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Megatron Rising - Part 2

2014-07-25T20:28:55Z

SwiftDash:

{{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 All Spark 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)|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.

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]] (7)
*[[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 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|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]]?

===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]]

'''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.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2014-07-25T18:43:09Z

SwiftDash:

{{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' hedquarters]] 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.

Oh, crap.
{{-}}

==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]] (1)
* [[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.

===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]]

'''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.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2014-07-25T03:19:27Z

SwiftDash: /* 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' hedquarters]] 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.

Oh, crap.
{{-}}

==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]] (1)
* [[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.

===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]]

'''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.

'''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.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Survival of the Fittest

2014-07-24T01:57:34Z

SwiftDash:

{{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|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|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]] (1)
*[[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?

===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|is not new]] in Transformers lore.

===Trivia===
*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.
*Part of Grimlock's transformation is recycled animation from "[[Blast from the Past]]".
*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]].
*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.
*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?
*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.
*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.
*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]]".
*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 is the first episode to have the final appearance of a supporting character: Colossus Rhodes made his second and final appearance in the series.

===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]]

'''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]]

Lost and Found (Animated)

2014-07-24T01:36:26Z

SwiftDash: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Lost and Found}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Lost and Found Lugnut Blitzwing Earth modes.JPG
|caption=These two are Megatron's only hope…he's in trouble.
|ep=11
|ep2=11
|prev2=Along Came a Spider
|next2=Survival of the Fittest
|title="Lost and Found"
|airdate=[[March 1]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Autobots clash with Decepticons Lugnut and Blitzwing, who come to Earth searching for their missing leader, Megatron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:LugnutBlitzwingNemesis.JPG|left|170px|thumb|The scourge of poor parking.]]
A lunar rover examines recent seismic activity on the Moon's surface and stumbles upon the crashed [[Nemesis (Animated)|''Nemesis'']]. As it moves in for a closer look, a huge, unidentified object lands on the rover and crushes it. The huge thing turns out to be [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]. His partner, [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] berates him for his clumsiness, but then offers some dancing lessons. An annoyed Lugnut points out they've traveled across the galaxy to find [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] ship, not become light on their feet. Blitzwing comments that this is the same sector in which they lost track of [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]], and an argument breaks out (Lugnut doesn't like Lockdown), culminating in Lugnut confidently stating he ''knows'' Megatron still lives.

On Earth, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] is rudely awakened from a stasis nap by an unapologetic [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], who is in the middle of a street hockey game with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]. The game picks up, and Bumblebee is about to score, when a trash can makes a save! Sari tries to write it off, but Ratchet is quick to notice the [[AllSpark Key]] currently plugged into said can. He tells her off, but they are interrupted when the Key begins to glow, followed by two glowing objects entering Earth's atmosphere. As a prophetic Ratchet decides this can't be good, camera-bots move in to investigate, but are quickly crushed by Blitzwing. Both he and Lugnut mistake a nearby crane as a sentient life form, and Lugnut demands to know Megatron's location. After a shove, the crane responds by slamming its wrecking ball into Blitzwing. Watching a live feed, Megatron muses over whether or not he can risk revealing himself. After all, he has already been betrayed once. At their home base, the [[Autobot]]s get ready to mobilize. Sari is all fired up, but both Ratchet and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] tell her she needs to wait behind, as they want to protect the innocents. (Bumblebee very quickly points out that ''they're'' innocent too.)

[[Image:Lugnutfist.JPG|right|170px|thumb|''Tekken 6: Robot Revolution''.]]

Back at the construction site, Blitzwing and Lugnut have decided to devastate the place in order to draw out the Autobots. It works, and things quickly kick off as Optimus is forced to slice a tanker thrown by Lugnut in half. This promising opener falls apart when Blitzwing prevents both Prowl and Bumblebee from launching any attacks. Ratchet manages to trap some of Lugnut's missiles (though they break through his magnetic grip, they still don't hit any of the Autobots), but as Bulkhead tries to outmuscle the massive 'Con, Lugnut proves to be too powerful and throws him aside. The combined efforts of Blitzwing and Lugnut prove too much for the Autobots, and things go from bad to worse when they tell the [[Decepticon]]s that Megatron burned up "over Cleveland". Screaming "Megatron lives!", a raging Lugnut activates his [[Punch of Kill Everything]] and levels the entire area, flooring the Autobots and burying both himself and Blitzwing. As the Decepticons unbury themselves from the rubble, Blitzwing tells Lugnut to warn him before using his big punch…again.

As the Decepticons free themselves, Megatron becomes convinced of Lugnut's loyalty and opts to contact only him. Lugnut automatically decides to abandon the battle and answer the summons, dragging Blitzwing along and leaving behind some very confused Autobots. Blitzwing headbutts Lugnut in midair, and Lugnut responds in kind, slamming Blitzwing down into an army base. He explains he heard Megatron's voice, but Blitzwing merely hears approaching police. He suggests they scan local vehicle modes and hide, but Lugnut refuses until Megatron orders him to do so. He quickly scans a bomber, while Blitzwing, after a quick argument between his faces, scans both an assault tank and a fighter jet. [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] arrives, but the Decepticons are already hiding in plain sight.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found Ratchet Sari argue.JPG|left|170px|thumb|Are you Samuel James Witwicky?]]

The Autobots have returned to [[Autobot Earth Base|base]] and are making repairs. The constant danger of attack makes Prime decide the best thing to do would be to repair [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|their ship]] and take the [[AllSpark]] off of Earth. Sari takes this very badly, and she is most unwilling to use the AllSpark Key to help Ratchet fix the ship. For his part, Ratchet is less than pleased about having to work with a "protoform". Prime settles it by ordering the two to be partners.

Meanwhile, Lugnut and Blitzwing are perched on a [[hover-billboard]], observing the city below. As Blitzwing comments on the [[Human|local wildlife]], Megatron transmits information on the AllSpark Key to Lugnut and orders the retrieval of it and the AllSpark. Lugnut immediately transforms, followed by a less-than-willing Blitzwing.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found AllSpark vision.JPG|right|170px|thumb|"Who dares disturb the wizard!?!"]]

At [[Lake Erie]], the Autobots arrive, with Ratchet and Sari still bickering. They are quickly interrupted by Blitzwing and Lugnut. Ratchet and Sari make a break for it, but Blitzwing freezes the lake, preventing them from reaching the ship. However, they get a hand from Lugnut, who accidentally blasts a hole for them to get through. The Autobots dive in, and as Ratchet heads for their ship under the lake, Lugnut and Blitzwing are stalled by the rest, thanks to some clever thinking from Prime. In the Autobots' ship, Ratchet has a moment alone with the ship, but ends up fighting with Sari, who storms off to the AllSpark's cargo bay. Dejected, she gets the idea of damaging the ship enough to prevent it flying, but the AllSpark Key quickly repairs it. Suddenly, the AllSpark opens to reveal an image of Megatron's head and the Key. Moments later, a fully restored Megatron materializes, and a terrified Sari panics and opens the airlock. As water pours in, Ratchet manages to save her. Sari confesses to her sabotage, but a sympathetic Ratchet explains the reason he wants to leave is because he cares about the planet and its people, especially Sari.

[[Image:ArkCannon.JPG|left|170px|thumb|This is gonna leave a mark.]]

Finally understanding, Sari agrees to help. Ratchet reveals the ship was originally a military vessel, and he hopes to bring the weapons bay back online. Outside, the Autobots are in serious trouble, but Sari's AllSpark Key soon reactivates the weapons bay, and Ratchet tells Optimus to draw the Decepticons to the ship. As they close, he activates the main cannon and blows the pair of Decepticons to kingdom come. A furious Megatron loses his link, and the Decepticons crash down onto the surface of the lake in several badly damaged pieces.

[[Image:Badsign.JPG|right|170px|thumb|Want to make a bad day worse? Just add Starscream.]]

Back at base, Sari uses the AllSpark Key to patch up Bumblebee, acting rather Ratchet like when he asks for some customization. Ratchet reveals that even with the Key, it'll take some time to get the ship up and running, so they won't be gone for a good while, and Sari smiles happily.

At the lake, Blitzwing calls for help, while Lugnut begs for a sign of Megatron's forgiveness. Remarkably they get a sign—a bad one, as Starscream shows up, promising repairs, in exchange for loyalty.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (1)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (2)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (4)
*[[Lester Black]] (11)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Trash Bot]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': Careful, you copper-clad klutz! You stepped in something! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': But with a few dancing lessons, you'll be light on your stabilizing servos like me. Cha cha cha. 
'''Lugnut''': Silence, Blitzwing! I did not follow this beacon halfway across the galaxy for dancing lessons! This was Megatron's ship! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Ahaha, Starscream never did have a knack for parking.
:—Blitzwing and Lugnut find a crashed Decepticon warship on the Moon.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found Blitzwing Lugnut crane attack.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Hug-a-wrecking-ball day never really took off.]]

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': These can't be those miserable Autobots, they're far too small— 
'''Random Blitzwing''': But look at that one! It's big, it's bold, it's sassy! 
'''Lugnut''': You! What have you done with our beloved leader Megatron? Talk!
:—The Decepticons interrogate a highly suspicious-looking crane.

"Where is our glorious leader? Where is Megatron?!" 
"Big scary dude?" ''[to Optimus]'' "Didn't he turn into a fireball somewhere over Cleveland?"
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Bumblebee'''

"I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: Give me some warning before you use ze punch!"
:—'''Hothead Blitzwing''' to Lugnut

'''Icy Blitzwing''': The Autobots have called in reinforcements. Perhaps we should lay low until we can determine their strength and numbers. 
'''Lugnut''': I will not hide. I will stand proudly and shout ''Megatron's name'' to the ''heavens''! 
'''Megatron''': Oh, for spark's sake...
:—Sometimes, the fanatic thing just gets ridiculous.

'''Optimus''': We'll have to repair our ship and move the AllSpark off this planet. 
'''Bulkhead''': We can't just pick up and go. How will we break the news to Sari? 
'''Bumblebee''': She's a big girl. She'll understand. 
''[Scene switches to Sari crying "No" at the top of her lungs]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I think she's taking it well.
:—The Autobots tell Sari that they're leaving.

"Help! Give me a hand! Or-or a foot! How about a pelvis?"
:—'''Random Blitzwing''', unusually happy about being in pieces.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* Blitzwing transforms to tank mode to drop into Lake Erie, but right after he plunges in and appears before the Autobots, he's in robot mode. Why didn't he just go to robot mode in the first place? (In-continuity answer: Blitzwing's angry persona uses the tank mode as opposed to the jet mode, according to [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1|Megatron Rising]]", so him getting angry at Lugnut caused his transformation automatically. Out-of-continuity answer: [[To sell toys]].)
* In the Autobots' first scuffle with the 'cons, Ratchet uses his magnetic powers to grab a bunch of missiles fired by Lugnut, exclaiming that he can't hold them forever. However, they just seem to disappear after that, as it's never shown whether or not they hit anything.
* As seen in stock-footage transformations in previous episodes, when Prime transforms after he hears of Blitzwing and Lugnut on the news, he turns into a sort of half-a-fire-engine. This form was likely animated using references for his [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Voyager-scale toy]], from which the back end can be detached. In the next shot, in which he [[Roll out|rolls out]], he's a complete fire engine.
* Blitzwing's decision to scan both a jet and a tank seems to imply that he was not a [[Triple Changer]] before the scanning. However, [[The Arrival issue 5]] clearly marks him as a Triple Changer before ever coming to Earth.

===Animation errors===
*When Ratchet reactivates Teletran 1's main cannon and states that he has a plan, his broken forehead chevron is on the left side instead of the right.
*In two animation shots of Lugnut using his [[Punch of Kill Everything|rocket punch]], the ground is not iced, hinting that the animation sequence might be reused in future episodes.
*When Lugnut scans the bomber, it is much bigger than he is.
*Not so much an error as it is a curiousity, but Lugnut's faction symbol shifts from being on his shoulder panel to his chest after he scans an Earth Mode. You can actually see it for yourself on this page.
*When Blitzwing is talking about Lockdown,the section below his normal optic is miscolored tan

===Transformers references===
* The initial scene with the lunar rover is highly reminiscent of the destruction of the [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] probe in the [[Transformers (film)|live-action movie]]. The two Decepticons' appearance on Earth as crash-landing meteorites also harks back to the film.
* The construction workers seen where Blitzwing and Lugnut first land are wearing outfits inspired by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] from Generation 1.
* After the airing of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", some fans speculated on a possible connection between the Autobot ship and [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Generation 1 Omega Supreme]], based on both Prime's dialogue referring to a weapons-system program as "Codename: Omega" and the resemblance between the ship's cannon (shown briefly) and Omega Supreme's tank turret. Adding to that speculation, in ''this'' episode, Ratchet addresses the ship as "old friend". Also, when Ratchet manages to activate the weapons systems, we see a clearer shot of the cannon, which indeed looks a lot like Omega Supreme's tank turret (it even has his color scheme). Foreshadowing? Yup, [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|foreshadowing.]]
*This episode is the first in the series to feature the use of the words "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]" and "[[frag]]" as expletives.
*This isn't the first time a [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Decepticon battleship crash-landed on the moon]].
* Ratchet calls Sari 'a Protoform'. [[TransWarped|More, slightly less obvious foreshadowing.]]

===Real-world references===
* When Lugnut overpowers Bulkhead, he comments, "Nothing moves Lugnut", similar to the minor ''X-men'' villain the [[wikipedia:Blob (comics)|Blob]].

===Trivia===
* This is the fourth episode in which Sari has received direct warnings about misuse of her AllSpark Key. The Allspark seems to have chosen the "tough love" approach and scared the message into her. How long this will last is up for debate. Bets will now be taken. Answer: [[TransWarped|Beginning of the third season]] when she uses it to upgrade herself, and it makes her go nuts and stab Bumblebee. Betting is now closed.
* In a humourous background detail, we see the Blitzwing-shaped hole, left from where he crashed barely two minutes ago, as Captain Fanzone's squadron arrives at the hangar. Oddly enough, they don't take much notice of it.
* Captain Fanzone doesn't come off too well in this episode, since he A) forgets that Transformers can disguise themselves as vehicles, and B) doesn't notice that two of the military jets are sporting unusual purple paint jobs, and one of them has tank treads under its wings, not to mention the above.
* Prime's vehicle mode has manual transmission.
* It's unclear why Sari didn't mention the AllSpark-generated vision of Megatron to any of the Autobots. (Granted, she doesn't know who Megatron is, but even so….)
* When Sari tells Bumblebee that the AllSpark Key isn't a toy, she looks like she has wrinkles under her eyes. Obviously, this is meant to show that Ratchet has rubbed off on her a little bit. Even her mouth looks like his briefly. Of course, she may have just been doing an impression of Ratchet as a joke.
* Random Blitzwing seems to have a knack for songs and dances. We'll see if it remains a trend.
* Captain Fanzone is currently driving a regular Detroit police car. [[Captain Fanzone's car|His old car]] was destroyed by [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] in "[[Blast from the Past]]," but it returns in future episodes.
* Megatron seems unfamiliar with Blitzwing and Lugnut's personalities (i.e., that the first is crazy, and the second is loyal). However, they served under him on the ''Nemesis'' fifty years ago, and exhibited the same characteristics then. This discrepancy is not explained. (Possibly Megatron did not have much direct contact with them in the past, or he may be assuming that fifty years might have changed them.) It also shows that unlike [[Megatron (disambiguation)|his counterparts]], ''Animated'' Megatron actually learns from betrayal, and is not so forgiving.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Échec et combat'''" ("Failure and Struggle")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die alten Waffen'''" ("The Old Weapons")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 5|5 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kotei no Gekisen'''" (湖底の激戦, "Fierce Battle on the Lake Bottom")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 12|12 June]] [[2010]]
::* Blitzwing and Lugnut do the intro in this episode.
::* '''Cut:''' The camera does a shot of the Autobots playing field hockey with Sari.
::* '''Cut:''' Sari follows the Autobots to help them battle Blitzwing and Lugnut, but Ratchet objects that she won't stand a chance against two Decepticons when it took all of them to beat just one.
::* '''Cut:''' Megatron questions himself whether he should trust Blitzwing and Lugnut when Starscream betrayed him.
::* '''Cut:''' Ratchet comments "that was different" when Lugnut carries Blitzwing off to find Megatron.
::* '''Cut:''' The Autobots recover from the recent skirmish with the two Decepticons.
::* '''Cut:''' Starscream offers to help out Lugnut and Blitzwing if they pledge undying allegiance to him.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Odnaleziona zguba'''" ("Lost and Found")
:*''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 Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 3 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Lost and Found (Animated)

2014-07-24T01:31:52Z

SwiftDash: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Lost and Found}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Lost and Found Lugnut Blitzwing Earth modes.JPG
|caption=These two are Megatron's only hope…he's in trouble.
|ep=11
|ep2=11
|prev2=Along Came a Spider
|next2=Survival of the Fittest
|title="Lost and Found"
|airdate=[[March 1]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Autobots clash with Decepticons Lugnut and Blitzwing, who come to Earth searching for their missing leader, Megatron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:LugnutBlitzwingNemesis.JPG|left|170px|thumb|The scourge of poor parking.]]
A lunar rover examines recent seismic activity on the Moon's surface and stumbles upon the crashed [[Nemesis (Animated)|''Nemesis'']]. As it moves in for a closer look, a huge, unidentified object lands on the rover and crushes it. The huge thing turns out to be [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]. His partner, [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] berates him for his clumsiness, but then offers some dancing lessons. An annoyed Lugnut points out they've traveled across the galaxy to find [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] ship, not become light on their feet. Blitzwing comments that this is the same sector in which they lost track of [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]], and an argument breaks out (Lugnut doesn't like Lockdown), culminating in Lugnut confidently stating he ''knows'' Megatron still lives.

On Earth, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] is rudely awakened from a stasis nap by an unapologetic [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], who is in the middle of a street hockey game with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]. The game picks up, and Bumblebee is about to score, when a trash can makes a save! Sari tries to write it off, but Ratchet is quick to notice the [[AllSpark Key]] currently plugged into said can. He tells her off, but they are interrupted when the Key begins to glow, followed by two glowing objects entering Earth's atmosphere. As a prophetic Ratchet decides this can't be good, camera-bots move in to investigate, but are quickly crushed by Blitzwing. Both he and Lugnut mistake a nearby crane as a sentient life form, and Lugnut demands to know Megatron's location. After a shove, the crane responds by slamming its wrecking ball into Blitzwing. Watching a live feed, Megatron muses over whether or not he can risk revealing himself. After all, he has already been betrayed once. At their home base, the [[Autobot]]s get ready to mobilize. Sari is all fired up, but both Ratchet and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] tell her she needs to wait behind, as they want to protect the innocents. (Bumblebee very quickly points out that ''they're'' innocent too.)

[[Image:Lugnutfist.JPG|right|170px|thumb|''Tekken 6: Robot Revolution''.]]

Back at the construction site, Blitzwing and Lugnut have decided to devastate the place in order to draw out the Autobots. It works, and things quickly kick off as Optimus is forced to slice a tanker thrown by Lugnut in half. This promising opener falls apart when Blitzwing prevents both Prowl and Bumblebee from launching any attacks. Ratchet manages to trap some of Lugnut's missiles (though they break through his magnetic grip, they still don't hit any of the Autobots), but as Bulkhead tries to outmuscle the massive 'Con, Lugnut proves to be too powerful and throws him aside. The combined efforts of Blitzwing and Lugnut prove too much for the Autobots, and things go from bad to worse when they tell the [[Decepticon]]s that Megatron burned up "over Cleveland". Screaming "Megatron lives!", a raging Lugnut activates his [[Punch of Kill Everything]] and levels the entire area, flooring the Autobots and burying both himself and Blitzwing. As the Decepticons unbury themselves from the rubble, Blitzwing tells Lugnut to warn him before using his big punch…again.

As the Decepticons free themselves, Megatron becomes convinced of Lugnut's loyalty and opts to contact only him. Lugnut automatically decides to abandon the battle and answer the summons, dragging Blitzwing along and leaving behind some very confused Autobots. Blitzwing headbutts Lugnut in midair, and Lugnut responds in kind, slamming Blitzwing down into an army base. He explains he heard Megatron's voice, but Blitzwing merely hears approaching police. He suggests they scan local vehicle modes and hide, but Lugnut refuses until Megatron orders him to do so. He quickly scans a bomber, while Blitzwing, after a quick argument between his faces, scans both an assault tank and a fighter jet. [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] arrives, but the Decepticons are already hiding in plain sight.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found Ratchet Sari argue.JPG|left|170px|thumb|Are you Samuel James Witwicky?]]

The Autobots have returned to [[Autobot Earth Base|base]] and are making repairs. The constant danger of attack makes Prime decide the best thing to do would be to repair [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|their ship]] and take the [[AllSpark]] off of Earth. Sari takes this very badly, and she is most unwilling to use the AllSpark Key to help Ratchet fix the ship. For his part, Ratchet is less than pleased about having to work with a "protoform". Prime settles it by ordering the two to be partners.

Meanwhile, Lugnut and Blitzwing are perched on a [[hover-billboard]], observing the city below. As Blitzwing comments on the [[Human|local wildlife]], Megatron transmits information on the AllSpark Key to Lugnut and orders the retrieval of it and the AllSpark. Lugnut immediately transforms, followed by a less-than-willing Blitzwing.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found AllSpark vision.JPG|right|170px|thumb|"Who dares disturb the wizard!?!"]]

At [[Lake Erie]], the Autobots arrive, with Ratchet and Sari still bickering. They are quickly interrupted by Blitzwing and Lugnut. Ratchet and Sari make a break for it, but Blitzwing freezes the lake, preventing them from reaching the ship. However, they get a hand from Lugnut, who accidentally blasts a hole for them to get through. The Autobots dive in, and as Ratchet heads for their ship under the lake, Lugnut and Blitzwing are stalled by the rest, thanks to some clever thinking from Prime. In the Autobots' ship, Ratchet has a moment alone with the ship, but ends up fighting with Sari, who storms off to the AllSpark's cargo bay. Dejected, she gets the idea of damaging the ship enough to prevent it flying, but the AllSpark Key quickly repairs it. Suddenly, the AllSpark opens to reveal an image of Megatron's head and the Key. Moments later, a fully restored Megatron materializes, and a terrified Sari panics and opens the airlock. As water pours in, Ratchet manages to save her. Sari confesses to her sabotage, but a sympathetic Ratchet explains the reason he wants to leave is because he cares about the planet and its people, especially Sari.

[[Image:ArkCannon.JPG|left|170px|thumb|This is gonna leave a mark.]]

Finally understanding, Sari agrees to help. Ratchet reveals the ship was originally a military vessel, and he hopes to bring the weapons bay back online. Outside, the Autobots are in serious trouble, but Sari's AllSpark Key soon reactivates the weapons bay, and Ratchet tells Optimus to draw the Decepticons to the ship. As they close, he activates the main cannon and blows the pair of Decepticons to kingdom come. A furious Megatron loses his link, and the Decepticons crash down onto the surface of the lake in several badly damaged pieces.

[[Image:Badsign.JPG|right|170px|thumb|Want to make a bad day worse? Just add Starscream.]]

Back at base, Sari uses the AllSpark Key to patch up Bumblebee, acting rather Ratchet like when he asks for some customization. Ratchet reveals that even with the Key, it'll take some time to get the ship up and running, so they won't be gone for a good while, and Sari smiles happily.

At the lake, Blitzwing calls for help, while Lugnut begs for a sign of Megatron's forgiveness. Remarkably they get a sign—a bad one, as Starscream shows up, promising repairs, in exchange for loyalty.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (1)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (2)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (4)
*[[Lester Black]] (11)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Trash Bot]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': Careful, you copper-clad klutz! You stepped in something! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': But with a few dancing lessons, you'll be light on your stabilizing servos like me. Cha cha cha. 
'''Lugnut''': Silence, Blitzwing! I did not follow this beacon halfway across the galaxy for dancing lessons! This was Megatron's ship! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Ahaha, Starscream never did have a knack for parking.
:—Blitzwing and Lugnut find a crashed Decepticon warship on the Moon.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found Blitzwing Lugnut crane attack.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Hug-a-wrecking-ball day never really took off.]]

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': These can't be those miserable Autobots, they're far too small— 
'''Random Blitzwing''': But look at that one! It's big, it's bold, it's sassy! 
'''Lugnut''': You! What have you done with our beloved leader Megatron? Talk!
:—The Decepticons interrogate a highly suspicious-looking crane.

"Where is our glorious leader? Where is Megatron?!" 
"Big scary dude?" ''[to Optimus]'' "Didn't he turn into a fireball somewhere over Cleveland?"
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Bumblebee'''

"I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: Give me some warning before you use ze punch!"
:—'''Hothead Blitzwing''' to Lugnut

'''Icy Blitzwing''': The Autobots have called in reinforcements. Perhaps we should lay low until we can determine their strength and numbers. 
'''Lugnut''': I will not hide. I will stand proudly and shout ''Megatron's name'' to the ''heavens''! 
'''Megatron''': Oh, for spark's sake...
:—Sometimes, the fanatic thing just gets ridiculous.

'''Optimus''': We'll have to repair our ship and move the AllSpark off this planet. 
'''Bulkhead''': We can't just pick up and go. How will we break the news to Sari? 
'''Bumblebee''': She's a big girl. She'll understand. 
''[Scene switches to Sari crying "No" at the top of her lungs]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I think she's taking it well.
:—The Autobots tell Sari that they're leaving.

"Help! Give me a hand! Or-or a foot! How about a pelvis?"
:—'''Random Blitzwing''', unusually happy about being in pieces.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* Blitzwing transforms to tank mode to drop into Lake Erie, but right after he plunges in and appears before the Autobots, he's in robot mode. Why didn't he just go to robot mode in the first place? (In-continuity answer: Blitzwing's angry persona uses the tank mode as opposed to the jet mode, according to [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1|Megatron Rising]]", so him getting angry at Lugnut caused his transformation automatically. Out-of-continuity answer: [[To sell toys]].)
* In the Autobots' first scuffle with the 'cons, Ratchet uses his magnetic powers to grab a bunch of missiles fired by Lugnut, exclaiming that he can't hold them forever. However, they just seem to disappear after that, as it's never shown whether or not they hit anything.
* As seen in stock-footage transformations in previous episodes, when Prime transforms after he hears of Blitzwing and Lugnut on the news, he turns into a sort of half-a-fire-engine. This form was likely animated using references for his [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Voyager-scale toy]], from which the back end can be detached. In the next shot, in which he [[Roll out|rolls out]], he's a complete fire engine.
* Blitzwing's decision to scan both a jet and a tank seems to imply that he was not a [[Triple Changer]] before the scanning. However, [[The Arrival issue 5]] clearly marks him as a Triple Changer before ever coming to Earth.

===Animation errors===
*When Ratchet reactivates Teletran 1's main cannon and states that he has a plan, his broken forehead chevron is on the left side instead of the right.
*In two animation shots of Lugnut using his [[Punch of Kill Everything|rocket punch]], the ground is not iced, hinting that the animation sequence might be reused in future episodes.
*When Lugnut scans the bomber, it is much bigger than he is.
*Not so much an error as it is a curiousity, but Lugnut's faction symbol shifts from being on his shoulder panel to his chest after he scans an Earth Mode. You can actually see it for yourself on this page.
*When Blitzwing is talking about Lockdown,the section below his normal optic is miscolored tan

===Transformers references===
* The initial scene with the lunar rover is highly reminiscent of the destruction of the [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] probe in the [[Transformers (film)|live-action movie]]. The two Decepticons' appearance on Earth as crash-landing meteorites also harks back to the film.
* The construction workers seen where Blitzwing and Lugnut first land are wearing outfits inspired by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] from Generation 1.
* After the airing of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", some fans speculated on a possible connection between the Autobot ship and [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Generation 1 Omega Supreme]], based on both Prime's dialogue referring to a weapons-system program as "Codename: Omega" and the resemblance between the ship's cannon (shown briefly) and Omega Supreme's tank turret. Adding to that speculation, in ''this'' episode, Ratchet addresses the ship as "old friend". Also, when Ratchet manages to activate the weapons systems, we see a clearer shot of the cannon, which indeed looks a lot like Omega Supreme's tank turret (it even has his color scheme). Foreshadowing? Yup, [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|foreshadowing.]]
*This episode is the first in the series to feature the use of the words "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]" and "[[frag]]" as expletives.
*This isn't the first time a [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Decepticon battleship crash-landed on the moon]].
* Ratchet calls Sari 'a Protoform'. [[TransWarped|More, slightly less obvious foreshadowing.]]

===Real-world references===
* When Lugnut overpowers Bulkhead, he comments, "Nothing moves Lugnut", similar to the minor ''X-men'' villain the [[wikipedia:Blob (comics)|Blob]].

===Trivia===
* This is the fourth episode in which Sari has received direct warnings about misuse of her AllSpark Key. The Allspark seems to have chosen the "tough love" approach and scared the message into her. How long this will last is up for debate. Bets will now be taken. Answer: [[TransWarped|Beginning of the third season]] when she uses it to upgrade herself, and it makes her go nuts and stab Bumblebee. Betting is now closed.
* In a humourous background detail, we see the Blitzwing-shaped hole, left from where he crashed barely two minutes ago, as Captain Fanzone's squadron arrives at the hangar. Oddly enough, they don't take much notice of it.
* Captain Fanzone doesn't come off too well in this episode, since he A) forgets that Transformers can disguise themselves as vehicles, and B) doesn't notice that two of the military jets are sporting unusual purple paint jobs, and one of them has tank treads under its wings, not to mention the above.
* Prime's vehicle mode has manual transmission.
* It's unclear why Sari didn't mention the AllSpark-generated vision of Megatron to any of the Autobots. (Granted, she doesn't know who Megatron is, but even so….)
* When Sari tells Bumblebee that the AllSpark Key isn't a toy, she looks like she has wrinkles under her eyes. Obviously, this is meant to show that Ratchet has rubbed off on her a little bit. Even her mouth looks like his briefly. Of course, she may have just been doing an impression of Ratchet as a joke.
* Random Blitzwing seems to have a knack for songs and dances. We'll see if it remains a trend.
* Captain Fanzone is currently driving a regular Detroit police car. [[Captain Fanzone's car|His old car]] was destroyed by [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] in "[[Blast from the Past]]," but it returns in future episodes.
* Megatron seems unfamiliar with Blitzwing and Lugnut's personalities (i.e., that the first is crazy, and the second is loyal). However, they served under him on the ''Nemesis'' fifty years ago, and exhibited the same characteristics then. This discrepancy is not explained. (Possibly Megatron did not have much direct contact with them in the past, or he may be assuming that fifty years might have changed them.) It also shows that unlike [[Megatron (disambiguation)|his counterparts]], ''Animated'' Megatron actually learns from betrayal, and is not so forgiving.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Échec et combat'''" ("Failure and Struggle")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die alten Waffen'''" ("The Old Weapons")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 5|5 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kotei no Gekisen'''" (湖底の激戦, "Fierce Battle on the Lake Bottom")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 12|12 June]] [[2010]]
::* '''Cut:''' The camera does a shot of the Autobots playing field hockey with Sari.
::* '''Cut:''' Sari follows the Autobots to help them battle Blitzwing and Lugnut, but Ratchet objects that she won't stand a chance against two Decepticons when it took all of them to beat just one.
::* '''Cut:''' Megatron questions himself whether he should trust Blitzwing and Lugnut when Starscream betrayed him.
::* '''Cut:''' Ratchet comments "that was different" when Lugnut carries Blitzwing off to find Megatron.
::* '''Cut:''' The Autobots recover from the recent skirmish with the two Decepticons.
::* '''Cut:''' Starscream offers to help out Lugnut and Blitzwing if they pledge undying allegiance to him.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Odnaleziona zguba'''" ("Lost and Found")
:*''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 Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 3 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Nanosec (episode)

2014-07-23T23:10:30Z

SwiftDash: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|an episode of Transformers Animated|the supervillain the episode is named for|Nanosec}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Nanosec flee.JPG
|caption=Sure was nice of Sumdac to make a prototype suit that already had a supervillain look to it.
|ep=8
|ep2=9
|prev2=Blast from the Past
|next2=Along Came a Spider
|title="Nanosec"
|airdate=[[January 26]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Bumblebee's self-proclaimed title as "fastest thing on wheels" is threatened by Nanosec, a super-speedster crook on a deadly mission that could destroy all of Detroit.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee Nino Sexton.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Bumblebee, put your doll down." "It is an ACTION FIGURE, Prime!"]]
During a nighttime fireworks display, a small-time thief named Nino Sexton takes advantage of the distraction to pull a heist not far from [[Detroit|Detroit's]] boardwalks. He eludes the easily bamboozled [[police drone]]s, but makes the mistake of trying to steal the not-so-easily-bamboozled [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] for a getaway car. Bumblebee toys with the crook for a bit, showing off his speed, but [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] arrives and tells him to knock it off. As they argue, Sexton tries to leave, but Bulkhead stops him with his wrecking ball—which cracks apart the boardwalk, sending all three plunging down. The two 'bots hit the water while Sexton hangs on desperately to a shattered board. He is saved in the nick of time by [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], who turns him in to the police.

Meanwhile, in [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]]'s private lab, his attempt to construct a servo for [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] fails, as Megatron knew it would. The [[Decepticon]] says that [[Destronium]] is necessary to build parts of sufficient quality, but Sumdac responds that the only available Destronium is a small amount synthesized on Earth.

[[File:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee turbo boosters.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|"Bumblebee, give me my jetpack back right now!"]]

The next day, Prime reprimands Bulkhead and Bumblebee, then says that Bumblebee will spend the day working with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and Bulkhead on using his head instead of his thrusters. This upsets [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], who has been looking forward to sharing with 'Bee one of her dad's latest prototypes: a set of [[turbo booster]]s. Bumblebee's all too eager to get them attached, but [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] absolutely nixes the idea. Sari protests that her dad's equipment is perfectly safe.

Across town, a technician reports to Professor Sumdac that there are problems with the new turbo-blade cyber suit as the test subject hurtles helplessly around the test track. Sumdac resignedly asks for the design specs so he can work out the bugs. Once the suit is perfected, it will increase human speed and reaction time a thousandfold. Megatron insists that the Destronium take priority, but Sumdac notes that the available sample is too unstable; transporting it from across town would leave it useless—or worse, highly explosive—unless it could be delivered in under ten minutes. He notes that nothing is that fast, but Megatron eyes the display of the plans for the cyber suit.

Shortly, Nino Sexton is informed that someone has posted his bail, though the police drone has no info on who it was. Bemused, he walks outside, where a delivery drone hands him a package "from a friend." Nino opens it to find the cyber suit.

In traffic, Bumblebee refuses to slow down and blend in. He points out that a riderless motorcycle hardly blends in either, so Prowl generates a holographic driver, but Bumblebee still refuses to cooperate—until a traffic jam forces him to do so. When a group of police vehicles speed by, Bumblebee takes the excuse to put on his own police roof light and do some "blending".

[[File:TFA Nanosec Prowl awesome.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Ninjas are AWESOME!]]

The police turn out to be responding to a sudden rash of thefts by a hyper-fast Nino Sexton. Just after one theft, a teller comments in shock that the money vanished in a nanosec. Nino overhears and decides he likes the name. He then proceeds to elude the police easily, then encounters Bumblebee. This time, [[Nanosec]] gets away, and Bumblebee can only marvel at his speed. However, for all his velocity, Nanosec finds his big bags of loot rather heavy, and he pauses to catch his breath—only to be confronted by Prowl. The crook soon escapes, but Bumblebee's had time to catch up. He's still not fast enough to overtake Nanosec before the speedster zooms through a railroad crossing with a train closing in fast. Losing his nerve at the last second, Bumblebee slams on the brakes but gets stuck on the tracks. Bulkhead manages to grab the train in time to save 'Bee from getting crushed and holds it long enough that his buddy can get out of the way.

As Nanosec rejoices in his escape, he is contacted by Megatron, who is using a strobing signal that can only be detected at ultra-high speeds. Megatron offers Nanosec a substantial reward—$50 million—for delivering the Destronium. As a downpayment, he provides an ATM code that delivers a large amount of cash out of Isaac Sumdac's private bank account. All he has to do is get the Destronium from the lab to [[Sumdac Tower]] within ten minutes.

At the [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobots' base]], Bumblebee continues to try to beat his speed record, but to no avail. As he begs Ratchet to give him the turbo booster upgrade, Nanosec heists the Destronium from Sumdac Labs. Prime arrives to announce Nanosec's latest activity and location, and commands everyone to roll out to capture the villain. A dejected Bumblebee thinks it's impossible, but Sari holds up the [[AllSpark Key]] and says there might be a way.

[[File:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee no control.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Don't drink and drive, kids!]]

As Nanosec races into town, Prime stops him with a spread of negative-friction lubricant, but once he lassos the criminal out of the puddle, Nanosec's speed allows him to turn Prime's grappling lines against him. Prime calls for back-up, so Sari activates Bumblebee's newly installed boosters with the AllSpark Key. Prime finally manages to catch Nanosec by his legs, but Bumblebee rockets into him, out of control, allowing the villain to escape. 'Bee and Sari nearly zoom off the edge of a half-built bridge, but Prime's line catches them. Even so, it's a struggle for the Autobot leader to hold them, so 'Bee throws it in reverse. This gets him away from the drop, but otherwise doesn't help much.

[[File:Destronium.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Better hope [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] doesn't find this.]]

Down the road, Ratchet uses his magnets to catch Nanosec, then checks the container he was carrying. He quickly realizes the danger involved—if the Destronium detonates in its current state, it could wipe out half of Detroit. Then Bulkhead notices Nanosec, whose hood has come off, now has grey hair when he used to be a redhead. Just then, Bumblebee rockets by, still out of control and now in reverse, again knocking Nanosec free to resume his delivery. Ratchet suggests Bee switch to robot mode, which is a MUCH bigger help. Prime catches up and orders Ratchet to disable the boosters, but there's no time; Nanosec has to be caught and stopped NOW. Prime tells everyone to roll out—without any vehicle mode modifications, thank you. As they proceed, Bulkhead wonders if the Destronium turned Nanosec's hair white, but Prowl responds that loss of hair color in organics is a sign of aging. Realizing what's going on, Bumblebee activates his boosters (which are apparently under control now) and races after Nanosec, using his head AND his thrusters. Once he catches up to the slowing speedster, 'Bee easily zaps the Destronium out of his grasp and rolls off with it. He then taunts the criminal into pursuing him at top speed until Nanosec becomes literally too old for this stuff and collapses.

[[File:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee flight.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|And they say bees can't fly.]]

By this time, the Destronium is very near its flash point, and according to Ratchet, the only safe place to take it is the upper atmosphere. With a two-stage boost assist from Bulkhead and Prowl, Bumblebee manages to use his thrusters to take the Destronium high enough and chuck it away before it explodes. Ratchet and Prime then slow him down and cool him off during his reentry. As the media cover Nanosec's arrest and the averted disaster, Prime congratulates everyone on a job well done, and Prowl even offers to race Bumblebee back to the plant, but 'Bee says he and Sari will walk.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (12)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (7)

|c3=
*[[Nanosec]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (8)
*[[Sumdac technician]]s (10)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (13)

|c4=
*[[Police drone]]s (2)
*[[Domestic Bot]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm kinda new to this planet, but I believe you're supposed to pay for those things before you run off with them."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' holding Nanosec after he robs the warehouse

"Couldn't I just ask your Autobot friends to help?" 
"NO! I…do not wish them to see me in this weakened state."
:—'''Megatron''' tells '''Isaac Sumdac''' the absolute truth, for once. Sort of.

'''Bumblebee''': Turbo boosters! Suh-weet! 
'''Optimus Prime''': You're not actually thinking of hooking these things up to yourself, are you? 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, of course not! I was gonna ask the doc-bot to do it for me. 
'''Ratchet''': Have you got your processor up your exhaust port? These things are untested, incompatible— 
'''Sari''': And totally wicked fast!
:—Bumblebee gets a few mixed signals.

'''Prowl''': The point of this exercise is to blend into your environment 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, right! 'Cause nothing says 'blend' like a motorcycle driving itself." 
''[Prowl generates a hologram of a policeman driver for himself]'' 
'''Prowl''': Happy?
:—Houston, we have [[Moustache Man]] sighting.

"You know, there might be another way to get that turbo booster upgrade." 
"But, Prime's orders—" 
"Were to catch Nanosec. He didn't say HOW."
:—'''Sari''' plays the little devil on '''Bumblebee'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s shoulder.

"What is this stuff? Are you nuts?" 
"Negative friction lubricant. ''[transforms]'' And technically, I'm nuts, bolts, and armored plating."
:—'''Nanosec''' gets schooled by '''Optimus Prime'''

'''Bumblebee''': You ROCK! 
'''Sari''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': I said YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': I said YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': YOU rock!
:—Mercifully, the exchange ends here.

"How do you suppose this Nanosec fellow got hold of my experimental turbo suit?" 
"I suspect it was an inside job."
:—Delightfully layered-meaning dialog between '''Professor Sumdac''' and '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*As Bumblebee is about to go over the closed bridge, just before he goes into reverse, the AllSpark Key is stuck in his ignition—and also depicted hanging from its lanyard around Sari's neck.
*When the police drone tells Nanosec to freeze, its caterpillar treads are still moving.
*When the Autobots arrive on scene after Bumblebee makes Nanosec become older, Ratchet's hood is white instead of red.

===Continuity errors===
* Prof. Sumdac seems woefully dim about his own creation, stating that nothing could be fast enough to bring the Destronium across town in time, '''right after''' talking about the turbo suit. However, as the suit has just been shown to have problems, perhaps Sumdac is instead exercising some sensible caution by not even considering using it.
* Ironically, judging from the position of the train at the time Bumblebee stopped on the tracks, he ''would'' have made it if he'd kept going, or he could've just stepped off the tracks by transforming to robot mode.
* Comparing Megatron's directions to a map of the Detroit-Monroe area, he seems to recommend taking a primarily north-south route, which seems to be the shortest distance. However, Prime says Nanosec's taking I-94, the east-west highway, which would require a substantially longer route. Even given his super speed, why would Nanosec make it harder on himself to make the 10-minute deadline? (It's possible maps.megatron.com's route doesn't use highways, meaning more traffic lights, but the map's semi-fictionalized, so it's hard to tell. And why would Nanosec care about traffic lights anyway?)
* Apparently, news spreads as fast as Nanosec can run. No one seems to be around to hear him say he likes the name after he hears the teller use the word, yet within a few hours, Prime and Sari somehow know his name as well. Maybe he quickly put up some P.R.?
* Sumdac claims that the Destronium has to be delivered quickly, or it will become too unstable, yet Ratchet later claims that moving the substance at high speed is what makes it so volatile, so it was a lose-lose situation from the beginning. Perhaps Megatron needs to run a few more self-diagnostics before he starts his galactic conquest gig again.
* What would Megatron actually ''do'' with the destronium, even if he got it, without letting Sumdac know about it? He needs ''help'' to get his body back.

===Continuity notes===
* Sumdac's new police drones, first seen (sort of) in "[[Total Meltdown]]", have been adopted by the Detroit police department. They still need to work out some bugs.

===Transformers references===
* Bumblebee uses the term "Big Bot", which was also [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor's]] affectionate name for [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] in ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.
* Megatron is made up of [[Destronium]] circuits. The Decepticons are called [[Destron (disambiguation)|Destron]]s in Japan. Or maybe they got it from [[Destro|a certain Scottish arms dealer]].
* Bumblebee's battle mask bears a striking similarity to the toy-face of the original [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] toy.

===Real-world references===
* Going by the semi-fictional map Megatron provides, Sumdac Tower appears to be near the interchange of I-96 and State Highway 39, while the lab with the Destronium is somewhere near the suburb of Berlin, just east of I-75. For comparison, the robot plant shown in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" is on the lakeshore in Monroe, about six miles further southwest.

===Trivia===
[[File:TFA Nanosec Sumdac Megatron chill.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|"You know, this really hugs the buttocks." "I hate you. I really, really do."]]
* The script for this episode was the first ''Transformers Animated'' script to be written, and was used by series scribe [[Marty Isenberg]] both as a showcase and as a testing ground for the new show's Detroit setting and character dynamics, particularly in terms of its focus on a human rather than a Decepticon villain. Indeed, this episode was originally conceived as the show's pilot, until the decision was later made to open instead with a larger-scale "event" TV movie, leading to the development of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]".<ref>[http://www.cvcomics.com/artandstory/?p=242 Art & Story interview with Marty Isenberg]</ref>
* This is the first time Bumblebee uses his battle mask.
* This is also the first time we see Bumblebee's rocket boosters. He loses them during atmospheric reentry, but he gets them back in the second season—just in time to have some [[Velocity|fun with race cars]].
* In the previous week's episode, "[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]", Ratchet repaired his war wound—the exposed circuitry on the dorsal side of his left forearm—when he installed his EMP generator, regained from the bounty hunter [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]. Only a few shots in this episode provide a view of that part of his arm, and most of them show it as whole. However, the one good view available—after the Destronium theft, when Bumblebee is begging Ratchet to install the boosters—distinctly shows the war wound still present. It's possible he's left the generator unattached so he may continue to remember the circumstances of its loss [[Arcee (Animated)|"for those who can't,"]] as he puts it.
* In this episode, Bumblebee tries to be responsible, while Sari is the one who opts for breaking the rules. Wow. That's a role reversal from [[Unicron Trilogy|previous fictions]].
* Isaac Sumdac is still using Megatron's hand as a chair. For a fleshling, he's got brass.
* Bumblebee ran Nanosec, already slowed enough to make them equal, into old age on purpose for no apparent reason. That is '''COLD'''.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nanoseconde'''" ("Nanosecond")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nanosegundo'''" ("Nanosecond")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Turbodüsen'''" ("The Turbojets")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 2|2 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Wana no Jikan'''" (罠の時間, "Trap Time")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 29|29 May]] [[2010]]
::* Bumblebee actually sings along with the first few lines to the opening song "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" after doing the introduction.
::* '''Cut:''' Professor Sumdac and Megatron's conversation on rebuilding Megatron
::* '''Cut:''' Optimus Prime gives Bumblebee a lecture on using his head instead of his thrusters.
::* '''Cut:''' The camera closes in on a shot of the Detroit prison
::* '''Cut:''' Nanosec's brief pause after Megatron contacts him.
::* '''Cut:''' The news footage on Nanosec's capture
::* '''Cut:''' Professor Sumdac wonders out loud how Nanosec got hold of his turbo suit while Megatron assures him that it was an "inside job"
::* '''Cut:''' Bumblebee and Sari walk home together as the rest of the Autobots leave.
::* A reference to the ''[[wikipedia:Lupin III|Lupin III]]'' series, notably Nanosec's "Later, pops!" (''Abayo, tott-san''!), which the titular Lupin would say to Inspector Zenigata whenever the thief makes his escape.

==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 Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 3 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Nanosec (episode)

2014-07-23T22:26:19Z

SwiftDash: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|an episode of Transformers Animated|the supervillain the episode is named for|Nanosec}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Nanosec flee.JPG
|caption=Sure was nice of Sumdac to make a prototype suit that already had a supervillain look to it.
|ep=8
|ep2=9
|prev2=Blast from the Past
|next2=Along Came a Spider
|title="Nanosec"
|airdate=[[January 26]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Bumblebee's self-proclaimed title as "fastest thing on wheels" is threatened by Nanosec, a super-speedster crook on a deadly mission that could destroy all of Detroit.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee Nino Sexton.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Bumblebee, put your doll down." "It is an ACTION FIGURE, Prime!"]]
During a nighttime fireworks display, a small-time thief named Nino Sexton takes advantage of the distraction to pull a heist not far from [[Detroit|Detroit's]] boardwalks. He eludes the easily bamboozled [[police drone]]s, but makes the mistake of trying to steal the not-so-easily-bamboozled [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] for a getaway car. Bumblebee toys with the crook for a bit, showing off his speed, but [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] arrives and tells him to knock it off. As they argue, Sexton tries to leave, but Bulkhead stops him with his wrecking ball—which cracks apart the boardwalk, sending all three plunging down. The two 'bots hit the water while Sexton hangs on desperately to a shattered board. He is saved in the nick of time by [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], who turns him in to the police.

Meanwhile, in [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]]'s private lab, his attempt to construct a servo for [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] fails, as Megatron knew it would. The [[Decepticon]] says that [[Destronium]] is necessary to build parts of sufficient quality, but Sumdac responds that the only available Destronium is a small amount synthesized on Earth.

[[File:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee turbo boosters.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|"Bumblebee, give me my jetpack back right now!"]]

The next day, Prime reprimands Bulkhead and Bumblebee, then says that Bumblebee will spend the day working with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and Bulkhead on using his head instead of his thrusters. This upsets [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], who has been looking forward to sharing with 'Bee one of her dad's latest prototypes: a set of [[turbo booster]]s. Bumblebee's all too eager to get them attached, but [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] absolutely nixes the idea. Sari protests that her dad's equipment is perfectly safe.

Across town, a technician reports to Professor Sumdac that there are problems with the new turbo-blade cyber suit as the test subject hurtles helplessly around the test track. Sumdac resignedly asks for the design specs so he can work out the bugs. Once the suit is perfected, it will increase human speed and reaction time a thousandfold. Megatron insists that the Destronium take priority, but Sumdac notes that the available sample is too unstable; transporting it from across town would leave it useless—or worse, highly explosive—unless it could be delivered in under ten minutes. He notes that nothing is that fast, but Megatron eyes the display of the plans for the cyber suit.

Shortly, Nino Sexton is informed that someone has posted his bail, though the police drone has no info on who it was. Bemused, he walks outside, where a delivery drone hands him a package "from a friend." Nino opens it to find the cyber suit.

In traffic, Bumblebee refuses to slow down and blend in. He points out that a riderless motorcycle hardly blends in either, so Prowl generates a holographic driver, but Bumblebee still refuses to cooperate—until a traffic jam forces him to do so. When a group of police vehicles speed by, Bumblebee takes the excuse to put on his own police roof light and do some "blending".

[[File:TFA Nanosec Prowl awesome.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Ninjas are AWESOME!]]

The police turn out to be responding to a sudden rash of thefts by a hyper-fast Nino Sexton. Just after one theft, a teller comments in shock that the money vanished in a nanosec. Nino overhears and decides he likes the name. He then proceeds to elude the police easily, then encounters Bumblebee. This time, [[Nanosec]] gets away, and Bumblebee can only marvel at his speed. However, for all his velocity, Nanosec finds his big bags of loot rather heavy, and he pauses to catch his breath—only to be confronted by Prowl. The crook soon escapes, but Bumblebee's had time to catch up. He's still not fast enough to overtake Nanosec before the speedster zooms through a railroad crossing with a train closing in fast. Losing his nerve at the last second, Bumblebee slams on the brakes but gets stuck on the tracks. Bulkhead manages to grab the train in time to save 'Bee from getting crushed and holds it long enough that his buddy can get out of the way.

As Nanosec rejoices in his escape, he is contacted by Megatron, who is using a strobing signal that can only be detected at ultra-high speeds. Megatron offers Nanosec a substantial reward—$50 million—for delivering the Destronium. As a downpayment, he provides an ATM code that delivers a large amount of cash out of Isaac Sumdac's private bank account. All he has to do is get the Destronium from the lab to [[Sumdac Tower]] within ten minutes.

At the [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobots' base]], Bumblebee continues to try to beat his speed record, but to no avail. As he begs Ratchet to give him the turbo booster upgrade, Nanosec heists the Destronium from Sumdac Labs. Prime arrives to announce Nanosec's latest activity and location, and commands everyone to roll out to capture the villain. A dejected Bumblebee thinks it's impossible, but Sari holds up the [[AllSpark Key]] and says there might be a way.

[[File:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee no control.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Don't drink and drive, kids!]]

As Nanosec races into town, Prime stops him with a spread of negative-friction lubricant, but once he lassos the criminal out of the puddle, Nanosec's speed allows him to turn Prime's grappling lines against him. Prime calls for back-up, so Sari activates Bumblebee's newly installed boosters with the AllSpark Key. Prime finally manages to catch Nanosec by his legs, but Bumblebee rockets into him, out of control, allowing the villain to escape. 'Bee and Sari nearly zoom off the edge of a half-built bridge, but Prime's line catches them. Even so, it's a struggle for the Autobot leader to hold them, so 'Bee throws it in reverse. This gets him away from the drop, but otherwise doesn't help much.

[[File:Destronium.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Better hope [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] doesn't find this.]]

Down the road, Ratchet uses his magnets to catch Nanosec, then checks the container he was carrying. He quickly realizes the danger involved—if the Destronium detonates in its current state, it could wipe out half of Detroit. Then Bulkhead notices Nanosec, whose hood has come off, now has grey hair when he used to be a redhead. Just then, Bumblebee rockets by, still out of control and now in reverse, again knocking Nanosec free to resume his delivery. Ratchet suggests Bee switch to robot mode, which is a MUCH bigger help. Prime catches up and orders Ratchet to disable the boosters, but there's no time; Nanosec has to be caught and stopped NOW. Prime tells everyone to roll out—without any vehicle mode modifications, thank you. As they proceed, Bulkhead wonders if the Destronium turned Nanosec's hair white, but Prowl responds that loss of hair color in organics is a sign of aging. Realizing what's going on, Bumblebee activates his boosters (which are apparently under control now) and races after Nanosec, using his head AND his thrusters. Once he catches up to the slowing speedster, 'Bee easily zaps the Destronium out of his grasp and rolls off with it. He then taunts the criminal into pursuing him at top speed until Nanosec becomes literally too old for this stuff and collapses.

[[File:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee flight.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|And they say bees can't fly.]]

By this time, the Destronium is very near its flash point, and according to Ratchet, the only safe place to take it is the upper atmosphere. With a two-stage boost assist from Bulkhead and Prowl, Bumblebee manages to use his thrusters to take the Destronium high enough and chuck it away before it explodes. Ratchet and Prime then slow him down and cool him off during his reentry. As the media cover Nanosec's arrest and the averted disaster, Prime congratulates everyone on a job well done, and Prowl even offers to race Bumblebee back to the plant, but 'Bee says he and Sari will walk.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (12)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (7)

|c3=
*[[Nanosec]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (8)
*[[Sumdac technician]]s (10)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (13)

|c4=
*[[Police drone]]s (2)
*[[Domestic Bot]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm kinda new to this planet, but I believe you're supposed to pay for those things before you run off with them."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' holding Nanosec after he robs the warehouse

"Couldn't I just ask your Autobot friends to help?" 
"NO! I…do not wish them to see me in this weakened state."
:—'''Megatron''' tells '''Isaac Sumdac''' the absolute truth, for once. Sort of.

'''Bumblebee''': Turbo boosters! Suh-weet! 
'''Optimus Prime''': You're not actually thinking of hooking these things up to yourself, are you? 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, of course not! I was gonna ask the doc-bot to do it for me. 
'''Ratchet''': Have you got your processor up your exhaust port? These things are untested, incompatible— 
'''Sari''': And totally wicked fast!
:—Bumblebee gets a few mixed signals.

'''Prowl''': The point of this exercise is to blend into your environment 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, right! 'Cause nothing says 'blend' like a motorcycle driving itself." 
''[Prowl generates a hologram of a policeman driver for himself]'' 
'''Prowl''': Happy?
:—Houston, we have [[Moustache Man]] sighting.

"You know, there might be another way to get that turbo booster upgrade." 
"But, Prime's orders—" 
"Were to catch Nanosec. He didn't say HOW."
:—'''Sari''' plays the little devil on '''Bumblebee'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s shoulder.

"What is this stuff? Are you nuts?" 
"Negative friction lubricant. ''[transforms]'' And technically, I'm nuts, bolts, and armored plating."
:—'''Nanosec''' gets schooled by '''Optimus Prime'''

'''Bumblebee''': You ROCK! 
'''Sari''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': I said YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': I said YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': YOU rock!
:—Mercifully, the exchange ends here.

"How do you suppose this Nanosec fellow got hold of my experimental turbo suit?" 
"I suspect it was an inside job."
:—Delightfully layered-meaning dialog between '''Professor Sumdac''' and '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*As Bumblebee is about to go over the closed bridge, just before he goes into reverse, the AllSpark Key is stuck in his ignition—and also depicted hanging from its lanyard around Sari's neck.
*When the police drone tells Nanosec to freeze, its caterpillar treads are still moving.
*When the Autobots arrive on scene after Bumblebee makes Nanosec become older, Ratchet's hood is white instead of red.

===Continuity errors===
* Prof. Sumdac seems woefully dim about his own creation, stating that nothing could be fast enough to bring the Destronium across town in time, '''right after''' talking about the turbo suit. However, as the suit has just been shown to have problems, perhaps Sumdac is instead exercising some sensible caution by not even considering using it.
* Ironically, judging from the position of the train at the time Bumblebee stopped on the tracks, he ''would'' have made it if he'd kept going, or he could've just stepped off the tracks by transforming to robot mode.
* Comparing Megatron's directions to a map of the Detroit-Monroe area, he seems to recommend taking a primarily north-south route, which seems to be the shortest distance. However, Prime says Nanosec's taking I-94, the east-west highway, which would require a substantially longer route. Even given his super speed, why would Nanosec make it harder on himself to make the 10-minute deadline? (It's possible maps.megatron.com's route doesn't use highways, meaning more traffic lights, but the map's semi-fictionalized, so it's hard to tell. And why would Nanosec care about traffic lights anyway?)
* Apparently, news spreads as fast as Nanosec can run. No one seems to be around to hear him say he likes the name after he hears the teller use the word, yet within a few hours, Prime and Sari somehow know his name as well. Maybe he quickly put up some P.R.?
* Sumdac claims that the Destronium has to be delivered quickly, or it will become too unstable, yet Ratchet later claims that moving the substance at high speed is what makes it so volatile, so it was a lose-lose situation from the beginning. Perhaps Megatron needs to run a few more self-diagnostics before he starts his galactic conquest gig again.
* What would Megatron actually ''do'' with the destronium, even if he got it, without letting Sumdac know about it? He needs ''help'' to get his body back.

===Continuity notes===
* Sumdac's new police drones, first seen (sort of) in "[[Total Meltdown]]", have been adopted by the Detroit police department. They still need to work out some bugs.

===Transformers references===
* Bumblebee uses the term "Big Bot", which was also [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor's]] affectionate name for [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] in ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.
* Megatron is made up of [[Destronium]] circuits. The Decepticons are called [[Destron (disambiguation)|Destron]]s in Japan. Or maybe they got it from [[Destro|a certain Scottish arms dealer]].
* Bumblebee's battle mask bears a striking similarity to the toy-face of the original [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] toy.

===Real-world references===
* Going by the semi-fictional map Megatron provides, Sumdac Tower appears to be near the interchange of I-96 and State Highway 39, while the lab with the Destronium is somewhere near the suburb of Berlin, just east of I-75. For comparison, the robot plant shown in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" is on the lakeshore in Monroe, about six miles further southwest.

===Trivia===
[[File:TFA Nanosec Sumdac Megatron chill.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|"You know, this really hugs the buttocks." "I hate you. I really, really do."]]
* The script for this episode was the first ''Transformers Animated'' script to be written, and was used by series scribe [[Marty Isenberg]] both as a showcase and as a testing ground for the new show's Detroit setting and character dynamics, particularly in terms of its focus on a human rather than a Decepticon villain. Indeed, this episode was originally conceived as the show's pilot, until the decision was later made to open instead with a larger-scale "event" TV movie, leading to the development of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]".<ref>[http://www.cvcomics.com/artandstory/?p=242 Art & Story interview with Marty Isenberg]</ref>
* This is the first time Bumblebee uses his battle mask.
* This is also the first time we see Bumblebee's rocket boosters. He loses them during atmospheric reentry, but he gets them back in the second season—just in time to have some [[Velocity|fun with race cars]].
* In the previous week's episode, "[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]", Ratchet repaired his war wound—the exposed circuitry on the dorsal side of his left forearm—when he installed his EMP generator, regained from the bounty hunter [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]. Only a few shots in this episode provide a view of that part of his arm, and most of them show it as whole. However, the one good view available—after the Destronium theft, when Bumblebee is begging Ratchet to install the boosters—distinctly shows the war wound still present. It's possible he's left the generator unattached so he may continue to remember the circumstances of its loss [[Arcee (Animated)|"for those who can't,"]] as he puts it.
* In this episode, Bumblebee tries to be responsible, while Sari is the one who opts for breaking the rules. Wow. That's a role reversal from [[Unicron Trilogy|previous fictions]].
* Isaac Sumdac is still using Megatron's hand as a chair. For a fleshling, he's got brass.
* Bumblebee ran Nanosec, already slowed enough to make them equal, into old age on purpose for no apparent reason. That is '''COLD'''.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nanoseconde'''" ("Nanosecond")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nanosegundo'''" ("Nanosecond")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Turbodüsen'''" ("The Turbojets")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 2|2 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Wana no Jikan'''" (罠の時間, "Trap Time")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 29|29 May]] [[2010]]
::* Bumblebee actually sings along with the first few lines to the opening song "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" after doing the introduction.
::* '''Cut:''' Professor Sumdac and Megatron's conversation on rebuilding Megatron
::* '''Cut:''' Optimus Prime gives Bumblebee a lecture on using his head instead of his thrusters.
::* '''Cut:''' The camera closes in on a shot of the Detroit prison
::* A reference to the ''[[wikipedia:Lupin III|Lupin III]]'' series, notably Nanosec's "Later, pops!" (''Abayo, tott-san''!), which the titular Lupin would say to Inspector Zenigata whenever the thief makes his escape.

==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 Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 3 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Blast from the Past

2014-07-23T20:32:30Z

SwiftDash: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the 2008 Transformers Animated episode|the 2003 Armada comic|Panini Armada issue 6}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Blast Past Dinobots burn.JPG
|caption="When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked." "Yes, but, John, when Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists."
|ep=6
|ep2=8
|prev2=Total Meltdown
|next2=Nanosec (episode)
|title="Blast from the Past"
|airdate=[[January 12]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Kevin Hopps]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Ben Jones]] [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Professor Sumdac upgrades a trio of animatronic dinosaurs from a local theme park, but the creatures develop minds of their own and become rampaging Dinobots, bent on destroying the Autobots.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Blast Past Bulkhead Tutor Bot.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"Did you find him?" "Just the parts they didn't like."]]

[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] takes the [[Autobot]]s to "[[Dino Drive]]", a [[dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]]-based theme park, in order to teach them about [[Earth]]'s history. On the way, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] accidentally destroys every car in the parking lot. Once inside, [[Tutor Bot]] gives an impromptu lesson on dinosaurs. The Autobots see the animatronic dinosaurs and become amazed by the replicas, especially Bulkhead, who becomes so fascinated that he tries to get the robot ''Pteranodon'' to fly. This only succeeds in having the robot fall and cause a ''Triceratops'' and ''Tyrannosaurus'' robot to collide and break each other, crushing Tutor Bot in the process. The Autobot take the broken animatronics to [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Professor Sumdac]] for repair.

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Sumdac Megatron meet.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"The voice you hear is Richard Kiley. We spared no expense."]]

At the lab, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] views the power of dinosaurs through the damaged Tutor Bot and seems very impressed by their destructive potential. Sumdac enters the lab and berates himself for programming the Tutor Bot with such simple information that everyone already knows. Megatron reveals his consciousness by saying ''he'' never knew these things. Sumdac is shocked, and Megatron, pretending that he has just come back online, asks where he is. Professor Sumdac rambles a bit, then says it's a long story. Megatron reassures him that he can listen, as he is not going anywhere. After Sumdac gives a brief history of Megatron's discovery and how he relates to modern technology, Megatron convinces Sumdac that he is an old friend of the Autobots and that they'll be more forgiving of Sumdac keeping his secrets if he helps repair their old comrade. However, it would be best to keep it quiet for now. As a sign of good faith, he offers to help Sumdac repair the dinosaur displays and provide information on how to upgrade their technology so they'll be even more convincing. He conveniently forgets to tell Sumdac that he plans on using them for prototype attack drones.

Meanwhile, at the [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobot base]], [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] is trying to teach Bulkhead how to control his strength. This, of course, ends with Bulkhead falling on Prowl. He then tries a new tactic and moves the training to an island in Lake Erie. This results in Bulkhead causing some trees to drop on Prowl.

[[Image:TFA Blast Past pulse.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"Think they'll have that on the tour?"]]

At Dino Drive, Sumdac reveals his and Megatron's creations to the gathered press and Autobots—the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]]! After a short display, Megatron takes control, and the Dinobots go on a rampage. As the Autobots fight them, Bulkhead tries to recreate Prowl's teaching, but to no effect other than falling into Prowl and knocking him flat on his back. [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] then combine their powers to create an electromagnetic pulse to shut down the Dinobots, but Sari's [[AllSpark Key]] is somehow drawn to the creatures. She decides to help and plugs the Key into Bumblebee. The blast intensifies, blowing the dinosaurs' skins off and revealing the robot bodies beneath. Professor Sumdac is confused as to why they malfunctioned and brings them back to his lab for maintenance.

At Sumdac's lab, Megatron becomes perplexed as to why the AllSpark Key activated, thinking it sensed something Cybertronian about the Dinobots. He dismisses this idea and curses the drones for being useless. Their failure also forces Megatron to reassess his plans. Given the primitive level of technology available on the planet, it could take years not only to create adequate attack drones, but even longer for his own new body. Megatron laments the grim situation of being locked away in Sumdac's lab, then something very surprising happens—the ''Tyrannosaurus'' starts to talk, and the other dinosaurs begin to move. On top of that, Megatron finds he can't control them!

Megatron then surmises that the Autobots must have done something to them, declaring that, somehow, they have [[Spark]]s of their own. The ''Tyrannosaurus'' then dubs himself "[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]]" and, without fail, Megatron declares that he is the Dinobots' leader. Grimlock doesn't approve of this concept and announces that ''he'' is the leader, and [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] and [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] seem to agree. The Tutor Bot activates, much to Megatron's annoyance, and explains how dinosaur fossils create fossil fuel, which powers cars and trucks. Grimlock takes this to mean cars and trucks "eat" dinosaurs and announces that cars and trucks are bad. Megatron takes advantage of their low intelligence and tells them to destroy the "fossil feeders", and, of course, that the only things worse than cars and trucks are "car robots". He shows them how to use one of their more destructive powers, [[fire-breath]], and they use it to destroy the Tutor Bot. Grimlock is pleased with this, but does not know how he did it. Megatron explains how he designed them, then tells them that the fossil feeders want them dead, so the Dinobots go to defend themselves.

[[Image:Fanzone.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Somewhere on this island is the greatest hunter that ever lived. And the second greatest hunter must take him down."]]

As they start on their rampage, [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] and assembled emergency crews try to stop them. Suddenly, Snarl whips a car with his tail, and [[Captain Fanzone's car]] becomes the first casualty of the Dinobots' war on the fossil feeders as the thrown car lands on it. Fanzone, not missing a beat, takes a bazooka and shoots Snarl in the face, but he just swallows the incoming missile.

The Autobots arrive and, at Bulkhead's suggestion, lure the Dinobots to a park in order to avoid any more collateral damage. As Grimlock sees them transform, he remembers something he'd forgotten: Car robots are worse than cars and trucks. Furious, he orders the Dinobots to attack. As the battle goes on, the Autobots are seriously outmatched, especially since Bulkhead is trying to "assess the situation" before acting, as Prowl tried to teach him to do. Prowl, realizing their disadvantage, hollers for Bulkhead not to try and be like Prowl, but to be like ''Bulkhead''. Reassured, Bulkhead quickly drops Snarl and Swoop.

At the lab, Sumdac and Megatron are watching the events unfold on the news, and Sumdac is unable to comprehend why the Dinobots malfunctioned again. Suddenly, the professor realizes that the fire-breath was part of Megatron's design specifications. Megatron feigns shame, claiming that he wanted a body again, so he experimented with the Dinobots by adding "features". Sumdac sympathizes with Megatron, promising not to tell the Autobots and to restore Megatron one day.

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Dinobots stuck.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"You're sure they're contained?" "Yes. Unless they figure out how to open doors."]]

Meanwhile, Bumblebee and Ratchet are pinned down by Grimlock's fire-breath. Snarl and Swoop get up and join in, the heat melting the parking lot behind the two Autobots. [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] remembers the tar lesson from Dino Drive, and Bulkhead throws all three Dinobots into the newly formed pool. The Dinobots use their flames in an attempt to free themselves from the "black, sticky stuff", but only make things worse for themselves.

The Dinobots are trapped with only their heads sticking out. Professor Sumdac promises to melt them down due to their unpredictableness and the danger they therefore pose. Optimus approves of this, but Prowl does not, feeling that they have shown they have minds and sparks of their own. When Sumdac returns the next morning, he finds the Dinobots have escaped from their tar prison.

On the [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|deserted island]] where Prowl and Bulkhead trained, the Dinobots are freed into a large crater which houses a beautiful natural environment. Prowl and Bulkhead see how happy they are and decide to keep it their little secret. With that, Prowl sets a hologram up to keep them hidden and safe from the world.

[[Image:Animated cartoon Grimlock energo-sword.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Life finds a way."]]

After they leave, Grimlock dubs cars and trucks bad, but Nature good. Two birds promptly defecate on him, which makes him rethink his claim and dub Nature stupid. He orders the birds to come down and "fight like Dinobot" and spits out a flame at them, but they simply fly away. Furious, Grimlock suddenly activates another of Megatron's "features" and transforms! Snarl and Swoop stare in amazement as Grimlock draws a [[Energo weapon|giant, flaming sword]]. Grimlock like….
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (5)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (6)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (7)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (10)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (12)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (8)

|c3=
* [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (9)
* [[Porter C. Powell]] (13)
* [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (14)
* [[Lester Black]] (15)

|c4=
*[[Tutor Bot]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Sorry I'm late, guys. Uh, did I miss anything?" 
"No, I'd say you hit just about every car in the lot."
:—'''Bulkhead''' can't seem to catch a break, certainly not from '''Bumblebee'''.

'''Tutor Bot''': Besides the valuable information dinosaurs' bones can tell us, fossils also gave way to fossil fuels, which today power our automobiles. 
'''Sumdac''': Oh, I cannot believe that I programmed you with such simplistic information. Everyone knows this. 
'''Megatron''': Oh, but I did not. 
'''Sumdac''': Well, everyone but you. ''[gasps loudly]'' You—you ''spoke!''
:—Isaac Sumdac learns that his guest is awake.

"Nice, Prowl. Maybe next you can teach an engine block to float."
:—'''Ratchet''' being a crotchety old goat

"The primitive materials available on this planet are useless. It will take countless solar cycles to create attack drones capable of ''my'' needs, and without more substantial robotics for my own body, my prospects are grim, locked in this prison of a lab." 
"Grim—lock…Grim—lock."
:—'''Megatron''' learns why '''Grimlock''''s name doesn't start with an "S".

"Cars and trucks bad! [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Car robots]]…worse!"
:—'''Grimlock''', to the dismay of ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' fans everywhere.

'''Bulkhead''': Wait! Uh, I was thinking. Maybe we should lead them someplace safer first. 
'''Optimus''': Good thinking, Bulkhead! 
'''Bulkhead''': He said "good thinking". 
'''Bumblebee''': And "''Bulkhead''".
:—Optimus gives Bulkhead kudos, much to his and Bumblebee's shock.

"You call breathing fire a glitch?!?"
:—'''Ratchet''', saying what we're all thinking.

"Just because something is big and lumbering and destructive doesn't mean you give up on it."
:—'''Prowl''' delivering the most backhanded compliment ever

"Cars and trucks bad. Nature....good."
:—'''Grimlock''' admiring nature, just before it poops on him.

==Notes==
===Animation errors===
*In one scene, Snarl's head is coloured grey instead of gold.

*Prowl removes his Autobot symbol because of its hologram emitter. However, in the next shot, he still has it.
** In "[[Five Servos of Doom]]", Master Yoketron is shown removing Prowl's projector, too. A new insignia, implied to be his true one, slides in from right behind it.

*During the final fight, when Bulkhead tries to use Prowl's training properly, his mouth doesn't move.

===Transformers references===
*A far-off island that becomes a training ground for a lumbering warrior to hone his skills without causing collateral damage to the Autobots' base? Gee, [[Dinobot Island (G1)|that sure sounds familiar]].
*After smashing into Snarl, Bulkhead cheerfully apologizes with "Excuse me!" in much the same way that ''Generation 1'' [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] did after stomping on a [[Quintesson]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* Grimlock's line "Cars and trucks bad! Car Robots worse!!!" may be taken as a subtle jab at ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', which was called ''Car Robots'' in Japan (though Derrick J. Wyatt claims it's not the case <ref>[http://www.formspring.me/DerrickJWyatt/q/512301073 Derrick Wyatt on Formspring]</ref>). Interestingly enough, that was also the only post-Generation 1 show that did not feature [[David Kaye]], Grimlock's voice actor.
* Megatron tries to convince Grimlock that Autobots are bad. [[War of the Dinobots| Familiar indeed]].
* At the end of the episode, Prime suggests that the Dinobots are too dangerous to be kept around. Again, [[S.O.S. Dinobots| familiar]].
*Only two other animatronic dinosaurs are seen in Dino Drive, a ''Stegosaurus'' and an unidentified sauropod. These may be references to [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] and the original [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]].
*Grimlock's robot mode resembles his look in the Generation 1 series. However, in this series, he wields a flaming sword just like his G1 toy and depiction in several comic series including ''[[War Within (comic)|Transformers War Within]]''.
*This is not the first series to use a tar pit to entrap the Dinobots. In the Generation 1 cartoon episode "[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Dinobot Island]]", Megatron used the island's residents to drive the Dinobots into a tar pit to get them out of the Decepticon's way. In the G1 Marvel comic series, the Decepticon [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] defeated the Dinobots by entombing them in tar (before falling in himself).

===Real-world references===
* The gate of Dino Drive is remarkably similar to the gate of Jurassic Park in the [[Jurassic Park|movie of the same name]] (and thus, by extension, to the gate from [[King Kong|''King Kong'']], to which Jurassic Park's design was an [[homage]]). Music reminiscent of the ''Jurassic Park'' theme can be heard during some of the Dino Drive scenes.

===Trivia===
*This marks the first time the Dinobots have been used in a ''Transformers'' television series since Generation 1. There is much joy. Grimlock is particularly happy.
*Snarl was obviously designed to be the ''Animated'' incarnation of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] named [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], and preproduction shots even bore that name. Hasbro [http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=76674442 holds the United States trademark for "Slag" unopposed, and renewed it as recently as Xmas 2007]. They aren't using "Slag" as a product name because, as acknowledged by the Hasbro representatives at [[BotCon 2008]], it is a negative slang term in the United Kingdom (specifically, a reference to prostitution), and might have affected toy sales. Grimlock was the only Dinobot to be named in the show itself until "[[Human Error, Part II]]", when [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] gave Snarl his name. Swoop was never named in the show.
*For the first time, the Dinobots' alt modes match closely with how dinosaurs are depicted in the fossil record (no sluggishness, more mammal/bird-like, Grimlock bent over horizontally, no bowleggedness, etc.). There was still a lack of feathers before they were de-skinned, though. (However, since it's unknown if ''T. rex'' had a feather covering like smaller theropods, and large pterosaurs had short, bristly fur, if at all, it's not really an issue.)
*In this episode, Tutor Bot actually teaches Sari and the Autobots about dinosaurs and fossil fuels. He's back on form, however, when the pre-Transformer Grimlock squashes him.
*It seems somewhat odd (but not terribly surprising) that humanity has developed advanced robotics and such, but still uses fossil fuels in cars.
*According to Ratchet, the Transformer race is over 10 billion years old.
*Tutor Bot makes statements of questionable factual accuracy in this episode:
**Despite what Tutor Bot says, fossil fuels are ''not'' made from dinosaur fossils. Fossil fuels are made from various [[wikipedia:Hydrocarbon|hydrocarbons]], which are mostly formed from plant matter that has long since settled in the Earth's crust. For more, see [[wikipedia:Fossil_fuel|this]].
**Tutor Bot claims that the [[wikipedia:Jurassic|Jurassic]] era is over 200 million years old. It lasted from circa 199.6 million years ago to 145.4 million years ago. Yes, the show takes place in the future, but not '''that''' far in the future.
**Tutor Bot claims that many of the creatures lived during the Jurassic period, but ''Tyrannosaurus'', ''Triceratops'' and the pterosaur ''Pteranodon'' hail from the Late [[wikipedia:Cretaceous|Cretaceous]], not the Jurassic. The only dinosaurs actually from that time period are the [[Snarl (G1)|''Stegosaurus'']] and the [[Sludge (G1)|sauropod]] mentioned above. This makes Tutor Bot blind, vague, or incapable of teaching about dinosaurs, fossil fuels, and (depending on how literally you take him) basic math. The fact that Professor Sumdac continues to fix him is almost amazing.
*Michigan does not have volcanoes. (Although, this ''is'' the future.)

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Explosão do Passado'''" ("Blast from the Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le Dino-Parc'''" ("The Dino-Park")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Drachenkämpfer'''" ("Dragon Fighters")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 7|7 June]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Enemigos de la Prehistoria'''" ("Enemies of prehistory")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dinobot Tanjō!'''" (ダイノボット誕生!, "Birth of the Dinobots!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 22|22 May]] [[2010]]
::*The Japanese title of this episode, "''Dinobot Tanjō!''", is the same as the Japanese title of the episode that introduced the Dinobots in [[S.O.S. Dinobots|the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]].
::* '''Cut:''' Prowl comes back online after being crushed by Bulkhead
::* '''Cut:''' The small skirmish between the Detroit Police and Dinobots before the camera shifts to the Autobots on their way.
::*Grimlock here has the same verbal tic as his [[Grimlock (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]] did on putting "da" at the end of his sentences in the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Japanese]] [[The Transformers (cartoon)|dub]]. Speaking of talking, Swoop and Snarl can speak! Except only their names in the fashion similar to [[wikipedia:Pokémon|Pokémon]]. In fact, Grimlock lampshades this by saying the two aren't "pocket monsters" (''poketto kaijū'') during the "next episode" segment.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cios z przeszłości'''" ("Blast from the Past")
:*''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]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 2 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Transform and Roll Out

2014-07-23T15:41:34Z

SwiftDash: /* History vid */

{{disambig2|the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]] multi-part episode|the command|roll out}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg
|caption=''Epic''
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|next2=Sound and Fury
|ep=1, 2 and 3
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="Transform and Roll Out"
|airdate=[[December 26]], [[2007]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]] [[Minoru Yamaoka]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}
'''When a small crew of maintenance Autobots comes into possession of the powerful AllSpark, a battle with their long-forgotten enemies sends them crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
In deep, deep space, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] watches a history vid of the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], prompting [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] to complain about him watching that "junk" when the other members of the crew need assistance. Prime wonders if they were designed for more than repairing [[space bridge]]s. The two 'Bots transform into their vehicle modes and head out into the asteroid field.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout TheAllsparkdiscovered.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Well... at least there's no [[Size changing|mass-shifting]].]]
Outside, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], dangling from a high rock by his wrecking ball (and becoming quite queasy in the process), is freed by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], who also ends up taking a tumble. Bumblebee complains about the sheer amount of rocks blocking the space bridge node, and one is shattered unexpectedly by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s throwing star. Prime gives his troops a speech about teamwork (which Prowl moans at theatrically), but at that point the space bridge lights up, sending rocks and Autobots flying. Fancy footwork by Optimus saves each of his teammates from the debris, and a well-aimed grappling line shuts down the bridge. With his subordinates stunned at their leader's skills, Prime is forced to admit he trained at [[Autobot Academy|Cybertron's military academy]]. Bumblebee's query as to what the heck he's doing on a nowhere maintenance assignment is left unanswered as they notice something glowing in the rubble.

Prime clears away the debris to reveal a large, chest-like object. Ratchet is horrified and immediately demands they throw it back into the space bridge, but an alert from [[Teletran-1]] announces the arrival of a signature consistent with the long-lost [[Decepticon]]s. Ratchet then insists they take the object and just get out of there post-haste.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Decepticonship.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yes, this is a scout ship. Way to go, Magnanimous.]]
On board [[Teletran-1|their ship]], Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[AllSpark|AllSpark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Scotty, engage!]]
This proves wise, as the signal is indeed a Decepticon ship—a [[Nemesis (Animated)|command ship]], in fact. The identification markings are ones that Optimus and Ratchet recognize, meaning its commander can only be one person: [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], leader of the Decepticons. On board the Decepticon ship, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] doubts the AllSpark is aboard the Autobot ship and declares Megatron a fool. [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] denounces Starscream as a traitor, while [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] calls Lugnut an idiot for his blind loyalty and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] just acts... well, crazy. The Decepticons continue to bicker at each other until Megatron enters, shutting up all of them. The Decepticons chase the Autobot ship, and Starscream volunteers to board them. Megatron quickly shoots that idea down, saying he'll tend to this matter personally. Just before he leaves, Starscream wishes his commander "luck" with a pat on the back... affixing a bomb to Megatron in the process.

Megatron makes his way to the Autobots' ship and begins to melt his way through its hull. Optimus uses external manipulator arms to grapple with Megatron, until the bomb detonates, sending the ship careening uncontrollably into a space bridge node, which explodes after they go through the gate. Starscream begins to make a speech declaring himself the new Decepticon leader, but the other three have abandoned ship, noting that the fireball from the space bridge explosion is only getting larger. Too late, Starscream realizes the trouble he's in...

An unknown distance away, the Autobot ship reappears above a [[Earth|small blue and green planet]]. Prime checks on his troops, but Megatron has gotten aboard, having survived the explosion, but at the cost of his right arm. Prime uses his grappling line to shut off the gravity, making it more difficult for Megatron to fight. All five Autobots face off against the Decepticon, but he's too strong (though Prowl does manage to cut off Megatron's damaged arm). Prime and Megatron both end up in the storage bay where the AllSpark is... and as the ship enters the atmosphere, Prime is able to blow the hatch and kick the screaming Megatron out of the ship.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Arkatmosphere.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oddly familiar.]]
On a small farm, a young boy hears a thud and runs to where something has landed in a not-too-distant field. He is shocked to find a robotic head staring lifelessly up at him.

Meanwhile, Prime orders his team into emergency stasis pods to prepare for a crash-landing. He manages to steer the ship away from the city below and gets to a stasis pod just before the ship plunges into [[Lake Erie]].

Fifty years later, [[Detroit]] is once again a thriving city, but instead of manufacturing automobiles, robots are the city's stock-in-trade. [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] is talking to a public school class taking a tour of his facilities, which gets interrupted by Isaac's daughter, [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]], and her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]]. As Sari is carted off to her lessons by a [[Tutor Bot|robot tutor]], Isaac shows the school kids a nanotech lab, just in time to witness a roach infused with microbots grow out of control and start consuming everything in sight. Isaac tries to keep things calm, but the monster bursts out of the lab...

===Part 2===
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Firefighters monster.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Yeah, watering it will surely stop the beast.]]
The monster continues to grow, absorbing just about everything it touches to increase its size and power. In the process, it destroys a lot of the factory. [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]], the S.W.A.T team, the fire department, ambulances, and robot drones arrive, but the creature absorbs several of the responding vehicles, too. Fanzone uses a bazooka-type weapon and destroys the beast, despite Sumdac's objection. This protest proves well-founded, as the remnants of the creature start flowing back together again, save for one piece that drops into the nearby lake and works its way down to the Autobots' ship, its nanites seeking the absorbable technology there. It infiltrates via a small breach in the outer hull, but thankfully, the ship's intruder alert systems are functional and awaken the Autobots before any damage is done. Examining the situation, they decide to have Teletran-1 give them Earth forms so they can blend in and help out. A probe is launched into the chaos and scans various vehicles, including an ambulance, a police motorcycle, an armored personnel carrier, a fire truck, and [[Captain Fanzone's car]]. Everyone deploys except Ratchet, who remains behind to analyze the sample of alien material.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Autobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Avengers]], ASSEMBLE!]]
During the fight, Bulkhead and Bumblebee spot Sari trying to wrest her security key from Sparkplug's mouth. Mistaking which is owner and which is pet, they approach her, but Bulkhead's greeting only scares her away. She quickly gets nabbed by the monster, but Bumblebee saves her, earning her trust and friendship. Prowl attempts to take on the bug-slug by himself, against Prime's orders, and gets absorbed. Prime orders Ratchet to join them in battle to save Prowl, but the old veteran insists that finding a "cure" code to neutralize the nanites' programming makes more sense than coming out and getting trashed. A somewhat chastened Prime agrees, and Ratchet soon delivers the goods. However, the new program must be uploaded by direct contact—meaning from inside the monster. This means the smallest, fastest one of them has to do it. Bumblebee reluctantly takes on the task. The beast has been using some of Prowl's absorbed intelligence and comm link tech, though, so it knows what they're planning and is now smart enough to fight back. Despite this, Bumblebee succeeds in delivering the code, and the bug dissolves into a dusty shower of deactivated nanites. Prowl is soon uncovered, but he's suffered grave wounds and must be taken back to the Autobots' ship for repairs. Sari pesters Bumblebee to be taken along, and her new friend reluctantly agrees, since there's no time to make her go away quietly.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Sari followedmehome.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Bumblebee, having a pet is a big responsibility.]]
Once on board, Sari's refusal to stay still and quiet causes 'Bee some embarrassment. He quickly and discreetly ejects her into a ventilation port and joins the others. However, the port opens onto a shaft that takes Sari right to the chamber where the AllSpark is being kept. Curious, she touches it, and it reacts to her, sending its energies into her security card key and reconfiguring it into [[AllSpark Key|a key of another sort entirely]]. Prime finds her almost immediately thereafter, but with no time left to spare away from Prowl, he has to bring her back with him to the repair table. Ratchet's prognosis is bleak, but the [[AllSpark Key]] abruptly reacts, glowing and tugging her toward Prowl. Bumblebee, seeming to grasp what's happening, helps her onto the table, and as she approaches, her Key reshapes itself to fit into a slot on Prowl's chest. She inserts it, and with a burst of energy, the Autobot ninja is whole again. The Autobots then take Sari home and, after a brief misunderstanding, are made heroes and are even invited to a ceremony.

In outer space, Starscream sits aboard the damaged but functional Decepticon ship, babbling that he will find the AllSpark, even though he's been attempting it on his own for the last fifty solar cycles. The ship's computers then detect the traces of AllSpark-like energy in action, and Starscream learns where the Autobots are...
{{-}}

===Part 3===
[[Image:Sariprime.jpg|right|150px|thumb|INSERT WHAT WHERE?!]]
The Autobots are later seen trying to fit in. Bulkhead gets firsthand experience in traffic jams, some birds mistake Prowl for the statue of the [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|bald guy]] next to him, Bumblebee learns how organics fuel up, and Ratchet can't get a stasis nap without getting a dozen or so parking tickets. Optimus Prime remarks that the Autobots are programmed to respect life, which they always understood to stem from the AllSpark, but as organics are life, they must respect and protect them too. Optimus also expresses curiosity about how little organics are made. Sari's whispered explanation leaves him rather... shocked. The Autobots make a [[Autobot Earth Base|new home base]] out of a building Sari's dad got out of a merger, an abandoned auto factory that Bumblebee describes as a real fixer-upper—a REAL fixer-upper. All of a sudden, they get alerted to a fire. The Autobots proceed to douse the blaze and save its victims, no problem, unaware they are being watched by Starscream.

The next day, during the inauguration ceremony for the Sumdac [[Fully Automated Rapid Transit System]] (F.A.R.T.S., for short), Starscream enters Earth's atmosphere and takes on a group of fighter jets. He destroys all but one, which he scans. As the civilians and Autobots watch the aerial display of the [[Crimson Angels]], Isaac Sumdac notices there is an extra jet present that he didn't hire. That one jet then leaves the formation and streaks toward the ceremony platform, where it transforms into Starscream, who fires his null-ray cannons at the Autobots.

After a short fight, which the Autobots lose, Starscream knocks out Bumblebee and takes him, Isaac, the mayor, and Capt. Fanzone hostage in the F.A.R.T.S. train, flying it to the top of a very tall tower. He demands that the Autobots deliver the AllSpark if they want him to release the train car. The Autobots don't trust him, but don't want to risk human lives, so Sari offers a plan, but they ignore her. She continues to tell a sob story until the Autobots listen. The Autobots proceed with her plan, and Prowl and Sari fly up to the transit pod to rescue the hostages while the other Autobots keep Starscream busy. Once Starscream realizes what's happening, he takes a brief beating but recovers quickly. Starscream then throws the train—thus keeping his end of the deal—with Sari, Prowl, and Bumblebee on top of/in it. Between Bumblebee's agility and Prowl's thrusters plus Ratchet's magnets, Sari is rescued and the train lands without much damage. The Autobots then challenge Starscream to a friendly game of Keep Away, during which Starscream almost gets the AllSpark, but Bulkhead gets it instead, because he said he got it. A furious Starscream unleashes a devastating, prolonged (as in nearly 12 seconds) null-ray blast on the Autobots, briefly knocking them all senseless.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Prime SS Allsparkactivates.jpg|left|150px|thumb|In the old days, [[The Touch]] would have started playing now.]]
With the Autobots down, Starscream takes the AllSpark from Optimus and blows a couple of blocks of Detroit right off the map. Not ready to give up, Optimus climbs all the way up a building to get it back from Starscream, which Starscream doesn't see coming because he was too busy gloating. After a quick back-and-forth exchange of possessing it, both grab it at the same time. As they struggle, the AllSpark opens and emits a strange energy wave that blasts Starscream away.

The explosion has left Prime dangling precariously, and he takes a tremendous plummet to the pavement. He notes weakly that he now knows what it feels like to be a hero, then dies, but Sari uses the AllSpark Key to revive him.<ref>[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|This is something of an Optimus Prime record]]: Dead after only three episodes, revived a mere 75 seconds later. Way to go.</ref> The Autobots later go about fixing up Detroit, earning the enduring gratitude of the citizenry. Professor Sumdac is also grateful, for the Autobots saved him and Sari, but he fears what will happen if the Autobots—not to mention the rest of the world—were to discover the source of his robotic empire.

Unseen by Sumdac, one of the [[Sensors|optics]] of his source of technology glows in a darkened room. Megatron still functions...
{{-}}

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

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (9)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (12)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (14)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] (17)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]] (18)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] (19)
*Kid (20)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (22)
*[[Sumdac technician]]s (24)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (25)
*Irate driver (27)
*[[Lester Black]] (29)
*[[Augustus Edsel|Mayor Edsel]] (30)

|c4=
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Teletran-1]] (6)
*[[Trash Bot]] (15)
*[[Hot Dog Bot]] (16)
*[[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (21)
*[[Tutor Bot]] (23)
*[[Copterdrone]]s (26)
*[[Burger Bot]] (28)}}

==History vid==
{{quote|Many millions of years ago, war raged between the forces of the heroic Autobots and the brutal Decepticons for control of the planet Cybertron. The Autobots battled valiantly in the name of honor—their courageous exploits bringing hope and glory to a beleaguered war-torn planet, and inspiring countless generations of robots yet to come on-line.|Narrator}}
Scene 1: Decepticon troopers attack led by their commander. Their numbers appear overwhelming. 
Scene 2: Two tetrajets pursue two Autobots over a Cybertronian highway. 
Scene 3: [[Omega Sentinel (Animated)|Omega Sentinel]]-like robots counter-attack the Decepticon troopers and appear to turn the tide. 
Scene 4: Transport trucks enter a storage facility. 
Scene 5: An inspired Transformer salute.

==Quotes==
"Do you ever get the feeling that you were programmed for something more than just repairing space bridges?" 
"I got a diagnostics program that can delete that feeling like a bad line of code."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s dreams are crushed to a fine powder by '''Ratchet'''

'''Icy Blitzwing''': *freezes Blackarachnia's left arm* As usual, ''Blackarachnia'', you demeanor is unpleasant, as that cursed, organic mode of yours. 
'''Blackarachnia''': Blow it off your actuator, three face. *snarls and breaks the ice on her hand* 
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': Ze name is '''BLITZWING''', insect! REMEMBER IT! Because it's the last thing you're going to hear before I- 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Express my feelings in song! ZE ITSY BITSY SPIDER...
:—Since when did Blitzwing have three faces?

"Know what? You're even uglier at this angle!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' is about to realize there are some things you should never, EVER, say to a Decepticon.

"Hi, I'm Bumblebee!" 
"I'm Sari." 
"Oh, don't be, I like my name."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Sari''' are off to an awkward start.

"Y'know, all things considered, fixin' space bridges wasn't such a bad gig."
:—'''Bumblebee''', just before embarking on the plan to dissolve the bug monster

"Uh...am I going to be able to ''breathe'' down there?" 
"Oh, sure! ...What's 'breathe'?"
:—'''Sari''' is in good hands with '''Bumblebee'''.

"And to think, Ultra Magnus told me not to be a hero. Is this what it was like in your day?" 
"The Decepticons didn't leave us very much to cheer about."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' at the ceremony

"Enjoy it while you can, 'heroes.' You're about to take a fall."
:—'''Starscream''', watching a news report on the Autobots

"Give up the AllSpark or give up the Earth. How am I supposed to decide?" 
"Heroes are the ones who make the hard choices."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' after Starscream makes his ultimatum

"Let go, Autobot!" 
"Never! The AllSpark is life!" 
"Then, let it end yours!"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Optimus Prime''', fighting over the AllSpark

"So, this...is what it feels like...to be a hero."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', just before dying

"Fixing bridges? Isn't this where we started out?"
:—'''Bumblebee''', as the Autobots clean up the city

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
*Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in space, there is no up and down (and to be even fairer, it's really hard to tell from the toys exactly what ''is'' the front of Megatron's Cybertronian spaceship mode), but that does not excuse the fact that any propulsion system used would be in the ''back'' of the mode.
*When the Autobot get into the stasis pods, Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet are on the left side, with Bumblebee, Prowl, and an empty pod on the right, in that order. Yet when they get out later in the episode, Prime, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead are on the left, and the empty one, Prowl, and Ratchet on the right.
*As pre-Earth Prime enters the chamber which will re-format his body into his Earth mode, he walks past Ratchet, who is drawn mostly in his pre-Earth mode, except for the fact that his Cybertronian gut is replaced with his ambulance gut. In the next scene, Ratchet is properly drawn, pre-Earth gut and all.
*When Sari says to the Autobots it is okay to put down their hands, Bulkhead's face is black.
*When Starscream tackles Optimus Prime through a building as the Autobot tries to escape with the AllSpark, Optimus's axe is missing from Starscream's left wing. It reappears moments later for Optimus to retrieve it.
*In at least one scene, Starscream's Earth-form wing is shown with a spike, in the same manner as his Cybertronian body.

===Continuity errors===
*There was a pretty big continuity error evident in the show's very premise that nobody really picked up on, which was: if the AllSpark was the source of Transformer life, and it was jettisoned into space at the end of the Great War, and most of Prime's crew weren't ''alive'' during the Great War... how did they come on-line? Despite the fact that nobody was asking the question, the ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|AllSpark Almanac II]]'' guidebook provided the answer by revealing that there is also a version of [[Vector Sigma]] in the ''Animated'' universe that could also grant life.
*The train Starscream blasts from the tower falls toward the ground very, very slowly.
*When we first meet Starscream, he states that he has been searching for the AllSpark for fifty ''solar'' cycles. In later episodes, a solar cycle is equivalent to a day and a ''stellar'' cycle is used for years. This is the only time a solar cycle has been used to reference years, so either Starscream entered some sort of temporal anomaly or someone messed up. For more <s>confusion</s> information, see [[Cycle|this page]].
*Sumdac is using Megatron's hand as a chair. However, he seems to be using the right hand, which was blown up by Starscream. (It ''could'' have fallen off the Autobots' ship, as it was still clinging to the hull when last seen, but that seems unlikely.)
*From Isaac Sumdac's monologue, it seems he ''somehow'' knows the source of this technology has some relation to the Decepticons. But, not only he has no way of knowing that, he [[Blast from the Past|later]] believes Megatron when he presents himself as an Autobot.
**Or, when he expresses his concerns, he could just have meant him dissecting one of their kind.

===Transformers references===
*The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to past Transformers lore]].
*Footage from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as purely an in-joke, and should not be taken as linking ''Animated'' to G1, continuity wise.
*The [[Teletran-1|Autobot ship]] here bears a distinct resemblance to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], albeit with a colour scheme more reminiscent of [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. (As we learn [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|much later]], there is [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|a very good reason for that]].)
*Bumblebee says "[[Rattrap (BW)|We're all gonna die.]]"
*Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the ''Armada'' Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.
[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
*Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick. The characters went on to become recurring figures in the background cast of the show, and in "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]" it was revealed that their names were... [[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]], [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]].
*When Optimus Prime dies, his body fades to grays, just as [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] did in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. His spark chamber opens in much the same manner as well.
*Teletran-1 (spelled with only one "a" in this universe) dispatches a small satellite very similar to the [[Sky Spy]] satellite used on occasion by the Autobots in the ''Generation 1'' cartoon. The glowing energy "boxes" with which it scans vehicles for the Autobots to transform into are lifted wholesale out of "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
*At one point, Bulkhead refers to Optimus as "Boss-bot", echoing an epithet used for ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] by the [[Fuzor]] [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]], and also used by Cheetor refer to Optimus Primal.

===Real world references===
*In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]], a major economic blunder of the 1930s.
*In this episode, Starscream's engines use a sound effect borrowed from ''The Phantom Menace'': the sound made by Sebulba's podracer engines.
*When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
*A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (film)|2007 live-action movie]].
*When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the [[Well of All Sparks]]?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'', in which Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), "Is this Heaven?" and Ray answers, "No, it's Iowa."
*In the Japanese dub, Bumblebee mentions ''Rescue Fire'', which is another [[TakaraTomy]] property that's based on Takara's Tomica toy car line. Prior to ''Animated''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Japanese debut, it aired in the same timeslot and channel as ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]]'' did.
*The Crimson Angels are a reference to the [[wikipedia:Blue Angels|Blue Angels]].

===Trivia===
*Bumblebee's voice is slightly different in this episode from how it sounds later, as is Lugnut's voice, which seems very metallic.
*When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else. Either that or he's just trying to make ''himself'' sound more impressive by building up the reputation of the one he's defeated.
*According to responses at a panel at BotCon 2008, the unfortunate acronym for Fully Automated Rapid Transit System was totally unintentional...which makes it that much funnier.
*Ratchet is able to use his front windshield as a video screen.
*Several elements present in this opener were changed/dropped in the main series, including expressive vehicle modes, the replacement of solar cycles with stellar cycles in terminology, the recolouring of Ratchet's magnetism from yellow to pink, and Sari's Key changing shape. However, the expressions on vehicle mode were briefly used again by [[Wasp]] in the episode "[[Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising]]".
*During [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari's]] "conversation" with the [[AllSpark]], it shows her the faces of Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream, then the Cybertronian [[Alternate mode|vehicle modes]] for Optimus and Ratchet, the AllSpark's case and the [[Teletran-1|Autobots' ship]]. Then Sari unknowingly shows the AllSpark a man in a suit, a woman, a boy, the planet [[Earth]], pyramids, purple flowers, a horse, an aircraft with a giant cloud coming from the back, a cell and a DNA strand. The woman has dark skin and red hair like Sari.
*This movie was (lovingly) lampooned at the [[MSTF]] panel for [[BotCon 2008]], along with "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]", the episode from which most of the "history vid" footage was taken.
*It's Detroit. There are guns everywhere. Why are the humans using ''water'' to take down the monster?
*Remarkably, when Optimus Prime's ship began free falling towards Detroit and crashed into Lake Erie, it did not catch one human bystander's attention, even in the dead of night. Now that's a city that sleeps.
*In addition, the giant yellow ship went unnoticed at the bottom of the lake for 50 years straight.

===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformar e Avançar!'''" ("Transform and Advance!")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformation'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformieren und Abfahrt'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 3|3 May]] [[2008]] (Part 1), [[May 10|10 May]] 2008 (Part 2), [[May 17|17 May]] 2008 (Part 3)

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformense y avancen'''" ("Be transformed and move")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 7|7 June]] [[2008]], (The Three episodes)

'''Japanese (Part 1)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shinshō! Transformer'''" (新章! トランスフォーマー, "A New Chapter! Transformers")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 3|3 April]] [[2010]]

::*The episode begins with the entire [[Otoboto family]] gathered as Yūka and Tatsuya tell the viewers in unison to watch in a well-lit room (to prevent seizures and damage to your eyesight, you know).
::*As the [[title sequence]] begins, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] asks how everyone is doing, then introduces himself as leader of the Autobots. When he realizes nobody knows who he is, he ''assures'' them that he's leader of the Autobots. Then the [[Transformers Evo.|theme song]] starts.
::*'''Cut:''' Ratchet and Optimus's conversation as they walk down a hall, where Prime refers to feeling like being meant for "more than just repairing space bridges", and Ratchet's snarky response about deleting that feeling "like a bad line of code".
::*'''Cut:''' Bulkhead's comment on their medic being always grumpy, Ratchet responding to Bumblebee's age crack with a smack upside the head and the retort of "I may have one servo in the scrapheap, but I can still hear!".
::*The usual cries of "Transform!" and attack names are added in. ([[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s "stingers" are now called "Energy Stingers", for instance.) Perhaps most annoyingly, ''every single thing Optimus does'' has the prefix of "Ultra" added to it. In the span of ten seconds, he goes through his "Ultra Anchor", "Ultra Axe" and "Ultra Net" attacks.
::*'''Cut:''' After shutting down the space bridge, the following sequence where Ratchet is repairing Bumblebee, Bulkhead commenting about Optimus's moves, Optimus reluctantly admitting that he used to train at the Academy, and Bumblebee saying that he should've been with the Elite Guard.
::*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's poking back at Optimus wanting to see some action, Bumblebee pointing out they're repair bots, Optimus requesting a link with Cybertron Command Headquarters and Bulkhead impressed by it.
::*[[Teletran-1]] now speaks as though "she" is in a state of perpetual orgasm.
::*When the Autobots first happen upon the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' and all freak over [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], a new [[scene transition]] is added when transitioning into the discussion between the Decepticon forces. A guitar riff of the classic Generation 1 scene transition music is even used.
::*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'s personae now speak with thick American accents, and spout English words like "Hey!" and "Man!"
::*New [[commercial bumper]]s have been crafted, featuring stock art of the characters with their voice actors screaming their name, followed by "Transform!"
::*'''Cut:''' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'s entire speech on the bridge ("This is a dark day...") followed by him getting caught in the explosion.
::*When Bulkhead tumbles into Optimus, following his line "A little warning would have helped!", he screams out "Mommyyyyyyy!" Yeah, Japanese Bulkhead ain't so smart.
::*'''Cut:''' After Megatron is kicked from the ship, the establishing shots of Paw Paw (the street sign, the outside of the barn and the scroll across [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]]'s lab).
::*'''Cut:''' Following Prime's line "Not until I've steered us clear of this populated sector!", the brief scenes of the Autobots being sealed in their stasis pods.
::*'''Cut:''' As soon as the ship crashes into Lake Eerie and leaves a stream of upturned water on the surface, the scenes of the ship sinking and Teletran-1 "initiating emergency stasis mode" on the pods as they turn grey. The episode resumes at the long shot of the sinking ship slowly coming toward the camera, with a new voice-over of Teletran-1 telling the Autobots "good night".
::*'''Cut:''' As Isaac Sumdac narrates the history of Detroit and automaton manufacturing, the scene of the trash-collecting automaton has been cut.
::*'''Cut:''' The scenes of [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] pulling the bubblegum off her face, eating it, the crowd reacting in disgust, Isaac Sumdac reacting in frustration, the kid asking Sari what its like to grow up around robots and [[Tutor Bot]] hauling Sari off.
::*'''Cut:''' After the cockroach absorbs the nanobot liquid, all the scenes involving Isaac Sumdac explaining the nanobots to the children and the children looking through microscopes at the nanobots. The sequence cuts to the roach growing bigger.
::*'''Cut:''' The close-up of Isaac Sumdac saying "Nothing to be concerned about, children!" and the kid remarking that "This accident doesn't look too happy". The sequence cuts to the roach crashing through the window behind him.
::*The Otoboto Family segment features [[Hiroyuki Otoboto]] telling his son, [[Tatsuya Otoboto]], about ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]'', complete with clips from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]", as well as a brief musical clip from the songs "Time Bomb Town" (by Lindsey Buckingham, from the ''Back To The Future'' soundtrack) and "Fairy Godmother Song" (from the ''Shrek 2'' soundtrack). Mr. Otoboto then produces a complete set of ''Animated'' Autobot toys. Tatsuya is thrilled, but wouldn't ya know it? [[Megumi Otoboto|Mrs. Otoboto]] comes in with dinner! During mealtime conversation, Mrs. Otoboto makes the mistake of using the word "transform", which inevitably causes Tatsuya to start talking about Transformers, much to the amusement of his father and the annoyance of his older sister, [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]. Tatsuya then causes a "freeze frame" so that he can introduce himself and his family (messing with his father's glasses in the process for his own amusement). Oddly, despite being "frozen", everyone proceeds to blink. As time resumes its normal pace, Hiroyuki wonders what happened to his glasses. He then digs into his dinner, except, oh no! It's too hot! ''Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!''
::*During the "next episode" segment, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee proceed to have an argument. Bumblebee thinks Optimus's name is too long and hard to remember. Bumblebee suggests that "[[Convoy (rank)|Convoy]]" would be better, but Prime shoots the idea down immediately. Bumblebee opts to call him "Opti" (''Oputi''), since it has fewer syllables. Prime refuses to be called such a name (more fitting for a dog), so Bumblebee settles on "Pu-Pu" after "Opera" (''Opura'') is also rejected for sounding weird. Prime refuses that too, thinking it sounds cute, but that it would be hard not to laugh instinctively at it. Bumblebee then tricks Prime into answering to it, which frustrates him even ''further''. The argument proceeds ''past'' the "next episode" segment and straight into the sponsor cards.

'''Japanese (Part 2)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Eiyū, sono Na wa Autobot'''" (英雄、その名はオートボット, "The Heroes Are Called Autobots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 10|10 April]] [[2010]]

::*Hiroyuki and Tatsuya Otoboto tell the viewers in unison to watch the episode in a well-lit room (with Hiroyuki giving a creepy wink at the end).
::*Instead of Optimus introducing at the opening, Bumblebee introduces himself and tells viewers to listen to [[JAM Project]]'s [[Transformers Evo.|cool song]].
::*'''Cut:''' The rush of emergency vehicles driving through the city, alongside the following scene of Fanzone getting into his car, preparing to enjoy lunch at Burger Bot, and receiving the emergency call before departing.
::*'''Cut:''' Fanzone arriving at Sumdac laboratories, his little dilemma with the broken megaphone, and his first directions to the police force.
::*Optimus now has "Ultra Jump" added to his "arsenal" as he distracts the nano-monster.
::*Bulkhead now says "''dosukoi''" on occasion, a word usually used by [[Wikipedia:Sumo|sumo wrestlers]].
::*'''Cut:''' The left-to-right pan of the ruined laboratory where the tour had taken place.
::*'''Cut:''' Much of the flying debris from the monster falling into the ocean.
::*During the [[trans-scan|trans-scanning]], Teletran-1 announces the type of vehicle being scanned and the Autobots as they are reformatted.
::*'''Cut:''' Fanzone noticing the four vehicles confronting the monster and attempting to call them back before noticing that they are unmanned and include his own car.
::*'''Cut:''' Immediately after the previous cut, the scene where Bulkhead and Bumblebee attempt to converse with the police drones while fighting the monster.
::*The joke on Sari's name—"I'm Bumblebee." "I'm Sari." "Oh, don't be. I like my name." "No, I mean my name is..."—is somewhat altered. Instead, Bumblebee "corrects" her that ''he's'' not named "Sari" (the pun involving "I'm Sari" sounding like "I'm sorry" not working in the Japanese language, obviously).
::*'''Cut:''' After Bumblebee takes Sari into the parking garage, Fanzone's and Dr. Sumdac's observation of Bumblebee and his unknown purposes, and the ordering the police drones to save Sari.
::*Bumblebee counts off while disabling the police drones, and he has an extra line even though his mouth doesn't move.
::*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's comment on Optimus being a "typical [[Autobot Academy|Academy Bot]]", along with a shot of the computer analysis of the monster.
::*'''Cut:''' Sari's gasp when Bumblebee is jumping at the monster.
::*When Sari reassures Ratchet that humans "don't usually blow up things" with emergency symbols, Ratchet comments about being treated kindly.
::*'''Cut:''' After Dr. Sumdac shakes hands with Optimus at the ceremony, Optimus's comment regarding not being a hero, his question to Ratchet about things being "like this in your day", and Ratchet's rather ominous response.
::*'''Cut:''' After the ceremony, the foreshadowing scene in which Starscream is seen monologuing in the crashed ''Nemesis'' on the Moon.
::*For the Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki and Tatsuya are playing on the living room carpet with their toys (Hiroyuki and his Optimus Prime against Tatsuya and his Bumblebee). Filled with nostalgia, Hiroyuki begins describing the Autobots and the roles of each character to the audience, only to have Tatsuya beat him to the punch by ending all his sentences. Suddenly, they hear a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. Hiroyuki and Tatsuya rise to the occasion, shout "Transform!" and "change" into Optimus Prime and Megatron t-shirts (accompanied by their own dramatic "transformation" sequences). But before they can battle the forces of Evil stirring up trouble in the kitchen, they first have to sit back down on the living room floor and transform their toys into vehicle mode. (So, what if there was a burglar beating your wife, dude?) As Hiroyuki completes the transformation of his Optimus toy, we are assured that the "adventure" of the Otoboto family will be continued next episode.
::*In the "next episode" segment, Bulkhead asks Ratchet about the name "Transformers Animated", and Bulkhead then mistakenly tells viewers to watch "Transformers Anime". Ratchet later jokes about shortening the title to "Tra-Ani" because the original title is a bit long.

'''Japanese (Part 3)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''AllSpark no Himitsu'''" (オールスパークの秘密, "Secret of the AllSpark")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 17|17 April]] [[2010]]

::*This time, it's mother and daughter, Megumi and Yūka Otoboto, who tell viewers to watch the episode in a well-lit room.
::*Starscream does the intro in a rather...perky manner.
::*'''Cut:''' The ''whole'' sequence of the Autobots integrating themselves into Detroit: Bulkhead walking through rush hour traffic, Prowl's encounter with the birds' "present", Bumblebee ordering at Burger Bot, Ratchet getting ticketed for napping in a no-parking zone, Sari traumatizing Optimus on human reproduction, and the Autobots checking out their new "home".
::*During the sequence in which the Autobots are responding to the building fire, there are some additional lines and a tweak: The entire team sound off their names while heading on scene; Bumblebee jokes about calling in [[Rescue Fire]], to which Bulkhead responds by breaking the fourth wall, "That's a different show"; and the news reporter's coverage/praise of the Autobots doesn't mention "Detroit" by name and lasts until the scene changes to Starscream watching from the ''Nemesis''.
::*Sumdac says "480" on introducing the F.A.R.T.S.'s speed, which makes sense, as Japan uses the metric system and 300 miles equals to 482.803 kilometers.
::*'''Cut:''' Optimus commenting to Ratchet on being constantly called "heroes" and not feeling any different than repairing space bridges before, and Ratchet's response on the grim ends of the "heroes" he's known and his reluctance to share their fates.
::*During Starscream's attack on the jet fighters, one of the pilots shouts additional "Mayday!"s, to which Starscream retorts that "It's not 'Mayday', it's Starscream! Remember it!"
::*'''Cut:''' Panning shot from the top of Michigan Central Station down to the gathered Transformers.
::*When Starscream claims he's the "new boss" (literally) of the Decepticons, Bulkhead corrects him instead of saying that he thought Megatron was in charge.
::*Extra lines: both Ratchet and Prowl after the station crumbles; Starscream has one before Prowl tricks him with a hologram and another while dragging Optimus about after Prime uses his grappling hook.
::*'''Cut:''' Optimus declaring his name after Starscream demands the AllSpark. Cuts right to Starscream tossing Bumblebee into the transit pod.
::*Starscream's gloating while circling Sumdac Tower before Optimus baits him with the AllSpark.
::*When Sumdac asks how Sari got up the tower, Prowl's line is changed from "Same way you're getting down," to "By me, father." Fanzone's "This is why I hate machines!" catchphrase during the trip down is also tweaked.
::*Fanzone seems to be screaming for his grandfather as Prowl is dropping down to the blimp.
::*Additional line for Starscream when Ratchet tries to stop him with his magnetic manipulators.
::*Add "Ultra Spray" to Optimus's list of "Ultra" attacks when he sprays Starscream with fire retardant foam twice. Oy...
::*Bumblebee has an extra line while trying to attack Starscream when the latter realizes the jig's up.
::*Prowl calls out to Bumblebee when the train is knocked over the edge, and Starscream shouts "Dual Sonic Blaster" on sending all three into free fall.
::*Joining Bumblebee's ''"Ikimasu!"'' and Bulkhead's ''"Dosukoi!"'', Prowl's verbal tic is ''"De aru!"'' (Literally, "to be" in formal speech.)
::*Bulkhead's rhetorical question on catching the train on the first bounce is changed to a vow to do his best.
::*Instead of shock absorbers, Sari asks if Bumblebee has a parachute.
::*Ratchet has "Magnet Power" as his attack call when he catches the youngest pair, Sari's "some shock absorbers" line is altered, Prowl has "They're floating." as an extra line, and Bumblebee thanks Ratchet. Optimus's "think fast" line is delayed to just as he throws the AllSpark, and the medic's "Aw, crud." line is changed to objecting on being called "gramps" by Bumblebee.
::*While Sari calls the game "Keep Away" in English, here it's changed to Tag, or 鬼ごっこ (''oni-gokko'').
::*Instead of going on how fast one can stop, Bumblebee talks about hitting the goal.
::*Bulkhead's "I said, 'I ''got'' it.'" is altered after he clocks Starscream and gets the AllSpark.
::*Starscream yells that the show isn't over yet when he attacks the Autobots again just as Optimus is contemplating on getting the AllSpark to a safe place.
::*Instead of responding that it's Detroit when Optimus asks whether he's in the Well of AllSparks, Sari just welcomes him back. Another line change is that she tells Bulkhead that humans also cry when they're happy, instead of the Autobots having much to learn about humans.
::*'''Cut:''' The news reporter covering the Autobots' rescue and repair efforts, Bumblebee commenting how they started out on fixing bridges, Sumdac's lament of his robotic empire's origin, and the camera pan to Megatron's head.
::*In this Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki whips out his cellphone and goes into full chatting mode. Tatsuya wonders what kind of work his father does and whether it's actually work, as he usually sees Hiroyuki playing with Transformers figures almost all the time. Tatsuya then flashbacks to last week, when, after transforming their figures to vehicle mode, father and son are racing Optimus and Bumblebee before encountering Yūka's feet. Yūka thinks her father is quite the man-child and hands over a card from someone whom Hiroyuki thought passed away three years earlier.
::*The Autobots discuss their favorite sports player during the "next episode" segment, Optimus citing [[Wikipedia:Shuzo Matsuoka|Shuzo Matsuoka]] as his favorite, much to the others' disappointment. As Prime waxes poetic about Matsuoka's passion and energetic character, he doesn't realize that his teammates have already left.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformacja i jazda'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 11|11 October]] [[2008]] (Parts 1 and 2), [[October 12|12 October]] [[2010]] (Part 3)

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of UN.png|20px|International release]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Battle Begins ([[Pack-in material|Hasbro]]) — Part 1 only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transformieren und Abfahrt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 1 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

== Footnote ==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Home Is Where the Spark Is

2014-07-23T02:27:39Z

SwiftDash:

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Home Spark Megatron lives.JPG
|caption="Now you will feel the true power of the Dark Side!"
|ep=4
|ep2=6
|prev2=The Thrill of the Hunt
|next2=Total Meltdown
|title="Home Is Where the Spark Is"
|airdate=[[January 5]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Shunji Ōga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''The Autobots settle into their new home base, an abandoned automobile manufacturing plant, but the ancient assembly line machinery seems to have developed a mind of its own—or someone else's...'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Duelingbanjos.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Cover your shame, Mon!"]]
As an armored car leaves a bank in the dead of night, the [[Angry Archer]] robs it and makes his escape from the cops by snagging onto a fire engine, thinking the police won’t stop a firetruck heading to a fire. It’s the Archer’s mistake, however, because he's hitched a ride on the back of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]. Prime, playing hero, subdues the thief easily and smiles for evening news cameras.

The next day, in a local park, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] observes a [[Skippy|cat]] stalking a bird and finds it amazing, only to have his nature watch cut short by awestruck humans and camera-bots. He heads back huffily to the new [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobot headquarters]], an abandoned car factory. The other [[Autobot|Autobots]] are in the middle of installing the world’s largest flat-panel TV in their new home and sharing their views on their newfound stardom. Prowl returns, upset with the constant interruptions, and goes to his Japanese-decorated room. In his room, Prowl lectures Optimus on his fascination with the Earth's animals, only to have that cut short by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s antics. Annoyed again, Prowl leaps off into a tree.

[[Image:Megsawakened.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I think, therefore I—where the heck is my body?!]]

Meanwhile, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] tries to enter her father's private lab. She uses her [[AllSpark Key]] to open the door, but [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] leaves with her before she can enter more than a step or two, reminding her no one but he is allowed in there. As they depart, residual energy from the Key floats over and reactivates the head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Once his higher functions take control, Megatron is horrified to discover that he is without a body and is hardwired into some sort of primitive computer. As he searches for answers, he brings up video footage of the last battle between the Autobots and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], including the latter’s confession of sabotaging his leader. Megatron is understandably ticked, and not just at Starscream's betrayal, but on the sheer helplessness of his situation. Not only do the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] believe that he is dead, meaning there is no hope of rescue, but the AllSpark is finally within his reach, and he lacks the hands to take it! While lamenting his lack of a body, he discovers his new power to control machines around him. Picking up a discarded, miniature robot, Megatron decides that it's time to get...proactive.

After trashing her [[Tutor Bot]] using the AllSpark Key, Sari tells Professor Sumdac she is leaving to the Autobot base for a slumber party. Overhearing this, Megatron sends one of Isaac's [[pocketbot]]s to hide in her backpack so he can search the base for the AllSpark.

At the Autobot base, Prowl watches a nature show about caterpillars evolving into butterflies, which he finds fascinating. Bumblebee, of course, isn't interested and changes the channel on him. Annoyed yet again, Prowl pounces on Bumblebee like a cat to prove what he has learned from animals before leaping to a high point to meditate. Later, Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] play high-tech Twister™ with much difficulty; Bumblebee then challenges Prowl to try. Prowl jumps in and easily touches all the spots Sari announces. Having won the game, he leaves to his room. Disgusted that the Autobots could ever get their hands on the AllSpark, Megatron uses the pocketbot to begin searching.

[[Image:TFA Home Spark assembly attack.JPG|left|200px|thumb|It's one thing to rage against the machine, but what do you do when the machine rages back?]]

Sari then tells ghost stories to the rest of the Autobots and, with a little help from the AllSpark Key, succeeds in scaring Bumblebee. Meanwhile, since the pocketbot's search for the AllSpark has proven fruitless, Megatron decides to kill the Autobots and extract info on its location from their lifeless shells. He takes control of the assembly line robots and uses pincers, riveters, a big electromagnet and a die press to pummel the Autobots. Prowl shows up and realizes that the machines are detecting the Autobots by use of motion sensors. He instructs everyone to be still, then strike in order to get to the control panel. However, while the motion sensors can't see him, Megatron can, so he gets caught by the machines as well. With [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] injured, the only bot left free to move is Bumblebee, who manages to listen to Prowl long enough to outrace the machines and destroy the control panel.

[[Image:TFA Home Spark plant ruined.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Housewarming parties are one of the leading causes of death among Autobots. Right after "Decepticons attack" and rust.]]

In a parting gesture, Megatron cuts open a fuel tank perilously close to a fire, but the Autobots team up and launch it into the sky, where it explodes harmlessly. As they wonder who tried to kill them, they discover the pocketbot under Megatron's control, but Bulkhead accidentally smashes it after catching it before they can study it.

Back at the lab, Megatron has a fit over his loss and decides to reveal more Cybertronian technology to Sumdac in order to get a new body.

At the end, Prowl again coaches Bumblebee in the art of stillness while both play a game of high-tech Twister™.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (8)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (12, video footage)
|c3=
*[[Angry Archer]] (1)
*Fan #1 (5)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (9)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (10)
|c4=
*[[Skippy]] (4)
*[[Tutor Bot]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"HAHAHA!!! Victory is ''mine''! Yon police would ''ne'er'' stop a firetruck from speeding to an emergency!" 
"Only one problem with that theory: ''You're'' the emergency."
:—The '''Angry Archer''''s escape is cut short by '''Optimus Prime'''

"No way, being a star rocks! If the titanium alloy plating fits, ''wear it''. And...I make it look ''good''."
:—'''Bumblebee''', being himself.

"Auut-oh-bot-MegaMegaMega-Meg-Meeeegaaa-Mega-[[Megatron (Movie)|I am Megatron]]!"
:—'''Megatron''' awakening after his fifty-year slumber

"Whoa. Looks like ''somebody'' forgot to defrag his hard drive."
:—'''Bulkhead''', using a dubious computer analogy to describe Prowl's bad mood

"You Autobot fools are the keepers of the [[AllSpark]]? This must be some cosmic joke..."
:—'''Megatron''', disgusted at the Autobots' merry-making.

"What's the matter? We're not ''still'' enough for you? Ynnh—fine! Have a great time in there watching the ''grass grow''!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' to Prowl as the latter heads off to his private quarters (presumably to have a great time watching the grass grow).

"Stillness...then strike."
:—'''Prowl''', as he sneaks past the Megatron-possessed machinery

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* When the Angry Archer turns around to notice he's being followed by police cars, the bags of money he'd just tied to his waist are nowhere to be seen. They're back in other shots, though.

* Sari says "Right foot on green." during the Twister™ game. The only problem is there are no green spaces in the next shot, just purple, orange and yellow. (After that shot, they seem to appear as normal.) At the end of the episode, the problem is reversed — there are no yellow spaces, but there are green ones.

* During the assembly line's rampage, Ratchet is injured after the explosion of some airborne gas tanks. He remains in a damaged state until the very end of the episode, when, in the close-up group shot of the Autobots, he can be seen completely undamaged before the camera focuses on Bulkhead attempting to grab the pocketbot as it runs out the door.

===Transformers references===
* In a different kind of Transformers reference, the Angry Archer is designed to resemble [[Hasbro]]'s [[Aaron Archer]].
* Similarly, the bank shown in the opening sequence is the [[Izzo National Bank]], named for Hasbro executive and series co-producer [[Joshua Izzo]].
* When Megatron comes online, his first coherent words are "I am Megatron!", the same thing [[Megatron (Movie)|his movie counterpart]] said.

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Twister.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Image courtesy of the Hasbro Holiday 2106 catalog.]]
* Bumblebee's line "I make it look ''good''!" is paraphrased from Will Smith in [[wikipedia:Men_in_Black_(film)|''Men in Black'']].
* A high-tech, Transformer-[[Scale|scaled]] version of [[wikipedia:Twister_(game)|Twister™]] is repeatedly played in this episode.

===Trivia===
* In this episode, Tutor Bot fails to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Quadratic_equation|quadratic equation]]. It leads a thankless life.
* According to the ''Animated'' production staff at [[BotCon 2008]], the "b-list" villain of this episode was originally meant to be a humanized version of [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] instead of the Angry Archer. Reportedly, Octopunch would have looked exactly like his G1 counterpart, except with the addition of boxing gloves.
* When Prowl jumps on Bumblebee, Bumblebee, seemingly, blushes due to embaressment.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Où est passé le Allspark ?'''" ("Where is the Allspark?")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatrons Rückkehr'''" ("Megatron's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 24|24 May]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fujimi no Megatron'''" (不死身のメガトロン, "The Immortal Megatron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 8|8 May]] [[2010]]
::* Prowl does the intro
::* '''Cut:''' Sari discovers the power of her AllSpark charged key.
::* '''Cut:''' The key's burst of electricity causes Megatron to come back online and he discovers Starscream's betrayal.
::* '''Cut:''' Tutor Bot's lesson with Sari
::* Prowl and Megatron are featured in this episode's commercial bumper.
::* Dialogue has been added to Prowl's moments of silence.
::* For once, Optimus doesn't yell out "Ultra Axe" when he cuts down the rope when the Angry Archer tries to escape. However, he has "Ultra Cracker" when using his bolas.
::* The parachute sleeping bag meant for Bulkhead became Prowl's.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dom jest tam gdzie iskra'''" ("Home Is Where the Spark Is")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 12|12 October]] [[2008]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio ([[Target]] [[exclusive]] version only). 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One (Paramount) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 2 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Home Is Where the Spark Is

2014-07-23T02:26:35Z

SwiftDash:

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Home Spark Megatron lives.JPG
|caption="Now you will feel the true power of the Dark Side!"
|ep=4
|ep2=6
|prev2=The Thrill of the Hunt
|next2=Total Meltdown
|title="Home Is Where the Spark Is"
|airdate=[[January 5]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Shunji Ōga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''The Autobots settle into their new home base, an abandoned automobile manufacturing plant, but the ancient assembly line machinery seems to have developed a mind of its own—or someone else's...'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Duelingbanjos.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Cover your shame, Mon!"]]
As an armored car leaves a bank in the dead of night, the [[Angry Archer]] robs it and makes his escape from the cops by snagging onto a fire engine, thinking the police won’t stop a firetruck heading to a fire. It’s the Archer’s mistake, however, because he's hitched a ride on the back of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]. Prime, playing hero, subdues the thief easily and smiles for evening news cameras.

The next day, in a local park, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] observes a [[Skippy|cat]] stalking a bird and finds it amazing, only to have his nature watch cut short by awestruck humans and camera-bots. He heads back huffily to the new [[Autobot Earth Base|Autobot headquarters]], an abandoned car factory. The other [[Autobot|Autobots]] are in the middle of installing the world’s largest flat-panel TV in their new home and sharing their views on their newfound stardom. Prowl returns, upset with the constant interruptions, and goes to his Japanese-decorated room. In his room, Prowl lectures Optimus on his fascination with the Earth's animals, only to have that cut short by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s antics. Annoyed again, Prowl leaps off into a tree.

[[Image:Megsawakened.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I think, therefore I—where the heck is my body?!]]

Meanwhile, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] tries to enter her father's private lab. She uses her [[AllSpark Key]] to open the door, but [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] leaves with her before she can enter more than a step or two, reminding her no one but he is allowed in there. As they depart, residual energy from the Key floats over and reactivates the head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Once his higher functions take control, Megatron is horrified to discover that he is without a body and is hardwired into some sort of primitive computer. As he searches for answers, he brings up video footage of the last battle between the Autobots and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], including the latter’s confession of sabotaging his leader. Megatron is understandably ticked, and not just at Starscream's betrayal, but on the sheer helplessness of his situation. Not only do the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] believe that he is dead, meaning there is no hope of rescue, but the AllSpark is finally within his reach, and he lacks the hands to take it! While lamenting his lack of a body, he discovers his new power to control machines around him. Picking up a discarded, miniature robot, Megatron decides that it's time to get...proactive.

After trashing her [[Tutor Bot]] using the AllSpark Key, Sari tells Professor Sumdac she is leaving to the Autobot base for a slumber party. Overhearing this, Megatron sends one of Isaac's [[pocketbot]]s to hide in her backpack so he can search the base for the AllSpark.

At the Autobot base, Prowl watches a nature show about caterpillars evolving into butterflies, which he finds fascinating. Bumblebee, of course, isn't interested and changes the channel on him. Annoyed yet again, Prowl pounces on Bumblebee like a cat to prove what he has learned from animals before leaping to a high point to meditate. Later, Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] play high-tech Twister™ with much difficulty; Bumblebee then challenges Prowl to try. Prowl jumps in and easily touches all the spots Sari announces. Having won the game, he leaves to his room. Disgusted that the Autobots could ever get their hands on the AllSpark, Megatron uses the pocketbot to begin searching.

[[Image:TFA Home Spark assembly attack.JPG|left|200px|thumb|It's one thing to rage against the machine, but what do you do when the machine rages back?]]

Sari then tells ghost stories to the rest of the Autobots and, with a little help from the AllSpark Key, succeeds in scaring Bumblebee. Meanwhile, since the pocketbot's search for the AllSpark has proven fruitless, Megatron decides to kill the Autobots and extract info on its location from their lifeless shells. He takes control of the assembly line robots and uses pincers, riveters, a big electromagnet and a die press to pummel the Autobots. Prowl shows up and realizes that the machines are detecting the Autobots by use of motion sensors. He instructs everyone to be still, then strike in order to get to the control panel. However, while the motion sensors can't see him, Megatron can, so he gets caught by the machines as well. With [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] injured, the only bot left free to move is Bumblebee, who manages to listen to Prowl long enough to outrace the machines and destroy the control panel.

[[Image:TFA Home Spark plant ruined.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Housewarming parties are one of the leading causes of death among Autobots. Right after "Decepticons attack" and rust.]]

In a parting gesture, Megatron cuts open a fuel tank perilously close to a fire, but the Autobots team up and launch it into the sky, where it explodes harmlessly. As they wonder who tried to kill them, they discover the pocketbot under Megatron's control, but Bulkhead accidentally smashes it after catching it before they can study it.

Back at the lab, Megatron has a fit over his loss and decides to reveal more Cybertronian technology to Sumdac in order to get a new body.

At the end, Prowl again coaches Bumblebee in the art of stillness while both play a game of high-tech Twister™.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (8)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (12, video footage)
|c3=
*[[Angry Archer]] (1)
*Fan #1 (5)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (9)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (10)
|c4=
*[[Skippy]] (4)
*[[Tutor Bot]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"HAHAHA!!! Victory is ''mine''! Yon police would ''ne'er'' stop a firetruck from speeding to an emergency!" 
"Only one problem with that theory: ''You're'' the emergency."
:—The '''Angry Archer''''s escape is cut short by '''Optimus Prime'''

"No way, being a star rocks! If the titanium alloy plating fits, ''wear it''. And...I make it look ''good''."
:—'''Bumblebee''', being himself.

"Auut-oh-bot-MegaMegaMega-Meg-Meeeegaaa-Mega-[[Megatron (Movie)|I am Megatron]]!"
:—'''Megatron''' awakening after his fifty-year slumber

"Whoa. Looks like ''somebody'' forgot to defrag his hard drive."
:—'''Bulkhead''', using a dubious computer analogy to describe Prowl's bad mood

"You Autobot fools are the keepers of the [[AllSpark]]? This must be some cosmic joke..."
:—'''Megatron''', disgusted at the Autobots' merry-making.

"What's the matter? We're not ''still'' enough for you? Ynnh—fine! Have a great time in there watching the ''grass grow''!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' to Prowl as the latter heads off to his private quarters (presumably to have a great time watching the grass grow).

"Stillness...then strike."
:—'''Prowl''', as he sneaks past the Megatron-possessed machinery

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* When the Angry Archer turns around to notice he's being followed by police cars, the bags of money he'd just tied to his waist are nowhere to be seen. They're back in other shots, though.

* Sari says "Right foot on green." during the Twister™ game. The only problem is there are no green spaces in the next shot, just purple, orange and yellow. (After that shot, they seem to appear as normal.) At the end of the episode, the problem is reversed — there are no yellow spaces, but there are green ones.

* During the assembly line's rampage, Ratchet is injured after the explosion of some airborne gas tanks. He remains in a damaged state until the very end of the episode, when, in the close-up group shot of the Autobots, he can be seen completely undamaged before the camera focuses on Bulkhead attempting to grab the pocketbot as it runs out the door.

===Transformers references===
* In a different kind of Transformers reference, the Angry Archer is designed to resemble [[Hasbro]]'s [[Aaron Archer]].
* Similarly, the bank shown in the opening sequence is the [[Izzo National Bank]], named for Hasbro executive and series co-producer [[Joshua Izzo]].
* When Megatron comes online, his first coherent words are "I am Megatron!", the same thing [[Megatron (Movie)|his movie counterpart]] said.

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Twister.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Image courtesy of the Hasbro Holiday 2106 catalog.]]
* Bumblebee's line "I make it look ''good''!" is paraphrased from Will Smith in [[wikipedia:Men_in_Black_(film)|''Men in Black'']].
* A high-tech, Transformer-[[Scale|scaled]] version of [[wikipedia:Twister_(game)|Twister™]] is repeatedly played in this episode.

===Trivia===
* In this episode, Tutor Bot fails to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Quadratic_equation|quadratic equation]]. It leads a thankless life.
* According to the ''Animated'' production staff at [[BotCon 2008]], the "b-list" villain of this episode was originally meant to be a humanized version of [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] instead of the Angry Archer. Reportedly, Octopunch would have looked exactly like his G1 counterpart, except with the addition of boxing gloves.
* When Prowl jumps on Bumblebee, Bumblebee, seemingly, blushes due to embaressment.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Où est passé le Allspark ?'''" ("Where is the Allspark?")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatrons Rückkehr'''" ("Megatron's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 24|24 May]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fujimi no Megatron'''" (不死身のメガトロン, "The Immortal Megatron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 8|8 May]] [[2010]]
::* Prowl does the intro
::* '''Cut:''' Sari discovers the power of her AllSpark charged key.
::* '''Cut:''' The key's burst of electricity causes Megatron to come back online and he discovers Starscream's betrayal.
::* '''Cut:''' Tutor Bot's lesson with Sari
::* Dialogue has been added to Prowl's moments of silence.
::* For once, Optimus doesn't yell out "Ultra Axe" when he cuts down the rope when the Angry Archer tries to escape. However, he has "Ultra Cracker" when using his bolas.
::* The parachute sleeping bag meant for Bulkhead became Prowl's.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dom jest tam gdzie iskra'''" ("Home Is Where the Spark Is")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 12|12 October]] [[2008]]

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio ([[Target]] [[exclusive]] version only). 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One (Paramount) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 2 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Thrill of the Hunt

2014-07-22T22:39:15Z

SwiftDash:

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Thrill Hunt Ratchet Lockdown reunion.JPG
|caption=Sadly, no tumbleweeds.
|ep=7
|ep2=5
|prev2=Sound and Fury
|next2=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="The Thrill of the Hunt"
|airdate=[[January 19]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''While Autobots encounter a mysterious muscle car creating havoc in Detroit, Ratchet keeps flashing back to his "tour of duty" in the Great Autobot-Decepticon Wars.'''

==Synopsis==
While debating the ethical dilemma of an [[Maramba Brothers Auto Supply|auto parts store]] with [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]'s old war wound tingles, making him think that trouble's ahead. Just then, the lights in the city go out, and the trio is confronted by a spiked muscle car with red headlamps. Thinking it's a human out for a joyride, the [[Autobot]]s go after the car. At a critical moment in the chase, Ratchet experiences a flashback to his days in the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]]….

[[Image:Ratchetanimatedthrill.jpg|left|170px|thumb|PTSD-bait in the making.]]

''Field tech Ratchet is in the middle of a war zone with a Decepticon barrage falling down around him. Communicating with [[Supreme Commander]] [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], he says he found the object of his mission, an Autobot intelligence officer named [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]. She is badly damaged and in need of immediate repair. Ratchet uses his [[electromagnetic pulse|EMP]] generator to deactivate her temporarily, allowing him to replace her leg, despite Arcee's concern that the EMP could wipe her [[memory core]].''

Ratchet flashes back into the present and is nearly run over by the muscle car, but is pushed out of the way by Bumblebee. The Autobots regroup at headquarters and Optimus inquires of Ratchet's well-being, but the crusty old bot doesn't want to talk. Meanwhile, the [[Television|TV]] news is broadcasting a live, high-speed chase between the police and the strange car, and Ratchet experiences another flashback.

[[Image:Lockdown both hands.jpg|right|170px|thumb|SUCKER-PUNCH!]]

''In the middle of the repair to Arcee, Ratchet loads her up and starts to evacuate the area, only to be caught and smacked down by a bounty hunter.''

Ratchet's thoughts are snapped back into the present as the Autobots begin the chase after the muscle car anew. Ratchet finally recognizes the muscle car as an old nemesis, [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]. The past haunts him again….

''Ratchet and Arcee are now prisoners of Lockdown, who explains his work as a bounty hunter and his lack of allegiance to either side in the war. He also says he has a fondness for taking weapons and parts from his quarry as trophies and upgrades. This time, he's taken Ratchet's EMP generator.''

Flash-forward to the present, where Prime finally forces Lockdown to stop. The bounty hunter incapacitates Prime with the EMP weapon, and they both disappear. In his hideout, Lockdown explains to a tied-up Optimus Prime about the bounty on his head for killing [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Optimus explains that he didn't kill the [[Decepticon]], but Lockdown insists doesn't care as long as he gets his bounty. Then he gets to work on removing Prime’s grapplers and installing them in his own body.

The Autobots scan the city for Prime, but don't have much luck until [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] finds that Lockdown's [[Death's Head (Animated)|ship]] is sitting in the middle of the old downtown area, cloaked as an ordinary warehouse. Before they roll out, Ratchet refuses to join the rescue mission, though without explanation.

[[Image:TFA Thrill Hunt Prowl Lockdown.JPG|left|170px|thumb|Everybody was kung-fu fighting! Those cats were fast as lightning.]]

Finished with his chop job on Optimus, Lockdown converses with [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], who is evidently the one who put the price on Prime's head. Lockdown requests payment, but Blitzwing wants results first. If those satisfy him, then the upgrade reward will satisfy Lockdown. The Autobots arrive at Lockdown's ship and attack. Lockdown dispatches [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and Bumblebee without much trouble. Prowl is a bit harder for Lockdown to handle until the bounty hunter drops him with an EMP blast. Before he can take any more trophies, Ratchet arrives and confronts Lockdown. The bounty hunter recognizes the old bot as the source of his EMP generator, and Ratchet vows that he'll never take another another trophy again, but the medic too falls to the EMP. However, when Lockdown thinks he's beaten the doc-bot, Ratchet reveals he was playing dead, being immune to the effects of his own weapon, and throws Lockdown around with his magnetic powers, knocking him unconscious. Inside Lockdown’s ship, Ratchet finds Prime and frees him, but Lockdown—himself "playing possum" after Ratchet's attack—stops them from leaving. Ratchet takes him out again, and once the bounty hunter’s pinned down, Ratchet forcibly removes the parts Lockdown stole from Prime. He remarks that he would have used his EMP generator to remove them painlessly, but he no longer has it. Lockdown offers to return the generator if Ratchet will use it. The act brings on another flashback.

''In order to avoid interrogation from Megatron, Arcee asks Ratchet to use his EMP generator on her to wipe her memory core, which contains critical access codes for the Autobots. When Ratchet and Lockdown struggle for the device, it overloads and goes off. Ratchet and Arcee leave Lockdown's ship just before some part of it detonates, but when Ratchet inquires of her condition, Arcee doesn't know who she is or where they are, a result of the EMP blast.''

[[Image:TFA Thrill Hunt Ratchet EMP Generator ship.JPG|right|170px|thumb|She cannae take the pressure!]]

In the present, Ratchet mockingly asks Lockdown if he wants the generator to ease his pain, while Lockdown tightens his grip on a rod. As Ratchet moves to take the EMP generator back, Lockdown prepares to strike, but Ratchet hits Lockdown with a magnetic blast before he can do so. Ratchet denounces Lockdown for turning a medical tool into a weapon and zaps Lockdown's ship. He then escapes with Optimus as the ship crashes into a river.

Back at headquarters, Ratchet repairs Prime’s grapplers and then finally opens up to Optimus about his war experiences.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (6)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (8)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)

|c2=
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (4)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Adrias]] (5)
*[[Lester Black]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Ratchet''': Augh, it's primitive. It's barbaric. There ought to be a law against it! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's just an auto supply store, Ratchet. 
'''Ratchet''': You mean they actually sell spare parts on the open market? What kind of malfunction would be crass enough to buy this stuff? 
'''Bumblebee''': Hey, guys, check out my new horn!
:—Evidently, Bumblebee is crass enough.

'''Optimus Prime''': You two okay? 
(Ratchet shoves Bumblebee off of him) 
'''Ratchet''': We're FINE! 
'''Bumblebee''': You call that ''fine''? You FROZE up like a crankcase in December!! 
'''Ratchet''': I did ''not'' FREEZE UP! Must've been a... glitch in my systems. 
:—Sure it was, Ratchet. It wasn't like you had a flashback recalling a traumatizing event caused by the very car that nearly slagged you just then...

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': You have Optimus Prime? Hand him over at once! That Autobot will pay for what he did to our leader! 
'''Lockdown''': Yeah, speaking of payment, I'm gonna need mine first. 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': Patience, my bounty-hunting friend. You will not be disappointed with your upgrades, provided I am not disappointed with your results. 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Ooooh! I wanna see him turn into a fire truck! Can I? Can I, ha-ha, can I? Ahahahahahahahaha!
:—Blitzwing, Blitzwing and Blitzwing negotiate with Lockdown.

"I'm impressed. It's been eons since the last time anyone got the drop on me." 
"The next time will be much sooner!"
:—'''Lockdown''' and '''Prowl''' engage in some [[A Fistful of Energon|foreshadowing]].

"I'm not good with names and faces, but I never forget a trophy."
:—'''Lockdown''', best buddy of Kraven and the Predator.

"Time was I'd use my EMP generator to do this painlessly. Too bad I don't ''have'' it anymore."
:—'''Ratchet''', right before ripping Prime's grapplers out of Lockdown's arm, forgetting that children are watching.

"How're you healing?" 
"Arm's as good as new, thanks to you." 
"That wasn't what I meant." 
"Let's just say I have a much better appreciation for what you went through back in the day and why you don't wanna remember it." 
"It's not that I don't want to remember. I have to remember… for those who can't." 
"Still, I don't suppose it hurts to talk about it sometimes… with a trusted friend." 
"So, what do you wanna know?"
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* During the news broadcast sequence, if the EMP is enough to shut off the lights in Lockdown's wake, how are the pursuing police vehicles not affected? Is he just projecting the EMP out to both sides?
* Lockdown manages to get out from under a car dropped on him from a height by Ratchet, but is helplessly pinned under a shelf.

===Animation errors===
* After Bulkhead says "Hey no fair!" Ratchet transforms into robot mode and skids on the ground. At that point, Ratchet's pupils are black, but when he stops skidding, they turn white.
* Blitzwing changes from Hothead to Icy personality abruptly and without either a transition animation or a sound effect.
* Bumblebee's face is colored black before Lockdown can hack off his stingers.

===Transformers references===
* Bumblebee's new horn plays the traditional melody of the phrase "Ro-bots in Dis-guise"!

===Real-world References===
* The TV anchorman seen in this episode appears to be an ''Animated'' version of [[wikipedia:Ron_Burgundy|Ron Burgundy]]. Stay classy, Cybertron.
* Ratchet's line, "Don't call me sir. I work for a living," is a common sentiment of sergeants and other non-commissioned officers in the armed forces.
* Ratchet's other line, "I'm a [[medibot]], not a field commander!" is based on Dr. McCoy's oft-repeated line from ''[[Star Trek]]'', "I'm a doctor not a…".

===Trivia===
*This episode reveals how the right half of Ratchet's chevron got broken and why his left arm has a missing piece. Both were caused by Lockdown. However, it would seem that it [[The Arrival issue 3#"'Bots of Science"|wasn't the first time his chevron snapped off]].
*[[Susan Blu]] reprises her role of Arcee from the Generation 1 cartoon series.
*This is the first episode in which we see ''Animated'' Cybertron, albeit in a flashback.
*This is also the first episode to not feature any of the main [[human]] cast.
*This episode seems to refute [[Fandom|fans]] who had worried the series would be too kid-oriented, as it features a heavy atmosphere, post-traumatic shock, guilt, suggested torture, and quite obvious pain being inflicted by a good guy on a villain, pretty much for no other reason but revenge.
*As Prime and Ratchet talk at the end, you hear the saddest rendition of "More than Meets The Eye" ever.
*Prowl's wheels make the same noise as Lockdown's chainsaw.
*Blitzwing's face-swapping feature makes a different noise in this episode than in other episodes.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le fantôme du passé'''" ("The Ghost of the Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Kopfgeldjäger'''" ("The Bounty Hunter")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 14|14 June]] [[2008]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La emoción de la cacería'''" ("The Thrill of the Hunt")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nuguenai Kioku'''" (ぬぐえない記憶, "Unwipeable Memories")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 1|1 May]] [[2010]]
:* Ratchet does the intro
::* Cut: Optimus and Bumblebee suggests that Ratchet should go out a little more.
::* Cut: Ratchet and Bumblebee's small argument after Lockdown gets away.
::* Cut: Ratchet and Optimus' short conversation before Optimus goes to check on the monitor
::* Cut: Optimus assuring a civilian that insurance will take care of his dented truck.
::* Cut: Ratchet explains to the rest of the Autobots who Lockdown is.
::* Cut: A few seconds of the Autobots with no luck of finding Optimus before Prowl finally figures out where Lockdown's hideout is.
::* Cut: Ratchet and Lockdown's short conversation before Lockdown hits Ratchet with the EMP Generator.
::* Cut: Ratchet painfully tears off one of Lockdown's stolen trophies
::* The [[Otoboto family]] segment has [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]] holding a "Trans-quiz" with [[Tatsuya Otoboto|Tatsuya]] and [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]] (Yūka rather reluctant at the silliness of it). Questions include: what was Optimus' other name when G1 aired in Japan in [[1985]] (A: [[Convoy (rank)|Convoy]]); and what was the name of the game that was released on the [[Famicom]] in [[1986]] (A: ''[[Transformers: Mystery of Convoy|Convoy no Nazo]]'', answered by [[Megumi Otoboto|Megumi]]). Megumi tells Hiroyuki that he has a phone call and Hiroyuki promptly asks "Are you Bill Gates?", along with several questions in near-perfect English, before leaving the living room and his family mystified.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gorączka polowania'''" ("The Thrill of the Hunt")
:*''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]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 2 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thrill of the Hunt}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]