Legacy (episode)

2012-12-03T13:44:43Z

Railrider Prime:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 46
|prev=The Human Factor
|next=Alpha/Omega
|image=Legacy-ohcrap.jpg
|caption=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQC89ig-SdQ WHAT, I missed Jersey boys!?]
|title="Legacy"
|airdate=[[September 21]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Jack is assigned to help Smokescreen adapt to life on Earth while Megatron tries to secure the Star Saber without letting the Autobots know of its existence.'''

==Synopsis==

[[Image:Legacy-cellphonecamera.jpg|left|thumb|300px|No pictures, NO PICTURES!!!]]

[[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] race down a Nevada road in search of an [[energon]] signal. Though Bumblebee tries to encourage Smokescreen to slow down, the rookie breaks the speed limit and almost runs into another vehicle. The driver jumps out to threaten Smokescreen, who promptly [[transformation|transforms]] and threatens him back. Bumblebee transforms to stop Smokescreen and the truck driver takes the opportunity to snap a picture of the pair. Back at base, [[Jack Darby|Jack]] locates the picture on the [[Internet]] and says [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] can deal with it later. The other [[Autobot]]s lecture Smokescreen about the concept of secrecy and [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] says they need to help Smokescreen acclimate to [[Earth]] through learning about [[human]] society. Jack is duly assigned to help Smokescreen and the pair head out, though [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] complains that she thinks Jack will be at risk because Smokescreen has the most obvious [[alternate mode]] ever.

Driving through [[Jasper]], Jack tries to educate Smokescreen on traffic lights, though Smokescreen is unable to stop joking around. When [[Vince]] hauls up beside them, Jack attempts to be inconspicuous, but Vince notices anyway and throws a burger at them. Smokescreen soon talks Jack into some retribution, and when they arrive back at base laughing, Jack has a photo of Vince's burger-covered car. Arcee isn't impressed with their progress so far.

[[Image:PrimeLegacySmokescreen.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Though many tried for the sword with all their strength, none could move the sword, nor stir it.]]

On the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] has finished decoding another set of coordinates from the Iacon database. [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] gets a decoy ready. Thus when Optimus is also almost finished decoding the same coordinates, the base sensors pick up an Iacon locator beacon in [[China]]. Optimus takes Arcee, Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] to investigate. Meanwhile, Megatron has [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] and [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] busy excavating the real relic. Hoping it is of Decepticon origin, Megatron is shocked to see it is the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. Desperate to keep it from Optimus, Megatron tries to pull it free, but his efforts are to no avail and it remains firmly entrenched in the rock. Even trying to destroy the rock fails, as the sword's energy is rendering it invulnerable. Realizing that it will only respond to a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], Megatron intends to uproot the entire mountain if necessary.

[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] picks up the signal from the Saber, but is unable to contact Prime. Prime's team is trying to track the first signal, unaware that it's the decoy being carried around by Soundwave. Smokescreen and Jack arrive back at base having pulled a prank on Jack's boss. When Ratchet reports the situation, Smokescreen volunteers to check out the second signal, and takes Jack along with him in secret. They find the Decepticons trying break the mountain down to a smaller size, and Smokescreen recognizes the Star Saber. Despite Jack's concerns, knowing that something is up if Megatron hasn't pulled the sword out, Smokescreen charges in as the Decepticons are preparing to lift the remaining rock with the ''Nemesis''. The Autobot proves as successful in extracting the sword as Megatron was, and is promptly captured by the Decepticons. While Jack tries to notify Ratchet, he is soon found and pursued by Insecticons. Ratchet gets enough from Jack's message to know what they've found and they're in serious trouble, and [[GroundBridge]]s to Optimus's location just as the team there are realizing they were being led on a wild goose chase.

[[Image:Legacy-PrimeStarSaber.jpg|left|thumb|300px|It's an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.]]
As the ''Nemesis'' starts lifting the massive rock holding the Star Saber, Megatron begins interrogating Smokescreen with little effect. Prime's team suddenly arrives and starts laying into the Decepticons troops. Megatron looks around for Optimus himself, and spots the Autobot leader rapidly scaling the mountain in pursuit of the Star Saber, so he and some jet Vehicons take off to try to intercept. The other Autobots finish off the rest of the Decepticon troopers and Arcee rescues Jack from the Insecticons. Despite the best efforts of Megatron and his troops, Optimus manages to grab hold of the Star Saber which activates and pulls free of the rock. Megatron orders the rock dropped on him, but even as the other Autobots shout warnings, Prime merely uses the Star Saber to slice the whole thing in half. In shock, Megatron helplessly looks on as Prime follows up by taking a swing, unleashing a wave of energy at the ''Nemesis'', destroying part of its engine array and nearly causing the ship to crash into the mountainside. The Decepticons hastily retreat as their leader laments over his failure and believes it is now their darkest hour.

The Autobots return to base, where Arcee is very unhappy with Smokescreen and Jack. She has Ratchet send the latter home and Optimus makes plain to the former that endangering humans is forbidden. As he reminds them of the importance of protecting humans, the sword begins to glow on its own, and Optimus goes into a trance-like state. Stating that he's receiving a message, Prime identifies the caller: [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]].
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] (1)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (10)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (12)
*[[Decepticon Miner|Miners]] (13)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (14)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (15)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (16)

|c3=
*Truck driver (3)
*[[Jack Darby]] (4)
*[[Vince]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
"...I just pulled a Miko."
:—'''Jack''' realizes what he just did.

"Who in the Pits of [[Kaon]] is that?''
:—'''Megatron''' meets the new guy.

"All this leg-work is giving me itchy fists!"
:—'''Bulkhead''' is back on form.

"I loosened it up for him."
:—Keep telling yourself that, '''Smokescreen'''.

"We Decepticons... now face our darkest hour."
:—'''Megatron''', finding himself in need of a light.

"How epic was that?"
:—'''Smokescreen''' relays the viewer's feelings.

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

* Whilst Optimus is explaining why it was all their fault the incident had occurred in the beginning of this episode, you can see the side parts of his back pass through his arms on both sides.
* Smokescreen has the same [[license plate]] as [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] and [[June Darby|June]].
* During the excavation of the Star Saber, one of the Insecticons transporting rocks suddenly loses a leg.
* Optimus would not have been able to realign his flight trajectory when he took a glancing shot in his truck mode and transformed into robot mode; he would have continued spinning while flying.
* Arcee's right arm silently changes into a blaster as the Decepticons begin firing at the Autobots at the pod site.

===Continuity notes===
* Yet another picture of the Autobots ends up on the internet, and again Bumblebee is in it, as in "[[One Shall Fall]]" and "[[New Recruit]]".
* Arcee mentions that [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] is in the process of relocating [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and his family, since the Decepticons learned where he lives in [[The Human Factor|the previous episode]].
* Bulkhead has now fully recovered from the injuries he received in "[[Toxicity]]".
* Jack asks Arcee if she still remembers Vince since her first encounter in "[[Speed Metal]]".
* Jack refers to his uncharacteristic lack of foresight as "pulling a [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]]", a nod to her repeated habit of running into trouble.
* Another relic of [[Solus Prime]] is uncovered; the first was the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] found in "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 2]]", and the second was the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]] found in "[[Triangulation]]".
* Bulkhead returns the favor to Smokescreen from the previous episode.
* Optimus receives a message from Alpha Trion, who was first mentioned by Smokescreen in "New Recruit".
* This is the first time we hear Megatron refer to Optimus as just "Prime" when he flies off to intercept him.

===Continuity errors===
* Ratchet is reluctant to send Smokescreen by himself to investigate the second relic, but concedes since he has no other choice. He seems to have forgotten about [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]. This would be addressed later in "[[Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour]]", where Ratchet feels that the events of "[[Hurt]]" alienated Wheeljack from the rest of the team.

===Transformers references===
* Jack mentions [[Robots in Disguise]].
* This episode marks yet another use of the phrase "[[darkest hour]]", only this time it's the Decepticons who get to use it.
* The first "[[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]]" sword was the combined form of the [[Air Defense Mini-Con Team (Armada)|Air Defense Mini-Con Team]] in ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Transformers: Armada]]'', while the [[Thirteen]]-affiliated iteration was first mentioned in "[[The Coming Storm: Part 1]]." Technically, the name originated from [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]], the Autobot [[Supreme Commander]] from ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (franchise)|Transformers: Victory]]''.
* The Star Saber had previously been mentioned in the Aligned continuity family by way of the novel ''[[Transformers: Exiles]]''. There, Optimus Prime travelled to a wide variety of Transformer-inhabited worlds searching for what he believed would lead him to the Star Saber.

===Real-world references===
* The Star Saber's location and its inability to be removed except by a Prime is a reference to ''[[wikipedia:Excalibur#Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone|Excalibur]]''.
* The truck driver referred to Smokescreen's alternate mode as from the Indy 500, a motor racing competition. Even though Smokescreen's altmode is nothing like an open-wheel Indy car.
* Smokescreen broadly references the American Humane Association's familiar disclaimer "No animals were harmed in the making of this Motion Picture".

===Trivia===
* Bumblebee warns Smokescreen about the speed limit, but apparently didn't think it was important to warn him that he's driving into oncoming traffic.
* Vince's behavior hasn't changed since the events of "Speed Metal". Some people just don't learn their lessons.
* The fact that Team Prime seems reliant on Raf for their data manipulation is a bit weird, given Fowler's presumed government contacts. Makes you wonder what they did before the kids turned up.
* Optimus, looking up at Megatron watching from the Nemesis, gives him a wink.
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

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Legacy (episode)