and attempt to free Sentinel and the others, Optimus takes off down the ship's corridors to better his situation. Most of the Decepticons give pursuit, with Lugnut ordering Swindle to watch the prisoners in the meantime. Taking an elevator to the ship's energon storage chamber, Optimus perforates a group of energon cubes with his axe, destabilizing them just enough. He then puts them in the elevator car and slices its cables, so it explodes near the bottom just as the Decepticons pry open the doors. Slightly charred from the backblast, Optimus enters one of the service ducts and works his way back to the brig area, grumbling as he does.

Meanwhile, Swindle's greed is still holding sway, and the arms dealer leaves his prisoners unguarded so he can raid the ship's stores. Prime arrives almost immediately afterward and frees his fellow Autobots, earning no gratitude from the power-tripping Sentinel. The Decepticons then return, so Optimus tells Jazz to rewire the decontamination unit on the bridge into a freezing chamber to trap them, his Autobot emblem blinking all the while. Optimus severs a steam duct, giving Jazz cover to escape, but then Lugnut punches a hole in the hull, sending everyone else in the brig out into space.

The Jet Twins prove far more capable in space combat than anticipated, giving the Decepticons a fair amount of trouble. Noting their predicament through a porthole in the storage depot, Swindle metaphorically shrugs and goes back to looting. Meanwhile, despite Sentinel's continued objections and struggling, Optimus uses him as a living spiked slingshot against Lugnut. Sentinel insists he be obeyed as leader, but this only prompts [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] to freeze him and hold him hostage. Sentinel demands they don't surrender, but Optimus convinces the Jet Twins to follow his lead instead, and they capitulate.

[[File:TFAni Decepticon Air Optimus Jazz HighFive.jpg|thumb|left|Slip me some metal, O.P.!]]
On the bridge, Blitzwing, [[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]], and [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] put Sentinel, Optimus and the Jet Twins in the decontamination unit with Jazz. Blitzwing sneers that Optimus shouldn't have blabbed his plan where all could hear it, as now the Autobots will suffer freezing instead. However, when he activates the chamber, the freezing tubes reverse direction, icing all the Decepticons on the bridge and leaving the Autobots safe. Optimus explains to a surprised Sentinel that back in the brig, he'd used his blinking emblem to send a different message to Jazz in Cybertronian [[cybertronian optical code|optical code]]. They all pause as they hear a roar of engines, courtesy of a loot-filled Swindle taking off in one of the ship's shuttles. As the Decepticons are imprisoned again, Sentinel offers Optimus the Elite Guard spot that will be opening when Sentinel becomes Magnus, but Prime demurs, as he's still got plenty to do on Earth.

At [[Sumdac Tower]], Bulkhead frets as Swindle's transwarp signal moves too far away to warp Optimus back. Sari offers to help fix it, but her father points out it won't be necessary, as the Elite Guard ship has come to them. Optimus steps off the ship, and he and Sentinel trade salutes before it departs.

On Cybertron, Sentinel has a victory parade, displaying his prisoners to a cheering crowd. He vows to hunt down and offline [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] and any other Decepticon if the citizens of the planet accept him as the new Magnus. Perceptor and Alpha Trion exchange dubious glances, but say nothing.

[[File:TFAni Decepticon Air Lugnut Megatron.jpg|thumb|Ugh...I'll get the squeegee...]]
Out in space, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] warps into place near a drifting Lugnut, who abruptly finds himself plastered on the front window—right in front of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (8)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (9)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (12)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (13)
*[[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] (14)
*[[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] (15)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (16)
*[[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]] (17)
*[[Dug Base]] (18)
*[[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]] (19)
*[[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]] (20)
*[[Searchlight (Animated)|Searchlight]] (21)
*[[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]] (22)
*[[Furão]] (23)
*[[Freeway (Animated)|Freeway]] (24)
*[[Beachcomber (Animated)|Beachcomber]] (25)
*[[Red Alert (Animated)|Red Alert]] (26)
*[[Huffer (Animated)|Huffer]] (27)
*[[Powerglide (Animated)|Powerglide]] (28)
*[[Seaspray (Animated)|Seaspray]] (29)
*[[Rattletrap]] (30)
*[[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]] (31)
*[[Rosanna (Animated)|Rosanna]] (32)
*[[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]] (33)
*[[Mainframe (Animated)|Mainframe]] (34)
*[[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] (35)
*[[Cosmos (Animated)|Cosmos]] (36)
*[[Tracks (Animated)|Tracks]] (37)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (38)
|c2=
*[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] (5)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (6)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (7)
*[[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (10)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (39)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (40)
|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (3)
|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (4)
|}}

==Quotes==
'''Sentinel Prime''': All due respect, Alpha Trion, the Council should concern itself with more important matters, like beefing up security for the Decepticon prisoners that...ahem...''I'' captured. 
'''Cliffjumper''': I thought that was [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]].
:—Actually, they're [[Lockdown (Animated)|both wrong]].

"Those bureaucratobots couldn't find their own [[Anatomic euphemism#Diode|diode]]s with a bitmap and a homing beacon."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' talks behind the council's back.

"You Autobots will pay! Pay with your sparks!" 
"I also take all major credit downloads."
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Swindle''' are on two different pages.

"The Sonic Jammer 3000! Don't leave Cybertron without it! But wait—there's more! It also has a stasis suspension ray, handy for those tight spots. Picked this baby up on [[Quintessa]]. Nice folks, the [[Quintesson]]s; give you a good deal and all the [[oil]] you can drink."
:—'''Swindle''', ready as ever with a sales pitch.

"Guard the prisoners, or... loot the ship? It's a no-processor...er."

"Maybe I should help them.... or maybe I should just help myself!"

"Nothing beats a shopping spree... especially when it's all ''free!''"
:—The Tao of '''Swindle'''.

"Maybe that energon was a little ''too'' unstable!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' realizes he may not have thought his plan through very well.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When Sentinel calls for Jetfire and Jetstorm, the prisoners do not have their facemasks.
* Character heights vary wildly throughout the episode, mostly with the non-Swindle Decepticons being various levels of undersized. The kneeling Decepticons still tower over Swindle as he first talks to them (which seems correct, as Swindle is small), but do not appear to gain any height on him once they're upright. The final scene in particular, Blitzwing and the two clones are downright tiny, looking to be about as big as the average Autobot.
* When Swindle is handing out weapons to the Decepticons, he gives Ramjet his guns, but when he goes to hand Sunstorm's weapons to him, he's still holding Ramjet's guns.
* While convincing Lugnut to let the elite guard live, Swindle's bolo tie suddenly disappears.
* When Swindle crosses over to Blitzwing, talking Lugnut into letting Sentinel, Jazz, and the Jet-twins live, the Triple-Changer's wings ''and'' cannons are gone.
* When Sunstorm and Ramjet trap the Autobots in the chamber, Sunstorm's chin seems like it's been cut down, and looks similar to the G1 Seekers' chin size.
* In the crowd scenes towards the end of this episode, characters change positions relative to each other every time the camera angle switches. Beachcomber, in particular, appears in literally four different places at once.
* When Lugnut crashes against Omega Supreme at the end of the episode, his Decepticon insignia is missing.
* How exactly did Jetfire/Jetstorm create a whirlwind in space?

===Continuity errors===
* Up until the part where [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] orders [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] to guard the prisoners, all of the captive Autobots were confined within the prison cells. Later, when Swindle contemplates whether to stay to guard the prisoners or loot the ship, all of the captured Autobots are now ''outside'' of their cells. Jetfire and Jetstorm have also been removed from the spherical forcefield and placed in stasis cuffs, despite still being inside the forcefield while in the cell. Unless this was an oversight by the animators, why would Swindle let them out in the first place?
* Optimus transforms into his full firetruck [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] to escape the Decepticons when he first arrives, yet is able to detach his trailer several seconds before he actually transforms into [[robot mode]]. The trailer slides down an adjacent hall as he reaches the elevator.
* A possible error occurs during Sentinel's interrogation of the prisoners. When Lugnut declares "Megatron is everywhere!", Sentinel offhandedly comments "You don't know how true that is." While it is conceivable that the Earth-bound Autobots informed Sentinel of Megatron's fate, in the next episode he expresses shock at the fact that [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] is still online, which would suggest that he was either never told or they, for some reason, left that part out.
* What were the chances of Lugnut just randomly bumping into Omega Supreme like that? Space is ''huge''.

===Transformers references===
[[File:TFAni Decepticon Air BoxScream ConeScream.jpg|thumb|"Your conehead makes my ears look silly in comparison!" "No it doesn't!"]]
[[File:DecepticonAirCrowdFullPan01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
* Swindle claims to have had business dealings on [[Quintessa]], suggests they could make enough from Elite Guard parts to "retire to a beach island on [[Nebulos]]", and swears by "the fifth moon of [[Pz-Zazz]]".
* His reference to a "personal storage dimension" from which accessories can be pulled at a moments' notice hearkens back to the concept of [[subspace]].
* To help tell the Starscream clones apart, Swindle gives Ramjet a [[conehead]] accessory and Sunstorm a boxy helmet resembling those of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]]. The new cone-head is topped with a drill.
* Sentinel's adoring public consists of a seriously crazy amount of cameos, a great many of which have not been seen before this episode. While many of them could be identified right away, it would take a further few episodes, and some more crowd scenes in "[[This Is Why I Hate Machines]]" and "[[Endgame, Part II]]", before some of the more obscure characters could all be named and shamed. The crowd includes [[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]], [[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]], [[Searchlight (Animated)|Searchlight]], [[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]], [[Furão]], [[Freeway (Animated)|Freeway]], [[Beachcomber (Animated)|Beachcomber]], [[Red Alert (Animated)|Red Alert]], [[Huffer (Animated)|Huffer]], [[Powerglide (Animated)|Powerglide]], [[Seaspray (Animated)|Seaspray]], [[Rattletrap]], [[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]], [[Rosanna (Animated)|Rosanna]], [[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]] (based on [[Autorooper]]), [[Mainframe (Animated)|Mainframe]], [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]], [[Cosmos (Animated)|Cosmos]] and [[Tracks (Animated)|Tracks]]. The widescreen-to-fullscreen crop also manages to cut off [[Lickety-Split|an unnamed orange female robot]] (her forearm can be seen for a split-second poking into shot over Rosanna's head) who would reappear in "Endgame, Part II", and a mysterious skinny red-and-orange robot (behind Hot Shot). Recolored [[generic]] robots in the crowd include ''two'' Tracks-colored Mainframes, a [[Sky Garry (Animated)|Sky Garry]]-colored Warpath, and a [[Brawn (Animated)|Brawn]]-colored Cosmos, sans nacelles.
**The widescreen-to-fullscreen conversion also excised larger appearances by [[Rattletrap]] and [[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]], got rid of most of [[Wheeljack (Animated)|Wheeljack]], and entirely removed [[Bumper (Animated)|Bumper]], [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]], and the then-unnamed [[Lightbright (Animated)|Lightbright]].
* Sentinel and the Autobot Council are carried upon [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]]. Behind them, the Decepticon prisoners are carried by a [[Dug Base|Grandus lookalike]] with yellow detailing; Derrick Wyatt stated that this was supposed to represent [[Grandus (ROC)|''Return of Convoy'' Grandus]]'s ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]]'' [[redeco]], Dag Base.
* The "[[Lance]]" in "[[Broken Lance]]" refers to Sentinel's weapon of choice.

===Real-world references===
* The title is a play on ''[[wikipedia:Con Air|Con Air]]'', a Nicolas Cage movie where prisoners being transported by plane get free and do bad things.
* Sentinel's phrase "[[Broken Lance]]" is similar to the [[United States of America|U.S.]] military term "[[wikipedia:United States military nuclear incident terminology#Broken Arrow|Broken Arrow]]", which is used to describe a cock-up involving nuclear weapons. In this context, it is more likely to be a reference to the 1996 action film [[wikipedia:Broken Arrow (1996 film)|of the same name]], in which John Travolta hijacks a stealth bomber (in order to sell the nuclear missiles on board).
* Speaking of action movies, Optimus taking on all the Decepticons by himself using hit & run tactics and then crawling through an air shaft while sarcastically complaining about how much fun he's having, is very similar to a famous sequence from ''[[wikipedia:Die Hard|Die Hard]]''. The exploding elevator trick also appears in the film.
* When Optimus drops out of the air shaft suspended by a wire harness, it's similar to a famous sequence from the Tom Cruise version of ''[[wikipedia:Mission Impossible (film)|Mission Impossible]]''.
* Optimus claiming to have a small chamber that can trap his foes, only for them to doublecross him and force him inside it, only for him to ''triplecross'' them when the chamber is the only place safe from the real trap, is similar to a famous sequence from ''[[wikipedia:Superman II|Superman II]]''.
* Sari's fingers extending and separating when she types are a reference to ''[[wikipedia:Ghost in the Shell|Ghost in the Shell]]''.
* When Sentinel uses his remote to unlock and re-lock Lugnut's mouth clamps, it makes the same noise as a car alarm remote.
* When Swindle first hears Megatron's name, his facial expression changes with the sound of a cash register.
* Swindle's personal storage dimension features old Hanna-Barbera stock sound effects, typically used to denote magic spells.
* Swindle's "Don't leave Cybertron without it!" is a variation of the American Express credit card slogan "Don't leave home without it." He immediately follows that up with "But wait, there's more!", one of TV huckster [[wikipedia:Ron Popeil|Ron Popeil]]'s most famous catchphrases.
* When Swindle uses the stasis suspension ray, the sound effect is identical to that of the Zat Guns used in ''Stargate SG-1''.

===Trivia===
* Sentinel Prime went through the space disturbance to gain some time, but in the end, agreed to go all the way back to Earth to drop off Optimus Prime. So the whole thing ended up being a rather pointless act. Lesson learned, Sentinel?
* Sentinel seems to have decided to keep his Earth alt mode [[Autoboot Camp|this time]].
* At the end of "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]", Captain Fanzone claimed that Swindle would be stripped down for parts. But other than his weapons (which would have been confiscated by the Elite Guard if the Detroit Police hadn't already taken them), nothing obvious seems to be missing from his person. Maybe Fanzone was just trying to freak him out?
* When he's giving the helmets to Sunstorm and Ramjet, Swindle mentions in a very casual manner that he "never could get the hang of cloning." Thinking back, no one was really shocked to see the army of clones that Starscream created. So maybe, cloning is something fairly common among Decepticons, or at least was at some point.
** Later, [[Dirge (Animated)|he does get]] [[Thrust (Animated)|the hang of cloning]].
* Ramjet and Sunstorm are pretty quiet throughout this episode, probably because their strange speech patterns make it nigh-impossible for them to have a normal conversation.
* This episode marks the last appearance of Blitzwing, Sunstorm, Ramjet, and Swindle.

===Foreign localization===
'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Aire Decepticon'''" ("Decepticon Air")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 8|8 December]] [[2009]]

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Prise en Otage'''" ("Taking Hostage")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Decepticons Aéreos'''" ("Decepticon Air")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Uchūsen wo Tsuisekiseyo'''" (宇宙船を追跡せよ, "Chase the Spaceship")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 4|4 December]] [[2010]]
::*Blitzwing's turn at new [[stock footage]] and the viewing warning, starting with from tank to jet to robot mode. Hothead, Random, and Icy each take a turn in robot mode while delivering the line, respectively. Blitzwing also does the intro.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 10 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Human Error, Part I

2017-11-15T15:35:43Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Human Error Part 1 Automen.jpg
|caption=''Humans Animated'' is a very popular show on Cybertron.
|ep=37
|ep2=34
|prev2=Predacons Rising (Animated)
|next2=Human Error, Part II
|title="Human Error, Part I"
|airdate=[[April 18]], 2009
|written by=[[Henry Gilroy]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Naoto Hashimoto]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''With the Christmas season upon them, the Autobots are not quite themselves following a run-in with Porter C. Powell's new mass-produced Soundwave action figures.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Powell Soundwave.jpg|thumb|left|He's actually worse than [[wikipedia:Vince Offer|Vince Offer]].]]
It's [[Christmas]] in Detroit, but [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] is not in a festive mood. The hottest toy of the year is [[Sound Wave]], being marketed by [[Porter C. Powell]], who acquired the schematics and patent when he ran [[Sumdac Systems]]. Observing a commercial for the new toy, Optimus notices one of the small robots running across the plaza near the trains. Trying to follow it, he is nearly run over by a train and finally decides that he may be obsessing.

At the [[Autobot Earth Base|plant]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] are interested in what they got for Christmas, but [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] tells them that [[Santa Claus]] will know if they try to peek. As the two help Sari decorate, a Sound Wave toy breaks out of the present and does something to the [[oilnog]] that Sari made for the Autobots. The toy is barely able to hide as Optimus, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] weigh in on Santa's ability to deliver presents to all the children. Sari tells them to just accept the holiday magic and be thankful for what they have, like family, leading to a toast of the spiked [[oil]]. Soon, the Autobots all begin to feel tired and decide to call it a night, as Sari heads back to [[Sumdac Tower]].

[[File:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Optimus Human.jpg|thumb|Who would want to be a human in ''Transformers''? The [[Fandom|fans]] all hate them.]]
The next morning, Optimus wakes up, still woozy, and discovers something frightening: his hands are made of flesh! Falling off his bed in shock, Prime's eyes fall upon a mirror, and he discovers the horrifying truth—He's become a human! Optimus hears Bumblebee and Bulkhead cry out, and discovers that all the other Autobots are human as well. Optimus is convinced that there must be a reason, but a few scans by Ratchet are unable to determine the cause of the change. Looking for Prowl, the Autobots head outside, where they find the ninja is mostly at home with the situation, except he feels that something is wrong. Since they're unable to contact Sari, the Autobots decide to [[roll out|<s>roll ou</s>]]—er, walk to Sumdac Tower.

[[File:TFA Human Error Sumdac dance.jpg|thumb|left|Truly fun for all ages.]]
The Sumdacs, meanwhile, are exchanging Christmas presents, although Sari is less than impressed with the Soundwave toy she receives, having less-than-fond memories of her previous experience with the musical menace. The next present, a scooter, likewise fails to excite, until her father reveals that it also transforms into a jetpack! Thrilled at the gift, Sari takes off to show the Autobots, leaving her dad dancing and singing along with Sound Wave.

On their way to Sumdac Tower, the Autobots stop at [[Burger Bot]] when Bulkhead experiences the odd sensation of "hunger". Before long, he is also experiencing the thrills and spills of "the bathroom", while Prowl makes the most of his new human form, having a salad and playing peek-a-boo with a greatly amused [[Nancy Witwicky|baby]]. The light-heartedness is brought to an end by a sudden explosion outside, and the Autobots race onto the street to see an armada of airborne [[Decepticon]]s, with [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] in the lead, opening fire on the city! As chaos erupts around them, more Decepticons led by [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] come stomping up the street . A blast from Shockwave sets a nearby building on fire, and Prime orders the Autobots into action despite their frail new forms. While Bulkhead and Bumblebee fight the fire, Prime and Ratchet rescue a woman, and Prowl heads upstairs to save her [[Gary|son]]. At the last minute, Prowl dives out a window several stories up with the boy in his arms and lands with ease, prompting Bulkhead to wonder exactly how he accomplished such a seemingly impossible feat. Before any thought can go into the matter, Starscream transforms to [[robot mode]] and lands in front of them!

Carried by her new jetpack to the Autobot plant, Sari is surprised to discover it locked up tight, and even more surprised when the Autobots don't respond to her knocking. She flies into the plant through a skylight, but the whole building seems deserted, so she uses the computer to scan for the Autobots' energy signatures, which turn out to be coming from...inside the plant?

[[File:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Starscream Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!]]
As Starscream tears up the street and sends humans scattering in fear, Bulkhead and Bumblebee rather foolishly attempt to attack him, and the results are rather predictable. When Optimus tries slashing the Decepticon with an axe, Starscream backhands him into a wall, breaking his leg. Hearing the Autobots refer to each other by name, Starscream realizes who his opponents are, but is so busy smirking over their predicament that he loses sight of them and finds that he can't tell one human from another! Dismissing them, he departs for more destruction elsewhere, leaving the Autobots to have their injuries tended to by paramedics. Requiring some of Professor Sumdac's technology to fight the Decepticons, the Autobots board a bus to get to the tower quickly.

Back at the Autobots' plant, Sari is still searching for her friends, when suddenly, a [[Laserbeak (Animated)|large, robotic bird]] flies out of a shaft in the floor, followed by a small army of Sound Wave action figures! Sari blasts the evil toys and heads down the shaft to investigate.

[[File:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Bumblebee vs Blitzwing.jpg|thumb|left|''You spin me right 'round, baby right 'round''.]]
At the foot of Sumdac Tower, the Autobots have just stepped off the bus when suddenly, a huge shadow falls over Detroit. Looking up, the stunned Autobots see the entire planet of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] itself hanging in the sky. Sumdac tower is obliterated by a huge planetary laser weapon, and a full-scale Decepticon invasion force swarms the sky, led by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] himself! The Decepticons are just as surprised by the Automens' appearance as they are, but Megatron decides to take advantage by destroying them last, so that they may watch their adopted home be destroyed. The sheer impossibility of everything that is happening finally hits Optimus Prime and Prowl, who realize that whatever may be happening to them, none of it is real. Megatron seizes Prowl, but amazingly, the Autobot breaks free of his grip, and with a single swipe of his hand, severs Megatron's arm. Blitzwing attempts to crush Prowl beneath his foot, but Bulkhead runs forward and smashes straight through the [[Triple Changer]]'s leg. As Bumblebee pummels Blitzwing's faces and Prowl knocks out Starscream by phasing into his head, Optimus Prime beats Megatron with his own arm, then hurls his axe into the barrel of the Decepticon leader's cannon, causing it to explode. As the dust cloud fades, Cybertron and all of the Decepticons have vanished, and the Autobots come to the realization that they are trapped in some kind of virtual reality.

[[File:TFA Human Error Part 1 Soundwave Superior.jpg|thumb|Giant virtual "Shattered Glass" ''Animated'' Soundwave?]]
Sari makes the same discovery as the Autobots when she reaches the bottom of the secret shaft and discovers their bodies, plugged into machinery being operated by the full-size [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], who is planning to use the illusion to reprogram the Autobots into Decepticons. Within the virtual world, the Autobots are able to will themselves back into robotic form (although Bulkhead has a little trouble), but before they can take any further actions, a gigantic arm bursts out of the ground beneath them, scooping them up in its hand. Soundwave's giant face looks down upon the Autobots, declaring escape impossible and shocking them all with blasts of purple energy. Soundwave also has his hands full in the real world, as Sari blasts a chunk out of his shoulder with one of her energy-balls,. Soundwave summons Laserbeak, the robotic bird Sari saw earlier, into his arms, where it transforms into a guitar and hits Sari with a powerful sonic shock wave. The wounded Sari retreats, promising to come back for her friends and leaving Soundwave to resume the final phase of his Autobot reprogramming with [[Ratbat (Animated)|another musical instrument]] that bathes the heroic robots in waves of sonic energy. As Soundwave gloats, Optimus Prime's optics activate and begin glowing Decepticon-red...

[[Human Error, Part II|To be continued...]]

==Featured characters==
{{note|Characters in italics appear only as part of Soundwave's virtual reality scenario.}}
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] (5)
*''[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'' (16)
*''[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]'' (17)
*''[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'' (18)
*''[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]'' (19)
*''[[Strika (Animated)|Strika]]'' (20)
*''[[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]]'' (21)
*''[[Spittor (Animated)|Spittor]]'' (22)
*[[Laserbeak (Animated)|Laserbeak]] (27)
*''[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]'' (28)
*[[Ratbat (Animated)|Ratbat]] (29)
|c3=
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (6)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*''[[Hydra (Animated)|Hydra]]'' (10)
*''[[Marty Isenberg]]'' (11)
*''[[Cancer (Animated)|Cancer]]'' (12)
*''[[Lisa Kane]]'' (13)
*''[[Nancy Witwicky]]'' (14)
*''[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]]'' (15)
*''[[Gary's mother]]'' (23)
*''[[Gary]]'' (24)
*''[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]]'' (25)
*''[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike Witwicky]]'' (26)
|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==

"That toy rightfully belongs to me, Powell! You are a thieving crook!" 
"And a Merry Christmas to you too, Professor Sumdac, but I acquired your toy's patents fair and square when I owned your company. Now I'm sharing Sound Wave with the entire world, for only $19.99 each." 
"$19.99? ''How does he do it''?!" 
:—'''Professor Sumdac''' unwittingly provides PR for '''Porter C. Powell's''' products. Say that three times fast.

'''Ratchet''': And I'm telling you, there is no way that this "Santa Claus" could deliver billions of presents in one night. 
'''Prowl''': I can think of at least one way. Ho. Ho. Ho. 
''[Prowl projects holograms of himself]'' 
'''Optimus''': A sound theory, Prowl. I did see multiple Santas in the shopping district tonight.
:—The Autobots weigh in on the debate of how Santa does his job.

"In these human bodies, [[Furmanism|what chance do we have?]]"
:— Don't act like you don't know where '''Ratchet''' is going with this.

"''PRIME!?'' Look at you! You're hideous!" 
"We're all hideous! We're...people!" 
"And you're so small!" 
"Knock it off! I'm bigger than ''you''!" 
:— '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' assessing their human forms.

'''Prowl''': "Here I am. Hahaha. Peekaboo! I'm over here! Hehaha." 
''*[[Nancy Witwicky|baby]] laughs*'' 
'''Ratchet''': "You think she'd be ''laughing'' if you were a giant robot?" 
'''Prowl''': "That's the point. Being human gives me a better sense of what this holiday season means. I'm…thankful, for just being alive in any form." 
:— '''Prowl''', who apparently is the only one who ''isn't'' completely pessimistic about becoming human, reminding the team to have some Christmas spirit.

"Hey! There's no antilock breaks on these servos!" 
"I think the humans call them…''legs''." 
:— '''Bulkhead''' and '''Bumblebee''' discover one of many unfortunate human limitations.

"We need to get to Sumdac Tower. Auto—uh, men. Transfo—er, uh, roll—er, uh, oh, let's...let's just go."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' has a few slips on his "[[roll out]]" command.

"Why would ze Autobots choose to be human?" 
"Not for the fashion sense, I can tell you that. A-ha-ha-ha!"
:—'''Icy Blitzwing''' and '''Random Blitzwing''', the next [[wikipedia:Tim Gunn|Tim Gunn]].

"A-who cares? I will crush zem into human meat pies!"
:-'''Hothead Blitzwing''', the next Valeriano Weyler.

"Not a creature was stirring, not even a—''[Laserbeak flies out of the Autobrand on the floor]'' creepy robot bird?"
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' adds a new twist to a classic Christmas tale.

"Oh, look! I have a hole in my rocket!"
:—Even horrible injury cannot faze '''Random Blitzwing'''.

"Hey, we're baaaaack!" 
"Not all of us!" 
"It might help you if you make the noise with your mouth like this: ''Choo-chuh-chah-chik''!" 
"Sounds silly... But, okay. Choo-chuh-chah-chah-chik! ''Choo-chuh-chah-chah-chik''!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''', making [[Transformation#The noise|the transformation noise]] like so many of us do—DID. As children. Yeah.

"Escape is impossible. Autobots inferior, Soundwave superior."
:—'''Soundwave''' makes sure that line is never forgotten.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When Bulkhead sets down his Christmas present, the box is missing the horizontal ribbon it has in the preceding and following shots.
* When Ratchet scans Optimus, all the equipment is human-sized, instead of the much larger, Transformer-scaled size. Of course, it's not actually ''real'', but still.
[[File:HumanError-DanielSpike.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The popular "Invisible Booster Seat" image from Lolbots.com.]]
* In the bus tram scene, Daniel is shown levitating over his seat.
* Marty Isenberg is drawn with only one leg.
* In the scene showing Isenberg, Hydra and Cancer facing forward, Isenberg's, uh, buttocks is overlapping Cancer's thigh.
* We first see [[Nancy Witwicky|<s>Jennifer</s> Nancy Witwicky]] for a few frames in the background next to a mom who isn't Carly. She's Carly later, though.
* After the explosion is heard outside the Burger Bot, Bulkhead's previously half-eaten burger is now whole.
* Bulkhead punches Starscream with his right hand...then screams and clutches his ''left'' hand...then after a scene cut, he is shown clutching his ''right'' hand...and later he gets a bandage put on his ''left'' hand. Of course, it's...oh, you get the idea.
* Of course, if this was real, we'd point out that the force with which Starscream smashed Optimus into the wall should probably have killed him, or at least caused a lot more damage than a broken leg. Good thing it's not, then.
* When Cybertron approaches Earth, it's entirely ''in front'' of the clouds, which is absurd for anything planet-sized. (Still not real, though.)
* The elevator platform in the Autobots' base shrinks from Autobot-sized at the top (such that Sari is shown to be tiny in comparison to it) to human-sized at the bottom (such that Laserbeak couldn't fit through the door even if it had been open).
* Blitzwing's face changes from Icy to Random when he lifts up his leg, only to be Icy again when he's looking through the hole after the shot changes.
* When Optimus beats Megatron with his own severed arm, the arm is ''freaking colossal'', nearly as big as the rest of Megatron's body. (Megatron's face also goes significantly off-model in the same scene.) It's also hollow, but that's what virtual things look like on the inside.
* When Optimus commands the "Automen" to transform, one of his irises is bigger than the other.
* When being held by the giant Soundwave, Prowl is briefly missing his armor.
* The hole Sari blows in Soundwave's backpack comes and goes. Hey, this bit is real!

===Continuity errors===
*When Optimus is out patrolling, he has his trailer. It disappears when he transforms—in fact, it appears to start transforming along with him just before the shot switches to him in [[robot mode]]—and is absent when he returns to [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] a few minutes later.
* Where did Soundwave get images of the Decepticons? In particular, since there are several conceivable ways to get the Earth Decepts' images, what are [[Team Chaar]] and [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] doing there, as none of them have been to Earth? Even if you somehow presume the Autobots themselves generated the images, only Oil Slick—per ''The Arrival'' comic—and Shockwave's head have been seen by any of Optimus's team.
* Where did Sari's jetpack go while she was on the lift? (For that matter, why did she transform out of her robot mode at all?)
* Lugnut disappears with the other Decepticons, despite the fact none of the Autobots fought him.
* Considering the noise that the Sound Wave toy made when he ran across the room to spike the nog, wouldn't someone hear it?

===Transformers references===
* [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick Wyatt]] stated this episode was a partial homage to a [[Only Human|"classic" Generation 1 episode]].
* Sari's transforming scooter-jetpack was an early idea that didn't make it into the series, but which was featured in a promotional reel for the ''Animated'' series (seen on the convention circuit in mid-2007 and featured on the DVD included with the "Optimus Prime and Megatron: The Battle Begins" action figure set). The version introduced with this episode is somewhat different from the original concept, which was a pedal-powered tricycle that transformed using the power of the [[AllSpark Key]].
* The scooter's jetpack form is, in turn, based on the backpacks worn by the Acroyear/Acroyer, the villains from Takara's [[Microman]] toyline.
[[File:HydraMartyCancer.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|This is a winning sitcom concept right here.]]
* The [[Burger Bot]] patrons include series head writer [[Marty Isenberg]], [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]], her baby daughter [[Nancy Witwicky|Nancy]] (who was close to being born during the Season 2 episode "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]"), and ''Animated'' homages to the ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' characters [[Cancer (Masterforce)|Cancer]] and [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]]. [[Hydra (Animated)|Hydra]], Marty, and [[Cancer (Animated)|Cancer]] are sitting together at one table, indicating a very interesting family.
* Speaking of Masterforce, this episode also features [[Pretender|Transformers turning into people and back]], though in this case, it actually makes some kinda sense.
* Starscream's missiles feature the shark-toothed smiley faces sculpted into his Voyager-class toy's missile accessories.
* Cybertron was brought into Earth orbit twice in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]] series: first in the multipart episode "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1|The Ultimate Doom]]", and then in the series finale, "[[The Rebirth, Part 3]]". It would later happen again [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|in the Movieverse]].
* Soundwave's declaration of "Autobots inferior; Soundwave superior" is a paraphrase of his Generation 1 namesake's famous line of dialogue from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'': "Soundwave superior; Constructicons inferior."
* The colors on the giant Soundwave in the virtual world come from Takara's "Sonic White" Soundwave MP3 player.
* This isn't the first time Prowl [[Transform and Roll Out|slices off Megatron's arm]].

===Real-world references===
* Appropriately enough, the first act of this episode incorporates traditional Christmas songs "[[Wikipedia: Carol of the Bells|Carol of the Bells]]", "[[Wikipedia: Jingle Bells|Jingle Bells]]" and "[[Wikipedia:God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen|God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen]]" into the background music.
* When Sari's searching the Autobot base for her friends, at one point, her jetpack sounds like a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Podracer podracer] from ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] Episode I: The Phantom Menace''.
* Sari quotes from the Christmas poem, "[[Wikipedia: A Visit from St. Nicholas|A Visit from St. Nicholas]]" (more commonly known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"), replacing the word "mouse" with "[[Laserbeak (Animated)|creepy robot bird]]".
* When Laserbeak chases Sari into the elevator, he makes sounds like a seagull.
* Bumblebee says "We're not in Detroit anymore," which is another twist on an oft-paraphrased line from ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* The scene of Cybertron blowing up [[Sumdac Tower]] is straight out of the mid-'90s summer blockbuster ''Independence Day'', in which an alien mothership blows up the White House in a similar manner while using the [[Death Star]] sound effect from ''Star Wars''.
* The whole idea of the heroes acting in a virtual world where only those aware of its true nature can break the laws of physics is similar to [[Wikipedia: The Matrix (series)|the ''Matrix'' series]].
* Prowl going into the burning building to save the child, despite being in human form, is highly reminiscent of a scene in ''Spider-Man 2'' in which Peter Parker does the same thing, despite having temporarily lost his powers and not wearing his hero outfit.

===Trivia===
[[File:Prime'sTrailer MysterySolved.JPG|upright=1.4|thumb|So ''that's'' where it goes!]]
* Sari returns after being out of action from the events of "[[TransWarped]] Part III".
* When Optimus goes to bed, one can just barely make out his trailer in the corner of his room.
* This episode features an unusually high amount of [[stock footage]] by ''Animated'' standards. Starscream's sequence is a few seconds longer than when it was last seen in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]". Of course, all the sequences of the "human" Autobots transforming have been re-edited.
* Apparently, in future Detroit, you are allowed to use public transportation while bearing a giant axe. Well, it ''is'' Detroit...
* Back in "[[Sound and Fury]]", Soundwave's voice was modulated using only one tone, meaning it never rose or fell. With this episode, more tones are introduced into his voice, allowing it to rise and fall in the same manner as his [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|counterpart]] from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]].
* Sari's abilities include being capable of holding a full barrel of [[oil]] on each hand and surviving getting slammed into a wall by Laserbeak and Soundwave. Plus, she makes a mean oilnog.
* Man, Professor Sumdac sure can ''dance''.
* Now in his samurai armor, Prowl can make two or more holographic projections of himself, whereas he could only make one at a time before getting the armor. It's ''that'' awesome!
* Technically, since most of this episode wasn't real, most of the errors above can be dismissed. So nyah!
* This isn't the [[Bee in the City|first time]] Bumblebee has a taste of human food.
* Considering the presence of snow at the end of the first season, and now again here, it seems fairly obvious that it's been well over a year since the Autobots awoke from their stasis under Lake Erie. Additionally, while "[[Along Came a Spider]]" explicitly showed the Autobots' first Halloween, this is never said to be their first Christmas.
* Just when you thought he couldn't get any more awesome, Prowl becomes a ''Ghost''/Cop/Ninja.
* As the Decepticon Jets attack Detroit, two Lugnuts are attacking: Lugnut in his regular color scheme, and behind him, the [[To sell toys|Atomic Lugnut redeco]].
* A Christmas special in April? That's unusual.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Erreur humaine 1/2'''" ("Human Error 1/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Error humano, primera parte'''" ("Human Error, part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 24|24 November]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Ningen ni Natta Autobot'''" (人間になったオートボット, "The Autobots Became Humans")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 20|20 November]] [[2010]]
::*New transforming [[stock footage]] for Soundwave as he delivers the usual TV-viewing warning, starting with his more "innocent" voice before changing to his menacing voice.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 9 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Human Error, Part II

2017-11-15T15:35:19Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni Human Error Part2 Substitute Autobots.jpg
|caption=That tiny thing at their feet? Yeah, that's right, that's their leader...
|ep=38
|ep2=35
|prev2=Human Error, Part I
|next2=Decepticon Air
|title="Human Error, Part II"
|airdate=[[April 25]], 2009
|written by=[[Tom Pugsley]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yosuke Hatta]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''While the Autobots are held captive by one of their deadliest foes, Sari must recruit a team of "Substitute Autobots" to rescue them.'''
==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Human Error Part II Ratchet fleshbag.jpg|thumb|left|"No, this big, I swear!"]]
In Soundwave's virtual reality, the Autobots struggle to get themselves free of the giant Soundwave, only for a wire damaged by Sari's recent attack to sever Soundwave's connection to them. As Soundwave makes repairs, Prowl is briefly able to escape the virtual world using [[processor-over-matter]]. However, his attempt to free Optimus Prime is interrupted as Soundwave plugs him back into the VR computer. His control reestablished, Soundwave reverts the Autobots to their human forms. Recognizing that reprogramming will take longer now, Soundwave instructs his [[Sound Wave|toy replicas]] to begin hypnotizing the humans of Detroit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (5)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (6)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (19)

|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] (1)
*[[Ratbat (Animated)|Ratbat]] (7)
*[[Laserbeak (Animated)|Laserbeak]] (23)

|c3=
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (10)
*[[Adrias]] (11)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike Witwicky]] (12)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]] (13)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] (14)
*[[Nancy Witwicky]] (15)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (17)

|h4=[[Substitute Autobot]]s|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (16)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (20)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (21)
*[[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] (22)

|h5=Others|c5=
*[[Trash Bot]]s (24)
}}

==Quotes==

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
[[File:TFAni Human Error Part2 Laserbreak.jpg|thumb|To be precise, one has no frets.]]
* After Soundwave catches up to the Autobots at the drive-in theater, Optimus' arm is missing as he leans out of the window.
* Human Ratchet has his scar on the wrong side of his face in one scene.
* After Sari says, "Well, I sure am glad that's over," Snarl begins to walk off, and puts some good distance between himself and the group as Scrapper talks. Immediately after Scrapper hits the floor when Snarl kicks him off, Snarl appears close up again to the group, almost as if he's just ''now'' leaving
* After Wreck-Gar is thrown to the ground by Optimus the hole in his backpack is missing although that AllSpark fragment could have fixed that.
*When Optimus is smacking Soundwave around with Laserbeak, the squares on Soundwave's backpack are the same lavender color as Ratbat, rather than the gold they should be.
[[File:TFAni Human Error Part2 Laserbeack&Soundwave Flee.jpg|thumb|Next time, Gadget! Next time!]]
* When Optimus delivers his final strike with Laserbeak, the force of the blow snaps off the Decepticon bird's frets, leaving a jagged break (circled in the image at right). When Laserbeak pops back up a few moments later to carry Soundwave off, however, he's still in one piece; at the very least, he should be missing his tail.

===Continuity errors===
* Sari's upgrade sequence from "[[TransWarped]]" is used as stock footage for her transformation sequence, even though she grows taller during the sequence.

===Continuity notes===
* Dinobot Island is missing a huge chunk of itself after the events of "[[Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising]]".
* Scrapper is revealed to have survived the explosion the Constructicons were caught in back in "[[Three's a Crowd]]". According to him, it's been forty-eight days since the events of that episode. The fates of [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]], however, are less certain.
* [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] names the triceratops [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]] "Snarl" as a second choice after the Dinobot took offense to "[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]", referencing the [[Snarl (Animated)#Notes|real-life name change]] for Snarl. This is the first time Snarl has been given a name in the cartoon—[[Swoop (Animated)|the pteranodon]] was never named in the show itself. The closest we got was [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] nicknaming him "Swoopy".
* Wreck-Gar has been at the bottom of the lake since his debut episode, "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]".

===Transformers references===
* While it's unclear if the reference is intentional, "Soundwave hypnotises humans using miniature duplicates of himself" was also the plot of TakaraTomy's ''[[Transformers Music Label|Music Label]]'' toyline. A definite ''Music Label'' reference, though, is the coloration of Soundwave's virtual form at the beginning of the episode: it's based on the line's "[[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Music Label|Sonic White]]" Soundwave MP3 player figure.
* Soundwave is heard saying "Soundwave superior, Autobots inferior" a reference of a similar line spoken by the [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|original cartoon's Soundwave]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* Soundwave's virtual avatars are depicted in the color scheme of the [[Soundwave (Animated)#Electrostatic Soundwave|Electrostatic Soundwave]] toy.
* The traffic light [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] swings around is based on the weapon that came with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl's]] first toy.
* Bulkhead is mockingly called [[Leadfoot]] when driving his vehicle in Soundwave's virtual reality.
* Laserbeak carrying away Soundwave's core component is a reference to G1 Soundwave's minions carrying his remains off after his destruction in [[The Headmasters]]

===Real-world references===
* The "castaway" Scrapper is dressed in [[wikipedia:Robinson Crusoe|Robinson Crusoe]] garb, including a rust beard.
* Both Wreck-Gar and his voice actor, [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], play the [[:File:WeirdAl.jpg|accordion]].
* Optimus refers to Laserbeak as an "axe" (a common nickname for guitars) before forcibly transforming him into his alt mode.
* Scrapper's cry of "Hi-ho, Snarl!" is a reference to the Lone Ranger's cry of "Hi-ho, Silver!"
* Sari's naming of her team as "The Substitute Autobots" is likely a reference to the DC Comics team [[Wikipedia:Legion of Substitute Heroes|The Legion of Substitute Heroes]], as similarly rag-tag band of misfit "losers" mostly composed of rejected applicants to the Legion of Super-Heroes, who have nevertheless blundered their way into saving the Earth on occasion.
* The Christmas carols continue in this episode, as Scrapper starts singing a bit of "[[Wikipedia:Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!|Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!]]" and Wreck-Gar offers up his own unique version of "[[Wikipedia:Deck the Halls|Deck the Halls]]" (given his voice actor, this isn't much of a surprise). Sari's comment, "It's supposed to be a 'Silent Night.'" as she shuts Soundwave off refers to the carol of the same name. As in the previous episode, "[[Wikipedia: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen|God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen]]" is incorporated into the background music of this episode's final scene.
* Some of the sound effects used when Optimus attacks Soundwave with Laserbeak date back to Hanna-Barbara's ''Quickdraw McGraw'', whose title character's alter ego, El Kabong, used a guitar as a melee weapon.
* Meanwhile, Ratbat's shrieks are taken directly from the original ''[[wikipedia:Scooby Doo|Scooby Doo, Where Are You!]]'' intro.
* The stylized animation of Optimus Prime's final strike with Laserbeak is highly reminiscent of [[wikipedia:Haruhara Haruko|Haruko Haruhara's]] attacks with her guitar in ''[[wikipedia:FLCL|FLCL]]''—one of Derrick J. Wyatt's admitted influences for this show.
* When Soundwave breaks apart and his mind control power dissipates, the sound effect is of a dial-up modem.
* After Soundwave bursts out of the street in front of Sari and the Substitute Autobots, Soundwave says "I am Soundwave; resistance is futile," which is a reference to the Borg from Star Trek. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_%28Star_Trek%29]

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

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Erreur humaine 2/2'''" ("Human Error 2/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Error humano, segunda parte'''" ("Human Error, part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 1|1 December]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Virtual Reality no Wana'''" (ヴァーチャルリアリティの罠, "The Virtual Reality Trap")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 27|27 November]] [[2010]]
::*Soundwave delivers the warning. For the intro, Optimus talks about being caught in Soundwave's virtual reality trap while Sari talks about her problem in the real world. Both mention that Sari's situation is similar to [[wikipedia:Momotarō|Momotarō]] on gathering extra help.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 10 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Human Error, Part II

2017-11-15T15:35:02Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni Human Error Part2 Substitute Autobots.jpg
|caption=That tiny thing at their feet? Yeah, that's right, that's their leader...
|ep=38
|ep2=35
|prev2=Human Error, Part I
|next2=Decepticon Air
|title="Human Error, Part II"
|airdate=[[April 25]], 2009
|written by=[[Tom Pugsley]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yosuke Hatta]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''While the Autobots are held captive by one of their deadliest foes, Sari must recruit a team of "Substitute Autobots" to rescue them.'''
==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Human Error Part II Ratchet fleshbag.jpg|thumb|left|"No, this big, I swear!"]]
In Soundwave's virtual reality, the Autobots struggle to get themselves free of the giant Soundwave, only for a wire damaged by Sari's recent attack to sever Soundwave's connection to them. As Soundwave makes repairs, Prowl is briefly able to escape the virtual world using [[processor-over-matter]]. However, his attempt to free Optimus Prime is interrupted as Soundwave plugs him back into the VR computer. His control reestablished, Soundwave reverts the Autobots to their human forms. Recognizing that reprogramming will take longer now, Soundwave instructs his [[Sound Wave|toy replicas]] to begin hypnotizing the humans of Detroit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (5)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (6)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (19)

|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] (1)
*[[Ratbat (Animated)|Ratbat]] (7)
*[[Laserbeak (Animated)|Laserbeak]] (23)

|c3=
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (10)
*[[Adrias]] (11)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike Witwicky]] (12)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]] (13)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]] (14)
*[[Nancy Witwicky]] (15)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (17)

|h4=[[Substitute Autobot]]s|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (16)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (20)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (21)
*[[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] (22)

|h5=Others|c5=
*[[Trash Bot]]s (24)
}}

==Quotes==

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
[[File:TFAni Human Error Part2 Laserbreak.jpg|thumb|To be precise, one has no frets.]]
* After Soundwave catches up to the Autobots at the drive-in theater, Optimus' arm is missing as he leans out of the window.
* Human Ratchet has his scar on the wrong side of his face in one scene.
* After Sari says, "Well, I sure am glad that's over," Snarl begins to walk off, and puts some good distance between himself and the group as Scrapper talks. Immediately after Scrapper hits the floor when Snarl kicks him off, Snarl appears close up again to the group, almost as if he's just ''now'' leaving
* After Wreck-Gar is thrown to the ground by Optimus the hole in his backpack is missing although that AllSpark fragment could have fixed that.
*When Optimus is smacking Soundwave around with Laserbeak, the squares on Soundwave's backpack are the same lavender color as Ratbat, rather than the gold they should be.
[[File:TFAni Human Error Part2 Laserbeack&Soundwave Flee.jpg|thumb|Next time, Gadget! Next time!]]
* When Optimus delivers his final strike with Laserbeak, the force of the blow snaps off the Decepticon bird's frets, leaving a jagged break (circled in the image at right). When Laserbeak pops back up a few moments later to carry Soundwave off, however, he's still in one piece; at the very least, he should be missing his tail.

===Continuity errors===
* Sari's upgrade sequence from "[[TransWarped]]" is used as stock footage for her transformation sequence, even though she grows taller during the sequence.

===Continuity notes===
* Dinobot Island is missing a huge chunk of itself after the events of "[[Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising]]".
* Scrapper is revealed to have survived the explosion the Constructicons were caught in back in "[[Three's a Crowd]]". According to him, it's been forty-eight days since the events of that episode. The fates of [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]], however, are less certain.
* [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] names the triceratops [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]] "Snarl" as a second choice after the Dinobot took offense to "[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]", referencing the [[Snarl (Animated)#Notes|real-life name change]] for Snarl. This is the first time Snarl has been given a name in the cartoon—[[Swoop (Animated)|the pteranodon]] was never named in the show itself. The closest we got was [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] nicknaming him "Swoopy".
* Wreck-Gar has been at the bottom of the lake since his debut episode, "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]".

===Transformers references===
* While it's unclear if the reference is intentional, "Soundwave hypnotises humans using miniature duplicates of himself" was also the plot of TakaraTomy's ''[[Transformers Music Label|Music Label]]'' toyline. A definite ''Music Label'' reference, though, is the coloration of Soundwave's virtual form at the beginning of the episode: it's based on the line's "[[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Music Label|Sonic White]]" Soundwave MP3 player figure.
* Soundwave is heard saying "Soundwave superior, Autobots inferior" a reference of a similar line spoken by the [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|original cartoon's Soundwave]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* Soundwave's virtual avatars are depicted in the color scheme of the [[Soundwave (Animated)#Electrostatic Soundwave|Electrostatic Soundwave]] toy.
* The traffic light [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] swings around is based on the weapon that came with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl's]] first toy.
* Bulkhead is mockingly called [[Leadfoot]] when driving his vehicle in Soundwave's virtual reality.
* Laserbeak carrying away Soundwave's core component is a reference to G1 Soundwave's minions carrying his remains off after his destruction in [[The Headmasters]]

===Real-world references===
* The "castaway" Scrapper is dressed in [[wikipedia:Robinson Crusoe|Robinson Crusoe]] garb, including a rust beard.
* Both Wreck-Gar and his voice actor, [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], play the [[:File:WeirdAl.jpg|accordion]].
* Optimus refers to Laserbeak as an "axe" (a common nickname for guitars) before forcibly transforming him into his alt mode.
* Scrapper's cry of "Hi-ho, Snarl!" is a reference to the Lone Ranger's cry of "Hi-ho, Silver!"
* Sari's naming of her team as "The Substitute Autobots" is likely a reference to the DC Comics team [[Wikipedia:Legion of Substitute Heroes|The Legion of Substitute Heroes]], as similarly rag-tag band of misfit "losers" mostly composed of rejected applicants to the Legion of Super-Heroes, who have nevertheless blundered their way into saving the Earth on occasion.
* The Christmas carols continue in this episode, as Scrapper starts singing a bit of "[[Wikipedia:Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!|Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!]]" and Wreck-Gar offers up his own unique version of "[[Wikipedia:Deck the Halls|Deck the Halls]]" (given his voice actor, this isn't much of a surprise). Sari's comment, "It's supposed to be a 'Silent Night.'" as she shuts Soundwave off refers to the carol of the same name. As in the previous episode, "[[Wikipedia: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen|God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen]]" is incorporated into the background music of this episode's final scene.
* Some of the sound effects used when Optimus attacks Soundwave with Laserbeak date back to Hanna-Barbara's ''Quickdraw McGraw'', whose title character's alter ego, El Kabong, used a guitar as a melee weapon.
* Meanwhile, Ratbat's shrieks are taken directly from the original ''[[wikipedia:Scooby Doo|Scooby Doo, Where Are You!]]'' intro.
* The stylized animation of Optimus Prime's final strike with Laserbeak is highly reminiscent of [[wikipedia:Haruhara Haruko|Haruko Haruhara's]] attacks with her guitar in ''[[wikipedia:FLCL|FLCL]]''—one of Derrick J. Wyatt's admitted influences for this show.
* When Soundwave breaks apart and his mind control power dissipates, the sound effect is of a dial-up modem.
* After Soundwave bursts out of the street in front of Sari and the Substitute Autobots, Soundwave says "I am Soundwave; resistance is futile," which is a reference to the Borg from Star Trek. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_%28Star_Trek%29]

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

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Erreur humaine 2/2'''" ("Human Error 2/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Error humano, segunda parte'''" ("Human Error, part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [December 1|1 December]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Virtual Reality no Wana'''" (ヴァーチャルリアリティの罠, "The Virtual Reality Trap")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 27|27 November]] [[2010]]
::*Soundwave delivers the warning. For the intro, Optimus talks about being caught in Soundwave's virtual reality trap while Sari talks about her problem in the real world. Both mention that Sari's situation is similar to [[wikipedia:Momotarō|Momotarō]] on gathering extra help.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 10 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Human Error, Part I

2017-11-15T15:33:53Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Human Error Part 1 Automen.jpg
|caption=''Humans Animated'' is a very popular show on Cybertron.
|ep=37
|ep2=34
|prev2=Predacons Rising (Animated)
|next2=Human Error, Part II
|title="Human Error, Part I"
|airdate=[[April 18]], 2009
|written by=[[Henry Gilroy]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Naoto Hashimoto]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''With the Christmas season upon them, the Autobots are not quite themselves following a run-in with Porter C. Powell's new mass-produced Soundwave action figures.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Powell Soundwave.jpg|thumb|left|He's actually worse than [[wikipedia:Vince Offer|Vince Offer]].]]
It's [[Christmas]] in Detroit, but [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] is not in a festive mood. The hottest toy of the year is [[Sound Wave]], being marketed by [[Porter C. Powell]], who acquired the schematics and patent when he ran [[Sumdac Systems]]. Observing a commercial for the new toy, Optimus notices one of the small robots running across the plaza near the trains. Trying to follow it, he is nearly run over by a train and finally decides that he may be obsessing.

At the [[Autobot Earth Base|plant]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] are interested in what they got for Christmas, but [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] tells them that [[Santa Claus]] will know if they try to peek. As the two help Sari decorate, a Sound Wave toy breaks out of the present and does something to the [[oilnog]] that Sari made for the Autobots. The toy is barely able to hide as Optimus, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] weigh in on Santa's ability to deliver presents to all the children. Sari tells them to just accept the holiday magic and be thankful for what they have, like family, leading to a toast of the spiked [[oil]]. Soon, the Autobots all begin to feel tired and decide to call it a night, as Sari heads back to [[Sumdac Tower]].

[[File:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Optimus Human.jpg|thumb|Who would want to be a human in ''Transformers''? The [[Fandom|fans]] all hate them.]]
The next morning, Optimus wakes up, still woozy, and discovers something frightening: his hands are made of flesh! Falling off his bed in shock, Prime's eyes fall upon a mirror, and he discovers the horrifying truth—He's become a human! Optimus hears Bumblebee and Bulkhead cry out, and discovers that all the other Autobots are human as well. Optimus is convinced that there must be a reason, but a few scans by Ratchet are unable to determine the cause of the change. Looking for Prowl, the Autobots head outside, where they find the ninja is mostly at home with the situation, except he feels that something is wrong. Since they're unable to contact Sari, the Autobots decide to [[roll out|<s>roll ou</s>]]—er, walk to Sumdac Tower.

[[File:TFA Human Error Sumdac dance.jpg|thumb|left|Truly fun for all ages.]]
The Sumdacs, meanwhile, are exchanging Christmas presents, although Sari is less than impressed with the Soundwave toy she receives, having less-than-fond memories of her previous experience with the musical menace. The next present, a scooter, likewise fails to excite, until her father reveals that it also transforms into a jetpack! Thrilled at the gift, Sari takes off to show the Autobots, leaving her dad dancing and singing along with Sound Wave.

On their way to Sumdac Tower, the Autobots stop at [[Burger Bot]] when Bulkhead experiences the odd sensation of "hunger". Before long, he is also experiencing the thrills and spills of "the bathroom", while Prowl makes the most of his new human form, having a salad and playing peek-a-boo with a greatly amused [[Nancy Witwicky|baby]]. The light-heartedness is brought to an end by a sudden explosion outside, and the Autobots race onto the street to see an armada of airborne [[Decepticon]]s, with [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] in the lead, opening fire on the city! As chaos erupts around them, more Decepticons led by [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] come stomping up the street . A blast from Shockwave sets a nearby building on fire, and Prime orders the Autobots into action despite their frail new forms. While Bulkhead and Bumblebee fight the fire, Prime and Ratchet rescue a woman, and Prowl heads upstairs to save her [[Gary|son]]. At the last minute, Prowl dives out a window several stories up with the boy in his arms and lands with ease, prompting Bulkhead to wonder exactly how he accomplished such a seemingly impossible feat. Before any thought can go into the matter, Starscream transforms to [[robot mode]] and lands in front of them!

Carried by her new jetpack to the Autobot plant, Sari is surprised to discover it locked up tight, and even more surprised when the Autobots don't respond to her knocking. She flies into the plant through a skylight, but the whole building seems deserted, so she uses the computer to scan for the Autobots' energy signatures, which turn out to be coming from...inside the plant?

[[File:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Starscream Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!]]
As Starscream tears up the street and sends humans scattering in fear, Bulkhead and Bumblebee rather foolishly attempt to attack him, and the results are rather predictable. When Optimus tries slashing the Decepticon with an axe, Starscream backhands him into a wall, breaking his leg. Hearing the Autobots refer to each other by name, Starscream realizes who his opponents are, but is so busy smirking over their predicament that he loses sight of them and finds that he can't tell one human from another! Dismissing them, he departs for more destruction elsewhere, leaving the Autobots to have their injuries tended to by paramedics. Requiring some of Professor Sumdac's technology to fight the Decepticons, the Autobots board a bus to get to the tower quickly.

Back at the Autobots' plant, Sari is still searching for her friends, when suddenly, a [[Laserbeak (Animated)|large, robotic bird]] flies out of a shaft in the floor, followed by a small army of Sound Wave action figures! Sari blasts the evil toys and heads down the shaft to investigate.

[[File:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Bumblebee vs Blitzwing.jpg|thumb|left|''You spin me right 'round, baby right 'round''.]]
At the foot of Sumdac Tower, the Autobots have just stepped off the bus when suddenly, a huge shadow falls over Detroit. Looking up, the stunned Autobots see the entire planet of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] itself hanging in the sky. Sumdac tower is obliterated by a huge planetary laser weapon, and a full-scale Decepticon invasion force swarms the sky, led by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] himself! The Decepticons are just as surprised by the Automens' appearance as they are, but Megatron decides to take advantage by destroying them last, so that they may watch their adopted home be destroyed. The sheer impossibility of everything that is happening finally hits Optimus Prime and Prowl, who realize that whatever may be happening to them, none of it is real. Megatron seizes Prowl, but amazingly, the Autobot breaks free of his grip, and with a single swipe of his hand, severs Megatron's arm. Blitzwing attempts to crush Prowl beneath his foot, but Bulkhead runs forward and smashes straight through the [[Triple Changer]]'s leg. As Bumblebee pummels Blitzwing's faces and Prowl knocks out Starscream by phasing into his head, Optimus Prime beats Megatron with his own arm, then hurls his axe into the barrel of the Decepticon leader's cannon, causing it to explode. As the dust cloud fades, Cybertron and all of the Decepticons have vanished, and the Autobots come to the realization that they are trapped in some kind of virtual reality.

[[File:TFA Human Error Part 1 Soundwave Superior.jpg|thumb|Giant virtual "Shattered Glass" ''Animated'' Soundwave?]]
Sari makes the same discovery as the Autobots when she reaches the bottom of the secret shaft and discovers their bodies, plugged into machinery being operated by the full-size [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], who is planning to use the illusion to reprogram the Autobots into Decepticons. Within the virtual world, the Autobots are able to will themselves back into robotic form (although Bulkhead has a little trouble), but before they can take any further actions, a gigantic arm bursts out of the ground beneath them, scooping them up in its hand. Soundwave's giant face looks down upon the Autobots, declaring escape impossible and shocking them all with blasts of purple energy. Soundwave also has his hands full in the real world, as Sari blasts a chunk out of his shoulder with one of her energy-balls,. Soundwave summons Laserbeak, the robotic bird Sari saw earlier, into his arms, where it transforms into a guitar and hits Sari with a powerful sonic shock wave. The wounded Sari retreats, promising to come back for her friends and leaving Soundwave to resume the final phase of his Autobot reprogramming with [[Ratbat (Animated)|another musical instrument]] that bathes the heroic robots in waves of sonic energy. As Soundwave gloats, Optimus Prime's optics activate and begin glowing Decepticon-red...

[[Human Error, Part II|To be continued...]]

==Featured characters==
{{note|Characters in italics appear only as part of Soundwave's virtual reality scenario.}}
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] (5)
*''[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'' (16)
*''[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]'' (17)
*''[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'' (18)
*''[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]'' (19)
*''[[Strika (Animated)|Strika]]'' (20)
*''[[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]]'' (21)
*''[[Spittor (Animated)|Spittor]]'' (22)
*[[Laserbeak (Animated)|Laserbeak]] (27)
*''[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]'' (28)
*[[Ratbat (Animated)|Ratbat]] (29)
|c3=
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (6)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*''[[Hydra (Animated)|Hydra]]'' (10)
*''[[Marty Isenberg]]'' (11)
*''[[Cancer (Animated)|Cancer]]'' (12)
*''[[Lisa Kane]]'' (13)
*''[[Nancy Witwicky]]'' (14)
*''[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]]'' (15)
*''[[Gary's mother]]'' (23)
*''[[Gary]]'' (24)
*''[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]]'' (25)
*''[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike Witwicky]]'' (26)
|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==

"That toy rightfully belongs to me, Powell! You are a thieving crook!" 
"And a Merry Christmas to you too, Professor Sumdac, but I acquired your toy's patents fair and square when I owned your company. Now I'm sharing Sound Wave with the entire world, for only $19.99 each." 
"$19.99? ''How does he do it''?!" 
:—'''Professor Sumdac''' unwittingly provides PR for '''Porter C. Powell's''' products. Say that three times fast.

'''Ratchet''': And I'm telling you, there is no way that this "Santa Claus" could deliver billions of presents in one night. 
'''Prowl''': I can think of at least one way. Ho. Ho. Ho. 
''[Prowl projects holograms of himself]'' 
'''Optimus''': A sound theory, Prowl. I did see multiple Santas in the shopping district tonight.
:—The Autobots weigh in on the debate of how Santa does his job.

"In these human bodies, [[Furmanism|what chance do we have?]]"
:— Don't act like you don't know where '''Ratchet''' is going with this.

"''PRIME!?'' Look at you! You're hideous!" 
"We're all hideous! We're...people!" 
"And you're so small!" 
"Knock it off! I'm bigger than ''you''!" 
:— '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' assessing their human forms.

'''Prowl''': "Here I am. Hahaha. Peekaboo! I'm over here! Hehaha." 
''*[[Nancy Witwicky|baby]] laughs*'' 
'''Ratchet''': "You think she'd be ''laughing'' if you were a giant robot?" 
'''Prowl''': "That's the point. Being human gives me a better sense of what this holiday season means. I'm…thankful, for just being alive in any form." 
:— '''Prowl''', who apparently is the only one who ''isn't'' completely pessimistic about becoming human, reminding the team to have some Christmas spirit.

"Hey! There's no antilock breaks on these servos!" 
"I think the humans call them…''legs''." 
:— '''Bulkhead''' and '''Bumblebee''' discover one of many unfortunate human limitations.

"We need to get to Sumdac Tower. Auto—uh, men. Transfo—er, uh, roll—er, uh, oh, let's...let's just go."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' has a few slips on his "[[roll out]]" command.

"Why would ze Autobots choose to be human?" 
"Not for the fashion sense, I can tell you that. A-ha-ha-ha!"
:—'''Icy Blitzwing''' and '''Random Blitzwing''', the next [[wikipedia:Tim Gunn|Tim Gunn]].

"A-who cares? I will crush zem into human meat pies!"
:-'''Hothead Blitzwing''', the next Valeriano Weyler.

"Not a creature was stirring, not even a—''[Laserbeak flies out of the Autobrand on the floor]'' creepy robot bird?"
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' adds a new twist to a classic Christmas tale.

"Oh, look! I have a hole in my rocket!"
:—Even horrible injury cannot faze '''Random Blitzwing'''.

"Hey, we're baaaaack!" 
"Not all of us!" 
"It might help you if you make the noise with your mouth like this: ''Choo-chuh-chah-chik''!" 
"Sounds silly... But, okay. Choo-chuh-chah-chah-chik! ''Choo-chuh-chah-chah-chik''!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''', making [[Transformation#The noise|the transformation noise]] like so many of us do—DID. As children. Yeah.

"Escape is impossible. Autobots inferior, Soundwave superior."
:—'''Soundwave''' makes sure that line is never forgotten.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When Bulkhead sets down his Christmas present, the box is missing the horizontal ribbon it has in the preceding and following shots.
* When Ratchet scans Optimus, all the equipment is human-sized, instead of the much larger, Transformer-scaled size. Of course, it's not actually ''real'', but still.
[[File:HumanError-DanielSpike.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The popular "Invisible Booster Seat" image from Lolbots.com.]]
* In the bus tram scene, Daniel is shown levitating over his seat.
* Marty Isenberg is drawn with only one leg.
* In the scene showing Isenberg, Hydra and Cancer facing forward, Isenberg's, uh, buttocks is overlapping Cancer's thigh.
* We first see [[Nancy Witwicky|<s>Jennifer</s> Nancy Witwicky]] for a few frames in the background next to a mom who isn't Carly. She's Carly later, though.
* After the explosion is heard outside the Burger Bot, Bulkhead's previously half-eaten burger is now whole.
* Bulkhead punches Starscream with his right hand...then screams and clutches his ''left'' hand...then after a scene cut, he is shown clutching his ''right'' hand...and later he gets a bandage put on his ''left'' hand. Of course, it's...oh, you get the idea.
* Of course, if this was real, we'd point out that the force with which Starscream smashed Optimus into the wall should probably have killed him, or at least caused a lot more damage than a broken leg. Good thing it's not, then.
* When Cybertron approaches Earth, it's entirely ''in front'' of the clouds, which is absurd for anything planet-sized. (Still not real, though.)
* The elevator platform in the Autobots' base shrinks from Autobot-sized at the top (such that Sari is shown to be tiny in comparison to it) to human-sized at the bottom (such that Laserbeak couldn't fit through the door even if it had been open).
* Blitzwing's face changes from Icy to Random when he lifts up his leg, only to be Icy again when he's looking through the hole after the shot changes.
* When Optimus beats Megatron with his own severed arm, the arm is ''freaking colossal'', nearly as big as the rest of Megatron's body. (Megatron's face also goes significantly off-model in the same scene.) It's also hollow, but that's what virtual things look like on the inside.
* When Optimus commands the "Automen" to transform, one of his irises is bigger than the other.
* When being held by the giant Soundwave, Prowl is briefly missing his armor.
* The hole Sari blows in Soundwave's backpack comes and goes. Hey, this bit is real!

===Continuity errors===
*When Optimus is out patrolling, he has his trailer. It disappears when he transforms—in fact, it appears to start transforming along with him just before the shot switches to him in [[robot mode]]—and is absent when he returns to [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] a few minutes later.
* Where did Soundwave get images of the Decepticons? In particular, since there are several conceivable ways to get the Earth Decepts' images, what are [[Team Chaar]] and [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] doing there, as none of them have been to Earth? Even if you somehow presume the Autobots themselves generated the images, only Oil Slick—per ''The Arrival'' comic—and Shockwave's head have been seen by any of Optimus's team.
* Where did Sari's jetpack go while she was on the lift? (For that matter, why did she transform out of her robot mode at all?)
* Lugnut disappears with the other Decepticons, despite the fact none of the Autobots fought him.
* Considering the noise that the Sound Wave toy made when he ran across the room to spike the nog, wouldn't someone hear it?

===Transformers references===
* [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick Wyatt]] stated this episode was a partial homage to a [[Only Human|"classic" Generation 1 episode]].
* Sari's transforming scooter-jetpack was an early idea that didn't make it into the series, but which was featured in a promotional reel for the ''Animated'' series (seen on the convention circuit in mid-2007 and featured on the DVD included with the "Optimus Prime and Megatron: The Battle Begins" action figure set). The version introduced with this episode is somewhat different from the original concept, which was a pedal-powered tricycle that transformed using the power of the [[AllSpark Key]].
* The scooter's jetpack form is, in turn, based on the backpacks worn by the Acroyear/Acroyer, the villains from Takara's [[Microman]] toyline.
[[File:HydraMartyCancer.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|This is a winning sitcom concept right here.]]
* The [[Burger Bot]] patrons include series head writer [[Marty Isenberg]], [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]], her baby daughter [[Nancy Witwicky|Nancy]] (who was close to being born during the Season 2 episode "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]"), and ''Animated'' homages to the ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' characters [[Cancer (Masterforce)|Cancer]] and [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]]. [[Hydra (Animated)|Hydra]], Marty, and [[Cancer (Animated)|Cancer]] are sitting together at one table, indicating a very interesting family.
* Speaking of Masterforce, this episode also features [[Pretender|Transformers turning into people and back]], though in this case, it actually makes some kinda sense.
* Starscream's missiles feature the shark-toothed smiley faces sculpted into his Voyager-class toy's missile accessories.
* Cybertron was brought into Earth orbit twice in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]] series: first in the multipart episode "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1|The Ultimate Doom]]", and then in the series finale, "[[The Rebirth, Part 3]]". It would later happen again [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|in the Movieverse]].
* Soundwave's declaration of "Autobots inferior; Soundwave superior" is a paraphrase of his Generation 1 namesake's famous line of dialogue from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'': "Soundwave superior; Constructicons inferior."
* The colors on the giant Soundwave in the virtual world come from Takara's "Sonic White" Soundwave MP3 player.
* This isn't the first time Prowl [[Transform and Roll Out|slices off Megatron's arm]].

===Real-world references===
* Appropriately enough, the first act of this episode incorporates traditional Christmas songs "[[Wikipedia: Carol of the Bells|Carol of the Bells]]", "[[Wikipedia: Jingle Bells|Jingle Bells]]" and "[[Wikipedia:God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen|God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen]]" into the background music.
* When Sari's searching the Autobot base for her friends, at one point, her jetpack sounds like a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Podracer podracer] from ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] Episode I: The Phantom Menace''.
* Sari quotes from the Christmas poem, "[[Wikipedia: A Visit from St. Nicholas|A Visit from St. Nicholas]]" (more commonly known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"), replacing the word "mouse" with "[[Laserbeak (Animated)|creepy robot bird]]".
* When Laserbeak chases Sari into the elevator, he makes sounds like a seagull.
* Bumblebee says "We're not in Detroit anymore," which is another twist on an oft-paraphrased line from ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* The scene of Cybertron blowing up [[Sumdac Tower]] is straight out of the mid-'90s summer blockbuster ''Independence Day'', in which an alien mothership blows up the White House in a similar manner while using the [[Death Star]] sound effect from ''Star Wars''.
* The whole idea of the heroes acting in a virtual world where only those aware of its true nature can break the laws of physics is similar to [[Wikipedia: The Matrix (series)|the ''Matrix'' series]].
* Prowl going into the burning building to save the child, despite being in human form, is highly reminiscent of a scene in ''Spider-Man 2'' in which Peter Parker does the same thing, despite having temporarily lost his powers and not wearing his hero outfit.

===Trivia===
[[File:Prime'sTrailer MysterySolved.JPG|upright=1.4|thumb|So ''that's'' where it goes!]]
* Sari returns after being out of action from the events of "[[TransWarped]] Part III".
* When Optimus goes to bed, one can just barely make out his trailer in the corner of his room.
* This episode features an unusually high amount of [[stock footage]] by ''Animated'' standards. Starscream's sequence is a few seconds longer than when it was last seen in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]". Of course, all the sequences of the "human" Autobots transforming have been re-edited.
* Apparently, in future Detroit, you are allowed to use public transportation while bearing a giant axe. Well, it ''is'' Detroit...
* Back in "[[Sound and Fury]]", Soundwave's voice was modulated using only one tone, meaning it never rose or fell. With this episode, more tones are introduced into his voice, allowing it to rise and fall in the same manner as his [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|counterpart]] from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]].
* Sari's abilities include being capable of holding a full barrel of [[oil]] on each hand and surviving getting slammed into a wall by Laserbeak and Soundwave. Plus, she makes a mean oilnog.
* Man, Professor Sumdac sure can ''dance''.
* Now in his samurai armor, Prowl can make two or more holographic projections of himself, whereas he could only make one at a time before getting the armor. It's ''that'' awesome!
* Technically, since most of this episode wasn't real, most of the errors above can be dismissed. So nyah!
* This isn't the [[Bee in the City|first time]] Bumblebee has a taste of human food.
* Considering the presence of snow at the end of the first season, and now again here, it seems fairly obvious that it's been well over a year since the Autobots awoke from their stasis under Lake Erie. Additionally, while "[[Along Came a Spider]]" explicitly showed the Autobots' first Halloween, this is never said to be their first Christmas.
* Just when you thought he couldn't get any more awesome, Prowl becomes a ''Ghost''/Cop/Ninja.
* As the Decepticon Jets attack Detroit, two Lugnuts are attacking: Lugnut in his regular color scheme, and behind him, the [[To sell toys|Atomic Lugnut redeco]].
* A Christmas special in April? That's unusual.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Erreur humaine 1/2'''" ("Human Error 1/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Error humano, primera parte'''" ("Human Rrror, part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 24|24 November]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Ningen ni Natta Autobot'''" (人間になったオートボット, "The Autobots Became Humans")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 20|20 November]] [[2010]]
::*New transforming [[stock footage]] for Soundwave as he delivers the usual TV-viewing warning, starting with his more "innocent" voice before changing to his menacing voice.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 9 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Predacons Rising (Animated)

2017-11-15T15:32:39Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Predacons Rising}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=PredaconsRising-WaspinatorBlackarachnia.jpg
|caption=Battle of the arthropods.
|ep=36
|ep2=33
|prev2=Five Servos of Doom
|next2=Human Error, Part I
|title="Predacons Rising"
|airdate=[[April 11]], 2009
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]] [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Blackarachnia has plans... for Wasp!'''

==Synopsis==
The [[Autobot]]s engage in a high-speed chase after [[Wasp]] through the city of [[Detroit]]. Though [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] says he believes even Wasp doesn't know where he's going, the fugitive former Autobot makes clear one thing: they're not going to take him while he's still online. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] nearly catches Wasp, but the interference of [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] allows him to get away again. Optimus insists that Sentinel's responsibility lies on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and that he ought to deliver the remaining prisoners to the stockade. Sentinel counters that he's sure that Wasp knew about the attack on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], and he intends to bring him in.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Cornered.jpg|thumb|left|"Word on street izzz you're a jerk!"]]
With the help of [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]], the crew finally corners Wasp. Bumblebee tries to talk him down, but finds that his excuses fail to placate the fugitive. Optimus tells Wasp that the espionage charges against him have been dropped, but Sentinel again interferes and the two Primes get into an argument about jurisdiction. In the confusion, Wasp escapes again.

Taking pursuit, the Autobots are stymied when Wasp is plucked from the ground by the arrival of [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]]. They are only able to pursue the flying [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]] to the pier before being forced to break off. Sentinel is infuriated, and has the twins grapple him to continue the chase. Optimus, realizing that Swoop is likely taking Wasp to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], begs Sentinel to hold off, as he hasn't yet explained what his former comrade would find there. Sentinel disregards this, and tells the twins to continue onward.

Wasp is brought to [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown's]] [[Meltdown's Subterranean Lab|old lab]], which has seen a considerable refit. In charge now is [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], who looks him over. Satisfied that he has pure Cybertronian circuitry, she decides that he is ideal for her purposes and offers him a chance to have enough power to get his revenge on the Autobots. Showing him a [[transwarp]] generator, she explains that it has only been used for transport before, but she has found a new application.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Change.jpg|thumb|"Why Wasp always get seated in smoking section?"]]
After reaching the island (with mild discomfort), Sentinel orders the twins to distract the Dinobots. They take this as a chance to attack, with Jetfire engaging in a dogfight with Swoop, and Jetstorm using his wind cannon to knock poor [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] offline and lead [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] away from the entrance to the lab. Making his way inside, Sentinel is surprised by Blackarachnia and finds himself disgusted at the prospect of a Cybertronian with an organic mode. His disgust turns to horror when she reveals that she was Elita-1. Sentinel tries to explain that it was Optimus's fault for leaving her behind and that he'd always assumed she was dead. Instead, he finds her current condition a fate worse than death. As they talk, the transwarp pods begin to overload, and out of the explosion comes Wasp—now a techno-organic wasp who has renamed himself Waspinator!

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina Unmasked Sentinel.jpg|thumb|left|Now we know what lies behind her masquerade!]]
Reaching the island, Bumblebee has given up on trying to talk things out with Wasp, while Optimus says that he could start by apologizing first. In the lab, Sentinel is horrified by what Blackarachnia has done to Wasp and says that she has to be stopped. Blackarachnia is not that surprised that he's willing to kill his old friend, but Sentinel screams that she is not Elita-1, driving his [[lance]] forward and knocking her helmet off...revealing the horrifying technorganic face she now has underneath. Not wanting to see "Spider-bot" hurt, Waspinator attacks, but flies out of the room and crashes into Bumblebee. Taken aback by Wasp's new appearance, Bumblebee says that he's sorry for everything he did and didn't do during boot camp. Thinking about it, Wasp admits that he can forgive Bumblebee. Unfortunately, ''Waspinator'' is more interested in revenge. As he tries to attack, however, Waspinator begins to discharge transwarp energy.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina sans Helmet.jpg|thumb|You! You're not Sylvia! You're one of the Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage....2!]]
In the lab, Optimus confronts Blackarachnia and says that he's the one responsible for her condition, not Sentinel. Blackarachnia doesn't care; she has every right to destroy them both because of what happened to her. She also explains that she changed Wasp in the hopes that if she could change him back, she could change herself back into Elita-1. She isn't that concerned if he goes offline in the process. Unfortunately, Waspinator hears that comment and begins trying to attack Blackarachnia. With Waspinator's body starting to go critical, Blackarachnia flees outside, as do the Autobots, where the twins have dispatched the Dinobots. However, to contain Waspinator, Blackarachnia wraps him in a cocoon, and the Autobots barely manage to avoid being caught in the blast, which appears to destroy most of Dinobot Island. Optimus believes that Blackarachnia sacrificed herself to save them, but Sentinel believes that she sacrificed Waspinator to allow herself to escape.

At the Elite Guard ship, Optimus Prime's crew is seeing the [[Elite Guard]] off, though Sentinel is late. The twins poke fun at Sentinel's fear of organics, but Optimus tells them to give Sentinel a break: For all his flaws, Sentinel is still a good bot, in Optimus's opinion. Sentinel then arrives to have a private conversation with Optimus. Optimus apologizes for not letting Sentinel to go back and try to save Elita, and for not telling him sooner about Blackarachnia. Sentinel says that he's sorry they ever went to that planet, but it's too late for apologies, and the two Primes finally appear to bury the hatchet. Optimus points out that Cybertron's need for a leader is top priority, and that Sentinel is that leader, for better or worse.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Waspinator Hazz Planzzz.jpg|thumb|left|Some pieces are made to detach if excessive force is applied.]]
Elsewhere, in a strange-looking jungle, Waspinator is still online, but must reassemble himself, muttering that he has "planzzz". A short distance away, Blackarachnia finds herself confronted with some local animals...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (5)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (10)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (15)
|c2=
*[[Wasp|Wasp/Waspinator]] (1)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Bumblebee''': Hate to say it, but Sentinel's got a point. I'd feel a lot safer with Wasp behind bars. 
'''Optimus''': That's not your call to make, Bumblebee. 
'''Sentinel''': And it's not ''your'' call to make either, Optimus. I'm in command. 
'''Optimus''': On ''Cybertron''. This planet is ''my'' jurisdiction. 
'''Sentinel''': This is a Cybertronian fugitive, and I'll enforce my authority as the...the uh...''primer'' Prime! 
'''Optimus''': Did you just make that up?! 
'''Sentinel''': No! 
'''Optimus''': There's no such thing as a Primer Prime! 
'''Sentinel''': It's a real term. Look it up. 
'''Optimus''': I'm not gonna look it up! 
'''Sentinel''': 'Fraid I'm right?
:—Optimus and Sentinel engage in what can be politely described as a pissing contest.

'''Sentinel''': Right, okay. Here's the plan. Give me a few nanokliks to get into position and, then, give me a diversion to draw them away from the entrance. 
'''Jetfire''': De version? Vat kind of version? 
'''Jetstorm''': Means for we to blow something up! 
'''Jetfire''': Oh, good! I am liking de version!
:—The Twins enjoy blowing stuff up.

"I just never knew, never imagined that something this... unspeakable could have happened to you. How can you even live like that?! It's horrible! It's disgusting!" 
"Okay, okay, I get it! It's bad, but it's not ''that'' bad, all right?!" 
"No. It's worse. You should have gone offline."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' has more issues with '''Blackarachnia'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s condition than she does.

'''Blackarachnia''': So that's it?! You just slag your old friend Elita-1? 
'''Sentinel Prime''': ''Don't say that name!'' You don't deserve to say that name! 
''(Sentinel swipes, knocking Blackarachnia's helmet off, revealing her true face)'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': You're not Elita-1, you mutant freak. Elita-1 went offline a long time ago.
:—Sentinel may actually be right for once, albeit coming from the wrong direction.

"Let him go, Blackarachnia." 
"Why should I, Optimus?" 
"Because I'm the one who left you behind. Sentinel's not the one to blame for what you look like." 
"What I look like is only half the story. What I am is a lot more complicated."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Blackarachnia''', as the latter attacks Sentinel

'''Bumblebee''': Soooo, Wasp... -inator, you've gotten taller. And you can fly! That's-that's cool. 
'''Waspinator''': Wazzpinator megacool, thanks to new friend. 
'''Bumblebee''': Hey, speaking of friends, I wanted to say I'm sorry—you know, for everything I did and didn't do. 
'''Waspinator''': ''(with Wasp's voice)'' Wasp forgive Bumble-bot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh. Really? 
'''Waspinator''': ''(with normal voice)'' BUT WAZZPINATOR NEVER FORGIVE!
:—Bumblebee makes his final attempt to make amends with Wasp(inator)... and totally blew it.

"C'mon, ease up, you two. [Sentinel]'s been through a lot." 
"Never thought I'd hear ''you'' sticking up for S.P." 
"He's a good bot... even if he doesn't know how to let go of a grudge."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' surprises '''Jazz''' and the audience.

"Wazzpinator cannot go offline. Wazzpinator have planzz."
:—'''Waspinator''', foreshadowing.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* When Sentinel Prime attacks Blackarachnia, he knocks off a helmet that she was wearing to hide her true mutant face. The helmet was previously seen in "[[Along Came a Spider]]" as Optimus entered a room in the wrecked Decepticon warship.

===Transformers references===
[[File:PredaconsRising-craziestofcameos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|What, no eagle/wolf Fuzor?]]
*As the plot of this episode centers on Blackarachnia and Waspinator, the ''Animated'' staff recruited Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, the head writers of the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' animated series, to script it. Consequently, the episode has quite a few references to ''Beast Wars'', including:
**The title itself is, of course, a reference to the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] from ''Beast Wars'', but it's a reference that doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to anyone who doesn't already know what a Predacon is, since no one in the episode is actually ''called'' a Predacon at any stage.
**Although it's hardly a ''Transformers''-specific term, Sentinel instructs Jetfire and Jetstorm to fire their jets at "Maximum Burn", which was a pretty common command phrase used by the Beast Warriors for firing their own jets. If it were anybody but DiTillio and Forward on scripting duties, we'd probably write it off, but...
**Just like [[Waspinator (BW)|his predecessor]], this Waspinator can survive being blown to scraps.
**The immortal phrase "Waspinator has plans!" was first uttered by the original ''Beast Wars'' incarnation of the character in "[[Other Voices, Part 2]]", and has since become one of the lovable little guy's most famous and popular lines amongst the fandom, leading to a reprisal in "[[Nemesis Part 1]]". In context, he was bemoaning his apparent looming demise and merely indicating that he had stuff he wanted to do with his life, but like a lot of the aspects of the original Waspinator that are adapted into ''Animated'' Waspy, here, it just comes off as pretty ''sinister''.
**At the end of the episode, Blackarachnia comes face to face with [[Optimus Primal|a gorilla]], [[Rhinox (BW)|a rhino]], [[Cheetor (BW)|a green-eyed cheetah]], [[Rattrap (BW)|and a very large rat]]. Interestingly, the script even calls the setting where this scene takes place a "primitive Earthlike planet." Hmmm. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] [http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1500152931 encourages us] not to read too much into the scene, however.
* "It's too late for apologies" is one of the most infamous lines of dialogue from the hilariously inept [[Omni Productions]] dub of the Japanese ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' cartoon, where it was spoken by a Goth-angsty [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]].

===Animation errors===
* When Waspinator confronts Blackarachnia (immediately after she confesses to using him), his mandible does not move as he speaks. A screenshot of this error can be seen at the top of this page.
* In one scene, the Jet Twins' Elite Guard symbols on their hips are missing.
* Just after Waspinator runs into Bumblebee in pursuit of Blackarachnia, Bumblebee's chest plate briefly shrinks while tumbling then reverts to normal size after.

===Real-world references===
*When Blackarachnia presses some buttons on her computer, they sound the [[theme song|theme]] from ''[[wikipedia:Close Encounters of the Third Kind|Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''.
*The transwarp experimentation chambers look and function exactly like the telepods from David Cronenberg's [[Fly|''The Fly'']].

===Trivia===
*Bumblebee can drive up the sides of buildings! [[Spy Changer|He's not the only one]].
*When Optimus contacts Sentinel Prime to warn him about Dinobot Island, Sentinel shuts him off by tilting the 'antenna' on the left side of his head. [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)#Animated|His Deluxe toy actually does allow you to do this]], but backwards.
*In the English language, ''"optimus"'' is a synonym for ''"prime"'', both of which are synonyms of "elite" or "best". So, by definition, Optimus Prime's name literally means ''"Primer Prime"''. Too bad for you, Sentinel.
*Waspinator wasn't the only one damaged in the transwarp explosion. If you take a close look at Blackarachnia at the end of the episode, you'll notice that her 'stingers' (which act as her [[beast mode]]'s front legs) have been blown off.
*When Optimus and Sentinel discuss Sentinel taking over from Ultra Magnus, observe Optimus as he says "...and for better or worse..." He appears to squint uncomfortably, almost as if it pained him to say what he's going to say. [[This Is Why I Hate Machines|Huh.]]
*Speaking of jerk-face, Sentinel's drill-sergeant side is still very much in evidence when he barks at the twins to not "stand around with your pistons in your servos", a [[Anatomic euphemism|euphemistic]] Cybertronian equivalent of a rather off-color fleshling phrase we can't repeat here.
*Prowl continues to wear his new samurai armor even when he's not really needing it. [[To sell toys|Gotta sell that brand-spankin' new figure, you know?]]
*This episode marked the last appearance of Blackarachnia and Waspinator.
*The animals that observe Blackarachnia are roughly the same size she is. Unless they are on an alien world where [[Scale|the creatures are all over-sized]], those animals are positively HUGE.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Expérience Techno-organique'''" ("Techno-organic Experience")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kanashiki Seimeitai'''" (悲しき生命体, "Sorrowful Lifeform")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 13|13 November]] [[2010]]

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Os Predadores Ressurgem'''" ("Predators Resurface")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "''' ??? '''" ("???")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 17|17 November]] [[2009]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 9 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Predacons Rising (Animated)

2017-11-15T15:32:13Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Predacons Rising}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=PredaconsRising-WaspinatorBlackarachnia.jpg
|caption=Battle of the arthropods.
|ep=36
|ep2=33
|prev2=Five Servos of Doom
|next2=Human Error, Part I
|title="Predacons Rising"
|airdate=[[April 11]], 2009
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]] [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Blackarachnia has plans... for Wasp!'''

==Synopsis==
The [[Autobot]]s engage in a high-speed chase after [[Wasp]] through the city of [[Detroit]]. Though [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] says he believes even Wasp doesn't know where he's going, the fugitive former Autobot makes clear one thing: they're not going to take him while he's still online. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] nearly catches Wasp, but the interference of [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] allows him to get away again. Optimus insists that Sentinel's responsibility lies on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and that he ought to deliver the remaining prisoners to the stockade. Sentinel counters that he's sure that Wasp knew about the attack on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], and he intends to bring him in.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Cornered.jpg|thumb|left|"Word on street izzz you're a jerk!"]]
With the help of [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]], the crew finally corners Wasp. Bumblebee tries to talk him down, but finds that his excuses fail to placate the fugitive. Optimus tells Wasp that the espionage charges against him have been dropped, but Sentinel again interferes and the two Primes get into an argument about jurisdiction. In the confusion, Wasp escapes again.

Taking pursuit, the Autobots are stymied when Wasp is plucked from the ground by the arrival of [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]]. They are only able to pursue the flying [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]] to the pier before being forced to break off. Sentinel is infuriated, and has the twins grapple him to continue the chase. Optimus, realizing that Swoop is likely taking Wasp to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], begs Sentinel to hold off, as he hasn't yet explained what his former comrade would find there. Sentinel disregards this, and tells the twins to continue onward.

Wasp is brought to [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown's]] [[Meltdown's Subterranean Lab|old lab]], which has seen a considerable refit. In charge now is [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], who looks him over. Satisfied that he has pure Cybertronian circuitry, she decides that he is ideal for her purposes and offers him a chance to have enough power to get his revenge on the Autobots. Showing him a [[transwarp]] generator, she explains that it has only been used for transport before, but she has found a new application.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Change.jpg|thumb|"Why Wasp always get seated in smoking section?"]]
After reaching the island (with mild discomfort), Sentinel orders the twins to distract the Dinobots. They take this as a chance to attack, with Jetfire engaging in a dogfight with Swoop, and Jetstorm using his wind cannon to knock poor [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] offline and lead [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] away from the entrance to the lab. Making his way inside, Sentinel is surprised by Blackarachnia and finds himself disgusted at the prospect of a Cybertronian with an organic mode. His disgust turns to horror when she reveals that she was Elita-1. Sentinel tries to explain that it was Optimus's fault for leaving her behind and that he'd always assumed she was dead. Instead, he finds her current condition a fate worse than death. As they talk, the transwarp pods begin to overload, and out of the explosion comes Wasp—now a techno-organic wasp who has renamed himself Waspinator!

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina Unmasked Sentinel.jpg|thumb|left|Now we know what lies behind her masquerade!]]
Reaching the island, Bumblebee has given up on trying to talk things out with Wasp, while Optimus says that he could start by apologizing first. In the lab, Sentinel is horrified by what Blackarachnia has done to Wasp and says that she has to be stopped. Blackarachnia is not that surprised that he's willing to kill his old friend, but Sentinel screams that she is not Elita-1, driving his [[lance]] forward and knocking her helmet off...revealing the horrifying technorganic face she now has underneath. Not wanting to see "Spider-bot" hurt, Waspinator attacks, but flies out of the room and crashes into Bumblebee. Taken aback by Wasp's new appearance, Bumblebee says that he's sorry for everything he did and didn't do during boot camp. Thinking about it, Wasp admits that he can forgive Bumblebee. Unfortunately, ''Waspinator'' is more interested in revenge. As he tries to attack, however, Waspinator begins to discharge transwarp energy.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina sans Helmet.jpg|thumb|You! You're not Sylvia! You're one of the Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage....2!]]
In the lab, Optimus confronts Blackarachnia and says that he's the one responsible for her condition, not Sentinel. Blackarachnia doesn't care; she has every right to destroy them both because of what happened to her. She also explains that she changed Wasp in the hopes that if she could change him back, she could change herself back into Elita-1. She isn't that concerned if he goes offline in the process. Unfortunately, Waspinator hears that comment and begins trying to attack Blackarachnia. With Waspinator's body starting to go critical, Blackarachnia flees outside, as do the Autobots, where the twins have dispatched the Dinobots. However, to contain Waspinator, Blackarachnia wraps him in a cocoon, and the Autobots barely manage to avoid being caught in the blast, which appears to destroy most of Dinobot Island. Optimus believes that Blackarachnia sacrificed herself to save them, but Sentinel believes that she sacrificed Waspinator to allow herself to escape.

At the Elite Guard ship, Optimus Prime's crew is seeing the [[Elite Guard]] off, though Sentinel is late. The twins poke fun at Sentinel's fear of organics, but Optimus tells them to give Sentinel a break: For all his flaws, Sentinel is still a good bot, in Optimus's opinion. Sentinel then arrives to have a private conversation with Optimus. Optimus apologizes for not letting Sentinel to go back and try to save Elita, and for not telling him sooner about Blackarachnia. Sentinel says that he's sorry they ever went to that planet, but it's too late for apologies, and the two Primes finally appear to bury the hatchet. Optimus points out that Cybertron's need for a leader is top priority, and that Sentinel is that leader, for better or worse.

[[File:TFAni Predacons Rising Waspinator Hazz Planzzz.jpg|thumb|left|Some pieces are made to detach if excessive force is applied.]]
Elsewhere, in a strange-looking jungle, Waspinator is still online, but must reassemble himself, muttering that he has "planzzz". A short distance away, Blackarachnia finds herself confronted with some local animals...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (5)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (10)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (15)
|c2=
*[[Wasp|Wasp/Waspinator]] (1)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Bumblebee''': Hate to say it, but Sentinel's got a point. I'd feel a lot safer with Wasp behind bars. 
'''Optimus''': That's not your call to make, Bumblebee. 
'''Sentinel''': And it's not ''your'' call to make either, Optimus. I'm in command. 
'''Optimus''': On ''Cybertron''. This planet is ''my'' jurisdiction. 
'''Sentinel''': This is a Cybertronian fugitive, and I'll enforce my authority as the...the uh...''primer'' Prime! 
'''Optimus''': Did you just make that up?! 
'''Sentinel''': No! 
'''Optimus''': There's no such thing as a Primer Prime! 
'''Sentinel''': It's a real term. Look it up. 
'''Optimus''': I'm not gonna look it up! 
'''Sentinel''': 'Fraid I'm right?
:—Optimus and Sentinel engage in what can be politely described as a pissing contest.

'''Sentinel''': Right, okay. Here's the plan. Give me a few nanokliks to get into position and, then, give me a diversion to draw them away from the entrance. 
'''Jetfire''': De version? Vat kind of version? 
'''Jetstorm''': Means for we to blow something up! 
'''Jetfire''': Oh, good! I am liking de version!
:—The Twins enjoy blowing stuff up.

"I just never knew, never imagined that something this... unspeakable could have happened to you. How can you even live like that?! It's horrible! It's disgusting!" 
"Okay, okay, I get it! It's bad, but it's not ''that'' bad, all right?!" 
"No. It's worse. You should have gone offline."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' has more issues with '''Blackarachnia'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s condition than she does.

'''Blackarachnia''': So that's it?! You just slag your old friend Elita-1? 
'''Sentinel Prime''': ''Don't say that name!'' You don't deserve to say that name! 
''(Sentinel swipes, knocking Blackarachnia's helmet off, revealing her true face)'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': You're not Elita-1, you mutant freak. Elita-1 went offline a long time ago.
:—Sentinel may actually be right for once, albeit coming from the wrong direction.

"Let him go, Blackarachnia." 
"Why should I, Optimus?" 
"Because I'm the one who left you behind. Sentinel's not the one to blame for what you look like." 
"What I look like is only half the story. What I am is a lot more complicated."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Blackarachnia''', as the latter attacks Sentinel

'''Bumblebee''': Soooo, Wasp... -inator, you've gotten taller. And you can fly! That's-that's cool. 
'''Waspinator''': Wazzpinator megacool, thanks to new friend. 
'''Bumblebee''': Hey, speaking of friends, I wanted to say I'm sorry—you know, for everything I did and didn't do. 
'''Waspinator''': ''(with Wasp's voice)'' Wasp forgive Bumble-bot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh. Really? 
'''Waspinator''': ''(with normal voice)'' BUT WAZZPINATOR NEVER FORGIVE!
:—Bumblebee makes his final attempt to make amends with Wasp(inator)... and totally blew it.

"C'mon, ease up, you two. [Sentinel]'s been through a lot." 
"Never thought I'd hear ''you'' sticking up for S.P." 
"He's a good bot... even if he doesn't know how to let go of a grudge."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' surprises '''Jazz''' and the audience.

"Wazzpinator cannot go offline. Wazzpinator have planzz."
:—'''Waspinator''', foreshadowing.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* When Sentinel Prime attacks Blackarachnia, he knocks off a helmet that she was wearing to hide her true mutant face. The helmet was previously seen in "[[Along Came a Spider]]" as Optimus entered a room in the wrecked Decepticon warship.

===Transformers references===
[[File:PredaconsRising-craziestofcameos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|What, no eagle/wolf Fuzor?]]
*As the plot of this episode centers on Blackarachnia and Waspinator, the ''Animated'' staff recruited Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, the head writers of the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' animated series, to script it. Consequently, the episode has quite a few references to ''Beast Wars'', including:
**The title itself is, of course, a reference to the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] from ''Beast Wars'', but it's a reference that doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to anyone who doesn't already know what a Predacon is, since no one in the episode is actually ''called'' a Predacon at any stage.
**Although it's hardly a ''Transformers''-specific term, Sentinel instructs Jetfire and Jetstorm to fire their jets at "Maximum Burn", which was a pretty common command phrase used by the Beast Warriors for firing their own jets. If it were anybody but DiTillio and Forward on scripting duties, we'd probably write it off, but...
**Just like [[Waspinator (BW)|his predecessor]], this Waspinator can survive being blown to scraps.
**The immortal phrase "Waspinator has plans!" was first uttered by the original ''Beast Wars'' incarnation of the character in "[[Other Voices, Part 2]]", and has since become one of the lovable little guy's most famous and popular lines amongst the fandom, leading to a reprisal in "[[Nemesis Part 1]]". In context, he was bemoaning his apparent looming demise and merely indicating that he had stuff he wanted to do with his life, but like a lot of the aspects of the original Waspinator that are adapted into ''Animated'' Waspy, here, it just comes off as pretty ''sinister''.
**At the end of the episode, Blackarachnia comes face to face with [[Optimus Primal|a gorilla]], [[Rhinox (BW)|a rhino]], [[Cheetor (BW)|a green-eyed cheetah]], [[Rattrap (BW)|and a very large rat]]. Interestingly, the script even calls the setting where this scene takes place a "primitive Earthlike planet." Hmmm. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] [http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1500152931 encourages us] not to read too much into the scene, however.
* "It's too late for apologies" is one of the most infamous lines of dialogue from the hilariously inept [[Omni Productions]] dub of the Japanese ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' cartoon, where it was spoken by a Goth-angsty [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]].

===Animation errors===
* When Waspinator confronts Blackarachnia (immediately after she confesses to using him), his mandible does not move as he speaks. A screenshot of this error can be seen at the top of this page.
* In one scene, the Jet Twins' Elite Guard symbols on their hips are missing.
* Just after Waspinator runs into Bumblebee in pursuit of Blackarachnia, Bumblebee's chest plate briefly shrinks while tumbling then reverts to normal size after.

===Real-world references===
*When Blackarachnia presses some buttons on her computer, they sound the [[theme song|theme]] from ''[[wikipedia:Close Encounters of the Third Kind|Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''.
*The transwarp experimentation chambers look and function exactly like the telepods from David Cronenberg's [[Fly|''The Fly'']].

===Trivia===
*Bumblebee can drive up the sides of buildings! [[Spy Changer|He's not the only one]].
*When Optimus contacts Sentinel Prime to warn him about Dinobot Island, Sentinel shuts him off by tilting the 'antenna' on the left side of his head. [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)#Animated|His Deluxe toy actually does allow you to do this]], but backwards.
*In the English language, ''"optimus"'' is a synonym for ''"prime"'', both of which are synonyms of "elite" or "best". So, by definition, Optimus Prime's name literally means ''"Primer Prime"''. Too bad for you, Sentinel.
*Waspinator wasn't the only one damaged in the transwarp explosion. If you take a close look at Blackarachnia at the end of the episode, you'll notice that her 'stingers' (which act as her [[beast mode]]'s front legs) have been blown off.
*When Optimus and Sentinel discuss Sentinel taking over from Ultra Magnus, observe Optimus as he says "...and for better or worse..." He appears to squint uncomfortably, almost as if it pained him to say what he's going to say. [[This Is Why I Hate Machines|Huh.]]
*Speaking of jerk-face, Sentinel's drill-sergeant side is still very much in evidence when he barks at the twins to not "stand around with your pistons in your servos", a [[Anatomic euphemism|euphemistic]] Cybertronian equivalent of a rather off-color fleshling phrase we can't repeat here.
*Prowl continues to wear his new samurai armor even when he's not really needing it. [[To sell toys|Gotta sell that brand-spankin' new figure, you know?]]
*This episode marked the last appearance of Blackarachnia and Waspinator.
*The animals that observe Blackarachnia are roughly the same size she is. Unless they are on an alien world where [[Scale|the creatures are all over-sized]], those animals are positively HUGE.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Expérience Techno-organique'''" ("Techno-organic Experience")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kanashiki Seimeitai'''" (悲しき生命体, "Sorrowful Lifeform")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 13|13 November]] [[2010]]

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Os Predadores Ressurgem'''" ("Predators Resurface")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''???'''" ("???")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 17|17 November]] [[2009]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 9 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Five Servos of Doom

2017-11-15T15:27:41Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Five Servos Yoketron vs Prowl.JPG
|caption=Wax on, wax off.
|ep=35
|ep2=32
|prev2=Where Is Thy Sting?
|next2=Predacons Rising (Animated)
|title="Five Servos of Doom"
|airdate=[[April 4]], 2009
|written by=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

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

==Synopsis==
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-CapturedDecepticons.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|"We're gonna need a bigger shelf..."]]

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

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

[[File:TFA Five Servos Prowl meets Yoketron.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"Blam! Pow! You want I should leave this here?"]]

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

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

[[File:Jetstormpose.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Say cheeeeeese!]]

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

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

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

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

[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-Yoketron'sDeath.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"You must not sacrifice a piece of the future to bring back the past." "But the seeds of the future lie buried in the past!" "... shut up, boy."]]

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

[[File:Sentinel-derp.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Sentinel displays his ''Unfortunate Accident'' mode.]]

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

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

[[File:TFA Five Servos processor over matter.JPG|right|thumb|upright=1.1|...Show-off.]]
A little later, everyone has returned to the Elite Guard ship, where Jetstorm and Jetfire open a communications channel with [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] on Cybertron. Cliffjumper tells the Autobots about [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]'s attack on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], and rather than add to the trouble, Prime refrains from reporting Sentinel's misconduct, instead simply informing Cliffjumper of the capture of the Decepticons on [[Earth]], crediting Prowl. Sentinel thanks Optimus for covering for him, but Optimus promises that once everything is done, he and Sentinel will have it out.

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

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

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

}}

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

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

"Give. Me. Yoketron's. Helmet."
:—'''Prowl''' is ''not'' messing around.

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

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

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

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===

*Lockdown seems to have...lost a...tooth?
*When Prowl readies himself to kick Lockdown, his animation model doesn't have Yoketron's helmet, but rather, the helmet from the episode "[[A Fistful of Energon]]". This error reappears when Prowl charges at Lockdown a few seconds later.
*When the scoreboard crashes onto Prowl, Lockdown, and Ramjet, Prowl is missing his samurai armor.
*In the pan shot from the assembled Autobots and defeated Liar Starscream to Sentinel Prime with his head stuck in the ground, Sentinel's arms are spread out onto the turf as if he were no longer in stasis cuffs. His arms are positioned correctly when the shot switches to a close-up.
*Jetstorm has no mouth when Jetfire hails Cliffjumper on the Elite Guard ship's viewscreen.

===Continuity errors===
*It's not ''technically'' an error, since Prowl has always remained quiet on his history and could just have been holding back from correcting anyone, but this episode reveals that he was online during the Great War, prior to the creation of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]], where previous episodes have suggested that none of the main ''Animated'' Autobot cast, except for [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], were around back then. Notably, this makes Prowl older than Optimus Prime, which... sits ill, at best.
*Based on the various conversations about him, it seems the public believes Master [[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]] mysteriously disappeared. This is rather at odds with Prowl's flashback, in which Master Yoketron leaves two distinct corpses behind thanks to Prowl trying to revive him. This makes one wonder what exactly happened after that.
*On a related note, this also means that Jazz was active in the Cyber-Ninja Corps during the war, apparently long before Sentinel even came online (much less joined the Elite Guard). Even ignoring Sentinel's various flaws, this raises legitimate questions about just how promotions are handed out in the Elite Guard.
*Swindle is still in one piece, despite [[Carmine Fanzone|a certain cop]] telling the Autobots he would be stripped down and sold at an auction.
*Sentinel notes he had to pay a fine to remove the vehicle-locked Swindle from an impound lot. HOW he could have paid a fine with money he'd never have reason to carry goes unexplained.
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-LockdownInYoketronHelmet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
*Lockdown has never mentioned Prowl's fighting before, referred to any cyber-ninja training, or, perhaps most noticeably, worn Yoketron's helmet prior to this episode. The latter may have been meant to be explained by Lockdown's stated interest in Prowl's use of the samurai armor during their last encounter, but it's still a little clunky.
*By much the same token, given what a big point Prowl makes of Yoketron's helmet being distinctive enough in shape to be recognizable even in shadow, it seems a little odd in retrospect that he made no comment regarding the strong similarity to his former master's helmet when he first saw the previous "samurai" helmet he got from Lockdown.
*The [[protoform]] in this episode is a whole lot different than the one featured in "[[TransWarped]]". This new look will remain constant for the rest of the series.

===Continuity notes===
*Prowl performed the titular "Five Servos of Doom" technique back in "[[The Elite Guard]]".
*Swindle is still stuck in [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] after the events of "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]".
*Prowl's samurai armor was previously seen in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]", in which Lockdown last appeared. Additionally, it was in that episode that Starscream escaped from the Elite Guard flagship, which is the "last time" that Sentinel refers to while arguing with Optimus.
*As of this episode, we've seen all the Cybertronian modes for the five main Autobots.
*And, as of this episode, all the main 'bots have had flashback episodes (counting "[[Autoboot Camp]]" for both Bulkhead and Bumblebee).
*Prowl's keeping of his new armor continues the trend started in "[[TransWarped]]" with Bumblebee and Ratchet that upgrades are okay now because damnit, this is war. This is a notable turnaround from the position of the first two seasons.

===Transformers references===

*Yoketron is named for [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s lead designer, [[Hideaki Yoke]].
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-TempleCameos.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|For those who thought getting [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] just wasn't good enough...]]
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-TempleCameos2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-TempleCameos3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*In addition to Yoketron and Jazz, the busts in Yoketron's little "hall of fame" depict ''Animated'' incarnations of various Transformers that have otherwise not appeared in the series (yet?). Those clearly visible onscreen include [[Springer (Animated)|Springer]], [[Sky Garry (Animated)|Sky Garry]], [[Devcon (Animated)|Devcon]], [[Dai Atlas (Animated)|Dai Atlas]], [[Heavy Load (Animated)|Heavy Load]], [[Star Upper (Animated)|Star Upper]] and [[Roadhandler (Animated)|Roadhandler]], but there are many more busts in the room that are only seen from a distance, and are essentially unidentifiable. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has identified the other Transformers as [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Star Saber (Animated)|Star Saber]], [[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]], [[Kick-Off (Animated)|Kick-Off]], [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]], [[Motorarm (Animated)|Motorarm]], [[Powerhug (Animated)|Powerhug]] and [[Road Rocket (Animated)|Road Rocket]].
** Additionally, Wyatt classifies the characters as being specialists in different categories, namely Fencing/Swordfighting/Melee Weapons (Star Saber, Magnus, Dai Atlas, Springer), Boxing/Kick-Boxing/Street-Fighting (Tap-Out, Star Upper, Sky Garry, Kick-Off, Devcon), Sumo/Wrestling (Grandus, Motorarm, Powerhug and Roadhandler) and Martial Arts/Ninja (Yoketron, Jazz, Heavy Load and Road Rocket). These classifications speak for themselves more often than not (no explanation is needed for the melee-weapon characters, nor for someone like Star Upper, who was all about boxing), but sometimes the rationale is a bit more obscure (Heavy Load, for instance, was only ever noted to be a martial artist in his [[bio]]; it never came across in the cartoon), or is a reference to some past fiction (Roadhandler being classified as a wrestler is the main example, being that it's a reference to his stint in the squared circle from the Marvel Comics story, "[[The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!]]"). Conversely, sometimes it's just a joke—Grandus as a sumo, for instance, is purely a gag based on the fact that he's a big fatty fat-fat.
** The order of the busts in the room appears to go "Door -> Road Rocket/Star Saber/Kick-Off/Tap-Out -> Ultra Magnus? -> Roadhandler/Powerhug/Motorarm/Grandus -> Protoform Chamber Entrance -> Springer/Lockdown/Sky Garry/Devcon -> Yoketron -> Dai Atlas/Jazz/Heavy Load/Star Upper -> Door".
*[[Tigatron]] Stadium!
*Lockdown identifies Prowl's techniques as [[Metallikato]] and [[Circuit-Su]].
*Yoketron's Spark container is similar to design to [[Big Convoy]]'s Matrix, with two L-shaped handles instead of U-shaped ones. Fitting, when one considers Yoketron's Japanese-based aesthetic.
*One of the upgrades seen on Lockdown's shelves is [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave's]] G1 shoulder-mounted missile launcher.
*The protoform Prowl takes from the room has a design similar to the ones in ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.
*Also, the protoform-pods-or-whatever-they-are-called on the walls look like the [[stasis pod]]s from [[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|the same franchise]]...where the protoforms were guarded as well! Coincidence? Perhaps...
*Master Yoketron's dying words to Prowl are [[Endgame, Part II|rather foreshadowing....]]

===Real-world references===
*The title of the episode is apparently derived from the 1972 Hong Kong martial arts movie [[wikipedia:Five Fingers Of Death|''Five Fingers Of Death'']]. The movie's name is a regular source of recycling, including wrestler Bret Hart's "Five Moves Of Doom" and the mockumentary ''18 Fingers Of Death'' to name a few.
**A reference to "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]" may not have been intended, but the Brazilian title sure seems to be going in that direction.
*Tigatron Stadium is named after and largely based on {{w|Tiger Stadium}}, the former home field of the {{w|Detroit Tigers}}. The stadium ceased use by the team in 1999, and was later fully demolished in 2009.

===Trivia===
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-CapturedBlitzwingFaces.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Watch out, it bites!]]
*Like [[Where Is Thy Sting?|the previous episode]], this episode received an early online debut when a copy loaded onto the Cartoon Network website server, intended to go live after the episode premiered, was leaked out on [[March 27]], over a week before the episode premiered on television.
*The voice cast for this episode does not credit [[David Kaye]] with the role of Cliffjumper.
*Having three faces warrants three mouth clamps, it seems, as the animation depicts the mouth clamps on Blitzwing's faces rotating when he switches personality. Interestingly, you can still see some of the smile on Random Blitzwing's face.
*While trying to identify the helmet Optimus Prime saw, Prowl brings up the images of the helmets worn by Ultra Magnus and Blitzwing on the computer.
*Look at that French title. "Cerveaux" doesn't mean anything like "servos", but it does ''sound'' like it...

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cinco Faces Do Mal'''" ("Five Faces Of Evil")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Les 5 cerveaux du destin'''" ("The 5 Brains of Destiny")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Los cinco servos de la perdición'''" ("The five servos of doom")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 10|10 November]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shishō no Katami'''" (師匠の形見, "Memento of the Master")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 6|6 November]] [[2010]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 9 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Five Servos of Doom

2017-11-15T15:26:14Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Five Servos Yoketron vs Prowl.JPG
|caption=Wax on, wax off.
|ep=35
|ep2=32
|prev2=Where Is Thy Sting?
|next2=Predacons Rising (Animated)
|title="Five Servos of Doom"
|airdate=[[April 4]], 2009
|written by=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

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

==Synopsis==
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-CapturedDecepticons.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|"We're gonna need a bigger shelf..."]]

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

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

[[File:TFA Five Servos Prowl meets Yoketron.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"Blam! Pow! You want I should leave this here?"]]

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

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

[[File:Jetstormpose.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Say cheeeeeese!]]

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

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

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

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

[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-Yoketron'sDeath.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"You must not sacrifice a piece of the future to bring back the past." "But the seeds of the future lie buried in the past!" "... shut up, boy."]]

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

[[File:Sentinel-derp.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Sentinel displays his ''Unfortunate Accident'' mode.]]

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

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

[[File:TFA Five Servos processor over matter.JPG|right|thumb|upright=1.1|...Show-off.]]
A little later, everyone has returned to the Elite Guard ship, where Jetstorm and Jetfire open a communications channel with [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] on Cybertron. Cliffjumper tells the Autobots about [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]'s attack on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], and rather than add to the trouble, Prime refrains from reporting Sentinel's misconduct, instead simply informing Cliffjumper of the capture of the Decepticons on [[Earth]], crediting Prowl. Sentinel thanks Optimus for covering for him, but Optimus promises that once everything is done, he and Sentinel will have it out.

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

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

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

}}

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

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

"Give. Me. Yoketron's. Helmet."
:—'''Prowl''' is ''not'' messing around.

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

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

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

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===

*Lockdown seems to have...lost a...tooth?
*When Prowl readies himself to kick Lockdown, his animation model doesn't have Yoketron's helmet, but rather, the helmet from the episode "[[A Fistful of Energon]]". This error reappears when Prowl charges at Lockdown a few seconds later.
*When the scoreboard crashes onto Prowl, Lockdown, and Ramjet, Prowl is missing his samurai armor.
*In the pan shot from the assembled Autobots and defeated Liar Starscream to Sentinel Prime with his head stuck in the ground, Sentinel's arms are spread out onto the turf as if he were no longer in stasis cuffs. His arms are positioned correctly when the shot switches to a close-up.
*Jetstorm has no mouth when Jetfire hails Cliffjumper on the Elite Guard ship's viewscreen.

===Continuity errors===
*It's not ''technically'' an error, since Prowl has always remained quiet on his history and could just have been holding back from correcting anyone, but this episode reveals that he was online during the Great War, prior to the creation of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]], where previous episodes have suggested that none of the main ''Animated'' Autobot cast, except for [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], were around back then. Notably, this makes Prowl older than Optimus Prime, which... sits ill, at best.
*Based on the various conversations about him, it seems the public believes Master [[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]] mysteriously disappeared. This is rather at odds with Prowl's flashback, in which Master Yoketron leaves two distinct corpses behind thanks to Prowl trying to revive him. This makes one wonder what exactly happened after that.
*On a related note, this also means that Jazz was active in the Cyber-Ninja Corps during the war, apparently long before Sentinel even came online (much less joined the Elite Guard). Even ignoring Sentinel's various flaws, this raises legitimate questions about just how promotions are handed out in the Elite Guard.
*Swindle is still in one piece, despite [[Carmine Fanzone|a certain cop]] telling the Autobots he would be stripped down and sold at an auction.
*Sentinel notes he had to pay a fine to remove the vehicle-locked Swindle from an impound lot. HOW he could have paid a fine with money he'd never have reason to carry goes unexplained.
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-LockdownInYoketronHelmet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
*Lockdown has never mentioned Prowl's fighting before, referred to any cyber-ninja training, or, perhaps most noticeably, worn Yoketron's helmet prior to this episode. The latter may have been meant to be explained by Lockdown's stated interest in Prowl's use of the samurai armor during their last encounter, but it's still a little clunky.
*By much the same token, given what a big point Prowl makes of Yoketron's helmet being distinctive enough in shape to be recognizable even in shadow, it seems a little odd in retrospect that he made no comment regarding the strong similarity to his former master's helmet when he first saw the previous "samurai" helmet he got from Lockdown.
*The [[protoform]] in this episode is a whole lot different than the one featured in "[[TransWarped]]". This new look will remain constant for the rest of the series.

===Continuity notes===
*Prowl performed the titular "Five Servos of Doom" technique back in "[[The Elite Guard]]".
*Swindle is still stuck in [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] after the events of "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]".
*Prowl's samurai armor was previously seen in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]", in which Lockdown last appeared. Additionally, it was in that episode that Starscream escaped from the Elite Guard flagship, which is the "last time" that Sentinel refers to while arguing with Optimus.
*As of this episode, we've seen all the Cybertronian modes for the five main Autobots.
*And, as of this episode, all the main 'bots have had flashback episodes (counting "[[Autoboot Camp]]" for both Bulkhead and Bumblebee).
*Prowl's keeping of his new armor continues the trend started in "[[TransWarped]]" with Bumblebee and Ratchet that upgrades are okay now because damnit, this is war. This is a notable turnaround from the position of the first two seasons.

===Transformers references===

*Yoketron is named for [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s lead designer, [[Hideaki Yoke]].
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-TempleCameos.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|For those who thought getting [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] just wasn't good enough...]]
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-TempleCameos2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-TempleCameos3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*In addition to Yoketron and Jazz, the busts in Yoketron's little "hall of fame" depict ''Animated'' incarnations of various Transformers that have otherwise not appeared in the series (yet?). Those clearly visible onscreen include [[Springer (Animated)|Springer]], [[Sky Garry (Animated)|Sky Garry]], [[Devcon (Animated)|Devcon]], [[Dai Atlas (Animated)|Dai Atlas]], [[Heavy Load (Animated)|Heavy Load]], [[Star Upper (Animated)|Star Upper]] and [[Roadhandler (Animated)|Roadhandler]], but there are many more busts in the room that are only seen from a distance, and are essentially unidentifiable. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has identified the other Transformers as [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Star Saber (Animated)|Star Saber]], [[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]], [[Kick-Off (Animated)|Kick-Off]], [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]], [[Motorarm (Animated)|Motorarm]], [[Powerhug (Animated)|Powerhug]] and [[Road Rocket (Animated)|Road Rocket]].
** Additionally, Wyatt classifies the characters as being specialists in different categories, namely Fencing/Swordfighting/Melee Weapons (Star Saber, Magnus, Dai Atlas, Springer), Boxing/Kick-Boxing/Street-Fighting (Tap-Out, Star Upper, Sky Garry, Kick-Off, Devcon), Sumo/Wrestling (Grandus, Motorarm, Powerhug and Roadhandler) and Martial Arts/Ninja (Yoketron, Jazz, Heavy Load and Road Rocket). These classifications speak for themselves more often than not (no explanation is needed for the melee-weapon characters, nor for someone like Star Upper, who was all about boxing), but sometimes the rationale is a bit more obscure (Heavy Load, for instance, was only ever noted to be a martial artist in his [[bio]]; it never came across in the cartoon), or is a reference to some past fiction (Roadhandler being classified as a wrestler is the main example, being that it's a reference to his stint in the squared circle from the Marvel Comics story, "[[The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!]]"). Conversely, sometimes it's just a joke—Grandus as a sumo, for instance, is purely a gag based on the fact that he's a big fatty fat-fat.
** The order of the busts in the room appears to go "Door -> Road Rocket/Star Saber/Kick-Off/Tap-Out -> Ultra Magnus? -> Roadhandler/Powerhug/Motorarm/Grandus -> Protoform Chamber Entrance -> Springer/Lockdown/Sky Garry/Devcon -> Yoketron -> Dai Atlas/Jazz/Heavy Load/Star Upper -> Door".
*[[Tigatron]] Stadium!
*Lockdown identifies Prowl's techniques as [[Metallikato]] and [[Circuit-Su]].
*Yoketron's Spark container is similar to design to [[Big Convoy]]'s Matrix, with two L-shaped handles instead of U-shaped ones. Fitting, when one considers Yoketron's Japanese-based aesthetic.
*One of the upgrades seen on Lockdown's shelves is [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave's]] G1 shoulder-mounted missile launcher.
*The protoform Prowl takes from the room has a design similar to the ones in ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.
*Also, the protoform-pods-or-whatever-they-are-called on the walls look like the [[stasis pod]]s from [[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|the same franchise]]...where the protoforms were guarded as well! Coincidence? Perhaps...
*Master Yoketron's dying words to Prowl are [[Endgame, Part II|rather foreshadowing....]]

===Real-world references===
*The title of the episode is apparently derived from the 1972 Hong Kong martial arts movie [[wikipedia:Five Fingers Of Death|''Five Fingers Of Death'']]. The movie's name is a regular source of recycling, including wrestler Bret Hart's "Five Moves Of Doom" and the mockumentary ''18 Fingers Of Death'' to name a few.
**A reference to "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]" may not have been intended, but the Brazilian title sure seems to be going in that direction.
*Tigatron Stadium is named after and largely based on {{w|Tiger Stadium}}, the former home field of the {{w|Detroit Tigers}}. The stadium ceased use by the team in 1999, and was later fully demolished in 2009.

===Trivia===
[[File:FiveServosOfDoom-CapturedBlitzwingFaces.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Watch out, it bites!]]
*Like [[Where Is Thy Sting?|the previous episode]], this episode received an early online debut when a copy loaded onto the Cartoon Network website server, intended to go live after the episode premiered, was leaked out on [[March 27]], over a week before the episode premiered on television.
*The voice cast for this episode does not credit [[David Kaye]] with the role of Cliffjumper.
*Having three faces warrants three mouth clamps, it seems, as the animation depicts the mouth clamps on Blitzwing's faces rotating when he switches personality. Interestingly, you can still see some of the smile on Random Blitzwing's face.
*While trying to identify the helmet Optimus Prime saw, Prowl brings up the images of the helmets worn by Ultra Magnus and Blitzwing on the computer.
*Look at that French title. "Cerveaux" doesn't mean anything like "servos", but it does ''sound'' like it...

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cinco Faces Do Mal'''" ("Five Faces Of Evil")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Les 5 cerveaux du destin'''" ("The 5 Brains of Destiny")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Los cinco servos de la perdición'''" ("The five servos of doom")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 3|3 November]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shishō no Katami'''" (師匠の形見, "Memento of the Master")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 6|6 November]] [[2010]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 9 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Where Is Thy Sting?

2017-11-15T15:22:54Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=WhereIsThySting-reflectingface.jpg
|caption=Get out of my head!
|ep=34
|ep2=31
|prev2=Three's a Crowd
|next2=Five Servos of Doom
|title="Where Is Thy Sting?"
|airdate=[[March 28]], 2009
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Shigeharu Takahashi]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A little later, back at the plant, Wasp cheerily denies Bumblebee's accusations, using the information he has gleaned from the Autobots' files to "prove" he is who he claims. When interrogation yields no results, Bulkhead comes up with the best way to figure out who's who: a versus match on ''Ninja Gladiator''! Before the game even starts, Wasp chokes and grabs Bumblebee, holding his stinger to 'Bee's neck. Wasp insists that he was always a good bot, but Bulkhead says that isn't true; he might not be a traitor, but he was always mean to Bulkhead and Bumblebee and was hardly good. Wasp blasts out the lights to cover his escape, and when the emergency lights kick in, both Wasp and Bumblebee are gone.

[[Image:WhereIsThySting-UltraMagnusOffline.jpg|thumb|right|200px|If anyone inserts a "He's been dealt with" caption here, so help us...]]

The Autobots head outside, where they spot what looks like Bumblebee lying on the ground. Bulkhead assumes it is Wasp and leaps upon the prone figure, pummeling him and ripping off his helmet... only to find out that it really is Bumblebee underneath. Prowl examines Bumblebee's helmet and discovers that their colors were switched so quickly because Wasp had hit him with an [[electronic paint job]] that he could turn off with the press of a button. As things begin to calm down, the truth of the whole matter hits Jazz—if Wasp really was innocent, that means that Longarm Prime really is a Decepticon spy!

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters

|c1=
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (1)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (2)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Wasp]] (7)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (8)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (11)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (12)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (13)
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (15)

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

|c4=
*[[Hot Dog Bot]] (14)
|}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Notes==

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

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

===Continuity notes===
*We last saw Wasp in "[[Autoboot Camp]]", to which this episode is essentially a sequel. A brief flashback from the episode is shown after Bumblebee says he "took the rap" for Bulkhead for what happened to Sentinel Prime. In an attempt to maintain his ruse, Wasp also mentions all the things that Bumblebee had done then which accidentally embarrassed Sentinel Prime. He also mentions the events in "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]".
* Optimus' Autobots discovered that Wasp wasn't guilty in "[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II]]".
* Sentinel Prime discusses the modifications made to Jetfire and Jetstorm, which took place in the "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]" comic book.
* Sentinel Prime still doesn't remember his time with Bumblebee and Bulkhead, as he did (didn't?) in "[[The Elite Guard]]".

===Transformers references===
[[Image:WhereIsThySting-Bumblebeesvideogame.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Referenciality!]]
* The background of the ''Ninja Gladiator'' video game prominently features [[TORQ III]].
* In the scene before he switches places with "Bumble-Bot", Wasp is wearing a [[rubsign]] in place of a conventional Autobot insignia. This is identical to [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]—at this time he does not belong to either faction.
* [[Tigatron Stadium]], which will be seen in the next episode, can be seen in the background.

===Real-world references===
* The episode's title is a reference to a Bible verse: namely, [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2015:55&version=31 1 Corinthians 15:55]: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
* Sentinel Prime's cry of "Arrest 'em all and let Ultra Magnus sort 'em out!" is a reference to a popular English translation of a saying by Abbot [[:wikipedia:Arnaud Amalric|Arnold Amaury]], before the massacre of Béziers during the Albigensian Crusade: "Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out." It's not the first time the phrase [[United|has been used]] in ''Transformers'' fiction.
** According to [[David Kaye]], [[Jeff Bennett]] once used this line in a recording session during the first season, causing the cast to burst into laughter and forcing them to take five.{{fact}}
* The four-armed insect from ''Ninja Gladiator'' is [http://www.micro-outpost.com/pictures/aliens/antron/antron.html Antron] from the ''[[Micronauts]]''. According to Derrick Wyatt, the black figure the insect fights is [[Snake-Eyes]].[http://twitter.com/SentinelPrime/status/1418651506][http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1418656175]
* The Jet bros. combination sequence, like much else about them, is based on the stock footage sequences of the various Symmetrical Docking robots from ''[[Brave (franchise)|King Of Braves GaoGaiGar]]''.
* Bumblebee's line, 'Decepticons, why'd it have to be Decepticons?' hearkens back to ''[[Indiana Jones]] and the Raiders of the Lost Ark''.

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

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La revanche de Wasp'''" ("The Revenge of Wasp")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''¿Dónde está tu aguijón?'''" ("Where is your sting?")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 3|3 November]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Wasp no Fukushū'''" (ワスプの復讐, "Wasp's Revenge")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 30|30 October]] [[2010]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2011 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 9 ([[Paramount]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Three ([[Madman Entertainment]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Megatron Rising - Part 2

2017-03-16T04:39:20Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Megatron Rising Megatron descends.JPG
|caption=I'm here to find the AllSpark and kick some skidplate...and I can't seem to find the AllSpark.
|ep=16
|ep2=15
|prev2=Megatron Rising - Part 1
|next2=The Elite Guard
|title="Megatron Rising - Part 2"
|airdate=[[April 5]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Ciro Nieli]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Autobots are beaten down by the Decepticon invasion, but still must rally to prevent the AllSpark from falling into their clutches.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:MegaPrime.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, it is so on.]]

As Megatron descends to ground level, Optimus, Prowl and Bulkhead look on in disbelief. As he lands, Bulkhead takes point, launching his wrecking ball, but Megatron calmly slices it off before backhanding Bulkhead into a nearby building. Prowl then attacks, but his throwing stars are easily deflected, and he finds himself on the defensive, dodging Megatron's swords. Taking cover behind a bridge support, he manages to avoid them, but Megatron's attacks destroy it, and two children are nearly crushed under the falling rubble, saved only by Optimus borrowing "a move from the Bumblebee play book", using a combination of his wheels and ax to dash forward and snatch the children up. Meanwhile, Prowl is pinned under Megatron's foot, and the Decepticon draws a sword, ready to take revenge for Prowl slicing off the remains of his arm fifty years ago. Optimus saves Prowl by using a combination of his grappler and ax to knock the sword from Megatron's grasp. The two leaders face off, but Megatron simply blocks Prime's blow and kicks him away. As Megatron reaches for his dropped sword, Optimus launches a grappler, tripping him. Megatron follows up by snapping the grappler's line and using it to swing Optimus into the side of a building.

[[File:PayThePiper.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Megatron punishes Starscream for betrayal and goes against everything natural to Transformers lore.]]

In the tower, Blitzwing wants to join the fight, but Lugnut won't allow him to interfere in Megatron's business. As the two Decepticons argue, Dr. Sumdac tries to make a break for it, only to be blocked by Blitzwing. Meanwhile, Starscream holds a struggling Bumblebee while watching Optimus and Megatron battle, trying to decide whom he'll gain more from by helping, the Autobot or his would-be leader. On the ground, Optimus is taking a beating but says he will never reveal the AllSpark's location. Unfortunately, Megatron simply plans to use the [[AllSpark Key]] to track down the [[AllSpark#Animated continuity family|AllSpark]]. Punching Prime hard enough to send him skidding across the tarmac, Megatron calls out to his loyal Decepticons. Lugnut and Blitzwing immediately respond, and Starscream casually comments on his decision being made for him and throws Bumblebee away. As Lugnut prostrates himself, Starscream drops down on his head, ready to renew his tenure as Second in Command. Megatron comments on the appropriateness of Starscream's presence, takes aim on the Autobots...then quickly jams the Key into Starscream's chest, seemingly draining him of life. Dropping the offline traitor, Megatron asks if there are any other dissenters. Getting a negative response, he turns back to the Autobots, only to discover they've used the distraction to escape. Blitzwing wants to chase after them, but Megatron believes the AllSpark takes priority. At his command the Decepticons transform and roll—er, rise up, tracking their prize.

Isaac rushes outside to find the Autobots badly damaged, and confesses to them that he had rebuilt Megatron. Bulkhead and Prowl seem angry, but Prime decides they have more urgent problems to worry about: they were outclassed by the Decepticons even when in perfect operating condition, and now no longer can rely on Sari's AllSpark Key to repair them. Isaac suspects that there may be enough residual radiation from the Key left in his lab machinery to repair the Autobots, and they give his idea a try.

Ratchet, working to get the submerged [[Teletran-1]] flight-ready, sends out a security scan which detects the approach of Blackarachnia and Sari. Apparently the girl's sympathy from the previous episode was a ruse: she had been deliberately leading Blackarachnia in circles on the ice to waste time, and also had assumed the half-organic creature would not be able to stay underwater for long—a guess confirmed to be true by an outraged Blackarachnia, who becomes very threatening to Sari. Before the situation can get uglier, Ratchet surfaces the ship through the ice beneath them, rescuing Sari and catapulting Blackarachnia helplessly through the sky. Sari's gratitude at being rescued quickly fades when she finds out that despite "all that crud" about responsible handling, Ratchet lost the AllSpark Key.
[[File:Megatron Rising Sari chomp.JPG|upright=1|thumb|The Luis Suarèz of Transformers, everybody!]]

Back at Sumdac Tower, the Autobots are more or less repaired by the leftover energy in the lab machines. Knowing they are still sore at him, Optimus apologizes for his earlier bad attitude and asks them to repair their friendships as well. Sumdac is still feeling guilty about rebuilding Megatron and offers his assistance, though the Autobots are skeptical—both of his loyalty and of what a mere human could offer them. Before they can decide, Ratchet and Sari arrive in the Autobots' ship. The Autobots board the ship, which by now has come under heavy bombardment from the Decepticons.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Autobots assemble.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Avengers, assemble!"]]

The Autobots attempt to fly the ship into space, drawing the Decepticons away from Earth's civilians—but some well-aimed missiles wreck the ship's vital systems and that idea along with it. The vessel crashes into the side of the volcanic cone on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]]. The Autobots gear up for what will surely be a climactic battle; Prime states he is proud to have his current team by his side, while Bumblebee says he'd just as happily have the [[Elite Guard]]. The Decepticons close in for their attack, and the Autobots use some of their tactics learned throughout the series to throw them off-balance: Ratchet and Bumblebee combine powers to generate an electromagnetic pulse that temporarily disables Blitzwing, and Bulkhead uses his sheer... ''Bulkheadness''... to force Lugnut to crash. Back on the ship, Isaac is trying to jerry-rig a weapon to use against Megatron; recognizing that they might not survive, he tries to tell Sari something that had been a secret, but instead of listening she rushes off to ask the AllSpark to give her more power so she can help her friends. She asks it why she had been chosen in the first place, but doesn't understand its cryptic "charades" answer.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 All Spark Megs boom.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, this is gonna hurt...]]

Unable to match the Decepticons in sheer power, the Autobots manage to prevail by using their own teamwork and playing off the Decepticons' weaknesses—thanks to some clever 'bot tactics, the schizoid Blitzwing and overly talkative Lugnut are basically encouraged to defeat themselves. But Megatron has no apparent weaknesses, except perhaps being cluttered with little shards of Optimus Prime after he finishes beating on the Autobot. Their one-sided fight carries them into the hold of the ship, where Megatron succeeds in acquiring the AllSpark. Before he can celebrate, he is temporarily downed by Isaac, who knows enough about Megatron's circuitry to disable his equilibrium sensors—but although he drops the AllSpark Key in his stumble, the tyrant isn't down for long. Megatron is about to finish Prime, when Sari hurls Prime the Key and he jams it into the AllSpark's spherical casing, cracking it open. A destabilized Megatron flees the ship before the AllSpark explodes inside his chest, dispersing its energy throughout the atmosphere.

The AllSpark Key is now the single most powerful Cybertronian artifact, and too important to be entrusted to the care of an Autobot—so Prime returns it to Sari, who uses it to repair all her friends as usual. Megatron still functions and has plans for his new prisoner, Isaac Sumdac.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (9)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (5)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (13)

|c4=
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Teletran-1]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Megatron''': Ah, Starscream. How fitting to have you by my side as I finally take my revenge on the one responsible for my fifty stellar cycles of helplessness and humiliation. ''(Megatron aims his cannon at Optimus, then kills Starscream with the key)'' Does anyone else have a problem with my leadership? 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Uh, no, we're fine. 
'''Lugnut''': NEVER!
:—Megatron quickly reestablishes the Decepticon pecking order.

'''Sari''': No problem, we'll just fix 'em up. I mean, it's not like you lost my ''key'' or anything. 
(Ratchet looks away awkwardly) 
'''Sari''': You ''lost'' my key!? 
'''Ratchet''': Technically, I lost my ''hand''. It...just happened to have your key attached to it. 
:—One of many attempts to shift/avoid/lessen blame in this two-parter.

'''Isaac''': Oh dear, this is all my fault! 
'''Sari''': What? It's not like you built Megatron in your lab or anything. 
''[Isaac Sumdac looks away and uncomfortably taps his fingers]'' 
'''Sari''': YOU BUILT MEGATRON IN YOUR LAB?! 
'''Ratchet''': On the bright side, now I don't feel so bad about losing your key. 
:—One of several awkward moments in this episode for Isaac Sumdac.

"If we go down, we go down fighting. Together. And I can't think of a better band of Autobots I'd be prouder to fight alongside." 
"Not even the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]]? Because I sure wouldn't mind having them here now." 
:— '''Optimus Prime''' prepares to [[Furmanism|fight and die]] while '''Bumblebee''' would rather fight and live.

"Curious, my electrical systems have gone offline. Which means..." 
"I"M FALLING! WAHAHAHAHAHA!"
:- '''Icy Blitzwing''' explains the situation while '''Random Blitzwing''' states the obvious.

'''Bumblebee''': So what do we do now? Wait for him to turn back into a tank and crash like last time? 
'''Ratchet''': Nobody gets that lucky twice. 
'''Prowl''': Perhaps we can make our own luck. I've noticed a connection between Blitzwing's multiple personalities and his vehicle modes. We can use that weakness against him...but it will require using Bumblebee's greatest strength. 
'''Bumblebee''': What, my stingers? My turbo-speed? 
'''Prowl''': Your obnoxious personality. 
:—Prowl nails friend and foe alike with ninja precision.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Blitzwing tank crash.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the tank as it fell was "Oh slag, not again". Many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why the tank had thought that, we would know a lot more about the nature of the universe than we do now.]]

'''Bumblebee''': Hey, Blitzbrain! Is that your jet mode, or did your pal Lugnut dump out some spare parts? ...How come you have three faces? Couldn't decide which was the ugliest? ...And who uses ice as a weapon? What are you? A refrigerator? 
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': You want heat? I'll give you more than you can handle! ''[Transforms into a tank and promptly falls]'' Oh, [[Slag (slang)|slag]]! Not AGA-! ''[Crashes through the ice]''
:— Hothead Blitzwing is his own worst enemy.

"You all fought like Autobots! I can't tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you." 
"Go on, tell us. We can take it!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' praises the Autobots while '''Bumblebee''' showcases his recently discussed "greatest strength".

"I trust you are comfortable in your chair!"
:—'''Megatron''' to Isaac Sumdac. The choice of furniture was destined to come back to haunt him.

==Notes==

===Continuity errors===
* At the end of the last episode, Megatron grabbed Professor Sumdac as he was being rebuilt. He apparently put him back down through, as we see that at the start of this episode Sumdac is still in the lab being guarded by Blitzwing and Lugnut. Who then, upon being called by Megatron, fly off and leave Sumdac behind. This leaves Megatron to grab Isaac ''again'' right at the end of the episode. You'd almost think that the guy wanted to get captured.
* At the beginning of the series, years were measured as solar cycles to Transformers, but Megatron refers to years as stellar cycles.
* Megatron said that Prowl slashed off his arm, while he actually lost it due to Starscream planting a bomb on his back. Prowl ''did'', however, slash a part off that remained after the explosion.
* In "[[Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found]]", Ratchet reveals that even with the AllSpark Key, the ship would not be operational for a "long, long time," but in this episode he is able to get it spaceworthy in about two minutes—without the Key and with only one arm. However, the course of the series makes it clear that many months are going by (notice the changing seasons), so it's possible the Autobots had enough of a "long time" necessary to repair the ship off-camera.
* On that note, every other Transformer was shown to have scanned a vehicle in some way in order to get their alt mode. Megatron appears to have skipped that altogether. Of course he may have simply gotten his alt mode off the internet during his time in waiting. Who can say?
* Megatron asks Professor Sumdac if he is comfortable in his chair in the form of Megatron's hand, despite it being the wrong hand.
* The Autobots defeat Blitzwing by using his multiple personalities against him, despite the fact that in the last episode when Triple Changer is seen firing at Ratchet, he speaks in his Hothead voice, while being in jet mode. In addition, he later transforms from jet to Hothead robot mode directly-and still managed to stay in the air as he threatened Ratchet. So, ''are'' Blitzwing's vehicle modes connected with his personalities or are they not? (Possibly, the tank is only Hothead's ''preferred'' alt mode-he can use the more manuverable jet form if he's not ultra-peeved.)
* Blackarachnia says her organic half can't resist being underwater for long, though [[Dispatches|her trip through the void]] didn't harm her at all.
* Speaking of whom, did she even do anything in this episode (or the last) except bring Sari closer to the Autobots? Seemed like a waste of time that could have been used elsewhere in this already packed episode.

===Animation errors===
* During their initial fight, when Prime says that he won't give up the position of the AllSpark, Megatron seems to be three times the size of Optimus, despite the fact the majority of shots of them together he is only around half again as tall at the most. This might be intentional, to make Megatron even MORE intimidating (or just to give him time to rant while the camera pans up his frame).
*When Prowl dodged Megatron's second blast behind a concrete pillar, Prowl's forehead was gray.
* When Ratchet catches Sari after Blackarachnia drops her, his right arm is intact. In the next scene, it's gone again.
* Also, when Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prowl are planning on how to stop Blitzwing, Ratchet's arm is intact again, but in the next shot, it's gone again. This happens constantly during the final battle.
* When Blitzwing changes faces after Megatron coldcocks Starscream, his face rotates vertically, not horizontally as it usually does.
* The black lanyard attached to the AllSpark Key keeps disappearing and reappearing.
* Optimus Prime appears ''really'' tiny when he's shown sitting at the Autobot ship's door at the end.
* The [[stock footage]] of Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] shows it has some sort of lens in the barrel, which isn't present during the normal animation.
* The joystick Ratchet was using to pilot the ship moved along with his hand when he revealed how he lost his other arm.

===Transformers references===
[[File:Ark in mountain.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Moral of the story: Autobots cannot drive.]]
* The manner in which the [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Autobot ship]] is left sticking out of the rock is reminiscent of the [[Ark (G1)|original ''Ark'']].
* [[Cyber Planet Key|A key as the most powerful Cybertronian artifact?]] [[Key to Vector Sigma|Most familiar]].
* [[Heart of Cybertron|Putting the AllSpark into his chest]] did not kill Megatron, unlike his [[Megatron (Movie)|second cousin twice removed]].
* The AllSpark gets dispersed in this episode, just like [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|G1 cartoon Optimus Prime]] did with a [[Matrix of Leadership|nearly identical artifact]] after his [[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2|resurrection]].
* Starscream's entire death contains references to the original [[The Transformers: The Movie|animated movie]]. First, an attempt on [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his]] [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|leader's]] life is ruined when said leader returns in a new [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|body]] and kills Starscream for his betrayal. Then, the returning leader asks if anyone else has a problem with his leadership ("Will anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?"), and the remaining Decepticons pledge their loyalty.
* The damage Megatron receives after his battle with Optimus Prime is near identical to his [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation One self's]] damage after his final showdown with Prime in [[The Transformers: The Movie]].

===Trivia===
* The intro has a number of new sound effects added in. This version will be used for some future episodes, while others will (for no apparent reason) use the original version of the [[theme song]].
* Though they have never been seen together as a unit since landing on Earth (save for a [[Starscream Heckles Megatron|certain, non-canon short]],) this is the last episode [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|where]] [[Blitzwing (Animated)|all]] [[Lugnut (Animated)|members]] [[Starscream (Animated)|of]] [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]'s original crew are present.
* Despite the fact the Autobot ship crashed on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and company are nowhere to be seen. In an interview,<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/tfw2005-interviews-transformers-animated-story-editor-marty-isenberg-165509/ August 1, 2008 interview on TFW2005.com]</ref> Marty Isenberg said that there was a cut scene in which the Dinobots did come and fight, only to be defeated one-by-one by Megatron in order to show how powerful Megatron was. However, the poor quality of the animation caused the scene to be dropped. Additionally, in retrospect, Isenberg felt things might have worked out for the best, since the scene probably would have annoyed Dinobot fans (not to mention contradicted Grimlock's profile).
[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Sari AllSpark charades.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"The seeds of the future lie buried in the past." "What the heck does that mean?" "Wait, you're not [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|the munky!]]"]]
* Since virtually the beginning of the series, fans have been theorizing that Sari may be more than she appears (see [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|her own article]] for all the details), and this episode includes the second serious in-show hint in that direction, the first being in the very first episode, when Professor Sumdac's microbot cockroach experiment expanded into an out of control monster and devoured anything made of machinery, and the only human it grabbed was Sari. In addition to Professor Sumdac attempting to tell Sari "something important" when he thinks it's possible that they're about to die, a point is repeatedly made of noting that the AllSpark "chose" Sari, and when she asks it why, it projects an image of a DNA strand with a [[Spark|glowing, blue orb]] at its center. Hmmm...
* Sari bites Blackarachnia's hand, and somehow, the latter feels pain. Ordinarily, this could be explained away if one supposes that Blackarachnia's hand in robot mode is organic, but you can hear a metallic clang as Sari chomps down on it. That girl has some ''teeth'' on her.
* After 24 years, the Decepticons ''finally'' have an equivalent of "Transform and Roll Out." And it's one that makes perfect sense, considering that traditionally, most Decepticons can fly. Even after taking that into consideration, the frequent depiction in Transformers lore of the Decepticons as an insurgent army ''rising'' to glory and conquest lends it a certain poetic elegance as well. "Decepticons, transform and rise up!"
* Megatron's [[Stock footage|transforming sequence]] from helicopter to robot is ''mostly'' the sequence of robot to helicopter played backwards with a few shots added—or possibly, the robot-to-helicopter sequence is ''actually'' the helicopter-to-robot sequence played backwards with certain shots ''removed''. The added/deleted shots are seemingly designed solely for a vehicle-to-robot sequence (such as the reveal of his hands, head, and final elegant "Power Pose"), making the latter guess more likely.
* Megatron actually punishes Starscream for betraying him. You can count on one hand all the times that has happened in every Transformers series prior to this, combined. And [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] blasting [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|him]] to dust doesn't count.
* The ''Animated'' Decepticons seem to do a better job battling the Autobots when Megatron isn't commanding them.
* This episode proves that ''Animated'' Megatron is awesome and a total badass. But we had already guessed that.
*However, Megatron ''gently whisks away'' Sari. [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Maybe he has a soft spot for children]]?
*This episode, along with part 1, was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as "[[Transformers Animated Volume 7]]".

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno de Megatron, parte 2'''" ("The Return of Megatron, part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour de Megatron 2/2'''" ("The Return of Megatron 2/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatrons Auferstehung, Teil 2'''" ("Megatron's Resurrection, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 14|14 July]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatron se Levanta, 2da perte'''" ("Megatron Awakes, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 6|6 September]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatron no Fukkatsu Part 2'''" (メガトロンの復活パート2, "Megatron's Resurrection, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 10|10 July]] [[2010]]
::*'''Cut:''' A recap on what happened in the previous episode.
::*'''Cut:''' Sari confronts Ratchet about losing her key, but the two of them realize that the Decepticons are chasing them.
::*'''Cut''' The rest of the Autobots admit they weren't exactly Academy 'bot material and wonder what Optimus expected from a "bunch of insubordinate malfunctions".
::*'''Cut:''' Sari realizes that her father built Megatron in his laboratory this whole time.
::*'''Cut:''' As Teletraan-1 reports every system failing, Bumblebee yells out if it ever reports any good news.
::* The [[Transformers Evo.|theme song]] plays as the Autobots battle the Decepticons.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Megatrona, Część 2'''" ("The Return of Megatron, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 4 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2013 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2017-03-16T04:37:30Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=MegRisingHeadKey.jpg
|caption=Cyber Key power!
|ep=15
|ep2=14
|prev2=Headmaster (episode)
|next2=Megatron Rising - Part 2
|title="Megatron Rising - Part 1"
|airdate=[[March 29]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Ciro Nieli]] [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:MegRisingBodyLab.jpg|left|200px|thumb|This is what happens when you don't have proper rust-proofing.]]

[[Detroit]] is in the midst of a blizzard, and as Isaac Sumdac starts to repair Megatron's body he comments that they were fortunate to have found it beforehand, while at the same time praising it for being well-constructed enough to withstand 50 years of exposure to the elements. Megatron silently gloats that Cybertronian technology is more powerful than any force on Earth. The bad weather causes a blackout and forces [[Sumdac Tower]] onto its backup generator; when Sumdac decides this will force a delay in the repairs, Megatron alternates between bluster and sweet-talk to try to get his way, but it's no use. Megatron attempts to call Lugnut again for assistance.

Lugnut and Blitzwing have just finished rebuilding themselves (after some squabbling over the last piece) in a distant forest. Starscream mocks them for in-fighting and reminds them that he is their new chosen and sworn sovereign; his two subjects retort that they serve him only under threat, not by choice. At that moment, Megatron successfully contacts Lugnut, whose newly reverential and respectful attitude both pleases and confuses (''but mostly pleases'') Starscream. When Starscream finds out Lugnut "thinks" he's hearing Megatron, the new leader is infuriated, and in his anger almost exposes that fact that it was himself, and not the Autobots, who defeated Megatron in the first place. Megatron orders Lugnut to retrieve the [[AllSpark Key]] and bring it to him; Starscream then notices that, regardless of the source, Lugnut is indeed being contacted by someone. He orders Lugnut and Blitzwing to obey the strange orders for now, while he himself will track the transmissions to their source and see who is trying to undermine his authority.

As the Decepticons move out, the [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobots' headquarters]] computer notices their increased activity. The Autobots are worried about a possible full-scale Decepticon invasion. As if Optimus Prime wasn't stressed enough, Bulkhead and Prowl then take the opportunity to finally tell him about the continued survival of the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]]. Prime is furious that his orders were disobeyed, but decides that given the circumstances they should try to use all resources available—but insists that he will lead the new mission to contact the Dinobots.

[[Image:Megatron Rising Sari key taken.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Try all you want kid, Captain Planet ain't coming.]]

Optimus Prime is especially worried about the AllSpark Key, both because Sari can't protect it, and because she once again is using it as a toy (this time for model-plane dogfighting). When he orders her to turn it over, Sari angrily reminds him that she was chosen for this role by the [[AllSpark#Animated|AllSpark]] itself. Prime then orders Ratchet to magnetically take the Key from her, and, reluctantly, Ratchet obeys. Sari feels heartbroken and betrayed, and flees the base. An upset Bumblebee defends Sari's role as part of the team, to which Optimus responds that since Bumblebee has been such a poor team performer who makes so many mistakes, he isn't a good character witness. Bumblebee retorts that the Autobots' desperate, seemingly hopeless situation means Optimus isn't a good leader—then he leaves in pursuit of Sari. Prime orders Ratchet to take the Key to the [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Autobot spaceship]] beneath Lake Erie, and they all depart.

Sari walks down the street, dejected and pouting about how untrustworthy the Autobots turned out to be. But she's being watched—by Blackarachnia, who abducts the girl and mockingly praises her for seeing the light. Still hoping to cure herself of her techno-organic body, Blackarachnia attempts to bargain with Sari to hand over the AllSpark Key. They exchange "snappy banter" for a while, which leaves Blackarachnia bored. When Sari again mentions how the Autobots no longer trust her, Blackarachnia tells her more about her own sad past and how only the power of the AllSpark can give her back a normal life. Sari seems moved....

[[Image:Megatron Rising 1 Ratchet Blitzwing Key.jpg|left|200px|thumb|YOINK! AHAHAHAHAHA!]]

En route to the Autobot ship, Ratchet is ambushed by Blitzwing and Lugnut, in a battle about as one-sided as Bambi vs. Godzilla. He seems to challenge Blitzwing to a battle to the finish—but the three-faced robot simply freezes Ratchet solid and cracks off his crystallized arm, taking the AllSpark Key with it.

On Dinobot Island, the Autobots are confronted by the Dinobots who—again—are hostile to trespassers. Prime seemingly worsens the situation, as a stranger with a heavy-handed attitude. When their familiar protector Prowl reveals himself and tries to speak, the Dinobots calm down slightly (though Prime is further frustrated to learn the [[Meltdown (Animated)|extent of his troops' misadventures]] on Dinobot Island). But in the end, the Dinobots refuse to help against the Decepticons, saying they don't want to help any robots—they ''fight'' robots. Optimus points out that the Dinobots are robots themselves, prompting them to begin fighting each other. When Ratchet calls and informs Prime of the AllSpark Key's theft, the Autobots return to the mainland. Bulkhead asks what their next course of action is, and Prime admits he doesn't know, thinking that Bumblebee was right about Prime being unfit for command.

[[Image:Megatron rising 1 Starscream freakout.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bumblebee violated rule number 37 of the good guy code: never interrupt the villain during the monologue.]]

Starscream traces the source of Lugnut's messages back to Sumdac Tower. Blasting his way in, he is shocked to find Megatron alive—but regains his composure at the sight of his former leader dismantled and helpless. The two have an elaborately deceptive conversation about loyalty: Megatron knows Starscream betrayed him, but Starscream doesn't know he knows and wants to [[wikipedia:The Incredibles|monologue]] a bit before delivering the final blow. Meanwhile, Bumblebee's search for Sari leads him to the tower; when he spots Starscream through the wrecked wall, he squeezes himself into an elevator and prepares for a one-on-one battle (after using the classic "cellphone interference" ploy to avoid talking to Optimus). Right when Starscream is finally about to finish Megatron off, Bumblebee charges in, stingers blasting wildly—striking Starscream at full force and causing no damage at all. Starscream effortlessly thrashes Bumblebee, more angry at having his monologue interrupted than anything else. During this diversion, Megatron activates some of the lab machinery, propelling both Starscream and Bumblebee out of the lab and onto the tower roof.

[[Image:Megatron Rising head body connect.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Yep. We're boned.]]

Dr. Sumdac rushes in, hearing the disturbance. At first Megatron keeps up his usual act, warning that the Decepticons will be back soon and that he needs his new body immediately. The doctor agrees, trying to repair it as quickly as possible, while Megatron observes the rooftop action on a viewscreen and tries to electrocute Starscream through a spotlight. Lugnut and Blitzwing arrive, with Lugnut praising his leader, belatedly noticing his damaged state. Seeing Megatron, Blitzwing finally understands that Lugnut wasn't crazy. As Sumdac demands to know who they are, Lugnut forces Sumdac to genuflect to Megatron, revealing that Megatron is a Decepticon, who in turn gloats at the sight and how easily he was able to lie to his captor. Before Sumdac can contemplate the seriousness of what he has done, Lugnut drops him into Megatron's hand to witness what will happen. Blitzwing inserts the AllSpark Key into Megatron's head; its power is now his to command. Megatron quickly (''and beautifully'') repairs himself, using metal from the lab as patch-up material when necessary; in the process he steals Sumdac away to an as-yet-undisclosed location.

[[Image:Megatron Rising Megs entrance.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Sheer awesomeness.]]

Up on the roof, Starscream is about to finish off Bumblebee, and down on the street the Autobots are just arriving to try to help, but all are reduced to staring in horror and disbelief as Megatron blasts up into the sky, an armored colossus.

Is this the part where someone faints?
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (11)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (12)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (14)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (15)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (16)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (5)
* [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (6)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (7)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (13)

|c3=
* [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (3)

|c4=
*[[Reception Bot]] (4)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Lugnut''': And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return! 
'''Starscream''': Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction? 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': Technical glitch. It happens. 
'''Random Blitzwing''': A lot, actually! Ahahahaha! 
'''Lugnut''': It is ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the Key! 
'''Starscream''': Megatron...?! Did you just say Megatron?! Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL—''saw'' it myself.
:—Starscream is a master of subtlety, truly!

"The fate of the Earth and Cybertron hang in the balance and all I've got in my command are a bunch of undisciplined, insubordinate MALFUNCTIONS!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' has quite the bad temper when he's dissatisfied with his troops.

"What's your damage, Prime? Sari has been helping us since the day we got here. She is a part of this team!" 
"Considering your own history of mistakes, Bumblebee, I wouldn't exactly call you a great character witness." 
"Is that right?! Well let me tell ''you'' something, ''Boss-Bot'': Considering the fact that we're stuck on this planet, outnumbered, with no idea on how we're gonna beat an army of Decepticons ready to fry our circuits at any second, I wouldn't exactly call '''you''' a great leader."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Optimus Prime''' exchange harsh words. Ouch.

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': The Key, Autobot! 
'''Ratchet''': You'll have to pry it from my cold, offline servo. 
''[Blitzwing switches to his icy face, freezes Ratchet, then switches to his random face]'' 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Well, it's not exactly offline, but— ''[Rips off Ratchet's arm]'' —it's certainly cold. Ahahahaha! 
:—Blitzwing cheats by stealing the Key from Ratchet instead of fighting for it.

"Look what the capacitor dragged in." 
"Megatron?! Alive? And looking... magnificent, as always." 
"Starscream. How good it is to be reunited with such a ''devoted'' and ''faithful'' subject in my time of need." 
"I would have come sooner, o grand and illustrious leader, but naturally we all assumed you perished at the hands of the Autobot scum. What... great... joy to discover you did not." 
"Yes. Delight is written all over your face."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' exchange, ''ahem'', warm and heartfelt pleasantries.

"'''YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!'''"
:—'''Starscream''' seriously freaks out when Bumblebee shoots him.

"We have come for our glorious leader, Megatron!" 
"I am here, Lugnut." 
"Oh, Master, I am not worthy! I am not worthy... What happened to your body?" 
"Long story."
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Megatron''', reunited at last.

"''Decepticons?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot." 
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade. But no more..."
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
[[Image:Sari's leg.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It's a new fashion trend.]]
* The [[Scale|size of Megatron's head]] fluctuates greatly between scenes, often appearing gigantic even compared to large characters.
* While Prime is shouting at the other 'Bots his insignia starts where it should be, on his shoulder. But as he gestures it seems to rotate around to the underside of his arm.
* When Sari is telling Blackarachnia about the Autobots taking away the AllSpark Key, her right leg is drawn awkwardly... almost as if it's growing out of her skirt. Though this is very likely in order to prevent a [[Teletraan 15|pre-teen panty shot]].
* In the same scene, Blackarachnia's Decepticon insignia is missing the white lines, making it a featureless purple spot.
* After Ratchet reports to Prime that he lost the AllSpark Key, his EMP blaster wound briefly disappears as he lowers his arm.
* Starscream's Decepticon insignia is occasionally upside-down.
* Optimus has two lights on each shoulder, when he admits he was out of line and says about repairing friendships, he raises his fist hiding one of these lights, but when his fist goes down, the light he is hiding has vanished.

===Continuity errors===
* When Bulkhead brings up the Dinobots, Optimus says that they were destroyed, "weren't they?" However, the last time the Dinobots were mentioned was in "[[Survival of the Fittest]]", when Optimus thought the Dinobots were ''missing,'' and also suspected they were involved in the kidnapping of Sari. He has no known reason to think they were ''destroyed.'' Of course, we still don't know what story Prowl and Bulkhead told Prime after the events of "Survival of the Fittest".
* Does Blackarachnia not remember that she already tried using Sari's key to get rid of her organic half back in "[[Along Came a Spider]]" and it didn't work?
* Not so much an error as just an oddity: When Starscream stands over a dangling Bumblebee on the Sumdac Tower rooftop, Megatron sends a power surge through a roof fixture and zaps Starscream. When the scene cuts back to the roof a few minutes later, Bumblebee's back on the roof, which he likely managed while Starscream was stunned, and Starscream's confronting him again. However, with no time given for them to talk or react about the transition, the previous roof scene may as well not have happened.

===Transformers references===
* Prime finally refers to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] by that name.

===Real-world references===
* Ratchet's remark to Blitzwing about prying the AllSpark Key "from his cold, offline servo" is a reference to an [[wikipedia:From my cold, dead hands|NRA slogan]] made famous in a speech by [[wikipedia:Charlton Heston|Charlton Heston]]. Coincidentally, exactly one week after this episode aired, Heston went up to that grand old shooting range in the sky.

===Trivia===
*The Decepticon symbol on Megatron's body that was so clear [[Nature Calls|last episode]] is nowhere to be seen now. Of course, neither is the chestplate it resided on.
*The R/C Plane Sari was flying resembles a MiG-15 Fighter.
*We learn that Prowl and Bulkhead not only didn't tell Prime that the Dinobots were still around, but also didn't tell him that [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] was the one behind Sari's kidnapping in "[[Survival of the Fittest]]". So, when they returned with Sari after the events of that episode, they apparently told him ''none'' of the truth. What ''did'' they tell him?
*Apparently, when Optimus is '''really''' ticked off and breathing heavy, his engine audibly revs.
*This is the first episode in which we see an extended transformation sequence for Starscream.
*When Megatron's energized body sends out cables to its detached hand, in which Prof. Sumdac is sitting, the hand grips around Sumdac, then is yanked under the flooring and over to the body, where it opens back up—with Sumdac no longer within it. (Nothing up Megatron's sleeve!)
*At one point during Starscream's transformation, he strongly resembles the Gerwalk mode of the [http://www.macross2.net/m3/macrossplus/yf-19.htm YF-19 Alpha One] from the anime ''[[wikipedia:Macross Plus|Macross Plus]],'' one of the apparent influences for his alternate mode.
*It appears that Grimlock has gotten over his hatred of [[Car Robots]], but [[Grimlock (G1)|he still hates Optimus Prime]].
*Being in the Great War must have really toughened Ratchet up, as he expresses no pain or shock at the fact that he gets his servo ripped off by [[Blitzwing (Animated)|some mad Decepticon]]. Hardcore.
*All through Season 1, since his reactivation, Megatron has been saying the words "triumphant return" frequently. This episode is the last time he uses those two words together.
*This episode, along with part 2, was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as "[[Transformers Animated Volume 7]]".

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno de Megatron, parte 1'''" ("The Return of Megatron, part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour de Megatron 1/2'''" ("The Return of Megatron 1/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatrons Auferstehung, Teil 1'''" ("Megatron's Resurrection, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 11|11 July]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatron se Levanta, 1ra perte'''" ("Megatron Awakes, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 30|30 August]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatron no Fukkatsu Part 1'''" (メガトロンの復活パート1, "Megatron's Resurrection, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 3|3 July]] [[2010]]
::* '''Cut:''' The blizzard rages on in Detroit.
::* '''Cut:''' After Optimus learns that Prowl and Bulkhead help the Dinobots escape, he becomes really ticked off and his engine audibly revs.
::* '''Cut:''' Sari tries to defend herself that she's done a good job of protecting her key when Optimus tells her that she can no longer be trusted with it.
::* '''Cut:''' When Sari runs off, Bumblebee tries to chase after her when Optimus stops him. Bumblebee argues that Sari's been helping the Autobots since the day they arrived on Earth, to which Optimus says he wouldn't consider him a good character witness. Before running off to find Sari, Bumblebee replies coldly that considering the fact that the Autobots are stuck on this planet, outnumbered, and have no idea have to defend Earth against an army of Decepticons, he wouldn't consider him a great leader.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Megatrona, Część 1'''" ("The Return of Megatron, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 4 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2013 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Endgame, Part II

2015-05-09T19:17:59Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the ''Animated'' episode|the ''Beast Machines'' episode|Endgame Pt. II: When Legends Fall}}

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA-Endgame-MissionActuallyAccomplished.jpg
|caption=Mission: ACCOMPLISHED!
|ep=42
|ep2=39
|next=Moving Violations
|prev2=Endgame, Part I
|title="Endgame, Part II"
|airdate=[[May 23]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Autobots fight to defend Detroit from Megatron and his clones of Omega Supreme.'''

==Synopsis==
Outside the plant, the [[Autobot]]s observe the [[Lugnut Supreme]]s hovering above Detroit. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] wonders what they are, and [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] assumes that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] repurposed [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'s [[cloning]] technology to make clones of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]. Aboard the main Lugnut Supreme, Megatron decides to start the field test with [[Sumdac Tower]]. [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] pontificates on the greatness of Megatron rather than getting it done, leading the annoyed Decepticon leader to ask [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] if he can control the clones directly yet. However, Shockwave is still working on finding the necessary security patches from [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]'s memory banks, and tells Megatron in an amused tone that he'll have to filter all orders for the clones through Lugnut.

In Detroit, the Lugnuts turn and open fire on Sumdac Tower. Fortunately, the force field goes up and protects the building. Unfortunately, it will only last for so long. Ratchet says that they need to launch an aerial assault with the [[Magnus Hammer]], but [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] is a little unsure. [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] then reinforces his leader's faltering confidence by promising to accompany him. Sari then offers to join them, and cuts off Optimus's "No, Sari—" with a rant about how she's always being told it's "too dangerous" for her to help, leaving her embarrassed when Prime says he was going to tell her to help protect the humans. He orders the others to help Sari in this, while he and Prowl take to the skies. Megatron initially assumes that the figure bearing the Magnus Hammer is [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] himself, and is quite relieved when he sees it's only Optimus. The two airborne Autobots manage to avoid the missiles sent in their direction, but Prime's opening shot with the Magnus Hammer misses the Lugnuts. Ratchet says that he's receiving Omega's signal from the moon, and suggests they transwarp to the moon and sever Megatron's connection. Optimus approves, and orders him to take Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] with him. Prowl says that they need to bring the Lugnuts down all at once, and Optimus uses the Magnus Hammer to cause a tornado which sends the Lugnuts crashing toward [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]]. Megatron, livid, tells Lugnut to abort the field test, but Lugnut is forced to inform him that Prime's attack managed to damage the one Megatron was in and disable the flight mechanisms of the other two. Furious, Megatron tells him to have the clones destroy everything except Megatron himself, then leaves his clone and assumes his [[alternate mode|flight mode]], intending to take a more direct role.

At Sumdac Tower, Ratchet fires up the space bridge, ready to take Bumblebee and Bulkhead to retrieve Arcee and Omega Supreme. [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] decides to go with them, telling [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] that she needs to go. Transforming to her full [[robot mode]], she jumps through the portal with the Autobots. On the moon, Starscream reassembles himself and immediately takes off for Earth, saying he has a surprise for Megatron. The Autobots transwarp in mere moments after he leaves, as Sari is momentarily stunned just by being on the Moon, while the Autobots are more surprised by the lack of [[Decepticon]]s around. Over by Omega Supreme, Ratchet sees Arcee and runs to her. Unfortunately, she's reverted to her fugue Teacher Bot state. Worse, she's bait: Shockwave fires at them, barely missing them. Bumblebee and Bulkhead take on Shockwave, while Ratchet and Sari take Arcee inside Omega Supreme. Both bots are taken down, but Bulkhead manages to recover and charge Shockwave, knocking off his cannon. Shockwave briefly assumes his Longarm form and pleads for mercy, but Bulkhead destroys his cannon with his wrecking ball. Inside Omega Supreme, Ratchet discovers the damage to Arcee's processor is quite extensive, and any attempts to repair her could take her offline. Sari scans the malfunctioning intelbot and gives Ratchet instructions on how to use his EMP generator to restore her memory from her internal backups.

Over Detroit, Prime orders Prowl to break off from their fight with Megatron, find Jazz and try to slow the clones down. As he grapples with the Decepticon leader, he snaps and loudly declares his name after being patronisingly called "Autobot" by Megatron yet again.

In Omega Supreme, Ratchet manages to bring Arcee fully online, her memory back at the time it was when [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] captured them. Ratchet promises that they'll catch up in time, but right now they need her [[activation code]]s to retake control of Omega Supreme. Bumblebee and Bulkhead enter and say they've found something Sari needs to see.

Back on Earth, on the ground, Prowl and Jazz try to get inside the Lugnut Supremes, but their armor is too strong to cut through, and Jazz radios Prime with news of their failure. Optimus tells them that the only thing powerful enough to shield the city is the AllSpark, but it's scattered everywhere. In return, flushed by his recent success in reconstituting a fragment, Prowl theorizes that they can use [[processor-over-matter]] to make the AllSpark whole again. Prime is doubtful, but Prowl is adamant, and flies his fellow ninjabot to Sumdac Tower.

As Ratchet and Arcee make their way to Omega Supreme's head, Sari is brought before the protoforms, and—believing this to be where she came from—gets a moment of closure from the experience. Outside, Ratchet uses his magnets to keep Arcee above Omega's face and the fembot uploads the codes, severing Lugnut's control over him. Omega Supreme ejects the massive Decepticon and heads for Earth once Sari and all the Autobots are aboard, with the three remaining protoforms.

On Earth, with Lugnut no longer guiding them, the clones briefly shut down... then reactivate with Starscream's face. The treacherous Decepticon tells Megatron that he planted bombs in the clones, aiming to destroy him and everything within a hundred-mile radius. Unable to remove the bombs inside, Megatron decides to instead destroy Optimus Prime, using the Autobot captain's name for the very first time. At Sumdac Tower, the force field fails much to Isaac Sumdac's distress, and Prowl and Jazz direct him to the building's bomb shelter, before they begin using processor-over-matter to collecting AllSpark fragments. Starscream arrives to observe the death of Megatron, but his AllSpark fragment suddenly begins pulling him toward the AllSpark being formed by Jazz and Prowl. Starscream panics and tries to destroy the two ninja-bots, but his AllSpark fragment is pulled from his head, and Starscream falls to the street, dead.

[[File:EndgamePart2-Prowlsmiles.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|[[Code of Hero|The rest...is silence.]]]]
Omega Supreme arrives and begins fighting the two clones. He is able to defeat one and disarm its bomb, but the other knocks him aside and forces him back to ship mode. At Sumdac Tower, Jazz says that they don't have enough Spark to shield the city, but neither he nor Prowl can pull in any more AllSpark fragments. Prowl recognizes that there is one other way to make the AllSpark chunk powerful enough, and levitates towards it. Jazz recognizes what he intends to do, and screams that they can find another way, but Prowl merely turns to give him a reassuring smile. Suddenly, the AllSpark releases a surge of energy, and Prowl falls back to the ground. Jazz catches his body, but it is too late: Prowl is dead. A field soon forms around the remaining clone, but Megatron and Optimus Prime are trapped within it. Megatron gloats that he will take Optimus with him, but a figure of light in Prowl's image removes Optimus from the force field. Megatron roars in anger as the clone detonates, and everything goes white...

Waking up, Optimus sees his fellow bots around him. They declare that they won, and begin to celebrate... until Jazz comes carrying Prowl's shell, revealing that the ninja-bot merged his spark with the AllSpark to give it the necessary energy. Optimus moves toward his fallen comrade, but is instead knocked backwards by a purple blast. Megatron still functions! Ratchet uses his magnets to throw the Magnus Hammer to Optimus. In a rage, Optimus beats Megatron down. Lying helpless, Megatron urges Optimus to finish him, and Optimus brings the Magnus Hammer down...on Megatron's fusion cannon. Optimus says that killing Megatron is the easy way out, and the Decepticon leader doesn't deserve that. Instead, he places [[stasis cuffs]] on him.

[[File:TFA-Endgame-PanAcrossEveryone.jpg|thumb|upright=1.34|[[John Noble|We shall not forget them. Nor fail to reward that which is given. Courage with love, valour with honour, evil... with vengeance]].]]
On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the Autobots return is hailed by a cheering crowd (except for [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], who glowers), with Optimus carrying the Magnus Hammer, [[AllSpark Matrix|the large piece of the AllSpark around his neck]], and Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Jazz bearing Prowl's body. In addition, they bring with them the three rescued protoforms, and Megatron, Lugnut, and Shockwave as prisoners. Finally, to top it off, Omega Supreme transforms from ship mode, and this sends the crowd into another round of cheering, hailing Optimus Prime and his crew as the heroes they have proven themselves to be.

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (9)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (11)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (13)
*[[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]] (18)
*[[Searchlight (Animated)|Searchlight]] (19)
*[[Seaspray (Animated)|Seaspray]] (20)
*[[Cosmos (Animated)|Cosmos]] (21)
*[[Powerglide (Animated)|Powerglide]] (22)
*[[Furão]] (23)
*[[Sedan (Animated)|Sedan]] (24)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (25)
*[[Hubcap (Animated)|Hubcap]] (26)
*[[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] (27)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (28)
*[[Sky Garry (Animated)|Sky Garry]] (29)
*[[Dai Atlas (Animated)|Dai Atlas]] (30)
*[[Red Alert (Animated)|Red Alert]] (31)
*[[Mainframe (Animated)|Mainframe]] (32)
|c2=
*Three [[Lugnut Supreme]]s (1–3)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (12)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave/Longarm Prime]] (14)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (16)
|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Shockwave! Is there anyway to bypass this endless pontificating and command these clones directly?" 
"Still working on the data patch, my liege. Until then, you'll just have to relay all. Orders. Through. Lugnut."
:—'''Megatron''' desperately seeks to cut out the middleman, while '''Shockwave''' demonstrates how to smirk without a face.

'''Sari''': I'm going too! I have a jetpack. 
'''Optimus''': No, Sari, it's— 
'''Sari''': Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's "too dangerous", I know. It's '''always''' "too dangerous"! 
'''Optimus''': I was ''going'' to say, "It's more important for you to protect your father and your fellow organics." 
'''Sari''': Oh. Right. Sorry.
:—Sari isn't used to being treated as an equal.

"''Get away'' from my weapons of mass destruction."
:—'''Megatron'''.

"You're a persistent little Autobot." 
"My name is OPTIMUS PRIME!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

"If I cannot save my clones, at least I'll have the satisfaction of destroying you, '''Optimus Prime'''." 
"So, you ''can'' remember my name!"
:—Took you long enough, '''Megatron'''.

"You have interfered with me for the '''last''' time, Optimus Prime!"
:-- '''Megatron''' remembering '''Optimus'''' name one more time.

"What are you waiting for, Autobot? Finish me." ''(Optimus raises the Magnus Hammer and smashes Megatron's cannon)'' 
"That would be the easy way out, Megatron. ''You'' don't ''deserve'' it."
:—'''Optimus''' finally gives '''Megatron''' exactly what he deserves.

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
* When Omega Supreme runs towards one of the Lugnut Supremes, the clone has a [[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|purple Autobot symbol]] on its midsection as it gets up.
* Megatron's helicopter cockpit kibble (usually seen behind his head on his back) briefly vanishes for a second as he kicks Optimus Prime towards the AllSpark-powered force field.
* Just as Bulkhead punches Shockwave, for a split second, Shockwave's colors are those of his Autobot counterpart, Longarm (with the noticeable teal coloring on his chassis).
* Prowl's ghost appears with his armour on, but when it reaches out to save Optimus, the armour has vanished.
* When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] makes one last attempt to destroy [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], his right shoulder guard is drawn rather small. As he's knocked down to Earth and insists Optimus finishes him, it reverts to its proper size.
[[File:AutobotGroupShotEndgamePartII.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Blink and you'll miss it.]]
* Quite a number of animation errors can be seen immediately after Optimus Prime stasis cuffs Megatron (right before a kneeling Omega Supreme gets up.) The Magnus Hammer has disappeared, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl's]] body is drawn like a boxy black mannequin in [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]]'s arms with very little detail, Jazz himself (as well as Bulkhead) are missing their Autobot insignias, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] appears rather tiny compared to the other Autobots, and Sari appears to be either hovering off of the ground or standing on [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]'s foot. Oh, and [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] is missing from the shot as well. Dandy.
*When Optimus Prime first disembarks from Omega Supreme at the end of the episode, he is shown to be almost as tall as Megatron and Lugnut, who, by all rights, should be towering over him in height. They are drawn at their proper scale once they stand before the cheering crowd, though.
*When the Autobots hold up [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s coffin before the cheering crowd (as seen in the picture on this page), Prowl's body is drawn rather short. If one compared the height of his body to [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] at his left, Bumblebee would actually be a head taller.
*After Bulkhead knocks over Shockwave and he converts into Longarm, Shockwave's cannon is on the ground behind Longarm, yet when we see Longarm from the back he has the crane piece attached to his back. Whoops.
* The [[Magnus Hammer]]'s handle again changes length from shot to shot.
*When Sari activates her "robot face" before entering the space bridge, part of her hair is still visible beneath it and doesn't even move, but as soon as she starts moving, the hair immediately disappears.

===Continuity errors===
*Due to the incomplete activation code, the Lugnut Supremes only worked when Lugnut consciously directed them from Omega Supreme. Yet after Omega tossed him out, not only did Starscream take them over, they continued to function autonomously after he was dead.

===Continuity notes===
*Even at this late stage, a new face still appears in the crowd scene on Cybertron: [[Hubcap (Animated)|Hubcap]]. [[Dai Atlas (Animated)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Sky Garry (Animated)|Sky Garry]] make their first in-person appearances (though Dai Atlas only appears from behind), and the unnamed, orange female robot, whose arm could ''juuuuuust'' be seen poking in from offscreen back in "[[Decepticon Air]]", also gets to appear in full. The crowd also includes a ''crazy'' amount of miscolored-slash-[[generic]] robots, including such gems as a [[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]]-colored robot wearing the [[65356-9292-346]] body type, a blue-and-green Sky Garry and a yellow [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]].
* Yoketron's dying words in "[[Five Servos of Doom]]" (where he tells Prowl that he will understand when his time comes) finally come to pass.
*This is the first episode since "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]" to feature Prime's faceplate.

===Transformers references===

[[File:TFA Prime with Matrix.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|This is awesome and you love it.]]
*At the very end, Optimus Prime is shown with the large piece of AllSpark which Jazz and Prowl pulled together, in a container strongly resembling the [[Matrix of Leadership]]—and he's [[The Transformers: The Movie|wearing it on a chain around his neck]].

===Real-world references===
*Ratchet refers to the Lugnut Supremes as "[[knockoff]]s".

===Trivia===
*Jazz states that they can't find all the AllSpark fragments; at the very least, this makes sense because [[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]], [[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]], [[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]], and [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] aren't on Earth anymore. There is no indication that any other Earthbound characters animated by AllSpark fragments were defragmented and killed like Starscream, and they don't seem to be kept alive the same way he is. At [[BotCon 2009]], the writers revealed that they had intended to show Wreck-Gar and at least one of the Constructicons to confirm their survival, but that this scene was cut for time.
*Shockwave claimed in "[[This Is Why I Hate Machines]]" that using Omega Supreme's original activation codes on him once more would wipe his memories, morals and personality, allowing a new mentor-con to turn him into a model Decepticon—a fact which Ratchet and [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] apparently both agreed was true. Since Arcee uses the codes on Omega in this episode, did this cause a reset to factory settings? If not, why not? Could it perhaps have something to do with that patch they were talking about?
*There seems to be a scene missing involving Lugnut - when Omega Supreme discards him onto the lunar surface and flies to Earth, he is neither captured nor incapacitated, and it's been shown repeatedly that Decepticons (including Starscream in this episode and Lugnut himself in "[[Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found]]") are capable of making ''at least'' the Moon-Earth trip under their own power, where [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] has apparently evaded detection for the whole of S3. His off-screen capture is therefore noteworthy.
*Arcee didn't join the other Autobots on their victory/funeral parade at the end.
*It is revealed during the events of this episode, that while in her [[robot mode]], Sari doesn't need an external oxygen supply.
*As of this episode, there's a lot of remaining uncaptured Decepticons!
**Thundercracker and Skywarp are still floating out somewhere in space.
**[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] and a bleeding, shattered [[Wasp|Waspinator]] are still in that mysterious jungle, precise whereabouts (and even ''when''abouts) unknown.
**[[Laserbeak (Animated)|Laserbeak]] fled the scene with the sentient part of [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] in "[[Human Error, Part II]]".
**[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]]'s whereabouts are presumably still known to the Autobots; he may have returned to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] with [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] after "Human Error".
**[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] leaves for parts unknown in "[[Decepticon Air]]". Although he did mention something about retiring to an island on [[Nebulos]] (where the [[energon]] is as smooth as a [[protoform]]'s bottom).
**[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]], [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]], [[Team Chaar]] and any unseen Decepticons all remain at large.
*Several other plot points have yet to have been resolved by the end of this episode:
**Sari's origin has yet to be completely explained. It still hasn't been revealed how or why a protoform showed up on Earth years ago, or why it looked so different compared to other protoforms seen during the course of the series. Since it has been shown that all the protoforms Lockdown stole were blanks, it's unlikely she came from that batch.
**[[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] was last shown apparently reconstituting himself at the end of "[[Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday]]", and has not been seen since.
**Wreck-Gar and all three Dinobots are not present at the end of the episode, and presumably are still on Earth. Although it could be speculated that they stayed there by choice, one must wonder what kind of measures that Optimus and company took to prevent said bots from any more disastrous encounters with the populace of Earth.
**[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] was last seen being repaired, but his fate isn't revealed in-show. The Allspark Almanac confirms he died.
** [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] was last seen crushed into a cube and tossed into an incinerator. We don't see him get incinerated, though we also don't see any evidence he survived being cubified.
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] was originally intended to have a small role in this episode, in which she would resurrect Starscream after the Autobots left Earth. This scene was ultimately cut for time.
*This is the final episode to feature Optimus, Bumblebee, Megatron, Starscream, Prowl and every other character in the series. We remind you so we may see you weep...we hate to cry alone. But... there is hope. IDW might continue the series in comic form. Join us as we get down on our hands and knees and beg IDW to do this for us.
** [[The Stunti-Con Job|Our prayers have been <s>answered</s> teased... cruelly, cruelly teased.]]

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La bataille finale 2/2'''" ("The Final Battle 2/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fim de Jogo Parte 2'''" ("Game Over Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fin del Juego, parte 2'''" ("Game over, part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 29|29 December]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Saishū Kessen! Megatron wo Seiatsu-seyo'''" (最終決戦! メガトロンを制圧せよ, "The Final Decisive Battle! Suppress Megatron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 25|25 December]] [[2010]]
::* Megatron delivers the warning
::* To celebrate this being the last episode to air in Japan, the Japanese dubbing cast sang the [[Japanese themes|opening]] "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" over [[JAM Project]]'s [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueQA3QUO-eY original track].
::*Throughout the Japanese dub of the series, the running gag about Megatron being unable to remember Optimus Prime's name was consistently omitted. This was done so as to maintain the franchise status quo of Optimus and Megatron being rivals, completely losing the ''point'' of the running gag (Optimus being out of his depth against a superior foe who has no regard for him). As such, the big scene where Optimus declares his name to Megatron loses pretty much all of its narrative impact and is reduced to vacuous [[burning justice]] at best.
::* For the [[Otoboto family]] segment, "[[Santa Claus]]" delivers several toys: Optimus Light & Sound to [[Tatsuya Otoboto|Tatsuya]], Megatron Light & Sound to [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]], and [[Transformers United|United]] [[Optimus Prime (WFC)#Generations|Optimus]] to [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]]. After some bantering, "Santa" reveals himself to be actually [[Udo]]! He later gets conned into drinking a suspiciously-looking green health drink and reacts badly to it comically. The segment closes with a photo of the family and Udo holding flower bouquets—in Japan, it's tradition to give flower bouquets to major staff and cast members after a production is wrapped up, be it a movie, TV series, or a music video.
::* Optimus thanks the audience for watching and promises that they'll meet again one day.

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

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Where Is Thy Sting?

2015-04-16T15:14:14Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=WhereIsThySting-reflectingface.jpg
|caption=Get out of my head!
|ep=34
|ep2=31
|prev2=Three's a Crowd
|next2=Five Servos of Doom
|title="Where Is Thy Sting?"
|airdate=[[March 28]], 2009
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Shigeharu Takahashi]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A little later, back at the plant, Wasp cheerily denies Bumblebee's accusations, using the information he has gleaned from the Autobots' files to "prove" he is who he claims. When interrogation yields no results, Bulkhead comes up with the best way to figure out who's who: a versus match on ''Ninja Gladiator''! Before the game even starts, Wasp chokes and grabs Bumblebee, holding his stinger to 'Bee's neck. Wasp insists that he was always a good bot, but Bulkhead says that isn't true; he might not be a traitor, but he was always mean to Bulkhead and Bumblebee and was hardly good. Wasp blasts out the lights to cover his escape, and when the emergency lights kick in, both Wasp and Bumblebee are gone.

[[Image:WhereIsThySting-UltraMagnusOffline.jpg|thumb|right|200px|If anyone inserts a "He's been dealt with" caption here, so help us...]]

The Autobots head outside, where they spot what looks like Bumblebee lying on the ground. Bulkhead assumes it is Wasp and leaps upon the prone figure, pummeling him and ripping off his helmet... only to find out that it really is Bumblebee underneath. Prowl examines Bumblebee's helmet and discovers that their colors were switched so quickly because Wasp had hit him with an [[electronic paint job]] that he could turn off with the press of a button. As things begin to calm down, the truth of the whole matter hits Jazz—if Wasp really was innocent, that means that Longarm Prime really is a Decepticon spy!

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters

|c1=
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (1)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (2)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Wasp]] (7)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (8)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (11)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (12)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (13)
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (15)

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

|c4=
*[[Hot Dog Bot]] (14)
|}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Notes==

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

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

===Continuity notes===
*We last saw Wasp in "[[Autoboot Camp]]", to which this episode is essentially a sequel. A brief flashback from the episode is shown after Bumblebee says he "took the rap" for Bulkhead for what happened to Sentinel Prime. In an attempt to maintain his ruse, Wasp also mentions all the things that Bumblebee had done then which accidentally embarrassed Sentinel Prime. He also mentions the events in "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]".
* Optimus' Autobots discovered that Wasp wasn't guilty in "[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II]]".
* Sentinel Prime discusses the modifications made to Jetfire and Jetstorm, which took place in the "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]" comic book.
* Sentinel Prime still doesn't remember his time with Bumblebee and Bulkhead, as he did (didn't?) in "[[The Elite Guard]]".

===Transformers references===
[[Image:WhereIsThySting-Bumblebeesvideogame.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Referenciality!]]
* The background of the ''Ninja Gladiator'' video game prominently features [[TORQ III]].
* In the scene before he switches places with "Bumble-Bot", Wasp is wearing a [[rubsign]] in place of a conventional Autobot insignia. This is identical to [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]—at this time he does not belong to either faction.
* [[Tigatron Stadium]], which will be seen in the next episode, can be seen in the background.

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

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

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La revanche de Wasp'''" ("The Revenge of Wasp")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''¿Dónde está tu aguijón?'''" ("Where is you sting?")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 3|3 November]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Wasp no Fukushū'''" (ワスプの復讐, "Wasp's Revenge")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 30|30 October]] [[2010]]

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

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Three's a Crowd (episode)

2015-04-16T15:10:24Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni Threes a Crowd Constructicons.jpg
|caption=
|ep=33
|ep2=30
|prev2=TransWarped
|next2=Where Is Thy Sting?
|title="Three's a Crowd"
|airdate=[[March 21]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by= [[Kalvin Lee]] [[Tetsurō Moronuki]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Continuity errors===
*When Bulkhead confronts Mixmaster and Scrapper, they speak to Bulkhead as if they remember the events that transpired in "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]", saying that they "don't work for no crankin' Autobots anymore" and referring to Bulkhead as "Bulky". While nothing says they can't have regained those memories by some point, if that's the case, it wasn't shown when this happened.
*More AllSpark fragments are shown in the beginning of the episode, yet all the previously collected pieces the Autobots found were placed into Omega Supreme last season. It's possible the Autobots have found some more since then, off-screen, but it seems an odd thing to omit, plus they would have only had between the end of "[[TransWarped]]" and the start of this episode to do so, which doesn't seem like a long time.
*The Constructicons' rampage goes on for long enough that newspapers pick up the story, and oil profits are seriously hurt. How long are the other Autobots hauling Lugnut out of that crater?
*Beginning in season 3 all [[Slag (slang)|slag]] lines were edited out in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. In this episode this results in Bumblebee inexplicably yelling "Who you calling pipsqueak? Short stuff!" even though no one calls him pipsqueak.
* Where the hell did the fire at the oil rig go after the oilsplosion?
* If an explosion that big took place in Lake Erie, there would be such a big wave in the aftermath that Detroit would have been underwater.

===Continuity notes===
* At least one Detroit paper is titled the ''Detroit Powell Press''. [[Porter C. Powell]] has corporate investments everywhere, it seems.
* The Headmaster unit was recovered [[TransWarped|last episode]].

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

* The [[Fossil Fuel]] Oil Company's logo is [[Sludge (G1)|''Generation 1'' Sludge]] doing an impression of the [[wikipedia:Sinclair Oil Corporation|Sinclair Oil]] logo.
* This isn't the first series to have [[Space bridge#Generation 1 cartoon|a space bridge in a tower.]]
* Several dockworkers are dressed in the standard Generation 1 cartoon [[Hard hat|costume]].
* Dirt Boss would not be [[Bombshell (G1)|the first Transformer]] to use [[Cerebro-shell|shells fired from his head]] to control others.

===Real-world references===
*The ''Detroit Powell Press'' is a reference to a real-life Detroit paper, the ''Detroit Free Press''. Minus the freedom.
*Scrapper and Mixmaster are found drinking heavily in a manufacturing plant that is deconstructing luxury cars piece by piece. Striptease, anyone?
*The climactic scene with Dirt Boss on top of the oil tank is closely based on the ending of the gangster movie ''[[Wikipedia:White Heat|White Heat]]''.

===Trivia===
* The Detroit newspaper business is incredible; within what is apparently a single night of Constructicon rampage, the ''Detroit Powell Press'' puts out three separate editions announcing the new threat. Either that, or the Autobots spend a ''long'' time focusing on hauling Lugnut out of his crater and nothing else. (Though really, it's impressive that newspapers even still ''exist'' in the future...)
*It appears that Lugnut has accepted [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Starscream's clones]] (or at least Ramjet) as part of the main Decepticon force. Apparently, being Starscream's duplicate is fine as long as you worship the GLORIOUS Megatron.
*What ''exactly'' did Dirt Boss hope to accomplish by climbing up to the top of the oil tank, again?
*An exploding oil tank in the middle of Lake Erie is probably going to be a real mess, isn't it?
*[[David Kaye]]'s voice credit for this episode lists Grimlock, in spite of the Dinobot not having any lines.
*On the other hand, Ratchet appears prominently, particularly in the Lugnut arc, but aside from a few grunts has no lines of dialogue, and [[Corey Burton]] is not credited.
*There is also a Decepticon forklift named [[Dirt Boss (ROTF)|Dirt Boss]] in the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' toyline]]. This is supposedly completely coincidental.
*This episode marks the final appearance of Mixmaster, Dirt Boss and the [[Headmaster unit]]

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le troisième Constructicon'''" ("The Third Constructicon")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Três É Demais'''" ("Three is Too")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Tres son multitud'''" ("Thee's a Crowd")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 27|27 October]] [[2009]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Tsuyoki na Dirt Boss'''" (強気なダートボス, "The Tough Dirt Boss")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 23|23 October]] [[2010]]

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

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

TransWarped

2015-04-16T15:04:47Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA TransWarped Sari hands.jpg
|caption="WhY mY hAnDs HuRt?"
|prev=A Bridge Too Close, Part II
|next=Three's a Crowd
|ep=30, 31 and 32
|ep2=27, 28 and 29
|prev2=A Bridge Too Close, Part II
|next2=Three's a Crowd
|title="TransWarped"
|airdate=[[March 14]], 2009
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]] [[Michael Ryan]] [[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani]] [[Tetsurō Moronuki]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''In the aftermath of the battle at the mine, Sari and her father’s relationship takes a strange turn; the Autobots have their work cut out for them trying to contact Cybertron; and Megatron and Starscream find a new opportunity.'''

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

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

[[File:TransWarpedStarscreamsScream.jpg|thumb|right|I'mma firin' mah lazhar!]]

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

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

On [[Earth]], as the Autobots return to [[Detroit]], [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] explains [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari's]] origins to her as best he can, revealing that he discovered her in his laboratory years ago, in the form of a small, liquid metal robot. Sari finds the story hard to believe, and her strained patience reaches its end when the group returns to [[Sumdac Tower]] and confronts [[Porter C. Powell]] and [[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]]. Powell tries to smooth things over with Isaac, but Masterson's belligerent attitude dispels any attempts at peace, which is further ruined when he demands the Autobots return his Headmaster, or "heads will roll." Having entered the lab from the elevator behind them, Optimus picks up Masterson and asks for clarification on his threat. Isaac immediately fires both Powell and Masterson, but Masterson refuses to vacate the premises, and Powell takes another shot at Sari's disputed parentage.

[[File:TransWarped Pt1 Sari Freakout.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|POWER!!! UNLIMITED POWER!!!]]

In a moment of anger, Sari's hands transform into energy projectors that hurl the two men into the building's elevator. This newest revelation pushes Sari over the edge, and she walks out on the man she can no longer even think of as her father, returning to the [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobots' base]] with her "fellow machines." While [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] examines Sari—deducing that she's basically human, but partially Cybertronian—Prowl departs to carry out some research of his own. With Ratchet lost in his memories of [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]], [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] head back to the Decepticons' destroyed mine base to salvage some equipment that will let them contact Cybertron and inform the Autobots there of the traitor in their midst.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the sky above Cybertron, Omega Supreme materializes, and Starscream howls with glee...only for the Autobot spaceship to TransWarp away immediately to another random point in space...and another...and another...
{{--}}

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

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

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

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

"Prepare for T-O-T! Total Ownage Time!"
:—'''Headmaster''' to Optimus Prime and the Sumdacs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Continuity errors===
* Megatron finds both of his rotors/swords after being freed from the stasis cuffs, despite leaving ''at least'' one behind when he was sucked into the space bridge in "A Bridge Too Close".
* If Sumdac was wearing gloves at the time he touched the protoform, how did it get his DNA? For that matter, how did Sari end up female?
** Given that protoforms in ''Beast Wars'' scanned animals that were nowhere near their pods, Sari may have not actually required physical contact to scan Sumdac. Also, the protoform may have already been female before being activated.
* It is revealed that the streak of white in Isaac's hair came from the shock he received when he approached the protoform that would become Sari. Pay no attention to the streak in the hair of his younger self appearing in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", please...
* Sari's protruding robotic elbow disappears without explanation while she's sitting on Ratchet's repair table.
* When Bumblebee gets blown away in "Part II" after being stabbed by Sari, he lands on his back. When we cut back to him in "Part III", he appears on his side.
* Bumblebee’s rocket boosters seemingly appear out of nowhere.
** The [[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|AllSpark Almanac II]] reveals that Ratchet installed the turbo boosters while he was repairing Bumblebee just in case he needed them.
** With Ratchet's upgrading of his stingers and now this, it seems that <s>Hasbro</s> the Autobots have gotten over their "upgrades are bad, m'kay" phase. Spending two seasons out-gunned will probably do that to you.

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

===Transformers references===
[[File:TransWarped Pt1 Blurr Runs Rings.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
*Bar Oil Slick, every member of the new squads harkens back to a previous series. Rodimus, Ironhide, Brawn and Cyclonus are heavily based off their Generation One counterparts. Red Alert and Hot Shot take after their Unicron Trilogy incarnations. Spittor and Strika are both modeled after Beast Era characters, and Blackout's design is heavily influenced by the live-action movie version.
*While lecturing Sari on taking it slow with her powers, Ratchet says that there's "more than meets the vis-scanners" on having powers, a clear reference to the time-honored Transformers tagline "[[More than Meets the Eye (disambiguation)|more than meets the eye]]".
*Arcee's open head [[:File:Spotlight Arcee b.jpg|looks ''waaay'' too much]] like [[Alex Milne]]'s cover for [[IDW Publishing]]'s "[[Spotlight: Arcee]]" to be a coincidence.
*Blurr races along a Saturn-style planetary ring, as [[Blurr (G1)|his namesake]] had done in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)#Season 3|Generation 1 season 3]] [[title sequence]].
*The building in which the [[Autobot High Council]] have their meeting looks [[Metroplex (G1)|somewhat familiar]].
*Blackout seems to have retained his seismic stomp that was used by his [[Blackout (Movie)|movie counterpart]].
*Team Chaar gets its name from [[Chaar|the planet of the same name]].
*After being told by Optimus to stay behind, Sari tells Optimus that she is a Robot Hero now too.
*Ratchet says that he has been the team's medic for 4 Million Stellar-cycles.

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

===Trivia===
*[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] confirmed via Twitter after the show aired that like the series pilot, "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", "TransWarped" was made "as one 70-minute movie", although it was also cut into 22-minute episodes for syndication.<ref>[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] — http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1329673450 — "We made it as one 70 minute movie, but it has also been cut into three 22s".</ref> Unlike the pilot, however, "TransWarped" counts as three episodes out of the thirteen allotted for the show's third season. While Cartoon Network aired all three episode in movie form for their premiere, Canadian network YTV opted to debut them in episodic form, airing only the first two in a double-bill, and then screening the final part the following week.
* Several scenes are known to have been storyboarded for this three-parter, only to wind up being cut for time. These would have included an appearance by [[Beachcomber (Animated)|Beachcomber]], who would have caught Shockwave disposing of Blurr and would have been killed by the double-agent to maintain his cover, and an extended flashback to the [[Battle for Iacon|final battle of the Great War]], which would have featured [[Reflector (Animated)|Reflector]], [[Straxus (Animated)|Straxus]] and the myriad [[Omega Sentinel (Animated)|Omega Sentinels]]. While Beachcomber turned up in crowd scenes later in the season and Reflector had a bio in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 26|issue #26]] of the [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|Transformers Collectors' Club magazine]], it would take until the publication of ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II]]'' over a year later before Straxus and the Sentinels would be revealed.
* The creatures that turn into rocks may be a reference to the Rock Lords from the [[GoBots (franchise)|GoBots]] movie ''[[wikipedia:GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords|GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]''.
*Starscream gains a "sonic scream" as a head-mounted weapon in this episode. Coincidentally (or not?), in the initial [[Cartoon Network]] press release for ''Transformers Animated'', Starscream's profile claimed that he had a sonic scream he could use to send foes spinning through the air. This ability is never seen again.
*The Headmaster's appearance in this episode marks the only time a human villain is used in Season 3. And even then, he's relatively minor compared to a Decepticon-controlled Omega Supreme.
*In his last line, Shockwave seems to forget to use his American accent. Probably because he's getting worried about getting caught.
*This episode marks the first live appearance of Cybertron.

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transdobra'''" ("Transwarp")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Porte stellaire'''" ("Stargate")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Teletransportados'''" ("Teleported")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 6|6 October]] [[2009]] ''(Part 1)''
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 13|13 October]] [[2009]] ''(Part 2)'
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 20|20 October]] [[2009]] ''(Part 3)'''

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sari no Himitsu'''" (Part 1, サリの秘密, "The Secret of Sari")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 2|2 October]] [[2010]]
::*For the opening pre-[[title sequence]] chatter, [[Tesshō Genda]] reprises his role as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] in order to carry on a conversation with ''Animated'' Optimus Prime.

:*''Title:'' "'''Sari, Transform!?'''" (Part 2, サリ、トランスフォーム!?)
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 9|9 October]] [[2010]]

:*''Title:'' "'''Megatron no Shōrai'''" (Part 3, メガトロンの襲来, "Megatron's Raid")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 16|16 October]] [[2010]]

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

==References==
<references/>

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

TransWarped

2015-04-16T15:04:25Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

TransWarped

2015-04-16T15:01:46Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA TransWarped Sari hands.jpg
|caption="WhY mY hAnDs HuRt?"
|prev=A Bridge Too Close, Part II
|next=Three's a Crowd
|ep=30, 31 and 32
|ep2=27, 28 and 29
|prev2=A Bridge Too Close, Part II
|next2=Three's a Crowd
|title="TransWarped"
|airdate=[[March 14]], 2009
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]] [[Michael Ryan]] [[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani]] [[Tetsurō Moronuki]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''In the aftermath of the battle at the mine, Sari and her father’s relationship takes a strange turn; the Autobots have their work cut out for them trying to contact Cybertron; and Megatron and Starscream find a new opportunity.'''

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

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

[[File:TransWarpedStarscreamsScream.jpg|thumb|right|I'mma firin' mah lazhar!]]

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

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

On [[Earth]], as the Autobots return to [[Detroit]], [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] explains [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari's]] origins to her as best he can, revealing that he discovered her in his laboratory years ago, in the form of a small, liquid metal robot. Sari finds the story hard to believe, and her strained patience reaches its end when the group returns to [[Sumdac Tower]] and confronts [[Porter C. Powell]] and [[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]]. Powell tries to smooth things over with Isaac, but Masterson's belligerent attitude dispels any attempts at peace, which is further ruined when he demands the Autobots return his Headmaster, or "heads will roll." Having entered the lab from the elevator behind them, Optimus picks up Masterson and asks for clarification on his threat. Isaac immediately fires both Powell and Masterson, but Masterson refuses to vacate the premises, and Powell takes another shot at Sari's disputed parentage.

[[File:TransWarped Pt1 Sari Freakout.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|POWER!!! UNLIMITED POWER!!!]]

In a moment of anger, Sari's hands transform into energy projectors that hurl the two men into the building's elevator. This newest revelation pushes Sari over the edge, and she walks out on the man she can no longer even think of as her father, returning to the [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobots' base]] with her "fellow machines." While [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] examines Sari—deducing that she's basically human, but partially Cybertronian—Prowl departs to carry out some research of his own. With Ratchet lost in his memories of [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]], [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] head back to the Decepticons' destroyed mine base to salvage some equipment that will let them contact Cybertron and inform the Autobots there of the traitor in their midst.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the sky above Cybertron, Omega Supreme materializes, and Starscream howls with glee...only for the Autobot spaceship to TransWarp away immediately to another random point in space...and another...and another...
{{--}}

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

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

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

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

"Prepare for T-O-T! Total Ownage Time!"
:—'''Headmaster''' to Optimus Prime and the Sumdacs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Continuity errors===
* Megatron finds both of his rotors/swords after being freed from the stasis cuffs, despite leaving ''at least'' one behind when he was sucked into the space bridge in "A Bridge Too Close".
* If Sumdac was wearing gloves at the time he touched the protoform, how did it get his DNA? For that matter, how did Sari end up female?
** Given that protoforms in ''Beast Wars'' scanned animals that were nowhere near their pods, Sari may have not actually required physical contact to scan Sumdac. Also, the protoform may have already been female before being activated.
* It is revealed that the streak of white in Isaac's hair came from the shock he received when he approached the protoform that would become Sari. Pay no attention to the streak in the hair of his younger self appearing in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", please...
* Sari's protruding robotic elbow disappears without explanation while she's sitting on Ratchet's repair table.
* When Bumblebee gets blown away in "Part II" after being stabbed by Sari, he lands on his back. When we cut back to him in "Part III", he appears on his side.
* Bumblebee’s rocket boosters seemingly appear out of nowhere.
** The [[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|AllSpark Almanac II]] reveals that Ratchet installed the turbo boosters while he was repairing Bumblebee just in case he needed them.
** With Ratchet's upgrading of his stingers and now this, it seems that <s>Hasbro</s> the Autobots have gotten over their "upgrades are bad, m'kay" phase. Spending two seasons out-gunned will probably do that to you.

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

===Transformers references===
[[File:TransWarped Pt1 Blurr Runs Rings.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
*Bar Oil Slick, every member of the new squads harkens back to a previous series. Rodimus, Ironhide, Brawn and Cyclonus are heavily based off their Generation One counterparts. Red Alert and Hot Shot take after their Unicron Trilogy incarnations. Spittor and Strika are both modeled after Beast Era characters, and Blackout's design is heavily influenced by the live-action movie version.
*While lecturing Sari on taking it slow with her powers, Ratchet says that there's "more than meets the vis-scanners" on having powers, a clear reference to the time-honored Transformers tagline "[[More than Meets the Eye (disambiguation)|more than meets the eye]]".
*Arcee's open head [[:File:Spotlight Arcee b.jpg|looks ''waaay'' too much]] like [[Alex Milne]]'s cover for [[IDW Publishing]]'s "[[Spotlight: Arcee]]" to be a coincidence.
*Blurr races along a Saturn-style planetary ring, as [[Blurr (G1)|his namesake]] had done in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)#Season 3|Generation 1 season 3]] [[title sequence]].
*The building in which the [[Autobot High Council]] have their meeting looks [[Metroplex (G1)|somewhat familiar]].
*Blackout seems to have retained his seismic stomp that was used by his [[Blackout (Movie)|movie counterpart]].
*Team Chaar gets its name from [[Chaar|the planet of the same name]].
*After being told by Optimus to stay behind, Sari tells Optimus that she is a Robot Hero now too.
*Ratchet says that he has been the team's medic for 4 Million Stellar-cycles.

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

===Trivia===
*[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] confirmed via Twitter after the show aired that like the series pilot, "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", "TransWarped" was made "as one 70-minute movie", although it was also cut into 22-minute episodes for syndication.<ref>[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] — http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1329673450 — "We made it as one 70 minute movie, but it has also been cut into three 22s".</ref> Unlike the pilot, however, "TransWarped" counts as three episodes out of the thirteen allotted for the show's third season. While Cartoon Network aired all three episode in movie form for their premiere, Canadian network YTV opted to debut them in episodic form, airing only the first two in a double-bill, and then screening the final part the following week.
* Several scenes are known to have been storyboarded for this three-parter, only to wind up being cut for time. These would have included an appearance by [[Beachcomber (Animated)|Beachcomber]], who would have caught Shockwave disposing of Blurr and would have been killed by the double-agent to maintain his cover, and an extended flashback to the [[Battle for Iacon|final battle of the Great War]], which would have featured [[Reflector (Animated)|Reflector]], [[Straxus (Animated)|Straxus]] and the myriad [[Omega Sentinel (Animated)|Omega Sentinels]]. While Beachcomber turned up in crowd scenes later in the season and Reflector had a bio in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 26|issue #26]] of the [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|Transformers Collectors' Club magazine]], it would take until the publication of ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II]]'' over a year later before Straxus and the Sentinels would be revealed.
* The creatures that turn into rocks may be a reference to the Rock Lords from the [[GoBots (franchise)|GoBots]] movie ''[[wikipedia:GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords|GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]''.
*Starscream gains a "sonic scream" as a head-mounted weapon in this episode. Coincidentally (or not?), in the initial [[Cartoon Network]] press release for ''Transformers Animated'', Starscream's profile claimed that he had a sonic scream he could use to send foes spinning through the air. This ability is never seen again.
*The Headmaster's appearance in this episode marks the only time a human villain is used in Season 3. And even then, he's relatively minor compared to a Decepticon-controlled Omega Supreme.
*In his last line, Shockwave seems to forget to use his American accent. Probably because he's getting worried about getting caught.
*This episode marks the first live appearance of Cybertron.

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transdobra'''" ("Transwarp")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Porte stellaire'''" ("Stargate")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Teletransportados'''" ("Teleported")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 6|6 October]] [[2009]] ''(Part 1)''

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sari no Himitsu'''" (Part 1, サリの秘密, "The Secret of Sari")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 2|2 October]] [[2010]]
::*For the opening pre-[[title sequence]] chatter, [[Tesshō Genda]] reprises his role as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] in order to carry on a conversation with ''Animated'' Optimus Prime.

:*''Title:'' "'''Sari, Transform!?'''" (Part 2, サリ、トランスフォーム!?)
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 9|9 October]] [[2010]]

:*''Title:'' "'''Megatron no Shōrai'''" (Part 3, メガトロンの襲来, "Megatron's Raid")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 16|16 October]] [[2010]]

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

==References==
<references/>

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

Nature Calls

2015-04-13T05:13:34Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|Ani|14
|title="Nature Calls"
|image=TFA Nature Calls barnacle monster attacks.JPG
|caption=Zoinks! Like, it's the Tar Monster!
|airdate=[[March 22]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Bouakeo Thongkham]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious energy signal.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Nature Calls barnacles constructionbots.JPG|left|150px|thumb|The Constructicons have been smothered by lava before, but this is ridiculous.]]

Far outside of Detroit, a lone worker monitoring [[Constructicon (G1)|some oddly coloured]] mining machines hears a strange noise. Alerted, he looks around, but returns to his drink... only to be attacked by ''something''. The construction machines stop their work, and they too get attacked.

Outside Detroit, Prowl, in his [[alternate mode]], looks on at the snow-covered city before a plow comes along and rather rudely covers him in snow. [[Transformation|Transforming]], he rises from the snow with a sad look on his face.

[[Image:TFA Nature Calls mad kids.JPG|right|150px|thumb|You'll be sorry when the wind changes.]]

When Prowl returns to the base, he goes on a rant about Nature's beauty and how humanity destroys it at every turn. Bumblebee and Sari are playing a video game, ignoring his vent. Prowl looks down on Bumblebee and asks if he was listening, where Bumblebee retorts by noting that Prowl is "electrical components" too, nudging his Autobot insignia to activate a [[hologram]] of Prowl. Optimus Prime interrupts the friendly banter by noting that there is a strange energy signature coming from the forest, and he sends Prowl and Bumblebee to investigate. Bumblebee is horrified at the idea at venturing into the tech-less wilderness, while Sari uses the opportunity to go camping with the two Autobots.

[[Image:Camp site.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Nothin' says "unplug yourselves" like a little primitive camping.]]

The three of them head off into the woods, and Bumblebee laments unpaved roads, while Sari is excited, saying that they'll roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories and the like. When they prepare to proceed on foot, it's learned that Bumblebee brought a few entertainment devices... stored in a place that makes him a little ashamed. After finding a suitable camping site, Prowl sits quietly to commune with Nature while Bumblebee searches for an outlet to power his flatscreen TV. As campers, Sari and Bumblebee are miserable failures. They can't pitch a tent or get a fire going, and Sari is forced to admit that she's never been camping before, so Prowl does both within seconds. When Bumblebee commandeers Prowl's holographic imager to watch a movie, the ninja bot smashes Bumblebee's portable media player, much to the yellow bot's horror. Prowl 1, Bumblebee 0.

During the night, the trio is awoken by a crunching noise. Bumblebee cries monster. Prowl says it's a bear, which are [[wikipedia:Stephen Colbert (character)|hardly monsters]]. Lo and behold, a monstrous creature covered in purple tentacles and pink eyes ''does'' stomp out into the open and attack them. Bumblebee 1, Prowl 1. The creature absorbs Prowl's shurikens and holds its own against Bumblebee's stingers. What's more, Sari's [[AllSpark Key]] glows, indicating that the creature is Cybertronian in origin. Unable to fight it off, the trio retreat.

[[Image:Sari expression.jpg|right|150px|thumb|It just gets worse, Sari.]]

Losing the creature, Prowl tries to figure out what the creature was, despite Bumblebee's snide comments. They both determine the creature is made up of [[space barnacle]]s, scourge of space-going vessels everywhere. Normally, barnacles drain power and act like computer viruses, but these barnacles appear to have been mutated by [[AllSpark#Animated|something]] and made more powerful. They decide to go back and destroy the barnacles, rather than risk the creature reaching Detroit and infecting other machines. Glowing in the direction of the Cybertronian energy, the AllSpark Key leads them to the mine shaft. When they're not looking, the creature drops a snowbank on them from above, sealing 'Bee and Sari inside.

Bumblebee's attempt to put his [[Medieval Maze Monsters|video game skills to use]] fails to extract himself and Sari from the cave, but Prowl uses a hologram to fool the creature into smashing the entrance open, allowing Bumblebee to use his stingers to fry the barnacles. However, Prowl's prolonged contact with the creature has infected him and taken over, turning him into a barnacle zombie. 'Bee and Sari make a run for it, but they know they can't go back to the city because the barnacles may spread. They backtrack, hoping to lure Prowl to the mine and seal him inside, but end up sealing themselves inside too.

[[Image:Barnicle bots.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ve vant to suck your [[energon]].]]

Now trapped, 'Bee and Sari seal themselves in a furnace room, and Sari hatches a plan to heat up water from a fire hose to scorch the barnacles off Prowl. However, Prowl's touch has infected Bumblebee as well. Sari tries to use the AllSpark Key on the furnace machinery, but it doesn't work (for once). She manages to light the furnace by scratching a spark (not [[Spark|that kind of spark]]) from the Key instead. The furnace heats the water, and Sari sprays her two friends, boiling off the barnacles. The two Autobots are restored, and the three return to the plant to recount their harrowing tale to Prime.

[[Image:Sumdac megatron's body.jpg|right|150px|thumb|FINALLY! I can resurrect the most ruthless warlord in the galaxy and damn my planet to untold suffering and horror! GO ME!!]]

Back in the woods, [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] arrives in a truck and finds the Cybertronian machinery that was formerly coated by the barnacles, machinery that bears the Decepticon insignia. Sumdac comments that he's finally found what he's been looking for for several years, and that Megatron will be pleased with his discovery. What, oh what, could it be?
{{-}}

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

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's body]] (6)

|c3=
*[[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] (1)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (3)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
}}

==Quotes==
[[Image:TFA Nature Calls Bumblebee shame.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Please show where you hid the equipment on this action figure."]]

'''Bumblebee''': At least I can get this junk out of me. I was feeling kinda bloated. 
''[Electronic devices suddenly fall out of him, Prowl gives him a look]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': What? You said to pack the bare essentials! 
'''Prowl''': Since when are surround-sound speakers, a strobe light, and a hand-held media player "bare essentials?" 
'''Bumblebee''': You should've seen what I left back at the plant. 
'''Prowl''': Where did you even find room for all of this junk? 
''[Bumblebee taps his fingers uncomfortably]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': [[Anatomic euphemism#Exhaust port|I'd... rather not say.]] 
:—Bumblebee and Prowl's conversation takes a decidedly uncomfortable turn.

"First we must determine this creature's intentions." 
''[Creature knocks Prowl aside without provocation]'' 
"I'm gonna go with 'hostile'." 
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Bumblebee''' meet the monster.

'''Bumblebee''': Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?! 
''[Creature swipes at Bumblebee and Sari]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay. Maybe we're a little unclear on the concept of "your own size". 
'''Sari''': Maybe you should stop talking logic to a ''creature that has no head!'' 
:—Bumblebee and Sari debate whether or not to open negotiations with the monster.

"What did I tell you about camping? ''Monsters''. TV is ''always'' right." 
"So, wait. Monsters ''are'' real? Tutor Bot is such a liar!" 
:—'''Bumblebee''''s faith in [[television]] is reinforced, while '''Sari Sumdac''''s faith in [[Tutor Bot]] is shattered.

"Attention, barnacle monster! Come out with your hands over your...well, you don't have a head. But you get the idea." 
:—'''Bumblebee''' instructs the creature to surrender.

"Look where nature got you: Barnacles! Luckily we can depend on good old Mother Technology. Right, Prowl?"
:—'''Bumblebee''' may have spoken too soon.

"Your tire tracks!" 
"So I messed up the pretty white woods! You sound just like Prowl!" 
"No! We can follow them back to the mine and lure Prowl into it then seal him inside!" 
:—'''Sari''' and '''Bumblebee''' discuss the finer points of screwing with the scenery.

'''Sari''': And then, they were back to normal, like nothing ever happened. Meanwhile, I'm stuck riding home with no dry clothes and an Autobot whose car mode doesn't have a ''heater''! 
''[Sari sneezes]'' 
'''Optimus''': You showed a lot of courage and ingenuity, Sari. And hopefully, you'll stop...backfiring soon. 
'''Sari''': Hel-''lo'', it's called "sneezing". 
''[Sari sneezes, then blows her nose]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I don't even wanna know what ''that's'' called. 
:—The Autobots discover the concept of the common cold.

'''Prowl''': Surely you don't blame all of nature for a few space barnacles? 
'''Bumblebee''': You don't see my game player turning everyone into zombies, do you?! 
'''Prowl''': [[Transformers_Comic_issue_4.4|Actually...]]
:— Prowl and Bumblebee have different points of view on nature and video games.

"Megatron will be so surprised!" 
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''', cheerfully dooming us all.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*When Bumblebee and Sari are playing a video game, Sari says "jump! jump!", and when Prowl shuts the game off, Bumblebee notes that he was on level 230... how this is possible when they play a racing game, nobody knows...
* If space barnacles are killed by heat, how did any survive atmospheric entry?
* Megatron's body clearly has the Decepticon emblem on it, and Isaac Sumdac... doesn't appear to notice, even though he should have noticed the differences between Autobot and Decepticons. Then again, he never noticed Megatron's eyes being red while all the Autobots have blue ones.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Aniconstructionvehicles.jpg|right|150px|thumb|They're so [[neon]].]]
* The construction drones are [[Constructicon (G1)|green and purple.]] [[Constructicon (Animated)|Foreshadowing much]]?
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] body ends up in the [[Megatron (Movie)|deep freeze.]]
[[Image:Anisparkplugwitwicky.jpg|right|150px|thumb|This kind of stuff never happened in [[Ruby crystal mines of Burma|Burma]]...]]
* The construction worker looks very [[Sparkplug Witwicky|familiar.]] (He's only credited as "Worker" and is voiced by [[Jeff Glen Bennett]].)

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee and Sari play their racing game on a console shaped very much like an X-Box with a purple and gray palette swap.
* There are actually [[wikipedia:barnacle|barnacles ''not'' from space]]. Neat, huh?

===Trivia===
*If those space barnacles came from the Autobots ship and latched onto Megatron's body before it hit reentry, what were they doing for the past fifty years?
* The construction worker [[Sari, No One's Home|somehow survived]] being attacked by the space barnacle.
* What use could Bumblebee (and possibly Sari) have for a ''strobe light''?
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], and Megatron ('s head), while mentioned, make no appearances in this episode.
* [[Tutor Bot]] is mentioned, and is in the voice credits for the episode, but does not actually appear.
*...[[Tom Kenny|space]] [[Bill Fagerbakke|barnacles?]]
* Why didn't Sari get scalded by hot water when she soaked Prowl and 'Bee? Maybe it's because [[TransWarped|she's part robot]]?
* This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 6]]", with "[[Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nature maudite'''" ("Damned Nature")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Ruf der Natur'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 10|10 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Zew natury'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:''

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El llamado de la naturaleza'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 23|23 August]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shi wo Yobu Uchū Kaibutsu!'''" (死を呼ぶ宇宙怪物!, "The Space Monster That Invokes Death!")
::* For whatever reasons, this episode never aired in Japan, but is included in the ''Transformers Animated'' Vol. 4 DVD as episode 14.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 4 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Nature Calls

2015-04-13T05:11:36Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|Ani|14
|title="Nature Calls"
|image=TFA Nature Calls barnacle monster attacks.JPG
|caption=Zoinks! Like, it's the Tar Monster!
|airdate=[[March 22]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Bouakeo Thongkham]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious energy signal.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Nature Calls barnacles constructionbots.JPG|left|150px|thumb|The Constructicons have been smothered by lava before, but this is ridiculous.]]

Far outside of Detroit, a lone worker monitoring [[Constructicon (G1)|some oddly coloured]] mining machines hears a strange noise. Alerted, he looks around, but returns to his drink... only to be attacked by ''something''. The construction machines stop their work, and they too get attacked.

Outside Detroit, Prowl, in his [[alternate mode]], looks on at the snow-covered city before a plow comes along and rather rudely covers him in snow. [[Transformation|Transforming]], he rises from the snow with a sad look on his face.

[[Image:TFA Nature Calls mad kids.JPG|right|150px|thumb|You'll be sorry when the wind changes.]]

When Prowl returns to the base, he goes on a rant about Nature's beauty and how humanity destroys it at every turn. Bumblebee and Sari are playing a video game, ignoring his vent. Prowl looks down on Bumblebee and asks if he was listening, where Bumblebee retorts by noting that Prowl is "electrical components" too, nudging his Autobot insignia to activate a [[hologram]] of Prowl. Optimus Prime interrupts the friendly banter by noting that there is a strange energy signature coming from the forest, and he sends Prowl and Bumblebee to investigate. Bumblebee is horrified at the idea at venturing into the tech-less wilderness, while Sari uses the opportunity to go camping with the two Autobots.

[[Image:Camp site.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Nothin' says "unplug yourselves" like a little primitive camping.]]

The three of them head off into the woods, and Bumblebee laments unpaved roads, while Sari is excited, saying that they'll roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories and the like. When they prepare to proceed on foot, it's learned that Bumblebee brought a few entertainment devices... stored in a place that makes him a little ashamed. After finding a suitable camping site, Prowl sits quietly to commune with Nature while Bumblebee searches for an outlet to power his flatscreen TV. As campers, Sari and Bumblebee are miserable failures. They can't pitch a tent or get a fire going, and Sari is forced to admit that she's never been camping before, so Prowl does both within seconds. When Bumblebee commandeers Prowl's holographic imager to watch a movie, the ninja bot smashes Bumblebee's portable media player, much to the yellow bot's horror. Prowl 1, Bumblebee 0.

During the night, the trio is awoken by a crunching noise. Bumblebee cries monster. Prowl says it's a bear, which are [[wikipedia:Stephen Colbert (character)|hardly monsters]]. Lo and behold, a monstrous creature covered in purple tentacles and pink eyes ''does'' stomp out into the open and attack them. Bumblebee 1, Prowl 1. The creature absorbs Prowl's shurikens and holds its own against Bumblebee's stingers. What's more, Sari's [[AllSpark Key]] glows, indicating that the creature is Cybertronian in origin. Unable to fight it off, the trio retreat.

[[Image:Sari expression.jpg|right|150px|thumb|It just gets worse, Sari.]]

Losing the creature, Prowl tries to figure out what the creature was, despite Bumblebee's snide comments. They both determine the creature is made up of [[space barnacle]]s, scourge of space-going vessels everywhere. Normally, barnacles drain power and act like computer viruses, but these barnacles appear to have been mutated by [[AllSpark#Animated|something]] and made more powerful. They decide to go back and destroy the barnacles, rather than risk the creature reaching Detroit and infecting other machines. Glowing in the direction of the Cybertronian energy, the AllSpark Key leads them to the mine shaft. When they're not looking, the creature drops a snowbank on them from above, sealing 'Bee and Sari inside.

Bumblebee's attempt to put his [[Medieval Maze Monsters|video game skills to use]] fails to extract himself and Sari from the cave, but Prowl uses a hologram to fool the creature into smashing the entrance open, allowing Bumblebee to use his stingers to fry the barnacles. However, Prowl's prolonged contact with the creature has infected him and taken over, turning him into a barnacle zombie. 'Bee and Sari make a run for it, but they know they can't go back to the city because the barnacles may spread. They backtrack, hoping to lure Prowl to the mine and seal him inside, but end up sealing themselves inside too.

[[Image:Barnicle bots.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ve vant to suck your [[energon]].]]

Now trapped, 'Bee and Sari seal themselves in a furnace room, and Sari hatches a plan to heat up water from a fire hose to scorch the barnacles off Prowl. However, Prowl's touch has infected Bumblebee as well. Sari tries to use the AllSpark Key on the furnace machinery, but it doesn't work (for once). She manages to light the furnace by scratching a spark (not [[Spark|that kind of spark]]) from the Key instead. The furnace heats the water, and Sari sprays her two friends, boiling off the barnacles. The two Autobots are restored, and the three return to the plant to recount their harrowing tale to Prime.

[[Image:Sumdac megatron's body.jpg|right|150px|thumb|FINALLY! I can resurrect the most ruthless warlord in the galaxy and damn my planet to untold suffering and horror! GO ME!!]]

Back in the woods, [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] arrives in a truck and finds the Cybertronian machinery that was formerly coated by the barnacles, machinery that bears the Decepticon insignia. Sumdac comments that he's finally found what he's been looking for for several years, and that Megatron will be pleased with his discovery. What, oh what, could it be?
{{-}}

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

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's body]] (6)

|c3=
*[[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] (1)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (3)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
}}

==Quotes==
[[Image:TFA Nature Calls Bumblebee shame.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Please show where you hid the equipment on this action figure."]]

'''Bumblebee''': At least I can get this junk out of me. I was feeling kinda bloated. 
''[Electronic devices suddenly fall out of him, Prowl gives him a look]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': What? You said to pack the bare essentials! 
'''Prowl''': Since when are surround-sound speakers, a strobe light, and a hand-held media player "bare essentials?" 
'''Bumblebee''': You should've seen what I left back at the plant. 
'''Prowl''': Where did you even find room for all of this junk? 
''[Bumblebee taps his fingers uncomfortably]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': [[Anatomic euphemism#Exhaust port|I'd... rather not say.]] 
:—Bumblebee and Prowl's conversation takes a decidedly uncomfortable turn.

"First we must determine this creature's intentions." 
''[Creature knocks Prowl aside without provocation]'' 
"I'm gonna go with 'hostile'." 
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Bumblebee''' meet the monster.

'''Bumblebee''': Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?! 
''[Creature swipes at Bumblebee and Sari]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay. Maybe we're a little unclear on the concept of "your own size". 
'''Sari''': Maybe you should stop talking logic to a ''creature that has no head!'' 
:—Bumblebee and Sari debate whether or not to open negotiations with the monster.

"What did I tell you about camping? ''Monsters''. TV is ''always'' right." 
"So, wait. Monsters ''are'' real? Tutor Bot is such a liar!" 
:—'''Bumblebee''''s faith in [[television]] is reinforced, while '''Sari Sumdac''''s faith in [[Tutor Bot]] is shattered.

"Attention, barnacle monster! Come out with your hands over your...well, you don't have a head. But you get the idea." 
:—'''Bumblebee''' instructs the creature to surrender.

"Look where nature got you: Barnacles! Luckily we can depend on good old Mother Technology. Right, Prowl?"
:—'''Bumblebee''' may have spoken too soon.

"Your tire tracks!" 
"So I messed up the pretty white woods! You sound just like Prowl!" 
"No! We can follow them back to the mine and lure Prowl into it then seal him inside!" 
:—'''Sari''' and '''Bumblebee''' discuss the finer points of screwing with the scenery.

'''Sari''': And then, they were back to normal, like nothing ever happened. Meanwhile, I'm stuck riding home with no dry clothes and an Autobot whose car mode doesn't have a ''heater''! 
''[Sari sneezes]'' 
'''Optimus''': You showed a lot of courage and ingenuity, Sari. And hopefully, you'll stop...backfiring soon. 
'''Sari''': Hel-''lo'', it's called "sneezing". 
''[Sari sneezes, then blows her nose]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I don't even wanna know what ''that's'' called. 
:—The Autobots discover the concept of the common cold.

'''Prowl''': Surely you don't blame all of nature for a few space barnacles? 
'''Bumblebee''': You don't see my game player turning everyone into zombies, do you?! 
'''Prowl''': [[Transformers_Comic_issue_4.4|Actually...]]
:— Prowl and Bumblebee have different points of view on nature and video games.

"Megatron will be so surprised!" 
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''', cheerfully dooming us all.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*When Bumblebee and Sari are playing a video game, Sari says "jump! jump!", and when Prowl shuts the game off, Bumblebee notes that he was on level 230... how this is possible when they play a racing game, nobody knows...
* If space barnacles are killed by heat, how did any survive atmospheric entry?
* Megatron's body clearly has the Decepticon emblem on it, and Isaac Sumdac... doesn't appear to notice, even though he should have noticed the differences between Autobot and Decepticons. Then again, he never noticed Megatron's eyes being red while all the Autobots have blue ones.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Aniconstructionvehicles.jpg|right|150px|thumb|They're so [[neon]].]]
* The construction drones are [[Constructicon (G1)|green and purple.]] [[Constructicon (Animated)|Foreshadowing much]]?
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] body ends up in the [[Megatron (Movie)|deep freeze.]]
[[Image:Anisparkplugwitwicky.jpg|right|150px|thumb|This kind of stuff never happened in [[Ruby crystal mines of Burma|Burma]]...]]
* The construction worker looks very [[Sparkplug Witwicky|familiar.]] (He's only credited as "Worker" and is voiced by [[Jeff Glen Bennett]].)

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee and Sari play their racing game on a console shaped very much like an X-Box with a purple and gray palette swap.
* There are actually [[wikipedia:barnacle|barnacles ''not'' from space]]. Neat, huh?

===Trivia===
*If those space barnacles came from the Autobots ship and latched onto Megatron's body before it hit reentry, what were they doing for the past fifty years?
* The construction worker [[Sari, No One's Home|somehow survived]] being attacked by the space barnacle.
* What use could Bumblebee (and possibly Sari) have for a ''strobe light''?
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], and Megatron ('s head), while mentioned, make no appearances in this episode.
* [[Tutor Bot]] is mentioned, and is in the voice credits for the episode, but does not actually appear.
*...[[Tom Kenny|space]] [[Bill Fagerbakke|barnacles?]]
* Why didn't Sari get scalded by hot water when she soaked Prowl and 'Bee? Maybe it's because [[TransWarped|she's part robot]]?
* This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 6]]", with "[[Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nature maudite'''" ("Damned Nature")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Ruf der Natur'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 10|10 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Zew natury'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:''

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El llamado de la naturaleza'''" ("Nature Calls")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 23|23 August]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shi wo Yobu Uchū Kaibutsu!'''" (死を呼ぶ宇宙怪物!, "The Space Monster That Invokes Death!")
::* For whatever reasons, this episode never aired in Japan, but is included in the ''Transformers Animated'' Vol. 4 DVD as episode 14.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 4 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Survival of the Fittest

2015-04-13T05:03:16Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Survival Fittest Meltdown Dinobots.JPG
|caption=Oh sure, I know the drill. I look behind me, you make off with my car. Not gonna happen, pal.
|ep=12
|ep2=12
|prev2=Lost and Found (episode)
|next2=Headmaster (episode)
|title="Survival of the Fittest"
|airdate=[[March 8]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Steven Granat]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Sari is kidnapped and the evidence points to the Dinobots. So Prowl and Bulkhead head to a mysterious island to investigate—with a highly suspicious Captain Fanzone on their tail.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Survival Fittest Sari karate.JPG|left|175px|thumb|Pre-Teen Cyborg Ninja Kiddies.]]

Concerned for [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]]'s safety as possessor of the [[AllSpark Key]] and knowing they can't be around every minute to protect her, the [[Autobot]]s decide to give her self-defense lessons. She doesn't do so well, but undaunted, she continues to practice alone in her room that night. She then goes to bed, but a shadow passing by her window makes her curious enough to get up again. She opens the window and is confronted by the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]] [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]]. Shortly afterward, [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|her father]] stops by to deliver a bedtime snack and is shocked to find her missing.

[[Image:SwoopSari.JPG|right|175px|thumb|I will make you one of my children of the night.]]

He immediately contacts the police and the Autobots, and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] orders everyone to [[roll out]] immediately. Come morning, the police search Sari's room and question Doctor Sumdac. [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] coordinates operations from the lobby of [[Sumdac Tower]], checking security video footage and struggling with the operation of his mobile phone. The Autobots arrive, and he asks if anything unusual happened yesterday. [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] mentions her self-defense lessons, to which Fanzone raises some objection, noting that hanging around Autobots might just be, oh, dangerous for a little girl. Just then, Prime spots Swoop on the security footage replay. [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] doesn't think it's possible, but Prime notes they never did find out what happened to the escaped Dinobots. Behind him, Bulkhead and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] hold a quiet conversation about whether to tell Prime about their role in the Dinobots' escape, but decide to investigate the [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobots' island]] themselves first. Fanzone notices them whispering, figures they must be discussing something relevant, and decides to follow this new lead on his own.

[[Image:TFA Survival Fittest Fanzone phone trouble.JPG|left|150px|thumb|It's [[Kremzeek]]! He's in the phone!]]

That night, Prowl and Bulkhead take a cargo ship out to the Dinobots' island, with Fanzone pursuing them in a police department mini-sub. By daylight, the Autobots arrive on the island and start exploring, with Fanzone coming ashore shortly afterward. Suddenly, Prowl spots tracks, indicating someone besides the Dinobots is on the island. As they arrive at the edge of the central crater, Bulkhead expresses second thoughts about setting the Dinobots free. What if someone were to find them there? Prowl deactivates his holographic generator and notes that currently won't be an issue, as the Dinobots appear to be gone.

From within a control room, [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] are ordered to deal with the two Autobots by their new master—[[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]].

[[Image:Donkey Fanzone.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Donkey Fanzone.]]

Back outside in the valley, an outraged Bulkhead growls that they should have melted down the Dinobots as Dr. Sumdac wanted, but Prowl insists the Dinobots are more than just machines, that they are truly alive and so had to be saved. Bulkhead counters by asking who's going to save Sari. The two then leave to explore the island further, with Fanzone pursuing close behind—well, as close behind as possible after dealing with various mishaps.

In Meltdown's control room, [[Colossus Rhodes]] offers to pound the Autobots to scrap, but Meltdown stays him. Sari figures they're both as good as arrested and taunts them until Rhodes bulks up and scares her into silence.

Outside, Bulkhead and Prowl discover Captain Fanzone sinking in quicksand and haul him out. Prowl asks why he's following them, but Fanzone counters by asking what they're doing on an abandoned island research facility in the middle of Lake Erie, and they fall silent.

Still watching the proceedings, Meltdown decides it's time to greet his guests personally and leaves Rhodes to guard Sari. Rhodes taunts Sari for a change, but Sari just asks to go to the toilet.

On the surface, Fanzone continues to question Bulkhead about the situation, wondering if there's something he's not being told. Bulkhead abruptly points out the Dinobots behind Fanzone as the possible missing piece of info. Prowl offers to deal with the Dinobots, as they trust him, but [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] orders the Dinobots to attack. Prowl is confused, but Bulkhead figures it's pretty straightforward: The Dinobots kidnapped Sari and now want to destroy them. He also lets slip that he and Prowl helped the Dinobots escape. During the skirmish, Prowl notes acid burns on Swoop's leg plating and deduces that someone with the ability to burn the Dinobots is forcing them to act this way. The Autobots and Fanzone manage to make a run for it, only to find themselves in a dead-end canyon. When Meltdown confronts them, Prowl finally puts it all together, realizing that the villain is behind the Dinobots capturing Sari and attacking them. Meltdown gleefully monologues about finding an island with its own security system just when he needed a place for private experiments, and how Sari will now be his latest subject. An enraged Bulkhead charges, but Meltdown's acid blasts a painful hole in the Autobot's chest. Prowl and Fanzone run to help him, but Meltdown touches a remote-control button and sends the pair plummeting through a trap door down into a steel-lined holding pen.

[[Image:TFA Survival Fittest Prowl Fanzone mutants.JPG|left|200px|thumb|This is why I hate Pretenders!]]

When they regain consciousness, Meltdown arrives and explains his plans: after last encounter with the Autobots, Meltdown has been toying with the idea of a human capable of [[Transformation]]. However, Meltdown's [[fusion creature]] experiments (one of whom was his lawyer) were locked in their "alternate forms". He notes that the failures were a result of using adult test subjects, whereas a still-growing human should prove much more promising. And what better choice than the daughter of his arch-rival, Isaac Sumdac? He then leaves to administer his formula to Sari while his two mutants take care of Prowl and Fanzone.

Elsewhere in the base, Sari tricks Cyrus Rhodes into checking out the rest room toilet, then uses the AllSpark Key to flood water on him, shorting out the electrode/pistons that let him bulk up. When he turns to attack her, she trips him, then locks him in the bathroom and takes off. Somehow, she finds the controls to turn off the laser barrier keeping Prowl and Fanzone trapped in the holding pit. Freed just in time, they take off and quickly locate Sari. Informed of Bulkhead's predicament, she guides them out the way she was brought in. As they start down the hall, Fanzone spots a rack of spare protective suits for Meltdown and grabs one.

[[Image:TFA Dinobots fire weapons.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Your death will be swift."]]

Prowl gets the two humans past a closing steel door and outside, where Sari quickly uses the AllSpark Key to heal Bulkhead. Before they can celebrate, Meltdown shows up with the Dinobots. Sari launches into a flying kick which totally misses Meltdown, but serves as the distraction needed for Prowl to score a hit. Before a stunned Meltdown can recover, Fanzone tackles him and wraps him up in a spare protective suit he grabbed. Meltdown orders the Dinobots to attack, but Prowl points out that Meltdown has no power over them any more. In preparation for revenge, the Dinobots [[Transformation|transform]] into robot mode, surprising the others. Prowl offers the panicking Meltdown a choice: going to prison or being left to the Dinobots' (lack of) mercies. Just then, Colossus Rhodes (whose electronics apparently dried out) and the two mutants burst out of the entrance into the underground facility, only to draw the Dinobots' attention to themselves. The mighty mechanical trio ignite their weapons and quickly trounce the three mutants.

That evening, Fanzone and the Autobots take Sari and the captive Meltdown and Rhodes back to Detroit. Fanzone calls Dr. Sumdac to give him the good news, and Bulkhead and Prowl wonder if they should admit about the Dinobots to Prime. Fanzone assures Prowl that as long as the Dinobots stay on the island and out of Detroit, he doesn't have a problem with them. Prowl thanks him for all his help, and the two acknowledge they make a decent team, despite their different physical compositions. Watching Sari try out another kick on Bulkhead, Fanzone expresses continuing doubts about teaching ninja moves to eight-year-olds. Prowl agrees, noting Sari can apparently take care of herself in her own unique fashion.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] (13)
*[[Colossus Rhodes]] (14)

|c4=
*[[Reception Bot]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"This is why I hate machines!" 
"No need to be such a technophobe, Captain." 
"A technophobe is someone who ''fears'' technology. ''(Smashes cell phone)'' Does '''''this''' look like'' '''FEAR TO YOU?!'''" 
"Um… my mistake."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' straightens out '''Prowl''''s perceptions of him.

'''Bulkhead''': Hanging out. Teaching her ninja nerve blows. Watching cartoons. 
'''Fanzone''': Woah, back up. What was that? 
'''Bulkhead''': Watching cartoons. 
'''Fanzone''': No, before that. 
'''Bulkhead''': Ninja nerve blows. 
'''Fanzone''': You're teaching an eight-year-old to do ''nerve blows''? 
'''Ratchet''': You want her to pick it up in the street? 
'''Prowl''': This is part of every protoform's elemental programming. 
'''Fanzone''': Say what? 
'''Bulkhead''': Yeah, it's not like we're having her fight [[Decepticon]]s. 
'''Prowl''': Yet.
:—Fanzone and the Autobots debate the finer points of child education.

"Help!" 
"That sounded like Captain Fanzone." 
"Y-Yeah, hey, I—I do a really good impression of myself '''screaming for help!'''"
:—Even in mortal danger, '''Captain Fanzone''' zings '''Prowl'''.

"Who better than the daughter of my arch-rival, the bane of my existence, the simpering fool who is unworthy to lick the mud off the heels of my platform shoes—booga-looga-looga-looz—Professor Isaac Sumdac? Poetic, no?"
:—'''Meltdown''' gets down with his bad self while monologuing. It appears that the suit is more than just for show.

"Dibs on Lefty—I hate lawyers."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' actually hates something besides machines.

'''Fanzone''': What the…?! 
'''Sari''': Whoa…! 
'''Bulkhead''': Uh… they couldn't do that before. Right? 
:—The Dinobots reveal that they are [[Transformer|more than meets the eye]].

==Notes==
===Animation errors===
* When Prowl and Fanzone are driven to the wall (to the lasers, in this case) by the mutants, Prowl is shown without his battle mask. In the next shot, he has it back.

===Continuity errors===
* When Sari is kidnapped by Swoop, she's just wearing socks on her feet (having crawled out of bed). When she's imprisoned in Meltdown's lair, she has her boots on again.
* The passage of time between Sari's kidnapping and the arrival on the island is wonky. Isaac appears to arrive at Sari's room with a snack mere minutes after she's gone to bed not too late in the evening, but the police and Autobots show up once the sun has risen. The "search party" heads for the Dinobots' island that ''night''—and arrive in the daylight. Did nearly ''forty-eight hours'' really pass all this time, and Meltdown did nothing?

===Continuity notes===
*This is the first episode in which Snarl and Swoop transform. They still haven't spoken, however.
*This is also the first episode in which Fanzone refers to any of the Autobots by name, suggesting he's getting used to them being more than machines.
*This episode is the first episode to have the final appearance of a supporting character: Colossus Rhodes made his second and final appearance in the series.
*Part of Grimlock's transformation is recycled animation from "[[Blast from the Past]]".
*Fanzone's dialog suggests that a volcanic island in the middle of Lake Erie is not as preposterous as it might seem, as the island was formerly a research facility of some shape or form.
*Bulkhead seems to be more than a match for all three Dinobots here, yet they make incredibly short work of the mutants and Colossus Rhodes. (Colossus had previously proven to be a decent enough challenge for Bulkhead, Prime, Prowl and Ratchet.) Maybe their sparks just weren't in it? Or they were holding back? Or that could be attributed to Bulkhead being really pissed at them during the fight, which made him a much more ferocious warrior than the Dinobots were expecting. Or it's possible (and somewhat implied) that the Dinobots are simply more powerful in their robot modes.
*The two mutants are conspicuously absent in the final scene (Fanzone notes "got 'em both," indicating only two prisoners). As they appear in later episodes, they were obviously not destroyed, but this implies they were left imprisoned on the island, subject to the Dinobots' whims. If so, this seems harsh, given the two were (presumably) innocent victims of Meltdown's experiments. If they're somehow being held on ship, not mentioning or showing them seems to be quite an oversight.
*The episode ends before Bulkhead, Prowl, and Fanzone return Sari to her father, and before the Autobots report back in to Prime. What they ''tell'' Prime (about where they found Sari) is extremely unclear, as discussed further under "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]".

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Meltdownexperiments.jpg|right|200px|thumb|They've got the power to surprise.]]

* [[Fusion creature|Meltdown's genetically engineered minions]] (previous failed attempts at producing "human transformers") bear a striking resemblance to the ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Pretender]]s [[Submarauder (G1)|Submarauder]]/[[Gilmer]] and [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]]/[[Blood]].
* The notion of creating non-mechanical or organic Transformers [[Noble (BM)|is not new]] in Transformers lore.

===Trivia===
*Captain Fanzone's phone seems remarkably outdated compared to the mobile phone his subordinate is shown using; it's the size of a brick, has a permanently extended antenna and amazingly features a rotary dial (or at least a simulated one; he still punches touch tones on it) to ring in the numbers—and even then Fanzone can't figure out how to use it. The man was clearly born a century after his time and presumably would be more comfortable around gramophones and [[Hearts of Steel|steam]] [[Secret Weapon: D-5|locomotives]].
*A lawyer turned into a blood-sucking monster—surely there's no deeper message here.
*Do we really want to know what that AllSpark Key slot was doing on the controls for a toilet?
*Although most human villains in the series to date have been shown in a comedic light, Meltdown seems the odd man out with some rather disturbing, more adult-oriented themes. He attempts murder (of rival Isaac Sumdac); he experiments to create mutants, which constitutes crimes against Humanity; he tortures the Dinobots into submission by burning them with his acidic touch; and he kidnaps a prepubescent girl for purposes of experimentation—but damn can he ''dance''.
*Speaking of adult themes, when the police learn that Sari is missing, they question the father and send divers into the river. ''HARSH.''
*It's rather unsettling how nobody, particularly Captain Fanzone, seemed to know that Meltdown wasn't in jail any more. Either Fanzone's inability to work with technology kept him from hearing, or information flow among the Detroit Police Department is really poor, even when a dangerous supervillain has broken out of jail. And on that note, it seems that, just like in comic books, prisons here aren't suited to hold superpowered criminals.
*Prowl can kick with his knees ''while the wheels are turning'' and ''can ride on walls.'' This is awesomeness!
*Apparently, there's nothing wrong with cutting a cargo ship free of its moorings and sailing it out into the middle of Lake Erie without permission. (Prowl and Bulkhead must have convinced either the ship's captain or its computerized pilot system to make an unscheduled trip.)
*Why does Prowl think that Sari can defend herself against the Decepticons by ''kicking'' them?
* This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 5]]", with "[[Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found]]" making up the other half.
===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Instinct de survie'''" ("Survival Instinct")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Saris Entführung'''" ("Sari's Abduction")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 8|8 July]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Prueba de supervivenvia'''" ("Survival Test")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 9|9 August]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Taiketsu! Dinobot'''" (対決! ダイノボット, "Showdown! Dinobots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 19|19 June]] [[2010]]
::* '''Cut:''' Sari practices what Prowl taught her in her bedroom before going to bed.
::* '''Cut:''' Professor Sumdac is horrified to see Sari missing.
::* '''Cut:''' Captain Fanzone experiencing problems with his phone and yells out his catchphrase. Prowl comments he shouldn't be a technophobe, in which Fanzone corrects him.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Przetrwają najlepsi'''" ("The Best Will Survive")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 3 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Headmaster (episode)

2015-04-13T05:02:19Z

Autobot Power: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=13
|ep2=13
|prev2=Survival of the Fittest
|next2=Megatron Rising - Part 1
|title="Headmaster"
|image=TFA Headmaster robot mode.JPG
|caption=Mstr. Henry Masterson, master of the Headmaster.
|airdate=[[March 15]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Henrymastersonandhead.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Behold, my brilliant infringement on Marvel copyright!]]

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. Sumdac is horrified, however, when he realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation. When the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, the Professor is understandably furious and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

[[File:Daniel and robot.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Scarred for life.]]

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with the sensationalist [[News Bot]]. Bulkhead hopes it will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but it's going rather less well than he might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off News Bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact. His success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate News Bot, to the distress of [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobot headquarters]], [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills. He remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

[[File:Rock em'.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Rock 'em, Sock 'em Sumdac.]]

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz [[:File:Rock 'em an' sock 'em, Rhinox.jpg|Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots]] to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV and hits upon his solution.

Indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!" When he awakens, he discovers, to his considerable distress, that he is nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

[[File:TFA Headmaster statue fire.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|The hottest thing to hit the art world in years!]]

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. After taking the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show. However, 'Bee manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, then tries to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts. All of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the [[Sidney Biggles-Jones Memorial Solar Fusion Plant|Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant]]. Furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse thoroughly enough to reveal his true intention: he's going to renege on the deal and destroy the city—and Sumdac Systems—even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to find instead the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core.

[[File:TFA Headmaster headbutt.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Boink!]]

With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[AllSpark Key]] finally to reunite Bulkhead's head with his body. Unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene. Pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot. Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to assemble hastily a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with the Key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stabilise the core with just seconds to spare.

[[File:TFA Headmaster war art.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|The art of war.]]

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)

|c3=
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Gary's mother]] (10)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (11)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (13)
*[[Augustus Edsel|Mayor Edsel]] (15)

|c4=
* [[News Bot]] (4)
* [[Tutor Bot]] (12)
* [[Police drone]]s (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"Mr. Masterson! I have told my staff time and again: we do not make military robots or headmaster units that take over other military robots for...more military things!
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''' has a firm moral center. He just has trouble articulating it.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city, right?" 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping."
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a pep talk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

''[Bulkhead is painting a picture while Bumblebee poses for him]'' 
'''Optimus Prime''': I'm afraid I don't see the logic in trying to reproduce an image with such primitive tools. 
'''Prowl''': I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance. 
'''Bulkhead''': Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch. 
'''Ratchet''': You ask me, it's all a waste of time. No 'bot ever saved anyone with art. 
'''Bulkhead''': I'm not trying to save anyone. I'm just—I don't know—I'm trying to express how I feel. 
''[Bulkhead's paintbrush snaps, and he wrecks the picture in rage]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I'm guessing you're feeling anger?
:—The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!"
:—'''The Headmaster''', many, many times.

"See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring." 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
"It's on fire!!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead'''

"I got a way with machines."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Notes==
===Animation Errors===
* After Bulkhead runs through the wall upon finding out Sari booked an exhibition at an art gallery we see Sari turn her head and her right ear and pigtail stay in place, so it appears that she has three pigtails and an ear on her face.

===Continuity errors===
* Captain Fanzone is driving [[Captain Fanzone's car|his old car]] again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in "[[Blast from the Past]]".
* How is Bulkhead able to live without his Spark, unless it's in his head? (Granted, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] spends most of Season 1 pulling exactly the same trick, as do a [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|couple]] [[Wasp|other]] characters later on in the show....as well as [[Waspinator (BW)|others]] in previous continuities.)

===Continuity notes===
* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in "[[Sound and Fury]]".
* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. Although the woman who comforts him is listed in the end credits as "Mother," she does not use the same [[character model]] as [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]].

===Transformers references===
[[File:TFA Headmaster Optimus trailer.JPG|thumb|And the fandom rejoiced (and complained).]]
* The [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster concept]] was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' series and has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways (RID)|use]] [[Spotlight: Ultra Magnus|in]] [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.
* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Somewhere, a [[Customizing|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.
* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel. Fortunately, this reference is taken no further, so at no point does he make out with anyone on Bumblebee's hood.
*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head ending up as a sort of backpack.
*When the fusion core is about to explode, Optimus volunteers to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Real-world references===
[[File:Greatestref.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The Starry Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's Mother|Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother]]''.
* Masterson plays "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.
* When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.
* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the Tommy gun and explosion backdrop, but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)
* Also in the above scene, it is revealed that Bulkhead is actually painting his own thumb. This is a gag that is literally decades old and that has appeared in numerous shows and films, from ''[[wikipedia:Looney Tunes|Looney Tunes]]'' to ''[[wikipedia:M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]''.

===Trivia===
*Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a large, fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
*This episode is notable in that Sari does not abuse the AllSpark Key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.
*The AllSpark Key has, on an number of occasions, been shown to have the power to give sentient life to previously [[Spark]]-less automatons, notably [[Dinobot (Animated)|the Dinobots]] and [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. In this episode, Sari used the Key on the sculpture robot they sent in to sacrifice itself, which makes some fans think it may have been truly alive. On the other hand, Sari has used the Key on countless other unsophisticated machines (and a few semi-sophisticated ones like Tutor-Bot) that apparently did not gain sentience. Also, the two times Keyed robots ''have'' gained Sparks, they were reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology designed by Megatron; the former with an unusual burst of makeshift EMP mixed into the Key energy, the latter specifically designed to evolve through ''multiple'' uses of the Key. These facts suggest that the sculpture robot was not a sentient being. It's debatable—maybe we'll get an official explanation at a BotCon panel some time.
*Masterson claimed that the fusion core overloading would take out the entire state of Michigan. However, he planned to blow it up even though he had the money, apparently thinking he could both get far enough away before it exploded and get work from the government even though he ''destroyed a state''.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 6]]", with "[[Nature Calls]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das irre Genie'''" ("The Mad Genius")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 9|9 July]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Super cabeza'''" ("Super Head")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 16|16 August]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmaster wo Kuitomero!'''" (ヘッドマスターをくいとめろ!, "Stop the Headmaster!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 26|26 June]] [[2010]]
::* Bulkhead and Ratchet do the intro, Bulkhead questioning about the transformation sound effect and sounding out "gi-go-ga-go-go", the onomatopoeia used when transformation occurs in the various [[manga]] series.
::* The [[title sequence]] has a variety of additional sound effects that range from the jets flying over the ocean to weapons fire to the transformation sound effect whenever any one of the Transformers switches their other mode.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 4 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]