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Wheelie (G1)

2026-02-15T09:16:58Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign names */

{{factions|autobot}}
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|''The Wheelie discussed in the page that you're on / Is the rhyming bot from [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]]. To view all the "Wheelie"s in just one location / Head over to [[Wheelie (disambiguation)]]!''
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{{featured|This page's rhymed oration is a [[:Category:Featured articles|font of information]]!}}
:''Wheelie is an [[Autobot]]—just to clear up ambiguities / From a whole bunch of [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1 continuities]].''
[[File:Wheelieg1.jpg|upright=2|thumb|You give Wheelie sass? He ''will'' kick your ass.]]
The diminutive '''Wheelie''' is an Autobot child / But don't let your guard down; he gets pretty wild! 
He's often sold short and gets called hurtful things / But Wheelie won't suffer such arrows and slings! 

You see, he ''survives''; that's just what he ''does'' / You can't keep him down. How so? Well, because 
Of all of the years he's spent fighting in space / With [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]] goons and the [[Quintesson]] race. 

Keeping things peaceful gets a bit tricky / When he hangs out with [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]]. 
This bot and that child are birds of a feather / And they tend to get into trouble together! 

Though reasons may differ across his depictions / Young Wheelie speaks always with curious diction. 
But don't be too hateful to this rhyming bot / Or you'll lose an eye to his fine [[Slingshot (weapon)|slingshot]]! 

{{quote|Wheelie say find friends today!|Wheelie|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Frank Welker]] (English), [[John Moschitta]] (English, "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3"), [[Kazue Komiya]] (Japanese)|[[Gu Guoyi]] (Chinese), [[Dani Albiac]] (Spain-Spanish), [[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Gerhard Acktun]] (German, "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 - 5", "Chaos" & "Call of the Primitives"), [[Bernd Simon]] (German, "Fight or Flee"), [[Claus Brockmeyer]] (German, "The Movie" TV Dub), [[Francis Lax]] (European French, "Chaos"), [[Carlos Marques]] (Portuguese, "The Movie" TV dub), [[Orlando Prado]] (Portuguese, "The Movie" VHS dub), [[Úrsula Bezerra]] (Portuguese, "The Movie" Fox Kids dub), [[Mário Jorge Andrade]] (Portuguese, season 3)}}

[[File:Wheelietftmslingshot.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Wheelie, you're such an insufferable brat… Careful, you'll take someone's eye out with—]]
After surviving a ghastly crash-landing / [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]] was where Wheelie found himself standing.<ref>This was only shown in an early screenplays' [[The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson|storybook adaptation]] / And helps shed some light on his background and situation.</ref> 
Surviving alone quickly toughened him lots / Enough to impress the mighty [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. 
They'd come to Quintessa in search of their friends / And Wheelie was perfectly happy to lend 
His expertise on this strange world to these strangers / To keep them from stumbling face-first into danger. 
After he helped rescue [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] and [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] / They hijacked a [[Quintesson Cruiser|Quintesson ship]] and flew up 
Into space where they destroyed [[Unicron]] / Before returning to planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]! 
{{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|Wheelie’s actions in this animation / Were also recounted in two [[Transformers: The Animated Movie|print]] [[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|adaptations]]!}}

Wheelie returned in 2006 / When [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] got in a bit of a fix. 
He hadn't received his [[Transformation cog (biology)|transformation cog]] / And getting it to him would be a right slog! 
{{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}}

He formed a delivery duo with [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] / Straight away, though, complications occurred. 
Galvatron left them both stuck on [[Io|a moon]] / They needed to get the cog down to Earth soon! 
{{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}}

[[File:FFOD4 Autobots lightpoles.JPG|upright=1.5|thumb|Wheelie and I might have our spats, But did he deserve to fight all these bats?]]
The alien [[lightpole]]s descended on them / And Wheelie and Blurr simply couldn't contend, 
'Til [[Marissa Faireborn]] showed up to assist / Bringing her ship down right into their midst. 
Into some missiles the lightpoles converted / Blasting her ship and leaving them deserted! 
{{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] showed up and defeated the bats / The [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] were similarly dispatched. 
They made it to Earth in a manner quite dashing / And Metroplex gave [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] quite a thrashing! 
{{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

Wheelie listened to Kup as he yick-yacked / About how, on [[Dread (planet)|Dread]], he had fought off an [[Ick-Yak]]. 
Regarding [[Chaos (alien)|Chaos]], Grimlock was curious / But Wheelie was scared and Kup was furious. 
Suddenly, in came a signal from [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] / Someone'd attacked the [[Earth Defense Command|EDC]]—heck naw! 
Together with Blurr, they all boarded Sky Lynx / Ready for mystery-solving high-jinks! 
While scanning the station, Kup's technobabble / Was too much for Wheelie and the rest of the rabble. 
Kup said, only [[death crystal]]s could do this damage / But that explanation was all he could manage 
Before from the sky came [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] / With their new weapon, hoping to gun a shmuck. 
Wheelie and Blurr returned fire with their pistols / As Runamuck blasted a rain of death crystals. 
In typical form, Sky Lynx came to the rescue / Picking up Wheelie and all of the rest too. 
Grimlock begged, once they had barely absconded / For answers, and at long last Kup responded: 
There's only one place in the world you can find / Death Crystals—growing on Chaos's hide. 
On Dread, Galvatron's new acquisition / Kup and Blurr went off on the mission. 
Wheelie and the others followed where they had gone / And good thing—they helped to fight off the Predacons! 
They were able to keep [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] and Galvs distracted / While Kup made a plan that he quickly enacted 
Freeing the [[Dread slaves|miners]], to Chaos he beckoned / Before blowing him up with [[Death crystal cannon|Galvatron's weapon]]. 
Safe back on Sky Lynx, after they'd scrambled / Wheelie groaned as Kup once again rambled... 
{{storylink|Chaos (episode)|Chaos}}

When [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] came back from the dead / The [[Quintesson]]s had secretly messed with his head. 
He left [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|now-Hot-Rod]] and the others for scrap / Before leading his army straight into a trap. 
When Hot Rod returned, Wheelie was there / To see Hot Rod quite angrily declare: 
"Where's that stupid truck of ours? / I'm going to light his darkest hour." 
{{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}}

A Quintesson plot meant time started repeating / While, against [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]], Wheelie was competing. 
He reckoned he had crossed the finish line—a record race / But in seconds he was back a second time in second place. 
{{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

On Earth, a dinosaur caused a strange mystery / By stealing the most famous buildings in history. 
The Dinobots were suspects, but that was just hype / It was Trypticon, working for an [[Abdul Fakkadi (G1)|ethnic stereotype]]. 
Wheelie helped the Autobots save the dictator / And was there when Rodimus scolded him later. 
{{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

[[File:Surprise Party Hall of Records.jpg|upright=1|thumb|]]
[[File:Daniel&wheeliesurpriseparty.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Daniel, we are out of time. Yet, Wheelie must complete this rhyme!]]
[[File:SurpriseParty Daniel and Wheelie.jpg|upright=1|thumb|]]
Wheelie's biggest adventure began / At the surprise party for his dear friend Dan. 
[[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]]s crashed the event—in the madness / Wheelie's life was saved by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. 
To let Magnus know he was appreciated / They tried to find out when he was created 
Asking around without making it known / To throw him a [[birthday]] party of his own. 
First they asked [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]], who reckoned / The answer might lie in the Hall of Records. 
Next at the Hall, they asked [[Custodiobot|the librarian]] / Who wasn't much help, being quite the contrarian. 
He explained the Autobots of the past employed / [[Lost Cybertronian Storage Asteroid|A secret archive, housed on an asteroid]]. 
Wheelie, being a terrible influence / Stole a garbage ship. By coincidence, 
When he blundered into an asteroid field / (Wheelie's too young to be behind a wheel) 
The meteor into which their ship crashed / Was the very same one where the data was stashed! 
Meanwhile [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], with abnormal patience / Weirdly had garbage ships under surveillance? 
He told Galvatron, who swiftly commanded / He follow and spy on what Wheelie and Dan did. 
Witwicky and Wheelie, assessing their freighter / Were harried by eels that flew out of craters. 
Into a nearby cave the scamps fled / And Wheelie turned on the torch on his forehead. 
They passed through a door with the Autobot sigil / But inside, sentry drones were keeping vigil! 
With the killer robots hot on their heels / And to make matters worse, lots more air eels, 
Wheelie quipped surely that their goose was cooked / The robotic sentries, in a stroke of luck, 
Took out the eels they saw as invaders / Only to sight Wheelie next with their lasers! 
But somehow the sentries were the ones to die—blown up / By unlikely saviours: the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]]s and Cyclonus! 
Out of the frying pan, into the fire / Hostages of the Decepticon flier, 
They watched the asteroid get redirected as / Cyclonus threatened the [[First Inter Galactic Peace Conference|peace conference]] delegates! 
Locked up after Cyclonus' recap / Wheelie shone a torch, this time from his kneecap. 
Before long, they heard a distant commotion / And so at last Wheelie sprang into motion 
Ramming the door in his car mode, he gets through / And they found [[Ultra Magnus...to the Rescue?]] 
Magnus commanded they fly off with Sky Lynx / But Wheelie, unwilling to leave him to die, thinks 
Better to not do what Magnus instructs / And instead to turn on the rock's self-destruct! 
With his plan foiled, Cyclonus scarpered / The Autobots made their own departure. 
Back home, Daniel explained things to [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] / Who made a suggestion: he said, if they like, 
Magnus doesn't know when he was born, meaning / They may as well say it's his birthday this evening! 
Wheelie said, shame they only thought of this after / And the episode ended with good-natured laughter. 
{{storylink|Surprise Party}}

Wheelie was present when [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], the paragon / of the utopian planet [[Paradron]], 
Asked Rodimus Prime and the rest to assist / In freeing his people from Galvatron's fist. 
Using a spare ship as a decoy / They let Galvatron think they'd been destroyed 
Before secretly deploying a platoon / From a secret staging ground on Paradron's moon. 
Wheelie was in Ultra Magnus's squadron / Planning to take back the planet's energon 
But Galvatron's army was much too effective / Forcing them to change the mission objectives. 
Wheelie managed to spot a trapdoor / So Magnus could get to the energon core— 
See, rather than let the Decepticons have it / they decided to blow up the entire planet! 
{{storylink|Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee}}

When Perceptor unveiled his new generator / Wheelie was stood in the crowd of spectators. 
{{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}}

[[File:AutobotsCall.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Our energy was drained. No jokes have remained.]]
When [[Tornedron]] fell into Cybertron's sink / Wheelie, [[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]] and [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] didn't blink: 
They aimed at the spider while pulling their triggers / But their laser blasts only made it grow bigger! 
Their bodies' energy, it drained all that too / Turning them white; they toppled like statues. 
(Lucky for Wheelie, Tornedron's defeat / Presumably put him right back on his feet.) 
{{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

Rodimus led an Autobot strikeforce / To get back Optimus Prime's corpse 
Making up one of the subgroups were / [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]], Wheelie and Blurr. 
At the lab, Rodimus Prime made his entry / Ordering Wheelie and the rest to play sentry. 
{{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}

To hear Sky Lynx tell it, Wheelie had been one / Of the Autobots hurt by a [[Hate Plague|rogue]] [[Superion (G1)|Superion]]. 
(But, that event wasn't seen in the last part / And lying there unconscious wasn't Wheelie, but [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]]! 
So, maybe Sky Lynx was simply mistaken / And Wheelie had gone off on well-earned vacation.) 
{{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

[[Tommy Kennedy]] was feeling quite rotten / Because he thought Optimus Prime had forgotten 
His birthday, so he was nicely surprised / When the Autobots gave him a cake, robot-sized! 
Tommy thanked them, and blew out the candles / And Wheelie cheered just like he had for Daniel. 
{{storylink|Surprise Party#Season 5|Season 5: Surprise Party}}

====Rodimus vs. Cyclonus====
{{note|This later pack-in comic invents / A [[Retcon|new scene]] set during the movie's events.}}
As they blasted off, with Kup ever-rambling / Wheelie wowed Hot Rod with his expert handling. 
They set course for Magnus's last known location / And found the debris from [[Autobot shuttle|that ship]]'s separation. 
Wheelie deduced the Autobots' gambit / And guessed that they'd fled to the nearby [[Junkion (planet)|Junk planet]]. 
But, at that moment, [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] attacked! / On Kup's command, Wheelie fired back. 
Cyclonus dodged, too agile in flight. / Then Hot Rod was struck by [[Matrix of Leadership|divine insight]]. 
Through Wheelie, Rod hailed Cyclonus to tell 'im / Invoking the [[Challenge of Aria-Bellum]], 
He wanted to meet the Decepticon upon / The ship for a little one-on-one. 
Cyclonus and Rod traded backhands, grappled. / Meanwhile, Wheelie hailed [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]], 
Who, [[Rayzor Nebula|nearby]], were doing some research / not far from the boss of the [[Sweeps]]—[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]! 
See, as Cyclonus ranted, Kup listened / So he knew about [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s competition. 
By luring both lackeys to the same region / They pitted Cyclonus against Scourge and his legion. 
While the goons fought over who'd get the kills / The Autobots happily ran for the hills. 
After they split, they landed on Junkion / Where all the new friends would soon get their funk on. 
But, if you want to see them get groovy / You'll have to go watch ''[[#The Transformers cartoon|The Transformers: The Movie]]''. 
{{storylink|Rodimus vs. Cyclonus}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
{{voiceactor|[[Kazue Komiya]] (Japanese)|[[Erika Robledo]] (Latin-American Spanish)}}
[[File:HM ep01 Wheelie beats Tantrum.jpg|upright=1|thumb|''Headmasters'' Wheelie could be as snarky as you please! His words to Chromedome? "It's too late for apologies!"]]
By 2011, Wheelie was too petulant to rhyme / He blamed everything on [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], like, ''all'' of the time. 
Although a jerk to the core, Wheelie was not all alone / He hung out with [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]], and the two were quite danger-prone. 

While chilling on [[Earth]], the pair were met with surprise / By the titanic Trypticon with glowing death in his eyes! 
The Decepticon gave chase, but Wheelie outsmarted their foe / Luring him onto a busted bridge, where he slipped and fell below. 

They then stowed away on the [[Trainbot]]s and returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] / To help battle the Decepticons with their (limited) brawn. 
Daniel, the wuss, was soon attacked by [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]] / So Wheelie had to pound the bull's head like a drum! {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

Before leaving with [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] to face matters unpleasant / [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] bequeathed to Wheelie a very special present. 
It was a mixtape of music he'd composed on his own / And Wheelie played it after Blaster died in battle alone. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}}

As Hot Rod searched Earth for the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] he'd lost / [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] told Wheelie to believe in him, no matter the cost. 
Wheelie brushed off Kup's words, thinking them silly / And was acting all snarky, at least up until he 
Was interrupted by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]], who had a better attitude / So he offered to help instead of standing 'round being rude. 
Wheelie, however, couldn't help them one whit / So he went to an arcade with Daniel to complain about it. 
He thought himself far more useful than the adults all around him / And yet even at video games, ''Daniel'' proceeded to pound him. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

Next, Blaster's untimely death sent Wheelie into depression / "No one cares Blaster's gone" was his bitter impression. 
But Wheelie was wrong; Rodimus Prime cared quite a bit / He knew Blaster's death was a mistake and sought to rectify it! 
So Blaster was revived as Twincast, much to Wheelie's elation / And thus began the Great Cassette Operation! {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}}

[[File:WheelieRebellionBeast01.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Wheelie hears what you mutter. Get your mind out of the gutter.]]
Daniel and Wheelie then stowed away on [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]]'s battleship / And accompanied the Autobots on their perilous trip 
To the [[Beastformer (species)|Beastformer]] homeworld, known simply as [[Beast (planet)|Beast]] / Where the 'Cons were causing trouble (to say only the least). 
Wheelie and Daniel then tried to rescue the Beastformer slaves / But were imprisoned ''themselves'' in the dungeon-like caves! 
Luckily for Wheelie, the Headmasters were there / They drove off all the villains and rescued the pair. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}}

The meteorite [[Metamorphose]] then threatened Autobot space / By warping anything metal in its magnetic embrace! 
Only ''Daniel'' was safe. Only ''he'' could defeat it / Wheelie cheered Daniel on—he was ''sure'' he could beat it! 
But Daniel was a crybaby, a big blubbering sack / So Wheelie chided his buddy and cut him no slack. 
Daniel ''eventually'' manned up and blew up the rock / But Wheelie, ''such a jerk'', continued to mock. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

The Trainbots later invited both Wheelie and Dan / To come visit their birthplace in far off [[Japan]]. 
Soon after arriving, [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] made some trouble / Stirring up the Autobots, who countered on the double! 
The Headmasters went searching all over the planet / While Dan and Wheelie went shopping and...well, ''dammit'', 
The Trainbots shopped ''with'' them, and [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] made a fuss / Causing Daniel to run away crying. (Jeez, what a ''wuss''.) {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

Wheelie later observed as the Autobots fought / To reach [[Vector Sigma]] first, for if they could not, 
The Decepticons would get there, and then there'd be trouble / Because they'd use Sigma's [[Cybertonuron]] to turn the Autobots to rubble! 

But they were wrong—[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] had a more menacing scheme: / To blow up all of Cybertron! How terribly obscene! 
The bombs could not be removed, much to Wheelie's frustration / Leaving Rodimus to call for the planet's evacuation. 
And so Wheelie was forced to watch his planet go KER-PEW! / Poor little guy...his day kind of ''blew''. 
Rodimus then departed on an outer space quest / Leaving [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] to raise Wheelie (or at least do her best). {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}

[[File:WheelieEnergonGlutton01.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Wheelie likes to eat, drink and be merry, His favorite cereal is ''Frankenberry''.]]
Crippled with sorrow over Cybertron's end / The Autobots threw a party to help their wounds mend. 
Wheelie, the hedonist, had too much to drink / And got drunk and passed out, that little rat-fink! 
{{storylink|The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok}}

Along with Daniel and Spike, Wheelie went to Peru / To prevent the members of the Decepticon crew 
From making a volcano blow up sky-high / Leaving the villagers below to helplessly fry. 
As the mountain erupted, they approached in [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] / But he couldn't beat the heat, no matter how hard he tried! 
So Wheelie tried once again, this time with the Trainbots / But the heat drove ''them'' off too, just like they were lame-bots! 
With no options left, they evacuated the town / Saving the villagers while the magma poured down. {{storylink|The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts}}

[[File:WheelieHeadOnFortMax01.jpg|upright=1|thumb|"Excuse me, good sir, I'm beggin' your pardon, But might Wheelie assist in planting your spice garden?"]]
On Athenia, Daniel was planting some seeds / And began watering them to tend to their needs. 
As Wheelie observed this dull gardening show / He was shocked when he saw [[buridanka|the plant]] starting to grow! 
The plant was a creature from the world of [[Darhos]] / That could grow to great heights, turning slimy and gross! 

Wheelie and Daniel called to Spike for some aid / Spike then looked to Arcee (since she was their maid). 
But they could do nothing, and the plant ''almost'' trashed their base / Luckily, Fortress wiped it out, leaving not even a trace. {{storylink|Head On!! Fortress Maximus}}

[[File:HM14 Daniel trips Wheelie.jpg|upright=1|thumb|]]
When Wheelie and Daniel went to [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] on a geological mission / They found that the red planet was in perilous condition! 
Scorponok had planted bombs near the planet's core / And once they went off, Mars would then be no more! 
Then the pair were attacked by the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]] [[Rippersnapper (G1)|Rippersnapper]] / Who easily abducted the duo of lame whippersnappers! 

Imprisoned deep underground in a series of caves / Daniel concocted a scheme to trick the foul knaves. 
He staged an argument with Wheelie and even a fake brawl / Which let him secretly send an Autobot distress call! 
The Headmasters then arrived and rescued the youths / But could not find the time bombs. (What terrible sleuths!) {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}}

Returned to Athenia, Wheelie looked on in fright / Praying Fortress would survive his terrible fight! 
When they found that their leader had been injured severely / Wheelie swore to the skies that the Decepticons would pay dearly! 
But Wheelie's swearing and screeching couldn't stop what was fated / Mars was blown into bits and [[Scorponok (G1)|Mega Zarak]] was created. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears}}

With the threat of Mega Zarak now looming ahead / Wheelie admitted to Daniel his feelings of dread. 
But Daniel wouldn't hear it; he knew Fortress was stronger / He'd had enough of Wheelie's crap, and he'd take it no longer. 
So with inhuman strength (and overreacting a bit) / He shoved Wheelie into a lake after throwing a fit. 

Before Wheelie could crush him with his mighty robot fist / A flying saucer zoomed past. (Oh my gawd, aliens ''do'' exist!) 
Daniel thought that the alien might be friend and not foe / So he tried to use a keyboard to communicate with it and, ''whoah'', 
Daniel was completely wrong—about as wrong as you can ''get'' / The alien was ''[[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]''. (He was off by more than a bit.) 
Humiliated by his actions, Daniel started to weep / Leaving Wheelie no choice but to soothe the little creep. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}}

[[File:HM17 Daniel and Wheelie have fun with hoses.jpg|upright=1|thumb|]]
When the planet called [[Sandra (planet)|Sandra]] sent an SOS into space / Asking for [[Energon cube]]s to save their dying race, 
The Autobots, always kindly, agreed to give them their aid / And Wheelie and Daniel tagged along to see the delivery made. 
Then the Decepticons attacked! But Spike ''knew'' that they would / And he set up a small cargo ship just so that they could 
Slip away in the battle and deliver the cubes / Wheelie and Daniel laughed out loud at the Decepticon rubes. 
And so the cargo was delivered and Sandra was saved! / Wheelie didn't do much this time, but at least he behaved. {{storylink|SOS from Planet Sandra}}

[[File:WheelieHivePlanet01.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Normally, this would bring Wheelie to tears, But he wouldn't touch a ''bug'' in a million years!]]
When the Decepticons [[Apeface]] and [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]] showed up at last / [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] told Wheelie all about their mysterious past. 
He revealed unto Wheelie that they used to be friends / But when they joined Scorponok, they could not make amends. {{storylink|Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!!}}

Wheelie and the Autobots then found themselves stuck in a race / To prevent the Decepticons from plundering space. 
The planet of [[Hive (planet)|Hive]] was the villains' first victim / But they were thwarted when the Autobots arrived to evict 'em. {{storylink|Fight to the Death on Planet Hive!!}}

As for the twin planets of [[Twin Star|Sperity and Toruin]] / Galvatron planned to ransack them and bring them to ruin. 
As Sperity was attacked for its huge energy stash / Wheelie was sent to Toruin before he could do anything rash. 

And on that barren planet Wheelie made a find: / The people of Sperity had left their old planet behind! 
They had taken their energon far away from there / Which is why Galvatron couldn't find it anywhere! 
Eventually, Galvatron was forced to just call it quits / And the Autobots left the Speritans to start over in the pits. {{storylink|Battle for Defense of the False Planet}}

At ''[[Video Challenger]]'', Daniel proved very skilled / But Wheelie's reaction to him was a little less thrilled. 
So he challenged the kid to shoot an apple that he held up / But Daniel shot his ''arm'' instead when his aim got fouled up. 

A penal colony on [[Daros]] was their next landing point / So they could rescue some war criminals being slaughtered in the joint. 
One of the criminals, though, tried to cut Daniel's neck / And Wheelie was helpless to stop him, but hey, ''what the heck''. 
As it turns out, the criminal wasn't really ''that'' bad / And when he let Daniel go, no one ''really'' got mad. 
He gave information that helped them unravel a serious knot / And let them defeat MegaZarak. (Though they hadn't found his weak spot.) {{storylink|Find MegaZarak's Weak Spot!!}}

[[File:WheelieHeadFormationFriendship01.jpg|upright=1|thumb|So when Wheelie is horny his eyes glow like the Devil's? This is unsettling on ''soooo'' many levels...]]
The Decepticons drew them next to the jungle planet [[Paradise]] / Where they were plundering energy and doing things not-so-nice! 
So with the Headmasters setting out to solve their enemy's tests / Daniel and Wheelie met [[Papika]] and her voluptuous... ''face''. 
Wheelie was smitten quite quickly, and his eyes glowed deep red / It's best not to imagine the thoughts that went through ''his'' head. 

After learning to fish, Wheelie tried his best to impress her / By transforming into a car, but his skills proved the lesser 
When compared to Papika's; she could talk to beasts large and small / Making it clear that Wheelie couldn't impress her ''at all''. 
Later, the Headmasters won the day, just like they always did / And Wheelie gave up on Papika. (She was out of your league, kid.) {{storylink|Head Formation of Friendship}}

On their travels, the Decepticons proved formidable foes / Having stolen energy from six planets. Why? ''Lord only knows''. 
Approaching [[Pirate Planet]], Wheelie spotted something quite freaky: / An old space pirate ship that was battered, damaged and leaky. 
And then an awesome adventure immediately began / Involving pirates! And pyramids! Treasure! [[Clone (subgroup)|Clones]]! And...''aw, man''. 
Wheelie sat the whole thing out, letting Daniel have all the fun / Of all the adventures to miss, he had to skip out on ''that'' one? {{storylink|Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship}}

As [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] struggled in vain to crack Scorponok's secret code / Daniel and Wheelie tried to help him cross that long, bumpy road. 
Unfortunately, their "help" proved far too insufficient / And they had to start over from scratch (not very efficient). 
Then Sixshot attacked and blew [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] into bits / And Wheelie attended his funeral between crying fits. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}

From the Athenia base, Wheelie watched Spike blow his top; / The 'Cons were ransacking Earth and weren't going to stop! 
They were blaming Chromedome for the team's lack of success / But Arcee told them to chill and to give it a rest. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}}

[[File:IRiskMyLifeForWheelie01.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Wheelie likes to blame Chromedome for all that he can. He's a serious douchebag in this cartoon from Japan.]]
On a mission to Earth, Chromedome had just one simple job / To keep Spike from getting killed, but that big robotic knob 
Screwed it all up and Spike went into intensive care / Daniel forgave Chromedome, but Wheelie wouldn't let it end there. 
Chromedome tried to say sorry, but Wheelie said it wasn't enough / Even by ''Wheelie's'' standards, he was treating Chromedome pretty rough. 

As Spike recovered from surgery, Wheelie was then put to work / Helping to find Mega Zarak's weakspot for Chromedome (that ''jerk''). 
After tens of minutes of labor, they all figured it out / The weak spot was on his chest beyond all shadow of a doubt! {{storylink|I Risk My Life for Earth}}

With the Decepticons banished from Earth, the Autobots needed aid / In gathering [[Plasma energy]] bombs so the humans would not be afraid. 
To accomplish this goal, Wheelie offered to call on friends that he knew / But Daniel laughed in his face! Wheelie was friendless and a ''fibber'', too! 

Then much to Daniel's surprise, Wheelie proved him totally wrong / When his good "friends" [[Pointblank]], [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] came along! 
Those Autobots were great warriors! Daniel was very impressed! / But at being called Wheelie's "friends" the trio became very distressed. 
As it turns out, they ''weren't'' his "friends"; Wheelie was an absolute liar! / They were his superior officers! His robo-pants were on fire! {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}}

With Wheelie's good "friends" now turned into powerful [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s / The veterans began insulting the obsolete Headmasters. 
In front of Daniel and Wheelie, Pointblank came down on Chromedome / Who feared the after effects of the disrespect he was shown. 
But Daniel and Wheelie didn't respect Chromedome any less / (If they respected him ''at all'' is, well, ''anyone's'' guess). {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}}

[[File:TheWheelieSwordIsInDanger01.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Okay, sure, Wheelie. ''Whatever you say.'' Daniel can't be a Headmaster (in ''this'' continuity, anyway).]]
While set down on planet Master, Wheelie became full of himself / Vowing to become a Headmaster by improving fitness and health. 
Daniel rolled his eyes and laughed out loud; Wheelie's dreams were too silly / Wheelie told Daniel he could ''never'' be one; he was too fleshy and frilly. 
Very early the next morning, Wheelie snuck outside for a run / Only to be captured by Sixshot, whose evil scheme had begun! 

Sixshot threatened to dip Wheelie in acid if Fortress didn't agree / To give up the [[Master Sword]]'s secrets and to do it quickly! 
Pointblank coldly suggested they just let Wheelie melt and die / But Daniel and Chromedome disagreed! They'd save the little guy! 
Going against orders, the pair snuck inside of Scorponok / With Daniel using his size to sneak past the energy locks. 

They got Wheelie out safely, but alas, their rescue was too late / Fortress had just handed over his secrets! Well, ain't that just ''great''? 
Furious at the trio for leaving the ship without orders / He gave them a mop and a bucket and said to wash ''all'' the quarters. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}}

Thanks to Wheelie's epic failure, the Decepticons took what they stole / And began construction of the [[Zarak Shield]] as their ultimate goal. 
As the Headmasters traversed Master to thwart the sinister plan / Wheelie stood ontop of Battleship Maximus, hanging with Dan. 
They were startled by [[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]], who had concocted a plan all his own / He'd set bombs on the ship and didn't want their cover to be blown! 
Weirdwolf's plan was a success; the bombs completely ruined the ship / And with his fancy new shield, Zarak prepared to beat on the crip. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}}

While [[Raiden]] and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] worked double time on repairs / Wheelie and Dan found themselves useless to help with such affairs. 
As the grown-ups worked diligently to create tactics and plans / The kids went to play video games at their elder's demands. {{storylink|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}}

With the Maximus repaired, the Autobots set off into space / After Mega Zarak whom they ''once again'' had to chase. 
In an effort to kill time, Wheelie had his ''greatest'' idea yet: / He and Daniel would see what it was like inside a laser turret! 
Then the turret was damaged with Daniel still stuck inside / And jettisoned away from the ship; Wheelie just about ''cried''. 
Daniel made it back (with Sixshot's help), much to Wheelie's relief; / If he had caused Daniel's death, Wheelie would have been crippled with grief! {{storylink|My Friend Sixshot!}}

Sixshot may have saved Daniel, but he was still no Autobot friend / And challenged Chromedome to a duel where he'd surely meet his end. 
Wheelie, that eavesdropping punk, heard about the whole situation / And ran and told Daniel, who wasn't keen on the confrontation. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

[[File:FinalWheeliegoodbye.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Here's a joke that's a real zinger. Go ahead, Daniel, pull my finger!]]
Because of that stupid duel, Mega Zarak made it to Earth first / Once again, it was ''all'' Chromedome's fault (that guy is really the ''worst''). 
Daniel was busy pouting, thinking Sixshot had died in the fight / Wheelie teased the brat, anyway (never one to pass on a slight). 
They eventually reached Earth, but tragedy wasn't far behind: / Spike's plane crashed down in the Andes and they were all in a bind! 
Wheelie followed his good buddy, who had to rescue his mother / And Daniel saved the day, yet again! A true hero! (''Oh brother...'') {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)}}

It turned out Scorponok's master plan involved blowing up the Earth / And gathering up the released energy (which was of tremendous worth). 
With friends and justice, the Autobots joined hands in formation / And prevented Scorponok's insidius detonation! 
Mega Zarak destroyed and the Decepticons driven away / Wheelie and Daniel were left with only goodbyes to say. 
Wheelie promised to visit Daniel again when he was older / And though they were apart, their passions would forever smolder. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}
{{--}}

=====''15 Go! Go!'' comics=====
[[File:15GoGo Wheelie.jpeg|upright=1|thumb|Forget about how he speaks: Rag on him for being a freak!]]
While [[Teletraan 15]] performed her / Task, to learn about Transformers, 
Wheelie, being a nasty pervert / Kneeled down and lifted her skirt, 
Pleased to see the snow-white lace / 'Til [[Teletraan 10|10]] kicked him in the face. 
After that, the little pest / Transformed, perhaps to dodge arrest. 
{{storylink|Wheelie Volume}}

Thankfully, [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] grabbed the bastard / And yelled at him for his harassment. 
{{storylink|Kup Volume}}
{{--}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
[[File:Legends Wheelie.jpeg|right|thumb|Wheelie concedes that soccer is fun, So long as the ball is also a gun.]]
[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] came back [[2021|ten years later]] / With a plan to detonate a 
[[Black hole (phenomenon)|Black hole]], absorbing its [[Plasma energy|energy]] / And destroying all his enemies. 
[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] and his crew attempted / To reach the bomb, and intercept it. 
But, they forced Scorponok's hand / To blow it sooner than he'd planned. 
Thinking of the children, Fortress / Turned to Wheelie with new orders: 
Take the [[Headmaster Junior|Junior Headmaster]]s / On a ship to dodge disaster. 
The black hole turned to searing white. / Did Scorponok win? Not quite. 
The effect was not what he'd been thinking / Rather, they all started shrinking! 
Fortress quickly gave a lecture: / Black balls, pulling each [[transtector]] 
From inside the body cavity / Had formed from the black hole's gravity. 
The fact that Wheelie left before'd / Kept him alone from being [[Super deformed|deformed]]. 
The other bots all had to shed / Their bodies, just becoming heads. 
To get new ones, they all hurled / Headfirst to the [[Legends World]]. 
{{storylink|Headmaster Chapter Prologue}}

Later, at a soccer game / Having clearly [[#15 Go! Go! comics|felt no shame]], 
Wheelie (christ, this sucks, dear reader) / Flipped the skirt of [[Arcee (G1)|a cheerleader]]. 
[[Shūta Gō|Shūta]] wished Wheelie was paying / More attention to him playing. 
Wheelie argued soccer's boring / Not at all like ''real'' warring. 
With a blast, a pitch invader / Put a pin in that for later— 
[[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] had stormed the field / With [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s head under heel! 
Transforming, the boys sprang to action. / The head was kicked—meaning, match on. 
Leaping up from Wheelie's cockpit / Shūta met the play and blocked it, 
Converting to head mode, such / That Wheelie got [[The Touch|the touch]]. 
The crowd knew to root, and roar / For Shūta Gō did shoot—and score. 
Galvatron fell to the grass / And, out climbed [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]! 
"Maybe soccer has its kicks" / Wheelie said, assaulting chicks. 
{{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 29|Bonus Edition Vol. 29}}
{{--}}

====''TV Magazine'' comic continuity====
=====''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''=====
In 2010, [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] hatched a plan, 
To gobble up spaceships as fast as he can! 
To accomplish this, he built a mechanical creature 
With huge, toothy jaws as its primary feature. 

[[File:Transformers2010MangaIssue5PrimeEnergyDefense01.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Want to compensate for being a tiny one? Then just buy yourself an enormous gun!]]
The Autobots found out and were quickly deployed, 
Vowing not to give up until the beast was destroyed! 
Wheelie was among the heroes enlisted to fight, 
And helped [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus]] sneak inside the gargantuan blight. 
Rodimus blew up the creature with a smartly placed bomb, 
And when the Autobots celebrated, Wheelie joined right along. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #1}}

When planet [[Feminia]] and its [[Prime Energy Tower]] 
Came under attack from Decepticon power, 
Wheelie joined the Autobots in defending the thing, 
Though their best efforts proved futile against [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]]. 

Observing the fight, Wheelie compared it to a game, 
Prompting [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] to lash out, calling him stupid and lame! 
The Decepticons eventually lost and were driven away, 
When the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]]s arrived to help win the day! {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #5}}

=====''The Great Transformer War''=====
During a battle between [[Abominus (G1)|Abominus]] and [[Computron (G1)|Computron]], 
Wheelie mocked and insulted the defeated [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]! 
But Wheelie's cries of joy soon became cries of horror, 
When the Terrorcons brainwashed the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] warrior! 

The [[Cohesive Control Liquid]] had seized Computron's mind 
And forced him to join up with the Decepticons' kind! 
Luckily, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] was there, observing the fight, 
And used a special device to turn everything right! {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2|The Great Transformer War #2}}

=====''The Headmasters'' comic=====
[[File:DanielWheelie.jpg|upright=1|thumb|When you have at this frame peered, You'll have to admit, it's pretty weird.]]
Shortly after the defeat of [[Scorponok (G1)|Mega Zarak]], 
[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundblaster]] showed up and began to attack! 
Wheelie, unprepared, took a kick right to the face. 
All can agree he was put in his place! 

When [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]] took hostage [[Carly (G1)|Carly]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], 
[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]] went berserk and started to strike! 
Sending the [[Decepticon Mini-Cassette|Cassette dinosaurs]] running back home, 
Soundblaster was left open to an attack from [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]]. 

As the Autobots left Earth, Wheelie and Daniel said "Goodbye." 
They cuddled and they snuggled and started to cry. 
{{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters #8}}
{{--}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
[[File:Wheelie judgment day.jpg|thumb|upright=1|We don't see him giving the Dinobots trouble His part was chopped down to just one speech bubble.]]
[[File:Wheeliefurmanism.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Though his speech filters through a rhyming prism, Wheelie still can manage a [[Furmanism]]!]]
{{note|Below, the italics is just a mnemonic / To show that this happened in the UK comic.}}

''In one possible future timeline / Wheelie appeared suddenly on the sidelines 
''He'd found a ship while on the run from Quintessons / To which Hot Rod was welcome—good first impression! 
{{storylink|Judgment Day!}}''

''On Junkion, when their ship made its arrival / Wheelie bore witness to Magnus' revival. 
''(One can assume things went otherwise similar / To [[#The Transformers cartoon|Wheelie's adventure as was seen in cinemas]].) 
{{storylink|The Final Battle!}}''

''Wheelie later returned to [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]] / Acting as Rodimus Prime's intercessor. 
''Wreck-Gar, about to be Sharkticon chowder / Was rescued by Wheelie, who dropped him a ladder. 
''With Quintesson fighters patrolling, they waited. / Unsure whether to run, they debated. 
''Wheelie convinced him, and so they scrambled / Using emergency thrust as a gamble. 
''Jets overheating, pursued by a squadron / Wreck-Gar set course for the Delta Six quadrant. 
''There, on an asteroid, his Junkion friends / Had the [[Quintesson Journal|message canister]] ready to send. 
''In a flash, Wreck-Gar's radio station / Successfully ruined the Quints' reputation. 
{{storylink|Space Pirates!}}''

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
In the background, he briefly emerged / On a Cybertron highway near Blurr and Scourge. 
{{storylink|The Power and the Glory}}
{{--}}

===Marvel coloring books===
[[File:Wheelie Treasure Coloring Book.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Wheelie's battery-powered and knows how to vibrate! (No, that's not what we meant, you perverted primate.)]]

Wheelie and others were enjoying a picnic / When Kup chose to share an unusual titbit: 
Long ago, back when the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] crashed / They lost some [[energon cube]]s—a large cache! 
Hot Rod thought it was a no-brainer / To go on a hunt for the missing container. 
But [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who had been secretly spying / Escaped with the news thanks to his clever flying. 
With no time to waste they went back to [[Autobot City (G1)|the city]] / Where Ultra Magnus gathered up a committee. 
But by the time they arrived at [[Mount St. Hilary|Mt. St. Hillary]] / Galvatron was claiming the cubes for his villainy! 
[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] saw everyone caught up with brawling / Opened his mouth, and shovelled the cubes all in! 
Galvatron, not similarly energon-empowered / Was still an even match for the coward. 
So, while the two would-be leaders were bickering / The Autobots sidled off home, snickering. 
{{storylink|The Lost Treasure of Cybertron}}

When Hot Rod and Daniel were attacked by [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]]s, 
Those wicked Decepticons were playing for keeps! 
He fled from the scene to go fetch some reinforcements. 
Wheelie moved so fast he could've had NASCAR endorsements! 
At Autobot City, Ultra Magnus heard the news 
And soon those evil Decepticons were singing the blues! 
{{storylink|Hot Rod's Escape}}
{{--}}

===Big Looker storybooks===
[[File:Wildboyofquintessonbattle.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|So you think that Wheelie's stupid and just hate his guts? Well Wheelie's ten times cooler than ''you'' are, you sniveling putz!]]

While Wheelie was flying through space with [[Wheelie's parents|his parents]] / Their corkscrew-shaped rocket ran out of propellant. 
When it exploded, Wheelie was thrown forth and / Left on [[Quintessa (planet)|the planet]] dazed, lost, and orphaned. 
The [[Quintesson]]s came across the boy where he fell / And dragged him away to one of their cells. 
Not long after regaining consciousness / Wheelie got a taste of Quintesson justice: 
When he was pushed out over a [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]] tank. / But, leaping up in an arc from the plank, 
Wheelie fled out through the halls to the jungle / And attempts to recapture the boy were all bungled. 
Thanks to a firestone sling and a laser knife / And the love of his parents, he eked out a life. 
On Earth, loading up boxes one by one / [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and friends prepared for a supply run, 
But the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s loaded too much shipment on / And so they too wound up crashed on [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintesson]]! 
Luckily Wheelie leapt out from the treeline / To take out the Quintessons creeping up behind. 
Wheelie turned to go, but got stopped / By a friendly greeting from Hot Rod. 
With more reinforcements quick to follow / Wheelie and his friends fled into the hollow. 
Together with Hot Rod, Wheelie raced / To his parents'—and their ship's—resting place. 
The others bought them the time they required / For Hot Rod to fix the ship so they could fly her. 
Wheelie, on watch, thought he felt an earthquake / But it was only the Dinobots making the ground shake. 
He motioned for them to get onto the corkscrew / And waved, sad he'd soon have nobody to talk to. 
But at the last minute, Hot Rod made him get on! / So went {{storylink|The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson}}

===Toy pack-in material===
On a moon base, Wheelie helped Rodimus Prime. / Hot Rod was weirdly there at the same time...? 
{{storylink|Decipher the Decepticon}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Departure-WheelieDaniel.jpg|upright=1|thumb|For Daniel only Arcee cried, But poor Wheelie also died!]]

Wheelie and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]], now much better fighters / Helped [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] hold off an army of [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]]s 
So [[Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist|Doc Fujiyama]], the legion's creator / Could make an escape on a [[Micro Trailer]]. 
Just as the doctor made it to evac / A ninja-bot stabbed Wheelie in the back. 
As Wheelie lay dying, his friend Daniel stayed / To make a last stand, pulling out a grenade. 
Together they went out in a blaze of honor / As Arcee watched on from the shuttle in horror. 
{{storylink|Departure}}

[[File:Wheeliebrawntapoutescape.jpg|upright=1|thumb|This Wheelie's not one for hawing and hemming, He'll jump into lava pools like a lemming.]]

A different Wheelie to that old one / Plucked from [[Primax 1108.10 Alpha|his home timeline]], wound up in the [[Cauldron]], 
Where kidnapped Transformers were forced into duels / Releasing their [[spark]]s to give [[Unicron]] fuel. 
Freeing the prisoners, [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] and [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] / Led Wheelie and countless more abductees in revolt. 
Wheelie helped stop the two sparring brothers / [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], from killing each other. 
After watching [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] take / A leap of faith into a molten lake 
Only for [[Primus]] to come to his rescue / Wheelie jumped in, passing the test too. 
In beams of light, the [[Child of Primus|Children]] dispersed. / Maybe Wheelie went back to his universe? 
{{storylink|Escape (Universe)|Escape}}
{{--}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:PassiveAggression-Wheelie.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Wheelie's gone feral! (Let's hope he's sterile.)]]
[[File:WheelieGnaw.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Dreamwave made one good decision: Giving Wheelie supervision.]]

{{note|In [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s Generation 1 reboot / Wheelie was depicted as totally mute.}}

When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] took over as Cybertron's commander / Not every bot fell for his propaganada. 
Out in the Wastelands, the rebels met freely / And at some point they picked up [[Gnaw (G1)|Gnaw]] and Wheelie. 
Wheelie was an orphan—the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]] / Had decided to act as the little bot's guardian? 
Later, after Gnaw rescued [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus]] / It was Wheelie and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] who stopped him just 
In time from killing the shark by mistake / In his confusion once he was awake. 
Wheelie, taking after his new dad's example / Gave Optimus Prime a bite on the ankle. 
{{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

Convening once Shockwave's rule was no more / [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Magnus]] gave Wheelie and Hot Rod a chore, 
One that Hot Rod thought a waste / Of their talents: to guard [[Autobase]]. 
{{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
{{note|The following issue was [[Unreleased Dreamwave issues|cancelled abruptly]] / Because of Dreamwave Productions' bankruptcy.}}
As they watched over Prime, still in [[CR chamber|stasis]] / The sound of a [[Space bridge|space bridge]] put shock on their faces. 
Come to steal Prime from his unconscious swimmin' / Was the worst enemy they'd yet faced: [[Female Autobots|women]], 
Designed by a [[Quintesson]] illuminati / To conquer with feminine skill and karate. 
[[Elita One (G1)|Elita]] stomped Hot Rod, grinding her heel in. / Wheelie stayed back and hid in the ceiling. 
Seeing his shark dad fall to one chop / He waited 'til they walked below him, then dropped. 
[[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] fell but before he could beat her / Wheelie was kicked to the floor by Elita. 
As she loomed over and readied her spear / [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] appeared! 
Though they saved Wheelie, they were too late / The Quintesson agents left through their gate. 
{{storylink|Unreleased Dreamwave issues#Issue 11|Generation 1 #11}}
{{--}}

===''Lil Formers''===
Wheelie thought [[#The Transformers cartoon|his last role]] would prove he / Had acting chops for [[Transformers (film)|the live-action movie]]. 
{{storylink|Lil Formers|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 15}}

Even though he talked in rhyme / Wheelie could one day be [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]! 
[[Alpha Trion]] checked the list / He'd come after [[Roller (G1)|Roller]] and [[Twin Twist (G1)|Twin Twist]]. 
{{storylink|Lil Formers|Spotlight: Wheelie}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
{{first|''[[Spotlight: Optimus Prime]]''}}
[[File:Wheeliesurvival.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Wheelie is sad, For once again he's been had!]]
[[File:Arachnosaurslwheelie.JPG|upright=1|thumb|]]
[[File:Chaosterosslwheelie.JPG|upright=1|thumb|]]
Wheelie's actions in [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s war / Weren't the type that you'd write verses for. 
When [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Magnus]]'s launcher ran out of rockets / Wheelie'd be standing by to restock it. 
Finally, [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] gave him a mission: / To find a new planet that they could exist on. 
Of course, with Wheelie's luck being the worst / His ship hit a radiation burst. 
Systems crashing—and with them his vessel / Wheelie could only send a distress call. 
{{storylink|Spotlight: Wheelie}}

(The message made it to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] / Who had better things to do with his time.) 
{{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}}

The place he arrived at sure wasn't heaven / But Wheelie's own hell: [[LV-117]]. 
Salvaging all that he could from the wreck / Wheelie got by with some jury-rigged tech, 
Including a transmitter up in his aerie / Along with a slingshot for when things got hairy. 
Hoping to find a lifeform worth meeting / Wheelie would try the [[universal greeting]], 
But all the fauna was numb to his charm / And worse, a [[Chaosteros]] bit off his arm! 
Though he rescued his limb (from the creature's manure) / The injury wasn't so easy to cure; 
For from that point, when he'd convert / His presumably-dead arm would hurt.

After meta-cycles passed / A shooting star gave hope at last. 
Wheelie set out on the trek / To find any surviving mechs. 
But on the way to find the ship / A spiderweb caused him to trip— 
Buried in the desert floor / There waited an [[arachnosaur]]! 
His [[energon converter]] pack / Was all that stopped him being a snack. 
The unit, though, was worse for wear / And took him ages to repair. 
He came across a lake of lava / With a bridge to take him farther. 
Changing mode despite the pain / He thus drove down the cryptic lane.

At last he saw the ship's detritus / And, with it, [[Spectro]] and [[Spyglass]]! 
The pair of mean Decepticons / Had [[Varta|an alien]] in bonds. 
His slingshot destroyed the cuffs / Distracting them just long enough 
For Wheelie to sneak on their ride / Only to find a corpse inside! 
Seeing [[Viewfinder|Viewfinder]]'s Decepticon symbol / Wheelie knew the choice was simple: 
Even if the ship could fly / He'd never let a stranger die.

Following traces, bit by bit he / Tracked the fleshling to a city. 
There, he found a waiting vessel / But its owner sought to wrestle! 
Wheelie quickly called a truce / And asked if he could be of use. 
The alien's translator chimed: / He needed to speak in rhyme! 
So, he tried a little harder / And soon he could converse with [[Varta]]. 
The only thing the rocket needed / Was a little fuel to feed it. 
His energon converter mustered / Just enough to prime the thrusters! 
But when they would least expect so / Wheelie's friend was shot by Spectro! 
Forced to choose between departure / Or to save his new pal Varta, 
Wheelie let them steal the rocket / But minus one important socket. 
So, the converter overloaded / and the rising ship exploded.

Using all the scrap that fell / The pair soon made a place to dwell, 
And by the time of one year later / Speaking rhyme was second nature. 
{{storylink|Spotlight: Wheelie}}

[[File:Cloaked Wheelie the Stars My Destination.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Wheelie has done things he cannot forget. (But he'd do them again without regret.)]]
Proving that he wasn't feckless / Wheelie wore a tooth-filled necklace 
And a furry cloak he'd gained / From some monsters that he'd slain. 
To finally breach the atmosphere / He and Varta buccaneered 
[[Quintesson spacecraft|Another ship]], shaped like a corkscrew / Filled with wildlife to talk to. 
Just in time—armageddon / Came to LV-117. 
Its blue sky turned to bloody red / As [[Unicron|the great destroyer]] fed. 
But in a crazy twist of fate / Optimus showed up—bit late! 
(We must ask you for your patience / This part takes some explanation.) 
[[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] had seeded the planet / As part of his [[Regenesis]] plan: it 
Had become unstuck in time / And the same happened to Prime, 
Named once more Orion Pax as / He chased Shockwave's coach, [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]. 
[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] ran poor Varta through / So Wheelie opened up his zoo; 
The Chaosteros and arachnosaur / Duked it out with [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]]. 
Jhiaxus, from the corkscrew's heights / Gloated he held the device 
Shockwave built to wield the power / [[Ore-1]] had to [[Time travel|shape the hours]]. 
Wheelie shot up at the ship / And knocked it from the madbot's grip. 
In a flash, the rest were gone / Leaving him the only one. 
{{storylink|Syndromica (2)}}

Wheelie, forced to relocate / Flew to [[LV-118]]. 
There, he took up playing [[Transformer music|music]] / Which he found quite therapeutic. 
The Chaosteros he'd brought along / Could be wrangled with his songs.

He shared the planet with a crew / Of aliens who'd crashed there too. 
They nicknamed him the "'''Jangle Man'''" / But they weren't his biggest fan; 
They stripped his ship for all its worth / Then gave the 'bot a wider berth.

After several years passed by / [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] fell from the sky. 
Stranded, [[Acid rain|acid-tossed]] and lost / He angered the Chaosteros, 
Wheelie, though, was there to save / His life inside the monster's cave. 
Dragging him back to the ship / Wheelie fixed his damaged hip. 
Rodimus was much surprised / To learn that Wheelie had survived 
But Wheelie couldn't quite recall / Being an Autobot at all.

The two of them were found by [[Garnak]] / But Wheelie gave his head a hard smack 
So that, while he was unconscious / He could be tied up by Rodimus. 
Their goals, it turned out, were compatible / So they went to lure the [[Admiral]] 
Out from [[Tantiv-Nas|the organics' spaceship]] / Which couldn't fly without the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]. 
While [[Codder]] and the Admiral / Fought off Wheelie's animal 
The three of them, aboard, were able / To connect some jumper cables 
From the Matrix, fast enough / To send them safely blasting off. 
After Rodimus passed out / Wheelie had to set the route! 
{{storylink|Space Opera Part 1: The Stars My Destination|The Stars My Destination}}

Wheelie thought it would be best / To take the Matrix from his chest. 
When Rodimus found out they'd gone / "home"—as in, to Cybertron 
He became extremely panicked. / He'd meant ''[[Earth]]''—a different planet! 
Luckily, the "things" outside / Were [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] and [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]]! 
Thrilled to meet old friends once more / Wheelie gave Ironhide a tour 
But their tales would have to keep / They were spotted by a [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]]! 
Rodimus and Wheelie chased / The scout across the empty waste; 
With his slingshot, Wheelie aimed / And shot down the spying plane. 
But, despite their best intentions / They had [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]]'s attention! 
They fled, a squadron giving chase / And hoped their ship could get to space; 
The Matrix spent, it'd haveta fly on / A battery left by [[Alpha Trion]]. 
Thankfully, the engines started / And so, to Earth, they all departed. 
{{storylink|Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|Out of the Silent Planet}} {{storylink|Heart of Darkness issue 4|Heart of Darkness #4}}

[[File:IDWongoing21 Wheelie.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Inside, there's a voice, real small That says, ''They didn't miss you at all.'']]
There, the Autobots were thrilled / To reunite with those thought killed. 
{{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}}

[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] and Wheelie went / To spy on Galvatron's intent. 
Wheelie aimed his sniper rifle / From a tower to get an eyeful. 
Not content to simply peep / Wheelie had to kill a Sweep! 
With one shot, he blew the mission / And gave away their team's position. 
A savior came, but though they'd begged for one / They didn't think it would be ''[[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]!'' 
{{storylink|Chaos Part Two: Numbers|Numbers}}

Outgunned, the pair of them fell back / To warn of Megatron's attack. 
More Decepticons appeared / Which Cliffy thought was pretty weird! 
(After Megs, the rest arrived / Through a space bridge he'd contrived.) 
Wheelie helped keep them at bay / And very nearly died that day 
But just as [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] knocked him prone / All of them went still as stone. 
Chanting code in binary / The 'cons went all combiner-y, 
Merging with the Sweeps as well / Into the [[D-Void]]'s [[Deceptigod|monstrous shell]]. 
{{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}}

The sight of it left Wheelie stunned / Clanging rhythms with his gun. 
And though it did eventually fall / Wheelie wasn't involved at all. 
{{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}}

[[File:Syndromica1 pax and crew.jpg|thumb|Underage drinkin' is hella bitchin'! (This stays between us; don't be snitchin'!)]]
[[File:Bludgeon Wheelie Syndromica1.jpg|upright=1|thumb|"Hey, let's all shit on Wheelie! That sounds like plenty of fun!" Writers hate this guy more than that [[Cy-Kill (GoBots)|certain other someone]].]]
With his mind not so well after years of taking flight / Wheelie sought active duty to keep his brain going right. 
So he accompanied Hardhead and Garnak with a smile / Guarding the sinister [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] in self-imposed exile!

On [[Arduria]], Wheelie became discombobulated / When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] had Jhiaxus fiercely liberated! 
In pursuit of [[Regenesis]], the villains immediately fled / To the distant LV system (a place that messed with Wheelie's head). 
{{storylink|Syndromica (1)}}

He and his friends gave chase through space's vast infinity / But found not their quarry but another [[Reflector (G1)|'Con trinity]]. 
It was none other than the trio that ''should'' have been dead. / And yet somehow they were out piloting a spaceship instead! 

The reason for this soon became known (if not so much ''clear'') / When they followed them to a place that filled Wheelie with fear. 
It was the very same planet where Wheelie had been stranded / (And the same place where Reflector had gotten his ass handed). 
For [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] had tampered with this world, long long ago / And plucked it from the lockstep of time's regular flow. 
Flashes of the past and future collided, ''cor blimey''! / All in all, it was an adventure most ''timey-wimey''. 
Orion Pax went back in time on some ridiculous trip / And in the end Jhiaxus made away with the 'Con's spaceship. 
{{storylink|Syndromica (2)}}

[[File:HardheadShootsWheelie Homecoming.jpg|upright=1|thumb|]]
They chased that evil rascal all the way to [[Gorlam Prime]] / In the desperate hope that they could possibly stop him in time. 
Their investigation led them deep beneath the surface / To an abandoned city that served no obvious purpose. 
Wheelie found out the hard way to keep his hand in his pocket / As a corrosive dissolved his arm right up to its socket. 
The city turned out to be a slumbering [[Titan (group)|Titan]] / Whom Jhiaxus awoke, primed and ready for fightin'! 
With his colossal new pal, Jhiaxus quickly flew the coop / Leaving Wheelie behind to disintegrate alongside his group. 
Gorlam Prime was dissolving, but Orion wasn't scared: / For just such an occasion, he had an [[Skyroller|escape ship]] prepared! 
At last understanding Jhiaxus's convoluted scheme / One-armed Wheelie set course for Cybertron (along with his team). 
{{storylink|Homecoming (IDW)|Homecoming}}

The ship tried to escape Gorlam's gravity well / But they couldn't break free! Things didn't look swell. 
The ''[[Lost Light]]'' soon saved them, and blasted ahead / All the way home, while Wheelie spoke with Hardhead. 
Wheelie said that the [[Knights of Cybertron|Knights]] were a lie, and he didn't believe / But there was no time to argue, because Orion had to leave! 
{{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}}

Pax left for the [[Dead Universe]], that cold, morbid realm / Wheelie wished him farewell and let Pax take the helm. 
{{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}}

While Orion embarked on his perilous trip / Wheelie and Garnak remained behind on the ship. 
Orion, in trouble, asked the pair for a lift / But Wheelie informed him that there was no more rift! 
The former Prime was stranded, he couldn't get through / And poor Wheelie had no idea what he could do. 
{{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}}

But Wheelie and Garnak hadn't thrown in the towel! / Though we don't know how, they met up with [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]. 
The redoubtable trio—plus new friend, [[Stardrive]]— / Were next to be seen on [[Regalis V|Regalis Five]]. 
Marooned [[Throttlebot]]s were under some threat / From bad [[Maximal]]s—but weren't dead yet! 
{{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}}

They boarded [[Peaceful Revolution|Prowl's ship]], and all took a seat / Put it in gear, and made hasty retreat. 
{{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}}

The crew persevered despite Cybertron's scouring / Then helped save the Earth! Pretty empowering! 
{{storylink|Road's End}} {{storylink|Assembly (Unicron)|Assembly}} {{storylink|Ceremony}}
{{-}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in manga===
[[File:Henkei 11 cover.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|When your parents have a new kid, Out you go on the dustbin lid!]]

As a full-on member of the [[Mini-Vehicle|Minibot]] team, 
Wheelie went on a mission that was more than it seemed. 
Following energy signatures, the group of peons 
Unearthed a dino-Transformer who'd been buried for eons! 

Wheelie wasn't congratulated for his hard work. 
Instead, the confused [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] up and went berserk! 
[[Hot Shot (G1)|Hot Shot]] intervened and handed the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] defeat, 
Which was good news for Wheelie, who almost became dead meat. 
{{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 11}}
{{--}}

===''TransTech''===
[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] was mistaken, by [[Flareup (G1)|the]] [[Megatron (G1)|bots]] [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|he'd]] [[Transcendent Technomorph|meet]], for / Wheelie, [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]], [[T-Bob]], and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]. 
{{storylink|Bee in the City}}

[[File:TFvsJoe8 HarvesterUnitWheelie.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Makes you lose respect for Transformers collectors.]]
===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
A [[harvester unit]] was spotted by [[General Flagg|Flagg]] / Picking up Wheelie to melt him to slag. 
{{storylink|Pax Megatronus}}

But he survived that, and all the duking! / He lived on to salute [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]], the new king. 
{{storylink|The War Never Ends}}

===''Prime Wars Trilogy'' marketing material===
Wheelie was gunning to take the lead / Over [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], on [[Velocitron|the planet of speed]], 
With [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Squeezeplay (G1)|Crashbash]] shooting their tyres / To kidnap Blurr's partner [[Haywire (G1)|Hyperfire]]! 
{{storylink|Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters}}

===''Last Bot Standing''===
[[File:LastBotStanding3-WheelieSteeljawSharpclaw.jpg|upright=1|thumb|How time takes its toll. You know how the saying goes: One day, heads will roll.]]

The most annoying 
Bot in [[Steeljaw (IDW)|Steeljaw]]'s whole crew was 
Named the Veteran. 

Steeljaw used the group's 
[[Biofuel|Food supplies]] to first revive 
All the better ones. 
{{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 2|Last Bot Standing #2}}

He was brought online 
To talk to [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]], who 
Wasn't much psyched to 

Learn that he, Wheelie, 
Reduced to a rolling head, 
Now spoke in haikus. 

Kindly, Wheelie let 
Rodimus embrace [[Shib Wallkis|Shib]], who 
He wanted to eat. 

[[File:LastBotStanding3-WheelieBitesRodimus.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Not the same writer— How strange they too think Wheelie's An [[#Dreamwave Generation One continuity|ankle-biter]].]]

To his shock, Shib used 
[[Energon key|Her key]] to put Rodimus 
Back up on two feet. 

Sending goons to warn 
Steeljaw, he made his last stand 
(So to speak), floored it— 

And chomped on Rod's leg. 
Unimpressed, Rodimus kicked 
Him into orbit. 
{{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 3|Last Bot Standing #3}}

His head, stuck in space, 
Could be glimpsed, even after 
The end of their race. 
{{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 4|Last Bot Standing #4}}

===Energon Universe===
When Quintessa's judge's attentions were turned / To more pressing matters, the court was adjourned. 
Leaving their alien prisoners to chew on / Just what had stayed their cruel execution. 
At the back of the cell, a bot in a cloak / Asked them to hush—and rhymed as he spoke. 
The slim 'bot—''Wheelie!''—staged a breakout / His slingshot forging their escape route. 
A few were caught and dragged back in / By Sharkticons with toothy grins, 
But soon, the bot-hunt rapidly ended / And Wheelie wasn't apprehended! 
His friends assumed they'd lost the scent / But Wheelie worried what it meant. 
Indeed, the Quints had planned to go try and / Take back their ultimate weapon: [[Goliant]]! 
{{storylink|Void Rivals Energon Universe 2025 Special story|Energon Universe 2025 Special}}

Later, [[Pythona]] arrived with her squad / And soon was attacked by a cephalopod. 
Wheelie slingshotted the eye of the squid / Suggesting that the three of them hid.
{{storylink|Void Rivals issue 23}}

Now that Pythona and Wheelie had met / She quickly decided he wasn't a threat. 
In verse, he told her about his kind / And the Energon-starved planet they'd left behind. 
As Quintesson warships took off overhead / Wheelie watched them all leaving with dread. 
{{storylink|Void Rivals issue 24}}

==Commercial appearances==
[[File:Sharkticon G1 Commercial.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Being lunch is not a lark Better punch this rotten shark.]]
Wheelie fought with [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] / As [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s tried to gobble them up! 
{{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Sharkticon|Sharkticon commercial}}

Joined by [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], they thought they could stack up / Against Galvatron—but he brought backup. 
Using a pistol instead of his slingshot / Wheelie couldn't do much to stop [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]]. 
{{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Sixshot|Sixshot commercial}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{note|An NPC, [[you]] fight Wheelies in the same way / Many times during [[Decepticon]] gameplay.}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (G1 PS2)|The Transformers}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
[[File:TFLegends-Wheelie.jpg|upright=2|thumb|Unlocking him ain't all that hard First, you draw your credit card...]]
[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], having beat [[Unicron]] / Met up with Wheelie for a reunion 
With [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], deciding to take pity / And fly back to help rebuild [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. 
Having at some point picked up a grievance / The [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s meanwhile were plotting malfeasance. 
Taking poor Wheelie quite by surprise / They beat him (and probably unlocked a prize). {{storylink|Junkion Reunion}}

When the trial of [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] commenced / Wheelie was a key member of the defense. 
Wreck-Gar, [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]], and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] nudged / The [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s to turn on the judge. 
{{storylink|Mockery of Justice}}

On [[Earth]], it seems that Wheelie liked / To hang out with kids on bikes. 
{{storylink|Transformers Legends (mobile game)#Sunset|Sunset}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Wheelie-(Gen).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Usually considered kind of a "meh" pick This is the one time he's been called "epic".]]
Wheelie (Gen) fought, heedless of faction. / Multiple Wheelies got in on the action! 
This Epic character could be [[you]]rs / For the low, low price of 650 Cybermetal 350 Transmetal 150 Exclusive Cores 50 Wheelie (Gen) Cores 
{{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics|Transform and Roll Out!}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
He picked out his [[Alternate mode|Alt Mode]] sooner than most did / But Wheelie's friends still thought of him as a kid. 
Still, he was charming, speaking in rhyme / A habit he'd maybe grow out of in time. 
{{storylink|Transformers Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook|Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook}}

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
[[File:G1-toy Wheelie.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|You think I'll get taller when I get older? Right now, my head's lower than both my shoulders!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Wheelie''' (Mini Vehicle, [[1986]])}}</ul>
:*''Takara ID number'': '''C-80'''
{{toydesigner|[[Floro Dery]] (concept artist)}}

:In just a few steps, Wheelie's G1 toy / Turns from "minicar" to a strange looking boy.
:We think his alt-mode, which looks pretty nifty / Was based on the ''[//oldconceptcars.com/1930-2004/fiat-abarth-record-car-1956/ Fiat Abarth 750]''.
:Of the [[Mini-Vehicle|Minibots]] from 1986 / Wheelie's the only new mold in the mix.
:He came with a rubsign, for checking his faction / And early ones came with a badge you could [[Iron-on patch|patch-on]].
:Instead of a blister, when sold by Takara / He was packed in a box with [[Tech Spec|a card]] of his artwork.
:This mold was [[redeco]]ed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Orion / Pax]]'s old dockworker friend, [[Dion (G1)#Collector's Edition|Dion]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Wheelie/wheelie.htm If you head on to TFU.info / there's much more on Wheelie that soon you will know!]''
{{-}}

===''The Transformers Collection''===
[[File:G1Wheelie toy.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|The latest trend in space fashion: Making your face ashen.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Future Cybertron''' (Multi-pack, [[2005]])}}</ul>
:*''ID number'': '''20'''

:When reissued for ''[[The Transformers Collection]]'' / Wheelie was given a brand new complexion
:[[Show-accuracy|To match with the show]]—no longer orange / His face, now gray, smiles out from under his door hinge.
:But that's not all! The set also includes / [[Kup (G1)/toys#The Transformers Collection|Kup]] and [[Recoil (G1)#The Transformers Collection|Recoil]], [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] dudes.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/Wheelie/wheelie.htm You guessed it—check out the great TFU / to find out much more on this gray reissue!]''
{{-}}

===''Universe'' (2008)===
[[File:Wheelielegendsuniverse.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Bumblebee swine, Your [[alternate mode|alt mode]]'s mine!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Wheelie''' (Legends Class, [[2009]])}}</ul>
:*''Series'': G1 Series
{{toydesigner|[[Bill Rawley]] (Hasbro)}}

:''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' Wheelie, from the [[Legends Class (2005)|Legends Class]] / Is still pocket-sized but much more badass.
:He now turns into a "[[Junkion (planet)|Junk Planet]] speeder"<ref>Wheelie's cardback calls him this / Assuming Hasbro's not taking the piss.</ref> / Sculpted with a [[Slingshot (weapon)|slingshot]] for spooking the reader.
:If a redecoed version is something you lack / "You can have any colour, [[Shadow Striker (ROTF)#Revenge of the Fallen|so long as it's black]]."

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/TFUWheelie/wheelie.htm For more on ''Universe'' Wheelie / check out TF University!]''
{{--}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!''===
[[File:Henkei-toy Wheelie.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Wheelie's popular in Japan, but hey, that ain't a crime. Why do they like him so much? Because he doesn't... talk poetry.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Minibot Spy Team''' (Multi-pack, 2009)}}</ul>
:*''ID number'': '''C-19'''

:The same as above, but a little more mellow / ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' Wheelie's a light orange-yellow.
:With one more friend, they could've sold us a four-pack / Alas, he just came with [[Cosmos (G1)#Henkei! Henkei!|Adams]] and [[Warpath (G1)#Henkei! Henkei!|Warpath]].
{{-}}

===''Generations''===
[[File:Generations china import deluxe wheelie.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Recently Wheelie has gotten much buffer From lugging about a pair of subwoofers.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Wheelie''' (Deluxe Class, [[2012]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Two speakers, slingshot/blaster

:The beefiest Wheelie was from ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' / The "Global Development Organization"
:Used the mold of ''[[Transformers (2010 toyline)#Hasbro Reveal the Shield subline|Reveal the Shield]]'' [[Jazz (G1)/toys#Transformers (2010)|Jazz]] / With the [[C joint|C-clip]] speakers that other toy has.
:Aside from a new head, Wheelie also [[5 mm post|swapped]] / Jazz's dumb gun for his classic slingshot!
:But in a bit of a branding disaster / The [[package art]] still shows him with Jazz's blaster.
:The toy was [[exclusive]] to Asia, before / Hasbro released it in [[Toys"R"Us]] stores.
:Aside from Jazz, the original tooling / Was used for a few other figures including:
:''[[Transformers United|United]]'' [[Ricochet (Headmasters)#United 2|Stepper]], and from ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (toyline)|Shattered Glass]]'' / [[Stepper (SG)#Timelines|Stepper again]] and [[Longarm (SG)#Timelines|Longarm]]'s [[Customizing#Customizing class|Custom Class]],
:[[Treadshot (SG)#Timelines|Treadshot]] employed the mold's [[Retool#Gang-molded alternate parts|alternate head]] / While [[Kick-Off (G1)#Timelines|Kick-Over]] tooled a brand new one instead.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/GDOWheelie/wheelie.htm You know the drill, here's Wheelie GDO / as covered by TFU.info!]''
{{2010JazzMold}}
{{-}}

===''Kre-O''===
[[File:KreO-Toy Wheelie.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|So what if no other Transformer listens? He's compatible with [[Built to Rule!|other building]][[LEGO|-brick systems]]!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Wheelie''' (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2014)}}</ul>
:*''Collection'': '''''Age of Extinction'' Collection 2'''
:*''Accessories'': Logo brick, large rifle

:This [[blindpacking|blind-bagged]] Wheelie, made up of bricks / Was part of ''[[Kre-O]]'' [[Micro-Changer]]s Wave 6.
:Molded in orange that borders on [[neon]] / He can be built as a car or a [[Kreon]].
:The helmet he uses is borrowed from [[Hound (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Hound]] / He has no ID code, and so, to be found,
:You'll either have to buy his whole damn box / Or stand in the aisle feeling for his blocks.
:[[Toys"R"Us]] dropped [[exclusive|the line]], so every fan had ta / Buy them from Asia, Australia or Canada
:In 2015, though, the fans were in luck / Dollar Tree sold them each for just a buck.
{{-}}

===''Titans Return''===
[[File:TF-Generations-Titans-Return-Legends-Class-Wheelie.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Hey, world, are you jelly? I fit tiny men in my belly!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Wheelie''' (Legends Class, [[2016]])}}</ul>
{{toydesigner|[[John Warden]] (Hasbro)}}

:For ''Titans Return'', Wheelie's new figure / (another Legends, [[Legends Class (2005)#The end of Legends as we knew them|but a little bit bigger]])
:is more closely based on the show than his last was / and turns into a car which can seat [[Titan Master]]s.
:In robot mode, he stands just shy of four-inch / Tastefully decked out in two shades of orange,
:But his collector card's art is differently hued / And depicts a slingshot he doesn't include.
:A space for a [[Insignia|badge]] sits just under his chin—though / the final toy puts it right on the window.
:[[Quality control|Tolerances]] vary with this toy, some copies / Don't quite peg together and seem a bit floppy.

::*[http://www.tfu.info/2016/Autobot/TRWheelie/wheelie.htm For Wheelie's toy from ''Titans Return'' / TFU.info has more you can learn!]
{{--}}

===''Legends''===
[[File:TF-Legends-LG29-Wheelie.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Run to order me on your computer, I come packaged with a little Go Shooter!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Wheelie & Goshooter''' (Two-pack, 2016)}}</ul>
:*''ID number:'' '''LG29'''
:*''Release date'': [[September 24]], 2016

:[[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s release of that same Wheelie lavished / Him with tons of paint to make him more [[Show-accuracy|slav-ish]].
:The clear windshield lets his insignia come through / But in car mode one more's stuck right on the front too!
:[[Shūta Gō#Legends|Goshooter]] and Wheelie were sold as a pair / The former can sit inside if you so care.
{{-}}

===''Studio Series''===
[[File:SS-toy Wheelie Grimlock86.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Hasbro you big jerk, My legs won't work!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Grimlock & Autobot Wheelie''' (Leader Class, [[2021]])}}</ul>
:*''Movie'': ''The Transformers: The Movie''
:*''Hasbro ID number'': '''86-06'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''SS-64'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[May 29]], 2021
:*''Accessories'': Slingshot
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro), [[Shogo Hasui]] (TakaraTomy)|[[Mario Carreiro]], [[Christina Murphy]] and [[Amy Bence]] (packaging),<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/live/52ddGYMyvpE?si=7l7OP6YeEB9W82xR&t=9841 Transformers Panel] at [[Hasbro Pulse Con 2024]] with [[Ben MacCrae]], [[Evan Brooks]], [[Mark Maher]], [[Marcelo Matere]], and [[Nate Purswell]].</ref> [[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

:In 2021, Hasbro devised / To sell the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s at the right size.
:At long last the fans would finally snag / The full team, starting with [[Grimlock (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Grimlock]], then [[Slag (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Slug]]
:And all the rest under ''[[Studio Series]]'' / Why does this matter? Well, here's our theory:
:Hasbro's designers began with a fear / That with only three or four Leaders per year
:And rising production costs on the horizon / How could they do them all without downsizin'?!
:Simple: start small, and with the leftover budget / Try something—surely the fans won't begrudge it
:If maybe they threw in a fun little freebie / A [[Size class|Core Class]] figurine of their little pal Wheelie.
:But pretty soon they had the realization / They could only afford five-point articulation<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/CcEdhw_OI5u/ The reason why ''Studio Series'' Wheelie kinda sucks / Was explained on Instagram by Evan Brooks]</ref>
:So when they revealed him, the fans all seethed / "Why, this Wheelie's got no knees!"
:"Since when did you guys care about Wheelie?" / "Uhh, since always, we care EXTREMELY."
:"He can ride Grimlock! Isn't that fun? / And he looks just like he did [[The Transformers: The Movie|in G1]]."
:They raged: had it really come to this? / A squatting, smirking, rhyming homunculus.

{{-}}{{anchor|SSCore}}
[[File:Studio-Series-Core-Class-TFTM-Wheelie.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Smaller than the [[Mini-Vehicle|rest]], I can still tussle with the best!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Wheelie''' (Core Class, [[2022]])}}</ul>
:*''Movie'': ''The Transformers: The Movie''
:**''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''SS-98'''
:*''Accessories'': Slingshot
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro), [[Shogo Hasui]] (TakaraTomy)|[[Hirofumi Ichikawa]] (detailing), [[Mario Carreiro]], [[Christina Murphy]] and [[Amy Bence]] (packaging),<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/live/52ddGYMyvpE?si=7l7OP6YeEB9W82xR&t=9841 Transformers Panel] at [[Hasbro Pulse Con 2024]] with [[Ben MacCrae]], [[Evan Brooks]], [[Mark Maher]], [[Marcelo Matere]], and [[Nate Purswell]].</ref> [[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

:When ''[[Studio Series]]'' added the Core Class / Hasbro could engineer Wheelie with more mass,
:Still smaller than ''[[#Titans Return|Titans Return]]'' in height / So, next to others, he [[scale]]s just right.
:His window opens, but there's no throne / The only head Wheelie seats is his own.
:The front of the car mode's a little bit square / And his fists are just hanging back there
:But that's just the price you pay / For an [[Show-accuracy|accurate]] robot-mode on display—
:Plus his slingshot kind of rocks! / Quintessa's printed on his box.
{{-}}

===''Age of the Primes''===
[[File:AOTP Wheelie.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The little guy's back, with no knees in sights. He must have claimed squatter's rights!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''G2 Universe Grimlock / Autobot Wheelie''' (Leader Class, [[2025]])}}</ul>
:*''TakaraTomy name:'' '''Grimlock (G2 Universe) & Wheelie''' (グリムロック (G2ユニバース) ＆ウィーリー)
:*''TakaraTomy ID number:'' '''AOTP-09'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date:'' [[2025]] [[August 30]]
:*''Accessories:'' Slingshot
{{toydesigner|[[Mark Maher]] (Hasbro),<ref>[https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Zhi6Y6EkU/ ''Age of the Primes'' panel] with [[Hasbro]] designer [[Mark Maher]] at [[Cybertron Con 2024]] Day 1, recorded at the "Giant Peng Peng" (巨大化鹏鹏) BilliBilli channel.</ref> [[Yūya Ōnishi]] (TakaraTomy)<ref>[[December 10]], [[2024]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjmcMC9nNoA Transformers Age of the Primes Reveal | Dive into the Legacy of the Thirteen Primes | Hasbro Pulse] on YouTube, with Mark Maher.</ref>}}

:Grimlock's small rider was released two times: / One in ''Studio Series'', one in ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]''.
:While [[Grimlock (G1)/toys#Age of the Primes|Grimbo]] is decoed like he was in G2, / Wheelie had no 90s look to redo,
:So here he is colored like [[Earl Norem]] did / In that [[The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson|Big Looker book]] you had as a kid!
{{-}}

===''Transformers Retro''===
[[File:RetroG1Wheelie.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|This toy is Evan Brooks' third try. He must really like this guy!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Wheelie''' (Deluxe Class, [[2026]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Slingshot
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro), [[Takashi Kunihiro]] (TakaraTomy)}}<ref>[[October 10]], [[2025]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r18Qlx6D-wc Hasbro Action Brands NYCC 2025 Fanstream | Hasbro Pulse] on YouTube, with [[Evan Brooks]] and [[Nate Purswell]].</ref>

:For ''[[Transformers Retro]]'', this Wheelie Deluxe / Hewed to the line's more toy-accurate looks.
:The mold, though, is clearly intended to echo / His film look, apart from his headsculpt and deco.
:His slingshot is included as a small part / And he was only sold at [[Walmart]].
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===''Transformers Choco''===
[[File:Tfchoco wheelie.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|In the show, Wheelie's fate's vague. But looks like he caught the [[Hate Plague]]!]]
*'''Wheelie''' (1986)

:This [[Kabaya]] [[Candy toy|candy kit]] / Is a sprue of Wheelie's bits
:Cast in red, blue, grey, or green / And maybe others we've not seen
:Put together in a snap. / He transforms, just looks like crap.
:Like [[Transformers Choco|his fellow candy bots]] / He came packed with "Chocolate Dots".
{{--}}

===Imaginarium Art===
[[File:ImaginariumGrimlock.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|This midlife crisis Looks the nicest!]]
*'''Grimlock''' (2018)
:A static Wheelie came attached to / This 20-inch-high Grimlock statue,
:Slingshot pulled back to deliver / Death to a Sharkticon shiver.
:150 made, it cost two grand: / Hope your wife will understand.
{{--}}

===''ULTIMATES!''===
*'''Grimlock''' ([[2023]])
**''Accessories'': Wheelie figure, mind transfer helmet, apron, serving tray, 6 drinking glasses, fish, crown, 6 sets of dino forelimb claws

: Roses are red
: Violets are blue
: A non-transforming figurine of Wheelie was included with ''[[Super7#Transformers ULTIMATES!|Transformers ULTIMATES!]]'' [[Grimlock (G1)/toys#ULTIMATES!|Grimlock]]
: Whoop-de-doo
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:ToyFair1986-TFpage01a.jpg|thumb|upright=1| I could've had a touch of blue, But [[Hasbro]] said "that just won't do."]]
[[File:FriedmanAuctionWheelieModelEdit.jpg|thumb|upright=1|It sure is a good thing I'm not black and yellow; You might've confused me with [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|some other fellow!]]]]
[[File:Unused AHM Wheelie concept.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Two designs that we were spared, Because nobody really cared.]]
*[[Floro Dery]]'s said, of all his designs / Wheelie's the one he most fiercely maligns!<ref>[http://transformersph.blogspot.com/2007/06/interview-with-floro-dery.html An interview made in the Philippines, wherein Floro Dery is really mean!]</ref>
*From Dery's art, Takara's guys / Could not work out Wheelie's size. They gave the test shot—once complete—a / height fifteen centimeters! All that extra space could go to / Adding in a flywheel motor, Better steps for transformation / proportions, and articulation. Even once they made him smaller / They still had plans to install a Pull-back motor in his chest / Hence why his head-height ain't the best.<ref>On page 68 of [[Transformers Generations 2011 Vol. 2|''Transformers Generations / 2011'' Vol. 2]], you'll find this information. Though of course, depending if you're from [[Japan|that nation]] / You'll probably need to find a translation.</ref>
*The toy which appears in [[Toy Fair 1986|this catalog]] ain't / The finalised figure—which had different paint! Though that Wheelie didn't end up going on sale / He used those colours in [[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel comic)|more]] [[Space Pirates!|than]] [[The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson|one]] tale!
*In 2010, [[Ron Friedman]] sold off some old / Character models—Wheelie's was gold!
*Several voice actors including [[Mona Marshall]], [[Robbie Lee]] / [[Charlie Adler]] and [[Jennifer Darling]] all had auditioned for Wheelie.
*Wheelie was in [[commercial]]s and the show / Frank Welker provided both voices, although His lines in the former had a lower pitch / Producing, on balance, a performance which Sounded a lot, and we're sure you'll agree / Like the voice of the {{w|The Smurfs|Smurfs'}} good friend "{{w|Johan and Peewit|Peewee}}"!
*In the cartoon's dub shown in Italy / Wheelie speaks noticeably differently. His rhyming speech is left wholly unsaid / He just randomly says "wroom wroom" instead.
*As making new models just would've been harder / His model was [[Generic|used]] in ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Transformers: Armada]]'': Though his color scheme [[Uprising (Armada)|wasn't a set one]] / [[Past|A notable case]] was named [[Endo]] in retcon.
*Look at his ''[[Spotlight: Wheelie|Spotlight]]''—[[Klaus Scherwinski|Scherwinski]] employs / A look for him based on that of [http://jizaitoys.seesaa.net/article/34599110.html JIZAITOYS'].<ref>This inspiration might first have been caught / By a sharp-eyed fan on [[Chris Ryall]]'s [http://ryalltime.blogspot.com/2008/02/who-said-music-industry-is-dead.html Blogspot].</ref>
*For ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'', to make him less weedy / Wheelie was redesigned by [[Guido Guidi]]. But seeing as he was marooned on [[LV-117|a comet]] / There was no way he could show up in the comic.
*''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)| Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Slap Dash (ROTF)|Slap Dash]] seems / To use Wheelie's colour scheme.
*According to a crossword clue / In ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II]]'', Wheelie's parents' home was none / Other than planet [[Gobotron]]!
*''[[Transformers: Earth Wars| Earth Wars]]'' [https://twitter.com/transformerswar/status/980474879001718785 announced] that he'd soon join the game! / As [[April Fools' Day|April Fools']] jokes go, pretty lame.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Wheelie''' (ウィーリー ''Wīrī'')
*''English:'' '''Willy''' ([[Omni Productions]] dub)
*''French:'' '''Tourbillo''' (Canada)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Wheelie''', '''Ugrabot''' ("Hop-Bot", 1st ''The Movie'' dub)
*''Italian:'' '''Scooter''', '''Saetta''' (''The Movie'')
*''Korean:'' '''Wheelie''' (휠리 ''Hwilli'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Wiley''' (Taiwan, 威利 ''Wēi Lì''), '''Zhuàn Lún''' (China, 转轮, "Reel")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Rodinhas''' (Portugal Comic)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Age of the Primes Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Energon Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 toy Autobots]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Mini Vehicles]]
[[Category:Poets]]
[[Category:Studio Series Autobots]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Titans Return Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers Roleplaying Game Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]

Union

2025-01-10T02:36:17Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=Armada
|ep=50
|prev=Alliance
|next=Origin
|title="Union"
|furigana=そうりょくせん
|japanese=連合
|romaji=Sōryokusen
|translation=Union: All-Out War
|image=Unionunicronheart.jpg
|caption=
|production code=TF: A-50
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Shōji Tonoike]]
|englishadaptation=[[Ward Perry]]
|director=[[Ken'ichi Ishikura]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.]]
|airdate=[[October 1]], [[2003]] (English, United Kingdom) [[December 10]], [[2003]] (English, United States) [[December 12]], [[2003]] (Japanese)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}

'''As Unicron stands ready to attack Cybertron, the Autobots and Decepticons fight back. Galvatron takes extra time to deal with the issue of Thrust's betrayal of the rest of his species.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Union-ThrustSidewaysinUnicron.jpg|left|155px|thumb|"Hey, patsy, er, uh, Thrust. Scram!"]]
[[Unicron]] stands, his body surrounded by energy, destroying any ships that come close to him. While [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] orders his forces to retreat to a safe distance, [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] sits on Unicron's shoulder, laughing at the feeble efforts to defeat his new god. However, he's still steaming about how [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] had told him to get lost after the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]] had been placed inside Unicron. He plans his first action as Unicron's right-hand bot to get rid of Sideways.

The [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s try to determine how their armies could possibly defeat Unicron. Unicron suddenly takes action and prepares to attack the abandoned planetside. [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] and [[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]] lead some fighter planes, hoping to interrupt Unicron. While the fighters can't harm Unicron, they focus on Thrust.

[[File:Unionthrust.JPG|155px|thumb]]
The Cybertronian army's scanners finally detect a weak point on Unicron's neck. A plan is formed, giving Galvatron the opportunity to personally confront Thrust. Thrust stands on Unicron's shoulder, and notices that Unicron is making no responses to any advisement—he questions that perhaps the web of lies he had constructed might have been a mistake, he assures himself that Unicron is the right way. At this point, his sanity is clearly in question.

[[File:Unionunicroncannon.JPG|left|155px|thumb|Don't tell Unicron, but the cannon is actually voice activated.]]
[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and Galvatron realize that the key to defeating Unicron lies within the [[Mini-Con]]s inside of Unicron, since the Mini-Cons themselves desire nothing but to free themselves from Unicron's grasp. At the same time, the kids come to a similar conclusion. Seeing that it might work, Galvatron declares that they finally work as a real team. Before the plans are put into action, Unicron fires his massive energy cannon, blasting a very, very large portion out of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s landscape. Before Unicron fires again, Optimus and Galvatron commence their own attack, leaving both Autobot and Decepticon armies under the command of [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]]. The final war on Unicron begins, the ''[[Hydra Cannon]]'' positioned to use its force field to block the blast that could tear another chunk out of Cybertron.

[[File:Unionthrustdeath.jpg|155px|thumb|TETSUOOOO]]
While Optimus aims above the plasma chest to allow himself and Galvatron to go inside Unicron, Galvatron confronts Thrust of his treachery against the [[Transformer]]s, swearing that he will pay for it. Unmoved, Thrust gloats, proclaiming the destruction of Cybertron is inevitable. But seconds after professing his desire to see Galvatron destroyed, Thrust bounces into a quickly closing crack in Unicron's armor. Squeezed, he begs for help, only to find out that his cries for help elicit no response from either the Chaos Bringer or his former leader. Galvatron then turns his back away from this, warning Thrust that this is the fate of those daring to dream for power and treason, and Thrust is inevitably popped like a pathetic zit to his death.

The ''Hydra Cannon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s shields give up, letting Unicron's powerful blast head towards Cybertron, but before it makes contact, the glowing green [[Mini-Con]]s rush to block the shot. Before Unicron closes the panels that cover his cannon, Optimus and Galvatron sneak inside.

The [[Street Action Mini-Con Team]] announce they plan on going inside of Unicron too. The kids and [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] decide they're going along to help. The Mini-Cons outside combine into a [[Unicron of Light|massive green mirror of Unicron]], who protects the kids long enough to sneak through the underground warp gate, but while the kids sneak through the gate in time, Red Alert is left buried in rubble.

With Optimus and Galvatron at Unicron's core, the kids and the Street Action Team are elsewhere in Unicron. Unicron battles the Mini-Con mirror of himself, while a combined army of Autobots and Decepticons engage in one final assault.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (6)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (15)
*[[Overload (Armada)|Overload]] (16)
*[[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] (17)
*[[Blurr (Armada)|Blurr]] (18)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (19)
*[[Smokescreen (Armada)|Hoist]] (23)
*[[Side Swipe (Armada)|Side Swipe]] (24)
*Generic Autobots
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (2)
*[[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]] (20)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (21)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (22)
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] (25)
*generic Decepticons

|c3=
*[[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]] (7)
*[[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] (8)
*[[Fred (Armada)|Fred]] (9)
*[[Rad White|Rad]] (10)
*[[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]] (11)

|h4=[[Mini-Con]]s|c4=
*[[Sureshock (Armada)|Sureshock]] (12)
*[[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] (13)
*[[Grindor (Armada)|Grindor]] (14)
*Many unidentified Mini-Cons
*[[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]] (26) (Powerlinxed with Galvatron)
*[[Unicron of Light]] (27)
*[[Dead End Drone]]s (28)

|h5=Other|c5=
*[[Unicron]] (1)
*[[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] (3)
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (4)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Optimus Prime:''' "Once we get inside Unicron, we're going to rescue ''all'' the Mini-Cons." 
'''Fred:''' "Ahh, you're the greatest!" 
'''Galvatron:''' "...what?" 
'''Fred:''' "Uhh..and...you're really the greatest too, Galvatron." 
'''Galvatron:''' "HA HA HA! Now that's what I like to hear!"
:—The best way to coexist with Decepticons is to flatter them, or else they'll flatten you.

"Did I make a terrible mistake by betraying the Decepticons? Oh... What if he's nothing more than a huge Transformer like the rest of us?! Oh no! Did Sideways trick me into doing all of this?!"
:—'''Thrust''' starts to wonder if he screwed up.

"I have to go meet Optimus Prime. We're going inside Unicron. I'll give you two choices: Either I shoot you here and now..." 
''(Thrust shakes his head, whimpering in fear)'' 
"...or you free yourself and get out on your own. And if you do, there will be ''nowhere'' to hide.
:—'''Galvatron''', to put it lightly, is extremely pissed off.

"Thrust, if you dare to have dreams of power...you will be consumed by them."
:—'''Galvatron'''

"Unicron is going to blast us! I don't want to get blasted on an empty stomach!"
:—'''Fred'''

"Let's get it on!" 
"This is one crazy team."
:—'''Tidal Wave''' and '''Blurr'''
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Legends of the Microns''===
* When Thrust commands Unicron to destroy the Transformers, the animation of him twirling is at a slow pace and seemingly stops at a random point. ''Legends of the Microns'' has him go faster and has the finished animation where where he swings his arm by the end of the shot.
* In ''Legends of the Microns'', while Thrust lusts for the destruction of all other [[Transformer]]s, he becomes utterly terrified and confused when Unicron attacks Cybertron. In the dub, Thrust is the one insisting that Unicron should destroy the planet, and laughs maniacally all the way through.
* When Optimus and Galvatron Powerlinx with Jetfire and Tidal Wave respectively in ''Armada'', an insert of the Transformers theme plays and ends when Galvatron lands close to Thrust. Meanwhile in ''Legend of the Microns'', the track "[[The Transformers Legends of the Microns: Sound of Evolution Vol. 2|The Ultimate Soldier Returns]]" plays, and ends with the upward pan of Unicron.
*Galvatron and Thrust's last moment together is slightly different between dubs, mostly how Thrust sounds more confident in the English dub whereas he's more unhinged in the Japanese:
** ''Armada'' has Galvatron tell Thrust he'll pay for his betrayal, to which Thrust replies he isn’t afraid of him anymore and at least he chooses his allies wisely. Thrust then calls Galvatron a bad joke and asks what he was thinking joining forces with the Autobots, and then says he has no need for him since all they did was fight one meaningless battle after another. He proceeds to mock him for not managing to control his own soldiers and praises Unicron for his enormous size and bets on a successful partnership, which makes Galvatron passively calls him out on liking his own voice. Thrust proceeds to tell Galvatron he can't wait until Unicron blasts him into pieces, and when he gets caught in one of Unicron's moving parts acted like all of what he just said was a joke and he didn't mean any of it. Galvatron tells Thrust he can either shoot him now or come out on his own, and threatens him that there will be no where to hide before leaving, with the latter's last words consist of begging Galvatron not just leaving him to his death. Galvatron tells Thrust that having large amounts of power will eventually consume you, and Thrust is somehow able to let out a final death scream.
** Galvatron mentions Starscream when he threatens Thrust in ''Legends of the Microns'', to which the latter says that isn't like him to say something like that. Thrust proceeds to say that even with a union, they'll never stand up against Unicron and it doesn't matter if he gets shot or not, and then calls Galvatron a fool for caring about overpowering all Transformers and conquering the universe when all he did was fight an endless war, and says he got tired of it all. Thrust then puts Unicron on a high pedestal, mentioning his enormous power and calling him the God of Destruction, and with him now being his servant, he has become the chosen one and will soon be able to realize his own dream. Galvatron asks Thrust if that's all he has to say, to which the latter says he will never achieve his dream and is destined to become space dust before getting stuck. Thrust then begs Galvatron for help, but the latter makes his leave and tells the former he can either save himself, or escape on his own and chase after the union. Thrust proceeds to whimper about being in pain, and Galvatron says that his dreams have now been shattered before he explodes. Thrust doesn't scream when blowing up, but sounds of crushing metal can be heard more clearly. Additionally, the animation when Thrust is getting crushed is faster and more timed in ''Legends of the Microns'' compared to ''Armada'', and his final scream has an echo effect.
* The final shot of Unicron's heart is silent in the Japanese dub.

===Translation errors===
* When Optimus orders Red Alert to protect the kids and "retreat to the safe zone," Carlos petulantly exclaims "What a—", and uses [[Wiktionary:gyp|a synonym for "cheat" derived from a slur]] for the {{w|Romani people|Roma}}. While this was clearly a deliberate choice by the dub writer, on another level, we feel pretty safe saying this was a mistake.
* For the whole episode, Demolishor talks using Hoist's voice, and is referred to as "Hoist" the only time he is named. Hoist also has one line in his own voice. To be clear, this isn't an animation error; it's an error introduced by the English dub, as it's definitely supposed to be Demolishor speaking, having used data from [[Blackout (Armada)|his Mini-Con]] to identify Unicron's weak spot.
** The Finnish, Italian, and Swedish dubs of this episode replicate this exact error, presumably being based on the English dub scripts.
* Thrust flashes back to an occasion where Sideways promises that Unicron will give him immense power, if he agrees to sever his "allegiance with ''Galvatron''". This is presumably when Thrust first teams up with Sideways—but in the English dub, that would mean it takes place long ''before'' Galvatron took on his new name. In Japanese, he was simply Megatron for the whole show, but this is one case where the dub writers ''shouldn't'' have localized the trademark.
* Billy refers to the [[Requiem Blaster (Armada)|Requiem Blaster]] as the "Auto Blaster". Maybe he's just stupid?
* When Jet Optimus combines with Overload, he yells out "[[Ultra Magnus (disambiguation)|Ultra Magnus]]!" That's Overload's Japanese name.
* When referring to the Mini-Cons dormant within Unicron, High Wire says "Perceptor is not waking up." Perceptor is the combined form of the [[Street Action Mini-Con Team]]. We honestly have no idea how they mixed this one up, as Perceptor isn't mentioned at all in the Japanese version.
* Sureshock is given a male voice, even though the character is intended to be female. The Japanese dub has a female voice actor.
* The dub writers clearly had no idea what to call the [[Dead End Drone]]s that attack Optimus and Galvatron inside Unicron; Galvatron just refers to them as "Laser Pods".

===Animation and technical errors===
* In one shot during the initial attack on Unicron, Wheeljack's scar is missing.
* Thrust's death is pretty cartoonish: he's squeezed like a tube of toothpaste, his torso and head expanding before he explodes entirely into sparkly pink dust. Look, fair enough, this isn't really an error—even if he's a robot, getting crushed in half is probably a bit too graphic for a kids' show!

===Continuity notes===
* Overload is briefly visible in robot mode.
* Thrust is the only named ''Armada'' character to die and not be resurrected at a later point in the [[Unicron Trilogy]].
** However, in the Japanese continuity, Thrust is resurrected as Unicron's servant in the ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' comics.
* Sureshock speaks using human language for the first time.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Unicron uses some kind of lightning forcefield to shield his body from oncoming attacks.
** Unicron's scream can unleash shockwaves.
** While not shown on-screen, [[Rollout (Armada)|Rollout]] is [[Powerlinx]]ed with Overload.
** Unicron's chest cannon fires plasma bursts.
** Unicron fires spherical bombs from the planet-kibble pieces on his legs. While the show depicts them as spheres, these are actually missiles on the toy, with the spherical parts only being the tips.
** The gravitational field of Unicron's forearm running just ever so slightly past Cybertron's surface, is enough to tear apart cities.

===Trivia===
* The English version of "Union" first aired in the United Kingdom. It aired in the United States on [[December 10]], 2003.
* ''Legends of the Microns''' [[commercial bumper]] of Unicron appearing over Cybertron debuts in this episode.
* Isn't it irregular that the commercial break is opened with a shot of the Autobot logo appearing on [[Earth]], when the story hasn't had any non-flashback scenes on Earth for nine episodes now?
* Thrust raises the nosecone part of his head when he's shocked, similarly to how a human raises their eyebrows.
* Rad's gloves are excessively cool.
* This episode marks the last time a Transformer Powerlinxed with a Mini-Con in the series, along with two Transformers Powerlinxing together.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''In letzter Sekunde'''" ("Last Second")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 14|14 January]] [[2004]]

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Közös erővel'''" ("With Joint Forces")
::*In the dub, Optimus mistakenly calling Overload by his Japanese name Ultra Magnus is changed to him shouting "Ultra Size!" during their combination.
::*Blurr says his last line, bizarrely, in Unicron's voice.

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'unione dei Transformers'''" ("The Union of Transformers")
::*After Alexis says she hopes they'll all come out the situation, in English Rad says: "Don't worry! We will!", while, in Italian, he says: "Don't worry! He/She/It's gonna do it!", which makes no sense.
::*"Auto Blaster" is correctly replaced with "Requiem Blaster", and the name "Ultra Magnus" is simply not pronounced.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''União'''" ("Union")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Legends of the Microns'' — Volume 13 ([[Columbia Music Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — Season One: Part Two ([[Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — The Collector's Edition ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — Volume Two ([[New KSM]]) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Armada episodes]]

GÃ¡bor ForgÃ¡cs

2024-11-04T15:41:07Z

Vrahno:

'''Gábor Forgács''' ([[December 30]], [[1947]] - [[November 4]], [[2024]]) was a Hungarian actor, highly prolific voice actor, comedian and singer, and an upbeat person in general. Outside of his numerous appearances of comedy shows, he was known for his raspy voice which nonetheless has a wide range. Characters he has dubbed include Cliff Huxtable of ''The Cosby Show'' (as well as numerous other appearances and parodies of actor Bill Cosby), Frank Reynolds of ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', Arthur Weasley in the ''Harry Potter'' films, Grandpa Phil in ''Hey Arnold'' (1st voice), King Julien in the ''Madagascar'' franchise and spin-offs (apart from the original film), Mr. Potato Head in the ''Toy Story'' films, Linda Belcher in ''Bob's Burgers'' and Dr. Drakken of ''Kim Possible''. Was also frequently heard in documentary and reality TV show voice-overs, and often played supporting roles in various series and films.

==Voice roles==
===''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Transformers: Energon]]''===
*[[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] (2nd dub, only as a substitute voice in some episodes)
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]]/Mirage (1st dub)

===''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Transformers: Cybertron]]''===
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (2nd dub)

===''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]''===
*[[Bill O'Reilly]]

==External links==
*[http://imdb.com/name/nm0286275 IMDB entry]
*{{w|lang=hu|Forgács Gábor|Hungarian Wiki entry}} ''(Hungarian)''
*[http://iszdb.hu/?szemely=3128&lap=munkassag Hungarian Voice Acting Database entry] ''(Hungarian)''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forgács, Gábor}}
[[Category:Hungarian voice actors]]

Sentinel Prime (One)

2024-10-06T09:11:26Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign names */

{{factions|}}
{{disambig3|Sentinel Prime}}
:''Sentinel Prime is a Transformer from [[Transformers One (franchise)|One]].''

[[File:onesentinel.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Surely he must be more trustworthy than [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|the other]] [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|ones, right?]]]]

'''Sentinel Prime''' is the sovereign leader of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Sadly the last survivor of [[Thirteen|the original Primes]], he has nonetheless carried on the legacy of his fallen comrades by leading Cybertron into an era of peace and prosperity. He always encourages the mining class to work harder and harder, because they're those kind of good guys who don't mind working hard for everybody else, right?

Sentinel is the kind of leader who inspires everybody with his tales of bravery and heroism. He fended off those nasty [[Quintesson]]s and now his main goal is finding the [[Matrix of Leadership]] so Cybertron can thrive even more than it already is under his rule. He loves workers who can think for themselves, though! They're just what a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] needs to motivate the rest of their ilk into keeping up the hard work. After all, a Prime is nothing if he cannot inspire his people to stick to protocol and produce for their planet. No siree.

{{bigquote|Down here, the truth is ''what I make it''.|Sentinel Prime|''[[Transformers One (film)|Transformers One]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''One'' film===
{{voiceactor|[[Jon Hamm]] (English), [[Junichi Suwabe]] (Japanese)|[[Tom Beck]] (German), [[Olin Garces]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Jordi Ribes]] (Spain Spanish), [[Fabrizio Pucci]] (Italian), [[Rémi Bichet]] (European French)}}
{{spoiler|Transformers One (film)|October 21, 2024}}

Sentinel was the chief advisor of the Primes but always craved power and control. Jealous of the glory of the Primes, Sentinel approached the Quintessons who had been attacking Cybertron with a deal. If he led the Primes into an ambush to be slaughtered, the Quintessons would allow him to appoint himself the new leader of Cybertron under their thumb who could provide them with a constant supply of [[energon]]. The Quintessons agreed, and Sentinel reported to the Primes that he'd intercepted a message about an important meeting of the high command of the Quintessons in a distant cave on the planet's surface. The Primes, eager to decapitate the leadership of the Quintessons, followed Sentinel to the cave only to be besieged by the aliens. The Primes nearly triumphed over their attackers until Sentinel chose a critical moment to turn on his superiors, slaying several including [[The Fallen|Megatronus Prime]] himself. After killing [[Zeta Prime (One)|Zeta Prime]], the battle was over. Sentinel went to claim his prize of the Matrix of Leadership, but it faded to dust due to his not being worthy. Down but not out, Sentinel declared himself Sentinel '''Prime''', took the deceased Megatronus' [[transformation cog]] as his own, and announced to Cybertron that the Quintessons were defeated and that he was the last survivor of the Primes. With the planet failing to produce fresh energon in the absence of the Matrix, Sentinel removed the transformation cogs of most of Cybertron's lower classes and put them to work mining for energon to produce a tribute to the Quintessons.

Sentinel entertained the masses with races such as the [[Iacon 5000]] and regularly claimed that he had been on searches for the Matrix to keep up morale for 50 cycles, while actually spending the trips hunting for the rebellious High Guard. During one Iacon 5000, Sentinel was surprised when he noticed two miners, [[Optimus Prime (One)|Orion Pax]] and [[Megatron (One)|D-16]], blast their way into the race and nearly triumph before losing at the last second. Sentinel was amused by the display but was pleasantly surprised when miner production of energon ramped up during the next worker shift. Sentinel approached the two miners and thanked them for inspiring the mining class to work harder and invited them to patch themselves up in his personal quarters, but also instructed them to make a publicity tour among the miners to hype up production even further. However, unbeknownst to Sentinel, [[Darkwing (One)|Darkwing]], nursing a wounded ego from the pair interrupting him during the race, reassigned them to waste management.

The time came for the next tribute to the Quintessons, and Sentinel delivered a portion of the required tribute alongside his lieutenant [[Airachnid (One)|Airachnid]] and some troopers. The [[Quintesson High Commander]] was very displeased with the unmet quota and threatened Sentinel, who promised to work his miners harder to make up for it. Sentinel ordered the mining shifts to work triple-time until they finally met the quota, unaware the whole exchange had been witnessed by Orion, D-16, [[Elita-1 (One)|Elita-1]], and [[Bumblebee_(One)|B-127]]. Sentinel sent Airachnid to investigate their trail, and Airachnid eventually found and delivered the weakened [[Alpha Trion (One)|Alpha Trion]], who had told the four young 'bots the truth, to him. Sentinel mocked the old-timer for his pontificating and killed him after learning that others had witnessed his true nature, and once again dispatched Airachnid to hunt down the threats to his lies.

Eventually, Airachnid returned with D-16, B-127, [[Starscream (One)|Starscream]], and a chunk of the High Guard as prisoners to Sentinel's tower. D-16 angrily confronted Sentinel for his treachery, but Sentinel laughed him off and insisted the truth would be whatever he declared it would be for Cybertron, and plotted to publicly execute his prisoners. When D-16 refused to kneel and continued to challenge him, Sentinel noticed his Megatronus decal and sadistically welded the symbol into his chest. Soon, however, an army consisting of Orion, Elita-1, and the remaining High Guard invaded and Sentinel soon faced a freed D-16 in combat. As the situation spiraled out of control, Sentinel was able to best D-16 in combat but noticed too late that Orion, Elita-1, and B-127 were using Airachnid's memories to broadcast his true nature to all of Cybertron, leading to a mass uprising. D-16 turned the tables on Sentinel and had him at his mercy until Orion took a [[fusion cannon]] blast meant for him. D-16 allowed Orion to fall to his apparent death and turned his attention back to Sentinel, tearing the false Prime in half with his bare hands and finally killing him for his atrocities. Shortly afterwards, D-16 took back Megatronus' cog from Sentinel's corpse, completing his transformation into Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers One (film)|One}}

==Toys==
===''One''===
{{anchor|RobotBattlers}}
[[File:TF-One-Robot-Battlers-Sentinel-Prime.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Don't forget... ''you'' guys are the real heroes.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-multi|'''Sentinel Prime''' (Robot Battlers, [[2024]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Energon sword, base
:Part of the first wave of ''[[Transformers One (toyline)|Transformers One]]'' Robot Battlers, Sentinel Prime transforms into a Cybertronian jet and comes with an Energon sword. The figure can be placed on a base to perform action moves by sliding the finger slots, to knock an opponent's figure off their base.

:The circular cutout attached on the base depicts Sentinel's opponent as D-16/Megatron. Ironic!

<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-multi|'''Battle of the Heroes''' (Cybertron Rush Battle 3-pack, 2024)}}</ul>
:*''Japanese Name'': '''サイバトロンラッシュバトルヒーローたちの戦い'''
:*''Japanese ID Number'': '''OCR-02'''
:*''Japanese Release Date'': [[October]] [[October 12|12]], [[2024]]
:*''Accessories'': Energon sword, base

:The Robot Battlers Sentinel Prime is released in Japan as part of a "Cybertron Rush Battle" 3-pack with [[Bumblebee (One)#RobotBattlers|Bumblebee]] and [[Alpha Trion (One)#One|Alpha Trion]].

{{comingsoontoy|CRB 3-pack}}

{{-}}{{anchor|PrimeChanger}}
[[File:TFOne Deluxe Sentinel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|I don't make mistakes. I'm not like the rest of you. I'm stronger, I'm smarter, I'm better! '''I AM BETTER!''']]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-multi|'''Sentinel Prime''' (Prime Changer, 2024)}}</ul>
:*''Japanese Name'': '''Deluxe Class Sentinel Prime (デラックスクラスセンチネルプライム)'''
:*''Japanese ID Number'': '''OD-04'''
:*''Japanese Release Date'': [[October]] [[October 12|12]], [[2024]]
:*''Accessories'': 2 small blasters, 2 shoulder guns, "battle saw"
:"Prime Changers" Sentinel Prime is a Deluxe-sized figure and transforms into a Cybertronian jet. Like other Prime Changer figures, he has pearlescent plastic and glittery metallic paint applications. He features two separate 3mm flight stand ports, one each for robot and jet mode.

:He comes with two small dual-barreled blasters that attach to his wings via [[5 mm post]]s or can be held in his hands, a blade/shield accessory with molded-in turrets that can be held in his hand or left forearm, or store on top of his jet mode, as well as two longer [[Fire Blast effect|blast effect]]-compatible guns that attach to the tops of his shoulders. He also features 5 mm posts on the underside of each wing where the shoulder blasters can be stored for a cleaner look in robot mode. His wings are hinged to fold backwards for robot mode, but also have swivels that allow them to point his smaller blasters over his shoulders.

{{-}}{{anchor|CogChangers}}
[[File:Sentinel_Prime_Cog_Changer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Of course, if you breathe a word of this, I'll pull you apart bit by bit.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-multi|'''Sentinel Prime''' (Cog Changers, 2024)}}</ul>
:*''Japanese Name'': '''Cog Power Change Sentinel Prime (コグパワーチェンジセンチネルプライム)'''
:*''Japanese ID Number'': '''OCP-06'''
:*''Japanese Release Date'': [[October]] [[October 12|12]], [[2024]]
:"Cog Changers" Sentinel Prime transforms from robot to Cybertronian jet by sliding up and pressing a transformation cog shaped panel on his chest. Transformation into robot mode is done manually by folding back his cockpit/nosecone section, but his arms need to be folded out beforehand.

{{--}}

===''Studio Series''===
[[File:SS TFOne Sentinel.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Yummers.]]
*'''Sentinel Prime''' (Voyager Class, [[2025]])
**''Movie'': '''''Transformers One'''''
**Accessories: Beam Sword, 2 Blasters
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro), [[Takashi Kunihiro]] (TakaraTomy)}}<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/live/52ddGYMyvpE?si=7l7OP6YeEB9W82xR&t=9841 Transformers Panel] at [[Hasbro Pulse Con 2024]] with [[Ben MacCrae]], [[Evan Brooks]], [[Mark Maher]], [[Marcelo Matere]], and [[Nate Purswell]].</ref>

:Part of an undetermined wave of ''[[Studio Series]]'' Voyagers, Sentinel Prime is based on his appearance in ''Transformers One''. He transforms into a Cybertronian jet as well as the battle mode from his fight against Megatron near the end of the film.

:Sentinel Prime was revealed at [[Hasbro Pulse Con 2024]] and went up for pre-order on [[September 17]], [[2024]].
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===Blokees===
====''Galaxy Version''====
[[File:Blokees GV05 Sentinel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|No, no, no, no. No [[Thirteen]]. The only [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] in the sky is ''me''.]]
*'''Sentinel Prime''' (2024)
**''Series:'' '''Galaxy Version 05 - One'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 open hands, 2 swords, spare peg-and-ball piece, spare ball-and-ball piece, stand

:[[Blokees]] Sentinel Prime is a 4.25 inch tall non-transforming buildable figure, appearing once in every case of nine blind boxes. As with the rest of his wave, Sentinel features an upgraded suite of standard body parts, with sturdier hinge joints and slightly more complex builds than their Generation 1 counterparts.

:Sentinel Prime includes the usual pairs of gripping fists and open hands, a pair of swords that he can hold in one hand, and a two-studded connectable figure stand.
{{--}}

===''Classic Class''===
*'''Sentinel Prime''' (2024)
**''ID number:'' '''14'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 rest hands, 2 grip hands, dual-bladed sword, energy shield, 2 shoulder blasters, 2 shin blasters, 2 jet feet, 2 figure stands, 2 energy effects. [[File:Blokees-Transformers-One-Classic-Class-3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|It was perfect. Perfect. Everything. Down to the last minute details.]]
{{toystub}}
{{comingsoontoy}}

==Notes==
[[File:Sentinel-Prime-jet-mode-toy-packaging.jpg|thumb|270px|"Listen, [[Megatron (One)|miner]]: I'm the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. And I can do whatever the [[Scrap (slang)|scrap]] I want!"]]
* Sentinel Prime is a pastiche of his different, often distant incarnations. His blue and gold color scheme, combined with his portrayal as a "false" Prime and a Quintesson-backed puppet ruler, evokes [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]], his counterpart in the [[Aligned continuity family|"Aligned" continuity]], while his wings and collapsible dual-bladed sword call back to his [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|live-action film counterpart]]. Meanwhile, his heavily armed battle mode appears to be inspired by his [[Sentinel Prime (G1)#2005_IDW_continuity|IDW comics counterpart]], specifically his [[Apex Armor (G1)|Apex Armor]]-clad form in ''[[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin]]'' [[Megatron Origin issue 4|#4]]. One bizarre specific detail is that his ''knees'' apparently take their shape and detailing from the [[Sentinel Prime (G1)#Titans Return|''Titans Return'' Sentinel Prime toy]]! He also shares some physical similarities (particularly around his chest's gold-lined exhaust vents) with [[Nominus Prime]], a comic original character from the IDW 2005 continuity who, coincidentally, was also depicted as a puppet leader and false Prime with a cybertronian jet as alternate mode.
* Sentinel never transforms in the movie, opting instead to fly around in robot mode. The Prime Changer toy's packaging (see image on the right) is the only piece of media showing his vehicle mode, which is a slightly modified version of [[Starscream (One)|Starscream]] and the Seekers' tetrajet model. It should, however, be noted that none of Sentinel's toys (including the Prime Changer itself) adhere too closely to this render in their vehicle modes.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Sentinel Prime''' (センチネルプライム ''Senchineru Puraimu'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Őrszem Fővezér''' ("Prime Leader Sentinel")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:One Transformers]]
[[Category:Studio Series characters]]

TamÃ¡s BognÃ¡r

2024-10-04T16:10:52Z

Vrahno:

'''Tamás Bognár''' ([[1967]] -) is a Hungarian actor and voice actor, best known as the official announcer of the TV2 television network and as the narrator of countless documentary, docu-drama and reality shows. For example, he often voices culinary expert Andrew Zimmern in his various TV series.

Dubbing roles in more fictionalized works include Patrick Star in ''Spongebob Squarepants'', Teal'c of ''Stargate'', Luther Stickell of the ''Mission Impossible'' films, The Tick in the animated superhero comedy of the same name, the Narrator in ''Mighty Magiswords'', the Fifth Brother in ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] Rebels'' and ''Kenobi'', and Colonel Anthony Hicks in ''[[Godzilla]]: the Series''.

==Voice roles==
===''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]''===
*[[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] (discounting flashbacks in the episode ''[[Patch (episode)|Patch]]'')

===''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Transformers: Robots in Disguise 2015]]''===
*[[Aerobolt]]
*[[Overload (RID)#2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon|Overload]]
*[[Saberhorn]]
*[[Underbite]]

===''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]''===
*[[Gawain]]

===''[[Bumblebee (film)|Bumblebee]]''===
*[[Jack Burns]]

===''[[Transformers One (film)|Transformers One]]''===
*[[Iacon 5000]] announcer

==External links==
*[https://imdb.com/name/nm2100602 IMDB entry]
*{{w|lang=hu|Bognár Tamás (színművész)|Hungarian Wiki entry}} ''(Hungarian)''
*[http://iszdb.hu/?szemely=1049&lap=munkassag Hungarian Voice Acting Database entry] ''(Hungarian)''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bognár, Tamás}}
[[Category:Hungarian voice actors]]

Csaba Tokaji

2024-08-08T15:32:27Z

Vrahno:

'''Csaba Tokaji''' ([[October 25]], [[1979]] - ) is a Hungarian actor, voice actor, and race car driver. His voice roles include Flynn Rider from Disney's ''Tangled'', [[Ryu]] from the ''Street Fighter'' franchise and [[Nicholas Fury|Nick Fury]] of ''[[Avengers|The Avengers]]'' in various media, like in the animated movie ''Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher'' and in ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' (2nd season onwards). Also did the voiceover for Giorgio A. Tsoukalos of ''Ancient Aliens'' fame, and is the announcer for the Hungarian [[Nickelodeon]].

==Voice Roles==
===''Transformers: Energon''===
*[[Demolishor (Armada)#Energon cartoon|Demolishor]] (2nd dub)

===''Transformers: Cybertron''===
*[[Undermine (Cybertron)|Undermine]] (2nd dub)

===''Transformers: Rescue Bots''===
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]]

===''[[Transformers_One_(film)|Transformers One]]''===
* Guard #2

==External Links==
*{{w|lang=hu|Tokaji Csaba|Hungarian Wiki entry}} ''(Hungarian)''
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2399468/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 IMDB entry]
*[http://myanimelist.net/people/8490/Csaba_Tokaji My Anime List entry]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokaji, Csaba}}
[[Category:Hungarian voice actors]]

Darkwing (One)

2024-08-04T08:17:56Z

Vrahno:

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Darkwing}}
:''Darkwing is a [[Transformer]] from the [[Transformers One (franchise)|One]] portion of the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:One-Darkwing.jpg|thumb|350px]]
'''Darkwing''' is a cocky Transformer capable of flight.

==Fiction==
===''One'' film===
{{comingsoon|when=September 13, 2024}}
{{storylink|Transformers One (film)|Transformers One}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Hungarian:'' '''Hollószárny''' ("Raven-Wing")

[[Category:One Transformers]]
[[Category:One Decepticons]]

Sharkticon (species)

2024-05-17T17:25:54Z

Vrahno:

{{factions|quintesson|decepticon|cybEmpireG2|{{factions/icons|custom=PrimeSharkticonSymbol.png|cLink=Sharkticon (species)|cSize=40x40px}}|quintessonwfc}}
{{disambig3|Sharkticon}}
[[File:TFLegendsApp-Sharkticons.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"He disagreed with something that ate him."]]
'''Sharkticons''' are generally big, dumb, plentiful and voracious—in short, perfect soldiers for the [[Quintesson]]s, or whoever happens to be the one letting them off their leash at the given moment. Sometimes they're near-mindless army units for the tentacled aliens, other times they're full-fledged Decepticons, sometimes they're simply their own race carving out a niche for themselves in the cosmos. In general though, no matter the universe it's not unusual for the Quintessons to throw their captives into a big tank full of the feisty nippers after a mock trial just for chuckles. Though individual Sharkticons are not especially durable, like piranha, they swarm in ''en masse'' and can devour a full-sized robot in a few seconds with their razor-sharp teeth and claws.

In at least one universe, one notable Sharkticon is [[Gnaw (G1)|Gnaw]], friend to the young [[Autobot]] [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]].

A series of upgraded Sharkticons in some universes includes [[Air Shark]]s, [[Land Shark]]s, and [[Sea Shark]]s.

{{bigquote|I am a swarm member. I don't like being alone.|A Sharkticon's description of his race|''[[The Transformers (G1 PS2)|The Transformers]]''}}

==Biology==
[[File:Sharkticon Robot Mode.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb]]
In just about all of their visual depictions, Sharkticons are mechanical lifeforms that can transform into creatures resembling sharks. Sharkticons also tend to mostly share the same body-type within their own continuity families.

Sharkticons in the "Generation 1" continuity are typically appeared as squat, round, humanoid robots with a grey and purple color scheme. They also all share the same alternate mode, an alien, bipedal ogre-like creature that bears resemblance a shark's head. In at least [[Transformers: Wings Universe|one universe]] however, there exists an upgraded version of Sharkticon that holds a much closer resemblance to the typical Transformer in both modes, going from humanoid robotic form to a shark-styled submarine mode. The Sharkticons of this universe are further divided into the three subclasses [[Land Shark]], [[Air Shark]], and [[Sea Shark]] which specialize in... well, what their names say, we guess.

Sharkticons in the "Aligned" continuity have had various descriptions and depictions. In the ''[[Transformers: Retribution|Retribution]]'' novel they possess a blue-green coloration, as well as being covered with spikes and various armaments. They are also described as being quite similar to their world's other fish-bots, which themselves are described as "...short, and covered in blue-white metallic scales, each one highlighted with a golden tint." These fish bots are further described as "several meters long" in their alternate modes, giving the impression that the Sharkticons in this section of the multiverse transform into full-sized shark creatures. In their depiction within the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|''Robots in Disguise'' animated series]], Sharkticons have no humanoid form, instead utilizing their shark-like form as their robot mode and transforming into various aquatic vehicles for their alternate mode. Characterized as an animalistic subspecies of Cybertronian, rather than the off-world enforcers of the Quintessons, the Sharkticons of this universe also have various differences in their robot modes instead of all looking identical. For example, [[Hammerstrike (RID)|Hammerstrike]] and [[Ragebyte]] each have their optical organs within diamond-shaped protrusions on either side of their head, while another unnamed Sharkticon possesses more typical optics set directly within their cranium.

The Sharkticons seen in the live-action movie universe physically bear a large resemblance to the Generation 1 versions, albeit much smaller than their other counterparts, being much closer in scale to actual Earth sharks.

The Sharkticons in the [[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|''Cyberverse'' cartoon]] once again mostly look identical to the Generation 1 version, although here are never seen outside of their beast forms. In addition to this, some have quite different characteristics, with [[Backbite (Cyberverse)|some individuals]] possessing heads that skew much closer to Earth sharks, as well as various faction leaders possessing tribal markings. A statue of [[Gnaw (Cyberverse)|Lord Gnaw]] also appeared much different compared to the others, the main divergence being a large saw-like snout, although the character was identical in appearance to the others of his species when he was seen in person, so it is quite possible the statue's unique look was simply artistic license on the part of the sculptor.

The Sharkticons in the [[Transformers: EarthSpark (cartoon)|''EarthSpark'' cartoon]] are depicted as bulky bipeds with large sharklike heads and prominent fins. While seemingly lacking any alternate mode, they do possess the ability to fly, and can seemingly store prey inside themselves and regurgitate it later.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''The Transformers'' cartoon=====
[[File:TFTM-Sharkticons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Don't {{w|Jump the shark|jump}} over them!]]
{{voiceactor|Normally indeterminate growls by multiple actors, rare speaking lines by [[Bud Davis]] (English, "The Quintesson Journal") and [[Frank Welker]] (English, "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]"); [[Ken Yamaguchi]] (Japanese, ''Movie''), [[Minoru Inaba]] (Japanese, ''Movie''), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese, ''Movie''), [[Kenyū Horiuchi]] (Japanese, ''2010''), [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japanese, ''2010'')|[[Reinhard Brock]] (German, "The Quintesson Journal"), [[Hans-Rainer Müller]] (German, "The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1"), [[Francis Lax]] (European French, "The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1")}}

[[File:TFTM Grimlock Quintessa.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|left|There's always a bigger fish.]]
When [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] and [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] found themselves stranded on the planet [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]], they were captured by [[Allicon]]s and brought to a group of [[Quintesson]]s to be put on trial. The [[Autobot]]s witnessed [[Arblus|two]] [[Kranix (G1)|other]] prisoners be judged "innocent" and dropped in a large pit of Sharkticons, but when it was their turn, they managed to get out of the pit and fought back.

Soon enough, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] arrived and started thrashing the Sharkticons until they backed down. [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] then ordered them to turn against their Quintesson masters, and apparently choosing to follow the strongest one, the Sharkticons complied. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|The Sharkticons' involvement in these events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic mini-series ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' and the storybook "[[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|Transformers the Movie]]".}}

[[File:FFOD2 Sharkticon is blown up.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|What happens when a Sharkticon eats chipotle.]]
A squad of Sharkticons were used to abduct [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]], Kup, and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike Witwicky]] from the [[Galactic Olympics]]. Undercover of a smoke bomb, they entered the game grounds and successfully snatched the trio to be taken back to Quintessa for trial. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} The trio were found guilty and thrown into the Sharkticon pit. A battle ensued until [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] arrived with [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] and Grimlock as reinforcements. Many of the Sharkticons were still on Quintessa when the Quintessons blew it up with a [[core bomb]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

During the brief Quintesson-[[Decepticon]] alliance which besieged [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], a commando team of Sharkticons were deployed to the deeper levels of the Transformer homeworld in order to find the [[Large switch|master switch]] which would shut down all Transformers as part of the Quintesson master plan. Fortunately, the commando team was intercepted by Rodimus Prime and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], who prevented the trio from succeeding in their goal. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[File:G1-BigBroadcast Sharkticons journal.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|"Hooray! We found the- oh crap."]]
Sharkticons were used to defend [[Inquirata (G1)|Inquirata]]'s [[Time Window]]. They didn't do a particularly good job, and the experiment fell into Autobot hands. With the Universe in peril, the Quintessons sent the Sharkticons to assault the base, which again resulted in failure, though they were later able to persuade Rodimus to shut the Time Window down. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}} A few Sharkticons attempted to retrieve a [[Quintesson Journal]] from [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], however as soon as they laid their claw on it, the [[Junkion (species)|Junkion]] drove them off and they had to leave without the journal. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}} [[Outback (G1)|Outback]] managed to trick one particularly stupid Sharkticon into opening the cell which he and his pals were imprisoned in. {{storylink|The Quintesson Journal}}

[[File:QuintessonJournal Outback sharkticon energon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
When the Quintessons double-crossed [[Dirk Manus]], they sent a squad of Sharkticons to make sure Manus didn't survive the crash of [[Lazy Sue|his ship]]. Fortunately the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] were able to drive them off. {{storylink|Money Is Everything (episode)|Money Is Everything}} Two were used for a mission to [[Zamojin (planet)|Zamojin]] to retrieve [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]], however local blacksmith [[Katsu Don]] was easily able to damage them thanks to everything on the planet being ultra-dense. {{storylink|The Face of the Nijika}}

A large group of Sharkticons were later infected with the [[Hate Plague]], and was chasing [[Klementia|a lone Quintesson]] on an unknown planet when [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] saved him. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}} The infected Sharkticons somehow made it to Earth and continued wreaking havoc, at least until they were cured by the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}
{{-}}

=====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity=====
======Controverse======
In an attempt to skip out on his own trial, [[Primacron]] used a whistle that controlled [[Primitive]]s to enthrall numerous Sharkticons to his will. They fought off the Autobots and Quintessons attempting to recapture Primacron, but were ultimately defeated. {{storylink|Controverse}}

======''Kiss Players''======
[[File:KPSharkticons.jpg|left|thumb]]
When the time-traveling [[Kiss Players (singing group)|Kiss Players]] [[Marissa Faireborn]], [[Shaoshao Li]], and [[Atari Hitotonari]] found themselves on a mysterious planet in the year 2011, their ship was captured and they were surrounded by Sharkticons. Shaoshao attempted to placate them with the [[universal greeting]] she had learned from [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] in 2006, but the Sharkticons swarmed over them while Shao cursed the Autobot as a liar.

Put on trial by the Quintessons, they were found "not guilty" and dropped into a pit full of even more hungry Sharkticons. Only a last-minute rescue by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Goldbug]] saved them from being devoured. {{storylink|Kiss Players Picture Story Show}}

======''Beastformers'' catalog======
As part of his support for [[Alligatron]]'s faction of Beastformers, Galvatron gave them Sharkticons to help conquer [[Beast (planet)|Beast]]. {{storylink|Beastformers catalog}}

======''Legends'' comic======
The [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]] obtained a Sharkticon tail on Beast and took it with them to the [[Legends World]], where they used [[Blowpipe (G1)|Blowpipe]]'s [[electro-clone beam]]s to create a bunch of Sharkticons they could control. One escaped and was fished up by Hot Rod and Shaoshao Li who used it to track down the Sweeps' lair, where Grimlock used [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] to menace the rest of the Sharkticon clones into turning on their creators. They then disappeared into the wild, and Hot Rod was charged with capturing them. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 44|Bonus Edition Vol. 44}}

When the [[Micromaster]]s settled [[Micro]], they ran into a stray Sharkticon that so scared Kup that he left the planet altogether. His traumatic memories of the event flared up when the Sharkticon clones attacked his used car shop in the Legends World, but [[Sue Faireborn|Sue]] helped him through it and he was able to pacify the beasts using her [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] mode. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 46|Bonus Edition Vol. 46}}

======''Generations Selects Special Comic''======
In 2050, the Quintessons returned to lay claim to Earth's supply of [[Angolmois Energy]]. Sharkticons and Allicons joined their other creations the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s in marauding the [[Selector]]s and [[Cybertron Alliance]]. {{storylink|Abominus comic 1}}

=====''TV Magazine'' comic continuity=====
======''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''======
A Sharkticon joined Galvatron and the Decepticons in their bid to steal spaceships with a giant spaceship that ate other spaceships. The scheme failed miserably.{{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #1}}

======''The Headmasters'' comic======
The Sharkticons joined the Decepticons in a second bid by Galvatron to conquer planet Beast. They flanked [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] in battle, but were ultimately driven away by a joint attack from the Autobots and their [[Beastformer]] allies. {{storylink|The Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!}}

Later, the Sharkticons were dispatched alongside all the other Decepticons with aquatic or amphibious alternate modes to take part in a scheme under the sea. The idea was to steal energy from the Earth's core at a break in the crust. The Sharkticons attempted to protect their operation from an attack by the [[Trainbot]]s, but even with the help of a giant robot squid, they were ultimately defeated. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 3|The Headmasters #3}}

=====''Wings Universe''=====
{{Wingsnote}}
[[File:Motormouth landsharks generation 2 redux.jpg|thumb|upright=1.9|You're that clever shark, aren't you?]]
The Quintessons built improved versions of the Sharkticons for [[Clench (G1)|Clench]]'s [[Decepticon Syndicate]]. Their leader was [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]. The Sharkticons fought alongside the Decepticons against the Autobots at the [[Large Hadron Collider]] on Earth but the villainous forces were ultimately routed. {{storylink|Generation 2: Redux}} After Clench and Sky-Byte teamed up with [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], the Sharkticons came with their commander to [[Qre]]. Jhiaxus set them on a team of Autobots who came snooping around. {{storylink|A Flash Forward, Part 4}} [[Sideswipe (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sideswipe]] disguised himself as one while moving around Jhiaxus's base. {{storylink|A Flash Forward, Part 5}} A couple of them attempted to help Jhiaxus after the prisoners got free, only to be blasted by [[Fizzle|Blaze]]. {{storylink|A Flash Forward, Part 6}}

Captain [[Cannonball (G1)|Cannonball]] thought that [[Tornado]] and [[Ferak]] grinned like hungry Sharkticons when they looked over a list of items they would need to build in order to join the [[Star Seeker]]s. {{storylink|Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur}}
{{-}}

=====''Prevenge''=====
As part of an elaborate (but ineffective) deathtrap, the [[Skuxxoid]] unleashed a horde of Sharkticons upon a group of Cybertronians it had abducted from throughout the multiverse. And by a "horde," he meant a single sickly and rusted Sharkticon. Embarrassed by the lack of a threat his Sharkticon presented, the Skuxxoid ordered his prisoners to fight one another to the death instead of bothering with it. {{storylink|Prevenge}}

=====''Deviations''=====
A group of Sharkticons investigated Optimus Prime's shuttle when the Autobot leader touched down on Quintessa. Kup tried the universal greeting on the creatures, but they responded unfavorably. Optimus was forced to sic the Dinobots on their attackers, who easily dispatched the aquatic warmongerers. {{storylink|Transformers: Deviations|Deviations}}

====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
[[File:IDWBofUKSP1A.jpg|thumb|Shart attack.]]
When sharing war stories, [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] claimed to have faced off against 50 Sharkticons. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
=====Marvek UK future timelines=====
{{note|The movie adaptation, originally published by Marvel US, is in italics}}
''In an alternate timeline, Hot Rod, Grimlock, and Kup were taken prisoner by the Sharkticons on planet Quintesson. After being brought before a kangaroo court, the Autobots were promptly sentenced to death and dunked in a pit of Sharkticons. Swoop, Sludge, Slag, and Wheelie came to their rescue, and Grimlock intimidated the Sharkticons into turning on their cruel masters. As the Autobots watched the Sharkticons swarming the Quintessons, Kup mused that the planet's "problems" would be solved in short order.'' {{storylink|Judgment Day!}}

After being taken prisoner on the planet [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintesson]] by the Quintessons, [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] attempted to escape by cutting through a body of water. Not too smart, as he was immediately beset upon by a school of Sharkticons. He managed to stave them off, expending much of his energy reserves but managing to stay alive until he was rescued by Wheelie. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

=====The Big Broadcast of 2006=====
{{NoteMarvelBB2006}}
In a strange alternate future, the Sharkticons were sent by the [[Quintesson]]s to the surface of [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] to retrieve a lost data canister. Their clumsiness alerted [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] to their presence and they were driven off by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]. In the melee, the canister was lost deeper in the junk pile where its finder-alarm was disabled. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}}
{{-}}

=====''Classics''=====
{{noteclassics}}
When [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]]'s shot was foiled by [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]]'s personal force field, Cliffjumper swore, "Son of a Sharkticon!" {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 4}}

====Toy pack-in material====
[[File:Decoy comic matrix.jpg|thumb|left|They're not even ''trying!'']]
A Sharkticon was present during a battle against the Autobots on a moon base. He fought alongside the likes of [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. {{storylink|Decipher the Decepticon}}

A couple of Sharkticons were posted around the Creation Matrix in order to guard it from the Autobots after the Decepticons had stolen it. They were defeated by a small group of Autobots that infiltrated the Decepticon base, and fled with the relic afterward. {{storylink|Start Your Own Decoy Collection}}
{{-}}

====3H comics====
Upon the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutants']] arrival on [[New Quintessa]], [[Derodomontatus]] found the beasts guilty of contempt in his court and sentenced them to death... by Sharkticons! Alongside some [[Allicon]]s, the Sharkticons leaped out of a nearby pool and began to maul their prey. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

Primal Prime's team of Wreckers also ran afoul of Sharkticons, though they fared better against their aggressors; after agreeing to take [[Al-badur]] off of his icy prison-world, a school of Sharkticons surrounded the group, and pounced in to attack. The better-armed group tore the Sharkticon to shreds in response. {{storylink|Disclosure}}

The Quintessons brought legions of Sharkticons to Cybertron in an effort to reclaim it as their own. {{storylink|The Wreckers: Finale Part 1}} What ensued was a planet-wide battle, with Maximals and Predacons fighting alongside one another against the Sharkticon hordes. Ultimately, on every other battlefront, the Sharkticons failed to overpower the residents of Cybertron. Though they seemed to possess the advantage at first, ore and more Sharkticons joined the scrap heap as the technorganics began using Cybertron's reformatted terrain to their advantage. They didn't yield much better results when facing the fully-technological Decepticons inhabiting a non-reformatted city. On another battlefront, Cryotek used his Primus-derived powers to reformat several Sharkticons into facsimiles of Megatron and other villainous Cybertronians in order to do battle against [[Sentinel Maximus]]. Even more Sharkticons fell offline as [[Al-badur]] overrode their systems to prove to the Maximals that he had truly allied himself with them. A platoon was melted to slag at the site of [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]], another under [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] command was met by the Wreckers, and yet another group was dealt with by the Dinobots.

The Sharkticons left behind on the Quintessons' homefront were not spared either, as the two Mutants they had failed to slay, [[Icebird]] and [[Poison Bite]], channeled Primus's power to slaughter the drones alongside their Quintesson masters. The Quintessons were ultimately forced to abandon their conquest of Cybertron outright, abandoning the Sharkticons as they fled to their ships, or using their corpses as cover from Cybertronian fire. But a small group of Sharkticons were spared by the Mutants on New Quintessa. Taking pity on them, Snowbird endowed them with the ability to feel hope and joy as he began to reformat the planet into a new technorganic paradise. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

====''Big Looker'' storybooks====
A group of Sharkticons were awaiting being fed a [[Wheelie (G1)|young robot]], only for him to escape the Quintessons’ clutches. Darn.

Later, The Quintessons led a group of Sharkticons to apprehend the crew of an Autobot shuttle that had crashed down on their planet. They were easily defeated by the Dinobots and their friends.

Wheelie also had a necklace that appeared to be made out of Sharkticon teeth. {{storylink|The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
[[File:WheelieGnaw.jpg|thumb|Aw HELL gnaw!]]
Wild and deadly, with a voracious appetite for [[energon]], the Sharkticons were slaves from a Quintesson colony world, used by their masters as soldiers and guards. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Guide}} They could be seen guarding their masters on the planet [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]] as the aliens plotted against the Cybertronians. {{storylink|Generation 1 issue 0|Generation 1 #0}}

{{Unreleased WW comic}}

Following [[Flash (G1)|Flash]]'s teleportation to Quintessa during the [[Age of Internment]], he encountered a mob of Sharkticons and Allicons, but managed to evade them by taking shelter in a Quintesson Citadel. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.4}} The Quintessons discovered Flash spying on them and sent their Sharkticon hordes after him again, only for Flash to escape using his superior speed. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.5}} The Sharkticons were nonetheless able to follow their target back to Cybertron. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.6}}

Packs of Sharkticons prowled Cybertron after the [[Age of Internment]]. One such pack attacked Shockwave shortly after he was reawakened, and only the intervention of [[Herald of Unicron]] [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] saved his life. As thanks, Shockwave blasted his savior and used him as the basis for his twisted experiments. Gee. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}}

Around the same time, a lone Sharkticon identifying itself as "[[Gnaw (G1)|Gnaw]]" was befriended by the Autobot survivalist Wheelie, and when its young companion joined the Autobot resistance movement led by [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], so did it. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

====''Timelines''====
[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] remarked that he had seen more trust in a Sharkticon's smile when he questioned [[Cryotek (TransTech)|Cryotek]] on whether the bar owner could be trusted to not sell out the wanted fugitives Jackpot and [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]]. {{storylink|Gone Too Far}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:Monstrosity4.jpg|thumb|Called "Sharkticons" because "Chrome Teeth Piranha Pugs" didn't fit on the box.]]
The Quintesson [[Pentius]]'s memories of the death and destruction spread by his race included Sharkticons being used to attack planets. {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} Perhaps this is how Sharkticons ended up living in the [[Acid Sea]] on the ruined planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], where they attacked [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] when he passed by. He was able to kill the first of the creatures, but several others overpowered him and pulled him into the ocean depths. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} For reasons unknown, possibly related to the presence of Pentius, these Sharkticons ended up releasing their grip and allowed their prey to escape. {{storylink|Fallout (issue)|Fallout}}

During a brief return to Junkion, Megatron recruited Sharkticons into the Decepticon army. He deployed them during the attack on [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], creating a perfect environment for the aquatic beasts by preemptively flooding the battlefield with liquid coolant. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}}

On the world of [[LV-117]], carvings of the Sharkticons and Quintessons adorned an ancient temple. {{storylink|Spotlight: Wheelie}}

In the modern day, the Junkions led by [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] kept an untold number of Sharkticons penned up in their [[Quintesson Cruiser|strange, corkscrew shaped ship]]. While exploring said ship, Cosmos, Rumble, and Frenzy were set upon by a horde of Sharkticons. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} Despite their best efforts, the sheer mass of the creatures overwhelmed them. Incensed by the attempted infiltration of their ship, [[Rum-Maj]] unleashed all the Sharkticons on-board on a diplomatic gathering outside the ship. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|Dance Among the Shadows}}

The Sharkticons attacked various places on Earth, including [[Mexico City]] where they were met by [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]], {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}} and [[Palermo]] where they fought members of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}} At Autobot City, [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] realized the Sharkticons were enslaved by the Junkions and quoted Megatron's works about a revolution in the hopes of pacifying them. It worked, causing them all to transform to robot mode and turn on the Junkions. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}} The Sharkticons fought their former masters until the battle ended with peace being brokered between the two sides. After that, they settled down with the Junkions in the [[Little Cybertron]] settlement on Earth. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

When an [[Ore-13]] mine was opened in [[Kentucky]], some Sharkticons got jobs there. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|Surfeit of Primes}} {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}}

When the [[Colonist Soldiers]] went to war with the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and the Joes, Rum-Maj jumped at the opportunity to conquer Earth once again, rallying the Sharkticons to [[Mount Rushmore]], riding atop [[Vajra]]. As they arrived, [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] quickly deescalated the situation before [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] teleported into orbit. {{storylink|Time Will Rust}} {{storylink|A Sunrise Dark}}

When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s [[Worldsweeper]] crashed into the lawn of [[White House]], the Sharkticons came to the President's defence, swarming the [[Maximal]] survivors. When the Chaos Bringer was felled, the Sharkticons settled into a new life on the organic world. {{storylink|Ceremony}} A lone Sharkticon on Little Cybertron was later seen tending to the cemetery. {{storylink|Post}}
{{-}}

====''Knights of Unicron''====
The Sharkticon Pit, located on Planet Quintessa, was the ninth venue for the [[Knights of Unicron (band)|Knights of Unicron]] on their 2014 "Till All Are One" tour. {{storylink|Knights of Unicron (band)|Knights of Unicron}}

====''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''====
After the [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] bombed [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], Grimlock angrily threw them into a pit of Sharkticons. [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] took pity on the hapless humans and threw them some explosives to defend themselves with. The Joes fed the explosives to the Sharkticons, which gave them indigestion, allowing the soldiers to escape. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend}} After the war, Sharkticons spread to [[Neptune]], forcing the colony of [[New Atlantis]] to relocate to [[Triton (moon)|Triton]]. {{storylink|The War Never Ends}}

====Swindle's Spiel====
[[Swindle, Swindle and Swindle]] had Sharkticons among their drones for sale. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
When the [[Quintesson]]s gained control of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], they established a <s>kangaroo</s> [[Supreme Court]] where anyone could be charged on scant evidence and the common verdict of "innocent" meant death by Sharkticon.

During the Transformer uprising that marked the end of the [[Age of Wrath]], the Quintessons deployed hunter-killer packs of Sharkticons. They patrolled the roadways and cut off rebel supply lines. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

====Aligned novels====
On the colony planet of [[Aquatron]], the Sharkticons served as the planet's warrior caste.

When the Quintessons arrived, most of the Sharkticons were re-conditioned by the invaders. In their new role, the Sharkticons served as elite honor guards for high-ranking Quintessons, while simultaneously intimidating any would-be Aquatronian rebels into submission. They were usually led by their Commander [[Gnaw (Prime)|Gnaw]], although, when the need arises, General [[Tyrannicon]] could also take command of the force.

At an unspecified point, a splinter force of Sharkticons attempted to rebel against their masters, foreseeing a time when their people would be freed. Their rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful, but before the rebels were fed to the [[Gamekeeper]] they managed to carve an image of [[Megatron (WFC)|a being]] prophesied to lead them to freedom, on the cavern wall.

When the [[Autobot]]s first arrived on Aquatron, [[Kup (WFC)|Kup]], [[Rodimus (WFC)|Rodimus]], and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] discovered a large vault of dormant Sharkticons the Quintessons had assembled as an invasion force to retake [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. When a combination of Quintesson manipulation and [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]]'s own treachery drove the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s to battle on the planet's surface, they were arrested by a large force of Sharkticons led by Gnaw. The remaining Autobots and Decepticons encountered more of them and were forced to fight the armada. When the Quintessons succeeded in opening the space bridge to Cybertron, Tyrannicon led a large flotilla of Sharkticons thorugh the space bridge, where they manned numerous vessels and acted as shock troops on the ground. Gnaw's division battled against [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]] and Starscream's combined forces.

Eventually, Megatron stole [[Xeros]]'s replica Matrix of Leadership that the Quintessons also used to coordinate the Sharkticon's movements. When Megatron placed it in his chest, the new [[Sharkticon Matrix of Leadership]] changed his body into a Sharkticon-like form and granted him complete and unwavering control over every Sharkticon in existence. The Decepticon leader's new forces turned on their masters, wounding Tyrannicon and killing Xeros. Tyrannicon would eventually steal this Matrix for himself, but it presumably was destroyed when he was eaten by the [[Hydratron]].

The surviving Sharkticons turned on one another and went feral, forming dedicated pockets of resistance on Cybertron even after the invasion was thwarted. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
[[File:TRID E 38 Sharkticon.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Shark Tales, anyone?]]
{{voiceactor| [[Setsuji Satō]] (Japanese) ([[Portals]] only)}}

Once Cybertron's most feared pirate, the Decepticon Sharkticon [[Hammerstrike (RID)|Hammerstrike]] was freed from his [[stasis pod]] after the Alchemor crashed on [[Earth]]. He took to the new planet's waterways intending to turn the sea into something approximating home and attacked the oil tanker, ''[[Windward]]''. [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] and [[Grimlock (RID 2015)|Grimlock]] came to the stricken tanker's aid and were able to fight Hammerstrike off. He instead went to a nearby oil refinery, hoping to use it to achieve his ends, however, Bumblebee and Grimlock turned up there too, and despite him putting up a fight, they managed to trap him in an empty oil barrel. {{storylink|Trust Exercises}}

Another Sharkticon had fallen in with [[Glowstrike]]'s crew of Decepticons. After Glowstrike accused the Sharkticon of acting against their interests, Steeljaw beat him up to prove his loyalty to her cause. {{storylink|Portals}}

Many Sharkticons were seen during the Bee Team's raid of Decepticon Island. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}} They were all incarcerated, when the [[stasis bomb]] went off and placed on board the Alchemor for transport to Cybertron. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 2)}}

The Sharkticon scientist [[Ragebyte]] came to Earth to experiment with explosives, but was caught by [[Windblade (RID)|Windblade]]. He was briefly freed to continue his experiments, and would have blown up [[Crown City Bridge]] had he not been stopped by the [[Bee Team (RID)|Bee Team]]. {{storylink|Blurred}}
{{--}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[Jackpot (Animated)|Jackpot]] once found himself surrounded by Sharkticons and tried to talk his way out of it. It didn't work, and he had to scramble out of the situation as best he could. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The Complete AllSpark Almanac|The Complete AllSpark Almanac}}

===''Bumblebee Movie Prequel''===
[[Malignus (BB)|Malignus]] had a pit of Sharkticons in his abandoned castle lair. When [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] entered the base, a Sharkticon tried to take a bite out of him. {{storylink|Energon Is Forever}} Once the Decepticons had revealed themselves, the Sharkticons began chewing into the Autobot, even following him underwater. The Sharkticons' lack of intelligence allowed Bumblebee to outmaneuver them with one hapless specimen finding itself on nosecone of Malignus' warhead. The force of the launch shook the beast loose and it found itself atop [[Dead End (ROTF)|Dead End]]. Though content to snack on the cannibal, the deranged Decepticon promptly shattered the predator. {{storylink|From Cybertron with Love}}

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|Additional voices ([[Ashleigh Chrisena Ricci]], [[Haley Carter Chapel]], and/or [[Todd Perlmutter]], English)}}

[[File:CyberverseSharkticon.jpg|thumb|300px|I'm a shark, I'm a shark, I'm dumber than a tree. I only have three thoughts and they are "eat," "swim," "eat."]]
[[Gnaw (Cyberverse)|Lord Gnaw]] was once a key figure to Sharkticons, with a statue built in his honor. Under unknown circumstances, the [[Sharkticon homeworld]] was destroyed. The survivors of the cataclysm regressed into three small groups: the [[Fin]]s, the [[Tail]]s, and [[Snout]]s, led by [[Jawsy]], [[Backbite (Cyberverse)|Backbite]], and [[Sawtooth (Cyberverse)|Sawtooth]] respectively. They all began fighting each other for resources, particularly the largest chunk of their world to remain intact, a plateau that they called the [[Park]].

In [[2007]], the [[Ark (Cyberverse)|''Ark'']], flying back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], came across the ruins of the Sharkticon homeworld. When solar flares began traveling through the system, the [[Autobot]]s, [[Hot Rod (Cyberverse)|Hot Rod]], [[Cheetor (Cyberverse)|Cheetor]], and [[Bumblebee (Cyberverse)|Bumblebee]], broke out the [[solar-wave board]]s, each one of them running across one of the three Sharkticon factions. When all three factions converged at the Park for dominance, each hoping that their Autobot would win their civil war for them, Cheetor tried to persuade all three groups to work together, but instead succeeded in turning them against him and his friends. The Sharkticons chased the Autobots across the solar system only to flee at the sheer size of the ''Ark''. Back aboard the ship, Cheetor seized the [[AllSpark]] and used its power to, largely, reconstitute the Sharkticons' homeworld. Despite the cracks on the surface, the Sharkticons were content to have their home back, the factions calling a truce. {{storylink|Wiped Out}}

Concurrently, [[Starscream (Cyberverse)|Starscream]] and the [[Titan (group)|Titan]] [[Croaton (Cyberverse)|Croaton]] were abducted by the [[Quintesson]]s, who used Sharkticons as an officer class in their forces. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe I}}

After the Quintessons had conquered [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and placed the populace in a virtual reality, the Sharkticons commanded the [[Prosecutor (Cyberverse)|Prosecutors]] in finding any citizens who had yet to be captured. {{storylink|The Loop}} When Hot Rod was brought before the Quintesson [[Judge (Cyberverse)|Judge]], he tried to rekindle his honorary membership of the Snouts only to be sharply rebuffed and carried before the Judge. {{storylink|The Trial}}

After [[Soundwave (Cyberverse)|Soundwave]] had been freed from the Loop, the Resistance captured an elite Sharkticon, [[Biter]], for information. {{storylink|The Prisoner}}

When the entirety of the Cybertronian race had been freed from Quintesson control, they launched an assault to free their planet only to be beaten back by the savagery of the Sharkticons, led by a Sharkticon named "[[Gnaw (Cyberverse)|Gnaw]]". It was only when [[Windblade (Cyberverse)|Windblade]] partially unearthed [[Iaconus]] did the Sharkticons retreat. {{storylink|The Alliance}}

When Iaconus' cloak was deactivated, the Judge led the Sharkticons to the Titan, the invaders falling to the Cybertronians, including getting munched on by [[Skullcruncher (Cyberverse)|Skullcruncher]] before the old Judge fell and the new Judge, Starscream, revealed himself. {{storylink|The Judge (episode)|The Judge}}

Pledging allegiance to Starscream, the Sharkticons were repainted in his colours and recaptured the Cybertronians, {{storylink|The End Of The Universe I}} before they were set free, venturing to [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's]] where they toasted the end of the universe. When Windblade entered to make another attempt at reawakening Iaconus, she and [[Maccadam]] fought their way through the Sharkticons to the [[cityspeaker]] chamber. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe II}} Those who remained on guard duty were swiftly dealt with by Maccadam's formidable alternate mode. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe III}} In the final stages of the invasion, the Sharkticons fought off the Cybertronian ground forces only to all be destroyed. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe IV}}
{{--}}

===''EarthSpark'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Nolan North]] (English)|}}, [[Steve Blum]] (English)

When [[Mandroid]] traveled through a space bridge, he came across the Sharkticons' homeworld and helped free it from their oppressors. In return, the Sharkticons [[Razor-Fin]] and [[Blitzwave]] journeyed with him back to Earth as muscle to help sort out his Cybertronian problem. {{storylink|The Last Hope, Part 1}} The two Sharkticons later captured the human half of the Malto clan for Mandroid and guarded the space bridge spire from the [[Terran]]s. Despite serving Mandroid loyally, they were ultimately deactivated by his space bridge weapon. They were revived shortly after when [[Robby Malto|Robby]] and [[Mo Malto|Mo]] used the power of their [[cyber-sleeve]]s and the space bridge to revive all the deactivated bots. {{storylink|The Last Hope, Part 2}}

==Commercial appearances==
While stranded on [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] ran afoul of a school of Sharkticons. The Sharkticons swarmed on the Autobots, only for [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] to join the fight and help them beat the merciless 'bots back. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Sharkticon|Sharkticon commercial}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
[[File:TF PS2 Sharkticon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Thinks that [[Barry Gjerde|Jill sandwiches]] are for eating.]]
{{bigquote|Sharkticon, servant of the Quintessons! Terrifying creatures from the future, they have teeth that can snap tungsten rods as if they were animal bone! |The Narrator|"[[The Transformers (G1 PS2)]]"}}
{{voiceactor|[[Walter Roberts]] (English)}}

During [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s reign of destruction, the Quintessons provided technology to allow the elite of the surviving Transformers to travel back in time to obtain the [[Zel Quartz]] before Shockwave learned of its existence. Some Sharkticons came in secret with [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and the Decepticons to help them.

A swarm of Sharkticons attacked the Autobots while they were exploring the Karzite mine. The leader announced that the Autobots were not allowed to pass and transformed to [[robot mode]]. It stated that the Sharkticons were obeying Galvatron due to how strong he was, and warned that if the Autobots got in their way, the Sharkticons would kill them. Rodimus Prime expressed his annoyed grief before announcing to the Autobots that they were going to have to beat the Sharkticons before they could continue their exploration. After a lengthy battle, the Sharkticon leader announced to his swarm that he was wounded and ordered them to retreat. As Rodimus watched the Sharkticons flee, he stated that they were not very tough. Later on, the Autobots had to fight off more Sharkticons while they were trying to navigate through a minefield. The Sharkticons were defeated again.

In the Decepticon story, a destabilization in space-time occurred and when their shuttle crash-landed, all the Decepticons were scattered. One Sharkticon found himself alone, which he disliked. When the Decepticons found the Gem of Mystery, that one Sharkticon managed to catch up with them, expressing relief. It ran up to the Decepticons in its monster form and transformed to robot mode once it got close, explaining how it had come on board the Decepticon's shuttle in secret. The Sharkticon told them that since he was a swarm member, he did not like being alone and announced that he would join them. Galvatron stated that his crew was starting to gain really odd members but concluded that allowing the Sharkticon to join them would definitely help defeat the Autobots.

When [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] stole the Zel Quartz and went off into space, it caused the future Transformers, including the Sharkticon, to return to their own era. {{storylink|The Transformers (G1 PS2)|The Transformers}}

===''Transformers: Autobots'' video game===
When [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] was unable to contact [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] during a mission, [[Create-A-Bot (Autobot)|an Autobot recruit]] commented that the situation "bites." Unfamiliar with the [[Human|local slang]], Ironhide asked if there were Sharkticons around. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers Autobots}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
The Sharkticons were used by the Quintessons for executions. Unfortunately, it was easy for [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] to persuade them to turn on their own masters. {{storylink|Mockery of Justice}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
Sharkticons followed [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] and [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] from [[Aquatron]] to Earth. They could be summoned into battle by [[Gnaw (G1)|Gnaw]] or a "Shark Attack" Battle Boost, which could be collected only during the four-week Sharkticon Saga. Be warned that they will explode when killed or re-summoned by Gnaw.

There are three levels of Shark Attack Battle Boosts; using one will deploy three 2-star Sharkticons at level 14, 30, or 40, respectively. Gnaw summons four Sharkticons one star rating lower than Gnaw himself, and their level can be increased by upgrading his "Chomp Chomp Chomp" ability. {{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars}}

===''Transformers: Forged to Fight''===
[[File:Sharkticon-Avatars-Forged-to-Fight.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|The most literal and awesome Sharkticons have ever been.]]
On [[New Quintessa]], Sharkticons infused and upgraded with [[Dark Energon]] came in six class types, each with their own weapon, fighting style, and three Special Attacks. They were many of them running around! They were even known to ambush a bot during a mission!

There was also a powerful, class-less Sharkticon, as well as the rare Golden Sharkticon and [[S-1000]] variants, all of whom occasionally appeared to menace intruders. They also had the unique ability to replicate their opponent's buffs and gain some buffs at low health.

Each Sharkticon could gain access to abilities from other Bots in their class when their "Shark Enhancement" Signature Ability was unlocked.
{{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight}}

{{charstubgames}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Sharkticons were a primitive Cybertronian subspecies that hadn't changed much in centuries. While some had evolved personalities and opinions, most remained mindless animals. {{storylink|Decepticon Directive}}

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
[[File:G1-toy Gnaw.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Believe it or not, he's the fat one.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Gnaw''' (Sharkticon, [[1986]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Tail, "Maceration Laser"

: Released in the third year of the Hasbro US ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|The Transformers]]'' toyline, Gnaw transforms into a rotund, squat-limbed, shark-like monster with [[Vacuum metallizing|chromed]] chompers. His [[beast mode]] tail becomes a mace weapon for [[robot mode]] and is also the most frequently missing piece from many Gnaws on the secondary market.

: There is a minor production variation in the beast mode legs/robot arms; some have two screws holding the light-gray calf/forearms together, while other have three screws. Exciting, we know. Some releases of Gnaw also came with one of four pieces to a ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' poster with glow-in-the-dark elements, advertising the [[Decipher the Decepticon]] contest.

: Though the toy is labeled as "Gnaw", much like the ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Scrapmetal (Cybertron individual)|Scrapmetal]] toy, it can be considered either the individual character or one of the countless others of its type. Because of its fictional appearance as mass armies, it is one of the few original-line [[Army-building|army builder]] toys, though it is notably costly to use it for that purpose.

: In the United States, Gnaw shared his assortment with the [[Predacon (G1)#Toys|Predacon]]s. In Japan, Gnaw was not available as part of the normal retail assortment, despite its semi-prominent fictional appearance. At first, it was a mail-away contest prize in the first wave of the ''[[Beastformers (franchise)|Beastformers]]'' sub-line in 1987, requiring mailing in five filled-in survey forms from ''Beastformers'' toys for a chance to win. It was later made available in limited quantities as a mail-away in 1988, by which time the toyline consisted of the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1988 (Super-God Masterforce)|''Super-God Masterforce'' line-up]]. Rather than any sort of Japanese-original packaging, the figure simply shipped in Hasbro packaging, with only a couple of additional stickers identifiying it as the Japanese market version (and relaying the appropriate legal information for Japan).

::*''[http://tfu.info/1986/Decepticon/Gnaw/gnaw.htm More information on Gnaw at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Timelines''===
[[File:Timelinestoy-BC2010Sharkticons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|What is this bright G2 neon crap?]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Land Shark/Air Shark/Sea Shark''' (multipack, [[2010]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': 2 missiles each

: A [[redeco]] of the Deluxe ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Sharkticon (Energon)#Toys|Sharkticon]], the ''Timelines'' version of the Sharkticon transforms into a Cybertronic submarine/battleship with dimly-animalistic styling. The small gun turrets are movable, plus the side panels can extend outward to reveal spring-loaded missile launchers.

: Available only in a three-pack of identical toys, the set came with three different bio cards, dubbing them either "[[Land Shark]]", "[[Air Shark]]", or "[[Sea Shark]]" (which is which is up for you to decide or not). This set was an [[exclusive]] bagged souvenir add-on at [[BotCon 2010]], with only 1000 sets produced.

: This mold was also used to make ''[[Transformers United|United]]'' [[Axalon (BW)#United 2|Axalon]], and was [[retool]]ed into BotCon 2010 [[Sky-Byte (RID)#Timelines|Sky-Byte]].

::*''[http://tfu.info/2010/Decepticon/BCSharkticon/sharkticon.htm More information on Sharkticon at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Kre-O''===
[[File:KreO-Toy SharkticonKreon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Commence army-building.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Sharkticon''' (Kreon Micro-Changer, [[2013]])}}</ul>
:*''Collection'': '''Collection 3'''
:*''Bag number'': '''***** 58'''
:*''Accessories'': Logo brick, buildable mace
{{toydesigner|[[Ed Masiello]] (Hasbro)}}

: As part of the third wave of [[blindpacking|blindpacked]] ''[[Kre-O]]'' [[Micro-Changer]]s, Sharkticon is a [[Kreon]] that can be rebuilt into a shark-y-beast-y thing-y. He uses the [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Warpath]] style helmet, and shares his shark head with [[Overbite (G1)#Kre-O|Overbite]]. His tail-mace is made of ninja weapons originally designed for the ''Kre-O [[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' sets. (An actual ball-mace piece would be introduced in 2014, making a nice replacement if being more original-toy-accurate is your bag.)

: This Micro-Changer assortment was the last one to appear at [[Target]], with later waves showing up only at [[Toys"R"Us]] or drug/discount stores.

::*''[http://tfu.info/2013/Decepticon/Kre-OSharkticon/sharkticon.htm More information on Sharkticon at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[File:KreO-toy Hammerstrike.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Sideswipe Roadway Rundown''' ([[2015]])}}</ul>
:*''Set number'': '''B1548'''
:*''Pieces'': '''98'''
:*''Kreons'': Hammerstrike, Sideswipe

: [[Kreon]] Hammerstrike was available only with the "[[Sideswipe (RID)#Kre-O|Sideswipe Roadway Rundown]]" set (despite the two characters having never interacted in the show). His fin/tail assembly needs to be removed in order to get him inside the included [[stasis pod#Aligned continuity|stasis cell]]. You also need to fold the legs in a little, since his shark-nose is just a hair too tall for the container if he's standing straight.

: All of the 2015 ''Transformers [[Kre-O]]'' product was skipped by retailers in the US (at first), seeing release in Canada, Australia, and various Asian markets. In fall 2015, almost all of it was finally released in the US through TJ Maxx discount stores, including this set. However, this and the "[[Strongarm (RID)#Kre-O|Strongarm Capture Cruiser]]" set were considerably harder to find than the others.

{{-}}{{anchor|2015Kreon}}
[[File:KreO-Toy SharkticonKreon2015.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|The greys aren't as different as they look. Different lighting and processing and whatnot.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Sharkticon''' (Kreon Micro-Changer, [[2017]])}}</ul>
:*''Collection'': '''Collection 3'''
:*''Accessories'': Logo plate, buildable mace

: In 2017, the Collection 3 Micro-Changers were re-released in a whole new production run, appearing in drug stores and "dollar" stores. These releases use the almost-entirely-[[retool]]ed 2015 Kreon (making most parts incompatible with older Kreons), with slightly-differently-hued plastics than the originals. Sharkticon's [[tampograph]]s have been changed, removing the metallic silver on his torso to leave the slightly-metallic silver plastic (lighter than the silver of the original release) of the torso exposed. His purple has also changed to pink (including his [[insignia]]), plus his toes are now light blue.

:Sadly, this release has no individual-identification code on the bag, requiring you to use the feel-through-the-bag method or just buy blind and hope.
{{-}}

===''Titans Return''===
[[File:TR-toy Gnaw.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Nom nom nom]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Gnaw''' (Legends Class, [[2016]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Tail/Mace

: Part of the third wave of ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' Legends Class toys, Gnaw transforms once again into a squat-limbed, shark-like monster. He comes with a mace accessory, which can be wielded by his 5mm hands, or plug onto his back as a beast mode tail.

: Like all other new-mold ''Titans Returns'' Legends toys, he has a riding compartment for [[Titan Master]]s (and [[Prime Master]]s)... but this one is inside ''his mouth''. Yes, you read that right.

: He's extremely short for a humanoid Legends Class figure, coming up to the shoulders of most other robot modes.
{{-}}

===''Legends''===
[[File:Legends-toy Sharktron.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Double your army-builder dollar!... sorta.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Sharktron & Sweeps (Sharkticon)'''<ref>The packaging says "シャークトロン&スウィープス" (Sharktron & Sweeps) in Japanese, but the accompanying English subtitle is just "Sharkticon".</ref> (2-pack, 2017)}}</ul>
:*''Release date'': [[September 30]], 2017
:*''ID Number'': '''LG44'''
:*''Accessories'': Tail/mace

: Released in the twenty-first(!) wave of TakaraTomy's ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' toyline, "Sharktron" is a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Gnaw (G1)#Generations|Gnaw]] toy above. This toy has a richer color palette and much more extensive [[paint operation|paint applications]] based on the original robot-mode animation model, which results in him having show-inaccurate shark-mode arms and tail/mace due to being part of the same sprue of [[unpaintable plastic]] shoulder parts.

: He comes with fellow army-builder [[Sweep (G1)#Legends|Sweeps]], a [[retool]] and redeco of ''Titans Return'' [[Fracas#Generations|Fracas]].
{{-}}

===''Cyberverse''===
[[File:CV-toy Gnaw.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Eggmech, or as he's known in the US series, Dr. Robotshark.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Gnaw''' (Warrior Class, [[2019]])}}</ul>
:*''Action Attack'': Mace Mash
:*''Accessories'': Tail-mace

: Part of the fourth wave of ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (toyline)|Cyberverse]]'' Warrior Class figures (and the first in the ''Power of the Spark'' [[subline imprint|subline]]), Gnaw is a Deluxe-sized mold based on [[Gnaw (G1)#Generations|''Titans Return'' Gnaw]], transforming into a robotic shark-frog-thing.

: In robot mode he features a "Mace Mash" Action Attack: lifting up the shark-jaw part unlocks the free-spinning upper torso. Pushing in on the fin on his back activates a spring-loaded gearing gimmick that causes the upper torso to spin around and around. His head is attached in a way that it ''doesn't'' spin, however. His legs have tabs to lock into place in robot mode, offering more stability when using this gimmick.

: Gnaw does not, in fact, look like his cartoon appearance as a statue, but ''does'' look plenty like the generic Sharkticons if they lacked their tribal markings, thus, use him as a generic Sharkticon to your heart's content. This design was reused for the individual that took up the "Lord Gnaw" mantle in Chapter 3 of the cartoon.

{{-}}{{anchor|SharkticonSet}}
[[File:CV-toy Sharkticon-TTC.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|It's like a tiny ''West Side Story''.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Sharkticons Attack''' (Multi-pack, 2019)}}</ul>

: Three [[Tiny Turbo Changers]] Sharkticons (though they are not referred to as "Tiny Turbo Changers" anywhere on the packaging) are included in the "Sharkticons Attack" box set, each transforming from shark-monster to robot mode in a few simple steps, and having 3 mm holes in their fists for accessory-holding.

: They feature the gang markings from their introductory cartoon episode: two of them feature the green markings of the "Snouts", with the third having the orange of the "Tails". The gang markings are only on the shark-mode backs, making them look basically identical from the front in robot mode.

: This set was a [[Target]] exclusive in the US. It also includes a "Stealth Force" redeco of One-Step changer [[Hot Rod (Cyberverse)#SharkticonSet|Hot Rod]].

{{-}}{{anchor|TinyTurbo}}
[[File:CV-toy Gnaw-TTC.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Gnaw''' (Tiny Turbo Changer, 2020)}}</ul>
:*''Series'': '''4'''
:*''Bag code'': '''A'''

:Released in the fourth series of ''Cyberverse'' [[Tiny Turbo Changers]], Gnaw is a much simpler recolor of the small soft plastic Sharkticon figures included in the "Sharkticons Attack" multi pack above, albeit released well after said pack.

: In the US this series was effectively if not technically a Target exclusive, that chain being the only place it was widely (if briefly) available.
{{-}}

===''War for Cybertron Trilogy''===
[[File:WFCT-toy Sharkticon.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Now in Floro Dery sketch colors!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-qu|'''Quintesson Pit of Judgement''' ([[2020]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Tail/mace
{{toydesigner|[[Ken Christiansen]] (concept artist), [[Mario Carreiro]] and [[AJ Piejko-Brown]] (packaging)}}

: A blue-tinged redeco of the ''Titans Return'' Sharkticon was included in the [[Hasbro Pulse]] [[exclusive]] ''[[War for Cybertron Trilogy (toyline)|War for Cybertron Trilogy]]'' "Quintesson Pit of Judgement" [[giftset]].

: This set includes a redeco of the ''[[War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Earthrise]]'' [[Quintesson Judge#Pit|Quintesson Judge]], the [[Quintesson Bailiff#Toys|Quintesson Bailiff]], and brand-new mini-figures of the [[Quintesson Prosecutor#Toys|Quintesson Prosecutor]] and [[Kranix (G1)#War for Cybertron Trilogy|Kranix]]. It was available first for people who attended the Hasbro Fans Expo in [[Hong Kong]] and preordered the set. It was later made a [[Hasbro PulseCon 2020]] [[exclusive]] in the United States and Canada (except for Quebec), available to Premium members on [[September 23]] 2020, then opened up to all members on [[September 24|the 24th]], where it sold out, went to pre-orders for more, then sold out of pre-orders within a few short hours despite a (stated) 1-per-customer limit. More pre-orders were re-listed again for a 2021 delivery in 2020 November.
{{-}}

===''Studio Series''===
[[File:SS-toy Gnaw.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"How many would you like to buy?" "Yes."]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-qu|'''Gnaw''' (Deluxe Class, [[2021]])}}</ul>
:*''Movie'': '''''The Transformers: The Movie'''''
:*''Hasbro ID number'': '''86-08'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''SS-70'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[November 27]], 2021
:*''Accessories'': Tail mace, fin sword, blaster, "Mockery of Justice" backdrop

: Released to commemorate the 35th anniversary of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', ''[[Studio Series]]'' Gnaw is ''mostly'' accurate to the Sharkticons' general appearance in the original cartoon, though he has circular dents where the antennae should be. His tail-mace has a single swivel-joint at the base to give it a bit of articulation. His robot-mode blaster can attach to his beast mode's left side. Sadly, the gun barrel's end is not compatible with [[Fire Blast effect|blast effect]]s. His dorsal fin is attached by a simple [[5 mm post]], and can be removed and held as a knife, though Gnaw's cuffs cause some minor clearance issues.

: Gnaw's backpack comes detached in the packaging, and Gnaw himself is set quite high in the box, with his head often humorously looking down into his chest.

: Gnaw has the honor of being both the first [[Quintesson]]-aligned character released in ''Studio Series'' and the first toy of the character to ''not'' be labeled as a Decepticon. While this is a ''quintessential'' (hahaha) [[Army-building|army-builder]], designer [[Evan Brooks]] has stated that the figure is named Gnaw in reference to the original toy during its [[May 21]] [[Hasbro Pulse#Fan First Friday|Fan First Friday]] reveal.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txGS01bXx9U May 21st, 2021 Fan First Friday]</ref>

: A lot of Gnaw's details appear to be heavily inspired by an older [[Marvel Productions]] model of the Sharkticon, which in turn, is [https://i.imgur.com/6N3U7Ow.jpeg one of two refined variants of line art] based on [[Floro Dery]]'s [[:File:FloroDerySharkticonNotes.jpg|original designs]]. The final model by [[Toei Animation|Toei]] actually mirrors the [[Allicon]] models (also designed by Toei artists), in that they share the same poses, but aside from those differences the base details remain mostly the same.<ref name="Toei1">[https://i.imgur.com/aqcdKgA.jpeg Toei Sharkticon robot mode models]</ref><ref name="Toei2">[https://i.imgur.com/vVNmo60.jpeg Toei Sharkticon alternate mode models]</ref> Additionally, the heads, shoulders and paint applications ressemble more of the final Toei models, therefore, making Gnaw a combination of both designs.

: As with other ''Studio Series'' toys, the interior of the package forms a diorama display for the figure. In this case, it is the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s' famous "self-invited" entrance at [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]'s execution.
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===''Robot Heroes''===
[[File:RH-toy Sharkticon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Snarl & Sharkticon''' (Two-pack, 2008)
{{toydesigner|[[Bill Rawley]] (Hasbro)|[[Marcelo Matere]] (concept artist)}}

: Part of the "Generation 1 Series" of ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]''-branded ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' two-packs, Sharkticon is a chunky, [[super deformed]] soft-plastic figurine of the character in robot mode. He has simple swivel shoulders and neck articulation.

: He came in a two-pack with "Snarl", who is actually [[Slag (G1)/toys#Robot Heroes|Slag]], who was going through some naming issues at the time but hadn't settled on "Slug" yet.

: Due to their small size and price point, the ''Robot Heroes'' Sharkticon is prized by those wishing to inexpensively army-build Sharkticons. This made them harder to find in stores and severely overpriced in the secondary market. One can only wonder what became of the Slag/Snarls packaged with those Sharkticons.

::*''[http://tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/RHSharkticon/sharkticon.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Sharkticon at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Tiny Titans''===
[[File:TinyTitans Hammerstrike.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Hammerstrike''' (Tiny Titans, 2015)
**''Series'': '''1'''
**''Number'': '''10/12'''

:Part of the initial assortment of ''[[Tiny Titans]]'' [[blindpacking|blindpacked]] figurines, this version of [[Hammerstrike (RID)|Hammerstrike]] is a very small, minimally-painted soft-plastic figure of him in beast-robot mode.

: He includes a collectible card that includes a scan-badge for the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]], which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2015/Decepticon/TTHammerstrike/hammerstrike.htm More information on ''Tiny Titans'' Hammerstrike at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
[[File:TinyTitans Sharkticon.jpg|thumb|300px|*''long, sustained baritone note''*]]
*'''Sharkticon''' (Tiny Titans, 2015)
**''Series'': '''2'''
**''Number'': '''7/12'''

: Part of the second assortment of ''[[Tiny Titans]]'' [[blindpacking|blindpacks]], this version of the Sharkticon is a very small, soft-plastic figure of him in beast mode, going all "raaaaar" at you.

: He includes a collectible card that renders him in the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|2015 ''Robots in Disguise'']] styling. The card includes a scan-badge for the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]], which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.

: This wave saw fairly minimal release at "big box" retailers, but unlike other waves, was ''not'' picked up by drug stores and the like later, making them particularly hard to find.

{{-}}

===Imaginarium Art===
*'''Grimlock''' (2018)

:This 20-inch-tall statue set depicts Grimlock in his dinosaur mode and a slingshot-wielding Wheelie as they face off against five [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s. Only 150 were produced.
{{-}}

===''ReAction''===
[[File:ReAct-toy Sharkitcon.jpg|upright=1.33|thumb]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Sharkticon''' (2023)}}</ul>

: Released in the sixth wave of [[Super7]]'s line of multi-property 3.75-inch "retro" action figures, ''[[Super7#ReAction|ReAction]]'' Sharkticon is a non-converting figure based on its creature-mode appearance in the original cartoon. It has swivel legs and arms (though the arms are incredibly thin, making them feel fragile with the stiffness of the joints), a swivel tail, and the jaw can open up slightly, giving it one more point of articulation than most ''ReAction'' figures.

: As with all releases in the ''ReAction'' toyline, Sharkticon comes packaged on a small cardback that emulates the nostalgic packaging style of [[Kenner]]'s ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' action figures from the late 1970s to early '80s. The bubble for the toy sticks out a ''lot'', as this wide and long figure was packaged upright and sideways.
{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:FloroDerySharkticonNotes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Teehee. "Sharticon".]]
[[File:Model-Sharkon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
* The Sharkticons had the preliminary name of '''Sharkons'''.
* When asked about the Generation 1 Sharkticon design in an interview, [[Floro Dery]]'s reply was, "Sharkticon is a shark."<ref>[http://transformersph.blogspot.com/2007/06/interview-with-floro-dery.html TransFormers Philippines: Interview With Floro Dery]</ref> He's apparently seen some pretty weird-ass sharks.
** In his production notes, Floro Dery delves into this explanation further, writing that he designed it as a fantasy beast that uses qualities and traits of a shark, such as a large toothy mouth and a voracious appetite... which probably also explains why Sharkticons (referred to here consistently as "Sharkons") turn into fat little men.
* One early color model for the "Sharkon" gave it pinkish-red parts. Additionally, this color model also features heavily refined line art, compared to other early revised color models which kept a lot of the details from the original Dery concept art, just simplified down.<ref>[https://i.imgur.com/6N3U7Ow.jpeg Comparison between all known Sharkticon revisions]</ref>
** The finalized Sharkticon models by [[Toei Animation|Toei]] were designed similarly to the [[Allicon]] models (also designed by Toei), sharing the same or similar poses to the Allicons (e.g. hunched over little pudgy robots, with big feet and hands).<ref name="Toei1" /><ref name="Toei2" /> Presumably this was done to keep the Quintesson and Quintesson-related characters looking alike so that they can be easily recognized as coming from the same place.
* In Japan, the Generation 1 Sharkticon is considered an "Animatron", the Japanese name for the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]].
** The Sharkticons' status as Animatrons may or may not be connected to Gnaw's shipping as the sixth figure in the Predacons' case assortment outside of Japan.
** ''[[Transformers Timelines (franchise)|Timelines]]'' [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] is a Predacon and commands Sharkticons, both groups being [[Quintesson]]-affiliated in the Generation 1 cartoon continuity (and therefore the [[Transformers: Wings Universe|Wings of Honor continuity]]). This may or may not be a coincidence. "[[A Common Foe]]" depicted them teaming up to found the Beast Era [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s.
* During the Arctic level of the ''[[Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Autobots]]'' [[Movie (franchise)|movie]] video game, [[Create-A-Bot (Autobot)|Create-A-Bot]] says, "This bites." [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] replies, "Bites?! Are there Sharkticons in here?"
* In Volume 2 of ''[[My Little Pony]]: The Manga'', [[Doctor Hooves]] mentioned saving a Cybertronian version of [[Fluttershy]] from the Sharkticon pits on Quintessa Prime.
* The 2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' Sharkticons are portrayed as a naturally-occurring subspecies of Cybertronian like [[Amphiboid]]s or [[Buffaloid]]s, in contrast to the [[Quintesson]]-controlled subgroup from ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Retribution|Retribution]]''. They also distinctly resemble [[Rippersnapper (G1)|Rippersnapper]] and [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]] from Generation 1.
* Aside from the tribal markings, the standard Sharkticons in the ''Cyberverse'' cartoon are identical, all of them being based on the original Generation 1 design.
* ''Studio Series'' Gnaw having a blaster accessory is unusual for the scrupulously cartoon-accurate ''Studio Series'' '86, since none of the Sharkticons ever carried firearms.
** This was acknowledged by Evan Brooks during the figure's Fan First Friday reveal, who stated that the blaster was included out of necessity to reference the original Generation 1 Gnaw toy.<ref>Evan Brooks on the May 21 Fan First Friday stated "He comes with the blaster that his G1 toy came with. Wasn't featured in the movie at all, but we just wanted to make sure it was included."</ref>

===Foreign names===
====Generation 1====
*''Japanese:'' '''Sharktron''' (シャークトロン ''Shākutoron'')
*''French:'' '''Requanicon''' (Canada, "Sharkticon"), '''Squaltican''' (France, "Sharktican")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Falógép''' ("Eating Machine"), '''Gépcápa''' ("Machine Shark"), '''Vasfogas''' ("Iron-Zander"), '''Acélsüllő''' ("Steel-Walleye", all from the 1st ''The Movie'' dub<ref>Various pun-based names were used in different lines of dialogue. Aside from the literal translations, "vasfogas" can also mean "iron-toothed" and "iron coathanger", while "acélsüllő" could be a play on "acél üllő" (steel anvil) or "acél küllő" (steel spoke).</ref>), '''Sharkticon''' (2nd ''The Movie'' dub)
*''Mandarin:'' '''Shāyú Jīngāng''' (Taiwan, 鯊魚金剛, "Shark Vajra") '''Shāyú Jīng''' (China, 鲨鱼精, "Shark Fairy")
*''Russian:'' '''Zhulikony''' (Жуликоны, "Swindlecons")

====Aligned====
*''Russian:'' '''Akuloconi''' (Акулоконы, "Sharkticons")

====''Bumblebee''====
*''Japanese:'' '''Sharkticon''' (シャークティコン ''Shākutikon'')

====''Cyberverse''====
*''Japanese:'' '''Same-tachi''' (サメたち, "Sharks")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Alien species]]
[[Category:Animated species]]
[[Category:Aquatron]]
[[Category:BotCon exclusives]]
[[Category:Bumblebee Decepticons]]
[[Category:Bumblebee subgroups]]
[[Category:Cyberverse species]]
[[Category:Decepticon subgroups]]
[[Category:Energon Universe species]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 drones]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Predacons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 species]]
[[Category:Generations Selects Quintessons]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) subgroups]]
[[Category:Japanese promotion exclusives]]
[[Category:Kiss Players]]
[[Category:Kre-O Decepticons]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Decepticons]]
[[Category:Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category:Mass-produced Transformers]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:Quintesson servant races]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2015) subgroups]]
[[Category:Sharkticons| ]]
[[Category:Transformers Roleplaying Game species]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Trilogy characters]]
[[Category:Wings Universe species]]

Pipes (G1)

2024-05-12T09:07:59Z

Vrahno:

{{factions|autobot|primusvanguard}}
{{disambig3|Pipes}}

:''Pipes is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:TFU Pipes.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Always wintahrize... yah PIPES.]]
'''Pipes''' is an excellent soldier—tough, brave, and very strong—and otherwise worthy of little note, except for his unusual ability and eccentric hobby. When he came to [[Earth]], Pipes became enamored of the [[Human|fleshlings]]' primitive and ingenious technology and could not resist taking home cast-off examples when on missions. Eventually, a previously disused area of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] became his own personal museum of nose hair trimmers, patent rulers, and other worthless but fascinating ephemera of the throwaway society. He will gladly talk for endless hours about each prized find.

Only [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] can be said really to enjoy an extended tour of Pipes's little museum, but Pipes is a good soldier and a friendly soul, and his comrades generally allow him his little eccentricity.

Pipes's most notable ability, which he is not the most proficient at controlling, is to emit clouds of corrosive gases from his [[exhaust weaponry|exhaust pipes]]. This is possible in both modes, but is more useful (except to annoy motorists) in [[robot mode]], where the pipes are on his arms. If he stays at it for at least ten minutes, these noxious gases will eat through a 2" slab of ordinary steel. His own skin is well protected against these gases, but in battle, the coatings may flake off. If he does not notice this (as frequently occurs) he can become vulnerable to his own attack, with unpleasant results.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Hal Rayle]] (English), [[Kenyū Horiuchi]] (Japanese)|[[Éric Etcheverry]] (European French), [[Vicente Gil]] (Spain-Spanish)}}
[[File:Pipes with widget.jpg|left|upright=0.9|thumb|"It'll take two to three weeks if I order the parts today...which I won't."]]
Pipes was present at the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] when [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] came to destroy it. He and his fellow Autobots made a valiant effort to hold off the Decepticon city-robot, but failed, and the Ark and its volcano were reduced to rubble. When [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]], [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] arrived with [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transformation cog]], Pipes installed it, allowing the Autobot giant to transform and defeat Trypticon. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[File:G1 ForeverIsALongTime Pipes Rodimus Perceptor.jpg|upright=0.95|thumb|"Yep, here's yer problem. His ears were clogged with toothpaste."]]
Later, he accompanied [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]], [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]], and the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] on a rescue mission after [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] and friends disappeared while looking for a source of chronal energy. They found the [[Quintesson]]s had constructed a [[Time Window]] on an asteroid for the purpose of undoing the original Autobot rebellion against the Quintessons on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Perceptor was found alone, suffering serious injuries, and his team missing. Pipes's mechanical skills were put to work as a battlefield medic to try and patch up Perceptor, but Perceptor's incoherent mumblings about theoretical physics didn't do anyone much good. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}
{{-}}

====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic====
[[File:FSRLTFmanga8 Minibots.jpg|thumb|That's a fine Gundam impression you got there, bro.]]
Pipes was part of a group who arrived to back up [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]], who was defending a [[Battle Dog|dog]] that had been cruelly experimented on by the [[Decepticon]]s from being hunted and captured by the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. He and the other [[Mini Vehicle|Minibots]] [[Minibot combiner|combined]] with Powerglide in their vehicle modes thanks to the energy within the dog, and spinning furiously, smashed through [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]'s chest and out the other side in a flying drill attack. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}

====Metrowars====
While Pipes was stationed at [[Metroplex (G1)|Scramble City]] during its rebuilding following an attack from [[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]], the Decepticons attacked again. Pipes pleaded with [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Twincast]] to activate Metroplex, but Twincast was wary of the energy usage on their limited stocks. Nevertheless, Metroplex pressed through and helped send the Decepticons into retreat. {{storylink|Metrowars}}

====''Wings Universe''====
{{Wingsnote}}
[[File:BattleLines6-UltraMagnus.jpg|thumb|left|Hi, I'm over here with Tailgate! I'm not [[Ravage (SG)|waving]]...]]
Pipes was present at the first "meeting" between [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 6}}
{{--}}

===Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics===
{{noteukexclusive|Pipes}}
[[File:Pipes outback underworld.jpg|thumb|left|100px]]
Pipes was led into battle by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] attacking a Decepticon [[Energon]] distribution facility. He fought alongside [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]]. {{storylink|Resurrection!}}

Pipes graduated from [[Autobot Military Academy]], but nearly lost his friend [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] to a stupid initiation stunt when the hapless cadet accompanied some [[Flattop (Marvel)|other]] [[Subsea|Autobots]] into the [[Underworld]] to prove his courage. Fearing the worst, Pipes and [[Outback (G1)|Outback]] went in after him. When they found Tailgate battling a group of techno-[[Mutant (G1)|mutants]], though, Pipes convinced Outback to hang back and let Tailgate prove himself in combat. Tailgate successfully defeated all comers, and the three Autobots returned to the surface. {{storylink|Underworld!}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:BlackSunshine Autobot training failures.jpg|thumb]]
When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] pumped out anti-Autobot propaganda to discourage public sentiment for the newly returned Ark crew, Pipes was among the Autobot civilians seen watching Optimus Prime's "rampage" through [[San Francisco]]. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Later, after the insurrection against Shockwave, Pipes was seen training alongside [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] and several other Autobots, under [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s supervision. {{storylink|Black Sunshine}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More than Meets the Eye'' #1]]}}

{{quote|Dear [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]]... Having a wonderful time. Made lots of new friends—like [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]. Got a bit '''''[[Red Rust|sick]]''''' and got a bit '''''[[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|shot]]''''', but apart from that, yeah, having a pretty wonderful time. Um. Speak soon, bye!|Pipes|"[[Under Cold Blue Stars]]"}}

[[File:TwentyPlusOne LostLightNamed.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
'''Pipes of Pescus Hex''' {{storylink|The Not Knowing}} (sometimes Pipes of [[Helex (polity)|Helex]]) was good friends with [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] and [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]]. He also had a "type" he looked for in, cough, partners: aquatic-mode triple changers with "minimal [[kibble]] [and a] big chest plate". Whether boat-changer Riptide knew this is unknown. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

When [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] was planning his quest to find the legendary [[Knights of Cybertron]], Pipes and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] accompanied [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] to [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]'s religious quarter with the intention of buying a [[starship]]. Seeing that Drift was carrying a gold currency card, Pipes tried to get the former Decepticon to guess how much he'd saved up in his travel fund but Drift was more interested in finding the owners of a certain [[Quantum generator|quantum]] spaceship. After buying the ''[[Lost Light|U1]]'' for a billion [[shanix]], it was decided that it needed renaming. Pipes suggested that they hold a competition, while Drift was content to wait for a sign... as they realised that they were attending the [[Festival of Lost Light]]. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}}

[[File:NoGunsNoSwordsNoBriefcases PipesLookingForLove.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|"I'm just looking for someone who is interested in "laying pipes", ''knowhatimsayin'''? Eh? Eh?"]]
Subsequently, Pipes joined up as a crew member on the newly christened ''Lost Light'' to take part in Rodimus' quest. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} He was dismayed that Hubcap wouldn't leave [[Debris]] for the trip and that Riptide hadn't bothered to turn up ([[Twenty Plus One|and would never learn Riptide had been attacked]]). {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}} Following its failed launch, he was sucked out into space and crashed on a nearby planetoid, where he was retrieved by Rodimus and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and taken back to the ship. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

An alternate Pipes was created when the Lost Light's [[quantum generator|quantum engines]] malfunctioned. If you thought the regular Pipes had had it bad, ''this'' duplicate Pipes was killed by [[Helex (G1)|Helex]], who ripped him in half when the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] boarded the ship and slaughtered the crew. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Pipes was at the official grand opening of [[Swerve's|Swerve's bar]] with Drift, where they toasted to the recently deceased [[Duobot]]s. Pipes lamented his lack of luck with making friends and ventured that he could start hanging out with Drift and Rodimus. Drift suggested [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] as a potential friend for him, but Pipes knew he was involved with [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]], revealing he was looking for a bit more than friendship. Drift offered to introduce him to [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], feeling the two might have some things in common. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

[[File:LifeAftertheBigBang Pipes vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0]]
Anticipating his first outing on an alien world, Pipes accompanied Drift and [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] to investigate an outbreak in [[Delphi]]. On arrival at the medical facility, and before Ratchet could explain the symbol on the door was the universal plague symbol, Pipes used his [[alternate mode]] to bust in and found himself hip-deep in dead bots. He was infected with the [[Red Rust]] virus by [[Dent]]. He menaced Drift while succumbing to the virus, and the other Autobot knocked him out, though he had already passed on the infection. Ratchet took him to be treated. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} Later, Pipes was cured from the virus by Ratchet's newly acquired vaccine and returned with the group to the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

[[File:Interiors injured Pipes.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|In his natural habitat.]]
Soon afterwards, Pipes was hanging out with some other Autobots at Swerve's when [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Fortress Maximus]] went on a shooting rampage. Pipes was Maximus's first victim, but survived and ended up on a bed in the medical bay. {{storylink|Interiors}} He eventually recovered, and joined a few other Autobots for movie night in [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]]'s hab-suite, watching "[[Proteus's Promise]]". {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}}

Pipes volunteered to go on a mission to [[Temptoria]] to see if a group of Decepticons were holding the [[Circle of Light]] there. On the way, he discussed [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'s recent decapitation with [[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]]. The mission presumably didn't go well for Pipes, as he spent the journey back lying on the floor of the ''[[Leading Light]]''. {{storylink|Before & After}} After recovering, he was accidentally shot by [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]]'s new invention, a [[Existential gun|gun that fired ennui]], and almost shrugged himself to death as a result. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}}

[[File:Cold Blue Stars dying Pipes.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2.3|I... um... I don't want to joke right now.]]
Pipes visited Blaster to check if the subspace communicator was working so he could send Hubcap a message. He passed the message on, then made his way to Tailgate's room for a movie night...before bumping into [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]]'s foot. He attempted to apologize, but was cut off by the Phase-Sixer stomping him to bits. Barely functional and ''holding his open chest to keep his [[spark]] from falling out'', he crawled to an alarm and set it off before his spark extinguished. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}}

Following the battle against [[Solomus|Tyrest]] on [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], Rodimus returned to his office and vowed to redecorate it with less garish colours and a small memorial to Pipes and the crewmembers he had lost. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} A 'time fissure' at Swerve's was eventually discovered and allowed people to look back at their departed friends. Tailgate chose to look at Pipes and Drift. It was then that Tailgate finally learned what Pipes had been looking for. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

A simulation of Pipes later appeared to [[Team Rodimus]] on [[Mederi]] alongside the also-deceased [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (1): Metastasis|Metastasis}} The two tried to convince the others that they were in the [[Transformer afterlife|Afterspark]] and everyone should accept death. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (2): The God War|The God War}} However, the truth behind Mederi was soon uncovered and the apparitions of Pipes and Trailcutter vanished. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

Pipes was one of the many deceased Cybertronians glimpsed by [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] as the Decepticon died using the [[Enigma of Combination]] to assist [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] in his battle against [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

===''TransTech''===
Pipes was one of many residents of Axiom Nexus. He was seen in the company of [[Signal Lancer]]. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 4}}

===2019 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[The Change In Your Nature Part Four|''Transformers'' #16]]}}
[[File:Prisoners PipesBrawn.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|Stan for stands.]]
Pipes was walking on the street after one of [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]]'s fights. {{storylink|Transformers Valentine's Day Special}} As part of the [[Senate Guard]], Pipes helped provide security for an emergency [[Senate]] meeting. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Four}} Pipes later attended an illegal [[skitter]] race at [[Swindle's]]. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: Swindle's|Swindle's}} When [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] ordered the captive [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] to be paraded through the streets, Pipes worked crowd control. After [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] expressed her doubts that they could effectively handle the unruly mob, Pipes suggested she look to their particularly-unshakeable comrade [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] to shore up her confidence. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: Prisoners|Prisoners}}

Pipes was present when [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] gave the Senate Guard a pep talk before they deployed to provide security for Sentinel Prime's speech denouncing the [[Decepticon|Ascenticons]]. Pipes and [[Chainclaw (G1)|Chainclaw]] were stationed to guard the rear entrance of the Senate hall. They were surprised to see [[Clench (G1)|Clench]] and a group of Ascenticons roll up, and Pipes professed admiration of Clench's past career as a gladiator. That made it awkward when Clench suddenly rammed into Pipes and the Decepticon uprising began. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: We Have Deceived You|We Have Deceived You}} With the Decepticons having seized the Senate, Pipes took part in the operation to take it back and was part of the team sent to rescue the prisoners held in the building's basement. {{storylink|War World: Prime|Prime}}

Pipes was present to welcome [[Javelin]] to the Senate Guard, and listened as Ironhide informed the team that they would now be repurposed to guard [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Their first task was to escort the new Prime to the [[Forge Pyramid]] for a chat with [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]. {{storylink|War World: Titans|Titans}} Pipes later evacuated [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] with the rest of the Autobots after Optimus Prime's parlay with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] proved fruitless. {{storylink|War World: We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness|We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness}}

[[File:Pipes_sees_rainmakers_IDW2019.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|"Oh, here it goes, here it goes, [[Great War (G1)|here it goes again]]."]]
Pipes was part of a detachment of Autobots who accompanied Optimus Prime to speak with [[Termagax]], and set up a defensive position in front of [[House (building)|House]] to counter an incoming Decepticon attack. Pipes shared a foxhole with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and worried when he spied the [[Rainmaker]]s approaching, but Sunstreaker reassured him that they had a countermeasure prepared. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust II|Sea of Rust II}} During the ensuing battle, Pipes was injured and had to be carried off the field by Brawn when it was over. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic|Enigmatic}}

Pipes was among the Autobots ready to defend [[Crystal City]] when the Decepticons attacked it. {{storylink|A Dust of Crystals}} They abandoned the city after a truce with the Decepticons, trekking across the Cybertronian wilderness to make it to [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]] before the Decepticons herded the Autobots into the path of an oncoming horde of [[rust worm]]s. {{storylink|Radical Time}} Pipes fought off the horde alongside the others until a repurposed [[Insecticon clone]] swarm arrived to feast on the worms, allowing the Autobots to proceed onward. {{storylink|End of Time}}

After surviving an encounter with Megatron and an [[imploder]], Pipes and the rest of the Prime Guard took part in the final battle at Darkmount. When [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] defeated [[Computron (G1)|Computron]], Pipes and four other Guardsmen rushed to the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]]' aid. [[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]] used the [[Combination Core]] within him to re-merge his team and add Pipes and his fellow Guardsmen to an enhanced, larger Computron assemblage. This new super-[[combiner]] held the line against Devastator and the Decepticons, allowing Optimus Prime and the other Autobots to escape Cybertron aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''. After Computron was finally brought down by the united Decepticon army, the Prime Guard and Technobots became Megatron's prisoners. {{storylink|Transformers: Fate of Cybertron|Fate of Cybertron}}

{{--}}

===Precursor World===
A [[Primus Vanguard|Warrior of the Seven Lights]] resembling Pipes was a member of the [[Blue Order]] of the [[Primus Vanguard]]. When the traitorous [[Straxus (G1)#Precursor World|Straxus twins]] unleashed a rage virus to destroy the corps from within, he was slain in the ensuing brawl. Vanguard supreme leader [[Primus#The old universe|Primus]] later loaded the Warrior's lingering [[spark]] into his [[Golden Noah]] in an attempt to ferry his soul to the [[G1 World|next world]]. {{storylink|God Neptune comic 1}} Unfortunately, this did not work. {{storylink|Generations Selects Special Comic Finale|Finale}}

===''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' marketing material===
[[File:WFC-Kingdom-Pipes-art.jpg|thumb|200px]]
Closer than ever to reaching the [[AllSpark]], the Autobots awakened after crash-landing on pre-Ice Age Earth. While battling the Decepticons, both sides were joined by the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, their epic battle changing their combined destinies.

Pipes was a [[Cybertronian military insignia|Ground Command Transport Private]], {{storylink|#War for Cybertron: Kingdom|''Kingdom'' toy packaging}} Pipes's function was a warrior and [[trans-scan]]ed into an Earth semi-truck. His corrosive exhaust and pipe blasters were his powers and weapons, and his core traits were his toughness, bravery, and eccentricity. Pipes's message from the future was that he should take care not to fall victim to his own attack. {{storylink|War for Cybertron: Kingdom|''Kingdom'' webpage}}<ref>[https://transformers.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/kingdom ''Kingdom'' webpage]</ref>

After the [[quantum surge]] caused a [[time travel|time vortex]] in an alternate timeline, Pipes and [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] were fused into [[Puffer]], and alongside [[GoBot]] [[Road Ranger]], were pulled to a prehistoric [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Source:Kingdom Golden Disk Collection#CHAPTER 1: THROUGH THE VORTEX|''Golden Disk Collection'' Chapter 1}} After Puffer was sent away in a [[Stasis pod|pod]] with the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' [[Transwarp Drive|transwarp drive]], and Maximal [[Tigatron]] crashed the ship into the quantum surge in the past, the time vortex was undone, preventing Pipes and Huffer from becoming Puffer. {{storylink|Source:Kingdom Golden Disk Collection#CHAPTER 4: THE TERRORFYING CONCLUSION|''Golden Disk Collection'' Chapter 4}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth===
[[File:C64Pipes.gif|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Along with his fellow Autobots, Pipes protected Earth from the menace of the Decepticons. He was ostensibly under the command of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] put Pipes in charge of his own team, which was assigned to protect researchers at a seaside town. The team subsequently had to see off an attack by [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]] and [[Nautilator]]. {{storylink|The B-Team Part Deux}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:PipesEarthWars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|Missed opportunity for a new virtual headsculpt.]]

Pipes arrived on Earth at the same time as [[Offroad (CW)#Transformers: Earth Wars|Offroad]] to stop him and help clear the Autobots' name.
{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars/Events|War Games}}
After Pipes came through the space bridge, the stench of his corrosive fumes put off the ladies [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], and they excused themselves.

*'''Class:''' Warrior
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 stars
*'''Weapons:''' Pipes sprays some corrosive fumes from his hand on a target before engaging and attacking it with his fists.
*'''Ability: Defensive Rush:''' Puts a protective shield that blocks 80% damage for several seconds, then charges the target and attracts defenses!
**'''Cost''': 4 ability points +1 cost increase.

[http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:pipes Pipes at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki]
{{-}}

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
{{anchor|Generation 1}}
[[File:G1 minibot pipes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Look ma, no hands! (''US/Japanese version pictured'')]]
[[File:G1toy European Pipes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Look ma, no pipes! (''European version pictured'')]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Pipes''' ([[Mini Vehicle]], [[1986]])}}</ul>
:*''Takara ID number:'' '''C-60'''
{{toydesigner|[[Hideaki Yoke]] (TakaraTomy)}}

:First available in the third year of Hasbro's [[The Transformers (toyline)|''The Transformers'' toyline]] (and in the second-year [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1986 (Scramble City and 2010)|''Transformers 2010'']]-branded part of Takara's toyline), Pipes is an extensive [[retool]]ing of the [[1984]] Autobot [[Mini Vehicle]] [[Huffer (G1)#Toys|Huffer]]. Like Huffer, Pipes transforms into an "American truck," which is supposed to be either a terminal tractor (also called a "yard truck," a "mule" and several other things) or a single-axle semi truck of indeterminate, probably made-up model (though it strongly resembles a Volvo F88).

: He is changed quite a lot from Huffer, moreso than the other 1986 retooled Mini Vehicles; his front is Huffer's back and vice-versa, and his cab transforms differently. Whereas Huffer simply moves the truck cab up to reveal his head and then flips over the smokestacks for arms, Pipes flips the cab over, repositioning it behind his head instead of shelling it like a hood, and his arms just pull out from their truck position. In a nice design touch, the tabs that hold the truck cab in place, sticking out of his [[robot mode]] chest, are detailed to look like seats. The grille, headlamp, and bumper detailing on the front of his cab has also changed, and the tips of his smokestacks are cylindrical rather than flattened-out like Huffer's claw-hand-things.

:Along with the regular Pipes, a European variant (dubbed "[[Puffer]]" by fans) exists which was actually [http://www.fredsworkshop.com/vminibots.html#europe Huffer's original sculpt in Pipes's colors]. It is currently uncertain how many countries this version of Pipes was sold in. This is not to be confused with the [[IGA|Mexican]] version of Pipes (see below), which was ''also'' the original Huffer mold, but in slightly different colors.

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-mini-vehicles-pipes/1171/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Pipes at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Pipes/pipes.htm More information on Pipes at TFU.info]''
{{G1HufferMold}}

{{-}}{{anchor|IGA}}
[[File:G1toy IGA Pipes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Look ma, no confirmed carded samples!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Pipes''' (Mini Vehicle, [[1987]])}}</ul>

: In the Mexican ''Transformers'' line produced by [[IGA]], Pipes was ''probably'' released as a straight [[redeco]] of Huffer, sold on Pipes cards. He came in two different, but closely-similar color schemes: metallic-blue with white robot parts, and all-over metallic-blue. Fans have given these versions the nickname "Puffer".

: We say "probably" because while IGA appears to have done this old-mold-new-colors-sold-as-new-character move with all of the third-year retooled Mini Vehicles, so far [[Tailgate (G1)#IGA|Tailgate]] and [[Swerve (G1)#IGA|Swerve]] are the only ones that have been confirmed with carded samples. All of the IGA versions of probably-[[Hubcap (G1)#IGA|Hubcap]], [[Outback (G1)#IGA|Outback]], and Pipes have only been found loose. So it's highly likely, we just don't have mint condition proof yet. Fun!

: IGA Transformers also eventually made their way to a variety of European markets, slightly decreasing their rarity.

: The all-blue version of Pipes was later [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Pipes (SG)|Pipes]].

::*''[https://web.archive.org/web/20210327171400/https://www.tf-1.com/articles/mini_frame.php?art=puffer TFSquareOne article detailing the Mexican release of Pipes]''
{{-}}

===''Encore''===
[[File:Encore Pipes toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hey, break ALL the pipes in the sub for more good ideas! Dive! Dive!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Bumble & Minibots''' (Multi-pack, [[2008]])}}</ul>
:*''ID number'': '''10'''

:In 2008, Pipes was reissued in the ''[[Transformers Encore|Encore]]'' line, bundled with [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Encore|Bumblebee]], [[Swerve (G1)#Encore|Swerve]], [[Tailgate (G1)#Encore|Tailgate]], and [[Outback (G1)#Encore|Outback]]. In addition to [[paint operation|painted]] headlights, the reissue [[tampograph]]s his previously [[sticker|decaled]] Autobot insignia.
{{G1HufferMold}}
{{-}}

===''Combiner Wars''===
{{anchor|Generations}}
[[File:CWLegendsPipes.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|Wildberry Blue flavored Huffer.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Pipes''' (Legends Class, [[2016]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories:'' Gun

:Part of the fifth wave of the ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' subline imprint of [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]], "Autobot Pipes" is a redeco of [[Huffer (G1)#Generations|Huffer]], and is about the size of a ''[[Cyberverse (toyline)|Cyberverse]]'' Commander Class toy. He transforms from robot to generic cab-over truck and features [[5 mm post|5mm-compatible]] hands and roof.

:His left shoulder features a sticker of an Autobot insignia, due to his shoulder parts being made with [[unpaintable plastic]]. Pipes's truck mode is slightly mistransformed: his legs and waist should be in a horizontal position.

:Though Pipes's wave was scheduled for a first quarter 2016 release, it actually arrived on U.S. store shelves in late 2015.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2016/Autobot/CWPipes/pipes.htm More information on ''Combiner Wars'' Pipes at TFU.info]''
{{GenerationsLegendsOptimusPrimeMold}}
{{-}}

===''War for Cybertron: Kingdom''===
[[File:WFC-Kingdom-toy-Pipes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Wait, not a Weaponizer Deluxe to recreate that one sequence with [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]]?]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Pipes''' (Deluxe Class, [[2021]])}}</ul>
:*''Hasbro ID number'': '''WFC-K32'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''KD EX-15'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[June 25]], [[2022]]
:*''Accessories'': 2 pipe blasters
{{toydesigner|[[Mark Maher]] (Hasbro), [[Ittoku Kuwazu]] (TakaraTomy)}}

:Part of the final wave of ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom]]'' Deluxe Class toys, "Autobot Pipes" is a retool of the [[Huffer (G1)#War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Huffer]] from the same line, using new shoulders, forearms, hands, wheels, chest, crotch, and head (which deviates slightly from the cartoon, as the mouthplate is taller and covers the nose more), and an additional transformation step to turn the cab upside down in robot mode. He transforms into a cab-over truck in 16 steps, and the pipe blasters can store on the back or as smokestacks. His robot mode is covered in [[5 mm post|5 mm ports]] as part of the [[C.O.M.B.A.T. System]]/[[F.O.S.S.I.L. Technology]]. He also has a torso transformation joint that functions as an ab-crunch.

:As an extra feature, Pipes can tow ''[[War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Earthrise]]'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Optimus Prime]]'s trailer (or any of its redecoes), a carryover from Huffer.

:''Kingdom'' Pipes is based on the character's appearance in the original ''Transformers'' animated series, but based on how he features a gray rear-window on his cab, is seemingly based on either a non-finalized model (see "[[#Notes|Notes]]" below) or [[Miscolorings based on the Generation 1 cartoon|a fan-colored model]] floating around online.

:Pipes's instructions depict his cab-backpack in robot mode being angled at 45-degrees on his back. While this does compress his backpack into a manageable size, it also leaves the backpack inaccurate to his design. The cab-backpack CAN be set to the cartoon-accurate design, but this leaves it jutting out very far from his body. The cab-backpack is also prone to easily popping off its mushroom swivel-peg while trying to move it around during transformation.

:Pipes was officially revealed via preorder listing pages at [[BigBadToyStore]] and [[Entertainment Earth]] in late September 2021, with no public announcement from Hasbro. Though Pipes's wave was scheduled for a first quarter 2022 release, they in fact arrived on U.S. store shelves in December 2021.

:In Japan, Pipes was released as a [[TakaraTomy Mall]] exclusive.

:Pipes was retooled into [[Puffer#War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Autobot Puffer]] for the [[Amazon (website)|Amazon]]/[[Hasbro Pulse]] exclusive "Golden Disk Collection".
{{-}}

==Notes==
* Pipes's profile picture in [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' series is very... interesting. Apparently he was originally drawn (likely by [[Pat Lee]]) with no hands, as per the toy, then hands (drawn by [[Don Figueroa]]) were edited onto the picture at a later point. Pipes's right hand comes from [[Bristleback]]'s profile picture, while the left comes from [[Wildfly]]'s.
* Pipes received a movieverse homage in the form of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Blowpipe (ROTF)|Blowpipe]].

===Character model===
[[File:G1-Pipes-model-comparison.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|'''Left:''' Unfinalized character model found in ''The Ark''. '''Right:''' Finalized model found among original cartoon production material.]]
[[File:The-Five-Faces-of-Pipes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|The Five Faces of Pipes.]]

* Pipes has a total of three known [[character model]]s:
# The first is what appears to be based on his Generation 1 toy, with no face and no hands.
# The second is his pre-final model, which is closer to his final model, only it's got some very small, barely noticeable differences, the biggest being the pose he's drawn in. This model has red eyes based on the toy's red visor and a gray rear-window behind his head. This model appears in his profile published in [[Marvel Comics]]' ''[[The Transformers Universe]]'' (the image used at the top of this very article) and was also published in [[The Ark series|''The Ark'' series]] books.
#The third is his final model, which has much boxer shapes to his design. This model omits the differently-colored rear-window and replaces the pre-final model's red eyes with blue eyes. Due to all of the episodes Pipes appears in being animated by [[AKOM]], the majority of his appearances give him the red eyes of the pre-final model, despite them using the final, meaning that no 100% accurate version of Pipes is ever shown on-screen.
* Pipes shifts between about five different physical appearances in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]". Of these five appearances, his early toy-accurate model, and his final model appear to be at play. His coloration on the other hand, is solely based on his pre-final model's, with hints of the final model's color differences slipping their way in on occasion. The five different appearances are as follows:
# The early model based directly on the toy.
# The aforementioned model, but with the addition of hands.
# The final model, with the pre-final model's colors (gray rear-window behind his head and red eyes).
# The final model, with the correct blue eyes, but incorrect gray rear-window (the colors that Hasbro happened to use for his ''Kingdom'' toy).
# The final model, with the correct uncoloured rear-window, but the incorrect red eyes (this is also the way he is depicted in "[[Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming]]").

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Pipes''' (パイプス ''Paipusu'')
*''French:'' '''Tuyo''' (Canada)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Csőtörő''' ("Pipe-Breaker"<ref>The name has a double meaning: "csőtörő" (literally "corncob-breaker") refers to a kind of corn-harvester machine but it can also mean "(water)pipe breaker".</ref>)
*''Italian:'' '''Roccia'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Guǎnzi''' (管子, "Pipe"), '''Pipes''' (Taiwan, 拍普斯 ''Pāipǔsī'')
*''Russian:'' '''Gudok''' (Гудок, "Hooter")

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Blue Order]]
[[Category:Combiner Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Encore]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 toy Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Mini Vehicles]]
[[Category:TakaraTomy Mall exclusives]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Kingdom Autobots]]

Blaster (G1)

2024-03-19T06:46:36Z

Vrahno: /* Blaster */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2|autobird|primusvanguard}}
{{disambigm|Blaster (disambiguation)|Twincast (disambiguation)}}
{{featured}}
{{suite}}
:''Blaster is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[File:SDCCBlasterBoxArt.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"What it is, big mama? My mama ain't raise no dummies, I dug her rap!"]]

'''Blaster''' loves all Earth music, especially good, hard, LOUD rock 'n' roll. He can be found at the forefront of any situation in which he's involved, be it getting down and truly hopping to town, or kicking butt and taking names—both of which he does well, and both of which have led him into conflict with authority at times. Blaster marches to his own beat, whether it's a pounding bassline or pounding Decepticon skulls, and he's not shy when it comes to sharing his feelings about either! He maintains a shared enmity with his Decepticon counterpart [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], with whom he shares his powers over all forms of sound, and is often backed up by a team of his own [[Autobot Mini-Cassette]]s to match Soundwave's mini-minions on the battlefield.

{{note|Blaster's personality varied significantly across different media; see entries below for details.}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
{{main|Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity}}
[[File:AutoBop blaster speakers.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Beware my tweeters of doom!!]]
Blaster was a fun-loving, hip and happening robot. Loud and energetic, he was quick to immerse himself in Earth culture, and was happy to share his choice of rockin' tunes with anyone, whether they really wanted to hear them or not—a trait that got him in trouble as often as it saved him and his Autobot allies. Developing a rivalry with his Decepticon opposite number, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]], Blaster gained a cassette army of his own so he could fight Soundwave on equal footing, and he and little buddies were instrumental in ensuring reinforcements arrived in time to save [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] when it was besieged in [[2005]]. Following this, Blaster was assigned command of the city, where his jive-talking jingles and jams saw the Autobots through crises like the attack of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. Blaster's duties also took him to a variety of battlefields that were stranger than many other Transformers would experience, including millions of years into the past, into another dimension ruled by magic, and—a particular favorite of his—the musical planet of [[Eurythma]].

In some timelines which spin off from this one, Blaster joined the [[Interplanetary Personnel Exchange Program]] under the new name '''Broadblast''' (ブロードブラスト ''Burōdoburasuto''), and after perishing in a one-on-one battle with Soundwave, was reconstructed by the super-science of the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]] as '''Twincast''' (ツインキャスト ''Tsuinkyasuto'').
{{-}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:BlasterUS17.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|More than likely, he'll kill you. Yeah, you. You know who you are.]]
Blaster was a rather grim, brooding, rebellious, badass who hated Decepticons with a passion, whose reputation as one of the best fighters the [[Autobot]]s had was blemished by his vocal problems with authority figures. Part of [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]'s [[Cybertron Seven|Autobot resistance cell]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], he often disagreed with his superior's orders, especially after his friend [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]] failed to make a rendezvous with him in the [[Dead End (place)|Dead End]], and Blaster wanted to hunt for him. Although his fellow freedom fighters rallied behind him at first, the discovery that Scrounge had been taken to the Decepticon stronghold in [[Polyhex]] changed their minds, and Blaster went in alone. Captured by the forces of [[Straxus (G1)|Lord Straxus]], Blaster was sentenced to the [[smelting pool]], where he discovered the half-melted Scrounge, who clung to life just long enough to pass on to Blaster the data he had obtained, so that this death would not be in vain. Blaster was then saved from the pit by his comrades, and he claimed revenge for Scrounge by ripping out the pipes that fed the pool and blasting their Decepticon pursuers with molten slag.

[[File:MarvelUS18 blaster cyb altmode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.3|And you thought the 1980s cellphones were huge.]]
Scrounge's information brought new hope to the Autobot resistance, as it revealed that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots on the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] were still alive and well after four million years, fighting on a planet called Earth. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}} The Decepticons set about building a [[space bridge]] to this planet, and Blaster spied on the tests in his [[alternate mode]], gathering the information they needed to launch an attack. After planting [[fission bomb]]s on the bridge, Blaster personally battled Straxus, tricking the Decepticon leader into damaging the portal before kicking him through it and apparently destroying him. Blaster and the rest of his Autobot allies were trapped on the Earth side of the bridge as it faded out. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}} Though [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and his troops spotted the Autobots upon their materialization on Earth, the Decepticons were distracted by a more pressing mission at the time, and left without attacking the new arrivals. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

Blaster and his men were attacked by the government anti-robot task force [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]] and its super-powered agent [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] almost immediately upon arrival; unfamiliar with Earth customs, Blaster's group first tried to communicate with RAAT's vehicles, leaving the humans an opening to blindside the Autobots with "electric snow" missiles. Circuit Breaker then delivered a powerful electric blast, short-circuiting the group. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}} Blaster and the others were disassembled, with their heads getting mounted on the wall of RAAT's headquarters. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} To deal with the threat of the [[Battlecharger]]s, Blaster and the Autobots agreed to allow Circuit Breaker to jury-rig their bodies together into a giant exo-suit she would use to take the two Decepticons down, in exchange for their being rebuilt and released. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

[[File:FallenAngel blaster sonics galvatron.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|Yeah, that's real good, Blaster, you keep doing that.]]
''Blaster's team followed their fellow RAAT captive [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] back to the Ark, but along the way, their guide vanished, displaced to [[Limbo]] by the appearance of the future Decepticon, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. Unwisely deciding to engage the Decepticon, Blaster tried hitting him with a blast of sonics, which sundered Galvatron's tenuous hold on sanity and only made him even more dangerous. Fortunately, the arrival of the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] saved him, and he decided to try the tactic again while Galvatron was distracted. It ''almost'' worked this time, but Galvatron hurled a discarded [[sword]] in Blaster's direction, and he was only rescued from impalement by [[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]]. Blaster was soon knocked unconscious, and didn't witness Galvatron being driven off by the present-day Decepticons.'' {{storylink|Fallen Angel}} ''Blaster's team continued on their way to the Ark, and arrived just as the Autobots were preparing to hold a funeral for Optimus Prime. Blaster quietly questioned their decision to bury Prime rather than fire his body into space, but it proved a moot point when the Autobot leader turned out to not actually be dead, returning in the midst of the ceremony.'' {{storylink|Resurrection!}}

[[File:JoeandTF4 blaster omega and the rest.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|Turn down that blasted music! THIS I COMMAND!!!]]
When Optimus Prime died for real soon after, Blaster got on the comm to pass the grim news on to [[Superion (G1)|Superion]], ordering him to break off his present engagement with the anti-terrorist team [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and return to the Ark. {{storylink|Power Struggle}} After watching as [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] tried and failed to rebuild the Autobot leader, Blaster attended Prime's funeral, where his body was sent into space on a funeral bier. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} Blaster gave a speech to mark Prime's passing, {{storylink|Ashes, Ashes...}} then returned to the Ark with the Autobots, only to be attacked by the ship's own defense systems, co-opted by the human criminal, the [[Mechanic (G1)|Mechanic]]. Perceptor had to stop Blaster from damaging the ship until the situation could be brought under control. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} No sooner had ''that'' been dealt with than Blaster detected a fleet of human aircraft heading for the Ark, which the Autobots proceeded to intercept on the assumption of hostile intent. After a brief battle, the human revealed themselves to agents of [[Cobra]], who requested the Autobots' help in stopping the Decepticons from destroying the planet using [[Power Station Alpha]]. {{storylink|Ashes, Ashes...}} Suspecting the highly advanced Alpha could potentially be a sentient technological lifeform, Blaster opposed destroying it outright, and remained at the Ark to co-ordinate a combined Autobot/G.I. Joe/Cobra attack on the Decepticons to free Alpha from their control. The Joes and Cobra surreptitiously had Alpha destroyed to remove its threat, infuriating Blaster and leading him to wonder if ''any'' humans could be trusted. {{storylink|...All Fall Down!}}

[[File:MarvelUS28 blaster cops.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Blaster's about to lay down some sick beats!]]
Turning to the matter of finding a new leader of the Autobots, Blaster and several other high-ranking Autobots were in the process of a holding a vote when the massive Decepticon battle station Trypticon attacked, and Blaster was shot down when he attempted to rush the giant. Dinobot leader [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] proceeded to secure victory over Trypticon, convincing Blaster and the other Autobots to appoint him the Autobots' new commander. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}} Unfortunately, Grimlock soon gave Blaster cause to regret his decision with increasingly hostile leadership methods and a callous disregard for human safety. Paired with [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Goldbug]], whose more naturally upbeat personality provided the Boy Wonder to his [[Batman]], Blaster was charged with locating the Mechanic, but disobeyed orders and entered into alliance with some local human law enforcement to prevent the officers from being killed by the advanced Cybertronian weapons the criminal had stolen from the Ark. Playing the fool, Detective [[Greco]] carried Blaster into the Mechanic's hideout in tape-deck mode, where the Autobot used his electro scrambler to disable all the villain's weapons. Alas, the Mechanic escaped, and, realizing that Grimlock would not tolerate the news of their failure and their human alliances, Blaster and Goldbug elected to go AWOL. {{storylink|Mechanical Difficulties!}}

[[File:MarvelUS30 blaster and goldbug.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|"MY PARTNERS ARE DEEEEAD!"]]
Rather than lay low, Blaster and Goldbug decided to take their fight to the Decepticons, and quickly tracked down the Autobots' human ally [[G.B. Blackrock]] in hope that he could provide them with both fuel and some hot tips on current 'Con activity. Following Blackrock's info, the two Autobots found a crashed Decepticon ship, and befriended the scientist [[Charlie Fong]] in order to bypass the military blocked surrounding it. Upon approaching the crash-site, they ran afoul of the Decepticon [[Triple Changer]]s. As Blaster took on all three of the villains at once, he discovered they were ravaged with [[Scraplet]]s, which soon infected him as well. Goldbug withdrew to seek a cure, but Blaster believed he had left him to die and swore vengeance against the little 'bot. {{storylink|Crater Critters}} Hooking up with the [[Throttlebot]]s and human scientist [[Charlie Fong]], Goldbug discovered that water could destroy the Scraplets, and surprised Blaster by returning to save him. Blaster refused to allow himself to be cured if it meant that the Decepticons would live as well, but when the Scraplets merged into a giant, Goldbug had no choice, and sprayed them all. A cured but furious Blaster smashed the water tank over the Scraplet-monster, killing it, then calmed down enough to apologize to Goldbug for doubting him. {{storylink|The Cure!}}

[[File:MarvelUS32 blaster arrested.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Check it out, Blaster, we all got [[Nerf]] guns for Christmas!]]
''Taking some time out of their life on the road to watch human television, Blaster, Goldbug and the Throttlebots happened upon a news report about the discovery of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and Galvatron, entombed in lava within the volcano, [[Mount Verona]]. Discovering that Soundwave and the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] were going to blow up the mountain to destroy them both, Blaster used his sonic powers to block Soundwave's detonation signal, preventing the bombs the Combaticons placed from going off.'' {{storylink|Ladies' Night (issue)|Ladies' Night}} Once they had evaded the pursuing Combaticons, Blaster and company found themselves in a scuffle with RAAT in [[California]], and hid out in [[Big Steve Ludwig (G1)|Big Steve Ludwig]]'s used car lot. Unfortunately, their battle made the evening news and finally alerted Grimlock to their AWOL status, prompting him to brand them traitors and send the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] to hunt them down. The car lot quickly turned into a three-way battleground between the Combaticons, Protectobots and RAAT, and despite Blaster's help in the battle, the Protectobots surrounded and apprehended him at the fight's end. {{storylink|Used Autobots}}

[[File:Blasterbeourleaderplease.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|"BLASTER, BE OUR LEADER, PLEAAAASE???"]]
Trapped in tape deck mode by a [[mode lock]], Blaster was helpless to aid the Protectobots when the Combaticons returned. Groove sped off and stashed Blaster away in a drainage pipe for retrieval after the battle's end, where he latter was found by four [[Spacehikers|human children]]. It took some convincing, but Blaster eventually talked the younglings to remove his mode lock. Despite once more being able to transform, Blaster was still no match for [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], who had managed to fell Defensor in the meantime. Blaster was forced to rely on the children to put on a good show, and "proved" he was no longer loyal to the Autobots by making the Decepticon believe he shot one of them dead. The dimwitted colossus fooled, Blaster circled around him and collapsed an electrical tower onto Bruticus, knocking him offline. Realizing that Blaster was far nobler than Grimlock, [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] allowed him to go free upon his recovery. In turn, Blaster rewarded the children for their help by taking them on a trip into space aboard the mode-locked [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]]. Unfortunately, they were accosted in mid-flight by the now-airborne Ark. {{storylink|Child's Play (issue)|Child's Play}} The humans tossed Blaster out an airlock so he could avoid capture by Grimlock's forces. While Grimlock was occupied trying to stop [[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] and [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] from interfering in his attempted execution of the kids, Blaster rode a telecommunications satellite back to the Ark, where he his fellow Autobots, all sick of Grimlock's leadership, begged him to take over as leader. However, he was forced to surrender to his former commander in order to secure the kids' safety. {{storylink|Spacehikers!}}

[[File:MarvelUS41 blaster vs grimlock.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
Imprisoned by Grimlock, Blaster was strapped to a [[variable voltage harness]] for some time as punishment for his desertion and disobedience. When [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] and his Autobots arrived and Grimlock challenged him to a duel, Goldbug talked Blaster into taking the injured Fortress Maximus's place to get even with Grimlock once and for all. They proceeded to battle on the surface of Earth's [[moon (moon)|moon]], but their duel was interrupted by a Decepticon attack, and Blaster pointed out that their feud had put all Autobots in danger. Grimlock agreed to call their duel a draw and declared a truce with Blaster as they fended off the Decepticons side by side. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

[[File:ClubCon-ptoo.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9]]
With Optimus Prime's subsequent return both to life and to command of the Autobots, the faction's in-fighting issues ceased and more important matters could be dealt with—namely, rescuing their human ally [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] from the Decepticons' baffling new [[Club Con|desert island resort]]. Tasked with investigating, Blaster was loaded into a [[Egg transport|capsule]] in tape deck mode and dropped from the orbiting Ark into the Witwicky family garden, where he asked Buster's girlfriend [[Jesse (G1)|Jesse]] to sneak him into "Club Con". The pair were able to steal a pair of captive Autobot cassettes—[[Grand Slam (G1)|Grand Slam]] and [[Raindance]]—from the Decepticons, but this aroused the ire of the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], and Blaster, unable to battle them effectively due to the human holidaymakers occupying the island, was forced to ditch the tapes in the ocean to break off the fight. Although forced to withdraw without Buster, Blaster and Jessie ''had'' learned something important: the tapes held data on a mysterious Cybertronian object heading for Earth. {{storylink|Club Con!}} ''The eruption of the "Time Wars" briefly tabled this mystery, but Blaster had no real role in that conflict, as he, Optimus Prime, and several other Autobots were temporarily displaced into Limbo to make room for a team of Autobots arriving from the future.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}}

[[File:MarvelUS50 blaster dies.jpg|upright=1.6|thumb]]
A search of the waters where "Club Con" used to be proved fruitless, as the Decepticons quickly moved on after Blaster's incursion. Blaster berated himself for his "incompetence," which allowed the Decepticons to slip beyond their reach once more, though Optimus assured him they would track down their enemies in due course. {{storylink|Cold War!}} Soon after, the Autobots were drawn to the Arctic, where a Decepticon ambush awaited them. The warring factions struck a temporary truce when they learned that [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] had orchestrated the confrontation in order to distract everyone else from his own goals. The approaching object Blaster had learned about earlier, revealed to be the Cybertronian database known as the [[Underbase]], would endow Starscream with godlike powers were he to absorb all of its cosmic energies. Though the Autobot/Decepticon alliance interrupted Starscream's absorption of the Underbase's power, the portion he did manage to take into himself was enough to grant him near-invincibility. Blaster joined [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] in co-ordinating a battalion of Autobots and Decepticons in defense of [[New York City]] against Starscream's worldwide rampage, and was the last to fall, shot dead atop the Brooklyn Bridge, like all those who attempted to stand against the cosmically powered villain. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:Marvel77-Blaster.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|left|He used to be badass, now he's just a poor man's Perceptor...]]
Blaster's body was put into storage on the Ark, defying all of Ratchet's attempts to repair it, {{storylink|The Man in the Machine!}} {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}} to the extent that the medic started to have nightmares about him and various other deactivated Autobots reviving as [[zombie]]s to kill him for his failures. Ratchet's nightmares came true for a short while, when the Decepticon [[Sports Car Patrol]] managed to infiltrate the Ark and took control of the damaged Autobots' bodies to torment him. When this failed to make Ratchet snap completely, the Decepticons' plan was abandoned and Blaster was shut down once more. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}}

A few years later, Grimlock succeeded where Ratchet had failed by using the miracle fuel [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] to revive the damaged Autobots, with Blaster being one of the first back on his feet. Arriving on Cybertron in the nick of time aboard the Ark, Blaster took part in and survived the battle with [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} In the aftermath, [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] had Blaster run a check on the strange seismic activity Cybertron was suffering from, {{storylink|Still Life!}} with disastrous results: It turned out Cybertron was tearing itself apart without the binding life-force of [[Primus]] to sustain it. A meeting was called, with Blaster sharing the news to all present. {{storylink|Exodus!}}

[[File:EndOfTheRoad-finalfive.jpg|thumb|Guess how many of these guys had Action Master toys on the shelves when this came out.]]
The Decepticons fled Cybertron, leaving the Autobots to die with their homeworld. Blaster found Prowl wandering about outside, and cautioned his fellow Autobot to take shelter, as Cybertron's gradual self-destruction made the outdoors dangerous. His warning was met with laughter; Prowl had given up on living altogether, seeing no escape from the planet's death-throes. The pair were then surprised by Grimlock, who had foreseen the Decepticons' treachery and secured alternate transportation! {{storylink|A Savage Circle}} The Autobots followed the Decepticons to the planet [[Klo]], only to be caught in an ambush upon arrival. Only five stragglers managed to escape this surprise attack: Blaster, Grimlock, Kup, Slag, and Prowl. Despite their best attempts to lose their pursuers, the Autobots found themselves hounded by a hunting party. Blaster took a blast in the shoulder from [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], but persevered nonetheless. His group miraculously defeated the hunting party, and doubled back for a final stand against Bludgeon's forces. Upon arrival, they found a resurrected Optimus Prime already turning the tide of battle thanks to a new ally, the [[Last Autobot]]. Blaster was last seen shooting the head off [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]] as the Decepticons were driven off into exile. [[Krunk|Uh oh.]] {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}
{{-}}

=====The Big Broadcast of 2006=====
{{NoteMarvelBB2006}}
[[File:Ultra magnus blaster big broadcast of 2006.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8]]
In an alternate version of [[2006]], Blaster went with a group of Autobots to [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] to investigate strange happenings there. When they arrived, they discovered a chaotic scene where aliens from many worlds, including the Decepticons, were all engaged in a deadly battle with one another. Blaster detected a signal he suspected was hypnotizing all the combatants into this aggressive behavior. He and Ultra Magnus came up with a plan where [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] would fly Blaster into the air, while Blaster would broadcast soothing music. The plan succeeded in calming all those affected by the signal. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}}
{{-}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[File:SpacePirates blaster strung up.jpg|thumb|left|Help! He's touching my special area!]]
In the future of [[2008]], Blaster was present at Autobot City when the [[Quintesson]] [[Trident Attack Craft|Trident]] ships attacked. He attempted to transform Autobot City himself, but was stopped cold by General [[Ghyrik]]. He was deactivated in the battle that followed and his body strung up on the outer parapets as a warning to any Autobots who came to liberate the city. Although Blaster was inactive, his cassettes were not, and this fact gave [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]] and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] an edge when they began battling their way through the Quintesson occupants. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

Blaster was seen briefly in [[2009]] at the start of the Time Wars, but did not end up joining Rodimus Prime on his mission into the past (see above). {{storylink|Time Wars}} After Galvatron was destroyed back in [[1989]] and the time line rebooted itself, Blaster was still among the Autobots stationed at Autobot City. He responded to [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]]'s emergency signal when the Autobots crash landed on Earth after a crazed Rodimus Prime turned against them. {{storylink|Shadow of Evil}} Upon his arrival however, Kup urged the other Autobots to hold their fire; he had deduced that it was Unicron acting through Rodimus, as the dark god had been imprisoned within the Matrix at a pervious date. Blaster and the other reinforcements stood back as Kup managed to rip the sacred talisman out of Rodimus's chest, severing Unicron's connection to him. {{storylink|White Fire}}
{{-}}

=====Letters page=====
[[File:TFUK300 letterspage.jpg|left|upright=0.8|thumb|FAKE NU(cleon)S]]
The relaxed and jovial Blaster of "yet another alternate future" was turned into an [[Action Master]] and somehow arrived on 1990s Earth, where he took a job answering letters for Marvel UK. {{storylink|Rhythms_of_Darkness!|#300's Darn 'n' Blast}} He had to recuperate in an acclimatisation unit as a result and a nameless human at the Marvel offices took it upon themselves to answer a letter about being an Action Master, copying [[Nucleon#Toy packaging blurb|the back of a toy box]] and claiming that was the origin of [[nucleon]]. Don't trust it, kids! The ''real'' answer comes from an upcoming story, kids! {{storylink|The Human Factor!|#303's Darn 'n' Blast}}{{storylink|Rhythms_of_Darkness!|#300's Darn 'n' Blast}}

When Dreadwind refused to accept he'd been replaced as letters host and barricaded his office, Blaster, new host of ''Darn 'n' Blast'', took up a temporary office next door. Dreadwind kept banging on the wall to distract him. {{storylink|Rhythms_of_Darkness!|#300's Transformation}} The kids of 1990 Britain duly wrote to Blaster with rap and cool lingo, dude. {{storylink|Rhythms_of_Darkness!|#300's Darn 'n' Blast}}

Unlike Grimlock, he felt guilty about using the [[variable voltage harness]] to punish Marvel UK staff for bad work. Following a suggestion by a sadistic fan, he instead began tormenting people with hours of {{w|The Church (band)|''The Church}} and {{w|Cliff Richard}}. {{storylink|Eye of the Storm|#308 Darn 'n' Blast It}}

During Blaster's run we learned he had a brother named [[Toaster]]{{storylink|The Pri¢e of Life!|#310's letters page}} and a sister called [[Karmen]] {{storylink|Out of Time!|#316's letters page}}, and about sports like the [[Iacon 5000]] and [[Mecha-soccer|Cybertron's football divisions]] (Primus League and Premier League). His team are the non-league no-hopers [[Throttlebot]] Wanderers {{storylink|Out of Time!|#316's letters page}} and he lamented how badly they'd been fouled by Combaticon Hove Albion, ruining their chances of a cup win. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!|#320's letters page}}

He was unable to make a reader's birthday party due to the battle against [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|Exodus!|#326's letters page}}

{{-}}

=====''Combat Colin''=====
[[File:Combat colin 300.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6]]
After [[Colin Doobrey-Smiff|Colin]] managed to defeat all of his recurring villains at once, he grew a bit too big for his boots and announced that he was going to boot out the [[Transformer]]s and take over the rest of the comic. Overhearing this, Blaster was forced to remind him of his place as a back-up strip character. {{storylink|Combat Colin issue 300}}
{{-}}

=====Another Time & Place=====
[[File:Another Time Place Fangry.jpg|thumb|left|That's his hand on the left!]]
Blaster was part of the rescue unit who infiltrated [[Hydrus Four]] to defeat the Decepticons and rescue the Dinobots. He personally helped disarm and defeat [[Fangry (G1)|Fangry]]. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}
{{-}}

====''Transformers Comic-Magazin''====
Blaster and the Autobots defended the launch of a new space flight by human scientists. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 14|Transformers in Action: The Countdown to a New Space Age!}}
{{-}}

====''Classics''====
[[File:Invasion-Radcontrolroom.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Blaster's happy? This can't be the Marvelverse.]]
{{noteclassics}}
Decades later in [[2012]], Blaster was stationed with several other Autobots in [[Canada]] within the ''[[Ark II]]''. He was present one day when [[Rad (G1)|Rad]] reported from the [[Ironworks (facility)|Ironworks]] base in [[Oregon]] about a foiled attack by [[Overlord (G1)|Gigatron]] and his Decepticons. {{storylink|Invasion (issue)|Invasion}}

[[File:Recordicons12-everyone.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8]]
Blaster and his partners [[Stripes]], [[Tigatron]], [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Sundor]], and [[Blockrock]] subsequently teamed up with negative polarity [[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]]. {{storylink|Recordicons issue 12|Recordicons #12}}

Some time later on negative Cybertron, Blaster and [[Straxus (SG)|Straxus]] compared notes on their mirror universes, such as [[Straxus (G1)|the evil Straxus]]. {{storylink|Falling into Place}}
{{-}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{NoteRG1}}
[[File:Blaster silverbolt destiny.jpg|thumb]]
Sometime around [[2007]], Blaster was amongst those Transformers suffering ill effects from the infusion of [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] into their systems. It had apparently made him hyper-sensitive to noise and he was kept at the [[Nursery (Cybertron)|Nursery]]. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} He, along with [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] were eventually given new Nucleon-free bodies at the [[Garage]]. Going against [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]]'s orders that they should not get involved in the growing conflict with [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]]'s Neo-Decepticons, Blaster began monitoring the old Decepticon comm-line subfrequencies and discovered that Soundwave was indeed responsible for keeping Cybertron's population aggressive through an irritant subsonic signal. Alerted to Blaster's hacking, Soundwave dispatched [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]], [[Snarler]], and [[Roadblock (G1)|Roadblock]]—the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—to eliminate him, but the four former Nucleon patients used some quick thinking to subdue the Decepticons and report the signal to Autobot command. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Two}}

[[File:Blaster soundwave destiny.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|''Only one will survive. Beatle-based pop vs. New Romantic, History will decide.'']]
As the Decepticon invasion/uprising under Soundwave and Bludgeon began, Blaster tracked down Soundwave on the battlefield for a "battle of the bands". {{storylink|Destiny, Part Four}} Soundwave attempted to defeat Blaster with finesse, using a variety of sonic tricks and frequencies to disorient his Autobot counterpart. To win, Blaster abandoned skill for brute force, and unleashed a sonic onslaught that overwhelmed Soundwave and brought him to his end. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Five}}

Blaster reintegrated into the Autobot forces, joining the bridge crew of [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]]'s command vessel ''[[Priam]]'' during the attack on the [[Hub (G2)|Hub Network]]. Unfortunately, the superior numbers and firepower of [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] and his Cybertronians forced the Autobots to surrender. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 3}} They escaped captivity thanks to the ever-insubordinate [[Wreckers]] staging their own attack on the Hub, and Blaster joined the crew as they made their way back to Cybertron to face an even greater menace. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 4}} The [[Dark Matrix|Anti-Matrix]] had consumed the population of Cybertron, transforming them into [[shadow-leech]]es. Blaster and the remaining Autobots forces secured the [[space bridge]] network to Earth and [[Nebulos]] while Rodimus Prime confronted the creature in [[Zero Space]], bringing an end to its machinations. On Nebulos, Blaster joined [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s troops in finishing off [[Galvatron II|Galvatron]] once and for all. With their link to the [[multiverse]] and [[Primus]] himself permanently cut off, Blaster and the other remaining Transformers abandoned Cybertron, eventually growing old and dying. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 5}}
{{-}}

===Sticker Adventures books===
Blaster and the Autobots protected the humans from a revenge attack by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and the Decepticons.{{storylink|Galvatron Attacks}}
{{-}}

===Marvel Storybooks continuity===
[[File:ListeningtoBlaster-ASW.jpeg|thumb|left]]
Blaster received a message from Decepticon headquarters and conveyed it to Optimus Prime; the Decepticons had taken [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] hostage, and were demanding the Autobots' surrender. The Autobots sent out a party to rescue their captured comrade, but the attempt failed. Afterwards, Blaster once more relayed a message from Megatron to Optimus; the Decepticon leader threatened to destroy all four captured Autobots and rebuild them into Decepticons if Optimus did not surrender before morning. {{storylink|The Autobots' Secret Weapon}}
{{-}}

===Attack of the Insecticons===
{{notemultipath}}
[[File:AttackoftheInsecticonsBustercockpit.jpg|thumb]]
Blaster was witness to Ironhide testing the Sun-Pak, a device of Sparkplug's invention that would solve the Autobot's energy problems. When the Decepticons discovered of the device's existence, many possible adventures ensued. Most notably, after a failed attempt on Optimus's part to eliminate Starscream, who was leading the Decepticon's raid, Sparkplug is kidnapped by the Decepticons and Blaster is entrusted alongside Bumblebee and Buster with Sparkplug's rescue, while the rest of the Autobots are forced back to base in order to recharge. The trio is instructed to contact Autobot headquarters as soon as they come to know the Decepticons' location. Blaster was the one who managed to track down Starscream and Sparkplug, using his abilities to detect one of Starscream's transmissions. Blaster traces the transmission to a museum in the suburbs, and he and Buster sneak into the building while Blaster is camouflaged in tape-player mode. Hiding in one of the museum's planes until after-hours, at which point Starscream and Bombshell reveal they will use a Cerebro-shell to make Sparkplug compliant to their wills, Blaster and Buster debate whether to contact Megatron, and offer a recording made by Blaster earlier proving that Starscream is a Decepticon traitor in exchange for Sparkplug's release, or to fetch Bumblebee and take on the Decepticons personally.

If it is decided to try and parlay with Megatron, omitting any mention of the Sun-Pak in their story, Megatron appears attentive at first, but demands that the Autobots fulfill their half of the trade before he takes action. If Blaster and Buster accept, Megatron arrives at the museum, and forces Starscream back to Decepticon base to be reprogrammed after releasing Sparkplug. If they insist to have Megatron release Sparkplug from Decepticon custody first, Blaster and Buster are powerless to stop Sparkplug from becoming a mind-controlled slave.

If Blaster and Buster decide to fetch Bumblebee, the trio quickly formulate a plan to rescue Sparkplug. Using his Electro-Scramblers at a key moment, Blaster causes Starscream to be the recipient of the Cerebro-Shell instead of Sparkplug, and then convinces the now easily influenced Decepticon to release Sparkplug and hold back Bombshell while Sparkplug, Buster, Blaster and Bumblebee happily ride back to Autobot headquarters.
{{storylink|Attack of the Insecticons}}
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===Milton Bradley mini-comic===
Blaster was among the Autobots under [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s command who launched in the [[Ark (G1)|ark]] to clear a path through an asteroid belt. When the Decepticons attacked the ship, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] sent it crashing into [[Earth]], knocking everyone aboard offline. Four million years later, they were repaired when the ship's systems were reactivated by a volcanic eruption. {{storylink|In the Transformers}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
[[File:WarAgainstDestructions blaster plays.jpg|thumb|left|That's right kids, this is what 3D used to look like.]]
When Hot Rod and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] returned from [[Tau-Ursa]] with a strange recording, Blaster was able to play it. The recording revealed the existence of the [[Destructon]]s, [[Logicon]]s, and the location of [[Metascan Alpha]], the Logicons' storehouse of [[Energon]]. At Optimus Prime's command, Blaster contacted Ultra Magnus at Metroplex on Earth to pass the information along. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
Blaster took orders from Optimus Prime as the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' launched. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 5|Beast Wars Metals #5}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:AgeofWrath2 AutobotResistance.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|Steeljaw was in the bathroom.]]
Around 6.5 million years ago, Blaster was one of the high-ranking Autobots who helped Ultra Magnus reunify their fractured faction at the end of the [[Dark Ages]], suggesting that he may have been in charge of one of the various splinter groups that formed during those troubled times. Over the next half-a-million years, the reunited Autobots worked to usher in a new Golden Age, and were finally poised to sign a peace treaty with the Decepticons and [[Ultracon]]s until the long-missing Megatron returned to Cybertron, launching an attack in the middle of the treaty ceremony with his new [[Air Warrior|Aerospace Extermination Squadron]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} With this new army, Megatron ushered in an [[Age of Internment]], capturing nearly the entire Autobot army and putting them to work as slaves, extracting the very core of Cybertron itself. Blaster managed to evade capture, however, and together with Perceptor, assembled a small rebel cell hiding out in the subterranean chambers of [[Iacon Command]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

Seeking to capture one of Megatron's drones in order to learn more about Megatron's new [[Cloning|clone technology]], Blaster oversaw his unit on the mission from a distance, using his abilities to jam any emergency transmissions while [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] and several other Autobots engaged the drone in battle long enough to attach an inhibitor claw, immobilizing it. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.3}}

{{Unreleased WW comic}}

Blaster and his team used an ancient map of Cybertron's depths to infiltrate Megatron's slave camp, only for them to be discovered by Megatron himself. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.4}} Blaster battled Megatron one-on-one, managing to use his sonic powers to briefly gain the upper hand, before losing a leg to the Decepticon leader. The sudden return of Grimlock, believed to have died during Megatron's first attack, gave the wounded Blaster the chance he needed to free the Autobot prisoners by deactivating their [[inhibitor claw]]s. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.5}} Blaster was badly damaged, losing a leg in his fight against Megatron. Perceptor, meanwhile, used the data gleaned from studying the captured drone to deactivate the neural network linking the entire squadron, ending the Age of Internment. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.6}}

Blaster remained on Cybertron when the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' left four million years ago, and eventually entered stasis along with the rest of the planet when it finally ran out of energy during the [[Great Shutdown]]. The planet was reawakened by Shockwave in roughly the Earth year 1000 BC, and the Autobots and Decepticons put aside their differences to begin rebuilding their world. [[File:PassiveAggression Blaster lovesEarth.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb]] Suspecting that Shockwave had more sinister motives, Blaster was one of the first Autobots to join an underground resistance movement against him, using his communications skills to discover a subliminal code being pumped through the public address screens around the planet that was aggravating the violent tendencies of the entire population. Despite his feelings for Shockwave, Blaster still developed a strong taste for information from the Earth culture Shockwave was introducing to Cybertron, and even modified his alternate mode into an Earthly boom box. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

In the year [[2003]], when Shockwave's forces brought Optimus Prime and the crew of the Ark back to Cybertron to be tried as war criminals, double agents inside the United Cybertronian force delivered Prime and his crew to Blaster and the others at their headquarters in the [[Wastelands]]. With the help of Cybertron's greatest hero, the resistance movement began an open insurrection against Shockwave's loyal Decepticon forces and the [[Guardian robot]]s under his control. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}} Shockwave's regime fell, and the Autobots resumed command of Cybertron. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===
[[File:DividedFront1 bots found.jpg|thumb|Comfortable?]]
In the year [[1985]], Blaster and [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] hastily took off for [[Earth]] in an starship poorly-suited for interstellar travel. Upon arrival, they unsurprisingly crashed, landing in the forests of [[Oregon]] near [[Mount St. Hilary]]. Their deactivated bodies were found by the forces of [[Cobra]] and bundled up to be airlifted out, but a [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] team led by [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] soon intervened. [[Blowtorch]] knocked the chopper carrying their bodies out of the air with his flamethrower, and [[Barbecue]] extinguished the flames before the two Autobots could be consumed by the blaze. Blaster and Perceptor's bodies were then taken back to G.I. Joe headquarters. {{storylink|Targets of Opportunity}}
{{note|Dreamwave's bankruptcy meant this story was never finished.}}
{{-}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[File:HeartsofSteel blaster.jpg|left|thumb|No, no, don't get up.]]
Blaster and his fellow Autobots fought the Decepticons on Earth in the distant past until an incoming ice age threatened to deactivate all the Transformers. Both sides went into hiding underground until the danger had passed, remaining in stasis until the mid-19th century. When they woke up, the war against the Decepticons started anew, though Blaster was not seen getting involved. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}}

{{IDW HOS}}

===''The Beast Within''===
Blaster participated in a savage battle against the Decepticons, though he did not fare too well, already laying defeated on the battleground during the conflict's early stages.{{storylink|The Beast Within}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[Stormbringer issue 1|''Stormbringer'' #1]]}}

Blaster was [[Reproduction#2005 IDW continuity|constructed cold]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} Before the war, he was a reporter for the [[Iaconian Newsfeed Service]], and reported live from the [[Nova Plaza]] after an assassination attempt on [[Nominus Prime]]. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2|Chaos Theory #2}} He took a brief respite from reporting to work for security control for Sentinel Prime's government. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}}

[[File:Broadcast BlastersMoment.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left]]
When the [[Decepticon]] dictatorship of Cybertron began, Blaster used his bad experiences with state-censored media to set up the [[Nexis]], a pirate news broadcast that dared speak the truth about the new government. [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] and [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] attempted to assassinate him, but were defeated by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] who asked for Blaster's help to hack the Iaconian Newsfeed Service's headquarters and send a rallying call for additional support against the Decepticon tyranny. {{storylink|Broadcast}} After his efforts had led to the Decepticons being overthrown and replaced with Optimus Prime's Autobot government, Blaster went back to legal news broadcasting. From the Nexis, he reported on the disastrous explosion of the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] and interviewed [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]] about the [[Exodus (event)|mass exodus]] triggered by its destruction. {{storylink|Fallout (issue)|Fallout}} During the exodus he interviewed some of the disgruntled Cybertronians stranded at [[Starsreach Spaceport]], annoying [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]'s Autobots who thought the media attention just served to make things worse. {{storylink|Massacre}}

[[File:SpotlightBlaster the voice.jpg|upright=1.9|thumb|right|''I'm gonna bust into your head through your cute lil' ears'' ''and blow your minds with my sexy voice and out-of-sight sounds!'']]
In the wake of the exodus and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s rampage in [[Harmonex]], Blaster reported that the [[Conclave of Representatives]] was refusing to disclose how many Cybertronians had left the planet and that Harmonex had been closed off, calling the government's intentions into question once more. {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}}

With the war going into full swing, Blaster joined Optimus Prime's Autobots, and initially served as a soldier who was present at a victory celebration after the Autobots halted a major Decepticon energon convoy four million years ago. {{storylink|The Iron Age}} Eventually, however, he returned to his broadcasting roots and became a patriotic radio personality, broadcasting propaganda across the galaxy to rally the Autobot forces as they struggled on the war's many battlefronts. Known as "The Voice" for his widespread positive influence, Blaster became the target of a Decepticon assassination attempt, this time to prevent him from making an important broadcast on the eve of a major Autobot offensive. Although the assassin failed, Blaster's wounded body was ejected into space, and he was believed dead by his faction.

[[File:SpotlightBlaster altmode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.85|Blaster used to transform into a kaboombox.]]
Some time later, Blaster was found by a passing [[Yar|trawler]] and delivered home, where it was revealed that he had to have been attacked by an Autobot. In an effort to flush the traitor out, Blaster went back on the air. The attempt worked, and his would-be killer was revealed: [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], forced into the act by a mind-controlling [[cerebro-shell]] implanted by [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] at the direction of [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]. However, he was able to resist when Blaster used his greatest weapon: his voice. As a damaged Beachcomber was brought in for repairs, Blaster swore he'd find Soundwave and that the last thing he'd ever hear would be... the Voice. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

[[File:AHM15 blaster and kup.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|I dunno... sex appeal?]]
In the year that followed the defeat of [[Nova Prime]], Blaster was among the Autobots captured by the Decepticon [[Turmoil]], but was soon rescued by a team led by [[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]]. All the other prisoners were members of the [[Wreckers]], suggesting Blaster may have joined the team at some point. {{storylink|Spotlight: Drift}} Blaster remained with Kup's team, and was serving as the communications officer for his ship, the ''[[Trion]]'', when a simultaneous galaxy-wide uprising was staged by the Decepticons. Distress signals came pouring in, but all went silent in short order, save for one from [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]], so the crew of the ''Trion'' went to save the turbo-revvin' young punk from [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]]. The day was saved by [[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]], although Blaster disapproved of the scientist's transformation into a warrior, saying he had "defiled himself". {{storylink|Lost & Found}}

Blaster and the others harried the Decepticon fleet until they were baited into an ambush above Cybertron. There, the ship was shot down and forced to crash-land on the assumed uninhabitable world. Banding together to survive, they eventually encountered Optimus Prime's unit, only to find him incapacitated, the Matrix having been seized by [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}} Blaster mingled with the other Autobots for a while, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} before warning Kup about an incoming [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]] attack that forced them to relocate. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:AHM9 blaster breaks up argument.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0|...kiss, damn it, my fanfic needs justification!]]
With morale still dwindling, Blaster attempted to put his famous voice to work by trying to break up a fight between Hot Rod and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] by injecting some reason, but was interrupted by [[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]] telling them they all deserved to die. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} The Autobots were eventually saved when [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] decimated the swarm and carried them all to Earth, where they attacked Megatron and his troops. Blaster was ordered to block the Decepticons' communications, allowing the arrival of Omega Supreme to take them completely by surprise. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} He survived the great battle. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

Blaster remained on Earth with the other Autobots for the next three years, as they regathered their forces. [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] radioed in to Blaster when Prowl got himself nabbed by [[Skywatch]], an event which led to the death of [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] and the resignation of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} Autobot leadership was split between Bumblebee and Hot Rod, and Blaster stayed with Bumblebee's group, which went on to form an alliance with [[Gordon Horiuchi]] of Skywatch. Blaster was among the Autobots who captured [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] and other Decepticons for their new allies. {{storylink|The Hanging Sword}} Unfortunately, Horiuchi betrayed the Autobots and forced them to hunt one of their own kind, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]]. Bumblebee managed to get free from Horiuchi's control, and so Blaster and the others stayed behind to cover for him as he sought a solution for their problems. {{storylink|The Impossible Knot}} They pretended to be making plans to hunt down Hot Rod while Bumblebee recovered the control tech Skywatch was using to keep them in line. {{storylink|The Gift Horse}} Bumblebee was successful, and Blaster was later present when Bumblebee unveiled his new, more powerful form, to better serve as Autobot leader. {{storylink|Wings of Wax}}

[[File:IntimateBeheading BRILLIANT.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8]]
Following the end of the war, Blaster was one of the Autobots who joined the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' in search of the mythical [[Knights of Cybertron]] {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} and was one of the first people to use [[Swerve's]], being part of the grand secret opening. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}} Much later, when the newly arrived [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] was on a rampage around the ship, Blaster hacked a security camera so the crew could see what he was doing when he holed himself up in [[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'s office. {{storylink|Interiors}} He was later instructed by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to patch him in with Rodimus after the latter and some other crewmembers had been teleported to [[Theophany]]. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} Blaster was among those invited to [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind's]] first attempt to awaken Rung from his coma with a storytelling session, but it didn't go so well thanks to [[Siren (G1)|Siren]]'s volume. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

[[File:UnderColdBlueStars-PipesBlasterWhirl.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Swerve needs to go on an Electro-Scrambler Quest.]]
One of Blaster's duties on the ''Lost Light'' was to repair the long-range [[unspace|subspace]] communicator so that the crew could contact Cybertron, and he was annoyed all the while by [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] who wanted to be the first to send a message. He thought he fixed it, but the message still couldn't get through as Swerve had the wrong hailing frequency. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Not that it would have mattered much, as Blaster went on to say that any attempt made with the subspace communicator to reach Cybertron met with failure. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} Blaster reported to Rodimus when the ''Lost Light'' was contacted by the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'' and [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]]. {{storylink|Little Victories}} The subspace communicator still wasn't working properly, but this didn't stop [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] from leaving a message for [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]] with Blaster while he was busy clearing a path through an asteroid belt with unwanted help from [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}}

Following the disappearance of an injured Ultra Magnus, Blaster used security footage to find out where he had gone, eventually leading the ''Lost Light'' to the lost moon [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]]. Rodimus led a team to its surface, leaving Blaster and Fortress Maximus in charge, but they lost contact with the away team when the ship was attacked by [[Legislator]]s who blocked their transmissions. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} Blaster took a blast to the chest early in the battle and had to be protected by Maximus, {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ámbus}} and the crew was ultimately overwhelmed by the Legislators. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} To make matters worse, when the insane Chief Justice [[Solomus|Tyrest]] activated his [[universal killswitch]] to eradicate the Transformers who were "constructed cold", Blaster was one of those affected. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

Following the Tyrest crisis, Blaster was one of the dozens of Autobots who helped clean and fix up the [[Swerve's|devastated bar]] so that Swerve could reopen it. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Blaster was present on bridge when Ultra Magnus made the decision to search for [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}} The crew tracked the [[Titan (group)|Titan]] to the oceans of [[Hydrophena]] where they were attacked by [[Ammonite]]s, {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}} prompting Blaster to participate in the underwater battle. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} Upon finding Metroplex, they used his [[space bridge]] to return the ''Lost Light'' to Cybertron, where they were reunited with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} Once the [[Quintessa (IDW)|Necrotitan]] plaguing Cybertron was defeated, Blaster celebrated alongside the rest of the population. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} He went on to attend the trial of Megatron at [[Raskol Arena]]. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}}

[[File:TwentyPlusOne BlasterLostRodimus.jpg|upright=1.8|thumb|right]]
Blaster continued to serve aboard the ''Lost Light'' as it departed again under the command of a new captain—a reformed Megatron. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Alongside the rest of the crew he evacuated the ship when it began mysteriously dematerializing piece by piece. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} Stuck on board the [[Rodpod]] alongside 20 other others, he took a message from Rodimus on the ''[[Leading Light]]'' to rendezvous at [[Ofsted XVII]]. All original crew members then began disappearing one by one as well, Blaster among them. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} Fortunately, the new crew managed to reverse the quantum irregularity, and Blaster and the others quickly returned. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

On a quantum-duplicated ''Lost Light'', its version of Blaster was executed along with the rest of the crew, save their Rewind. He was forced to transform into vehicle mode to keep his transformation cog fresh, which was harvested from his body by the [[Decepticon Justice Division|DJD]]. His corpse was found among a large collection of bodies in a room by [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]]. {{storylink|slaughterhouse}}

[[File:HowBrightTheirFrailDeeds-LostLightmutiny.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|left|Always [[Totaled!|first in line for mutiny.]]]]
Blaster gathered with most of the crew to hear Rodimus announce their rendezvous with the ''Vis Vitalis'' for the dying Thunderclash's "pre-wake". {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} He later served as DJ for a dance party in Swerve's and accepted a song request from [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]. {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} After a life-size [[holomatter]] projection of Earth appeared to be tailing the ''Lost Light'', Blaster attempted to make radio contact with it, only to hear a "catchy" song being played back to them. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}} When [[Getaway]] set up his mutiny, Blaster agreed to be part of it. He 'discovered' the source of a signal that would lure Megatron, Rodimus, and their 'loyalists' off the ''Light'', and later stood with Getaway in a broadcast to emphasize how the crew had turned on their captains. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

[[File:FillingInTheBlanks GetawayFakeNews.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|right|Do one mutiny, get a second free.]]
During a team meeting regarding the [[Warren]], Blaster interrupted to report a distress signal came in from [[Frayus]], but was stunned when Getaway told him to respond that they couldn't assist. As Getaway and Thunderclash argued, Blaster and his teammates were horrified when a transmission from Rodimus revealed that Getaway had not only abandoned Rodimus's men to the mercies of the [[Galactic Council]], but to the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. With the command structure threatening to breakdown, Getaway had the mnemosurgeon [[Sunder (G1)|Sunder]] reprogram the memories of Blaster and the rest of the crew. They were coerced into believing that Rodimus and the others left of their own free will, abandoning the rest of the crew to find Cyberutopia faster on their own. {{storylink|The Plotters' Club (Part 2): Filling in the Blanks|Filling in the Blanks}}

As the use of the Warren drew the ''Lost Light'' closer to Cyberutopia, Blaster was instructed by Getaway to change their course so that they could make a rendezvous with their new Head of Security. Soon after, Blaster happily reported to Getaway that they had finally arrived at Cyberutopia. {{storylink|The Plotters' Club (Part 3): Journey's End|Journey's End}}

[[File:ADanceBeforeDying BlasterSparkeater.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|left|"Hey folks, this is Blaster slaverin' at ya! ''Uhnnn, SPAAAAAAARKSSSSSSSS''..."]]
Everything collapsed, however, when they reached Cyberutopia. The promised land turned out to be a sham, and the ''Lost Light'' came under attack by the [[Adaptus|Grand Architect]] and his [[Phantom Fleet]] of [[Worldsweeper]]s. Desperate to save his own skin, Getaway made a deal with the Architect to spare him in exchange for his help against Rodimus, who Getaway swore would try to stop the Grand Architect's plans. To that end, the Architect's ally [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was allowed to subject Blaster and the other Autobots to a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] virus, changing them into zombie-like minions with acid vomit, a thirst for sparks, and no will of their own. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 2): Lūstrāre|Lūstrāre}}

When Rodimus and the others ''did'' arrive on Cyberutopia, Blaster was dispatched with the first wave of Sparkeaters along with [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]], [[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]] and [[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] to "greet" their friends. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}} Blaster and the Sparkeaters threatened Rodimus and his growing collection of allies as they opposed the Grand Architect's forces. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 1): A Dance Before Dying|A Dance Before Dying}} Eventually, First Aid discovered a form of concussive medicine that would transmit a kinetic program code to eliminate the Sparkeater virus. Blaster and the others were incapacitated, but seemingly cured of their infection. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 2): Lūstrāre|Lūstrāre}} After Rodimus reclaimed the ''Lost Light'', he had Blaster and his ailing crew brought aboard for Ratchet and First Aid to continue treating as they confronted the Grand Architect. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 3): Farsickness|Farsickness}}

After the crisis was over, Blaster joined the rest of the crew for one last "victory lap" aboard the ''Lost Light''. As the crew prepared to quantum jump home, the science team proposed the risky gamble of recreating the malfunctioning launch, thereby quantum duplicating themselves before then shunting the duplicates into a parallel universe to ensure that the Lost Light's adventures would never truly end. Rodimus put the notion to a vote, and the crew agreed to attempt it.

After returning to Cybertron and years in the future, Blaster was one of the attendees at Ratchet's funeral. He led the grieving Hound away after the service had concluded.

Unaware to everyone, in some distant corner of the multiverse, the duplicate ''Lost Light'' with its version of Blaster had successfully materialized. Blaster excitedly reported that the navigation computers had no idea where they were, and everyone got ready to set sail for an infinity of new adventures. {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}
{{--}}

===''TransTech''===
{{voiceactor|[[Buster Jones]] (English)}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Bee in the City 2: Electric Bugaloo}}

===''Kre-O'' online manga===
[[File:Blaster Kreon.JPG|thumb]]
Blaster was seemingly escorting [[Lumina Hoshi|Lumina]] at the inauguration of [[Metroplex (G1)|Autobot City]], as he was holding her hand. {{Storylink|Two Giant Bases! Everybody Getting Along, Come On, Fight!}}

Some time later, when [[Soundwave (G1)#Kre-O online manga|Soundwave]] tried to use his clones to brainwash humans, Blaster arrived alongside [[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)|Optimus]] and [[Jazz (G1)#Kre-O online manga|Jazz]] to stop him. Blaster turned to tape deck mode to help the Autobots in the battle of opposing sounds, and later (in a different blue coloration) played music at the ensuing hanami. {{Storylink|Soundwave's Trap? Stop Operation Brainwash Humanity!}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
[[File:FormFollowsFunction-Blaster.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]

Blaster was a freedom fighter on a Decepticon-controlled Cybertron. He was one of the many thorns in Megatron's side that continuously evaded capture.

Enraged that the once great [[Hot Rod (G1)|Imhotep Rodimus]] was one of the many Autobots that had succumbed to Megatron's will, Blaster set out to confront his fellow Autobot at the planet's north pole. There, he berated and blasted Rodimus for his fall from grace. Rodimus retaliated and during the firefight, [[G.I.Rocket]]s began to rain down around them. One of the rockets' blasts caused debris to fall atop of Blaster, knocking him out. Rather than allow his friend to be captured by the Decepticons, Rodimus abandoned his post and hauled Blaster away. {{storylink|Form Follows Function}} Rodimus brought Blaster to Ratchet for repairs before seizing leadership of the Autobots from [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. {{storylink|Everybody Hates Metroplex}}

During the combined Autobot-Joe attack on the Decepticon army, [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] had Blaster deactivate [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s force shield by using his altmode to emit a sonic signal imbued with the shield's codes. Blaster then joined the battle by releasing his [[Autobot Mini-Cassette|Recordobots]] against [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]]. {{storylink|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe issue 12|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12}}

{{--}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
[[Eject (G1)|Eject]] lamented that all the great and famous Cybertronians, including his mentor Blaster, were long gone by the time Cybertron was controlled by the [[Builder Assembly]]. {{storylink|Broken Windshields}}

===''Titans Return'' marketing material===
[[File:TPotTM BlasterStripesRewind.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right]]
When the [[Titan Master]]s joined the Autobot-Decepticon war, Blaster was partnered with the Titan Master [[Twin Cast]], the bot with the universe's most advanced cryptographic abilities. {{storylink|Blaster (G1)/toys#TitansReturn|''Titans Return'' Twin Cast/Blaster toy bio}} On the planet [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], Blaster, Stripes, and Rewind pursued [[Skullcruncher (G1)|Skullsmasher]], [[Grax]], and [[Horri-Bull|Rot-Gut]] through the streets. They were ultimately forced to break off when Rot-Gut and Skullsmasher combined, allowing Skullsmasher to deploy a cloud of armor-eating rust and make good their escape. Blaster was later seen fighting off Soundwave's all-out attack on Cybertron. {{storylink|Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters}}

{{--}}

===''Win If You Dare''===
[[File:WinIfYouDare-Blaster.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

Blaster was playing music outside the crashed ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' when [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] returned from a test drive, part of Ratchet's experimental "music therapy" program. {{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee - Win If You Dare|Win If You Dare}}

{{--}}

===2019 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[The Change In Your Nature Part Five|''Transformers'' #17]]}}

[[File:WarWorldHunt-Blaster.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

Blaster worked with [[Playback (G1)|Playback]] and [[Wavelength (G1)|Wavelength]] at the [[Titan Net]] primary hub in Iacon. When members of [[The Rise]] hacked their network to upload a powerful [[data-bomb]], Blaster and his crew found that the virus left them unable to awaken any of the dormant [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s in Cybertron's orbit, and powerless to prevent the rogue Titan [[Vigilem]] from approaching the [[Winged Moon]]. With no other options, Blaster contacted [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] and her Titan [[Lodestar (Titan)|Lodestar]], who had only recently returned from beyond Cybertronian space and hadn't yet linked with the Titan Net, and ordered her to stop Vigilem by any means necessary.{{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}}

Despite their best efforts, the pair weren't able to stop Vigilem from severing the great [[Tether]] that connected the Winged Moon to Cybertron. Blaster and his crew did their best to re-establish a link with the Titans; despite receiving assistance from [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]], [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]], and [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: Tremors|Tremors}} they weren't able to repair the Titan Net before Megatron staged a coup, overthrew the [[Senate]], and killed [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. When [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] inherited the Matrix to become Optimus Prime, Blaster attended his first speech. {{storylink|War World: Awakenings}} Not long afterwards, the triumphant Decepticons moved to seize control of Iacon's infrastructure by planting loyalists in positions of power, and as a result [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]], [[Bitstream (G1)|Bitstream]], and [[Sparkstalker]] took control of the Titan Net building and ousted Blaster and his crew. {{storylink|War World: Hunt|Hunt}}

Blaster followed Optimus Prime and his followers when they abandoned Iacon entirely and decamped to [[Crystal City]]. There, Blaster received a proper [[Autobot]] insignia as part of a ceremony commemorating the rebirth of the Autobot faction. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|Sea of Rust I}} However, when the Decepticons turned their sights on Crystal City, Blaster and a number of other scientists and engineers retreated to [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]]. {{storylink|Radical Time}} There, Blaster helped [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] engineer a data-bomb that would disrupt the Insecticon neural network long enough for [[Termagax]] to transmit new instructions to the swarming [[Insecticon clone]]s and call off their rampage. {{storylink|End of Time}}

{{--}}

===Precursor World===
[[File:GodNeptuneComic1-Twincast.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Video killed the radio star.]]

A [[Primus Vanguard|Warrior of the Seven Lights]] resembling Twincast was a member of the [[Blue Order]] of the [[Primus Vanguard]]. When the traitorous [[Straxus (G1)#Precursor World|Straxus twins]] unleashed a rage virus to destroy the corps from within, he was slain in the ensuing brawl. Vanguard leader [[Primus#The old universe|Primus]] later loaded the Warrior's lingering [[spark]]s into his [[Golden Noah]] in an attempt to ferry their souls to the [[G1 World|next world]]. {{storylink|God Neptune comic 1}} Unfortunately, this did not work. {{storylink|Generations Selects Special Comic Finale|Finale}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers Go! Go!''===
[[File:GoGo13-Blaster.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

Blaster was freestyling with the other Autobots when he encountered his old foe [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] came up with the idea of having the equally matched rivals settle their differences through a rap battle, where they eventually admitted their grudging respect for one another. However, the two soon went back to brawling when each accused the other of screwing up their conciliatory high five. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 13}}

One evening, Blaster invited Bumblebee to come outside and play, but Bumblebee had too much homework to do. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 14}} Blaster and Eject took part in a snowball fight until Wheeljack's snowball-throwing robot went haywire. Jazz and Blaster provided covering fire so that Bumblebee could close the distance and switch off the machine, and that night the Autobots used the excess snow to construct an igloo where they could relax. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 18}}

===Energon Universe===
[[File:TF2023 no. 5 – Blaster wielding gun.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
During a battle on Cybertron, Blaster was shot in the chest. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 5|Transformers #5}}

{{--}}

==Commercial appearances==
*Blaster allowed himself to be found by [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] in his radio mode. The device caught Rumble's eye, and he decided to bring Blaster back to the Decepticons' headquarters. Soundwave wasn't as easily duped, and recognized Blaster as an Autobot intruder immediately upon seeing him. Blaster then had to contend with fending off [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Blaster|Blaster commercial}}
*When [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] led a squad of Decepticons on an attack on the Autobots' launch site, Blaster informed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] that [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus]] was off-planet, and so couldn't come to their aid. He stayed behind as Ultra Magnus carried several Autobots into battle to counter-attack. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Ultra Magnus|Ultra Magnus commercial}}
*Blaster, Cosmos, and Perceptor had a dance-off against Soundwave, Rumble, and Frenzy. {{storylink|Blaster VS Soundwave 2013}}

==Games==
===''Transformers G1: Awakening''===
[[File:Gluawakening blaster.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85]]
Blaster was among the Autobots who left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], and spent four million years in stasis after it was shot down over Earth by the Decepticons. Though Ratchet soon had him fixed up, the Autobots lacked the [[energon]] that he needed to get operational. They had gathered enough by the time the Autobots were preparing to assault the Decepticon fortress on Cybertron to free their enslaved fellows, and Blaster took part in the operation to take out the fortress's main power plants. {{storylink|Transformers G1: Awakening}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
When the Decepticons seemed to be having a run of luck, Blaster and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] found this pattern so suspicious that they teamed up with [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] to investigate. They eventually uncovered [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s infiltration and sent the Decepticon and his tapes packing. {{storylink|Covert Operations}} Concerned that the Decepticons might be after the technology at a scientific facility, Blaster and his tapes infiltrated the base only to find that Soundwave was already concealed inside and after the tech. {{storylink|Espionage}} Returning from a charity event, Blaster, Windcharger and Cliffjumper received a distress signal from a nearby human military base. Leading the charge, Blaster found a Decepticon raiding party scouring the base for the [[MacGuffin Generator]]. The Autobots fought the Decepticons to a stalemate until the evil robots managed to acquire the device. It proved more volatile than they expected however, and Blaster and his team helped rebuild the base after the Decepticons were blown away by the generator. {{storylink|Raiding Party}}

Blaster was among the Autobots who fought the Decepticons after they joined forces with the Quintessons. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness: Part 2}}

===''Angry Birds Transformers''===
[[File:Blaster-Bird.jpg|thumb|300px]]
{{main|Bubbles#As Blaster}}

On an [[AllSpark|Eggspark]]-altered [[Piggy Island]], Blaster found himself fused with [[Bubbles]] of the [[Flock]], turning them into an [[Autobird]] that transforms into a van-like thing. Bubbles-Blaster launches a rapid-fire stream of sonic blasts that pack incredible punch and have a wide "splash damage" range, especially when paired up with his [[Autobot Mini-Cassette|cassette]] partners.

<center>
{|class="wikitable" border="5" style="width:75%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Accessory'''
! scope="col" width="10%" | '''Body Part'''
! scope="col" width="10%" | '''Rarity'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Cost'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Base Effect'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Notes'''
|-
|[[Rosanna (AB)|Rosanna]]
|Head
|Epic
|5 Epic Crystals + 60,000 Coins
| +20% Explosive Force
|
|-
|Headphones
|Head
|Uncommon
|5 Uncommon Crystals + 8,000 Coins
| +10% Damage
|
|-
|Baseball Cap
|Head
|Common
|5 Common Crystals + 2,500 Coins
| +10% Vehicle Time
|
|-
|Santa Hat
|Head
|Uncommon
|5 Uncommon Crystals + 8,000 Coins
| +10% Defense
| Holiday Event exclusive
|-
|Festive Deely Bopper
|Head
|Rare
|5 Rare Crystals + 20,000 Coins
| +20% Damage
| Holiday Event exclusive
|-
|Snowman
|Head
|Rare
|5 Rare Crystals + 20,000 Coins
| +20% Damage
| Holiday Event exclusive
|-
|Lion Hat
|Head
|Epic
|5 Epic Crystals + 60,000 Coins
| +16% Defense
|Chinese New Year exclusive
|-
|[[Stripes]]
|Chest
|Epic
|5 Epic Crystals + 60,000 Coins
| +40% Faster Reload
|
|-
|[[Sundor]]
|Arms
|Rare
|5 Rare Crystals + 20,000 Coins
| +20% Damage
|
|}
</center>

[[File:Blaster accessory.jpeg|thumb|200px|But I'm already a [[Bubbles#As Blaster|character]] in the game!]]

Blaster is also an "Accessory" character, giving Autobirds he's attached to an increase to their EMP Rounds (probably due to his groovy, well-tuned personality). This bonus can be increased with level upgrades, won from random-prize Crates or in the "[[King Pig|Shockwave]]'s Tower" mini-game.

He can be unlocked by purchasing him with Gems in the Barracks, with Tokens during specific [[Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)/Challenge Events|Challenge Events]], or won from Crates and [[King Pig|Shockwave]]'s Tower. {{storylink|Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)|Angry Birds Transformers}}

<center>
{|class="wikitable" border="5" style="width:75%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="15%" | '''Autobird'''
! scope="col" width="8%" | '''Body Part'''
! scope="col" width="10%" | '''Gem Cost'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Base Effect'''
! scope="col" width="30%" | '''Notes'''
|-
|[[Red (AB)#As Blurr|Blurr]]
|Arms
|650
| EMP Rounds
|
|-
|}
</center>
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Blaster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|Among the random Movie quotes a random bot says are: Two can Play! Sic' em! Don't know how much longer we can hold out. We're all going to look like burnt-out toaster ovens.]]
Blaster participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Epic character who first appeared in the "Sonic Clash" event, and could be recruited by collecting 500 units of Cybermetal, 250 units of Transmetal,100 event cores, and 50 cores of this character. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Frontiers''===
{{charstubgame|{{storylink|Transformers: Frontiers}}}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:Blaster-Earth-Wars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Yo dawg! Let's build this base before the Cons show up!]]

Loud, proud and in-your-face, Blaster has a zest for life and an unquenchable appetite for action.
The louder and more intense it gets, the more it sparks his circuits.
The opposite of sneaky, he prefers to make his presence known, literally assaulting his enemies with sound and fury.
But his special passion is good old fashioned rock 'n' roll, and his ability to monitor multiple frequencies and channels has exposed him to a wide variety of music. {{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars|Blaster Bio}}

Blaster was in contact with Ironhide and Jetfire after the latter two and an ally raided a Decepticon outpost. Blaster suggested it would be great if they upgraded the HQ.
{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars|Transformers: Earth Wars}}

Blaster then helped out in the many other battles that the Autobots participated in.

*'''Class:''': Special (Deployer)
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 stars
*'''Weapons:''' Blaster uses a standard issue Photon blaster used by Jetfire and the Aerobots.
*'''Ability: Deploy Minions:''' Deploy Eject, Rewind, Steeljaw, and Ramhorn to attack targets! All have unique attacks.
**'''Cost''': 3 ability points +3 for reuses.

[http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:blaster Blaster at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki]

Blaster is one of two characters that has a unique ending victory pose, in which Blaster has a chance to perform a handstand, and then start break dancing.

{{-}}

===''Transformers: Forged to Fight''===
[[File:ForgedToFight-Blaster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Impossible! Our laserfire is only making him '''stronger!'''"]]
In a surprising twist, Blaster isn't a clone of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], instead having his own unique animations and abilities. He fights using buffed-up energy attacks and his cassette allies, and, when awakened, can heal himself when struck with the enemy's ranged laser attacks.
{{charstubgame|{{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight}}}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Blaster was head of Autobot communications and a master of sonic warfare. In his off-time, he was something of a party animal, and this laid-back approach to life has bled back into his career as a soldier. {{storylink|Transformers Roleplaying Game|Transformers Roleplaying Game bonus material}}

==Toys==
{{main|Blaster (G1)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
{{main|Blaster (G1)/toys#Merchandise}}

==Notes==
[[File:MicroChangeRadiCassRobo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
*Blaster had the preliminary names of '''Pulse'''<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/index.php?full=1&set_albumName=BotCon_2010_Sat_Panels&id=DSC05237&option=com_gallery&Itemid=4&include=view_photo.php Bob Budiansky's notes at BotCon 2010]</ref> and '''Blastbox'''.<ref>[[Production bible]] of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original cartoon]]</ref>
*Blaster began life as the ''[[Micro Change]]'' "Radi-Casse Robo" ("radio-cassette", you see), which was actually a functional AM radio. Though this feature was gutted from Blaster when he was released as part of the ''Transformers'' toyline, the original toy's power switch (on his right leg), earphone jack (on the back of his left leg) and tuning dial (on his chest) still remain, now as moulded, non-moving details. Even the toy's electro-scrambler gun is designed to serve as storage for the mono earphone which came with the toy, with the plug inserting into the stock, the cord winding around it, and the earphone itself tucking into the hole in the gun's main body. It was not the toy itself which was the radio; rather, the radio was a small "micro-cassette" which plugged into the toy's internal wiring when inserted into its chest, allowing it to play through the speakers in its legs in either mode. As the electronic equipment in the chest meant that the figure could not hold normal ''Micro Change'' cassettes there, it featured a compartment on its back which could hold a single tape instead. This compartment could still be found on some early releases of Blaster, though it was often mistaken by fans as a vestigial battery compartment, which was actually originally located in the toy's right leg.
*Blaster's finalized [[character model]] was apparently not available to artist [[Don Perlin]] when he first drew Blaster in the Marvel Comic. While the final model—used in the Generation 1 cartoon, the UK Marvel comics and ''[[G.I. Joe and the Transformers (comic)|G.I. Joe and the Transformers]]''—gives Blaster a set of individual eyes, Perlin's interpretation of the toy reference material he had to work with saw him draw Blaster with a goggled visor. Perlin's visored head design would be used throughout the Marvel run, until the last few issues, when UK artists who had taken over drawing the book rendered Blaster with his finalized model's head. [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] rationalized this discrepancy early on in the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] of [[Hunters|UK issue #118]] by explaining that Blaster's visor is retractable, and used to shield his especially delicate optical sensors from sunlight. Less explainable was [[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]'s color choice for the comic version of Blaster: a red forehead and yellow face, a combination never used on a toy or in the cartoon.
**[[IDW Publishing]] tried for a hybridized look, giving Blaster an odd-looking "moustache" that was promptly discarded from his design after his introductory [[Spotlight: Blaster|''Spotlight'' issue]].
[[File:TFUK300 letterspage.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*In an odd quirk of design, Blaster's character model breaks the row of buttons on his abdomen up into three buttons in [[robot mode]], but four in [[alternate mode]]. It's a product of the way his toy is made: it's got three separate button-chunks, like his robot mode model, but the centre chunk is two buttons sculpted together, so he's actually ''got'' four, like his alternate mode model. This was most evident in the cartoon; in the comic, as you can see from some of the pictures above, they'd often basically draw as many as they felt like.
*Blaster hosted the Marvel UK comic's letters page for the final 33 issues (from [[Rhythms of Darkness!|issue #300]] to [[End of the Road! (US)|issue #332]]), to tie in with his Action Master toy. Here, the letters page was dubbed "Darn 'n' Blast", replacing [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind's]] "Dread Tidings", despite Dreadwind's holing himself up in the Marvel offices. The Decepticon finally left after a visit by three Christmas spirits, [[Ghost of the present|one of whom]] took on the appearance of Blaster. {{storylink|Dreadwind's Xmas!}} Blaster complained that Dreadwind had decorated the office in all purple and orange with a solitary picture of a dog with sad eyes. His characterization in the letters page is more in line with his fun-loving, hip and happening self from the cartoon than the rather grim, brooding, rebellious badass seen in the comics. He arrived on the letters page in advance of his resurrection in the comics itself, which did not occur until [[On the Edge of Extinction!|issue #321]]. He was explicitly identified as being a non-transformer Action Master, though his partner [[Flight Pack]] did not appear.
*According to Blaster himself on the UK letters page, he has two [[Relatives|siblings]]: [[Toaster]] and [[Karmen]]. And then there's [[Bluster]], his retroactively-created and less-seen brother.
*Since the release of ''Universe'' Blaster, there seems to be an attempt on the part of tech spec writers to balance Marvel's dark and brooding portrayal of Blaster with the rock 'n' roll loving version from the original US cartoon. The ''Universe'' write-up has Blaster organizing resistance cells with Perceptor (with NO mention of his musical interests), recalling the storyline in US comic #17-18. The 2010 San Diego Comic Convention release of the figure not only mentions Blaster's love of music ("Any music, from Cybertronian magna marches to down and dirty [[Washington, D.C.|D.C.]] hardcore"), it references "his hatred of the Decepticons", because "the war they started killed the music scene (and most of the musicians) on Cybertron"—combining Blaster's varying personalities from these two continuities into one.
**This also means Blaster is a fan of Bad Brains and Minor Threat. That rules '''so hard.'''

===Foreign names===
====Blaster====
*''Japanese:'' '''Broadcast''' (ブロードキャスト ''Burōdokyasuto''), '''Blaster''' (ブラスター ''Burasutā'')
*''English:'' '''Billy''' ([[Omni Productions]] dub),
*''Czech:'' '''Reprák''' (Supermax dub, "Speaker")
*''French:'' '''Tempo''' (Canada)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Össztűz''' ("Bombardment"), '''Lőmester''' ("Demolitions-Expert", alternate name used occasionally in the Marvel comics)
*''Italian:'' '''Radiorobot''', '''Audiobot''' (''The Headmasters'')
*''Portuguese:'' '''Rajada''' (Portugal comic, "Gust"), '''Dinamitador''' (Brazil comic)
*''Spanish:'' '''Bill''' (America, ''The Headmasters''), '''Plato''' (America, ''The Headmasters'')
*''Chinese:'' '''Lùyīnjī''' (China, 录音机, "Recorder"), '''Shuāng Lǚdài''' (''The Headmasters'', 双履带, "Double Pedrail")

====Twincast====
*''Japanese:'' '''Twincast''' (ツインキャスト ''Tsuinkyasto'')
*''English:'' '''Blaster''' ([[Omni Productions]] dub)
*''Italian:'' '''Digital'''
*''Spanish:'' '''Platon'''

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Autobirds]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising Autobots]]
[[Category:Blue Order]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Combat Colin characters]]
[[Category:Communications specialists]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Go! Go! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Letters page answerers]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:TransTech Autobots]]
[[Category:Zombies]]

Wheeljack (ROTB)

2024-01-17T14:30:30Z

Vrahno:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3.5|the ''Rise of the Beasts'' Autobot|the ''other'' movie Wheeljack|Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack}}
:''Wheeljack is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (franchise)|Rise of the Beasts]] portion of the [[Movie continuity family]].''

[[File:ROTB-Wheeljack.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Got any cheese?]]
Soft-spoken and insightful, '''Wheeljack''' may lack the bombastic attitude of his fellow Autobots, but he's no less invaluable to their team. An inventor, mechanic and scientist stationed in South America, Wheeljack is enamored with Earth and its natural world, and is committed to ending the war that threatens it. To get around the tight streets of [[Cusco]], he turns into a {{W|Volkswagen Type 2}} microbus.<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://twitter.com/transformers/status/1657105528236003330|name=Transformers|site=Twitter|year=2023|month=5|day=12}}</ref>

Despite being stationed in [[Peru]], he's somehow unknowingly picked up a [[Mexico|Mexican]] [[accent]]. Don't assume he speaks Spanish because of it, though; he thinks it's a little racist.

{{bigquote|Sorry I'm late. I was taking in a harmonious moment between a serene butterfly, and an unruffled caterpillar. Such tranquility.|Wheeljack|''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''Rise of the Beasts'' film===
{{voiceactor|[[Cristo Fernández]] (English), [[Shunsuke Takeuchi]] (Japanese)|[[Benjamin Pascal]] (European French), [[Marc Winslow]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Renato Novara]] (Italian), [[Karim El Kammouchi]] (German), [[Wendel Bezerra]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}
[[File:TF-ROTB-Wheeljack-the-heck-you're-talking-about.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|left|"Now, last week, Wheeljack used his transformation machine to turn Noah into a car and drive him around the Monaco Grand Prix? Come on!"]]
Being locally stationed there, Wheeljack joined the Autobot forces upon their arrival in [[Peru]] to assist with their search for the other half of the [[Transwarp Key]]. After a brief chat with their new human ally [[Noah Díaz]] established that, while he may have a Spanish accent, he did not speak Spanish, he explained the lay of the land to the group, including the Festival which would prevent the Autobots easily accessing the city. During Noah and [[Elena Wallace]]'s search and subsequent chase underground, he hid in the city with [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] taking cover inside his vehicle mode. When the [[Terrorcon (ROTB)|Terrorcons]] arrived in force to hunt down the humans, the pair tailed [[Battletrap (ROTB)|Battletrap]] up the mountain roads, Arcee exchanging fire while Wheeljack dodged missiles and wrecking balls thrown his way. Unfortunately, before they could get close to Battletrap, the Terrorcon attached his towline to Wheeljack's bumper, throwing him and Arcee off the cliff, which also triggered a rockslide that unwittingly broke up the battling Autobots and Terrorcons.

Recovering, he and Arcee immediately followed [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage]] to assist their human allies from [[Optimus Primal (ROTB)|an unfamiliar robotic gorilla]]. Unfortunately for him, [[Rhinox (ROTB)|a massive robotic rhino]] bowled him over from behind. After [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and Primal made a truce, Wheeljack accompanied the united Autobot and [[Maximal]] group to the human village which held Primal's half of the Transwarp Key. The next day, he took part in the final battle to prevent [[Unicron]] being summoned to Earth, fighting off the horde of [[Sweep (ROTB)|Sweep]]s and [[Scorponok (ROTB)|Scorponoks]] as a distraction for his allies to shut the machine down.

During the course of the battle, he and Optimus came across Battletrap again, nearly getting shot multiple times, with Primal and Prime having to assist to defeat the Terrorcon. Later on, Wheeljack regrouped with Arcee in mowing down more Sweeps, eventually receiving a minor injury to his lower abdomen. He was also knocked down and briefly overwhelmed when Unicron's reinforcements arrived, but was able to recover when [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] arrived to assist after his resurrection. When Optimus was forced to destroy the Transwarp bridge himself, Wheeljack was ordered to retreat to avoid the expected explosion, following Primal out of the area. Victorious and with Prime safe, he and the other Autobots and Maximals remained steadfast, ready to face Unicron's return.
{{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts}}

{{note|Wheeljack's involvement in the preceding events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the books "[[Mission at the Museum]]" and "[[The Search Is On]]". In the former, Wheeljack is present in events set in New York City prior to his actual first appearance in the movie.}}

==Toys==
===''Buzzworthy Bumblebee''===
[[File:ROTB-Buzzworthy-Bumblebee-Deluxe-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|What's that? One of those 'Led Zeppelins' I've heard so much about?]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1m1|'''Cheetor / Nightbird / Wheeljack''' (Jungle Mission 3-pack, [[2023]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Blaster

: Released in a [[Target]]-exclusive ''[[Buzzworthy Bumblebee]]'' "Jungle Mission 3-pack", Wheeljack is a Deluxe Class figure based on his appearance in ''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]]''. He transforms from a bespectacled robot into an unlicensed approximation of a Volkswagen Minibus with "TV Pablo" livery on the side. He includes a blaster that he can hold, or store on the roof of his vehicle mode.

:Wheeljack comes packaged with [[Cheetor (ROTB)#Buzzworthy Bumblebee|Cheetor]] and [[Nightbird (ROTB)#Buzzworthy Bumblebee|Nightbird]]. Unlike the actual product, the CG renders on the rear packaging depict his fists being fully painted black.
{{--}}

===''Rise of the Beasts''===
[[File:TF-ROTB-Deluxe-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Ehrm.. Ackshually..'']]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Wheeljack''' (Deluxe Class, 2023)}}</ul>
:*''TakaraTomy name'': '''Deluxe Class Wheeljack'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''BD-05'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[July 15]], 2023
:*''Accessories'': Blaster

:The Wheeljack from the ''Buzzworthy Bumblebee'' Jungle Mission 3-pack was also available individually at general retail under ''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (toyline)|Rise of the Beasts]]'' packaging.

:He was first sighted at Australian retail, before any of his wave mates.

{{-}}{{anchor|BeastWeaponizer}}
[[File:TF-ROTB-Beast-Alliance-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"Stop hitting my child in the head with a lead pipe!"]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1m1|'''Wheeljack & Rhinox''' (Beast Weaponizer, 2023)}}</ul>
:*''TakaraTomy name'': '''Kakusei Change Set Wheeljack & Rhinox'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''BCS-03'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[July 15]], 2023
{{toydesigner|[[Shogo Hasui]] (TakaraTomy)}}

: Part of the second wave of Beast Weaponizers, Wheeljack is a simplified toy that converts from a robot to an unlicensed approximation of a Volkswagen Minibus in 11 steps. He comes with a redecoed [[Rhinox (ROTB)#BeastWeaponizer|Beast Battle Master Rhinox]], who transforms into a minigun for Wheeljack to wield.

:Like much of this toyline, this set was found at retail before any official announcement, this time in Canada.
{{--}}

===''Studio Series''===
[[File:TF-Studio-Series-ROTB-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|''Did I do that?'']]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Wheeljack''' (Deluxe Class, [[2024]])}}</ul>
:*''Movie'': '''''Rise of the Beasts'''''
:*''Hasbro ID number'': '''108'''
:*''Accessories'': Gun, "Cliffside Chase" backdrop
{{toydesigner|[[Sam Smith]] (Hasbro), [[Koki Yamada]] (TakaraTomy)}}<ref>[[November 14]], [[2023]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClqPbfd2hcg Hasbro Pulse Transformers Fanstream] on YouTube, with [[Ben MacCrae]], [[Mark Maher]], and [[Evan Brooks]]</ref>

: Released in the first wave of ''[[Studio Series]]'' Deluxe Class figures for 2024, Wheeljack transforms from robot to licensed Volkswagen van in 28 steps. He includes a handheld blaster weapon (seemingly based on the one included with [[Ironhide (G1)/toys #Studio Series|SS86 Ironhide]]) rather than the arm blaster he had in the film, which can be stored on the roof of his alt mode. His door wings are also oriented in the wrong direction than the way they were in the film. Whether this is the intended design or a misassembly is currently unknown.

: Oddly enough, the front of Wheeljack's box features a render of his ''alternate mode'', not his robot mode as per usual. Why this decision was made is unknown.

: Wheeljack, alongside the first wave of 2024 ''Studio Series'' product, were revealed at MCM London 2023.

{{comingsoontoy}}

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===Jada Toys===
====''Hollywood Rides''====
[[File:TF-ROTB-Jada-1-24-Wheeljack.jpg|upright=1.44|thumb|It's a Frank, Frank. A Frank that shoots Franks.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Volkswagen Bus Wheeljack''' (Scale 1/24 Die Cast Vehicle, 2023)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Autobot badge standee
:Released by [[Jada Toys]], this 1/24 scaled non-transforming die-cast licensed Volkswagen Type 2 with rubber tires features opening doors and trunk with detailed interiors. Similar to the ''Robot Powered Machines'', the car features a sculpted robot mode underneath.

:Presumably thanks to production lead time, Wheeljack features both the "TV Pablo" markings from the movie itself and the "Frank's TV" branding from footage that went unused in the film.<ref name=frank>{{citesocial|quote=Cool, that's my picture of Frank! Originally, he was in the New York parts of the film, with the van appearing in the warehouse scene, but that was cut. Here's some of the pictures I took of the van when I spotted it returning to the vehicle holding area at MELS in Montreal:|link=https://twitter.com/tfaltmodes/status/1668009290504732672|name=TransformersAltModes|site=Twitter|year=2023|month=6|day=11}}</ref>

:The 1/24 Wheeljack comes with a small chrome Autobot badge on a display stand.
{{-}}{{anchor|Jada1-32}}

<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Volkswagen Bus Wheeljack''' (Scale 1/32 Die Cast Vehicle, 2023)}}</ul>
:A smaller replica of Wheeljack much similar to the version above. The opening gimmick is limited to the doors only.

===Figural Bag Clip===
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Wheeljack''' (2023)}}</ul>
:Released by Monogram, this 2.5" 3D foam bag clip takes the form of a chibi ''Rise of the Beasts'' Wheeljack.

:It was available only as part of a [[Blindpacking|mystery blind bag]] collection.
{{--}}

==Notes==
*The promotional render of Wheeljack seen at the top of this page sports some differences from his character model as seen in the film; most notably, it lacks the Autobot badge (a modified Volkswagen logo) on his chest, leaving it blank.
*''Rise of the Beasts'' Wheeljack was conceived as a distinct character from ''Dark of the Moon'' [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que/Wheeljack]]. Rather than take the more [[Wheeljack (G1)|Generation 1-inspired]] design of the Wheeljack seen in ''Bumblebee'', either [[Hasbro]] or [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] wanted to lean more into the idea of the character as a nerdy scientist, as they felt the "tough guy" seen in the previous movie was too similar to other characters among the Autobots.<ref>{{citesocial|quote='''Okay. Wheeljack is in this movie. But Wheeljack is also in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and also just gets killed out of the blue. I love Wheeljack, but this Wheeljack and that Wheeljack seem nothing alike.''' Yeah, they’re different, man. I know the fans have been calling him Pablo Wheeljack, so I’m going to ride with the fans on that one. '''So these are different characters?''' Yes, exactly. When I got into the film, they had already wanted the Wheeljack part of this picture, but they wanted to redesign it and actually lean more into the science and nerdy part of Wheeljack. They felt like the Wheeljack – I don’t know if this is the studio or Hasbro who was here before me – he was kind of falling into the lane of the other characters. Kind of tough. Ironhide, and those kind of vibes. Just didn’t feel like enough variety across the board. And so, for me as a fan, I was like, “All right, how can I keep some of the essence?” But I was like, I’m going to just dive deep into the lore and just gave him his whole sort of personality and a different look as we start to now develop and move on. But yeah, that was it. It was no shade or callbacks to the other Wheeljack at all. But people started calling Pablo Wheeljack, which I thought was kind of funny. And Cristo likes it too. He’s like, “I’m down for that.” Cristo Fernandez, who plays him, which is cool.|name=Steven Caple Jr.|site=Uproxx|link=https://uproxx.com/movies/steven-caple-jr-interview-transformers-rise-of-the-beasts/|day=07|month=06|year=2023}}</ref>
*The storybook "[[Mission at the Museum]]", as well as behind-the-scenes photos of Wheeljack's vehicle mode, suggest that he was originally intended to appear in the [[New York City|New York]]-set segments of the film, with his vehicle mode belonging to "Frank's TV" rather than "TV Pablo".<ref name=frank/> This ended up influencing the [[Jada Toys]] die-cast vehicles of Wheeljack, both of which sport "Frank's TV" on their left side and "TV Pablo" on their right.
*Due to the "TV Pablo" branding on his vehicle mode, many fans took to jokingly calling this iteration 'Pablo', as both a shot at him daring not to look like [[Wheeljack (G1)|the original]], and an affectionate nickname. Even director [[Steven Caple Jr.]] and Cristo Fernández (his voice actor) support it! This even went so far as the Fanstream introducing his Studio Series toy using the 'Pablo' name before calling him Wheeljack.
*During the sequence where the Autobots and Maximals line up ready for battle, a pair of ear-like fins based on those of [[Wheeljack (G1)|"Generation 1" Wheeljack]] pop out of the sides of his head; this was apparently a last-minute addition, as some promotional material (notably, the trailers released by Paramount Pictures UK) show the same footage without the fins.<ref>[https://youtu.be/itnqEauWQZM Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | Official Trailer (2023 Movie)] from Paramount Pictures on YouTube, with ears</ref><ref>[https://youtu.be/A5TcKWqMOp8 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | Official Trailer | Paramount Pictures UK] from Paramount Pictures on YouTube, without ears</ref> Either way, it's very easy to miss, as the fins have vanished by the next shot that Wheeljack appears in and never show up again!
*In the Latin American Spanish dub, Wheeljack speaks with a Peruvian accent instead of a Mexican one, using Peruvian slang such as ''causa'', ''chevere'', and ''oe''.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Wheeljack''' (ホイルジャック ''Hoirujakku'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Kormányos Jack''' ("Steersman Jack")<ref>[[Wheeljack_(G1)|Generation 1 Wheeljack]] is called ''Kerék'' ("Wheel") in the Hungarian release of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel comics]]. ''Kormányos Jack'' is an erroneous alternate name that appears infrequently in the comics. The translator for ''Rise of the Beasts'' used an incomplete Hungarian Wikipedia list of Transformers names as reference, which only listed this secondary name, hence its usage in the film.</ref>
*''Mandarin:'' '''Qiānjīndǐng''' (China, 千斤顶, "Wheeljack" or "Hoisting Jack")

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Rise of the Beasts Autobots]]
[[Category:Studio Series Autobots]]

Wheeljack (G1)

2024-01-17T14:21:43Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign names */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2|lightningstrike|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Wheeljack}}
{{suite}}
:''Wheeljack is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[File:Wheeljackg1.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb|[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]! I built a machine that builds machines that build catapults! Come see! Yeah, we can wait for Ratchet...]]
'''Wheeljack''' is his own worst enemy. Something of a crackpot inventor, a good half of his creations blow up in his face, and that's just if he's lucky. His constant need to invent increasingly complex devices stems from his desire to improve the Autobots' tech, but as a result he's simultaneously one of the Autobots' greatest assets and problems; for every successful gadget he builds, there's one which requires [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] or [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] to put him (and his lab) back together. But once in a while he strikes gold, which has won him respect from even the Decepticons.

He is, however, not a ''complete'' nerd. As good as he is in the lab, Wheeljack is just as amazing on the road: there are few stunts he can't pull off, and he loves to show off his driving skills as much as he does his inventions. He is, however, a little less confident when it comes to [[flight|flying]], which he accomplishes using solid-fuel rocket jets in his forearms.

As an [[Action Master]] Wheeljack utilizes another of his inventions, the dual-mode [[Turbo Racer]], to get around quickly. In some universes he can [[Combiner|combine]] with his fellow Autobots to form [[Sky Reign]].

{{bigquote|It sure is nice when one of my inventions actually works!|Wheeljack on his track record|"[[Fire on the Mountain (episode)|Fire on the Mountain]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
[[File:Wheeljack-spacehikers02.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity}}

One of the Autobot elite, Wheeljack was a crewmember aboard the Ark who wound up in [[stasis lock]] for four million years on Earth. Upon reactivation in [[1984]], the scientist largely kept to the spacecraft, serving as the engineering officer for whomever commanded the Autobots until he was counted as one of the many casualties of [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]'s [[Underbase]] fuelled rampage.

When [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] arrived to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Wheeljack was among those revived by [[Nucleon (substance)|nucleon]], living to see [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] defeat the Chaos Bringer and end the war with the aid of the [[Last Autobot]].

{{--}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
[[File:Shockblastcannon.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Good news, everyone! I'm in terrible pain!]]

{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity}}

Part of the crew of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], Wheeljack served as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s top scientist during the early years of the Autobot-Decepticon conflict on Earth. His creations tended to backfire on him, such as the unruly Dinobots. His inventions also tended to backfire on him, such as his Immobilizer. And everything else tended to explode on him (''see image at left''). Regardless, he remained Prime's top scientist until his death in 2005 during the [[Battle of Autobot City]].

In a splinter timeline, Wheeljack would have better luck with his inventions and his survival, escaping his supposed death in 2005. That same year, he received a new [[Binaltech (technology)|Binaltech]] body, but lost it due to time travel. In 2011, he joined the [[Disaster Relief Team]] to assist Autobots caught in the destruction of Cybertron. Then, in 2015, he revived the deceased [[Ginrai (robot)|God Ginrai]] as Victory Leo. And during the G-2 Wars, he discovered the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]], which kept Optimus Prime from dying again.

{{--}}

===Marvel coloring books===
Wheeljack built a ship for the [[Autobot]]s to use. They got the chance to when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] decided to try to raid sunken ships full of treasure. {{storylink|Search for Treasure Under the Sea}} After the [[Decepticon]]s captured [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] and [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]], Wheeljack, and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] were badly damaged in the battle to rescue the two humans. Sparkplug fixed them both up and they subsequently helped repel a Decepticon attack on [[Hoover Dam]]. {{storylink|The Deadly Fuel Shortage}}

Wheeljack joined the Autobot convoy on a patrol of the area around the Autobot base-camp. When they returned, Bumblebee was waiting to warn the Autobots that the Decepticons had seized their base. {{storylink|A Message From Outer Space}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|The Big Book of Coloring Fun}}}}

===Big Looker storybooks continuity===
When the Cybertronian civil war had yet to leave the planet, Optimus asked his Autobots to join him in leaving their home world behind and travel out into space. When Bumblebee volunteered to join Optimus, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots jumped in as well. After crash-landing on Earth and being offline for about 65 million years, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots met Sparkplug and his son Spike. With the Decepticons still not in the know of what forms the Autobots had taken, Wheeljack was one of the troops that Optimus led into the desert in order to ambush their enemies. Though they successfully took by surprise a squadron of Decepticons, the Autobots had not anticipated a second group flying in from the opposite direction. Thanks to a warning from Spike and Sparkplug, the Autobots managed to fend off the Decepticons, and came to accept Earth as their new home. {{storylink|Battle for Cybertron}}

===Ladybird Books continuity===
The Autobots were low on valuable Cybertronian materials such as [[cybernite]]. When Kup suggested a salvage expedition to an old battle field near a mountain valley, Ultra Magnus assembled Wheeljack, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], and [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] to go with him. Their expedition was cut short by a Decepticon air raid, however. Later, Kup commissioned Wheeljack and [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] to help him crystallize an idea for blinding the Decepticon space stations who spotted them for the air raid. {{storylink|Galvatron's Air Attack}}

===''S.T.A.R.S.'' continuity===
When [[Johnny (G1)|Johnny]] spotted [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] stealing energy, he called his Autobot allies through his S.T.A.R.S. control center. Wheeljack was amongst those who responded to Johnny's call. {{storylink|Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?}} Wheeljack and the other Autobots struggled against Thundercracker energy-syphoning powers. {{storylink|Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?}} What happened afterwards is not known.

Later, Ultra Magnus pleaded for [[you]] to "requisition" Wheeljack and other Autobots in order to combat the Decepticon threat. Using the human power known as "imagination," S.T.A.R.S. recruits could perceive what it was like to be Wheeljack. {{storylink|You Have Been Chosen.}}

Before the construction of Autobot City on Earth, Optimus led a convoy of Autobots to find the ideal location for their new base's construction. Wheeljack was amongst the troops accompanying Optimus. As they drove along, the Autobots were ambushed by the Decepticons. The battle that ensued later came to be known as "[[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction (G1)|Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]]." {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}} {{storylink|The Autobots Are Under Attack!}}

===Find Your Fate Junior===
{{Notemultipath}}

====Dinobots Strike Back====
As Optimus Prime assigned [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to inspect signs of Decepticon activity around [[Dolphin's Bay]], Wheeljack looked up when he heard the word "''underwater''". He claimed that the mission would be a good chance to test out the [[Star mini-submarine|new mini-submarine]] he'd been building. Optimus agreed, and Wheeljack programmed it by remote control to meet the two Autobots at the bay. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

====Attack of the Insecticons====
Wheeljack was present, yet mostly uninvolved, in a number of possible adventures revolving around the Sun-Pak, a device invented by Sparkplug that would end the Autobots' energy woes. {{storylink|Attack of the Insecticons}}
{{-}}

====Desert Flight====
Wheeljack was part of a group of the Autobots’ best scouts, led by Optimus on a fuel-finding mission. When the convoy heard a large explosion in the distance, Optimus sent Cosmos to investigate the noise.

If Cosmos radioed his findings to Optimus immediately, Optimus's convoy moved in to investigate a nearby Decepticon base. En route, the Autobots passed near a human town and noticed that they had begun floating in mid-air as they approached it. Evidently, the phenomenon was caused by a Decepticon anti-gravity weapon.

If Optimus ordered his troops to come to the humans’ aid, they found themselves taking part in a struggle in futility, as the entire town was near-weightless, meaning they couldn't put the humans anywhere where they wouldn't float away once more. Then, the Autobots heard Decepticons approaching. Helpless in their current position, the Autobots were quickly eradicated by the Decepticons.

If Optimus ordered his troops to attack the Decepticon base, they soon reached an area free of the anti-gravity beam's influence. They were then attacked by a small fleet of Decepticons. The Decepticons were quickly forced to break off their attack and retreated. But with the battle over, the Autobots noticed a small human boy at their feet. The Autobots then headed for the Decepticon base, with their stowaway. Megatron delivered an ultimatum; if the Autobots did not surrender Optimus Prime to the Decepticons immediately, he would use his gravity beam to have the nearby humans float off into space.

If the Autobots decided to continue with their initial plan to simply attack the Decepticon base, their advance was halted by a force field. Megatron then fired his beam in all directions, causing a ripple effect that sent everything not fastened down to the Earth's surface to float helplessly out into space.

Alternatively, the Autobots could concoct a plan where Optimus would pretend to allow himself to be taken prisoner, per Buddy's suggestion. In actuality, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots were hidden away inside Optimus's trailer. The Autobots then led a surprise attack on their unsuspecting foes.

In one possible turn of events, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots leading the attack were turned to scrap metal when Windcharger failed to disable the Decepticons’ forcefield.

In a completely different possible sequence of events, wherein Cosmos had taken off to explore the Decepticon base on his own, The Autobot convoy were surprised to see two Cosmoses flying back towards them some time later. Both Cosmoses declared themselves to be the real one, and urged Optimus to destroy the other.

If Optimus destroyed the wrong Cosmos, the duplicate obliterated Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots with the [[proton bomb]] it housed within its body.

If Optimus destroyed the duplicate Cosmos, the real one would inform the Autobots of the Decepticons’ schemes, and the convoy would roll out to take on their adversaries. They were soon met by a squad of flying Decepticons, but were at a strict disadvantage against their adversaries as their vehicle modes possessed no weapons. The Autobots nonetheless managed to fight their way to the Decepticons’ base, one way or another, and defeated the Decepticons by using their own gravity weapon against them.{{storylink|Desert Flight}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
{{notekeepers}}
[[File:Skidswheeljackgrimlockkupironhidetww.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Box!]]
Wheeljack suffers from a mild form of [[mode attachment]], feeling more comfortable in his vehicle mode than [[robot mode]]. As a consequence he does his best thinking in vehicle mode, often while attempting something insanely dangerous. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Guide}}

[[File:WarWithin6 WheeljackTransforms.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|right|'Jack in the box.]]
Wheeljack was part of Grimlock's unit, along with [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], at the time when [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] died and Optimus Prime rose to command the Autobots. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}} When the Decepticons placed [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] under siege, Grimlock took Wheeljack and the rest of his team deep within the planet, where the new Prime was battling [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] for his life. {{storylink|The War Within issue 4|The War Within #4}} The team stumbled upon the [[Planetary engine|planetary turbines]] that Starscream was planning to activate to mechaform the planet. Learning the Decepticon's plan, Grimlock had his team split up; he would continue searching for Optimus Prime, while Wheeljack and the others were to shut down the turbines. But while they were listening in to Starscream's plan, the Autobots were spotted by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} The Autobots barely managed to hold their own until Grimlock returned with Optimus in tow. Optimus quickly took command of the situation, and instructed Wheeljack to shut down the engines in a... creative way. Wheeljack grumbled a bit that all his education and mechanical engineering skill had led up to just blowing things up. He nonetheless accomplished his task while the rest of his team provided him cover. With the Decepticons driven off, the group managed to return to Iacon, where Prime halted his order to abandon the planet. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

When Prime and Megatron disappeared during a [[space bridge]] explosion, Grimlock broke off from the Autobot army and formed the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]], taking his former squad members with him. While Kup and the Dynobots attacked the [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacons]], Wheeljack and Ironhide hijacked some shuttles carrying raw [[energon]], making Starscream very angry. That's always a plus. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}} Afterwards, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] managed to unite the Autobots once more, and under his leadership gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the [[Ultracon]]s and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. With Cybertron on the verge of peace, Wheeljack was put in charge of the Tyger Pax's defenses. As predicted by the Autobots, Starscream and his Predacons struck to disrupt the peace signing, sending in transports filled with explosives to level the whole area. Grimlock ordered Wheeljack to enact emergency protocol Hydra-Nine in response to the attack, prompting Wheeljack to encase many of the attendees within a forcefield, sparing them from the ensuing explosion. Though the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons stood united against these aggressors, any chance at long-term peace was shattered when Megatron made a dramatic return. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath|The Age of Wrath #1}} After Megatron took over, Wheeljack ended up in [[Internment Camp Pi]] with many of his fellow Autobots. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2|The Age of Wrath #2}}

{{unreleased WW comic}}
Optimus returned to Cybertron, and the Autobots were freed from slavery. {{Storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.6}}

Wheeljack was one of the engineers that designed and constructed the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', and part of the ship's original crew. In 1986, Ironhide and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] discovered Wheeljack in pieces but functional after an explosion while bug-testing his [[neutron detonator shell]]. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye#Issue #7|Wheeljack's ''More Than Meets The Eye'' profile}} ''He was also responsible for temporarily transferring the consciousness of Spike Witwicky into a Cybertronian body, though the full story remains untold. {{storylink|Transformers: Hardwired|Hardwired}}''

Wheeljack was among the Transformers involved in the ''[[Ark II]]'' disaster. He survived the explosion of their spacecraft, crashing back to Earth where he and several others lay deactivated and frozen within an iceberg until awakened by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in 2002. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2|Prime Directive #2}}

[[File:Wheeljack dw6.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|Wheeljack calms a group of panicked humans by charging at them while brandishing a weapon.]]
After helping clean-up the damage caused by Transformers under the control of [[Lazarus]], Wheeljack participated in the assault on the human terrorist's Canadian headquarters. There, they found that all Decepticons under Lazarus's control had already freed themselves, and the battle between the two factions began anew. This brawl was interrupted when [[Robert Hallo|General Hallo]] betrayed the Autobots, and attempted to bomb both them and the Decepticons out of existence. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}} The blast was mostly absorbed by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s [[cyber-virus]], previously unleashed by the Decepticon leader, allowing it to expand violently. Wheeljack and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] were the first Autobots to free themselves from its envelopement. Once Optimus had pried himself free as well, he set Wheeljack to task, instructing him to find some way to counter Megatron's doomsday weapon. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 4|Prime Directive #4}} While Prime took some of the Autobots after Megatron, Wheeljack diagnosed the nature of the cyber-virus, and created a set of anti-viral blasters that used the Autobots' energy to return the converted matter to normal. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 5|Prime Directive #5}} The intervention of Canada's military force scuttled that plan when they fired into the virus, expanding it beyond the point the Autobots could contain. In response, Wheeljack converted a nearby satellite dish into a giant anti-viral weapon, channeling all of his remaining energy into it. He succeeded in destroying the virus, but was left in deep stasis lock as a result. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 6|Prime Directive #6}}

''Several months later, Ratchet had successfully restored Wheeljack to operating status. He was one of the first Autobots Optimus Prime met back up with after escaping the [[Keeper (species)|Keepers]]' world and [[Las Vegas]]. While on patrol of the area, Wheeljack passed [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] travelling up the road towards the Autobots' location. He buzzed the Decepticon's position, and was surprised when Soundwave asked for a parlay. He claimed Megatron wanted a favor from Prime. Bemused, Wheeljack reported back to Optimus about the bizarre encounter, only to have his amusement turn to astonishment when Optimus Prime actually responded to Megatron's "summons". The two old enemies forged an alliance against the Keepers, and united their forces for battle in Las Vegas. During the fight, Wheeljack used his solid-fuel rockets to fly with the Decepticons [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] in the skies, acting as air support for the others. He returned to Prime's side in the final battle, when the Autobot leader used the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to divert the Keepers and the power of a nuclear explosion into another dimension.'' {{storylink|Transformers: Annihilation|Annihilation}}

The Autobots were entrenched in combat against the Decepticons in [[Alaska]], fighting over a crashed ship, when [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and his squad of Triple-Changers ambushed them. Shockwave denounced all Earthbound Transformers as war criminals and demanded they surrender in the interest of peace. Shockwave killing [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], the passenger of the downed ship, did little to convince the Autobots about the sincerity of his claim; that Cybertron had been peacefully united during their absence. The Autobots retreated from the battlefield while the Decepticons were taken captive. Wheeljack and the other more wounded Autobots returned to the Ark to mend their wounds while a scouting party remained about to learn more about the new arrivals. {{storylink|New World Order}} [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] next made his presence known as one of Shockwave's enforcers, come to arrest the Autobots under the pretense that leaving them be might ignite old passions and start Cybertron's Civil War anew. Wheeljack was one of the Autobots secretly left behind by Optimus Prime under Jazz's command, while he surrendered himself to Magnus. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}} Jazz, Windcharger, and Brawn headed back out to the Alaskan battlefield afterwards to retrieve Scourge's remains, only to find that they had mysteriously vanished. Jazz called Wheeljack to ask if it was possible that Scourge had somehow survived his injuries, but Wheeljack denied such a possibility; Shockwave's blast had been decidedly fatal. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}}

[[File:NightofCombaticons Wheeljack Windcharger defeated.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6]]
After the end of Shockwave's despotic rule over Cybertron, the Autobots on Cybertron made contact with Wheeljack's crew for an update and promised to send supplies. {{storylink|Generation 1 issue 0|Generation 1 #0}} Unfortunately, Starscream arrived on Earth first, backed up by a small cadre of soldiers. Wheeljack and company managed to stave off an initial attack from the Decepticons, only for Starscream to unleash his trump card on the battlefield: [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. Like most of team, Wheeljack was beaten to the point of stasis lock by the combiner, and dumped into a lake. {{storylink|Night of the Combaticons}} {{storylink|Black Sunshine}} He was eventually fished out by [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] (who had arrived from Cybertron with Bumblebee with supplies), but they were waylaid by [[Earth Defense Command]]. {{storylink|The Omega Effect}} The humans then took Warpath, Bumper, Wheeljack, and the rest of the unconscious Autobots to a secret underground facility. {{storylink|Atonement}} There, the EDC began fixing the Autobots, though Wheeljack was among the last ones back on their feet. He was still being worked on when most of the other Autobots had been brought back online and accompanied [[Marissa Faireborn]] in a mission to [[San Desto]]. {{storylink|Infestation (Dreamwave)|Infestation}}

Wheeljack was back in working order after the completion of the San Desto mission, and made sure to congratulate the EDC's "grease monkeys" on the bang-up job they did in restoring him. The Autobots then said their goodbyes to their human allies, {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} and traveled to Alaska. There, Wheeljack expressed his concerns over their lack of a proper facility necessary for long-term operations on Earth. Ratchet assured him that steps had already been taken to deal with this issue before leading him to Prowl and the Autobots under his command, currently working on the foundation of [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
When the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' crashed on Earth millions of years ago, Wheeljack and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] were sealed off from the other passengers, saving them from [[Cobra]] when they found the craft in 2003 and reprogrammed the dormant robots for their own needs. Cobra's break-in activated [[Teletraan I|Teletran-One]], who in turn brought back Wheeljack and Bumblebee. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

[[File:GIJoevsTF3 Wheeljack rams twins.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Brooklyn Rage!]]
Disguising themselves as cars, the two Autobots worked for months to find and rescue the other Autobots from Cobra. After noting several attacks on energy plants, Wheeljack figured that the humans were gathering ingredients for [[energon]], and had an idea on where their next attack would take place. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2}} During Cobra's subsequent assault on the [[SPS Research Facility]], the Autobots intervened directly, with Wheeljack ramming the brainwashed duo of [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (and apologizing). He then confronted [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], but the reprogrammed Decepticon fled as soon as Cobra had stolen what they came for. Having revealed themselves to [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] during the battle, Wheeljack and Bumblebee offered an alliance with the humans, who in return showed the Autobots a mysterious image of Soundwave they had found. Wheeljack recognized the text in the picture as [[Cybertronian language|Cybertronian]], and that it contained directions to [[Cobra Island]] as well as instructions on how to free the Transformers. It took him only a few seconds to hack into Cobra's computers and undo their primitive human reprogramming. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3}}

Wheeljack and Bumblebee then boarded a plane to participate in G.I. Joe's attack on Cobra Island, but the humans' higher-ups disagreed, planning to nuke the island and send the two Autobots to [[Area 51]] to be disassembled and studied instead. [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] regretfully incapacitated the robots with a magnetic pulse, but Wheeljack stayed conscious enough to overhear their plans and warn Hawk that a nuclear impact on Cobra's energon stockpile would cause a chain reaction and send half the planet into a nuclear winter. With this revelation, Hawk broke orders and went with the original strategy, taking Wheeljack and Bumblebee with him to Cobra Island. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

[[File:GIJoevsTF6 Wheeljack threatens Mindbender.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|I've got the computer virus at last!]]
Upon arriving at the island, Wheeljack witnessed Megatron using the [[SPS Satellite]] to create more energon, and was enraged when [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] killed [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]. After helping take down the giant, Wheeljack patched through a message to all Autobots that the United States had decided to nuke Cobra Island despite having their own troops located there. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5}} Wheeljack quickly improvised a plan to avoid a nuclear holocaust; using the SPS Satellite's solar-powered energy beams to shoot down the [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear warheads]] before they arrived. After menacing [[Doctor Mindbender]] into overriding the satellite controls, Wheeljack helped G.I. Joe fight off a bunch of Cobra troops led by [[Storm Shadow]]. The plan was ultimately a success, and with the Decepticons defeated in the process, the Autobots returned to Cybertron aboard a new ''Ark''. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 6|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6}}

Two years later, Wheeljack was zapped by a malfunctioning [[Teletran 3]] and transported into a random point in Earth's timeline. He was never seen again. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===
[[File:Hound Wheeljack-The Iron Fist.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Wheeljack was among the Autobots that lay buried on the [[Fera Islands]], only to be awoken in [[1939]] when [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] came to battle [[Cobra]] and the Decepticons. Along with [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and several Joes, he rescued several chained Cobra slaves that had fallen into the ocean. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] later reported that both Wheeljack and Hound had been killed in battle, but he was apparently mistaken, as the scientist was still around when [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] was unleashed. Upon examining the giant, Wheeljack noticed that it was some kind of hybrid of human and Cybertronian technology, and most likely wasn't really "alive". When the [[Matrix of Leadership]] was destroyed in order to kill Bruticus, Wheeljack and all other Transformers present were deactivated as well. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
When Ratchet began feeling lost and disillusioned while on Earth, he began going on more and more combat missions, increasingly leaving his medical duties in the hands of Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Sparkplug. This presumably stopped after he had a perception-changing experience in a chance meeting with [[Stitch|a disabled war veteran]]. {{storylink|Healers, Fighters, and Transformers}}

===''The Beast Within''===
During an all-out Decepticon offensive against the Autobots, Wheeljack was one of the first victims to fall to [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]], the Dinobots’ monstrous combined form. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Wheeljack's wounded body lay unconscious within Jetfire's passenger compartment, as the latter rescued the few remaining living Autobots from The Beast. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
[[File:Wheeljack Infiltration 6.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|left]]

{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity}}

Once one of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s premier scientists, Wheeljack answered [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s rallying call against Decepticon tyranny and went on to become one of the new Prime's closest allies. Later a member of [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]'s infiltration unit on [[Earth]] after the war had rendered Cybertron lifeless.

After the Decepticon [[Surge (event)|Surge]] had left the Autobots stranded on Earth, Wheeljack remained by [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]'s side as [[Autobot High Command]] splintered, later staying with him when Cybertron was revived and [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] left the planet to find the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. Upon the discovery of a Decepticon plot to seize control of the planet, Wheeljack was shot in the head by a brainwashed Prowl.

Badly wounded, Wheeljack was spirited away by [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] (now the legitimate ruler of Cybertron!) and found himself pressed into aiding in the foundation of the [[Council of Worlds]], a political alliance formed by Cybertron and its lost [[Cybertronian colonies|colonies]]. After a disastrous attempt to integrate the human race into this alliance, Wheeljack was among the Cybertronians who dealt with a group of [[Prysmosian]] squatters. While Cybertronian science defeated Prysmosian [[magic]], the victory proved hollow when it was found that the conflict had summoned [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. As the monster-planet devoured its way across the galaxy, Wheeljack developed a new form of [[space bridge]] to evacuate [[Elonia]]. Unable to work the relay remotely, Wheeljack remained behind as warped Elonia's biosphere to safety, noting that there were worse ways to go than saving billions of lives.

{{--}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[File:WheeljackInfestation2-2.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.5|There's that terrifying moment you mistake that [[mouthplate]] for a ''really'' weird jaw. | right]]
Wheeljack was one of the Autobots active in [[1888]] when an [[Elder God]] awoke on Earth. Transforming into a steam-powered plow car, he brought [[Tobias Muldoon]] and [[Nikola Tesla]] to the [[Mare Rurek Glacier]] where [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] lay dormant. {{storylink|Infestation 2: The Transformers issue 1|Infestation 2: The Transformers #1}} He was the first Autobot to give up his energy for the [[Tesla tower|generator]] Tesla needed to revive Prime, then was brought back in turn thanks to Prime's own energon reserves. When Prime led the Autobots to [[Port Cenotaph]] to defeat the Elder God and its Decepticon minions, Wheeljack cut [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] in half using his plow blades as [[sword]]s. {{storylink|Infestation 2: The Transformers issue 2|Infestation 2: The Transformers #2}}
{{IDW HOS}}

{{-}}

===''Mars Attacks: The Transformers''===
Wheeljack invented some [[stasis cuffs]], which the Autobots used on the Decepticons after a particularly intense battle. {{storylink|Mars Attacks: The Transformers}}

===Robot Heroes===
Wheeljack could be seen driving along in Autobot City before the Autobots departed Cybertron aboard the Ark. {{storylink|I Am Optimus Prime (Robot Heroes)|I Am Optimus Prime}}

===''Henkei! Henkei! Transformers -Visualize-''===
Wheeljack stood behind Optimus Prime with his fellow Autobots, ready to fight. {{storylink|Visualize Shot 1}}

===''Kre-O'' cartoon===
[[File:Kreon Wheeljack wallpaper.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66]]
Wheeljack was in the audience of a tag battle pitting [[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Kre-O)|Bumblebee]] against [[Megatron (Kre-O)|Megatron]] and [[Starscream (Kre-O)|Starscream]]. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing}}

Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Wheeljack were acting as security at the [[Autobot City Bank]] when [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] attempted to rob it. When the Decepticons called in [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], the Autobots similarly called for backup, but were victims of Devastator's wrecking ball before anyone else turned up. {{storylink|Quest for Energon, Part 1}} He later infiltrated the Decepticon work site as a diversion with [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]. Though the pair were quickly surrounded, they used their umbrellas to shield themselves from the ensuing grilled cheese explosion. {{storylink|Quest for Energon, Part 2}}
{{-}}

===''United''===
Wheeljack was amongst the victims of a deadly nano-virus. Thankfully, a team of Autobots were successfully in retrieving a cure for the disease from the planet [[Nebulos]]. Fully recovered, Wheeljack attended the ceremony that commended the Autobots responsible for saving his life. {{storylink|The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos}}

===''Transformers: All Spark''===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Another Episode, Part 2}} {{storylink|The Fated Rival, Once Again...}} {{storylink|To Earth}} {{storylink|Reunion and Parting}} {{storylink|Plans of the Emperor of Destruction}} {{storylink|Revenge (All Spark)|Revenge}} {{storylink|The False Power}} {{storylink|Ray of Hope}} {{storylink|Great Aspirations}} {{storylink|Conclusion}}

===''Kre-O'' online comic===
[[File:KreO-webcomic-4-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
After personally suggesting the idea, Wheeljack was one of the [[Autobot]]s who left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in the ''[[Ark (Kre-O)|Ark]]'' in search for energy blocks to alleviate their hunger. Thanks to the boarding of the ''Ark'' by [[Decepticon]]s, the ''Ark'' crashed and the [[Transformer]]s fell into a four million year-long sleep. They woke up to a world filled with blocks. {{storylink|Kreon Story}} When [[Megatron (Kre-O)|Megatron]] attempted to steal all of the blocks of Earth with his Mega-Megatron creation, Wheeljack was one of the three Autobots who stopped the menace by building a jail for Mega-Megatron. {{storylink|Defend the Blocks! Autobots, Dispatch!}}

Wheeljack invented [[Skeletron]], a power-up for Optimus Prime that also turned his torso transparent. He was excited to see Prime wield this "See-Through Power", though Prime himself was mostly just embarrassed. {{storylink|Wheeljack's Bizarre Invention! Optimus Power Up!?}} He later helped with the rebuilding of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]. {{storylink|Two Giant Bases! Everybody Getting Along, Come On, Fight!}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers × Evangelion''===
[[File:Transformers Mode Eva ch 1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Wheeljack was among the Autobots who traveled to Earth and arrived in a [[Tokyo-3]] being menaced by [[Angel]]s. {{storylink|Mode "Eva" chapter 1}} He witnessed the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] possess one of the creatures, becoming the monstrous giant "Angel"-scream. {{storylink|Mode "Eva" chapter 2}} During the battle between "Angel"-scream and the [[Evangelion Unit-01|Evangelion]]-powered [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Wheeljack was contacted through radio by [[Misato Katsuragi]] who warned him [[Nerv]] had no Evangelions left and was relying on Prime to defeat the Angel-Decepticon. After their victory, the Autobots joined forces with Nerv and Wheeljack had a chat with their scientists. {{storylink|Mode "Eva" chapter 4}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
[[File:FuneralForAFriend_WheeljackDissected.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|I could not sufficiently wonder at the intrepidity of these diminutive mortals.]]
Together with [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], Wheeljack investigated [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] after the abandoned city had been covered in growth caused by a [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] attack on Cybertron. Caught up in a Decepticon attack to capture the humans, the Autobots attempted to flee, but Wheeljack was instead attacked by some of the Joes and immobilized by their vines. {{storylink|Targetmasters (issue)|Targetmasters}} As the Joes began dissecting him, assuming him to be just a machine, Wheeljack repeated snapped-up human radio transmissions in hopes of getting them to stop, finally succeeding through a quote from the [[President of the United States]]. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend}} Once the misunderstandings were taken care of and an Autobot-Joe alliance had been agreed on, Wheeljack was up on his feet in time to participate in the impromptu dance party. {{storylink|Form Follows Function}} Though he wanted to be open-minded in regards to the alliance, he agreed with Perceptor he still had some doubts about it. {{storylink|Everybody Hates Metroplex}}

When the Joe/Autobot alliance launched their assault on Trypticon, Wheeljack held [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] aloft so he could transmit the counter-frequency to the Titan's forcefield. {{storylink|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe issue 12|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12}} In the ensuring battle, Megatron used his [[black hole]] spark to draw all the Autobots, Wheeljack among them, into a [[combiner]] he called "Mega-Megatron" only for the behemoth to be broken apart by the commandeered ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]. {{storylink|The War Never Ends}}
{{-}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Jun Fukushima]] (Japanese)}}
{{Charstubfiction|{{storylink|Mystery of a Certain Psychic}} {{storylink|Mystery of the Gap of Unpopular Men}} {{storylink|Mystery of Return of Convoy}}}}

===Ask Vector Prime===
[[File:Spy Changer Wheeljack RR.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|What happened to your missile launcher?]]
In [[Primax 085.0 Eta]], Wheeljack was selected to be a member of a team which was to travel to [[Gargent 087.0 Kappa|an alternate universe]], designated the 22nd Strata, to find and stop the source of a series of natural disasters which were threatening [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Silverstreak]] constituted the rest of the team; they dubbed themselves [[Spychanger|Spy Changers]] because they aimed to achieve their goal with stealth and diplomacy. The Spy Changers modified their bodies to match the native cyborgs using data acquired from the [[Sky Spy]] and traveled to the 22nd Strata but were soon attacked by the local [[Guardian (GoBots)|Guardian]]s, who mistakenly presumed them to be [[Renegade]]s. The Spy Changers were then rescued by the real Renegades, who presumed them to be potential allies and took them back to their flagship, the ''[[Rogue Star]]''. Renegade leader [[Cy-Kill (GoBots)|Cy-Kill]] attempted to court the Spy Changers as allies, but Optimus saw through Cy-Kill's deception. Eventually, the Autobots formed a secret alliance with the Guardians, and Wheeljack discovered the cause of Cybertron's troubles: Renegade bases on [[Moebius]] were draining the planet's energy. The planet's geometry had turned it into a crude [[Dimensional Interfacer]], and Moebius was tapping into Cybertron to sustain itself. Hoist was able to end the crisis by triggering the bases' remote detonation sequence. Cy-Kill was furious, but in the ensuing battle, the Autobot-Guardian alliance triumphed over the Renegades. Optimus Prime and [[Leader-1 (GoBots)|Leader-1]] shook hands, and the Autobots returned to their home reality, secure in the knowledge that they had allies in places as distant as alternate realities.

The Cybertronians and GoBots had further encounters. In one instance, the Renegades tricked the Guardians into leaving Earth and then sealed the Guardians out with an [[Embargo Field]]. Stranded behind the field, Guardians [[Nick Burns|Nick]] and [[Tri-Trak]] used the [[Reality Beacon]] to contact the 1st Strata for help. Wheeljack and [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], who was also upgraded into a Spy Changer body, subsequently traveled to the other Earth to assist. With Trailbreaker's expertise in force fields, they discovered the source of the Embargo Field in the [[Eiffel Tower]]. Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, and Tri-Trak confronted [[Crain Brain]] and [[Doctor Go|Dr. Go]], defeating the villains and taking down the field. Renegades worldwide retreated as the Guardians returned en masse. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/30}}

Some time later, Wheeljack led Prowl, Jazz, Silverstreak, Trailbreaker, and Hoist as they pursued the Decepticons across dimensions after the villains kidnapped Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric, 2016/05/02}} Arriving on a strange, parallel Earth, Wheeljack's team repeatedly clashed with both the Decepticon and groups like [[Intelligence and Information Institute|Triple-I]] and the [[Society of Ultimate Villainy]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric, 2016/05/02}} Despite their best efforts, the Autobots couldn't stop the Decepticons from upgrading themselves into new [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] bodies and turning Optimus into the evil [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/05/12}} Defeated, demoralized, and on the brink of collapse, the group limped to a [[Vintage Salvage Depot for the Discriminating Nostalgist|scrapyard]] to lick their wounds. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/05/12}}

While trying to prevent Nemesis Prime and his followers from hijacking the D-5 supertrain as it launched from [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]], Wheeljack and Hoist saved a pair of cats from [[Crash Test (G2)|Crash Test]]. Despite their best efforts to suppress his heroism, Optimus was able to reassert himself when forced into nearly killing a human. With most of the Decepticons defeated, the Autobots regrouped and headed for Megatron's lair, only to learn that he'd already fled through the [[Reality Bridge]] into another universe. At that moment, a [[Waspinator (BW)|unfamiliar Cybertronian]] materialized and told the Autobots he needed their help to save six Cybertronian sparks from the manipulations of their Megatron. With no other option, Wheeljack and his team followed their unexpected guide into the breach, but promised [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] before he left that he'd return to his own timeline someday. {{storylink|Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/07/14}}

===''Of Masters and Mayhem''===
Wheeljack was part of the team tasked with constructing the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engine array only for the factory to come under attack from [[Toxitron (G1)|Toxitron]]. As [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] held off the corrosive brute, the workforce evacuated the area. {{storylink|The Toxic Transformer}}

===''Combiner Wars'' cartoon===
Wheeljack was among the Autobot troops who bore witness to a pivotal duel between Optimus Prime and Megatron, one meant to end the war before the never-ending arms race between the two factions spiralled further out of control. {{storylink|Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Optimus Prime}}

===''Bumblebee'' graphic novels===
[[File:GoForTheGold-AutobotsTakeCover.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

Wheeljack joined Optimus Prime and the other Autobots in a race to secure an unusual meteorite. As they battled [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, Wheeljack warned Prime that its unstable [[cybertonium]]-alloy composition could go critical and cause mass destruction. When Starscream deliberately over-energized the meteorite and set it to blow, Wheeljack and the other Autobots were forced to retreat; after Bumblebee risked his life to prevent Starscream from making off with a chunk of cybertonium, Wheeljack stabilized their wounded compatriot for transport so that Ratchet could look at him. {{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee - Go For the Gold|Go for the Gold}}

After Bumblebee returned to active duty, Wheeljack was on monitor duty aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''. Later, he and Sideswipe helped take the defeated [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]]s into Autobot custody. {{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee - Win If You Dare|Win If You Dare}}

{{--}}

===2019 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|''Transformers'' #2]]}}
[[File:WheeljackOrbitalDecay-WheeljackTermagax.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]

Wheeljack and [[Termagax]] were old friends who had known one another since the days of the [[War of the Threefold Spark]], although Wheeljack's adherence to safety and traditional schools of thought ran counter to the hot-blooded, rule-defying Termagax. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Wheeljack and Termagax helped coordinate the reconstruction efforts in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], although Wheeljack did not get along with Termagax's new [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]] recruits. Indeed, when the Constructicons discovered the long-lost [[Enigma of Combination]], Termagax ignored Wheeljack's own concerns for their safety and instead pushed them to become a [[combiner]]. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 1}} Wheeljack's concerns only mounted as the Constructicons struggled to control their [[Devastator (G1)|combined form]]; after the giant lashed out and destroyed one of its own buildings, Wheeljack could stand by no longer and brought his concerns directly to the [[Senate]]. Though Termagax arrived to defend her recruits, the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] ultimately agreed with Wheeljack and summarily exiled the Constructicons to [[Mayalx]] once Iacon was rebuilt. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 3}}

Wheeljack was a part of the team that helped construct the [[Winged Moon]] and the [[Tether]] some three hundred kilocycles before the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]; as Termagax contemplated going into politics to run against the [[Autobot]]s and their [[Nominus Edict]], Wheeljack agreed to support her first rally. {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}} Although Wheeljack would go on to attend several such "[[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]" rallies, {{storylink|The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three}} the anger that she stoked amonger her increasingly radicalized base became too much for him, and he eventually could not bring himself to support her cause. After Termagax stormed out of her last Senate meeting, she told Wheeljack that [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] would keep the cause alive—privately, however, Wheeljack feared that Megatron's angry demagoguery would only burn down the system Termagax sought to change from within. {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}}

[[File:TheWorldInYourEyesPart2-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]

Wheeljack was present at [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s forging, {{storylink|Wannabee, Part 2}} and was eventually selected to mentor a newborn Transformer himself. Though Wheeljack was quick to teach his mentee [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] about the glories of engineering, Gears' accident prone nature left him under Wheeljack's care for far longer than was considered normal. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}}

When Bumblebee was assigned to mentor [[Rubble]], the yellow 'bot brought his ward to the [[Tether]], where Wheeljack greeted the newborn and introduced him to everything that a career in engineering had to offer. After a trial shift on the Tether, Wheeljack invited him to watch the Winged Moon from a nearby rooftop. {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part Two}} The next night, Wheeljack attended [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]]'s funeral. {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part Four}} Some time later, Wheeljack helped Rubble through another day shift. When Bumblebee called to cancel his trip up to the moon with Rubble, Wheeljack assured Rubble that Bumblebee would've only cancelled if he'd no other choice and saw him off once he'd been reassured that Rubble knew the way home. {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part Five}}

After [[the Rise]] was found to have excess stores of [[energon]], Wheeljack investigated the Winged Moon and found an energon siphon attached. As he briefed [[Lancer]] on the situation, Gears, whom Wheeljack had sent to dismantle the siphon, experienced another bout of gravitational difficulties. Tossed up by [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]], Wheeljack towed in his charge before [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] pointed out the approach of a [[Titan (group)|Titan]]. To everyone's shock however, the Titan was not [[Lodestar (Titan)|Lodestar]] but [[Vigilem]]. As the Titans engaged in a dog fight, Wheeljack ordered the alarm sounded and everyone inside. Before Wheeljack could enter the shelter, Vigilem touched down on the Moon and managed to destroy the Tether. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}} Without its anchor, the moon spun off into an unstable solar orbit. Though most of the staff was evacuated, Wheeljack remained behind with a small team to try and save the moon. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: All Fall Down|All Fall Down}}

[[File:WheeljackOrbitalDecay-WheeljackGears.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Wheeljack and his team promptly got to work brainstorming solutions to save their moon and the precious [[energon]] it contained before their unstable orbit sent the Winged Moon directly into Cybertron's sun. Their first plan, to vent the pressurized energon directly into space, was scrapped when it became clear that the excess pressure would shake the moon apart; their second plan of manually reactivating the moon's rotational jets was foiled when Huffer discovered that the engines were too badly damaged to jury-rig. The moon's trip through the [[Croaton (G1)|Croaton Cloud]] cost them time, and the discovery of [[the Rise]] operative [[Enemy (G1)|Enemy]] aboard their last shuttle only angered Wheeljack further, as he accused their movement as having betrayed everything his old friend had once stood for. Determined to prove them wrong, Wheeljack threw everything he had into their last maneuver—by sacrificing parts of the Winged Moon's own superstructure, they were able to push the moon onto a wider vector and prevent it from hitting the sun. While the other members of the team celebrated, Wheeljack took a moment by himself to relax on the lunar surface. {{storylink|Wheeljack: Orbital Decay}}

[[File:WarWorldPrime StreetwiseSlapdashWheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left]]
This brief respite didn't last, however; when [[Slipstream (G1)|Slipstream]] and her teammates attacked the Winged Moon, Wheeljack took the last shuttle back to Cybertron to get help. However, his shuttle was damaged while en route to Cybertron, and he crash-landed in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] some time after Megatron had launched his coup and seized control of the planetary government. [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] and [[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] rescued him from [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] and [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]], and brought him to the temporary Autobot headquarters at the [[South Tower Security Center]] to warn [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and his group that the Decepticons had set their sights on the moon. While [[Firestar (G1)|Novastar]] took a team to the moon, Wheeljack stayed behind for repairs. {{storylink|War World: Prime}}

While Hoist repaired him in Iacon's medical clinic, Wheeljack witnessed an altercation between [[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]]'s group of Decepticons and the medical staff. While lamenting the state of Cybertron and how the Decepticons had taken all of the [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s offline, and the many innocent organics who'd be assuredly caught in the crossfire, Hoist and Wheeljack hit upon the idea of refurbishing some mothballed ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''-class vessels into makeshift evacuation vessels. {{storylink|Escape Part One}} Wheeljack joined [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] in organizing an evacuation convoy bound for [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]]. A group of Decepticons attacked their group before [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]], recently returned from [[Immersant|immersion]], arrived to see them off—although the ancient warrior was initially hestiant to use violence. {{storylink|Escape Part Two}}

[[File:EscapePartFive-WheeljackGears.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
After rescuing [[Leviathan (G1)|Leviathan]], Wheeljack helped repair the giant Cybertronian before reuniting with Gears, who'd travelled to Darkmount to meet with his mentor. {{storylink|Escape Part Three}} Once they'd finally arrived at Darkmount, Wheeljack, [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]], and Nautica met with the city's leader [[Straxus (G1)|Straxxus]], who told them that they could have two of the four ''Ark'' ships. At the makeshift refugee camp outside the city borders Wheeljack insisted that they couldn't trust Straxxus to keep up his end of the bargain, moments before the [[Titan (group)|Titan]] [[Emissary (IDW)|Emissary]] hit the nearby [[Cybertronian Mountains]] and released a vast swarm of ravenous [[Insecticon clone]]s, forcing the Autobots into action. {{storylink|Escape Part Four}} Wheeljack and Gears took part in the final battle to repel the swarm—first defending the organics as they headed for the city walls of Darkmount, then using some jury-rigged alien technology to rescue Leviathan from the swarm at the cost of temporarily draining their own energon. The pair came to in time to see Straxxus's ''Ark'' leaving Cybertron after the remaining Insecticons had retreated, and in the aftermath pledged the final working starship to the organics so that they could safely leave. {{storylink|Escape Part Five}}

With no immediate way off Cybertron, Wheeljack, Nautica, and Hoist took control of Darkmount and turned it into a neutral sanctuary for organics and Cybertronians alike. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Test Flight I}} Wheeljack was called from Darkmount to assist the Autobots when they learned the location of Termagax, who held the Enigma of Combination. Wheeljack and [[Pyra Magna]] were determined to be the most likely delegates that Termagax would deign to speak with. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust II|Sea of Rust II}} Termagax's house came under attack by the Decepticons while Wheeljack was there, and the Enigma was lost to the Sea of Rust. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic|Enigmatic}}

[[File:TheLandscapeOfFear WheeljackTermagax.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|left]]
Termagax agreed to move her House to Darkmount, where the scientists and civilians had congregated during the war. Wheeljack traveled with her, though she was less than interested in conversation and company. He tried to appeal to her scientific curiosity regarding the exponential growth and positive feedback loop of the Insecticons. Termagax did come up with an idea to reprogram the Insecticlones to deal with the rust worms, and they immediately sought out the data programmer Glyph upon reaching Darkmount. {{storylink|The Landscape of Fear}} Wheeljack supported the radical nature of Termagax's plan, despite Perceptor's naysaying. A receiver was constructed to deliver the data packet once Glyph was finished. {{storylink|Radical Time}} It was still necessary to plant the receiver on a living Insecticlone, so Wheeljack monitored Hound's team as they attempted to separate one from the Swarm. The data bomb was delivered, and the Insecticons were repurposed against the rust worms. {{storylink|End of Time}}

Wheeljack, Termagax, and the other engineers got the last ''Ark'' space-worthy in time for the Autobots to abandon Cybertron to the Decepticons, reaching out into the stars to relocate the drifting Winged Moon. {{storylink|Transformers: Fate of Cybertron|Fate of Cybertron}}

{{--}}

===''Mazinger Z versus Transformers''===
[[File:MazingerZvsTransformers-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Wheeljack and the other Autobots were fighting for control of a [[space bridge]] when a sudden freak accident pulled them into an alternate-reality version of Japan where [[Doctor Hell]] and his minions battled [[Kōji Kabuto]]'s [[Mazinger Z]] super robot. [[Baron Ashura]] initially misled the Autobots into supporting their crusade against their enemies; during their attack on the [[Photonic Power Laboratory]], they soon realized they'd been misled and turned on the [[Iron Mask Army]]. The Autobots relaxed for a time, and Wheeljack and Ratchet befriended the local scientists.

During the final battle against a Mazinger-empowered Starscream, Wheeljack and all the other Cybertronians were teleported back to their own dimension. {{storylink|Mazinger Z versus Transformers}}

{{--}}

===''Transformers/Ghostbusters''===
[[File:GhostsOfCybertronPart3-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

Wheeljack fought in the final battle for Cybertron before Optimus Prime and the other Autobots fled the planet aboard the ''Ark'' moments before [[Gozer]] arrived and destroyed the planet. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 1}} About a thousand years later, [[Ectotron|Ectronymous Diamatron]] travelled to [[Earth]] to investigate a Cybertronian signal and informed Optimus that he'd discovered Starscream's [[ghost]]. A skeptical Wheeljack offered to go in Prime's stead, but Optimus pointed out that it was his duty to support his subordinates and reminded Wheeljack of the times when he'd supported his ideas, even if Grimlock still thought that Wheeljack was crazy. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 3}}

{{--}}

===''Transformers vs. the Terminator''===
[[File:EnemyOfMyEnemyPartThree-Autobots.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

Wheeljack was among the crew of the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'']]. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Two}} Left reasonably intact by the Decepticons' ransacking of the ship, he was one of the few Autobots Optimus Prime and Bumblebee could bring online to help repair their many injured comrades. Even if Wheeljack himself was rather pessimistic of their prospects of success, he and Ratchet quickly got to work on healing their comrades only for the duplicitous [[T-800]] to use pilfered Autobot explosives to remotely detonate the ''Ark''. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Three}}

{{--}}

===''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' continuity===
====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' marketing material====
[[File:Earthrise-Wheeljack-art.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.6]]

{{bigquote|Never do what your enemy expects you to do.}}

After Cybertron fell, the Autobots left their homeworld aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', traveling through space in pursuit of the [[AllSpark]]. Wheeljack was a [[Cybertronian military insignia|Ground Command Engineering Sergeant]], {{storylink|Wheeljack (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|''Earthrise'' toy packaging}} whose function was Mechanical Engineering. His primary objective was to invent and innovate anything he could to use against the Decepticons, and his primary weapon was the "Magnetic Inducer Launcher". {{storylink|War for Cybertron: Earthrise|''Earthrise'' webpage}}<ref>[https://transformers.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/earthrise ''Earthrise'' website]</ref>

Being the inventor that he was, Wheeljack also designed both [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s "W-M3 RF Ion Blaster" and "W-50 Dual-Mech Energon Strikeshield"; weapons in which Prime used on Cybertron. Both of these weapons could combine and modlock into the "Sentrystrike Ultra-Blaster" using the [[C.O.M.B.A.T. System]]. {{storylink|Source:Teletraan-1 Data Files#Weapons database|Autobot weapons database on Hasbro Pulse}}<ref>[https://hasbropulse.com/blogs/unboxed/transformers-wfc-siege-optimus-prime-combat-weapons-guide "''Siege'' Optimus Prime C.O.M.B.A.T. Weapons Guide" on Hasbro Pulse]</ref>

Closer than ever to reaching the [[AllSpark]], the Autobots awakened after crash-landing on pre-Ice Age Earth. While battling the Decepticons, both sides were joined by the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, their epic battle changing their combined destinies.

During this period, Wheeljack's function was a warrior, and he [[trans-scan]]ned into a sports car. His [[Energon battle pistol|Energon pistol]]s and speed were his powers and weapons, and his core traits were his ferocity, fearlessness, and protectiveness. Wheeljack's message from the future was that his cooperation with mysterious new allies will lead to heroic ends. {{storylink|War for Cybertron: Kingdom|''Kingdom'' webpage}}<ref>[https://transformers.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/kingdom ''Kingdom'' webpage]</ref>

{{--}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Bill Rogers]] (English), [[Volcano Ōta]] (Japanese)|[[Marco Ribeiro]] (Portuguese), [[Stefan Godin]] (French), [[Sven Hasper]] (German), [[Davide Marzi]] (Italian), [[David Hernán]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Armando Coria]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Manish Wadhwa]] (Hindi)}}

[[File:SiegeEp1-BumblebeeWheeljack.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

Wheeljack hired a neutral energon scrounger by the name of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to look for fuel when they stumbled across an abandoned [[space bridge]] by accident. Before he could tell Optimus Prime about their discovery, however, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] found their position and ordered their execution before [[Elita One (G1)|Elita-1]] and Optimus Prime arrived to save them. {{storylink|Siege episode 1}} After Optimus and Elita returned from a disastrous, Wheeljack suggested using the ship's sensors to locate the AllSpark, even if meant siphoning the energon required to keep their grounded ship concealed. {{storylink|Siege episode 2}} While discussing contingency measures to keep the AllSpark out of Decepticon hands, Wheeljack mentioned the space bridge he'd found and suggested recruiting [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] to help repair the ancient device. After fighting their way through a Decepticon patrol, the group arrived at Ratchet's improvised clinic, and after reaching out to his former colleague Ratchet grudgingly agreed to help. {{storylink|Siege episode 3}} When Prime returned to the Ark after a meeting with the [[Guardian robot|Guardian]]s, Wheeljack informed him that he'd soon have [[Teletraan I|Teletraan-1]] up and running. {{storylink|Siege episode 4}}

After Bumblebee absorbed the [[Alpha Trion Protocols]], Wheeljack was able to map Bumblebee's newfound knowledge of the Allspark onto a modern topographic map of Cybertron to pinpoint the artifact's location and tracked it to the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]]. To get the ''Ark'' up and running, Wheeljack told Bumblebee that they'd need more energon, which convinced the neutral to strike a deal with [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]] for more fuel. {{storylink|Siege episode 5}} By the time that they returned, the final battle for the planet had already begun, and after refuelling Elita ordered Wheeljack to launch the ''Ark'' for the space bridge. Optimus was forced to put the AllSpark beyond Megatron's reach by throwing it through the portal; as the remaining Autobots boarded the ''Ark'' and left to retrieve the life-giving artifact, the passage through the unstable spacebridge knocked everyone aboard unconscious. {{storylink|Siege episode 6}}

[[File:EarthriseEp3-WheeljackvsScorponok.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

Wheeljack and the other Autobots aboard the ''Ark'' were captured by [[Doubledealer]]'s crew of [[Mercenary|Mercenaries]] and brought to the insane [[Quintesson]] [[Deseeus]] for judgement, though they were later able to escape when the Mercenaries turned on their employer. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 2}} Some time later, Ratchet and Wheeljack picked up the AllSpark's signal but told Optimus that they didn't have enough energon to make the trip without a space bridge to shorten the transit time. The Autobots set a course for the nearest space bridge, but discovered that the dilapidated portal in the [[Nebulon]] system had a [[Nebulon station|space station]] keeping the portal open. To close the connection, Wheeljack joined several other Autobots as they boarded the station to lay emergency charges that would destroy the station from within and reset the spacebridge connection. However, they were attacked by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], who nearly crushed Wheeljack to death before [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] distracted him with a hologram. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 3}} When Megatron's Decepticons caught up with them, a massive explosion sealed Wheeljack and most of the other Autobots behind a blast door; after Soundwave freed them, the two factions were forced to call a temporary truce, and Optimus ordered Wheeljack to patch up Megatron so that they could take on Scorponok together. As their alliance fell apart, however, Wheeljack managed to disorient the Decepticons by deactivating the station's artificial gravity systems and buy the Autobots just enough time to get back to the ''Ark'' and take off, but a blast from the ''Nemesis'' stranded both ships in the [[Dead Universe]]. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 4}}

With the help of [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]], the Autobots were able to escape the Dead Universe moments before the Decepticons did the same, {{storylink|Earthrise episode 5}} and both ships reappeared over prehistoric [[Earth]]. During the ensuing three-way battle between Deseeus, the Autobots, and Decepticons, Wheeljack managed to lead a team aboard the ''Nemesis'' and take control of its weapons to fire on the ''[[Fool's Fortune]]''. As the Quintesson ship exploded, Wheeljack and his team retreated back to the ''Ark'' just in time to brace for impact as the destruction of the ''Fortune'' sent both the ''Ark'' and ''Nemesis'' plunging into the planet's atmosphere. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 6}}

[[File:KingdomEp2-WheeljackRhinox.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

After crash-landing near an active volcano, Wheeljack found that Teletraan was behaving oddly, but had no time to investigate these findings before the Autobots encountered the [[Maximal]]s, who hailed from a dystopian future timeline where the AllSpark was never returned to Cybertron. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 1}} While Prime and most of the other Autobots went off with the Maximal leader [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] to find the artifact, Wheeljack worked with Ratchet and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] to find the AllSpark and get their ship repaired, and was impressed by the Maximal engineer's skill with machines. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 2}} {{storylink|Kingdom episode 3}}

By the time that Optimus Prime and their new companions had recovered the AllSpark, Wheeljack attempted to launch the ''Ark'' against Ratchet's better judgement but was unable to power up the ship. With Teletraan still uncooperative, the Autobot and Maximals couldn't launch their ship before the Decepticons and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s launched an offensive. At that moment, however, the reason for Teletraan's "malfunction" became clear—using the AllSpark as a battery, the computer was able to reconfigure the ship's vessel into a towering robot mode, and explained to the stunned Wheeljack that it had learned how to transform during the ship's time in the Dead Universe. The Decepticons defeated, Wheeljack and the other Autobots took the villains prisoner and headed home to Cybertron aboard their starship. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 5}} Upon crash-landing on Cybertron, the Autobots and Maximals discovered that Cybertron was now a dead, icy, world, unable to support life. Wheeljack joined in the battle against [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]; after they were defeated and the planet restored to life, he took part in the ceremony commemorating the end of the Autobot-Decepticon war. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 6}}

{{--}}

===''Transformers Go! Go!''===
One day on Cybertron, Wheeljack unveiled his latest invention for Optimus Prime's approval: a unique, multi-functional [[jet pack]] that doubled as an umbrella and a massage chair. However, the jetpack quickly went out of control, and Bumblebee and Wheeljack had to chase after their leader as he went flying off. {{storylink|Big Invention, Big Trouble?}} Later, Wheeljack walked in to discover that a greedy [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] had eaten all of their [[energon cube]]s and suffered an explosive bout of indigestion. {{storylink|Mission: Snacks, All to Myself!}}

During a search for energon on a [[Planet of Games]], Wheeljack constructed a machine that would instantly warp any nearby energon supplies to their current location. However, his new invention immediately blew up in his face. {{storylink|Great Adventure on the Planet of Games!}}

On Optimus Prime's birthday, Wheeljack got his leader a potted [[Morphobot]]. Later, he and all the other Autobots came together to enjoy the birthday cake that Bumblebee had baked Optimus. {{storylink|The Commander's Birthday}} On another occasion, Wheeljack gave Bumblebee a homework assignment to build a functioning time machine. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 14}} During an Autobot-Decepticon skirmish over the perfect barbecue spot, Wheeljack battled [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|I Want to Protect This Place}}

One winter's day, Wheeljack invented a snowball throwing machine for his teammates to train against. However, the machine promptly malfunctioned and went out of control until the Autobots were able to reach the machine's emergency shutdown switch. All was not lost, as the Autobots used the excess snow created by the runaway robot to construct an igloo for the night.
{{storylink|Go! Go! issue 18}}

When the Transformers learned that their adventures were being published in manga format, Wheeljack announced that copies of the ''Go! Go!'' manga were already available in e-book format. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 26}} A bespectacled Wheeljack detected a treasure in the jungle and sent Bumblebee and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] to investigate. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 28}} When the "treasure" turned out to be an payload of armed [[energon]] bombs, Optimus and Wheeljack mistook the explosion for fireworks. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 29}}

After Wheeljack invented a new cleaning drone, [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] broke into his laboratory and played with his new creation. Mirage used his invisibility powers to pin the blame on Bumblebee; when Wheeljack tried to fix his damaged robot, the machine went berserk and tried to "clean" its creator. {{storylink|Go! Go! issue 30}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Go! Go! issue 32}}}}

{{--}}

===2021 ''Beast Wars'' comic===
[[File:MaximalsStrikeBackPart1-GoldenDisk.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]

The [[Wheeljack Ministry of Science]] was presumably named after Wheeljack, which featured a pair of statues cast in his likeness. {{storylink|Savage Landing Part 1}} Following the discovery of the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], Wheeljack was part of the team that studied it. {{storylink|Maximals Strike Back, Part 1}}

{{-}}

===''My Little Pony/Transformers''===
[[File:Finale-Exosuits.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

To fight back against [[King Sombra]]'s mind-control spell, Wheeljack worked with Shockwave and Ratchet to construct a set of emotion-powered [[exosuit|exo-suit]]s. Once their pony allies had rescued [[Pinkie Pie]], [[Fluttershy]], and [[Twilight Sparkle]] from Sombra's control, Wheeljack and Ratchet helped the newly freed ponies into their suits. {{storylink|Finale (The Magic of Cybertron)|Finale}}

{{--}}

===''History of the Transformers''===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|History of the Transformers}}}}

===Energon Universe===
{{spoiler|Transformers (2023) issue 4|February 14, 2024}}
Wheeljack was one of the many Autobots and Decepticons who were offline inside the crashed Ark. His body was taken by Ratchet and Optimus Prime as they escaped from the attack of the newly reconstructed Decepticon forces. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 1|Transformers #1}} Once they were safely away from the Decepticons, Ratchet began reassembling Wheeljack using the technology in Prime's [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]]. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 2|Transformers #2}} Ratchet continued to work on the dormant Wheeljack until he received a distress call from Optimus Prime, prompting Ratchet to apologize to Wheeljack as he went to revive [[Jazz (G1)#Energon Universe|another Autobot]]. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 4|Transformers #4}}
{{ongoing}}
{{--}}

==Commercial appearances==
*Wheeljack was among the Autobots gathered around [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] when Prime decided it would be a good idea to not transform anymore. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Action Masters|Action Master commercial}}
*Wheeljack and [[Sprocket (G1)|Sprocket]] were driving on Cybertron, aboard the [[Turbo Racer]] and the [[Attack Cruiser]] respectively, when they came under fire from [[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]]'s [[Stratotronic Jet]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Gutcruncher|Action Master vehicles commercial}}
*Wheeljack also planned on attending [[BotCon 2009]] alongside his fellow Autobots. {{storylink|BotCon 2009!}}

==Games==
===''Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons''===
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] troops from the Decepticons, Wheeljack could come to Optimus Prime's aid by repairing his flat tires. {{storylink|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game}}

===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{voiceactor|[[Russ Veillard]]}}

{{charstubgame|{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}}}

===''Construct-Bots Builder''===
The components necessary for building "Construct-Bot" Wheeljack were accessible within the Cybertron construction zone. Despite it being against protocol, [[you]] could mix his parts with those of Decepticons! (gasp!) {{storylink|Construct-Bots Builder}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
The [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] began behaving erratically, so Wheeljack used his [[magnetic inducer]] on [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] while [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] kept them distracted. Wheeljack took as scan of Slug, but the data was corrupted, so he had to use [[Teletraan I]] to repair it. {{storylink|Day of the Dinobots - Part 1}} When the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] attempted to infiltrate the base to strike at Teletraan, Wheeljack was part of [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s team which tried unsuccessfully to halt their progress. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War - Part 1}} Wheeljack joined a team led by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to help track down the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives (Legends)|Call of the Primitives}}

Optimus and Wheeljack returned to Autobot HQ after an absence to find Grimlock had taken leadership. Though they failed to resist him, he soon bored with leading the Autobots and let Optimus take command again. {{storylink|Me, Grimlock, King}} In an attempt to save [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] when the boy was injured during a battle, Wheeljack transferred Spike's mind into [[Autobot X (G1)|Autobot X]]. Things went horribly wrong, but Wheeljack later successfully transferred Spike's mind back into his healed body. {{storylink|Autobot X (Legends)|Autobot X}}

At some point Wheeljack teamed up with [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] to combat [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]] and his allies. {{storylink|Fan Favorite}}

===''Angry Birds Transformers''===
{{main|Bomb (AB)#As Wheeljack}}
Wheeljack appears as a character unlockable in Challenge Events. He is portrayed by Bomb. {{storylink|Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)|Angry Birds Transformers}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsWheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|Bet this game is some kind of holodeck created by him.]]
Wheeljack participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Common character that could be recruited for 14 units of Cybermetal. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Devastation''===
{{voiceactor| [[Christopher Swindle]]}}
Wheeljack assisted Optimus Prime in opposing Megatron's scheme and stopping the cyberforming of Earth. He upgraded the Autobots' weapons and built T.E.C.H. for them on the Ark, and also provided technical expertise in the field. While he preferred to leave the fighting to Grimlock and Sideswipe, he was more than capable of adjusting a Decepticon's attitude with a well-placed smack from his wrenches or some pinpoint blaster fire. {{storylink|Transformers: Devastation}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Frontiers''===
{{charstubgame|{{storylink|Transformers: Frontiers}}}}

===''Transformers Operation Omega''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers Operation Omega}}}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:Wheeljack-Earth-Wars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|NEED A DISPENSER HERE! NEED A DISPENSER HERE! NEED A *whack* SHUT UP!]]

When it comes to improvisation, Wheeljack is in a whole other league to [[Hoist (G1)|most]] mechanical engineers, and that flair for thinking outside the box applies to his battlefield tactics too. "Never do what the enemy ''expects''." is his approach to warfare, and it's served him very well.

He has a knack for whipping up wild new gadgets, often out of whatever scrap metal and power cells are to hand, though it has earned him something of a 'mad doctor' tag. {{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars| Wheeljack Bio}}

Wheeljack arrived in time to help out in the battle for the Codex Key.

Wheeljack also helped Optimus perfect the Combining process, along with Perceptors help.
{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars|Combiner Wars Campaign}}

Wheeljack even later helped Prime and some volunteers form OPTIMUS MAXIMUS!
{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars/Events|Countdown To Combination Event}}

[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] told [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] that Wheeljack would outfit him with an [[Orbital jump|Orbital Bounce]] relay for a mission to the [[Decepticon lunar dome base|Decepticon Moonbase]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars/Events|Moonbase}}

*'''Class:''' Medic
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 star
*'''Weapons:'''Wheeljack uses a combat nullifier to heal his targets. If not healing, Wheeljack uses a standard issue photon blaster to decimate targets.
*'''Ability: Combat Simulants''': Speed up the movement and attack speed of friendly bots for 8 seconds!
**'''Cost''': 3 ability points +2 for reuses.

[http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:Wweeljack Wheeljack at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki]

{{-}}

===''Transformers Online'' (2017 video game)===
[[File:Wheeljack TFO.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Yo Fryman!]]
{{bigquote|Don't let your enemies dictate what you do.}}

Four million years ago, Wheeljack travelled with Optimus on the Ark away from an energy depleted Cybertron. Bluestreak once described Wheeljack as "a fellow who can make nuclear bombs out of scrap metal and rust buckets." Wheeljack became renowned as a "mad scientist" for creating gadgets for the Autobots that will optimize their performance in combat. Furthermore, his driving skills are superb enough to make any Hollywood hero envious.

In battle, Wheeljack wielded the laser powered "[[Stillson Wrench]]" and the bubble blasting "[[Fusion Ray Gun]]". His active skill was "Backup Firepower":
*'''Backup Firepower''' — Wheeljack calls forth 2 levitating turret drones to fight by his side. If Wheeljack dies in battle, the turrets will initiate a kamikaze protocol to kill Wheeljack's opponent(s), resulting in extensive damage. {{storylink|Transformers Online (2017 video game)|Transformers Online}} <ref>[http://tfol.qq.com/act/a20160726data/hero13.shtml Wheeljack profile on the Transformers Online website]</ref>
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Forged to Fight''===
[[File:ForgedToFight-Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3AxbfqiII EL TECHE DE JESUS!!!]]]
As a Tech Bot, Wheeljack constructs up to three Upgrades of three types: Offensive Upgrades that can Shock opponents, Defensive Upgrades that can Stun, or Power Upgrades that can Power Leak. He can also activate an emergency Force Shield allowing him to survive potentially deadly attacks (and catastrophic mishaps in the lab).

{{chargamestub}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Heavy Metal''===
Wheeljack supplied technology such as scanners for the [[Guardian Program]], and occasionally requested the humans involved search for [[Mini-Con]]s. {{storylink|Transformers: Heavy Metal}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Wheeljack was a resourceful Autobot mechanic who could cobble together just about anything from scrap metal and spare parts. Renowned by his allies for his ability to improvise, Wheeljack attacked engineering challenges with the same kind of ferocity he unleashed on the open road. Wheeljack was instrumental in establishing the [[Autobot Road]] to allow Cybertronians to rapidly deploy anywhere on the planet. {{storylink|Transformers Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook|Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook}}

==Toys and merchandise==
{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
*Wheeljack has the distinction of being the first Transformer to appear in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]], and thus the first one to appear in any animated story.
*In Japanese continuity, Wheeljack is portrayed as being older than most Autobots; he talks like an old man and is even referred to as one by ''[[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]]'', of all people, in the dub of "[[Heavy Metal War]]". According to the Japanese PlayStation 2 ''[[The Transformers (G1 PS2)|Transformers]]'' game, he is significantly older than [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], old enough to tell him to "respect your elders". Also, he is younger than Kup, but still enough of age to share old man stories with him.
*Storyboards for ''The Transformers: The Movie'' show Smokescreen lying dead next to Windcharger instead of Wheeljack. The establishing shot of the launcher near where Wheeljack's remains lie even show a Smokescreen-colored Wheeljack corpse. Older versions of the movie script in fact feature Wheeljack alive and well after the Battle of Autobot City, having merely been knocked unconscious. He and several other Autobots take part in a plotline that involved saving Earth from Unicron's siphoning hose that was draining the Earth's energy and would ultimately destroy it.
*In a continuity where [[More than Meets the Eye (mini-series)|most of the time]], most [[Flight|Autobots can't fly]] under their own power, one of the few Autobot cars explicitly described as being capable of flight is Wheeljack—whose [[alternate mode]] and color scheme come from a {{w|File:Lancia Stratos Turbo.jpg|racecar}} sponsored by a {{w|Alitalia|certain airline}}. Coincidence? (Maybe Wheeljack only gets to fly because his ''[[Diaclone]]'' had wings—but then, maybe the ''Diaclone'' had wings because of the "Alitalla" airline.)
*Wheeljack's bio on the ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom]]'' webpage is ''exactly'' the same as Arcee's, save for the character's name and artwork being changed.
*Wheeljack's design in the 2021 ''Beast Wars'' comic is inspired by his [[Wheeljack (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]].<ref>{{citesocial|quote=I even just straight up used his design for Wheeljack in issue 10. My love for the work Derrick did is pretty unabashed and I wouldn't have it any other way. I even like to think that some alternate version of TFA kinda sets up the backstory for our Beast Wars comic- |link=https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/1475584556749275137|name=Josh Burcham|site=Twitter|year=2021|month=12|day=27|(defunct=)}}</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Wheeljack''' (ホイルジャック ''Hoirujakku'')
*''Czech:'' '''Ráfek'''
*''French:'' '''Invento''' (Canada), '''Cric''' (Canada Action Master, "Jack"), '''Wheelie''' (European French cartoon dub)
*''Hebrew:'' '''Jeck''' (ג'ק, "Jack")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Kerék''' ("Wheel"), '''Kormányos Jack''' ("Steersman Jack" or "Steering-Wheeled Jack", used in the comic's profile pages)
*''Italian:'' '''Saetta''' ("Bolt")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Luén Chéi''' (Taiwan, 輪傑, "Wheel Jay"), '''Qiānjīndǐng''' (China, 千斤顶, "Wheeljack" or "Hoisting Jack")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Auto-Roda''' (Portuguese comic, "Auto-Motor"), '''Motriz''' (Brazilian comic, "Wheel")
*''Russian:'' '''Gónshchik''' (Го́нщик, "Racer")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Kermanych''' (Керманич, "Steerer")

==See also==
{{OtherVersions
|charname=Wheeljack
|disambig=Wheeljack (disambiguation)
|body=
*[[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]], the kung-fu-fighting Autobot from the [[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]].
*[[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack]] (aka Que), the [[facial hair]]-sporting Autobot scientist from the [[live-action film series]].
*[[Wheeljack (Animated)|Wheeljack]], the Autobot [[Ministry of Science]] member from ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]].''
*[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], the sword-wielding [[Wreckers|Wrecker]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].
*[[Wheeljack (Cyberverse)|Wheeljack]], the goateed Autobot inventor from ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|Transformers: Cyberverse]]''.}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Energon Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Go! Go! Autobots]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame characters]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Earthrise Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Kingdom Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Siege Autobots]]

The Probe

2024-01-13T20:24:33Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=11
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=9
|prev2=Double Jeopardy
|next2=Gorilla Warfare
|image=Theprobetranswarpprobe.jpg
|caption=There's a probe around Uranus!
|title="The Probe"
|season=1
|season ep=11
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 15]], 1996
|written by=[[Craig Miller]] [[Marv Wolfman]]
|directed by=[[Ezekiel Norton]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Dinobot (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Dinobot]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTiH0L2geIU
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''As a probe from Cybertron approaches the planet, the Maximals desperately try to make contact with it, but Megatron has other plans.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Theprobeprimaldinorhinox.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|The Maximals read spoilers for later episodes of the show.]]
Numerous [[temporal probe]]s are launched from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], programmed to search through time for the missing ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]''. One pod floats through the rift in space-time created by [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and approaches the [[Earth|planet]] on which the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] are taking place.

On the planet's surface, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] challenges his [[Maximal]] teammates to a race home. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] does a commendable job in keeping up with the cheetah, but [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] wins the race by using his flight mode. Primal and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] scold Cheetor for letting his own guard down. Once inside, the four [[Maximal]]s meet with [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], who is trying to use the ship's scanners to detect something in space. Rattrap pulls up a visual, revealing that the orbital object is a temporal probe. Rhinox makes an attempt to contact the probe, but it moves out of range before communication can be established. However, there's one more chance to get the probe's attention, by duplicating the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[unspace|transwarp]] signal by the time the probe make its return journey. The Maximals are happy, except for Dinobot.

[[File:Tflocklens&tarantulas.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|An unreleased Tarantulas toy.]]
The next morning, the Maximals begin construction of the signal array they'll use to contact the probe. Although they're in [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] territory, they have [[Tigatron]] protecting them. Tigatron detects a tipsy [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and blasts the insect away easily. But by shooting down Waspinator, he makes himself a target of the [[Transformation Lock Lens|transformation lock lens]], a diabolical machine that [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] has built. Eventually, the device fires a beam that hits Tigatron, trapping him in his [[beast mode]]. Without his blaster, Tigatron is ensnared in an energon web. Cheetor arrives to aid Tigatron, but quickly finds himself in the same situation.

[[File:Theprobedinobot&rattrapagre.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Rattrap and Dinobot compare thumb sizes.]]
At the construction site, Dinobot admits that he imagines that upon returning to Cybertron, he'll be persecuted as a Predacon, but Optimus Primal assures him that this won't happen. [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]], spying on the Maximals, films some footage of the device and sends it to Megatron via [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]. Once the device is complete, Scorponok begins an attack upon it, but is quickly blasted away before the array can be damaged. All the array needs is a transwarp component, which Rhinox will deliver from the ''Axalon''.

The two cats have been caged inside the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]], where Megatron reviews footage of the Maximals constructing their signal array. Cheetor accidentally lets slip that the array is being made to contact a probe. The Predacons rush out of the room, leaving the captives unsupervised. Tigatron begins to swing his suspended cage. Cheetor copies this behavior, and the two cages soon strike each other, knocking their bottom panels open. Tigatron lands on his feet and catches Cheetor, saving him from a lava bath. They then head for the Predacons' restoration chambers to escape the transformation lock.

[[File:Theprobemegsonprimal.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|I would have waited an eternity for this! Yes!]]
Terrorsaur attacks the array, but the three Maximals scare off the flier in short order. Dinobot comments that Terrorsaur always was a coward. Megatron agrees, but notes that he still makes a great diversion. He and the two spiders engage the Maximals at closer range, with Tarantulas's device to assist them. Dinobot is locked into his beast mode and is defeated with several kicks from [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], but Rattrap blasts Blackarachnia over the edge of a cliff. With her out of the picture, Rattrap talks to Dinobot, who is experiencing transformational dysfunction. Rattrap figures out what's wrong—an instant before the lock lens strikes him as well. The two Maximals are then blasted by Megatron.

Optimus Primal defeats Tarantulas, but is then locked into his beast mode like the others. Nonetheless, he manages to fend off Megatron's next attempt to destroy the array, but is soon subdued. Megatron prepares to end Primal, but Rhinox arrives just in time, sending Megatron flying with a mighty punch. With the Predacons defeated, Rhinox activates the array. He only needs to enter in the code that will allow the array to mimic the ''Axalon''{{'}}s transwarp signal and contact the probe. But at the crucial moment, Tarantulas's evil device strikes Rhinox. Lacking fingers in his beast mode, he can't enter the codes and convinces Optimus he has to do it. But before Primal can input the codes, Megatron destroys the array.

Megatron prepares to finish off Optimus and Rhinox, but Cheetor and Tigatron arrive, destroying Tarantulus's device and driving off Megatron. But the damage has been done-the probe flies past the planet, uncontacted. Megatron boasts that the war will continue until he wins; the Maximals worry that they may never be rescued.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (3)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (5)
*[[Tigatron]] (7)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (9)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (10)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (11)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Don't cats ever get tired of being stupid?"
:—'''Rattrap''' (and later, '''Tarantulas''') to '''Cheetor'''

"C'mon, baby, c'mon, give it up for the rat…."
:—'''Rattrap''' has a unique way with computers.

"Well of ''course!'' We wouldn't want to miss our chance to go ''home.''" 
"HEY HEY HEY, what's biting your sensors, Dino''boob?''"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rattrap'''. Rattrap just said "boob."

"You're a Maximal now, and we'll see that you're treated as one." 
"And what makes you think that I ''want'' to be?"
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Dinobot'''

"Time for you to decorate a cage, Megadork!" 
"I. Think. Not. Cybertron won't find you now, and the war will go on—until ''I'' am the victor!"
:—'''Cheetor'''{{'}}s threat rings hollow when '''Megatron''' has already destroyed the array.

"Did we get our signal to the probe? Are we goin' home?!" 
"Not today, Cheetor… But someday."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* Finalised: 5th April 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
*The panels on Rattrap's elbows slide apart in certain shots, like when he discovers the probe or when he assures Dinobot that Rhinox will get there in time.
*When the Predacons review the footage captured by Scorponok, Tarantulas is either standing on nothing or clinging onto the platform in front of him with just the tips of his feet.
*As Dinobot, Rattrap and Optimus start shooting at Terrorsaur, the pistons on Optimus' right foot are disconnected. Also, for some reason he's trying to hit an airborne target by launching a missile straight in front of himself.
*While using his optic blasts against Terrorsaur, Dinobot's eyes do not glow green.
*When Megatron declares that Terrorsaur was an excellent diversion, the spike-like piece on his left shoulder is sticking straight up, instead of lying flat like normal.
*Scorponok was threatening Optimus Primal with his left claw when Rattrap blew it off. Odd, since his left claw doesn't contain missiles, but his [[Cyberbee]] drones. Perhaps another [[Gorilla Warfare|viral mine]]?
*Right before Scorponok's claw is blasted off, there is a tiny dark speck floating around it.
*As the Preds open fire on Optimus and co., the "shininess" on both the transformation lock lens and Blackarachnia's upper arm keep blinking on and off in sync with her weapon blasts, likely due to the light effects causing something to their textures.
*When the explosion scatters the three Maximals:
**The CG model of Dinobot's shield comes apart; its two tail-halves are open, but one half's inner red part is sticking forward. The tool also clips through Dinobot.
**A triangular piece briefly juts out of Dinobot's left hip as he's blown into the air.
**Optimus' body totally gets mangled; his arms snap back abruptly and his legs are pushed up into his body. As he flips around in the air, his feet remain in a horizontal position, completely clipping through him.
*After the transformation lock lens hits Optimus, Megatron's feet are sunken into the ground.
*Blackarachnia's shoulder plates turn black when Rattrap's blasts hit them, but when she's pushed back to the cliff edge, they're back to their normal color.
*As she's shot over the cliff side and falls, Blackarachnia's feet remain flat and parallel to the ground, clipping through her shins.
*When Optimus lifts up Tarantulas with his arm-cannon, Tarantulas' feet are sunken into the ground.
*Megatron's shoulders turn upside down as he gets up after being decked by Rhinox.
*On the multiple-angle explosion of the Maximal's construct, an arc-panning shot of the explosion is repeated exactly. Also, the characters are strangely absent in these shots.
*At the end, when Cheetor asks Optimus whether they'll be going home, his gun starts clipping into the ground.

===Continuity errors===
*The Maximals are all out in the open in their robot modes for quite a while- long enough for Cheetor and Tigatron to be taken to the ''Darksyde'', escape, heal themselves, and walk back to the tower- but they don't seem to suffer the usual side-effects.
*Right before Rhinox leaves the base to bring the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s duplicated transwarp signature to the array, the ship's computer informs him that the probe will be back in signal range in 1.4 mega-cycles. Two scenes later, the Predacons' space scanner detects that the probe will be over the planet in merely ten cycles. The deadline jumped down from basically 1.4 hours to ten minutes in no time at all. What's worse, a panning shot between these two scenes shows the array being built not very far from the ''Axalon'', yet Rhinox won't get to it until much later. What took him so long to get to the array?

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:The Probe orbiting wotsit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
*This is the first and only time we actually see Cybertron (outside of a dream in "[[The Web]]" and an illustrated description in "[[Law of the Jungle]]"). There's a bustling, neon-lit city with flying cars and an orbiting city-cum-spaceport that launches the probes, complete with a voiceover from an unseen Maximal official (voiced by [[Doug Parker]]).
*Following "[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]" and "[[Fallen Comrades]]", we get more hints about what planet the Beast Wars are taking place on. When we first see the probe approach the planet it heads towards a continent that looks like Africa. Later, the probe does a tour of the local solar system and passes by planets that look awfully like Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. When the probe returns towards the end of the episode, we can again see what looks like Africa and Madagascar along with Antarctica, although the locations are a bit off.
*After its creation [[A Better Mousetrap|two episodes ago]], we see [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] in regular use for the first time (unless you're watching one of the home video releases. See "Trivia" below.)
*Dinobot's hesitation towards the idea of being rescued will resurface in "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]".
*Cheetor may know where the Predacon's CR Chamber is due to the events of "[[Equal Measures]]", when he was chased through much of the Predacon base.
*In a neat little bit of continuity, when Blackarachnia is about to be shot off a cliff by Rattrap, Scorponok's body is barely visible at the bottom. He's even missing the claw that was blown off by Rattrap earlier in the episode!
*Gadgets and powers:
** Scorponok can apparently transfer recordings to the little disk bearing the Predacon insignia on his chest. The disk can be detached and taken back to base. Maybe his cyberbees were being repaired at the time? Or perhaps he was keeping it in reserve in order to fire another viral mine.
**Once again, Cheetor uses his rump gun instead of his normal gun when Tigatron is around.

===Transformers references===
*Tarantulas' Transformation Lock device has a similar function to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron's]] [[Transfixatron]] device in the G1 episode "[[The Autobot Run]]". However, Tarantulas' device is a step ahead forcing the target back into their [[alternate mode]]. It can also fly on its own. Like in the original episode, the good guys are shown to be slightly useless when stuck in their alt-modes. You'd think a giant robotic ''Velociraptor'' would be good in a fight, but no, Dinobot is taken down by Blackarachnia kicking him a few times and is only saved when Rattrap shoots her. Apparently guns and missiles are the only important thing in a Beast Wars fight. Though to be fair, the Maximals do eventually learn to appreciate their beast forms and put their capabilities to good use [[Call of the Wild|later on]].
*This episode has another reference to the [[Pit (BW)|Inferno]], the (soon to be renamed) Transformers version of Hell.
*After last episodes use of "minutes", this time we're back to using "cycles".
*Tigatron's exclamation of "By the Matrix, what's happening?!" is the first reference to the various meanings of [[Matrix (disambiguation)|Matrix]] to show up in the series.

===Trivia===
[[File:Theprobefbomb.jpg|thumb|Say cheese!]]
*Cheetor's dialogue at this point in the series is always slightly embarrassing, but calling the Predacon leader "Mega-dumb"? That's pretty mega-lame.
*Scorponok's black and white POV shot has purple [[Cybertronix]] text on the bottom. It translates to "f**k".
*A more clever use of Cybertronix comes when Rhinox identifies the probe. The text scrolling on the bottom repeats "ceci est un alphabet tres bizarre et je ne comprends rien", French for "This is a very odd alphabet, and I do not understand anything".
*On home video, the running order of this episode and "[[A Better Mousetrap]]" are consistently switched due to this episode having been the ninth one produced and that episode the eleventh, both having been switched in their original broadcast order.
**The exception is the American [[Rhino Entertainment|Kid Rhino]] DVD release of Season 1, in which this episode appears after "[[Double Jeopardy]]". This is particularly noticeable in the presence of the [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] defense system before its introductory episode. However, the [[Madman Entertainment|Madman]] release for Australia has this episode appearing in the proper place, as does [[Shout! Factory]]'s.
*Many (but not all) scenes with Blackarachnia were omitted in the [[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]] VHS release of this episode, as her [[Double Jeopardy|introductory episode]] was not included on the same cassette.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Sonde'''" ("The Probe")

:*''Title:'' "'''La Sonde'''" (Canada, "The Probe")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Sonde'''" ("The Probe")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 30|30 May]] [[1998]]
::*In an extra bit of rudeness, when Rattrap argues that the Maximals' transwarp engine is offline, he concludes his line by calling Rhinox a "tin-can."
::*Cheetor's line "He's got a better chance than you, chuckles." is shortened to simply "Du Kichererbse." ("You chickpea.", or to preserve the German wordplay, "You giggling pea.")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La sonda'''" ("The probe")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kyōfu no Shin Heiki!'''" (恐怖の新兵器!, "A Terrifying New Weapon!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 26|26 November]] [[1997]]
:**When Tigatron and Cheetor are swinging the cages back and forth, Cheetor repeats ''wheeee'' and ''yahooooo'' incessantly.
:**With this episode, the Predacons fully adopt the Maximals' habit of making noises whenever they fire their weapons; usually a noise related to their verbal tic (Scorponok says ''orya orya orya'' whenever he fires, Terrorsaur says ''caw caw caw'' whenever he fires, etc.). Blackarachnia, however, not only shouts ''tshaa tshaa tshaa'' whenever she fires her weapon, but whenever she performs one of her kicks.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' '''A Sonda''' ("The Probe")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shíjiān Tànzhēn '''" (时间探针, "A Time Probe")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' '''La Sonda''' (America, "The Probe")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Beast Wars'' — A Feature Length Beasties Adventure ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Une Adventure Cybernetique (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — New Weapon of Terror ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 4 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Probe}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Other Voices, Part 2

2024-01-08T14:14:30Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=26
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=26
|prev2=Other Voices, Part 1
|next2=Beast Wars Special Super Lifeform Transformers
|image=Other_Voices_2_Optimus_pod.jpg
|caption=[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Here we go again...]]
|title="Other Voices" Part 2
|season=1
|season ep=26
|production=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[April 1]], [[1997]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[Ezekiel Norton]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFcwQaOZ5I0
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''As the alien machine begins destroying the planet's energon, Optimus devises a desperate plan to destroy the device.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Other Voices 2 Tigatron Cheetor.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Beautiful things never turn out good.]]
Out on patrol, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Tigatron]] stare in awe at "the light at the end of the world", as [[Planet Buster|the alien machine]] continues powering up in space. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] makes contact and orders them to return to base. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] is pessimistic about their chances of survival, but Primal assures him that [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] will find a way for them to survive.

The [[Bio-Dome|alien bungalow]] finishes transferring power to the moon, and in a flash, [[Vok|the aliens]] depart: "Termination sequence engaged. Return to [[Nexus Zero]]."

[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] observe this from [[Darksyde (BW)|their base]]. Confronted with a machine intended to destroy them, Megatron activates a special program and scans the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]], locating the spiders and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] within.

[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] is nearly finished converting a stored [[stasis pod]] into his escape ship. [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] observes that it's a little cramped for two... but, weapon drawn, she has no intention of sharing the ride. Inferno arrives just then, blasts her, and sets Tarantulas on fire, knocking him out. Back at the Predacon base, Megatron detects the aborted flow of data to the stasis pod ship and reacts with fury.

[[File:Other Voices 2 Blackarachnia Inferno.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|A girl that can handle a gun, awesome!]]
Inferno starts to examine Tarantulas's work, but is attacked by Blackarachnia, who eludes him with a display of gymnastics before blasting him with his own gun. Picking up Tarantulas's cyber-link goggles, she forms a link with the unconscious Tarantulas to obtain the data needed to finish the pod ship—but finds that staring into the abyss of the spider's mind means that it also stares back...

The Maximals arrive at base, alarmed to find the shields down. Inside, they find Rhinox and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] cyber-webbed to the ceiling. Optimus Primal sends Rattrap and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] to bring in their unwelcome visitors.

Megatron observes the data flow resuming, just as the altered moon opens fire on the planet with a broad, blinding power ray. Optimus Primal charges the Maximal base's shields as the external temperature begins climbing and deduces that the aliens intend to ignite the [[energon]] deposits. Megatron notes that this will obliterate the entire planet, an incredibly ruthless strategy that he rather admires. He assures his panicked troops that Tarantulas will save them, albeit inadvertently.

[[File:Other Voices 2 Optimus Blackarachnia.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Stasis pod or coffin? At episode's end no one's sure.]]
Blackarachnia finishes the pod ship, only to be discovered and held at gunpoint by Rattrap and Airazor. With Rhinox still out of commission, Optimus Primal is beginning to despair, when Rattrap summons him to the stasis hold. Primal is impressed by the ship and immediately orders Blackarachnia to change the command codes to respond to him. He intends to fly the ship up to the [[Planet Buster]] and detonate the [[transwarp cell]] to destroy it. With little alternative, Blackarachnia complies.

[[File:Other Voices 2 Megatron Optimus.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Worst in-flight movie ever.]]
Soon all is ready, and Optimus Primal has poignant parting words with his worried crew - at which point Blackarachnia comments on the Maximals' sentimentality and is knocked out by Airazor for it - before sealing the ship and launching it. Megatron scans the launch and notes with delight that Primal is flying the vessel. Primal soon reaches the Planet Buster, starts the ignition sequence, and gives the order to blow the hatch seals. But the hatch is sealed and locked! Megatron appears on his comm screen to gloat that he'd come up with exactly the same plan—only in his version of events, the ship's pilot goes "up with the ship". As the timer counts down to zero, the Maximals frantically wait for Optimus Primal to make his escape. Primal pounds on the sealed hatch, to no avail. As the Maximals wonder what is going on, Blackarachnia tells them it's too late... in Tarantulas's voice.

The transwarp cell explodes, and high above the planet, the Planet Buster is annihilated... along with the pod ship and Optimus Primal.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
*[[Tigatron]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (5)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (13)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (14)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]
|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (6)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (7)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (12)
}}

==Quotes==
"Sufferin' circuits. What could it be?" 
"The light at the end of the world."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Tigatron''', watching the Planet Buster power up

"What is it?" 
"Well, I'd say it was the [[Instruments of Destruction|instrument of our destruction]]. Impressive, yesss..."
:—'''Scorponok''' and '''Megatron''' upon seeing the Planet Buster's true form.

'''Megatron''': Brilliant! They're causing a chain reaction which will rip this planet to atoms and destroy all traces of them—simply to deal with us! Such sheer ruthlessness. Such disregard for sentient life! ...I rather like these aliens. 
'''Terrorsaur''': Like them?! They're trying to ''destroy'' us! 
'''Waspinator''': Waszzpinator not want to be destroyed! Waszzpinator has ''plans''! 
'''Scorponok''': Megatron will save us! 
'''Megatron''': I think not. I've reserved ''that'' task for Tarantulas.
:—The Predacons react to the Planet Buster.

'''Blackarachnia''': We—I did it! 
'''Airazor''': ''Hooray'' for you. 
[''Blackarachnia finds herself held at gunpoint.''] 
'''Blackarachnia''': Did you know we have a truce?

"Cozy." 
"Just like a coffin."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Blackarachnia'''

"Oh, you Optimuses ''do'' love to sacrifice yourselves, don't you? Well, fortunately, this time your foolishness will destroy you ''and'' your Maximals. The Beast Wars are ''over'', Optimus. ''You'' '''''lose'''''."
:—'''Megatron''' rubs his victory in.

"'''''MEGATROOOOOON!'''''"
:—'''Optimus Primal'''{{'}}s last words before he kicks the bucket.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 11th November 1996
* Second draft: 5th December 1996
* Finalised: 12th December 1996
* As Air: 2nd April 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
* In the first scene at the Predacon base, as the camera zooms over to Megatron after Terrorsaur says "What do we do?", the middle toe on Megatron's left foot is pointing upward.
* When Blackarachnia grabs Inferno's gun, she clips into Inferno for a split second.
* During Airazor and Rattrap's search for Blackarachnia, Airazor's gun floats in her hand when they jump into a hallway, and then gets "stuck" in her armpit as they walk towards the camera. Meawhile, her hands are posed grasping at nothing.
* When Blackarachnia asks Tigatron and Cheetor to unhand her, her mouth isn't animated.
* As Optimus Primal lies back into the stasis pod, his shoulder pads are much smaller than they usually are. This was done to avoid clipping with the sides of the cramped stasis pod model. It is an odd animation choice, however, given that simply folding his shoulder pads down is a normal part of his transformation, in much the same way he actually ''does'' do with his feet to allow the pod's canopy to close.
* When Megatron gloats to Optimus at the end of the episode, his hands seem to be switched, with his right arm ending in a normal hand instead of his [[beast mode]] head. (It's easiest to see when Megatron is laughing triumphantly at the end of his speech.)

===Continuity errors===
* When Blackarachnia and Tarantulas attacked Dinobot in the previous episode, they caused him to fall through the glass of the elevator on the right hand side of the ''Axalon''{{'}}s command center (from Dinobot's perspective). In this episode, the smashed elevator glass has been switched to the other elevator on the other side of the room.
* The piece of cyber-webbing Airazor steps on when she exits the elevator was not present during the close up of Rattrap as he complained about the missing Rhinox and Dinobot.
* Optimus asks Rattrap for a 30 nano-click timer on the self-destruct charge, but it's a 60 nano-click countdown when he activates it. Perhaps Rattrap felt his estimate wasn't generous enough.

===Continuity notes===
* Tigatron volunteers to pilot the stasis pod ship, citing that he "owes this world." This likely refers to his decision to destroy the [[Vok]]'s self-propelled-completely-peaceful-heavily-armed-[[Brigadoon|floating-island]]-paradise-of-death in "[[The Trigger, Part 2]]".

===Transformers references===
*Megatron's line, "You Optimuses do love to sacrifice yourselves", is a reference to the [[Optimus Prime (G1)|original Optimus Prime]] and [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|his numerous deaths]].

===Real-world references===
* Tigatron describes the Planet Buster's death ray as "the light at the end of the world", which might be a reference to the [[w:The Light at the End of the World (A Flock of Seagulls album)|album]] of the same name.

===Trivia===
* At the script stage, this episode had the subtitle "Termination Day".
* Regular Tarantulas actor [[Alec Willows]] was evidently indisposed during the recording of this episode; while all of Tarantulas's screams and laughs are his, as well as the character's final line ("Too late! Goodbye Optimus!") all of Tarantulas's other dialogue is provided by [[Scott McNeil]], doing his best Willows impression.
* Inferno's got the moves in this episode! During his fight with Blackarachnia he pulls off all sorts of kung fu moves and even does a little Jet Li roundhouse kick. This still surprisingly doesn't keep her from blowing his head off though.
* This episode is the first of two where Inferno refers to Megatron by name rather than as "Royalty" or "my queen."
* A planned but never-produced Generation 1 cameo was planned for "Other Voices" Part 2. The intent was for Megatron to gloat to Primal while the latter was trapped in the stasis pod—by projecting an image of the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, on Primal's viewscreen as Primal raced for the false moon and met his demise.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/bc8e54e9165e0823?hl=en&&q=%22Optimus+Prime%22 Bob Forward interview on alt.toys.transformers]</ref>
[[File:OtherVoices2-explodedPrimalhead.jpg|right|thumb|300px|eject monke]]
*When you see the little parts of Primal flying towards the camera near the end of the episode, you can see Optimus's head fly at the screen very quickly with a distressed look on his face.
* In [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars Season 1'' DVD set, on a commentary track for this episode with fan consultant [[Ben Yee]] and story editor [[Larry DiTillio]], fellow story editor [[Bob Forward]] popped in to explain the significance of the slang term "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]". He explained that he looked up on refineries as he figured that robots would be made of steel, and one of the waste byproducts of creating steel was an unusable detritus called slag, which he thought would be an appropriate swear word for robots to use.
* Tarantulas is aware that Optimus will be unable to eject far before the Maximals (or Blackarachnia) find out, hinting that he was aware of Megatron's machinations.
* Just as the pod enters the Planet Buster, you can actually hear the sound of Optimus' arm-cannon firing, and glass shattering. It appears that he attempted to blast his way out, but was too late to actually escape.
*The overall plot of this episode (and, to a lesser extent, the [[Other Voices, Part 1|previous episode]]), has several similarities to "Web World Wars", the season 2 finale of ''ReBoot'' (perhaps not coincidental, as both shows were produced by Mainframe):
**Both episodes feature the heroes and villains working against a common foe (The Vok in ''Beast Wars'', The Web in ''ReBoot'') who intends to destroy them all with a powerful weapon (The Planet Buster in ''Beast Wars'', a giant Web portal in ''ReBoot'').
**Both episodes involve the characters developing a plan to eliminate said foe's weapon (destroying the Planet Buster in ''Beast Wars'', closing the portal to The Web in ''ReBoot'').
**At the end of both episodes, the main villain betrays the heroes, shooting their leader into the enemy weapon right before its destruction (in ''Beast Wars'': Megatron traps Optimus Primal in the stasis pod-ship as it detonates in the Planet Buster; in ''ReBoot'': Megabyte traps Bob in a missile, firing it into the Web portal before using the Hardware to seal it).

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Les Voix d'Autre Monde - 2e partie'''" ("The Voices from Another World - Part 2")

:*''Title:'' '''Les Voix 2''' (Canada, "The Voices 2")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Andere Stimmen, Teil 2'''" ("Other Voices, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 26|26 September]] [[1998]]
::*Megatron's line "I rather like these aliens." is translated slightly differently here ("I'm beginning to like these aliens.") than in the preview from last episode ("I somehow like these aliens.").
::*After reprogramming the stasis pod, instead of the original "We... ''I'' did it!", Blackarachnia says the somewhat nonsensical "We... Got it!"
::*Blackarachnia's line "You'll blow yourself to atoms." is strangely mangled. She responds to Primal's plan about creating a Transwarp explosion with "We should take that chance.", seemingly approving of the idea. Primal then tries to convince her to agree to his plan, which she seemingly already did.
::*Blackarachnia's "Unhand me, pussycats. I've got work to do." line is completely missing. In the dub's defense, her mouth isn't animated in the shot in question.
::*Either an error or a strange dubbing choice, but when Tarantulas takes over Blackarachnia's mind and speaks through her, she says "Have a nice trip, my Optimus." in her own voice.
::*Megatron tells Primal "You gorillas do love to sacrifice yourselves." instead of "You Optimuses..."
::*A voice-over at the end poses the question "Is this really the end?" This was the final episode of the show released in Germany.

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'arrivo - Parte 2'''" ("The Arrival - Part Two")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Heiwa o Mamoru Tame ni...'''" (平和を守るために・・・, "To Protect the Peace...")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 25|25 March]] [[1998]]
:**For some inexplicable reason, beginning in this episode, Megatron now addresses [[Predacon computer|Naviko-chan]] by screeching her name in a very high-pitched voice. ''Every single time''.
:**While taunting Primal in the capsule, Megatron does not reference the previous sacrifices of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. This is actually the second time the Japanese dub deliberately eliminated a reference to Generation 1. Waspinator's brief identity crisis as [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] was removed from the dialogue in "[[Dark Designs]]".
:**As is expected, the ominous "The End?" text was replaced with the Japanese "To be continued?" (つづく?, ''Tsudzuku?'').
:**Various characters introduce themselves in the end credits, and there is no preview for the next episode (The season 2 and 3 episodes were not released there yet).

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Outras Vozes Parte 2'''" ("Other Voices Part 2")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' '''Otras Voces Segunda Parte''' ("Other Voices Second Part")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' '''Mòrì Jiànglín ''' (末日降临, "The Doomsday Comes")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — To Protect the Peace... ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 4 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 4 — The Predacons Advance! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Other Voices, Part 2

2024-01-08T13:39:57Z

Vrahno: /* Animation and technical errors */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=26
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=26
|prev2=Other Voices, Part 1
|next2=Beast Wars Special Super Lifeform Transformers
|image=Other_Voices_2_Optimus_pod.jpg
|caption=[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Here we go again...]]
|title="Other Voices" Part 2
|season=1
|season ep=26
|production=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[April 1]], [[1997]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[Ezekiel Norton]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFcwQaOZ5I0
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''As the alien machine begins destroying the planet's energon, Optimus devises a desperate plan to destroy the device.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Other Voices 2 Tigatron Cheetor.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Beautiful things never turn out good.]]
Out on patrol, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Tigatron]] stare in awe at "the light at the end of the world", as [[Planet Buster|the alien machine]] continues powering up in space. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] makes contact and orders them to return to base. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] is pessimistic about their chances of survival, but Primal assures him that [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] will find a way for them to survive.

The [[Bio-Dome|alien bungalow]] finishes transferring power to the moon, and in a flash, [[Vok|the aliens]] depart: "Termination sequence engaged. Return to [[Nexus Zero]]."

[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] observe this from [[Darksyde (BW)|their base]]. Confronted with a machine intended to destroy them, Megatron activates a special program and scans the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]], locating the spiders and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] within.

[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] is nearly finished converting a stored [[stasis pod]] into his escape ship. [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] observes that it's a little cramped for two... but, weapon drawn, she has no intention of sharing the ride. Inferno arrives just then, blasts her, and sets Tarantulas on fire, knocking him out. Back at the Predacon base, Megatron detects the aborted flow of data to the stasis pod ship and reacts with fury.

[[File:Other Voices 2 Blackarachnia Inferno.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|A girl that can handle a gun, awesome!]]
Inferno starts to examine Tarantulas's work, but is attacked by Blackarachnia, who eludes him with a display of gymnastics before blasting him with his own gun. Picking up Tarantulas's cyber-link goggles, she forms a link with the unconscious Tarantulas to obtain the data needed to finish the pod ship—but finds that staring into the abyss of the spider's mind means that it also stares back...

The Maximals arrive at base, alarmed to find the shields down. Inside, they find Rhinox and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] cyber-webbed to the ceiling. Optimus Primal sends Rattrap and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] to bring in their unwelcome visitors.

Megatron observes the data flow resuming, just as the altered moon opens fire on the planet with a broad, blinding power ray. Optimus Primal charges the Maximal base's shields as the external temperature begins climbing and deduces that the aliens intend to ignite the [[energon]] deposits. Megatron notes that this will obliterate the entire planet, an incredibly ruthless strategy that he rather admires. He assures his panicked troops that Tarantulas will save them, albeit inadvertently.

[[File:Other Voices 2 Optimus Blackarachnia.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Stasis pod or coffin? At episode's end no one's sure.]]
Blackarachnia finishes the pod ship, only to be discovered and held at gunpoint by Rattrap and Airazor. With Rhinox still out of commission, Optimus Primal is beginning to despair, when Rattrap summons him to the stasis hold. Primal is impressed by the ship and immediately orders Blackarachnia to change the command codes to respond to him. He intends to fly the ship up to the [[Planet Buster]] and detonate the [[transwarp cell]] to destroy it. With little alternative, Blackarachnia complies.

[[File:Other Voices 2 Megatron Optimus.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Worst in-flight movie ever.]]
Soon all is ready, and Optimus Primal has poignant parting words with his worried crew - at which point Blackarachnia comments on the Maximals' sentimentality and is knocked out by Airazor for it - before sealing the ship and launching it. Megatron scans the launch and notes with delight that Primal is flying the vessel. Primal soon reaches the Planet Buster, starts the ignition sequence, and gives the order to blow the hatch seals. But the hatch is sealed and locked! Megatron appears on his comm screen to gloat that he'd come up with exactly the same plan—only in his version of events, the ship's pilot goes "up with the ship". As the timer counts down to zero, the Maximals frantically wait for Optimus Primal to make his escape. Primal pounds on the sealed hatch, to no avail. As the Maximals wonder what is going on, Blackarachnia tells them it's too late... in Tarantulas's voice.

The transwarp cell explodes, and high above the planet, the Planet Buster is annihilated... along with the pod ship and Optimus Primal.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
*[[Tigatron]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (5)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (13)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (14)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]
|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (6)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (7)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (12)
}}

==Quotes==
"Sufferin' circuits. What could it be?" 
"The light at the end of the world."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Tigatron''', watching the Planet Buster power up

"What is it?" 
"Well, I'd say it was the [[Instruments of Destruction|instrument of our destruction]]. Impressive, yesss..."
:—'''Scorponok''' and '''Megatron''' upon seeing the Planet Buster's true form.

'''Megatron''': Brilliant! They're causing a chain reaction which will rip this planet to atoms and destroy all traces of them—simply to deal with us! Such sheer ruthlessness. Such disregard for sentient life! ...I rather like these aliens. 
'''Terrorsaur''': Like them?! They're trying to ''destroy'' us! 
'''Waspinator''': Waszzpinator not want to be destroyed! Waszzpinator has ''plans''! 
'''Scorponok''': Megatron will save us! 
'''Megatron''': I think not. I've reserved ''that'' task for Tarantulas.
:—The Predacons react to the Planet Buster.

'''Blackarachnia''': We—I did it! 
'''Airazor''': ''Hooray'' for you. 
[''Blackarachnia finds herself held at gunpoint.''] 
'''Blackarachnia''': Did you know we have a truce?

"Cozy." 
"Just like a coffin."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Blackarachnia'''

"Oh, you Optimuses ''do'' love to sacrifice yourselves, don't you? Well, fortunately, this time your foolishness will destroy you ''and'' your Maximals. The Beast Wars are ''over'', Optimus. ''You'' '''''lose'''''."
:—'''Megatron''' rubs his victory in.

"'''''MEGATROOOOOON!'''''"
:—'''Optimus Primal'''{{'}}s last words before he kicks the bucket.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 11th November 1996
* Second draft: 5th December 1996
* Finalised: 12th December 1996
* As Air: 2nd April 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
* In the first scene at the Predacon base, as the camera zooms over to Megatron after Terrorsaur says "What do we do?", the middle toe on Megatron's left foot is pointing upward.
* When Blackarachnia grabs Inferno's gun, she clips into Inferno for a split second.
* During Airazor and Rattrap's search for Blackarachnia, Airazor's gun floats in her hand when they jump into a hallway, and then gets "stuck" in her armpit as they walk towards the camera. Meawhile, her hands are posed grasping at nothing.
* When Blackarachnia asks Tigatron and Cheetor to unhand her, her mouth isn't animated.
* As Optimus Primal lies back into the stasis pod, his shoulder pads are much smaller than they usually are. This was done to avoid clipping with the sides of the cramped stasis pod model. It is an odd animation choice, however, given that simply folding his shoulder pads down is a normal part of his transformation, in much the same way he actually ''does'' do with his feet to allow the pod's canopy to close.
* When Megatron gloats to Optimus at the end of the episode, his hands seem to be switched, with his right arm ending in a normal hand instead of his [[beast mode]] head. (It's easiest to see when Megatron is laughing triumphantly at the end of his speech.)

===Continuity errors===
* When Blackarachnia and Tarantulas attacked Dinobot in the previous episode, they caused him to fall through the glass of the elevator on the right hand side of the ''Axalon''{{'}}s command center (from Dinobot's perspective). In this episode, the smashed elevator glass has been switched to the other elevator on the other side of the room.
* The piece of cyber-webbing Airazor steps on when she exits the elevator was not present during the close up of Rattrap as he complained about the missing Rhinox and Dinobot.
* Optimus asks Rattrap for a 30 nano-click timer on the self-destruct charge, but it's a 60 nano-click countdown when he activates it. Perhaps Rattrap felt his estimate wasn't generous enough.

===Continuity notes===
* Tigatron volunteers to pilot the stasis pod ship, citing that he "owes this world." This likely refers to his decision to destroy the [[Vok]]'s self-propelled-completely-peaceful-heavily-armed-[[Brigadoon|floating-island]]-paradise-of-death in "[[The Trigger, Part 2]]".

===Transformers references===
*Megatron's line, "You Optimuses do love to sacrifice yourselves", is a reference to the [[Optimus Prime (G1)|original Optimus Prime]] and [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|his numerous deaths]].

===Real-world references===
* Tigatron describes the Planet Buster's death ray as "the light at the end of the world", which might be a reference to the [[w:The Light at the End of the World (A Flock of Seagulls album)|album]] of the same name.

===Trivia===
* At the script stage, this episode had the subtitle "Termination Day".
* Regular Tarantulas actor [[Alec Willows]] was evidently indisposed during the recording of this episode; while all of Tarantulas's screams and laughs are his, as well as the character's final line ("Too late! Goodbye Optimus!") all of Tarantulas's other dialogue is provided by [[Scott McNeil]], doing his best Willows impression.
* Inferno's got the moves in this episode! During his fight with Blackarachnia he pulls off all sorts of kung fu moves and even does a little Jet Li roundhouse kick. This still surprisingly doesn't keep her from blowing his head off though.
* This episode is the first of two where Inferno refers to Megatron by name rather than as "Royalty" or "my queen."
* A planned but never-produced Generation 1 cameo was planned for "Other Voices" Part 2. The intent was for Megatron to gloat to Primal while the latter was trapped in the stasis pod—by projecting an image of the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, on Primal's viewscreen as Primal raced for the false moon and met his demise.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/bc8e54e9165e0823?hl=en&&q=%22Optimus+Prime%22 Bob Forward interview on alt.toys.transformers]</ref>
[[File:OtherVoices2-explodedPrimalhead.jpg|right|thumb|300px|eject monke]]
*When you see the little parts of Primal flying towards the camera near the end of the episode, you can see Optimus's head fly at the screen very quickly with a distressed look on his face.
* In [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars Season 1'' DVD set, on a commentary track for this episode with fan consultant [[Ben Yee]] and story editor [[Larry DiTillio]], fellow story editor [[Bob Forward]] popped in to explain the significance of the slang term "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]". He explained that he looked up on refineries as he figured that robots would be made of steel, and one of the waste byproducts of creating steel was an unusable detritus called slag, which he thought would be an appropriate swear word for robots to use.
* Tarantulas is aware that Optimus will be unable to eject far before the Maximals (or Blackarachnia) find out, hinting that he was aware of Megatron's machinations.
* Just as the pod enters the Planet Buster, you can actually hear the sound of Optimus' arm-cannon firing, and glass shattering. It appears that he attempted to blast his way out, but was too late to actually escape.
*The overall plot of this episode (and, to a lesser extent, the [[Other Voices, Part 1|previous episode]]), has several similarities to "Web World Wars", the season 2 finale of ''ReBoot'' (perhaps not coincidental, as both shows were produced by Mainframe):
**Both episodes feature the heroes and villains working against a common foe (The Vok in ''Beast Wars'', The Web in ''ReBoot'') who intends to destroy them all with a powerful weapon (The Planet Buster in ''Beast Wars'', a giant Web portal in ''ReBoot'').
**Both episodes involve the characters developing a plan to eliminate said foe's weapon (destroying the Planet Buster in ''Beast Wars'', closing the portal to The Web in ''ReBoot'').
**At the end of both episodes, the main villain betrays the heroes, shooting their leader into the enemy weapon right before its destruction (in ''Beast Wars'': Megatron traps Optimus Primal in the stasis pod-ship as it detonates in the Planet Buster; in ''ReBoot'': Megabyte traps Bob in a missile, firing it into the Web portal before using the Hardware to seal it).

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Les Voix d'Autre Monde - 2e partie'''" ("The Voices from Another World - Part 2")

:*''Title:'' '''Les Voix 2''' (Canada, "The Voices 2")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'arrivo - Parte 2'''" ("The Arrival - Part Two")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Heiwa o Mamoru Tame ni...'''" (平和を守るために・・・, "To Protect the Peace...")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 25|25 March]] [[1998]]
:**For some inexplicable reason, beginning in this episode, Megatron now addresses [[Predacon computer|Naviko-chan]] by screeching her name in a very high-pitched voice. ''Every single time''.
:**While taunting Primal in the capsule, Megatron does not reference the previous sacrifices of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. This is actually the second time the Japanese dub deliberately eliminated a reference to Generation 1. Waspinator's brief identity crisis as [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] was removed from the dialogue in "[[Dark Designs]]".
:**As is expected, the ominous "The End?" text was replaced with the Japanese "To be continued?" (つづく?, ''Tsudzuku?'').
:**Various characters introduce themselves in the end credits, and there is no preview for the next episode (The season 2 and 3 episodes were not released there yet).

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Outras Vozes Parte 2'''" ("Other Voices Part 2")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' '''Otras Voces Segunda Parte''' ("Other Voices Second Part")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' '''Mòrì Jiànglín ''' (末日降临, "The Doomsday Comes")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — To Protect the Peace... ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 4 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 4 — The Predacons Advance! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Other Voices, Part 1

2024-01-08T13:22:15Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=25
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=25
|prev2=Before the Storm
|next2=Other Voices, Part 2
|image=VokUnicronHead.jpg
|caption=''[[It|Another]]'' [[Grand Mal|floating]] [[Unicron/Generation 1|head!?]]
|title="Other Voices" Part 1
|season=1
|season ep=25
|production=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[March 31]], [[1997]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]] [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Colin Davies]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTovT_7VlhU
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''The plans of both Megatron and the mysterious aliens are coming to a ''head'' as one of the two moons transforms.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Other Voices 1 Blackarachnia Tarantulas.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Some women can't be trusted, especially spiders.]]
In a flash of light, a power anomaly emerges from a wormhole above the planet and descends to the surface. [[Vok|The aliens]] have arrived.

[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] detects the arrival and alerts [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]], who hopes the truce is still holding. He flies off to meet [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] at the landing site located in [[Grid Trion]].

[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] is programming his stolen [[transwarp cell]], when [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] pays him another visit. She tells him she can get them inside the Maximal base to steal a [[stasis pod]]. [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] monitors the entire discussion between the two spiders and sends [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] to the location the aliens are anticipated to arrive at.

Rattrap and Airazor reach the site, which is a large circular plaza of stone, pulsing with energy and containing a stable energon crystal. When Airazor tries to scan it, it zaps her, blasts Rattrap away, and engulfs the entire site inside an [[Bio-Dome|organic dome-like structure]] with Airazor inside

[[File:Other Voices 1 Airazor bungalow.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|The aliens don't like mimes in an invisible box.]]
Airazor awakens inside the "nutty alien bungalow", where a garbled alien voice speaks to her. She assures the aliens she means them no harm, but they have no such compunctions and painfully scan her until she converts to [[beast mode]]. After the scan ends, they are left with one word of information: "[[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]".

Outside, Waspinator arrives to "secure the area", but Rattrap drives him off with a vigorous bout of fisticuffs.

Optimus Primal arrives and surveys the situation. Rattrap's efforts to use a laser to cut through the dome structure are ineffective. Megatron then arrives with [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]. He mocks Optimus for thinking that simple laser could get through the structure, commenting that the aliens can "create [[energon]] itself". He then has Scorponok fire a "toxic sting" that eats through the structure. Primal and Rattrap venture inside; Rattrap drags the semi-conscious Airazor out, while Primal stays to confront the aliens. A series of whip-like metal tentacles ensnare him and lift him up into an agonizing scanning grid.

Tarantulas and Blackarachnia have made their way to the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]], where Blackarachnia activates a device that creates a small opening in the shields. The spiders move in, unaware that they are being followed by [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], who notes that they're up to no good and develops his own entry by digging a tunnel below ground.

Rattrap pulls Airazor out through Scorponok's opening just before it self-seals, to find himself facing Predacon guns. The truce is over.

[[File:Other Voices 1 Primal bondage.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Primal usually has to pay for this treatment.]]
Optimus Primal's scan ends, and to address him, the aliens (having no form he could comprehend) take the form of a "figure of authority"—the head of [[Unicron]]. The aliens tell him that the [[Transformer]]s have contaminated their experiment, which will be "sterilized". Primal pleads for a chance to fix the damage, and for the lives of the planet's native creatures, but the aliens are dismissive, citing greater dangers unknown to Primal. The conversation ends with the aliens activating a "termination sequence".

[[File:Other Voices 1 Moon opening.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|That can't be good...]]
The alien construct begins to pulse with building energy. The distraction proves enough for Rattrap and Airazor to overpower the Predacons. With renewed urgency, Optimus Primal breaks his bonds and flies right through the dome; the Maximals beat a hasty retreat—as the dome bursts open, spewing a directed geyser of energy into the sky. The energy activates hidden systems on [[Planet Buster|the second moon]], burning away its earthen surface to reveal an endless grid of weapon-like emplacements that begin powering up. The moon itself begins to change its shape, and the alien energies cause the orbiting stasis pods to tumble out of orbit.

Rhinox observes all this at the Maximal base, taking measures to track what's happening even as the sensors begin to fritz out. Thus engaged, he doesn't see the spiders coming up behind him till it's too late. [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] is likewise gunned down in short order. Staring at Rhinox's displays, Blackarachnia wonders what they're looking at, to which Tarantulas replies: "The beginning... of the end."

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (1)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (2)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (7)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (8)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (12)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]
|c2=
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (3)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (4)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (5)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (6)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (9)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (10)
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"''Not fair!'' Waszzpinator '''always''' gets slag assignments!" 
"''May I remind Waspinator that the current ceasefire applies '''only''' in reference to Maximals...''" 
''(gulp)'' "''Waszzpinator go.''"
:—'''Waspinator''' and '''Megatron''' discuss the fine print.

[''in a high-pitched voice.''] "Waspinator thinks area is secure now."
:—'''Waspinator''' after receiving a brutal beatdown from '''Rattrap'''.

[''Rattrap has just brutalized Waspinator''] 
"I swear, I can't take you ''anywhere''!" 
"Hey, e-heh, just keeping the peace."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Rattrap'''

"Aah, would I could have that sound to lull me to sleep each night."
:—'''Megatron''' enjoying the soothing lullaby of Optimus Primal's agonized screams.

"It is too late. You and your enemies have already contaminated the project. The harm has been done. That which does not become part of the one—shall become void." 
"No—wait! We can fix whatever damage was done." 
"We are not interested. The experiment will be sterilized." 
"You can't do that! There are living creatures here. You, with all your power—even you have no right!"
:—The '''Vok''' refuse to bargain with '''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 29th August 1996
* Second draft: 5th November 1996
* Finalised: 11th November 1996
* As Air: 22nd March 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
*When Waspinator announces to Rattrap that he's securing the area, his insect wings are missing (though you can still hear the buzzing). They pop back into existence as he transforms into robot mode.

===Continuity errors===
*Tarantulas and Blackarachnia's plan to bypass [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], sneak into the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', and then modify and reprogram a stasis pod on the fly while squatting in enemy camp seems to have one glaring oversight: Don't the Predacons ''already'' possess a functional stasis pod? The one Blackarachnia herself arrived in?

===Continuity notes===
* This episode heavily follows on from where the status quo was left [[Before the Storm|last episode]]... everyone is still worried about the imminent arrival of the aliens, the Maximals and Predacons currently have a truce, Waspinator is being repaired after Tarantulas blew him up, and Tarantulas himself is actively trying to escape the planet for reasons that will shortly become clear.
* Back in "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]", Rhinox observed that one of the moons was lighter than it should be, suggesting that it wasn't a natural celestial body.
* This is the first of several episodes centered on the aliens, all with "Other V*"-styled titles: "Other Voices", "[[Other Visits (Part 1)|Other Visits]]", "[[Other Victories]]".
*"Scan complete, this is the specimen we analyzed before."—The Vok previously analyzed Optimus in "[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]".
* While fighting Waspinator, Rattrap pulls off the same beast mode rolling-maneuver he used back in "[[Call of the Wild]]".
* This is the first time we've seen the original [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] since the [[Beast Wars (Part 1)| first episode]]. Perhaps Megatron has finally realised what [[Earth|planet]] they have actually landed on...
* Gadgets and powers:
** Rattrap carries a cutting laser in his arm compartments.
** Scorponok's stingers are venomous, allowing him to blow a hole in the Bio-Dome.

===Transformers references===
*Unicron is, of course, originally from "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]". The Vok's Unicron hologram is solely a visual reference, and is not meant to suggest any connection between the aliens and Unicron. The Vok mention that they learned about Unicron from Optimus's [[datatrax]], suggesting that not ''all'' information about the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] was sealed away by the [[Maximal Elder]]s.
*The Unicron hologram's statement "That which does not become part of the one—shall become void" may be a reference to Unicron's quote from ''[[The Transformers Universe]]'': "That which does not become a part of me shall become one with the great void." It might also be a twisted reference to [['Til all are one|a certain Autobot mantra]], which wouldn't be the first or last of such references.

===Real-world references===
*While rescuing Airazor from the alien structure, and arguing whether to leave Optimus Primal behind or not, Rattrap misquotes two lines from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 1854 poem, "The Charge of the Light Brigade", changing them slightly for the occasion.

===Trivia===
*The Vok claim that "there is more danger than you know", suggesting that the destruction of the Earth is necessary to forestall some greater threat. This idea was never touched on again. They likewise claim that their true forms are incomprehensible, although later episodes would also ignore this statement.
* Terrorsaur is strangely quiet in this episode, not even crying out when he gets shot by Rattrap. (On the other hand, Dinobot is on screen for less time but does get to speak one whole word: "Invaders!")
*In a line originally in the script but not included in the episode, Rattrap described the Bio-Dome as "creepier than [[Crystal City]] on [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]] day."
* The start of the audio commentary for this episode with fan consultant [[Ben Yee]] and story editor [[Larry DiTillio]] on the [[Madman Entertainment]] ''Beast Wars Season 1'' DVD is almost inaudible. As Larry DiTillio is trying to explain something, something happens that is very difficult to make out, with Ben Yee suggesting they start over.
*Bob Forward has said this was originally meant to be a 4-parter but the plans were changed at the last minute—"Apparently anything more than a two-parter is too hard to schedule".<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/bc8e54e9165e0823?hl=en&&q=%22anything%20more%20than%20a%20two-parter%20is%20too%20hard%20to%20schedule%22 Interview with Bob Forward on alt.toys.transformers]</ref> Despite his comments, this episode follows on almost directly from [[Before the Storm]] (as noted above). This ability to link episodes together without making them explicit two-parters will become more and more common over the next two seasons.
*After Waspinator is defeated by Rattrap, he has exactly the voice you'd expect from someone who's been [[Humanization|kicked in the nards]].
*At the beginning of the episode, Tarantulas has a series of purple bars and a series of red bars on a computer screen. In [[Cybertronix]], they are labeled "bass" and "treble".
* This is the last multi-parter to feature a "Next time on ''Beast Wars''" segment (which is probably for the best, as this one basically spoils the final moments of the next episode).

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Les Voix d'Autre Monde - 1re partie'''" ("The Voices from Another World - Part 1")
::*In the "Next time on ''Beast Wars''" segment, Megatron's last phrase "I rather like these aliens" is replaced by "I love suspense". However, the accurate translation is used in the next episode for the same scene.

:*''Title:'' "'''Les Voix 1'''" (Canada, "The Voices 1")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Andere Stimmen, Teil 1'''" ("Other Voices, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 19|19 September]] [[1998]]
::*The dub's translator seems to have misunderstood that Unicron's head is merely an image created by the Vok, as Primal refers to it as Unicron even after the aliens have explained that it's only a projection. Also, Primal starts the conversation by addressing the aliens in plural but switches to a singular "you" midway through.

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'arrivo - Parte 1'''" ("The Arrival - Part 1")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kyōfu no Daiō Arawaru!'''" (恐怖の大王現る!, "The Great King of Terror Appears!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 18|18 March]] [[1998]]
::*As Airazor flies over the wastelands with Rattrap on his back, they have a pun-filled discussion complete with animated captions overlaid on the screen breaking down the linguistics of 人生 (''jinsei'', "human life") and ネズミ生 (''nezumisei'', "rat life").
::*"Robo Noogies" is changed to クルクル攻撃 (''kurukuru kougeki'', "Whirling Attack").

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Outras Vozes Parte 1'''" ("Other Voices Part 1")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Otras Voces Primera Parte'''" ("Other Voices First Part")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Tiān Wài Lái Kè '''" (天外来客, "The Alien Comes to the Earth")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — To Protect the Peace... ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 4 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 4 — The Predacons Advance! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Before the Storm

2024-01-08T13:01:46Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=24
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=24
|prev2=Law of the Jungle
|next2=Other Voices, Part 1
|image=Before the Storm Megatron disc.jpg
|caption="At last, I have located the greatest chocolate coin in all history, ''yessss''..."
|title="Before the Storm"
|season=1
|season ep=24
|production company= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate= [[February 21]], 1997
|written by= [[Larry DiTillio]] [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by= [[Adam Wood]]
|animation studio= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoQKl-xP-jw
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''Inferno brings Megatron an alien golden disk that causes him to offer a too good to be true cease fire to the Maximals.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:VokDisk Monolith.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Finders keepers.]]
[[Tigatron]] observes a strange energy pulse in a distant mountain. Simultaneously, within the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]], [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] is woken by his computer. It reports the energy anomaly, and that it is of alien origin. Megatron suspects this could be the start of something big and thus sends [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] to investigate. The fire ant burrows into the mountain and recovers a [[Golden Disk (Vok)|strange discus]].

[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Primal]] is on a scouting run looking for the energy anomaly that Tigatron reported. He sees a strange probe, and follows it. The probe stops and forms into a hologram of Megatron. He proposes to meet about a truce on neutral ground, between both leaders.

When they meet, Megatron insists that the truce is not an act of treachery. He explains that he has no time to fight [[Maximal]]s, and he needs time to think. Primal reluctantly agrees to a truce, bound by Maximal code. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] proposes that it's about the alien energy. Primal agrees, stating that something scared Megatron very badly. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] is sent—despite his usual complaints—to infiltrate the ''Darksyde''.

Meanwhile, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] hacks his way into a holding chamber to steal one of the Predacon ship's remaining [[transwarp cell]]s. [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] surprises him and demands an answer, and Tarantulas easily defeats him. Megatron, watching the exchange, decides to let Tarantulas do his work, and throw another kink in it—[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]].

[[File:Before the Storm Airazor rattrap.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Ride the wind, Rattrap.]]
[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] delivers Rattrap to the Predacon base—unarmed—and drops him off quickly before hailing the Predacon channels. Megatron casually disarms the perimeter defenses and asks Airazor to leave. As she leaves, he stops her a moment and suggests she take Rattrap with her. Foiled, they return to the base and report to Primal, but exchange knowing glances—the distraction was enough for [[Tigatron]] to make his entrance.

Blackarachnia surprises Tarantulas, and in the confusion, Megatron hacks the Transwarp cell and adds his own programming.

Tigatron hacks the Predacon database in a cool VR world, and discovers the second Golden Disk's datatracks. Terrorsaur finds Tigatron hacking and sounds the alarm, but Tigatron uses Terrorsaur and Scorponok's goonery against each other. Under orders not to fire, the Predacons chase Tigatron, leading into a battle with the rest of the Maximals.

[[File:Before the Storm Terrorsaur.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Pteranodon on a silver platter. Tasty.]]
Under the limitations of a truce, the Predacons and Maximals battle without using their weapons. Primal steals a wire from Inferno's rocket. Terrorsaur fails at dodging a piece of sheet metal that Cheetor and Rhinox move into position. The spiders are smart enough to avoid one trap set by Dinobot, but in doing so, are crushed by another. Without firing a single shot, the Maximals have won the day... unless, of course, Megatron intentionally let them get away.

On the Maximal base, Tigatron explains what Megatron discovered: a golden disk similar in size to the one Megatron originally stole, this one created by the same aliens who crafted [[Brigadoon|the flying island]], and seeded the energon on the planet. The disk itself was part of a signal that the aliens sent, ensuring that the planet received a message:

[[Vok|The aliens]] are on their way. And they are not very happy...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Tigatron]] (1)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (5)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (6)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
* [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (12)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (3)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (9)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (10)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (13)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"When Predacons talk truce, it just means they need time to reload their weapons." 
"Under normal circumstances, yes."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' correctly assesses '''Megatron'''.

"Do you take me for a fool?" 
"No. I take you for a Maximal."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Megatron'''

"What could I do? He was right, I'm a Maximal. I have to give peace a chance, no matter how unlikely it seems."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' channels John Lennon.

"Ehhhh we're gonna diieeee!" 
"Isn't there a rule that heroes have to face destruction with dignity?" 
"Hey! What's the use of dyin' if ya can't enjoy it?"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Airazor'''

"Well, well, looks like curiosity just claimed another cat."
:—'''Terrorsaur''', finding Tigatron inside the Predacon Base

"There is a storm approaching. A storm of such magnitude, of such power... it is ''beyond imagination''. And to think, I was once satisfied with mere energon. To think that my ambitions lofted no higher than the conquest of Cybertron. ''*laughs* *coughs*'' Well, no longer. For I have been given a glimpse of power. Real power. And that power shall be ''mine!''"
:—'''Megatron''' starts to acquire a taste for godhood.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* Revised: 14th November 1996
* As Air: 26th March 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
* After Inferno transforms into [[robot mode]] to retrieve the alien disk, out of the three "bumps" adorning his forehead, only the middle one shows up. The other two briefly flicker in and out of existence in the wrong place as he takes off, then his head goes back to normal.
* When Megatron wakes up and the right-side panel on his chair warps back into shape, it's folded down farther than in the previous shot and clipping through some piece of machinery.
* When Optimus arrives at the neutral territory to talk with Megatron, his shoulder pads are missing. Megatron's ones are also missing when he speaks to Airazor.
* As Primal says "Megatron's found out something...", Cheetor's right leg is clipping into the machinery in the background.
* Blackarachnia's claws clip through her hip and legs multiple times as she "greets" Tarantulas in his lair.
* The container Tarantulas hides the Transwarp cell behind doesn't actually go in front of it, it completely clips through and goes around the cell.
* When Megatron turns off the monitor showing the two spiders bickering, both Tarantulas and Blackarachnia are missing their textures.
* Megatron's toothbrush clips through his knee when he pushes the switch to deactivate the auto-cannons.
* Before Airazor (seen through the view of Megatron's monitor screen) turns back to [[beast mode]], her right arm briefly clips through her knee.
* After Tigatron has infiltrated the Pred base and we cut back to the Maximals, Cheetor is tapping the buttons on a control panel to browse through the holographic projections of the alien sites. In the next shot, the panel's gone, the lighting on the table changes, and the projections keep changing by themselves.
* Megatron's hand clips through the alien disk's pedestal as he goes on about "power".
* The hole on the Predacon ship that Tigatron escapes through has blurry instead of sharp edges.
* While screaming he's about to capture Tigatron, Terrorsaur's running speed is noticeably slower than the speed of his actual running animation cycle.
* Terrorsaur covers his face when he's about to slam into Scorponok, but just before they do so, he's running again as normal.
* Blackarachnia is partially submerged in the hillside as she and Tarantulas approach Dinobot's impromptu trap.
* While Megatron is in his closing words of the episode, he is missing his beast mode kibble, except the head of course. In fact, Megatron is missing most of his kibble throughout the episode, especially the pieces on his back (which form the sides of his beast mode). He does spend almost all this episode sat down in a chair or in the bath, so removing the kibble probably made it easier for the animators.
* Not so much an error as it is an animation oversight, but if you look closely as Blackarachnia runs after Tigatron ''(right before the scene cuts to Dinobot)'', you can see her holding a gun, despite Megatron's emphasis on "No shooting" mere seconds ago. Blackarachnia probably remembers this in the next scene involving her, as her gun is nowhere to be seen then.

===Continuity errors===
*How exactly Megatron managed to reach the truce location is a bit sketchy. Optimus was only able to reach it by flight, and yet there were no other minions to carry Megatron up to such a high location, yet towards the end of the conversation, he simply turns to walk away... must have been a hard fall down.

===Continuity notes===
* When Megatron checks the location of the Alien Disk, we see a very brief map of the planet. It matches similar views we've [[Chain of Command (BW)|seen before]], featuring Earth-like continents that aren't quite in the same places that they are on present-day Earth. The map indicates the alien structure to be located on the west coast of North America, which means that Tigatron had a hell of a long way to walk to get there and back from the apparently Africa-located Maximal and Predacon bases.
* Rattrap makes mention about having to infiltrate the Predacon base "again", referring to his earlier infiltration in "[[Double Jeopardy]]".
* While discussing the aliens, Cheetor looks at a hologram that alternates between the [[Standing Stones]] and the [[Brigadoon|floating island]], with the latter's destruction also mentioned by Tigatron at the end of the episode.
*In ''[[A Better Mousetrap]]'', Optimus Primal snuck up on Waspinator much the same way he did to Inferno in this episode, including announcing himself by tapping the Predacon on the head and waving.
* The Alien Disk sure looks like the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] which we saw way back in the [[Beast Wars (Part 1)|first episode]] and haven't seen since, doesn't it? The similarity of design has never been explained.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Tarantulas can deploy a microphone from his helmet that allows him to mimic Megatron's voice.
** The golden sphere in the center of Tarantulas' forehead can detach and be thrown as a smoke bomb. This might be a reference to his original bio, where he was described as a ninja.
** Tigatron can pop out a cable from the left side of his hip, which he can use to hack terminals.

===Transformers references===
*When Megatron is talking to Inferno in his room, there is a Generation 1 [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] head on his shelf, with an expression of pure horror. Either it's a reference to [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s treachery in [[Possession|a previous episode]], or Megatron has some weird taste in ornaments.
*There's also a replica of [[Megatron (G1)|Generation 1 Megatron's]] [[fusion cannon]] on the shelf below the head.

===Real-world references===
[[File:Scorponok-beforethestorm.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|But where's the heart banging out through his chest?]]
*On the shelf in Megatron's room (aside from the Seeker head and a picture of himself in his pre-Beast Wars body), there is a Transformer sized trophy and bowling pin. He must have been good at that non-sport before he traded his hand for another head.
* Megatron's system provides him with a "Code A T T alert"; later when accessing the transwarp cell's programming, Megatron uses code "A T T override". Both are shout-outs to the Usenet newsgroup [[alt.toys.transformers]].
* As Megatron's screen unfolds, a rapid-fire sequence of images includes photographs of a NASA Space Shuttle lifting off, the Houses of Parliment in London, a oceanside sunset, a guy in a stocking cap, and several mountain ranges.
* Megatron mused that "There is a storm coming. A storm of such power, such magnitude, it is beyond imagination!" "Beyond Imagination" was at the time the website of James Hooks, a fan who'd had close contact with the series writers. His site took its name from a tagline for [[The Transformers: The Movie|the original movie]].
* The entire escape sequence contains a great deal of {{w|Looney Tunes}}-style sight gags. Scorponok's facial features contort wildly just before he collides with Terrorsaur; Blackarachnia and Tarantulas are squashed by an improbably fast rock; Terrorsaur flies into a sheet of metal, leaving a full-body impression; and Inferno comes to a dead halt in mid-air before realizing that his flight systems are disabled and that he's required to fall. A tiny poof of dust accompanies his impact on the ground far below.

===Trivia===
*Bob Forward has said this was originally planned to be part of a 4-part "Other Voices" but the plans were changed at the last minute—"Apparently anything more than a two-parter is too hard to schedule. Before The Storm had to be made into a stand-alone ep."<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/bc8e54e9165e0823?hl=en&&q=%22before+the+storm%22 Bob Forward interview on alt.toys.transformers]</ref>
** Despite the "stand-alone" claim, this episode is the most continuity heavy so far. It advances the aliens mystery, showing Megatron moving towards long-term plans of conquest rather than single-episode "destroy the Maximals" schemes, and makes several other references to prior episodes. Tigatron's declaration that the aliens are on their way and Tarantulas's determination to leave the planet all lead into the season finale. The episode even opens with a shot prominently showing the two moons, just for an extra bit of foreshadowing.
* This is the first time Inferno is seen referring to Megatron as his "Queen", which would become an occasional recurring gag throughout the rest of the series.
* The idea Maximals and Predacons have of "truce" is rather odd. Instead of meaning a full end of hostilities, it seems to be a rather literal-minded interpretation of a "cease-fire", merely prohibiting the use of guns (and probably other conventional weaponry); unusual and comic violence such as boulder-throwing or use of a metal plate is still possible. Also, punching is still allowed.
*Apparently, all you have to do to hack all of [[Darksyde (BW)|the Predacon ship]]'s data is to play a virtual reality video game. The Predacons' computer virtual interface is similar to what's seen in early-to-mid 90s techno-films like ''{{w|Johnny Mnemonic (film)|Johnny Mnemonic}}''.
*Blackarachnia can be seen trapping a red poison-dart frog in her webbing when Megatron communicates with her via computer.
*Waspinator breaks the fourth wall after Tarantulas throws him the bomb, looking at the camera as he wails "oh, no!"
*In this episode specifically, Megatron's dinosaur head-arm acts as if it has a mind of its own, albeit in small ways and mostly for the sake of humor (as this doesn't happen in any other episode). Before the Predacon computer wakes him up, the dino head-arm is "awake" and looking around. Similarly, when observing Tarantulas's break-in, his dino hand is looking up at him, and he pets it affectionately, as if it was, well... a pet. Just before Airazor calls the Predacon base, he is brushing its teeth with a toothbrush. It's not clear what's going on here or how this works or even whether it's merely a bit of particularly self-indulgent self-puppetry, but clearly, Megatron has a very special relationship with his right hand (though considering that it has a ''T. rex'' mouth... ''[[Reproduction|yikes]].'')
* Standing besides each other at the episode's end is the only actual interaction Dinobot and Airazor ever have in the entire series.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le Calme Avant la Tempête'''" ("The Calm Before the Storm")

:*''Title:'' "'''Avant l'Orage'''" ("Before the Storm")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Vor dem Sturm'''" ("Before the Storm")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 12|12 September]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Prima della tempesta'''" ("Before the Storm")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yatsura ga Kuru!'''" (やつらが来る!, "They're Coming!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 11|11 March]] [[1998]]
::*While slumbering at the beginning of the episode, in-between loud snores, Megatron mumbles, "''Hot springs...''"
::*While brushing the teeth on his ''T. rex'' head/hand, Megatron grumbles about all the chives stuck in his teeth.
::*As he's traveling through the "virtual reality" in the Predacon computer, Tigatron passes the time by singing a tune with lyrics made from his verbal tic, "''Goza Goza Gozaruuuuuu--!''"
::*Most of the end "battle" was showcased in the [[clip show|clip movie]] "[[Clash! Beast Warriors]]".

'''Latvian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Pirms vētras'''" ("Before the Storm")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Antes da Tempestade'''" ("Before the Stoem")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Antes de la Tormenta'''" ("Before the Storm")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fēngbào Qiánxī '''" (风暴前夕, "The Moment before the Storm")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Farewell Tigatron ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 4 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 4 — The Predacons Advance! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Law of the Jungle

2024-01-08T13:00:53Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=23
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=23
|prev2=The Low Road
|next2=Before the Storm
|image=Law of the Jungle Tigatron.jpg
|caption=Tigatron finds out that he got Jeph Loeb's ''Hulk'' in the mail instead of ''The Incredible Hercules''.
|title="Law of the Jungle"
|season=1
|season ep=23
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 17]], [[1997]]
|written by=[[Mark Leiren-Young]]
|directed by=[[John Pozer]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plD69zzooeM
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''After an innocent is killed, Tigatron questions his commitment to the Maximal cause.'''

==Synopsis==
Frogs eat bugs, snakes kill frogs, birds kill snakes. Things are mercilessly killing each other, as Nature intended. But Nature didn't intend for a [[Inferno (BW)|giant crazed robotic fire ant]] to attack [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]. As the maniacal Inferno gleefully assaults the two, [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] brings out some heavy explosives from a mountaintop weapons cache to take out Dinobot, though he ends up knocking Inferno aside as well; [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] just hangs back, waiting for the signal that Terrorsaur never bothered to give. After getting blasted a good distance, Terrorsaur signals for Waspinator to attack. Cheetor radios for back-up.

[[Image:Law of the Jungle Tigatron Waspinator.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Don't look!]]
Waspinator plans an attack on Cheetor using another heavy explosive, but overestimates his own strength and can't keep himself aloft when he's holding the weapon. While trying to keep airborne, Waspinator sees [[Snowstalker|a tiger]], which he naturally mistakes for [[Tigatron]]—who is actually a few feet higher on the mountain, ready to pounce on the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]. Tigatron holds on and guides the bug to a crash.

Inferno switches his weapon to a flamethrower to cook the cats. Tigatron transforms and blasts Inferno away, but a stray shot from his own gun passes Inferno and heads towards the mountain where both Snowstalker and the Predacon's weaponry cache are located. The entire supply of explosives detonates in a single blast, and Tigatron's animal friend is caught in the rockslide. Concerned for his companion, Tigatron hurries to unbury the wild tiger, but it's too late.

[[Image:Law of the Jungle Snowstalker grave.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Tigatron attempts to invent [[LEGO]].]]
Later, as the sky darkens, Tigatron finishes constructing a marker for Snowstalker's resting place. Surveying the damage to the landscape from the fight, Tigatron resolves to quit being a participant in the Beast Wars. Dinobot argues that destruction is part of the nature of war, but Tigatron remains with his decision to stay out of the Maximal/Predacon conflict. After Tigatron leaves, Dinobot follows him, making it clear he has a sort of plan. Cheetor is relieved when [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Primal]] arrives to make sense of the situation.

The three Predacons meet to plan their next move.

[[Image:Law of the Jungle Tigatron Dinobot.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Tigatron has awesome nightvision.]]
In the dark of night, in thick foliage, Dinobot shows Tigatron an example of Nature in action: a tiger killing some gazelles. Slaughter for survival, just like the Maximals battle the Predacons for the survival of peace on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Dinobot explains that if [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] wins, he will spread war to other worlds, ultimately destroying Cybertron in the process. Thus, the Maximals must stop him. It is the legacy of the [[Autobot]]s and the [[Decepticon]]s: they will always oppose each other. Tigatron still disagrees, and Dinobot gets aggressive. Luckily, before Dinobot gets carried away, Primal arrives to take his turn at reasoning. Disgusted, Dinobot takes his leave. After he leaves, Primal tells Tigatron that he hates the Beast Wars just as much as him, but that as long as they are on this planet, they have a duty to protect it from the Predacons.

[[Image:Law of the Jungle Tigatron maximals.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Tigatron does the "windmill" move.]]
The three Predacons attack Dinobot, overpowering the lone Maximal despite his inhumanly flexible neck. Primal arrives soon after, and the Predacons hope for another victory. Optimus puts up a better fight, knocking away both Terrorsaur and Waspinator with one shot, but Inferno hits Optimus from behind with a strong blast. The two Maximals are too damaged to fight against the killer fire ant, when to their rescue comes Tigatron, who can't sit passively while his friends are close to death.

Inferno's flamethrower ignites a bush, adding to Tigatron's fury. The cat blasts Inferno into the distance, ending the Predacon's campaign. Tigatron extinguishes the fire and is welcomed back to the Beast Wars. Although he still hates the collateral damage, Tigatron now understands he can do more good as a warrior than a bystander.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (6)
*[[Tigatron]] (8)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (3)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (4)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (5)

|c4=
*[[Snowstalker]] (7)
}}

==Quotes==
"'''FIIIIIIIIIIIRE!''' ''For the Royalty!''"
:—'''Inferno''', completely destroying the element of surprise.

"Inferno not wait for your signal!" 
"So much for surprise! You take [[Cheetor (BW)|the cat]]; I'll support Inferno!" 
[''Waspinator giggles as Terrorsaur flies over to a mountain and picks up another missile''] 
"Oooh...Waszzpinator waits for signal!"
:—'''Waspinator''' and '''Terrorsaur''' attempt to salvage the situation after Inferno ruins the ambush.

"DO SOMETHING!" 
"Terrorsaur has not given signal~!" 
"'''ATTACK, YOU IMBECILE!'''" 
[''Waspinator turns to viewer''] 
"Waszzpinator will engage enemy."
:—'''Terrorsaur''' and '''Waspinator''' discuss strategy.

"The Royalty commands your wreckage, destroyer of my colony!" 
"Give my regards to the [[Pit (BW)|Pit]], Predacon."
:—'''Inferno''' and '''Tigatron''' exchange trash talk.

"Goodbye, Snowstalker. Let your hunting ground shelter you now."
:—'''Tigatron''' at Snowstalker's grave

"In my lust for battle, I caused the death of an innocent." 
"Hrah! There are no innocents. This is war! And this...well, this is simply a battlefield." 
"''We made it so!'' And every time we do, this world suffers. But I will have no more of it. From this moment on, I am no longer part of the Beast Wars."
:—'''Tigatron''' tells '''Dinobot''' that he's out of the war.

"''That'' is the law of the jungle! The hunters and the hunted. Scrap or be scrapped." 
"Animals hunt to survive!" 
"And what do you think war is about?"
:—'''Dinobot''' tells '''Tigatron''' there's no getting out.

"Hrah! Sentiment. The more time I spend with you Maximals, the more I wonder how you survived so long."
:—'''Dinobot''' protests too much.

"You. Will. Leave. The wild. ALONE!"
:—'''Tigatron''', blasting Inferno with every word

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 27th September 1996
* Second draft: 2nd October 1996
* Finalised: 16th October 1996
* As Air: 25th March 1997

===Animation or technical errors===
* The tree the snake in the beginning tries to slither up on is really a stump, or more accurately an only partial model. As the view moves up, it's revealed that its branch and trunk simply cut off, leading to no leaves or further branches. The nearby plants were likely meant to hide this, but this little technical shortcut is still visible for a few frames.
* The motion blur effect on Inferno's spinning abdomen blades appears and disappears rather inconsistently over the course of the episode.
* When Cheetor pulls his gun out, it clips through his head.
* Cheetor's gun is shifted to the side as he fires at Inferno from the cover of a rock. The grip is about an inch away from his fist, making it appear like the gun is simply stuck to the back of his hand.
* Dinobot's eye beams are awfully misaligned when he tries to shoot Inferno in the back. Only one laser beam shows up in most of the shot, but freeze-framing reveals the other is pointing way off to the side. They should be parallel to each other.
* In the same shot, one beam clearly hits Inferno's head, but caused no harm.
* Inferno's feet are twisted backward with his heels pointing up as he lands to confront Dinobot. Then as he flails his gun around, at one point it clips through his knee. It clips through his forearms as well as he spins it around in his hand.
* Both of Dinobot's feet are facing the wrong way when he paces toward Inferno, with the right one also jerking around frantically.
* The motion blur effect of Dinobot's shield also turns on and off in different shots during the sequence.
* When the spinning weapon carrying the miniature charges "lands", it very blatantly sinks and disappears into solid rock.
* At the same time, Inferno's insect abdomen is shrunken to the point that it's barely noticeable.
* Still in the same shot, Inferno's blasts are animated pretty awkwardly. They fly toward Dinobot super slowly while expanding and getting blurrier as they go, then suddenly turn small and crisp as Dinobot's shield repels them away. And instead of dispersing or dissolving, they simply disappear between frames.
* The ensuing explosion sends Dinobot flying with immense speed. Inferno, meanwhile, first gets jerked ''toward'' the explosion, then begins flying backwards.
* When Terrorsaur gives Waspinator the signal while being stuck to the cliff face, his fingers remain stuck in the same position for the remainder of the shot despite moving his wings around quite a bit.
* Waspinator isn't moving his mandibles when he finishes his "Waspinator sees good target" line.
* When Inferno begins spewing fire at the cat-bots, the flames on his thrusters are misplaced, coming from around the middle of the apparatus rather than from its tip.
* During the Predacons' talk on the mountain top, a couple of grey segments on Inferno's left upper arm are placed incorrectly, sticking out of the front of his shoulder almost at a 90° angle instead of resting flush against his upper arm on either side.
* Waspinator's stinger remains in a bent position after he, uh, waggles his abdomen around like a puppy-tail.
* At the end of the sequence, the tips of Inferno's jets are poking through their outer shell before he opens them.
* The wild tiger that Dinobot and Tigatron observe looks rather strange: it is mostly black and orange, with very little of the white that should be on its flanks, legs, or face. What faint hints of white it does have are almost fully hidden by the scene's dim lighting.
* The tiger's face also clearly clips through the grass before it lunges.
* When the Predacons transform to attack Dinobot, Terrorsaur's shoulder-cannons end up floating behind his back. Additionally, the tips of Waspinator's insect-mode feet, along with an unidentifiable "blob", are still visibly poking through his robot mode chest.
* Dinobot's sword is in his hand when Optimus helps him up, but when the shot cuts, it's gone.
* Just before Dinobot turns back into [[beast mode]], a tan colored shape that may be part of his foot very briefly pops in and out of view on the bottom of the screen behind him.
* When Tigatron blasts Inferno away, the latter's jet flames are missing.

===Continuity errors===
* Dinobot says that the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] began three centuries ago. What he meant to say was that it ended three centuries ago.

===Continuity notes===
* At the beginning of the episode, Cheetor and Dinobot are searching for more [[Vok|alien]] sites.
* Snowstalker had previously been seen in the episode "[[Fallen Comrades]]". Who's the fallen comrade NOW?
* Inferno calls Tigatron "destroyer of my colony!", a reference to [[Spider's Game|how the tiger-bot ticked him off in his debut episode.]] Apparently, Inferno doesn't yet think of the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]] as his colony.
* Tigatron makes the first reference to The [[Pit (BW)|Pit]], the equivalent of Cybertronian Hell or Predacon Heaven, depending on who you ask. Fittingly, he makes the comment to Inferno, whose name required earlier references to "The Inferno" to be dropped in favor of "The Pit".
* Gadgets and powers:
** Inferno wields a strange rotating missile launcher during his initial attack on the Maximals.
** Inferno possesses some kind of thermal vision system.
** Tigatron can shoot [[fire-retardant foam]] from his gut gun.

===Transformers references===
* Dinobot name-drops the original Great War, and the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s.

===Trivia===
* According to a 1997 interview with Bob Forward, though credited to Mark Leiren-Young, this episode was almost completely rewritten by Larry DiTillio.
* While Tigatron stands up to Inferno, Dinobot and Optimus Primal appear behind him in their beast modes, mimicking his finger-waggle with a sassy "nuh-uh" head-bob.
* The recording session for this episode was briefly shown in the ''Beast Wars Transformers "Making Of" Special''.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Loi de la Jungle'''" ("The Law of the Jungle")

:*''Title:'' "'''Loi de la Jungle'''" ("Law of the Jungle")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das Gesetz des Dschungels'''" ("The Law of the Jungle")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 5|5 September]] [[1998]]
::*Snowstalker is said to be a male in the dub.

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La legge della natura'''" ("The Law of Nature")
::*Snowstalker's name is never pronounced, and she's always refered to as a male.
::*Both Inferno and Tigatron are once called by their English name istead of the Italian ones, although Tigatron's is mispronounced.

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sarabadegozaru Tigatron'''" (さらばでござるタイガトロン, "Fare Thee Well, Tigatron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[March 4|4 March]] [[1998]]
::*As a prime example of this dub's relentless pursuit of humor, even in the most inappropriate of circumstances, Snowstalker's death is played for laughs. As Tigatron breaks down crying once he finds his friend's dead body, Dinobot remarks, "Wait... what's he talking about?" Cheetor then comically hushes him.
::*Snowstalker is renamed in this episode as "Torajirō" (トラジロー), which also changes her gender to male.
::*After Dinobot leaves Primal and Tigatron behind, as he trudges through the jungle, he sings the same melody he sang to himself in "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]", using only his verbal tic for lyrics (''Daaa daaa danananananaaaa'').
::*After he shoots Primal out of the sky, Terrorsaur sings a childish song with lyrics that translate to, "Optimus Primal is a gorilla! Optimus Primal falls down!"

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A Lei da Selva'''" ("The Law of the Jungle")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Ley de la Selva'''" ("The Law of the Jungle")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Zìrán Fǎzé '''" (自然法则, "The Law of Nature")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Farewell Tigatron ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 4 ([[Universal]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 4 — The Predacons Advance! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOJ3BvLrvco "Fare Thee Well, Tigatron"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1WSCLDu74I "Fare Thee Well, Tigatron (Part 2)"] on YouTube
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

The Low Road

2024-01-08T12:55:06Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=22
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=22
|prev2=Possession
|next2=Law of the Jungle
|image=Low Road Rhinox fart.jpg
|caption=AKA "The Low Brow"
|title="The Low Road"
|season=1
|season ep=22
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 10]], [[1997]]
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[J. Falconer]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_ErnFnvVuY
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''Rhinox is infected with a strange energon discharge virus, and if a cure isn't found, he'll destroy the Maximal base as he literally sneezes himself to death.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Low Road Rattrap Dinobot fight.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Objection!"]]
The [[Maximal]]s use their tools to garden, trimming the wild bean vines that have grown around the Maximal base and, as [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] explains, could be exploited by the Predacons. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] and Dinobot get into a fight. Inside, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] detects [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] coming to attack, but can't activate the [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] shields because of the two arguing Maximals outside. Rhinox comes down the elevator with his guns ablaze and commands the two to get inside, but they are too busy arguing to obey. Trying to cover his teammates' withdrawal, Rhinox is hit by a strange weapon from [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]. Dinobot blasts Tarantulas several times, and with the crucial shot fired, the Predacons retreat.

Inside, the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s computer reports on the strange effect the device had on Rhinox, giving him a [[Energon discharge virus|disease]] that causes the larger Maximal to "spontaneously discharge energy." Rhinox demonstrates this by hiccuping energy beams around the base, causing much collateral damage. It's decided a counter-virus must be found.

[[Image:Low Road Rattrap Dinobot Taratulas.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Hello? You're at gunpoint!]]
Rattrap and Dinobot attempt to trail the injured Tarantulas. The two get into an argument about who is to blame for Rhinox becoming sick, which quickly degenerates into name-calling. While listening to them over the comm channels, Cheetor asks Optimus if sending them out was really a good idea. He admits he isn't sure (considering how much trouble their disagreements have caused in the past), but dismisses the matter, as Rhinox's deteriorating health is more important. Eventually forgetting why they started the argument, the two follow Tarantulas's scent. Running after a glimpse of the Predacon, they fall though a hole and onto a long slide—with a heavy boulder close behind them. But after they land at the bottom of the slide, the boulder actually hits Tarantulas. Rattrap and Dinobot continue bickering as they search through the underground caverns for Tarantulas's lab.

Aboard the ''Axalon'', [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus]] reveals to [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] that he paired Dinobot and Rattrap together so they could either learn to work together or kill each other. Rhinox is meanwhile kept on a life support system which drains energy from the rest of the (now heavily damaged) Maximal base.

Back at the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]], [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] sends his own forces to reclaim Tarantulas so more of the virus can be developed to use on the rest of the Maximals. They head to his [[Tarantulas's lair|laboratory]] to see if they can locate the missing arachnid there. On Tarantulas's security sensors, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] notices the two wandering Maximals making their way through the caverns towards the hideout.

[[Image:Low Road Optimus Rhinox.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Hey, handsome. Come here often?"]]
Primal rallies his available soldiers for action against the Predacons to seize the antidote to Rhinox's ailment forcibly. Rhinox attempts to come along with the others, but Primal orders his friend to stay behind and consume some food to help stabilize his systems. Naturally, the first option on Rhinox's menu happens to be the wild beans conveniently surrounding the ''Axalon''.

[[Image:Low Road Megatron countervirus.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Megatron discovers what has been making his beast head go all green.]]
Back in Tarantulas's lair, Blackarachnia discovers where Tarantulas stored the counter-virus. When [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] detects the two Maximals getting closer, the Predacon goons open fire, wildly hoping to hit something, but instead just ruin any chance they have of ambushing their targets. Dinobot tries to use Tarantulas as a hostage, but this tactic doesn't work on Megatron, who has no reservations about abusing his own soldiers. However, the distraction has bought Rattrap (who was supposed to be covering Dinobot) the time to sneak through some tubes to arrive behind the Predacons, leaving him close enough to disarm them quickly.

A nasal energon-expulsion from Rhinox provides a hole for the other Maximals to enter the chamber once they finish posing heroically. Megatron mentions that he alone has the counter-virus that could save Rhinox.

But then Rhinox shoots an incredible energon fart (visible from space) that blows the Predacons far away, giving the Maximals the chance to grab the counter-virus and live happily ever after. Rattrap and Dinobot still bicker like kids, though. As for the Predacons? They landed on a dead tree in very uncomfortable positions.

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]
|c1=
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (1)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (5)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (13)
*[[Tigatron]] (14)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]
|c2=
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (6)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (7)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (8)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (9)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (10)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (12)
}}

==Quotes==
"No can do there Big Green, I got problems on my own."
:—'''Rattrap''' tells '''Rhinox''' that he's unavailable at the moment.

"Excuse me. Are ''you'' implying that the current situation is somehow... ''my'' responsibility?!" 
"Well, you did start it... ''gearhead!''" 
"I BEG to differ... cheese lips!" 
"Pre-evolved birdbrain!" 
"Eater of garbage!"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rattrap''' trade insults.

"Sheesh, and they call ''me'' the immature one."
:—'''Cheetor''''s response to above argument.

"A bargaining chip should remain in play until the game is over, yesss." 
"Why do you always talk to yourself?" 
"Ah, I simply have a penchant for... ''intelligent conversation.''"
:—'''Megatron''' ripostes rather well to '''Blackarachnia'''.

''(Dinobot enters, holding Tarantulas)'' 
"Do not fire, Megatron! I have a HOSTAGE!" 
"Why, so you do..." 
''(Megatron shoots Tarantulas)''
:—'''Megatron''' has also watched ''{{w|Speed (1994 film)|Speed}}''.

"This is ''certainly'' the most humiliating defeat of my entire career. Yess..."
:—'''Megatron''' after '''Rhinox''' defeats the Predacons single... erm, handedly.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 9th October 1996
* Finalised: 17th October 1996
* As Air: 7th February 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
* It seems the digital light emitter that normally gives Rattrap's eyes their glow has somehow became "detached" from his head, as when he giggles at Dinobot, there is a red glow illuminating his neck, chest and forehead, then it fades away as he moves back a bit.
*When Rhinox stands up from his console to aid Rattrap and Dinobot, he's holding his Chaingun upside down.
* When the three flying Predacons break formation, Waspinator's legs are clipping through his abdomen.
* Immediately after Dinobot grabs Rattrap by his head, his fingers slip off and Rattrap flies up seemingly by himself.
* Then as he's held by Dinobot, the hinges of Rattrap's elbows are twisted apart.
* When Tarantulas first speaks, his open mouth provides a clear window through his ''entire body'', so that the mountain behind him is clearly visible.
* As Tarantulas' missile flies at the Maximals, Dinobot is missing his "bones" that normally decorate his torso and legs.
* When the Preds retreat, Inferno is not only missing his jet thrusters, his abdomen blades aren't spinning either, though their motion blur effect is in place.
* When Rhinox comically blows the CR chamber up, it's missing a number of textures (rivets and the black lines on the side) that reappear just before the contraption falls apart.
* The CR chamber's top simply disappears after it flies up, never coming back down.
* Rattrap's right hand clips into Dinobot's shoulder after Rhinox blows the table off.
* After Rattrap and Dinobot land on top of Tarantulas' cave entrance, the latter's shins keep detaching from his feet as he moves about.
* After the boulder hits Tarantulas, it cracks in a most unconvincing way — the cracks appear to be extremely shallow.
* In the first shot of the duo dragging Tarantulas through the tunnel, Dinobot isn't holding the Predacon in any way. Tarantulas' foot is just sticking to the outside of his hand. Also, Dinobot's head periodically keeps jerking around.
* When the Predacons are looking around the lab, the first bottle inspected by Blackarachnia turns much darker a moment after she puts it down, while the other turns brighter when she picks it up. Their bottoms also partially clip into the table after she places them down.
* As the Maximals leave their base, Cheetor's eyes are red instead of green.
* Waspinator and Terrorsaur are incomplete 3D models when they open fire at the lab's entrance. Various pieces of them are either missing or are invisible, while others just float in the air connected to nothing. Note for instance the absence of Terrorsaur's pterosaur head from his back and the bright grey ring around his shoulders, and Waspinator's insect antennae, most of his pelvis, the main green part of his shoulders and the insect legs from his arms.
* Dinobot's left kneecap clips through Tarantulas' arm when he picks him up before entering the lab. Tarantulas' left claw also clips through Rattrap's gun and hand.
* Terrorsaur is standing right beside Inferno, but from Rattrap's view through the vent, he's nowhere to be seen.
* Dinobot is also missing from view when Rattrap drops on the table, making it seem like the Preds are aiming their guns at nothing.
* Rattrap blows off Waspinator's right hand along with his gun, but it's back on his arm just a few seconds later.
* The extreme closeup on the counter-virus in Megatron's dino-head-hand reveals a see-through seam running down one of his teeth.
* Tigatron's front feet momentarily cross and clip through each other as he goes into beast form.
* Megatron's back kibble are clipping through the tree branch in the final shot.

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:LowRoad fart.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The same results can be obtained by eating at Taco Bell.]]
*In this episode Blackarachnia mentions that Tarantulas encrypted all the information on his computers, foreshadowing that he has something to hide.
*When the rhino-fart shakes the globe, the epicenter is clearly in Africa, providing more evidence for the show being set there. In fact, it appears to be in the middle of the [[Sahara]], which would have been less arid in the prehistoric time of the Beast Wars than it is today. Quite possibly, this energon-fart is ''why'' it is so arid now, the fart having caused a slow destabilization of its climate. You be the judge!
*Somehow, even in the most humiliating defeat of Megatron's entire career, yes, Waspinator ''still'' manages to get the short end of the stick.

===Continuity errors===
*The details of exactly ''why'' Optimus decided it was a good idea to send Rattrap and Dinobot together on a life saving mission is beyond anyone. He later confesses, "They'll either learn to work together or destroy each other. Right now I don't really care which." He apparently doesn't hold Rhinox's life in very high regard.
*Rattrap's declaration that he and Dinobot have the Predacons under control is a bit exaggerated. He may have shot the guns from their hands, but that still leaves six Predacons with a variety of built-in weapons (Scorponok's missiles, Terrorsaur's shoulder cannons, Blackarachnia's spider-leg machine guns, etc.) against two Maximals. Either Rattrap has a lot of faith in his and Dinobot's fighting abilities, or he has an incredibly low view of Predacon skill...
*Megatron's decision to blast Tarantulas is pretty reckless and flat out moronic. Tarantulas is the one who created the virus and thus is probably the only one who knows how to make it. Megatron seems to be acting as if he holds all the cards but all he really has is the antidote. How exactly Megatron plans on infecting the Maximals with a virus using THE CURE FOR THE VIRUS isn't clear.
*When the Maximals break into Tarantulas' lab, Cheetor can be seen standing next to Tigatron holding his original "gut gun" as opposed to the alternative "rump gun" he is seen to use whenever he and Tigatron are armed and on-screen together.
*Tarantulas' lab is never seen as massively as portrayed in this episode before or since. Even the main chamber of it looks decidedly different than any other incarnation.
*How the heck did the Maximals manage to locate Tarantulas' lair? Optimus sent Rattrap and Dinobot precisely to find it, it took nearly the whole episode for them to do just that, it was impossible for the Maximals to contact either Rattrap or Dinobot... And then suddenly they all burst inside Tarantulas' lair, as if they had always known where it was. Odd.

===Transformers references===
*Rattrap's predilection for eating garbage was first mentioned in his original toy's [[bio]].<ref>[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/techspecs/beast-era/1996__Rattrap_(1996a).jpg Tech spec bio].</ref>

===Real-world references===
*Befitting the rather silly premise of the episode, the animation takes numerous cues from classic [[Warner Bros.]] cartoons, such as {{w|Road Runner (cartoon)|Road Runner}}.
** When Dinobot and Rattrap first encounter Tarantulas, he runs off in traditional Road Runner fashion, accompanied a slide whistle sound cue.
** Shortly afterwards, Dinobot and Rattrap fall into Tarantulas lair- in classic cartoon fashion, they temporarily hang in the air for a few seconds before falling; Rattrap's gun stays suspended for even longer.
* Dinobot refers to a [[Silicon Valhalla]] as some kind of afterlife, dually referencing both {{w|Valhalla|ancient Norse mythology}} and {{w|Silicon Valley}} (and at a stretch {{w|Red Dwarf}}'s {{w|Silicon Heaven}}).
* During one of their squabbles, Rattrap refers to Dinobot as a 'pre-evolved birdbrain', riffing on the then-recent scientific theory that birds evolved from Dromaeosaurid dinosaurs ("raptors") like Dinobot.
*When the Maximals burst into Tarantulas's lab, Airazor is kneeling at Optimus's feet, with one hand affectionately placed on his leg. Instead of, y'know, ''pointing a gun at the bad guys.'' The shot is a parody of the stereotypical heroic entrance/posturing scene, such as found on the theatrical poster for the original ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' film. Once Rattrap undermines the moment, as evidenced by the musical score, Airazor can be seen standing normally with the other Maximals. All part of the fun, folks.
*Rhinox dons a beer-hat style contraption from which to sip his treatment.
[[Image:LowRoad Rattrap in hardhat.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Safety first!]]
*Rattrap wears a [[hard hat]] while undertaking repairs on the Axalon.

===Trivia===
*In the beginning of the episode, Rattrap is using one of Optimus Primal's swords to cut down the vines.
*While turning around to deliver his energon fart, Rhinox's *ahem* anus is clearly visible. Now that's classy.
*The virus which infected Rhinox and which Megatron intended to use to infect the rest of the Maximals was never mentioned again. But can you blame him for washing his hands of the entire affair?
*Tarantulas seems to have one of Waspinator's arms in his lab.
*A dart-riddled picture of Megatron hangs in Tarantulas's lab.
*Apparently Megatron considers the immoral act of holding hostages a Maximal ploy.
*The title "The Low Road" may be a reference to all of the toilet humor in this episode.
*Episode writer Bob Forward summed up the reaction to the episode thusly: "[...] After 15 Years And A Couple Of Hundred Scripts, [I] Will Be Remembered Forever For A Rhinocerous {{sic}} Fart."<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/70dc1b8dd547cba9 Post on alt.toys.transformers by Bob Forward]</ref>
*Farts are funny. Hence, this episode is very funny if you like farts. And who doesn't?

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le Virus'''" ("The Virus")

:*''Title:'' "'''Le Virus'''" (Canada, "The Virus")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Wer andern eine Grube gräbt...'''" ("Whoever Digs a Pit for Others...")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 29|29 August]] [[1998]]
::*The title is taken from the old adage "Whoever digs a pit will fall into it."

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il virus'''" ("The Virus")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Stop the Kushami'''" (ストップ･ザ･くしゃみ, "Stop the Sneezing")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 25|25 February]] [[1998]]
::*A very large portion of this episode was featured in the [[clip show|clip movie]] "[[Clash! Beast Warriors]]", a segment of the ''[[Beast Wars Special Super Lifeform Transformers]]''.
::*In a prime example of how flippantly the Japanese dub would break the Fourth Wall, when Megatron begins listing places to search for Tarantulas, he also tells the Predacons to "Keep watching this TV channel!" (replacing the English line, "I want that virus!")
::*After Rhinox farts and the energy cloud is seen from orbit, all the Predacons can be heard screaming in terror and disgust. Likewise, in the closing scene of all the Predacons dangling from the tree in defeat, they join Megatron in his cries of embarrassment.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Caminho Subterrâneo'''" ("The Underground Way")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Subterráneo'''" ("The Underground")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bìngdú yǔ Fǎn-bìngdú '''" (病毒与反病毒, "Virus and Anti-Virus")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Starscream's Invulnerability ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 4 ([[Universal]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 4 — The Predacons Advance! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
<references />

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5yvX_aq6io "Stop the Sneezing"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVss2ZKlO8 "Stop the Sneezing (Part 2)"] on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Low Road}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Possession

2024-01-08T12:51:24Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=21
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=21
|prev2=Dark Voyage
|next2=The Low Road
|image=Starscream ghost BW.jpg
|caption="Look, I'm a ghost, okay? Quit being such a jerk."
|title="Possession"
|season=1
|season ep=21
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 3]], [[1997]]
|packaged with=[[Waspinator (BW)#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Waspinator]], [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Optimus Primal vs. Megatron]], [[Motorarm (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Motorarm]]
|written by=[[Ian Weir]]
|directed by=[[Owen Hurley]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY82SDnpewc
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''Waspinator finds himself possessed by none other than the original Decepticon traitor, Starscream!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Possession Waspinator.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Haunter used Hypnosis!]]
A violent [[energon storm]] rages, causing significant damage and knocking out power to both the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal]] and [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon bases]]. While the [[Maximal]]s stash their extra ammo deeper in their ship's hold to prevent undue accidents, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] attempts to get one of the Predacon base's computer consoles online...only to be greeted by a ghostly, shrill voice from it. A power surge hits the bug-bot soon afterwards, and when the other Predacons begin to wonder what has happened to him, in he comes, announcing his return "at long last" in the same eerie voice.

The voice belongs to [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Air Commander of the [[Decepticon]] forces and [[second-in-command]] to the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], whose [[spark]] had been tumbling through time and space for an unknown number of years before settling within Waspinator. As he puts it, he was destroyed defending [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] from the Chaos Bringer [[Unicron]], but his [[spark]] endured. As a show of his good faith, he pledges his loyalty to the Predacon [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], revealing vital information about the state of the Maximal base due to the storm, intelligence Megatron could use to plan a sneak attack. Intrigued by the idea, Megatron accepts Starscream into his ranks.

[[File:Possession Megatron victorious.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"B-3" "BINGO!!!"]]
The next day, as the Maximals are making repairs to their base, they are suddenly attacked by the Preds, and Starscream's intel proves very useful in catching them off-guard. In the ensuing firefight, [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] is injured and the Decepticon Air Commander flies rings round [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]], forcing the Maximals to abandon ship and regroup outside. Happy with their victory, Megatron puts Starscream in charge of holding the ''Axalon'', with Scorponok and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] under his command, while the rest of the Predacons return to their base, in case the Maximals decide to go for a sneak attack of their own. However, despite being pleased with Starscream's help, Megatron warns [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] in private to watch their new ally closely. Once they're alone, though, Blackarachnia shows off her knack for history by correctly pointing out to Starscream that he was [[The Transformers: The Movie|murdered by Galvatron after he betrayed the Decepticon commander]]. She's willing to keep this a secret, though, if she's let in on his real plans: to destabilize Megatron's control and rule both factions.

Deep in the forest, as the Maximals recover, Optimus Primal voices his confusion and concern over Waspinator's new personality. He isn't entirely convinced Waspinator is possessed by the spark of Starscream, but as the [[Maximal Elder]]s had long since sealed the Decepticon's records, they're not able to confirm or deny it, either. Fortunately, Dinobot's as much of a military history buff as Blackarachnia is, commenting on how ''Webster's Cybertronian Dictionary'' has pretty much replaced all definitions of "traitor" with Starscream's name.

[[File:Possession Starscream point.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|I want YOU for Predacon Army]]
Realizing Starscream's tendencies, Optimus Primal leads the Maximals in returning to the ''Axalon'' and calling Starscream out to announce their surrender, citing the need to use the ship's [[CR chamber]] to repair Dinobot's (now exaggerated) wounds. Feeling generous, the Decepticon Air Commander allows Optimus and Dinobot to come on board, but as predictably as night follows day, betrays them and strips Optimus of his weapons and locks him up in the hold as soon as he steps on deck. With their leader now his prisoner, Starscream orders the other Maximals to attack the Predacon base, over the token objections of Scorponok, who is then blasted away by Starscream and Blackarachnia. They comply, and the trap is set.

[[File:Possession Starscream gunpoint.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|I'm azzz mad azzz hell, and I'm not going to take thizzz anymore!]]
Unbeknown to the Air Commander, he's been duped by the oldest trick in the book; by allowing himself to be betrayed, Optimus Primal has put himself and Dinobot in the perfect position to retake their base, which they do in a dazzling display that forces Starscream and Blackarachnia to retreat back to Predacon territory. Upon hearing of the Maximal attack that is ordered by Starscream, Megatron angrily swears to finish both Starscream and Blackarachnia off to himself. Optimus pursues and manages to best the Decepticon in an aerial dogfight, leaving him grovelling at the Maximal's feet...until Blackarachnia shows up, prompting Starscream to plead for her aid, believing they can still complete their coup. No dice; this new generation is much less gullible than [[Autobot|their]] [[Decepticon|ancestors]], and Blackarachnia has skillfully pulled off a double-cross on the double-crosser, igniting a small energon cache underneath Starscream to "exorcise" the Decepticon's spark from Waspinator's body.

At the end of the day, Megatron gets done fixing the back-to-normal Waspinator as Blackarachnia explains her betrayal; if she hadn't done it, she maintains, she wouldn't have been able to sniff out Starscream's true motives. Megatron reluctantly accepts this excuse, but warns her that it still doesn't invoke confidence in her loyalties. Back at the ''Axalon'', the Maximals are finishing up repairs of their own...everyone but Cheetor, who's slacking off with a bout of stargazing, quipping "Twinkle, twinkle, little Starscream," as the camera pans up to beyond the planet's orbit, showing Starscream's spark screaming mech fluid-drenched vengeance on all within the Beast Wars as he drifts away into the void.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (8)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (13)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (14)
*[[Tigatron]] (15)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (7)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)

|h3=[[Decepticon]]s
|c3=
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (1)

|c4=
*''[[Unicron]]'' (12)
}}

==Quotes==
"What is this? Program does not respond! Waszzpinator does not understand!" 
"I'll bet Waspinator seldom ''does!'' But try not to let it depress you, bug-face."
:—'''Waspinator''', about to be possessed by '''Starscream'''

"Starscream, perhaps the centuries of weightlessness have taken a toll on your neurological circuitry."
:—'''Megatron''' seems to forget that free-floating sparks don't ''have'' circuitry.

"Lie still! And GROAN, for cryin' out loud! You're supposed to be half-dead!" 
"If you don't shut up, vermin, ''you'' will be my role model!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Dinobot'''. 'Nuff said.

"You're nothin' but a schemin' snake in the grass!" 
"Ehh, flattery will get you flattened, vermin."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Starscream'''

"Ugh! Starscream and Blackarachnia! I'll have both their treacherous hides! Yeeessss...I'll-I'll melt them down and use them for aluminum siding! Oh, yes, indeed!"
:—'''Megatron''' finally learning of Starscream's traitorous nature. Odd...

"Oh, Waszzpinator has a headache in his ''whole'' body."
:—Poor '''Waspinator''' needs some medication.

"I'll be back! Even if it takes a thousand years, ''I'LL BE REVENGED ON YOU ALL!''"
:—'''Starscream''', as he drifts through space

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 4 September 1996
* Second draft: 16 September 1996
* Finalised: 20 September 1996
* As Air: 7 February 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
*As is customary in many episodes, Scorponok's visor shifts from yellow to red throughout his appearance.
*When Megatron "checks up" on Waspinator, his dino head inexplicably switches from his right hand to his left hand, and his thighs are clipping through his seat.
*Waspinator is all kinds of messed up when he's looking at the monitor screen, as if parts of his model have only been partially rendered. His neck, his antennae and portions of his back are half-missing, as are the insect-leg [[kibble]] on his arm in their entirety.
*Unicron's "ring" is not connected to his body.
*As Blackarachnia is explaining Starscream, the computer screen she's pointing at has an image of a stasis pod on it, likely a reused asset.
*When Starscream points to the unguarded side of the ''Axalon'', he seems to have a finger pointing on both sides of his hand, as though the animators were unsure of which hand he was using to point at the screen. (From the looks of the previous scenes, it should be his left hand.)
*When Cheetor opens fire on the [[Cyberbee]], the shiny reflection textures on his metal bits and his gun keep blinking on and off.
*A Primal realizes he's been tricked, the textures on his jet flames are moving the wrong way: instead of flowing downward, they're animated moving sideways, toward Primal's body.
*Cheetor's reflections partially vanish again when he starts shooting at Starscream. The same happens to Primal and Dinobot just before Primal lifts off at the end of the fight.
*As Starscream weaves around Cheetor's gunfire during the battle in the ''Axalon'', he is missing the yellow details on the outside of his mouth.
*Rattrap's gun clips through the ''Axalon''{{'}}s wall as he fires it before retreating.
*Some of the leaves are clearly floating in the air as the "camera" pans down at the recuperating Maximals in the forest.
*As Blackarachnia winks at Starscream, the right side of her "helmet" is sunken into her head.
*In the closeup of Rhinox lowering and shaking his head, the area in the background seems completely different than in other shots.
*When the ''Axalon'' elevator begins descending, the Maximals are standing a few meters forward than in the previous shot. A fallen tree resting on a rock is farther behind them, and a rock that wasn't there before appears next to Rhinox.
*A portion of Blackarachnia's face again clips through her helmet when Starscream begins addressing the Maximals. Also, she appears to have no neck, with her head resting directly upon her shoulders.
*Not to be outdone, Optimus' head is likewise hideously deformed in the following shot, with the sides stretched down to the base of his neck, and his head sitting far too high. Additionally, his mouth doesn't move while he's speaking. ''Argh...''
*When Starscream is standing on top of the ''Axalon'' and instructing the Maximals to attack the Predacon base, his right foot clips straight through one of the autocannons. A few moments later when he blasts Scorponok, he's standing nowhere near the cannon.
*Just before he shoots Scorponok, Starscream's gun sinks into his pelvis for a moment.
*When Primal gets the drop on Starscream and Blackarachnia, both villains are missing kibble in various shots: Starscream his (well, Waspinator's) wings and Blackarachnia her spider legs. Starscream's wings briefly show up, only to vanish again when he takes off, leading to the rather awkward sight of him flying around with no sort of propulsion.
*In the same shot, as Starscream flees the ''Axalon'', Blackarachnia isn't visible.
*Despite Primal's blasts being strong enough to knock over a chair, free Dinobot from the CR chamber and send his foes fleeing, none of his other shots inflict any damage on the command center. For that matter, when he shoots the CR chamber's locks off, they simply vanish between frames.
*At one point, Cheetor and Rattrap are commando crawling towards the Predacon base when spotlights are turned on. Both Maximals appear to be outside the spotlight border, and yet when the shot changes to a close-up, they're suddenly brightly lit up as if they're in the centre of the spotlight beam. (Also, why on earth is Rattrap crawling along on his belly in robot mode, rather than using his much smaller beast mode? Didn't we just have [[Call of the Wild|an episode]] on practical uses of alt-modes?)
*As the Maximals pull back from their assault on the Pred base, the shells coming out of Rhinox's guns clip right through the boulder on his right, while the ones flying to his left simply disappear midair.
*In the same shot, Tigatron's gun lacks any sort of firing effect. Also, his left ankle is painfully twisted.
*When Starscream arrives at the battle scene at the end, he remains airborne despite not flapping his wings.
*Perhaps deliberate, as it might make animating the scene too difficult, but Starscream's insect abdomen is completely absent during his final defeat. It's also missing as Megatron puts Waspinator back together.
*Just before he reconnects Waspinator's head, Megatron's left arm clips into Tarantulas' thigh.
*When Cheetor is staring out towards space, the stars appear to be in front of the two moons.

===Continuity notes===
*Inferno is strangely missing from the Predacon roster, making it unclear if he was simply elsewhere or the timeline of the episode was intended to be before his introduction. If the latter, it could theoretically fit best coming right before "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]" since Megatron is suspicious of Blackarachnia's treacherous and ambitious side that she, up until that episode, gave no reason for Megatron to be suspicious of beforehand. Whereas in this episode, her brief teaming up with Starscream ''would'' be enough reason for Megatron to be wary of her loyalty in "The Trigger" were this episode to precede that one.
*Previous episodes had strongly implied the connection, but this is the first episode to explicitly confirm that the Maximals and Predacons are descendants of the original [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s.
*The [[Maximal Elder]]s receive a mention, providing us a glimpse at post-war Maximal society. Notably, they have apparently sealed off some records of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]].
*Starscream mentions that his spark can travel through space ''and'' time, providing us with another hint about the true nature of the planet.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Possession_BWPlanet.jpg|thumb|200px|right|"Okay, who got drunk last night and moved the continents about?"]]
*Looking at the intro sequence with Starscream's spark, he appears to touch down on a continent that resembles North America, somewhere in the southwest United States (apparently Arizona). The terrain and creatures in ''Beast Wars'' suggest that it takes place in Africa and the presence of the standing stones, though not necessarily Stonehenge, suggest Britain. The shots from space in "[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]" also show continents that don't match North America. On the other hand, it makes sense, since "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]" puts the ''Axalon'' and the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] within commuting distance. It's not too wild to assume that the spark kept commuting for an unknown distance even after touching down either. The fact that Starscream admits later to have seen the damage inflicted to the Maximal base "before acquiring this body" also alludes to this scenario, that he commuted after touching down. (When we see the planet at the end of the episode, it looks like the same model that we've seen before, with continents that resemble North and South America right next to two other large land masses in a formation that doesn't match present-day Earth.)
*While free-floating sparks are usually depicted as spheres, Starscream's spark has the twiddly bits which are usually only present to attach a spark to a protoform. Then again, it has been stated that Starscream's spark is not normal, so this may have been a conscious alteration?
*Megatron knew a great deal about Cybertronian history, yet apparently did not know the real nature of Starscream and his demise. However, Megatron might have been playing dumb to lure Starscream into being bolder with his actions. On the other hand, the Maximal Elders had a large portion of his records sealed ''due'' to his history. Then again, Megatron DID tell Scorponok to watch Starscream...
**On that same note, both Blackarachnia and Dinobot knew about Starscream, even though Primal stated that his records were sealed. It's possible that the records were sealed only to the Maximals (as Primal notes it was the Maximal Elders who sealed them), but given what we'll learn of the state of Maximal/Predacon relations on Cybertron and the Maximal Elders' dirty little secrets, that explanation is rather hard to believe.
*Despite being born from a Maximal Protoform, Blackarachnia refers to the Decepticons as "our" (the Predacons') ancestors. On the other hand, this is neither the first nor the last time she will identify herself as a Predacon, shunning her Maximal origin.
*Back in "[[Beast Wars (Part 2)]]", when facing the ''Axalon'' as it points slightly to his left, Rattrap noted that the direction to his right was east, meaning that the ''Axalon'' faces a southwestern direction in its crashed position. In this episode, however, Starscream and Megatron claim that the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s damaged left side (which would be facing southeast according the aforementioned earlier episode) is its southwest side, and that the ship's right side faces northeast, which would thus mean that the ''Axalon'' instead faces northwest, in contrast to the pilot episode.
*Starscream apparently imprisons Optimus in shackles that he can break out of in about five seconds flat. However, in the episode commentary on [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars Season 1'' DVDs, story editor [[Bob Forward]] states that Primal originally had a very complex way of breaking free involving tools and the dexterity of his [[beast mode]] appendages, but the animators changed this to just him "busting out", possibly due to time and monetary constraints.
*The later episodes "[[Optimal Situation]]" and "[[Master Blaster]]" will show that a Maximal or Predacon body containing two sparks (their own and one from an Autobot or Decepticon) undergoes dramatic changes, taking on a new, larger appearance and gaining incredible might. Waspinator, however, undergoes only minor physical changes and gains no obvious power apart from somewhat enhanced speed.
**Megatron does infer that the "power" of the second spark has an effect on this, but this also seems strange, as Starscream's spark, due to its immortality, would be presumably better than the average. On the other hand, Starscream's spark will later be described as "mutant" in "[[Bad Spark]]", so perhaps this prevents the dramatic changes seen in other characters. There is also the fact that both Primal and Megatron were [[Transmetal]]s when they took onboard second sparks, which might have also had an effect. (From an out-of-universe perspective, the producers likely forgot this instance when the other mergings occurred. Waspinator does have the ability to recover from constantly being almost destroyed, so your [[fanon]] might want to chalk that up to Starscream's influence.)

===Transformers references===
*Obviously, Starscream himself firmly ties ''Beast Wars'' to established Generation 1 history, though you could argue that Waspinator thinking he was [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] already did this.
* Starscream's spark—or "[[ghost]]", as it was then called, had already possessed several Decepticons in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 episodes]] "[[Starscream's Ghost]]" and "[[Ghost in the Machine (G1)|Ghost in the Machine]]". His [[Trypticon (G1)|actions]] [[Atari Hitotonari|won't]] [[Angel|stop]] [[Teletraan 15|there]].
* We get a few, very fleeting glances at Starscream's original body. His head is white and his face is blue, making him resemble his appearance in [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel Comics]] instead of his [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] [[character model]].
* Starscream introduces himself to Megatron as "[[Air Commander]]", referencing his original [[function]].
* While lying about the circumstances of his death, Starscream name-drops [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and [[Unicron]].
*The Predacon insignias on the side of Waspinator's cranium change into Decepticon insignias while Starscream's spark is inhabiting his superstructure. The only other physical change is the addition of a yellow stripe along the upper edges of his "mandibles", similar to their inner edges.
* Blackarachnia reveals to Starscream that she knows the ''real'' circumstances behind Starscream's demise: he was blasted by Galvatron, as seen in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.

===Real-world references===
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] says "Hasta la vista, Starscream", paraphrasing {{w|Hasta la vista, baby|a famous line}} from the film ''{{w|Terminator 2: Judgment Day}}''. As he flies away immediately after saying this, Optimus Primal is seen wearing a pair of sunglasses, aping (ahem) [[Arnie|Arnold Schwarzenegger]]'s trademark look from the movie.
*Rhinox's line "It's tramplin' time" could be an homage to "It's clobberin' time!", the catchphrase of the [[Thing]] of the [[Fantastic Four]].

===Trivia===
*[[Doug Parker]] performs both [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (standing in for the late [[Chris Latta]]), and the very Starscreamy [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]. In fact, Parker's Starscream is basically Terrorsaur with a metallic distortion a la G1 [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]], and Terrorsaur's voice is made much deeper than normal to avoid confusion. Perhaps Starscream should have possessed Terrorsaur instead — of course, nobody would notice the difference.
*According to fan consultant [[Ben Yee]] and story editor Bob Forward on the Madman DVD commentary track, the original idea for this episode was to have the spark of an Autobot possess one of the characters. This idea was abandoned early on because a model of Starscream had already been made for "[[The Web]]". Besides, Starscream had the experience.
*Also according to Forward, the angles used for Waspinator (when he is possessed by Starscream) are much more "heroic" than normal (views from slightly below him, extreme closeups, etc.), to reflect Starscream's personality.
*Additionally, Yee provided all of the original Starscream's [[Tech Spec]] [[bio]]graphies to writer Ian Weir as a reference for Starscream's character and personality. Yee was pleased that Weir incorporated Starscream's original "Air Commander" [[function]] as the character's rank and title.
*This is the [[Victory (episode)|second time]] Optimus airlifts an injured Dinobot out of a battlefield, only for Terrorsaur to get in the way. This time, however, Terrorsaur doesn't get a chance to fire before Optimus punches him out of the way.
*After Blackarachnia convinces Starscream to take her on as his protégée, as they're walking away Starscream's hand is at her shoulder but then starts moving down towards her um... butt. Perv.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Possession'''"

:*''Title:'' "'''Possession'''" (Canada)

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Besessenheit'''" ("Possession")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 22|22 August]] [[1998]]
::*Starscream is given a ''very'' deep voice in this dub, perhaps to clearly differentiate him from Waspinator and the Starscream-like Terrorsaur, who were both dubbed by the same actor, [[Holger Potzern]].

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il traditore'''" ("The Traitor")
::*Waspinator and Starscream's voices sound exactly the same, making quite weird the fact that Megatron asks what happened to Waspinator's voice.
::*In this episode, Autobots are strangely called "Biocombat", which in the Italian dub of this series should refer to all Transformers.
::*Starscream saying that Unicron is a Transformer makes this episode a rare occasion in which the word "Transformer" is used in the Italian dub of ''Beast Wars''.
::*Optimus's: «Hasta la vista, Starscream» became: «See you soon, Starscream», losing the ''Terminator 2'' reference.

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fujimi no Starscream'''" (不死身のスタースクリーム, "The Immortal Starscream")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 18|18 February]] [[1998]]
::*After Waspinator tells Megatron that he's okay, Megatron yells that he wasn't asking Waspinator if he was alright, he was asking [[Predacon computer|Navi-ko]].
::*[[Kazuki Yao]] plays Starscream in this episode and, of course, makes an attempt to impersonate [[Hirotaka Suzuoki]]. Starscream's Japanese characterization was rather different from his American one; being younger, vainer, and more charismatic. To match all the manic close-ups and weird angles, as well as Waspinator/Starscream's flamboyant body language, Yao winds up playing a far more ''intense'' Starscream than Suzuoki ever did. If anything, it sounds like Yao impersonating Suzuoki ''impersonating Latta''.
::*After Airazor delivers his vague news report to Tigatron, as he flies away, Tigatron shouts after him, "Thank you ''de gozaru''!"
::*When Optimus leaves Starscream to his doom, he bids a blander, "Farewell, Starscream", losing the ''Terminator 2'' reference.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Possessão'''" ("Possession")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Posesión'''" ("Possession")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Èlíng Fùtǐ '''" (恶灵附体, "The Evil Within")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Warning from Space ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Alert Dans L'Espace (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Starscream's Invulnerability ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 4 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Dark Voyage

2024-01-08T12:40:21Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=20
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=20
|prev2=Call of the Wild
|next2=Possession
|image=Dark Voyage Rattrap Cheetor blind.jpg
|caption="Dude... I've got some serious CAT-aracts..."
|title="Dark Voyage"
|season=1
|season ep=20
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[January 27]], 1997
|written by=[[Samuel Warren Joseph]]
|directed by=[[Steve Ball]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Archadis#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Archadis]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePb1Z0SXSLs
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''After an energon explosion, Rhinox must lead the blinded Maximals back to base.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Dark Voyage Energon mining.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Dinobot finishes building Cheetor's new jet boosters.]]
[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] burrows through some rocks to uncover a piece of valuable [[energon]]. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] congratulates Rattrap's discovery, while [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], disgruntled with the labour, discovers a deposit of surface energon several times the size of Rattrap's harvest.

Suddenly, a dart from [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] lands on one of the larger pieces of energon. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] recognizes the dart as an explosive, and rushes to toss it away from the unstable energon. However, with the energon already fractured, there's no stopping the gigantic explosion. Once the fireball expands and rises into the sky, Scorponok and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] are confident they've destroyed their enemies and return to base to report their conquest.

In the aftermath of the explosion, the four [[Maximal]]s have all survived, but because of energon poisoning, all of them have lost their sense of vision. Cheetor, Rattrap, and even Dinobot panic and fret—until Rhinox puts his foot down and gets his team moving, in hopes they can overcome their disability and reach home—or at least avoid being easy targets, especially since they must reach an R-chamber before the energon poisoning extinguishes their sparks...in 60 cycles (approximately one hour).

[[File:Dark Voyage Cheetor snake.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Cheetor's got himself a crush.]]
Rhinox, at the front of the train of blind Maximals, comes to a sudden stop, causing the Maximals behind him to bump into his large posterior. Dinobot hops back onto his feet (and onto one of Rattrap's as well). Rhinox silences the group so he can use his ears to detect if something is near the group—his suspicion is confirmed as a large snake grabs Cheetor. Ignoring Rhinox's command not to panic, Dinobot comically runs into a tree. Rattrap fails to fight the snake off, but Cheetor is saved when the reptile decides that Rattrap would be a better meal. Luckily, Rhinox is able to save Rattrap by tossing the snake over the horizon.

[[File:Dark Voyage Rhinox Dinobot.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Scary eyes!]]
[[Tigatron]] and [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (finally!) decide to search for their comrades who never reported home. Scorponok and Waspinator, searching for evidence of the expiry of the Maximals, decide to follow the trail of energon radiation their enemies left as the four walked away from the area. Waspinator finds the four as they cross a log over a waterfall, and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] easily unhinges the log, causing the quartet to plunge into the water far beneath. As Waspinator congratulates himself, [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] arrives, demanding proof of the wasp's endeavor.

[[File:Dark Voyage Rhinox listening.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Rhinox pushes an invisible truck.]]
The four Maximals all manage to wash up on a shore together. Dinobot feels doomed by the situation but Rhinox remains hopeful. The Predacon fliers pass overhead at high speed, finding their targets. In response, Rhinox commands his group to transform to their [[robot mode]]s. Next, Rhinox instructs the group to imagine the targeting grid from their training. Using all his senses to extend his sensory awareness, Rhinox gives directions for Cheetor, Rattrap, and Dinobot to aim their weapons. Terrorsaur is hit, and the sound of fire alerts Tigatron to the missing group's location.

Another quick shot from Rattrap brings Waspinator down in flames as well, leaving the Maximals victorious despite their handicap. Before they can celebrate, the three gunners fall into stasis; being in robot mode for just a few extra minutes accelerated the energon contamination to near-lethal levels. Having transformed in reaction to the sound of something approaching, Rhinox loses consciousness as well-luckily, the sound was Optimus Primal, who retrieves the group before their sparks are extinguished.

Some time later, in the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]], Rhinox exits the [[CR chamber]] and sees his comrades; literally, as they have all been cleansed of the energon poisoning. Rattrap and Cheetor thank him for getting them as far as he did, and even Dinobot commends Rhinox's leadership. For his part, Rhinox suggests that the whole ordeal was educational-the Maximals now have a greater appreciation for their senses and [[beast mode]]s. With that in mind, the rhino-bot leaves to smell some flowers.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (1)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (4)
* [[Tigatron]] (9)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (10)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (5)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (6)
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (7)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (11)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (12)

|c4=
* A large snake (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"Nice find, Dino-miner. You're even better at this than Rattrap!" 
"Mmm. I'm better at ''everything'' than Rattrap!"
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Dinobot'''

"Listen to me!! You've all got to calm down." 
"Calm...down...? WE CAN'T SEEEEEEE!"
:—'''Rhinox''''s order and '''Dinobot''''s reaction

"What's happening? Are we under attack?" 
"Don't. Panic." 
"You won't get me!" ''[runs into tree]''
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rhinox''', the former clearly not listening.

"What irony. For a warrior like me to go out blind, wet and helpless."
:—'''Dinobot''' laments his situation.

"I'm gonna go smell some flowers."
:—'''Rhinox''' having recuperated.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 28th February 1996
* Second draft: 9th April 1996
* Finalised: 25th April 1996
* Revised: 17th October 1996
* As Air: 13th January 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
* As Rattrap transforms at the beginning of the episode, his [[beast mode]] eyes briefly turn white before reverting to their normal colour as he completes his transformation.
* Dinobot's energon scanner is nowhere to be seen in the overhead shot of the Maximals prior to the energon explosion.
* When Rhinox jumps into the energon pit to grab Scorponok's dart, his butt briefly clips through his rhino skin "skirt".
* When Rattrap transforms just before the explosion, some of his robot bits visibly poke though his beast mode parts.
* As Rhinox explains the post-explosion situation to the other Maximals, the bottom of his chest (the lower jaw [[kibble]]) clips into his hip and his chest is also deforming weirdly.
* When Rattrap is in his [[robot mode]], the underside of his chin and the inside of his mouth is white like his eyes in some shots. However, in other shots, such as when he submits to stasis lock near the end of the episode, the underside of his chin is red. This is likely due to the fact that the piece of his digital model that colors his eyes is the same one that colors the underside of his chin as well as the inside of his mouth, and his model was outfitted with an additional white bit for his eyes in some, but not all shots.
* After being blinded, all of Cheetor's normally blue parts are colored in silver. Unlike the above error with Rattrap there's no reason to assume that all of these parts are being colored by the same piece of animation as his eyes, making this error stand out more (especially in close ups of his normally blue robot face).
* The rhinoceros horns and ears on Rhinox's back are charred black following the blast, but on his beast mode, these parts seem to be colored normal. In fact, when he first turns into his rhino form, the tips of his horns appear ''white'' instead of black.
* Rattrap's and Cheetor's beast mode bits are normal-colored, lacking all the damage textures during their transformation back into beast mode after the explosion, but they reappear once the transformation is done. Rattrap's rat-eyes even have their pupils, which is incredibly odd, given that they accidentally turned white when he transformed while still in his unharmed state.
* After Dinobot steps on Rattrap's foot and the latter stands up, his front left leg momentarily clips into his chest.
* The tip of Dinobot's tail is clipping into the ground when the team are looking around in the jungle for the source of the noise.
* When Rhinox chucks the giant snake away, it clips through his legs and also through his head for a frame.
* When Optimus Primal tells Tigatron, "I'm going to put Sentinel on automatic and search from the air.", his left pectoral muscle is much smaller than his right, almost as if it's squeezing itself in. (Optimus's left, not the viewer's.)
* In the same shot, Optimus' hand clips through the piece of machinery in front of him.
* When Waspinator transforms to attack the Maximals crossing the log, some green robot part clips through and floats in his chest.
* A recurring shortcoming of the show's CGI causes all reflective surfaces, including water and various robot bits, to lose their shine if they're covered by transparent objects or effects. This can be seen when Waspinator hovers above the waterfall, and when Terrorsaur shows up a moment later – Waspinator's see-through insect wings "blot out" the shininess on whatever's behind them.
* When Terrorsaur arrives at the waterfall, the tip of his right wing kibble is deformed. It turns back to normal later.
* When Rattrap turns back into robot mode near the end, not only do his beast mode eyes turn normal during his transformation (only to go back to white afterwards), his rat form briefly sports a small black "ring" on its eye before he begins transforming.
* Waspinator is missing his chest-antennae when he hovers face-to-face with Terrorsaur.
* When Terrorsaur and Waspinator open fire on the Maximals on the riverbank, one of Waspinator's projectiles is flying straight at Rhinox's face, but when the shot cuts, the projectile suddenly changes position and none hit him.
* At the end of the same shot, when a small blast goes off right in front of the screen, all of Dinobot's shiny part turn flat-colored. His upper-body regions regain their reflective textures after a couple frames, but his legs remain wonky-looking.
* In the following shot, when Cheetor yells "Where are they?", his cheetah head chest-kibble has pupils.
* The CR chamber's door clips through the locking mechanisms, which strangely remain un-animated, as Rhinox emerges from the chamber.
* When Rattrap thanks Rhinox for helping them through the events of the episode (at the moment where Rhinox awakens in the CR Chamber), his face plate is charred and burnt, and his eyes are a flat shade of red (instead of glowing red). When Dinobot speaks and Rattrap turns to face him, his face plate is as good as new.
* Dinobot also has flat red circles for eyes and some damage texturing on his helmet for only one shot during the final scene.
* In the final scene, while Rhinox is walking away in Beast mode, his movement speed is inconsistant with his walking speed, making him look as if he's sliding forward while walking.

===Continuity errors===
* Why the heck did Rattrap, Dinobot, and Cheetor decide to transform into robot mode when they're surrounded by raw Energon on the verge of an explosion? For that matter, why did they just stand there and stare rather than, y'know, running away?
* Waspinator and Scorponok are unaffected by Energon radiation in the wake of the explosion. It's possible that Scorponok's missile was somehow designed to reduce the range of the Energon wave, but it still seems like the Predacons should have been on the verge of stasis lock from Energon build-up.
* Rhinox says that their sight and "just about everything else" is broken, but apart from some sparks when transforming, the Maximals seem okay. Their other senses are working, their weapons are working, and they can change between robot and beast mode. The only issue (and granted, it is an important one) is the Energon poisoning that they are suffering from.
* Not to be a buzzkill, but getting found by Optimus at the end of the episode can hardly be seen as the end of the Maximals' problems. Let's review: the four of them are in stasis lock suffering from time critical energon contamination. They're still an unknown distance away from base. Past episodes have established that Optimus can only support Rattrap's additional weight for flight, so if he rushed back, then the other ''three'' would have to be carried back to base by the remaining ''two'' Maximals. Dinobot and Rhinox in particular are the two heaviest Maximals, and they would be truly "dead weight" for the journey. And finally, the ''Axalon'' has never shown more than two CR chambers on the bridge. Maybe they took turns? Basically...the writers yada yada yada'ed over a lot more than just bisque in those last few minutes.

===Continuity Notes===
* Rattrap claims that he used to be a miner.
* It seems likely this episode was originally intended for production and airing earlier in the season. Not only does the plot seem to retread (on a simpler level) the concepts of the just-aired "[[Call of the Wild]]" ("We never really knew what we were capable of in Beast Mode. Apart from when we found out last episode, I guess, but Cheetor has a really bad memory so he needed to learn it again"), but late-arriving characters Airazor and Inferno are notably absent from the screen. Indeed, there are actually two instances of using "[[Pit (BW)|Inferno]]" as a curse, a habit that quickly stopped on once the Predacon fire-ant appeared. Since Airazor was mentioned by Optimus in the episode (on camera) — he said she was sent to look for the others in [[Grid Delta]] - this episode could have occurred anywhere between the end of "[[The Spark]]" and the beginning of "[[Spider's Game]]".

===Trivia===
* The energon explosion at the beginning is a real pyrotechnic explosion superimposed over a CGI background.
* Since Cheetor was shown in "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]" to be the size of a real cheetah, that snake that attacks him must be truly gigantic—far larger than any living species and any fossil variety known to science when the episode was made. ({{w|Titanoboa}} would fit the bill, but it wasn't discovered until over a decade later).
* Speaking of the giant snake, when Rhinox flings it away in the jungle, it lands on an [[elephant]].
* While blind, Dinobot's optics do not work for seeing, but they continue to function for [[Optic weaponry|shooting]].

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Voyage au Bout de la Nuit'''" ("Travel till the End of the Night")

:*''Title:'' "'''Sombre Voyage'''" ("Dark Voyage")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dunkle Reise'''" ("Dark Journey")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 15|15 August]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Viaggio nelle tenebre'''" ("Journey into Darkness")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Jungle Guruguru'''" (ジャングルぐるぐる, "Around and Around the Jungle")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 11|11 February]] [[1998]]
::*When Dinobot tells Rhinox to leave Cheetor behind, Cheetor can be heard pathetically whimpering, "''How cruel.''"
::*As Rattrap begins sniffing his way across the fallen tree spanning the river, while the other Maximals stand by waiting, Dinobot growls, "''Be careful...''"
::*After Rhinox says he has some flowers to go sniff, he sings a melody to himself while stomping away, to the tune of his verbal tic ("''Danaaaa danadana danaaaa!''").

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Uma Viagem nas Trevas'''" ("A Journey into Darkness")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Viaje en la Obscuridad'''" ("Travel in the Dark")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Hēi'àn zhī Lǚ '''" (黑暗之旅, "Dark Travel")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Resurrected Beast Power ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Call of the Wild

2024-01-08T12:39:08Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=19
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=19
|prev2=Spider's Game
|next2=Dark Voyage
|image=Call of the Wild Optimus scope.jpg
|caption=Scopes munky trial?
|title="Call of the Wild"
|season=1
|season ep=19
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[January 7]], 1997
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Jonathan Goodwill]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwyQWZ8c5e8
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''The Predacons steal the rectifier coil from the Maximal base, which causes the Maximals to revert into a more feral state.'''

==Synopsis==
A cheetah enthusiastically chases some antelopes, when the ground around it breaks up and it is sent falling into hot lava. Before the cat gets burned, the sequence ends, revealed to be a dream of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]'s. Cheetor awakens from his nightmare in time to hear the alarms triggered by a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] assault. As the other [[Maximal]]s prepare [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] drags Cheetor outside to battle.

[[File:Call of the Wild Waspinator Terrorsaur.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|What do we do about the slime?]]
[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Primal]] exits the Maximals' control room via the roof hatch, but is unable to prevent [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] from grabbing a piece of Maximal hardware off the roof and retreating with the other Predacons. A well-placed rocket from [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] prevents Primal from chasing the fliers. [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] is just able to catch the Maximal leader before he crashes into the ground, but lowering Primal after taking a hit from Terrorsaur seriously taxes Airazor's systems. On the upside, the Predacons are no longer attacking.

Inside the base, recuperating, the Maximals suddenly feel the harmful effects of [[energon]] build-up. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] explains that without the [[rectifier coil]] the Predacons stole, the Maximals will have to stay in [[beast mode]]. Meanwhile, the Predacons, after an uncharacteristically successful mission, enjoy a hearty laugh together.

[[File:Call of the Wild Rhinox Optimus Rattrap.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|The Maximals look on as [[Michael Bay]] attempts to direct a scene.]]
Days later, Rhinox interrupts a dream Primal has (of being a real ape) to mention that Predacons are still haunting the local area. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] suffers frustration from his beast mode's diminutive size and limb length. Primal and Rattrap almost get into a fight with each other, their minds suffering from bestial traits leaking into their personalities, but Rhinox lays down the line. Once the Preds leave, the Maximals take some much-needed rest.

[[File:Call of the Wild Hunt.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Shhh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. We'ah hunting Maxies. Heheheheheh.]]
In his dreams, Primal is tormented by eyes glowing in the dark, Dinobot dreams of hunting surprisingly tiny hadrosaurs, and Rattrap dreams of rat stuff. The dreams overpower their respective dreamers, and the Maximals awaken, trapped in the mindsets of the creatures whose forms they wear. The animals all eventually exit [[Axalon (BW)|their base]]. Their foes' intellects gone, Megatron and the Predacons begin their hunt.

Airazor exits the [[CR chamber]] to meet [[Tigatron]] in the empty Maximal base. Tigatron resolves to reform his Maximal companions before they're killed, while Airazor has her own mission. She heads to the unoccupied [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]], deftly dodging the automated defenses. Inside, the rectifier coil is under no protection she can't destroy.

[[File:Call of the Wild Optimus Megatron.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Peter Jackson likely watched this episode.]]
In the jungle, Tigatron comes to face the feral Cheetor and Rhinox. The two follow him for reasons their animal minds don't comprehend. Next Tigatron recruits the primal Optimus into his party, and finally Dinobot and Rattrap. His friends gathered, Tigatron speaks to the dormant minds of his friends. He explains how the schism that exists between the Maximals' two modes is a side effect of a programming block, and as long as that program exists, the animal and Maximal identities will never reach cohesion. Now embracing the beasts within, the restored Maximals are ready to "Slag some bot!"

Primal swings Megatron off of his throne as the two Maximal cats tackle the two Predacon goons who were carrying their leader. Dinobot's raptor mode conquers [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Rhinox knocks over a tree to ground the Predacon fliers, and a ratball special puts Rattrap into position to pump gunfire into Terrorsaur. After the Predacons start to feel the effects of energon build-up, Megatron orders a retreat, and Optimus beats his chest, roaring in victory.

{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (5)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (6)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (7)
* [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (12)
* [[Tigatron]] (14)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (2)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (3)
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (8)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (9)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (10)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
* [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Man, I swear them polka-dots go clear through to the brain."
:—'''Rattrap''' on Cheetor.

"Trouble with the neighbors again."
:—'''Airazor''' spots the ''Axalon'' under attack.

"Predacons, fall back!" 
"''Now'' he tells me!"
:—'''Megatron''''s order comes a wee bit too late to save '''Tarantulas'''.

"Waszzpinator ''love'' it when prey cannot shoot back!"
:—'''Waspinator''' in a rare moment of having the upper hand... It won't last.

"Hunting from the air with automatic weapons—now ''that's'' a sport!"
:—'''Terrorsaur'''

"She stoops to conquer!"
:—'''Airazor''' shows some wit.

"Rat...robot. Rat...robot. I'm a robot ''and'' a rat! Yeahh, I ''like'' it!" 
"Hrmf, I do not see why."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Dinobot'''

"Remember; do not fight your beast instincts. Let them help your robot forms, both in battle and in peace. But for now, let us Maximize..." 
''[Tigatron transforms, and cocks his gun!]'' 
"AND SLAG SOME BOT!!" 
:—Nothing short of poetry from '''Tigatron!'''

==Other notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 29th August 1996
* Second draft: 11th September 1996
* Finalised: 20th September 1996
* As Air: 8th January 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
* When the Predacon hunting party arrives, Terrorsaur's gun appears to be floating between his hands.
* Tigatron's legs clip through a nearby rock after he beckons gorilla-Optimus to follow him.
* When he transforms after completing his speech, Tigatron's right arm passes through the moonrays, which seems to make its reflection textures vanish.

===Continuity errors===
* At first glance, Megatron's plan seems to have a rather large glitch / continuity error. If his theories are based on researching Maximal programming, ''why would Dinobot be affected as well?'' Still, none of the dialogue explicitly ''denounces'' the idea that Predacons rely on similar programming -- perhaps Megatron started from an identical flaw in Pred programming, and his research merely confirmed Maximals would have the same flaw. (They could have probably saved themselves the bother by having him say "Cybertronian programming", but oh well.)
* Primal seems obsessed with not letting the Maximals transform in case they are attacked. Would it really be that bad just to convert to robot mode for 5 minutes to clear their heads, especially if they did it one at a time? For that matter, what exactly was the plan? The Maximals clearly knew that their beast mode instincts were taking over, but seemed to be making no plans to either retrieve or repair the rectifier coil. Were they really just going to wait around for Tigatron to turn up and hope he'd solve everything?

===Continuity notes===
* When Optimus is dreaming in his quarters, the plant that Dinobot left for him at the end of "[[Gorilla Warfare]]" can be seen next to his bed.
* Rhinox mentions that the Predacons have been attacking the base off and on for "two days", an increasingly rare use of non-cycle based unit of time.
* Gadgets and powers:
** This episode marks the only use of Megatron's right arm-mounted missile launcher, which fires from the same port the laser beam emanates from. What is with Transformers and the one-use weapons?

===Transformers references===
* Tigatron says that once, the Maximals were merely "[[Robots in Disguise (disambiguation)|robots in disguise]]".

===Real-world references===
* The episode was likely named after {{w|Jack London}}'s 1903 novel ''{{w|The Call of the Wild}}''.
* Airazor's "she stoops to conquer" line is a ''double'' reference: first, and most obviously, to 1773 play ''{{w|She Stoops to Conquer}}'', and secondly to a ''stoop'', which is the dive of a bird of prey.

===Trivia===
* An unproduced ''Beast Wars'' episode named "[[A Greater Ape]]" would have adopted the basic premise of a Maximal believing themselves to be a real animal, focusing specifically on Optimus Primal. It's unknown if this episode was written after Mainframe scrapped the aforementioned concept, citing the need for too many expensive models.
** Similar concepts regarding how well Maximals integrate their beast and robot modes would later surface in ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''. The idea of the Maximals temporarily turning feral was revisited in that series in "[[Forbidden Fruit]]", but for different reasons.
* When the Maximal computer announces that the Predacons are withdrawing from the area, text in the Maximal version of the Cybertronix [[Cybertronian language|language]] scrolls by the bottom of the screen, and more text flashes in blue in the middle of the screen. The blue flashing text reads "area clear", and the text on the bottom reads "its been a long time since ive had sweet thistle pie".
* In his beast dream, Dinobot—supposedly experiencing the instincts of his [[beast mode]], Asia's ''{{w|Velociraptor}}''—dreams of chasing what appears to be a ''{{w|Parasaurolophus}}'', which only lived in the Americas and which furthermore is portrayed as far too small. Since the creature is never actually named, it may be taken as representing a different dinosaur species as-yet-undiscovered.
* When Megatron "suggests" to his troops to laugh with him, Blackarachnia is the only one who refuses to pay him that courtesy. Clearly, Dinobot is not the only who's got some bearings of chrome steel.
* Despite them regularly sporting Predacon symbols since "[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]", Scorponok's missiles are yet again shown with Maximal insignias when he attacks the Axalon.
* This is the first and only appearance of Megatron's double-barreled hunting gun, a weapon that seemingly conceptualized out of nowhere rather than being taken from his toy, which included no such accessory. The purple scaly skin texture of the weapon suggests it originates from Megatron's Beast Mode construction as opposed to having been made just for the occasion, in the same vein as Cheetor's Gut Gun.
* If you look closely at the start of the hunt, Tarantulas seems to be struggling under Megatron's weight. Scorponok seems okay, though.
* Inferno appears but has no lines, despite this being his first appearance under Megatron's command. Perhaps [[Jim Byrnes]] wasn't available?

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Chassez le Naturel'''" ("Hunt the Natural")

:*''Title:'' "'''Appel Sauvage'''" ("Savage Calling")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Ruf der Wildnis'''" ("The Call of the Wilderness")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 8|8 August]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il richiamo della foresta'''" ("The Call of the Wild")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yomigaere Beast Power!'''" (よみがえれビーストパワー!, "Revive, Beast Power!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 4|4 February]] [[1998]]
::*During the opening assault on the Axalon, Tarantulas seems to have adopted Cheetor's habit of shouting "Utsumashi!" ("Fire!") every time he fires his weapon. He also giddily sings to himself as he opens fire on the base.
::*After Scorponok fumbles and falls off his hover platform, the other Predacons all chant ''sayonaraaaa'' in unison.
::*The tortured squealing of the small dinosaur Dinobot eats in his dream has strangely been dubbed. It now sounds "cuter", making high pitched, processed "peeping" noises like a baby chick.
::*Even when he's trapped in an animal mindset, Rattrap continues to speak and mutter asides to himself about food and danger... which completely defeats the purpose of the Maximals going feral and losing higher reasoning capabilities.
::*Perhaps the most infamous change made for the Japanese version of this episode (thanks to being prominently showcased in the clip movie "[[Clash! Beast Warriors]]"), when the Predacons begin their safari and start beating the drums, they sing a musical number. The lyrics aren't especially clever, as it's mostly each Predacon sounding off and then the others chanting their unique verbal tic ("Orya! Orya!" for Scorponok, "Bun! Bun!" for Waspinator, etc.).
::*Airazor's dramatic declaration, "She stoops to conquer!" is altered into the rather bland, "I will return the Rectifier Coil!"
::*After Megatron sees the explosions and says ''uh-oh'', Optimus Primal does the famous Tarzan yell (or ''tries'' to, anyway) as he comes swinging in on the vine.
::*In one of the worst moments of character brutalization, even by the Japanese dub's standards, when Dinobot pins Blackarachnia down with his foot and hisses at her, she pathetically cries, "It hurts! Stop!"
::*When the Predacons each retreat into the jungle upon defeat, each character calls out a humorous "excuse" for running away. Megatron whimpers a pathetic, "I have to return to my piano lessons" as he dashes away.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Instinto Selvagem'''" ("Wild Instinct")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Llamado de la Bestia'''" (America, "The Call of the Beast")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yěxìng de Hūhuàn '''" (野性的呼唤, "The Call of the Beast")

===Toys inspired by this episode===
*'''''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' MP-43 [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|Megatron (Beast Wars)]] ([[TakaraTomy]], 2019)
:Megatron includes the hunting rifle he wields during the Maximal hunt.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Resurrected Beast Power ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt6PWj9eAng "Revive, Beast Power!"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO3wO0Zx7nQ "Revive, Beast Power! (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Spider's Game

2024-01-08T12:38:17Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=18
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=18
|prev2=Double Dinobot
|next2=Call of the Wild
|image=Spider's Game Tarantulas Blackarachnia.jpg
|title="Spider's Game"
|season=1
|season ep=18
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[January 6]], 1997
|packaged with=[[Tarantulas (BW)#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Predacon Tarantulus]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[James Boshier]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLfvEcuv8OQ
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''Tarantulas detects a new stasis pod and attempts to turn the protoform into a new Predacon. '''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Spider's Game Tarantulas console.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|It was only after Tarantulas had finished hooking up his TVs that he remembered cable wouldn't be invented for a few epochs.]]
As another [[stasis pod]] leaves orbit and completes planetfall, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] sends out a magnetic pulse that disrupts the sensors at both the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon]] and [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal bases]]. The pulse ensures that Tarantulas will be the first to arrive at the pod's landing site, within [[Grid Halex]], and that he will be able to manipulate the [[protoform]] inside. [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] discovers what Tarantulas is up to and insists on accompanying him to the pod's landing site.

[[Tigatron]] also sees the pod arriving, but is unable to contact the [[Maximal]] base so he sets out to intercept the pod on his own. He is intercepted by Waspinator, who delays Tigatron until Airazor arrives and saves him. Tigatron tells [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] to go to the pod and that he will join her there.

[[File:Spider's Game Inferno pod.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|But the box said there were supposed to be ten live ants.]]
Arriving at the pod, Tarantulas and Blackarachnia are too late to hand pick an arachnid form for the protoform; however, Tarantulas is able to do some reprogramming and turn the protoform into a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]. The new Predacon, [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], emerges from the pod only to attack the other two Predacons, then begins marching about the stasis pod. Tarantulas deduces that Inferno's [[beast mode]] is dominating his logic circuits and that he thinks he really is a fire ant protecting his colony, which his mind concludes is the stasis pod. Blackarachnia tries to fire on Inferno, but Tarantulas stops her, saying he wants no damage to the pod.

Airazor arrives on the scene only to be attacked and disabled by Inferno and Blackarachnia. While Blackarachnia uses this opportunity to make nice with Inferno and start to win him over, Tarantulas uses it to accomplish his real goal—stealing the stasis pod. This act enrages Inferno who sets out in pursuit of Tarantulas, with Blackarachnia not far behind. Tigatron arrives and tells Airazor to find Optimus while he pursues the Predacons.

[[File:Spider's Game Inferno Tigatron.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Whoops, sorry, I didn't see you there.]]
Nearing his [[Tarantulas's lair|lab]], Tarantulas is caught by Inferno who demands the return of the "colony". Tarantulas ensnares Inferno in a web and is preparing to finish him off when Scorponok arrives and informs Tarantulas that [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] wants the pod. Before that can happen however, Tigatron arrives and destroys the pod. His victory quickly turns sour as he is attacked by both Tarantulas and Blackarachnia, who inflict heavy damage on him. [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] arrives on the scene shortly, and even though both of the spiders flee, Tigatron is still in trouble. Inferno breaks free of Tarantulas's web, enraged at the destruction of the colony. Impressed with new guy's violent attitude, Megatron directs Inferno's fury on Tigatron. The ant is prepares to destroy the tiger, but [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and Airazor arrive and blow Inferno into scrap.

[[File:Spider's Game Scorponok Inferno.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Who buried the loyalists?]]
Megatron gathers up the parts of Inferno and has him restored, while Optimus and Airazor take Tigatron back to the Maximal base for repairs. Back at his lab, however, Tarantulas is lamenting the loss of the pod, revealing to Blackarachnia his beliefs that [[Earth|the planet]] they're on [[Planet Buster|is doomed]]. From this, the black widow correctly surmises that Tarantulas was going to convert the pod into an escape shuttle, but is unable to wrench any more information about his motives for doing so out of him.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (4)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (5)
* [[Tigatron]] (7)
* [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (9)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (1)
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (3)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (6)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
* [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Besides, you're so ''cute.''"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' to Tarantulas. Erugh.

"Ew, another ''insect''. How depressing."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' on Inferno's alt mode.

"Spiders! Dare invade the colony? Inferno, terrorize!"
:—'''Inferno'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s first words.

"As Cheetor would say, that flight mode is ultra-gear!"
:—'''Airazor''' should find better people to quote.

"You won't be getting any of our secrets from that pod, Predacons!" 
"And you won't be getting any older, Stripes."
:—'''Tigatron''' and '''Blackarachnia'''.

"At least consider it; we could be a great team. ...Lunatic." 
"Witch."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Tarantulas''' contemplate working together again.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 19th June 1996
* Second draft: 16th July 1996
* Finalised: 14th August 1996
* As Air: 8th January 1997

===Animation and technical errors===
*As Blackarachnia talks while Tarantulas works away at the protoform, her claws at one point clip through her hip, and then through Tarantulas' arm [[kibble]].
*When Waspinator flies after Tigatron, he clips through the screen.
*After smashing into the boulder, Tigatron's head briefly clips into it.
*Inferno's beast form seems to be way too large for the stasis pod he crawls out of...
*Inferno's legs are also colored quite randomly. This means that when he first transforms to [[robot mode]], his right leg suddenly goes from being dark red to a bright hue.
*Just before Inferno transforms for the first time, one of his ant legs in the pod jerks back and forth.
*When Inferno salutes after firing at the spiders, his hand clips into his head and his "horns".
*When Blackarachnia hides behind a tree, her spider legs clip into its trunk.
*Then, as she transforms, Tarantulas' forearms are on backwards. And when ''he'' transforms, his robot mode legs miraculously disappear, only to flip down from his body and retract into it again.
*Right after this, as Inferno's walking up and down to guard his pod, his back kibble are doing their own independent movements.
*Blackarachnia's line "An opportunity has arrived" comes out of both her and Tarantulas' mandibles.
*As Blackarachnia throws Tarantulas off herself, he briefly passes into her back.
*The spinning blades on Inferno's abdomen have a tendency to clip through his legs as he flies or hovers.
*When Tarantulas snickers to himself after Blackarachnia goes to talk to Inferno, his spider "hands" clip into the ground.
*When Inferno introduces himself to Airazor, his hand passes into his chest.
*The sound effect for Inferno's spinning blades can still be heard when he lands in front of Blackarachnia, but they aren't moving.
*As Airazor struggles to get up, the fingers on her right hand twist outwards two times.
*As Airazor caresses her right arm when talking to Tigatron, her left hand keeps popping on and off its joint. Then, as Tigatron leaves, her right arm clips into her thigh.
*When Tarantulas transforms after Inferno finds him, the markings on his spider abdomen change as it becomes his back.
*Before Tarantulas shoots his web at Inferno, the latter is standing in front of an open plain, but when he's hit, the rock outcropping that was to his side appears behind him.
*Scorponok is standing on the ground when he finds Tarantulas, but when Tigatron's blasts knocks him back, he's suddenly on a boulder.
*When Inferno breaks out of the web Tarantulas traps him in and fires his jets, his spinning abdomen is seen slashing through the back of his legs. (for a brief second anyway)
*While he flies higher up, Inferno tilts his head back so much that the back of it clips completely into his torso.
*Both Megatron and Scorponok are missing from view when Primal's shot flies at and hits Inferno.
*As Primal's missile flies toward Megatron, a strange flickering line appears on the ground on the right side of the screen.
*After getting blasted by Primal, Megatron has odd "prongs" sticking out of the back of his head for a shot.
*The damage on Megatron's torso disappears as he fires at the retreating Maximals, only to reappear afterwards.
*Tarantulas' maniacal laughter at the end is accentuated by a rare dramatic shadow that sadly makes it look like he's hovering in the air.

===Continuity errors===
*While other stasis pods are shown with hatch windows in outer space, Inferno's stasis pod does not have a window when viewed from the inside.
*Despite what the stasis pod says during Tarantulas's reprogramming of it, it had already started and finished scanning for DNA before the spiders even arrived.
*While Airazor is standing up from her injury, the stasis pod can be seen in the background, even though Tarantulas has already taken it away.
*When Tigatron is injured near the end of the episode, his beast mode's face (which serves as his robot mode's chestplate) appears to be bleeding (and has a black eye). Unless mech fluid happens to be red, this either contradicts what Cheetor said to Tarantulas in an [[The Web|earlier episode]] when he said "I don't ''have'' real blood... only [[mech fluid]].", or this lends credence to the theory that beast modes are wholly organic.
*It's snowing rather heavily near the end of the episode. Considering that the series most likely takes place in prehistoric Africa, this is... odd, to say the least. Perhaps it has something to do with the energon deposits?

===Continuity notes===
*Following on from the events of the [[The Trigger, Part 2|previous episode]], Tarantulas has correctly realized that the planet's strange geography is the result of alien manipulation, and is planning to flee the planet before they show up.
*Tarantulas hopes to make another of "our kind", referring to the role he played in Blackarachnia's own creation back in "[[Double Jeopardy]]".
*Prior to this point, Predacons had been known to exclaim "By the Inferno". With the introduction of a character using that name, the phrase is quietly dropped to avoid confusion and will be replaced in a couple of episodes with "By the [[Pit (BW)|Pit]]".
*Gadgets and powers:
** Airazor can perform a "sonar scan" while in beast mode to detect faraway targets.
** We get to see the installation of a Predacon [[shell program]] onto a Maximal protoform, which involves physically replacing a chip within the pod's machinery.
** We also get to see Tarantulas pooping out some webbing, which he uses to pull the Stasis Pod along. It... doesn't sound pleasant.

===Trivia===
*Remarkably, this is the first episode where Tarantulas and Blackarachnia interact since her debut.
*While Megatron is complaining that repairing the computer is Tarantulas's job, you can see the words "eat me" on the screen in the Predacon variant of [[Cybertronix]].
*This is the only episode of the series in which [[Scott McNeil]] voices just one character (specifically, Waspinator). The other fifty-one episodes saw him voicing two to four characters.
*Inferno's stasis pod is the only pod in the entire series to make a controlled descent and scan a [[beast mode]] without incident. Of course, it doesn't stop him from being bonkers, but hey.
*It can be speculated that Inferno's faulty programming can be attributed to his pod already selecting his beast mode before Tarantulas began the reprogramming sequence. It is possible that without the Maximal or Predacon programming chips in place, the pod began to program him with the basic instincts of an ant.
*This is the first episode of the series to not feature [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], or [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]].
*After Tigatron hits his head, there's a cartoony, tweeting-bird sound.
*Just before Inferno's pod lands, one ant in the screen's lower left corner is doing rather questionable things to its partner. Hopefully that particular behavior wasn't picked up by Inferno's programming.
*A toilet flushing can be heard right before Optimus Primal asks Rhinox why the power is out. Optimus states that he was running a "strategic simulation."

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Inferno'''"

:*''Title:'' "'''Inferno'''" (Canada)

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das Spiel der Spinne'''" ("The Game of the Spiders")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 1|1 August]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Intrighi'''" ("Intrigue")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Jigoku no Ari Senshi Inferno'''" (地獄のアリ戦士インフェルノ, "The Hellish Ant Warrior, Inferno")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 28|28 January]] [[1998]]
::* Inferno is dubbed fairly faithfully to his English language version, with the addition of incessantly repeating words and phrases to express his mania. Like all other characters, Inferno was given a unique verbal tic. In his case, he ends sentences with the phrase ''de arimasu'', an outdated predecessor to the more modern ''desu'' used only in highly formal situations (for Inferno, it illustrates his reverence for "the colony"). "Ari" also happens to be Japanese for "ant", making it a pun. Like all characters, he shouts a phrase whenever he fires his weapon. In his case, it's ''shageki'' (射撃, "Fire!").

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Jogo das Aranhas'''" ("The Game of Spiders")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Juego de Arácnidos'''" ("Spiders' Game")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Zhīzhū de Yóuxì '''" (蜘蛛的游戏, "Spiders' Game")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Warning from Space ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Alert Dans L'Espace (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — There are 2 Dinobots? ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBF9aY9B1Nc "The Hellish Ant Warrior, Inferno"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzAWKPxer9k "The Hellish Ant Warrior, Inferno (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

The Trigger, Part 2

2024-01-08T12:37:20Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=17
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=14
|prev2=The Trigger, Part 1
|next2=Victory (episode)
|image=The Trigger Blackarachnia chair.jpg
|caption=Lord Zedd got a makeover.
|title="The Trigger" Part 2
|season=1
|season ep=17
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[November 19]], [[1996]]
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Michaela Zabranska]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|DX Megatron]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq_jsWd1fyw
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''With the flying island under Predacon control, the Maximal base and the Beast Wars are in jeopardy.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:The Trigger Blackarachnia symbol.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Even rocks have tattoos.]]
On the [[Brigadoon|floating paradise island]] of unknown origin, [[Tigatron]] resolves to be the island's dedicated defender, protecting it from the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] who would abuse its power. With the injured [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] on his back, he gets moving. Meanwhile, the Predacons plan to make Tigatron's fear come true. [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] deduces how to detect traps on the island and that the obelisk that fires the laser weapon must be where the island is controlled.

At the same time, [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (with [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] on his back) flies towards the island, maintaining radio contact with [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] on the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s bridge. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] rushes onto the scene again, as he's spotted [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] leaving the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]. As soon as he receives the news over the radio, Primal gets into an aerial scuffle with the two fliers, and because of his handicap from carrying Rattrap, is soundly blasted. Primal and Rattrap free-fall out of control.

[[Image:The Trigger Rattrap optimus.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Terrorsaur probably felt like he had a monkey on his back; it turned out to be a rat.]]
Rattrap, falling to his death, transforms and blasts the taunting Terrorsaur, commandeering the pteranodon as his new mode of transport. The battle between Primal and Waspinator ends in Waspinator's usual fashion.

Airazor and Tigatron have trouble with another of the island's deadly traps, but Tigatron cleverly blasts his and Airazor's way to freedom. Out of danger, they rendezvous with Primal and Rattrap (who is abandoned by his steed). Tigatron fills in his allies on how the symbols around the island denote the location of traps. Rattrap speculates the function of the island is, in fact, a test of the survival capabilities of whomever visits it.

Blackarachnia and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] reach the obelisk that controls the island. Seeing the fliers, she fakes aggression against them so they attack her, which triggers the island's laser defense, giving Blackarachnia the chance to blast her way inside of the obelisk safely. The black widow marvels at the power of the alien technology she discovers inside. She gleefully announces her plan to use the island to win the Beast Wars for herself. Scorponok objects, but is quickly tricked into one of the island's traps.

[[Image:The Trigger Blackarachnia power.jpg|left|200px|thumb|I AM THE POWER!]]
Inside of the ornate control room, Blackarachnia steps on a strange symbol on the floor, which bathes her in light. The light alters her colors and her voice and gives her mind a direct connection to the island's power. She blackens the sky and uses the obelisk to rain destruction on the island (in a literal sense). The monolith elongates as she directs the island towards the Maximal base. Optimus radios to Rhinox the command for the crew to evacuate the ''Axalon''.

Rattrap's leg is pinned down by some heavy stone debris, but he commands Tigatron to leave him behind so the cat can stop Blackarachnia's chaos. As Tigatron presses forward, Rattrap uses an energy weapon to get the obelisk's defense beam to free himself. Inside the obelisk, Tigatron reluctantly destroys the island's reactor, knowing that this action will doom the paradise.

[[Image:The Trigger Island crash.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Someone stole the Master Emerald.]]
Without an energy source, the island loses altitude and guidance, narrowly swooping over the Maximal base. The island crumbles as it crashes into the ground, robbing Blackarachnia of her chance to dominate. The fallen obelisk sends one final pulse of energy into the sky, which bounces off of a similar obelisk on [[Planet Buster|the smaller of the planet's two moons]], then vanishes into space.

Tigatron knows the beam was a signal, telling [[Vok|the creators]] of the island how the Maximals and Predacons ruined their island paradise. A reoccurring butterfly symbolically dies. The Maximals wonder what's next, and how the builders of the island will react to the vandalism.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Tigatron]] (1)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (5)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (6)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (11)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (3)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (4)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (9)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Have a nice... trip? Hehehahahahaha!"
:—'''Scorponok''' is easily amused.

"We should move... how are you feeling?" 
"Better. Still thrashed... ''(grunts)'' ...can't fly". 
"In that case... the lady shall ride a tiger!"
:—'''Tigatron''' and '''Airazor'''

"A scared little mousie... This is just too good to be true!" 
"You know, beak-face... you're right!"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' will wish he didn't tease a seemingly helpless '''Rattrap'''.

"You're a real piece of work, Rattrap." 
"Eh, ain't it the truth?"
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Rattrap''' on the latter's hijacking of Terrorsaur as a ride.

"...Oops." 
"Pterodactyl ''idiot''!"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' and '''Waspinator''' realize that they've been duped.

"Uhhhh... yeeeesss... I FEEL the power. I have the control! Let there be... ''light.''"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' takes control of the flying island

"May I be forgiven for what I must do."
:—'''Tigatron''', just before destroying the flying island's power source

==Notes==
* First draft: 14th June 1996
* Second draft: 19th July 1996
* Finalised: 13th August 1996
* As Air: 26th November 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
*Following the island's establishing shot at the beginning, when we first see Tigatron, he appears to be floating an inch or two above the ground.
*An open gap can be seen on Scorponok's [[beast mode]] head, specifically the back of his left "cheek", when Blackarachnia climbs out of the hole.
*There's also a tiny gap visible on Blackarachnia's spider mode as she contemplates on the trap markings, inside the "ring" around the base of her front leg.
*Tigatron's tail passes under his back right foot when he offers Airazor a ride, making it look like he's floating.
*When Scorponok stands back up after being thrown on his back by Blackarachnia, the following shot has his legs frozen mid-stride instead of resting on the ground, with the front left leg clearly clipping through the second.
*When Terrorsaur goes back into beast mode after the falling Rattrap blasts him out of the sky, his pterosaur back sports the texturing of his belly for a handful of frames, which is then suddenly replaced by the regular textures.
*The closeup shot of Terrorsaur's eye popping out at the sight of Rattrap's gun has oddly low resolution.
*While riding on Terrorsaur's back, Rattrap's left hand keeps clipping through the former's neck and head.
*How is Terrorsaur staying aloft without flapping his wings when he meets up with Primal under Rattrap's "persuasion"? He and his passenger just float there. Furthermore, the angle of the shot reveals there's a gap between Terrorsaur's arm and wing membrane.
*When Tigatron grabs Airazor to escape from their trap, his hand clips into her. As the run towards the screen, they even clip through the "camera" for a moment, allowing you to see this better.
*As Terrorsaur begins to glide toward the tree branch, Rattrap's right lower arm is twisted around, having come off its hinge, and slowly begins rotating before the shot ends.
*After he hits the ground, both of Rattrap's arms are on backwards – take note of the position of the pink "handles" on his shoulders.
*As it happens in many other episodes, Scorponok's eye color shifts from yellow to red throughout his [[robot mode]]'s screentime.
*When Terrorsaur takes Blackarachnia's bait, the upper edge of his pterosaur neck is visibly protruding through the top of his head.
*All other characters are missing from the background as Waspinator quips "Pterodactyl idiot."
*Blackarachnia's reflection textures are missing, causing her normally glossy robot pieces to appear matte, as she shoots her way into the obelisk.
*The brick texturing on the obelisk's wall doesn't in any way line up to the edges of the hole Blackarachnia blows into it.
*When Blackarachnia makes her way into the structure, the rim around her right claw-hand keeps moving independently from her lower arm, stretching and shifting to the side.
*As the Maximals dart toward the monument in beast mode, Rattrap's tail keeps passing under his feet, making it appear like he's floating.
*The hole is missing from the obelisk's side when Airazor and Optimus begin flying toward it.
*The obelisk's blast hits on the ground are animated inconsistently. Sometimes, the erupting dirt takes its time to dissolve somewhat realistically, other times it just disappears between frames.
*All the blasts spewed by the obelisk cause strange outlines and texture errors to appear on the island's lake whenever they pass by in its vicinity.
*The blasts also affect the characters' texturing. Just before Tigatron and Rattrap duck behind a boulder for cover, they are missing their glossy texture effects when they're on the right half of the screen, but once they jump to the left, the reflection textures reappear.
*Just before he begins firing at the obelisk, Rattrap's shin twists off its hinge.
*Rattrap's mouth doesn't move while he cheers after freeing himself from the rock.
*The island's size varies wildly as it approaches the ''Axalon'' and subsequently crashes. While previously it was shown to be absolutely massive- large enough for a bunch of Transformers to undertake a long trek to reach its center- it suddenly shrinks to being roughly the same size as the ''Axalon''.
*As the island crashes and falls apart, the lake doesn't seem to be disturbed. At one point, the solid ground around the lake seems to rise just before the shot cuts, with the oddly stationary lake clipping through it.
*More of an understandable shortcut than an outright error or oversight, but it's plainly clear that the island's trees are actual, separate models in some shots, but for shots that require less detail, they're replaced by green-colored, irregular-shaped 3D clumps that vaguely look like greenery if you squint.

===Continuity errors===
*Despite Blackarachnia's observation that the monolith needs to recharge when it fires, it has no difficulty in firing a precise blast at Rattrap when he shoots at it, and it's dispersing energy all over the place at the time. Even if there are separate mechanisms for the different kinds of fire, the apparently large amount of energy consumed by the main beam seems as though it would cause some sort of pause in the barrage, at the least.
*Speaking of which, the monolith's main weapon has wildly varying power levels throughout the two-part episode. It was previously shown to be strong enough to badly damage Terrorsaur and Waspinator with one shot apiece, but in this episode, it only knocks them out of the sky, no worse for the wear. Later, it hits Airazor dead-on, and she's back after a short while with no ill effects, even being able to carry Rattrap – rather jarring, given that she had spent over half the episode barely being able to move after being hit by one of Scorponok's missiles. Rattrap also gets a dose of its firepower, which leaves him seemingly uninjured save for a bout of dizziness. A possibility is that the repeated firings in such a short period of time are depleting the beam's charge, leaving it at the level of a strong blaster rather than a devastating superweapon.
* Tigatron's continual assertions that the island was a paradise or "land of peace" make little sense given that it was filled with death traps that activated purely on proximity (as opposed to the monolith punishing the use of energy weapons). Most paradises tend not to include arbitrary death by boulders.

===Real-world references===
* When Airazor is too injured to fly, Tigatron declares that "The lady shall ride a tiger". This is a reference to Frank Stockton's famous short story, "[http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LadyTige.shtml The Lady or the Tiger?]"
* In the {{w|Bible}}, "Let there be light" is a phrase used by God when he creates the universe.
* At the end, Tigatron relates how all they had to do was live in peace on the floating paradise — but instead they destroyed it. Optimus then shakes his head and replies that it is an "old story", and maybe someday they will all learn. This seems to be a reference to the Garden of Eden from the Bible.

===Trivia===
* This is the only episode of ''Beast Wars'' not to feature Megatron in any way, including [[Law of the Jungle|flashbacks]], [[The Web|dreams]], or [[A Better Mousetrap|holograms]]. However, Blackarachnia does mention him when she gloats that the island's power will allow her to defeat "even Megatron".
* Dinobot appears but gets no lines at all (which is odd given they had [[Scott McNeil]] there to voice Rattrap anyway).
*[[Cybertronix]]:
** As Rhinox makes contact with Primal, much Cybertronix appears on his screen. Though some is gibberish, the words "toilet", "Rod was here", and "you look too close" can be made out.
** Upsidedown text at the bottom of the screen when Airazor spies on Blackarachnia includes the names "PAM" and "KRIS", as well as "MCM10C4" (1994 in the Maximal numbering system).
* Like [[Dark Designs|Rhinox before her]], Blackarachnia's temporary color change never got a toy. Come on Hasbro, get on the ball!

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'Île Volante - 2e partie'''" ("The Flying Island - Part 2")

:*''Title:'' "'''Île Volante 2'''" ("Flying Island 2")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die fliegende Insel, Teil 2'''" ("The Flying Island, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 26|26 July]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il grilletto - Parte 2'''" (The Trigger - Part 2")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Ukishima no Death Match Kōhen'''" (浮島のデスマッチ後編, "Floating Island Death Match Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 31|31 December]] [[1997]]
::*Tigatron's verbal tic of ending sentences in "gozaru" is suddenly played to excess beginning with this episode, as he now ends practically ''every'' sentence in the phrase. It is an archaic manner of speech often associated with the samurai (as, for humor, Tigatron was played as a wandering samurai ronin in this dub).
::*This is the first episode to feature the characters chattering through the [[commercial bumper]]s. In the Japanese version, all bumpers are themed to a different character. As Rattrap falls through the sky after being shot from Optimus's back by Terrorsaur, his scream of terror continues into the bumper (themed around him, naturally).
::*At the very end of the episode, as the camera pulls out, looking ominously down at the Maximals who are staring up at the sky, each character recites their verbal tic for comedic effect ("Da na", "Jaa--an", "gozaru", etc.).

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Gatilho Parte 2'''" ("The Trigger Part 2")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Detonante Segunda Parte'''" ("The Explosive Second Part")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yī Chù Jí Fā '''" (一触即发, "Touch and Go")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Warning from Space ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Alert Dans L'Espace (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Floating Island Deathmatch ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trigger part 2}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

The Trigger, Part 1

2024-01-08T12:34:24Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Trigger}}

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=16
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=13
|prev2=The Spark
|next2=The Trigger, Part 2
|season=1
|season ep=16
|image=The Trigger Tigatron island.jpg
|caption="The entire world will once again kneel before the power of Laputa!"
|title="The Trigger" Part 1
|production company= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[November 18]], 1996
|written by= [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by= [[J. Falconer]]
|animation studio= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|DX Megatron]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8yEa9FMdjI
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''Tigatron discovers a flying island with amazing alien power, but the Predacons are after it as well.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:The Trigger Terrorsaur.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Who has got the creepiest smile? Terrorsaur or that weird-looking Bullet Bill?]]
An earthquake on a snowy mountainside raises questions from the nearby [[Tigatron]], on his way to file his weekly report with the rest of the [[Maximal]]s. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] answers Tigatron's call, and as soon as Tigatron mentions that he hasn't seen any [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] activity, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] attack, their attacks causing Tigatron's communication console to collapse upon him as Rattrap listens. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] heads out to rescue his comrade.

Tigatron, pushing the console off himself, continues to fight against his airborne assailants. A missile from Terrorsaur is detonated by a shot from Waspinator, tearing the ground into pieces and dropping Tigatron into a cloudy chasm. But when the two fliers follow Tigatron into the cloud to gather his remains as trophies, they are blasted by something unseen.

[[File:The Trigger Terrorsaur waspinator.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Battered and bruised.]]
Primal eventually arrives at the site of the battle, and using Tigatron's communication console, radios to the [[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]] that Tigatron is missing, possibly destroyed.

[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], spying on the Predacon base, witnesses Waspinator and Terrorsaur return in poor condition. The two goons report to [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] what happened to them after they followed Tigatron.

Inside of the cloud Tigatron fell into, the two Predacons discovered Tigatron had landed on a massive [[Brigadoon|flying island]]. While trying to finish Tigatron, the two were blasted away by energy beams from a strange tower in the center of the island. Megatron sends the team of [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to claim the island in the name of the Predacons.

[[File:The Trigger Tigatron beast.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|These trees all look so unrealistic.]]
Airazor reports to the Maximals her observation of the two Predacons, who were in much worse condition than they should be had they won the battle against Tigatron, which means the tiger could still be alive. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] rushes in to follow up her report with news that Blackarachnia and Scorponok are leaving the Predacon base. Airazor is sent to follow the two.

In [[beast mode]], Tigatron explores the island he's discovered, and is amazed at the flora and fauna on the isolated paradise. But, after passing a rock with strange markings, the island reveals some strange defenses against his presence. Tigatron decides to play it safe for the rest of his time in the strange area.

[[File:The Trigger Tigatron bee.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|If you want order in Gotham, Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Oh, and every day he doesn't, people will die, starting tonight.]]
Outside of the cloud, Blackarachnia and Scorponok find the island. Scorponok explores the island with one of his [[cyberbee]]s, until Tigatron snatches the bee out of the air. The deceptive nature of the cloud confirmed, Blackarachnia fires a line into the cloud to board the island. As the line retracts, pulling up the two arachnids, Scorponok sees Airazor in pursuit. Using one of his rockets, he blasts her out of the sky. After Scorponok dodges the island's response to his attack, Blackarachnia resolves to take control of the island for herself.

Tigatron aids Airazor and explains to her that he reprogrammed the cyber bee to carry a message back to the Axalon. Soon, Primal recovers the bee and receives the message explaining how if the island's weapon is commandeered by either side, it would ensure victory....
{{-}}
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Tigatron]] (1)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (4)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (5)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (6)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (7)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (8)
* [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (9)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (2)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (3)
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (10)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (11)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (12)
}}

==Quotes==
"Waszzpinator love victims that are punctual!"
:—'''Waspinator''' is happy to see Tigatron.

"Waszzpinator wants his heeeeead!" 
"It's ''mine,'' bug face!"
:—'''Waspinator''' and '''Terrorsaur''' fighting over whatever's left of Tigatron.

"Either the grunge look is coming back, or those two ran into something hot."
:—'''Airazor''' on spying Terrorsaur and Waspinator after their encounter with the flying island.

'''Optimus Primal:''' Good thing you didn't just blast this bee. 
'''Cheetor:''' Well, I would've... but it was carrying one of Airazor's feathers. 
'''Rattrap:''' 'Sides... he ''missed.'' 
'''Cheetor:''' Yeah, that too. 
'''Optimus Primal:''' ''Prime.''
:—The Maximals receiving the Cyber Bee.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 20th May 1996
* Second draft: 18th July 1996
* Finalised: 13th August 1996
* As Air 12th November 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
*The trail of tiger footprints in the snow is a nice touch, but then Tigatron transforms and he's not leaving footprints anymore. The snow effects in general are rather inconsistent, only leaving impressions when absolutely necessary.
*Waspinator's first transformation is pretty screwy. The wasp-stripes on his thighs are vertical instead of horizontal; his insect-mode wings don't disappear entirely, so he has an extra set of wings in [[robot mode]]; the animation of his wings stops mid-shot; and there's a big green part sticking through his chest, clipping into his chin.
*Both times when Terrorsaur transforms, his shoulder cannons float above him as he transforms, then reattach when he turns to robot mode. This is better seen in his flashback.
*As Tigatron's transmission cuts off, part of Rattrap's wrist comes detached from his hand.
*When the radar array falls on Tigatron, it's explicitly shown that his gun lands a little distance away from it. But after he pushes the radar off himself and engages the flyers, the gun's right next to him.
*As the two Preds are looking for Tigatron's remains, Terrorsaur's wing membrane keeps detaching from his arms when he flaps them.
*When Terrorsaur and Waspinator fly into the cloud, the sounds of the resulting battle are different from the ones heard during the former's flashback. Most notably, Terrorsaur is heard screeching before the island's beam weapon fires.
*Most of Waspinator's abdomen stripes are gone when he and Terrorsaur report to Megatron, but after the flashback, his stripes are back.
*After Megatron demands an explanation from the flyers, the position of his dinosaur head-hand is flipped 180° in the following shot.
*When Megatron addresses Scorponok and Blackarachnia, their feet are partially clipping into their floating platforms.
*Scorponok's visor changes from yellow to red multiple times in the second half of the episode.

===Continuity errors===
*It seems to take a very, VERY long time for the transmission tower to fall on Tigatron. There is at least a 20-second break between the Maximals losing his transmission and Optimus taking off to find him, after which Tigatron is still screaming as the tower ''finally'' falls on him.

===Continuity notes===
*Early in the episode, Rhinox observes that one of the moons is lighter than it should be. Perhaps this could be [[Planet Buster|foreshadowing]]? A hollow celestial body? Call Dr. [[Lucy Suzuki]]!
*Terrorsaur's suspicions about the nature of the "cloud" may be due to [[Power Surge (episode)|previous experience with abnormal landforms on the planet]].
* Gadgets and powers:
** Terrorsaur fires off a missile with a "shark-toothed" paint job.
** Airazor possesses telescopic vision, which she uses several times in the episode.
** Scorponok can receive live feeds from his cyber-bees.

===Transformers references===
*The idea of a tropical area surviving amongst otherwise inhospitable coldness is [[Savage Land|a concept used elsewhere in Transformers]].

===Real-world references===
*Rattrap answers Tigatron's call with the phrase "{{w|What's New Pussycat?|What's new, pussycat?}}" This is actually the third time this phrase is used. The first was in "[[Equal Measures]]" as an expression by Cheetor and the second time in "[[The Spark]]" when Rhinox greets Cheetor during his dream sequence.
*Airazor, spying on a damaged Terrorsaur and Waspinator, quips that "The {{w|grunge}} look must have come back."

===Trivia===
*There is a model submarine on Rattrap's station.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'île Volante - 1re partie'''" ("The Flying Island - Part 1")

:*''Title:'' "'''Île Volante 1'''" ("Flying Island 1")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die fliegende Insel, Teil 1'''" ("The Flying Island, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 18|18 July]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il grilletto - Parte 1'''" ("The Trigger - Part 1")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Ukishima no Death Match Zenpen'''" (浮島のデスマッチ前編, "Floating Island Death Match Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 31|31 December]] [[1997]]
::*This episode was held back from Japanese broadcast for one week, due to the previous week's Wednesday (the day on which all episodes of the series had aired) having been [[December 24]], [[Christmas|Christmas Eve]]. Because of this delay, both it and the [[The Trigger, Part 2|next episode]] aired together on the same day as a one-hour special.
::*Terrorsaur's angry-face missile that he fires at Tigatron actually ''speaks''. In a high-pitched voice, it screeches "''caw caw caw!''" in a manner similar to Terrorsaur (as ''caw caw caw'' was his verbal tic in the Japanese dub) and when it impacts without exploding, it coughs and grumbles in disappointment.
::*Likewise, Scorponok's [[Cyberbee]] also speaks, mimicking its master's verbal tic (chanting "''orya orya orya''"). As Tigatron holds it down and picks at it, the Cyberbee pleads with him to stop between gasps of "''orya orya orya''".
::*As the Cyberbee surveys the floating island's terrain and Scorponok watches through his visor, he passes the time by singing "[[War War! Stop It]]" by [[Banana Ice]] to himself (naturally, this was the show's [[Japanese themes|theme song]] in Japan).
::*When recording his message for the Maximals with the Cyberbee, Tigatron starts by stuttering and clearing his throat like he doesn't know the camera is on, then launches into a melodramatic call for help.
::*After Tigatron's message ends and the screen goes blank, Rattrap shouts "Hey, what're we gonna do now?" before the clips for next episode begin.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Gatilho Parte 1'''" ("The Trigger Part 1")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Detonante Primera Parte'''" ("The Explosive First Part")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yún Zhōng zhī Dǎo '''" (云中之岛, "The Island in the Cloud")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Warning from Space ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Alert Dans L'Espace (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Floating Island Deathmatch ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trigger part 1}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

The Spark

2024-01-08T12:33:25Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Spark}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=15
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=12
|prev2=A Better Mousetrap
|next2=The Trigger, Part 1
|image=The Spark Rhinox spark.jpg
|caption="I got your soul!"
|title="The Spark"
|season=1
|season ep=15
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[November 11]], 1996
|packaged with=[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[Colin Davies]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Rhinox (BW)##Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Rhinox]], [[Gimlet#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Gimlet]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb6PMqmwhFg
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''Rhinox and Cheetor assist a downed stasis pod and the damaged protoform within.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:The Spark Falcon.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, hey, more foreshadowing.]]
In orbit around [[Earth|the planet]], a [[stasis pod]] is clipped by a piece of space debris, causing the pod to descend to the surface. [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] detect this, and dispatch [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to capture it.

Meanwhile, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] happens to be scouting the landing area in his [[beast mode]], observing that the local raw [[energon]] deters the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] from properly fortifying the terrain. He witnesses the pod descending and, unable to radio for support, goes to recover the pod by himself. In another area, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] sees the pod and, after radioing the news to [[Tigatron]], heads to where he anticipates the pod will land.

[[File:The Spark Rhinox pod.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Rhinox struggles to work this really old video game console.]]
Rhinox is first to reach the pod, but finds that because of the local energon, his [[robot mode]] is in risk of damage from prolonged exposure to the energon radiation. Worse, the [[protoform]] within the pod could expire if the pod itself isn't repaired soon. Cheetor then arrives at the pod's crash site.

Meanwhile, Tigatron freezes Scorponok's journey to the stasis pod, but Blackarachnia paralyzes him with a dose of her [[cyber venom]].

At the pod, Rhinox tells Cheetor that his body contains [[Locking chip|a component]] the pod needs to save the protoform. Cheetor voluntarily deactivates to allow Rhinox to harvest the hardware that will protect the new [[Maximal]] from energon damage. While in deep sleep, Cheetor envisions himself learning about the concept of a Transformer [[spark]] from Rhinox. After Cheetor reactivates, a tense Rhinox installs the chip and gives the dormant Transformer a second chance.

[[File:The Spark Cheetor Waspinator.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Waspinator only want one kiss!"]]
Blackarachnia arrives and exchanges trash talk as she battles Cheetor, who uses his robot mode conservatively. Cheetor manages to shove her own venom dart into her forehead, knocking her out. Next, Cheetor faces [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]. With his robot mode pushed to the max, Cheetor uses his beast mode to draw the two fliers away.

Rhinox tries to interface his own systems with the stasis pod to assist the protoform, but is disconnected by feedback and left trapped in his own beast mode.

[[File:The Spark Airazor.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Don't mess with this lady.]]
Cheetor fries Waspinator with some maneuvering around one of the local natural energon geysers. However, Terrorsaur is able to score a direct hit on Cheetor, and proceeds to the now-unprotected pod. At the last possible moment, the pod scans a bird circling overhead, providing the biological information needed to complete the new Maximal.

The fresh-from-case avian Transformer drags Terrorsaur away from the crash site. His attempts to fry the bird with gunfire are dodged. Announcing her name to be [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], the new Maximal transforms and blasts the Predacon to pieces.

Back at the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Rhinox and Cheetor introduce the rest of the Maximals to their new friend.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
* [[Tigatron]] (5)
* [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (10)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (11)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (12)
|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (1)
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (6)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (7)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
"''Just as Megatron said! Just as Megatron said!'' Don't you ever get ''tired'' of grovelling to that saurian?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' mocks Scorponok

"Bah, I'll tell you ''nothing'', Maximal! Scorponok, ''terrori—''" ''[is zapped and frozen]'' 
"Sorry, I don't have time to play."
:—'''Scorponok''' and '''Tigatron'''.

"When a Spark goes online, there is great joy. When one is extinguished, the universe weeps."
:—'''Rhinox'''

"''Whoa'', that was ultra gear!"
:—'''Cheetor''', coming out of his tripped-out dream.

"By the way, how do you dance with all those skinny legs?" 
"''Ugh'', this must be my day for cats!"
:—'''Cheetor''' to '''Blackarachnia'''

"You don't know what fast ''is'', furball." 
"I know what ''ugly'' is, and you're it!"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' feels '''Cheetor''''s burn.

"Who ''dares'' attack Waszzpinator?!"
:—A better question would perhaps be who ''wouldn't'' dare attack '''Waspinator'''.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 7th March 1996
* Second draft: 25th March 1996
* Finalised: 19th June 1996
* As Air: 30th October 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* The appearance of protoforms continue to fluctuate; whereas in "[[Double Jeopardy]]" the protoform had Blackarachnia's head prior to formatting, Airazor's protoform has a blank head.
* When Cheetor reports the falling stasis pod to Tigatron, the white on his underbelly disappears in a few shots.
* When Tigatron first Maximizes, one tree in the background, to his right, is floating.
** Also if you pause at the right moment before his tiger head becomes his chest, you can see his robot's fake tiger nose, eyes, and ears before the head finishes transformation.
* The tree he hides behind has an extremely low resolution, pixellated-looking texture.
* When Tigatron shoots Scorponok, a plant behind him jerks suddenly. Perhaps it's meant to indicate Blackarachnia sneaking up on him, but she appears from above just a couple seconds later.
* As he experiences an energon surge whilst hiding behind a rock column, Cheetor's left arm loses its shine.
* In a high angle shot of Terrorsaur flying after Airazor, Rhinox in the back vanishes a few frames before the shot cuts.

===Continuity errors===
* When Cheetor arrives at the pod, why does Rhinox ask him why he's there? Surely it's obvious!
* Rhinox changes to robot mode before making a dash for the pod, even though in other situations where he needs to cover a long distance in a [[Code of Hero|hurry]], he stays in his beast mode.
* Interestingly, when Scorponok is frozen mid-command code activation, he's still in [[beast mode]]. Contrast with Tarantulas in "Double Jeopardy", who was similarly interrupted, but managed to transform to [[robot mode]] before getting shot.

===Continuity notes===
* One of the most important episodes in defining the physiology of Transformers, "The Spark" defined the concept of a spark to the Transformers mythos. Every subsequent series will go on to incorporate sparks in some way, and the concept will even be [[retcon]]ned back into the original Generation 1 continuity.
* This episode further confirms that the characters don't ''really'' need to say their activation phrases in order to transform. After Tigatron breaks cartoon convention and shoots Scorponok mid "Terrorize", Blackarachnia then sneaks up behind Tigatron and transforms without saying a word.
* Cheetor's youth really shows when he calls Blackarachnia "ugly". He doesn't seem to think so when he [[Feral Scream Part 2|grows up]] a little, but right now she clearly has cooties.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Rhinox carries a selection of repair tools in a pouch on his left leg.
** Blackarachnia's [[cyber venom]] makes its debut here.
** Cheetor experiences another precognitive dream. His vision correctly predicts the last line in the episode from Rhinox: "When a spark comes online, there is great joy." Cheetor makes a face indicating he recognizes it, and smiles to himself.

===Transformers references===
* Rhinox refers to the Transformer race as "Cybertrons", the Japanese name for [[Autobot]]s.

===Real-world references===
* In the vision, Rhinox greets Cheetor with the line "what's new, pussycat?", referencing the Tom Jones [[w:What's New Pussycat? (song)|song]] of the same name. The same reference was used previously in "[[Equal Measures]]" by Cheetor himself and would make a return in [[The Trigger, Part 1|the next episode]], suggesting that someone in the writer's room really liked this joke.

===Trivia===
* The monitor that Tarantulas accesses to identify the arriving stasis pod reads "BIRD" in [[Cybertronix]] while passive, and while sounding its alarm it switches to "GRID BOY".
* Tarantulas snickers to himself after detecting the pod. When Megatron appears, realises that a pod has crashed, and sets out to claim it, Tarantulas is visibly annoyed. Tarantulas's desire to obtain a pod for himself becomes a bigger plot point [[Spider's Game|later on]].
* Later stories (published after the show was over) would retcon Airazor's origin, establishing her as a character who had once existed on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] before being transferred into a protoform aboard the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]''. This revised timeline doesn't really gel with the episode itself - Rhinox's lines about sparks are pretty implicit that a new Transformer is being "born", as opposed to a pre-existing character returning to life. But then, that wouldn't be the only time something in the print stories doesn't quite line up with the TV series.
* This is the only ''Beast Wars'' episode to be censored for its home video release in the United Kingdom. The scene of Blackarachnia stunning Cheetor with a headbutt was cut in order to obtain a PG certificate from the BBFC and avoid a 12 rating. Other, more graphic, depictions of violence in the series were deemed perfectly child-friendly.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'Étincelle'''" ("The Spark")

:*''Title:'' "'''L'Étincelle'''" ("The Spark")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Funke'''" ("The Spark")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 11|11 July]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
*''Title:'' "'''La scintilla'''" ("The Spark")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Hayabusa Senshi Airrazor'''" (ハヤブサ戦士エアラザー, "The Falcon Warrior Airrazor")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 17|17 December]] [[1997]]
::*During the scene where Waspinator chases Cheetor through the rocks, Waspinator spends the entire scene making mocking comments toward Cheetor (mainly questioning his speed and skill). When hit by the energon geyser, Waspinator shouts "bikkuri!" ("what a surprise!").
::*As is rather well known, Airazor was made ''male'' for the Japanese dub of the series. A fairly ''effeminate'' male, but a male never-the-less.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' '''A Centelha''' ("The Spark")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Chispa'''" (America, "The Spark")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Huǒzhǒng '''" (火种, "The Spark")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Warning from Space ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Alert Dans L'Espace (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Goodbye Rattle!? ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIuCq5BZwgk "The Falcon Warrior Airazor"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-JywZIeab0 "The Falcon Warrior Airazor (Part 2)"] on YouTube

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spark}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Double Dinobot

2024-01-08T12:31:23Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=14
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=17
|prev2=Dark Designs
|next2=Spider's Game
|image=Dinobot mirror.jpg
|caption="Hmm. He looks good, but is he tasty...?"
|title="Double Dinobot"
|season=1
|season ep=14
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate= [[November 5]], [[1996]]
|written by=[[Rowby Goren]]
|directed by=[[John Pozer]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2muf5JdwaA
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''Megatron creates a non-transforming clone of Dinobot in an effort to disable Sentinel.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Double Dinobot Megatron clone.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Isn't he cute?]]
[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] creates a ''Velociraptor'' clone based on the [[DNA]] of the [[Maximal]] [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], [[Clone One]], which also possesses a copy of Dinobot's mind.

[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] attacks the real Dinobot while on patrol, leading the Maximal into a cave where a swift move allows Terrorsaur to escape and bury Dinobot in a cave-in. Meanwhile, Clone One is sent to infiltrate the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]] in his place. Clone One tells [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] that there's a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] camp in [[Grid Omega]] and insists Primal himself should go. Primal instead sends the Clone and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] to fix the camp's exact location.

[[File:Double Dinobot Rattrap clone.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|What's funnier? Seeing someone falling off a log, or causing someone to fall off a log and then laughing at them for falling off.]]
Rattrap transforms to attack the alleged base and ''almost'' discovers the Clone's inability to transform, but stands down when the Clone reminds him this is a ''recon'' mission. Rattrap is puzzled by this uncharacteristic show of restraint, but stands down. While crossing an open lava flow, Clone One kicks the bridge out from under Rattrap, apparently sending him to his death.

In the meantime, the real Dinobot digs himself out of the rubble in the cave.

[[File:Double Dinobot Clone shock.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|This is what really wiped out the dinosaurs.]]
Clone One returns to the ''Axalon'' (now crewed only by Optimus Primal) and fakes an injury, telling Primal that they discovered the Predacon camp under cover of a "stealth device" and Rattrap is trapped. Despite having just received a report from Rhinox that Grid Omega shows no signs of Predacon activity, Optimus Primal activates [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] and leaves to rescue Rattrap. Clone One struggles to deactivate the shield without Dinobot's authorization codes and is repeatedly shocked by Sentinel, who recognises him as Dinobot, but doesn't detect a Maximal [[spark]].

Optimus Primal and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] rendezvous in Grid Omega, where they pick up Rattrap's trail. Rattrap, who landed on a chunk of rock, rides it along the lava flow, but is forced to leap for his life when the flow becomes a lava waterfall. He lands up on a ledge and then {{w|Rocket jumping|grenade jumps}} back to stable ground, where he encounters Cheetor and Primal and informs them of "Dinobot"'s treachery.

Meanwhile, the real Dinobot returns to the ''Axalon'' and deactivates the perimeter shield. Clone One believes he has finally succeeded and summons Megatron. The two Dinobots come face to face and are momentarily baffled as their identical reflexes cause them to mirror one another's reactions. Clone One realizes the situation first and attacks, but Dinobot transforms and challenges his clone to a fight. Discovering that his double cannot transform, Dinobot returns to [[beast mode]] and the two fight on equal terms. The Clone is losing ground, but a lucky blow appears to knock Dinobot unconscious. Clone One eagerly goes to meet Megatron, not realizing that Dinobot was playing [[roboto-possum]].

[[File:Double Dinobot Dinobot teeth.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"...Mmmm, he was quite tasty."]]
Dinobot poses as his clone and greets Megatron outside the base and flatters his ego while discovering his plan to ambush the Maximals as they return from Grid Omega then use their own defense grid to finish them off. Dinobot activates the perimeter shield just as Megatron is walking through it, shocking him badly. Megatron initially believes the clone has betrayed him just as Dinobot did, but is cheered to learn that's not the case. With the arrival of the other Maximals, Megatron retreats.

The Maximals survey the damaged command center in dismay and inquire what happened to the clone. Dinobot informs them that it is gone for good...and was 'quite tasty'.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (6)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (7)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (8)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (9)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (10)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (1)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (4)
*[[Clone One]] (5)
}}

==Quotes==
"At last, an ''end'' to the boredom!"
:—'''Dinobot''', delighted to be attacked

"Peaceful as an R-chamber. Looks like old chopper face is seein' things."
:—'''Rattrap'''

"I just knew I smelled a rat... and it wasn't even ''me!''"
:—'''Rattrap''' jumps to the wrong conclusion.

"What in the Inferno are you?" 
"What you might have been, had you not betrayed Megatron."
:—'''Dinobot''' meets '''Clone One'''

"Ooh, your brilliance is an inspiration to me!" 
"Oh, you are an enchanting creature! I may just clone the rest of my troops."
:—'''Dinobot''' posing as his clone, to '''Megatron'''

"You're ''disgusting.''" 
:—'''Optimus''' expresses his thoughts of '''Dinobot's''' actions

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* Second draft: 4th March 1996
* Finalised: 6th June 1996
* Revised: 20th June 1996
* As Air: 4th November 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
*With all the focus on Dinobot's beast mode, not to mention Clone One's rather theatrical body language, this episode really demonstrates the limitations of their CG model. It contorts in strange ways and continuously clips through itself in various places.
*When the bolts and rivets fly off the cloning chamber, there's no screw-holes remaining in their place, the metal remains intact.
*When Clone One is called a "ZombieBot" by Scorponok, and when he growls and bites at him, Tigatron's scream is heard instead.
*As Dinobot approaches the cave Terrorsaur flew into, for a moment the "camera" clips into some rocks on the right side of the screen.
*More of an oddity than an error, but due to the angle the shot was rendered in, as Dinobot transforms into [[robot mode]] to enter the cave, you may notice how his robot torso and sword miraculously appear in shrunken form behind or above (but clearly separate from) his dinosaur mode, before merging with the rest of his body to complete transformation. Later, as he tries to fight his clone, the robot torso correctly appears from within the beast's body.
*When Terrorsaur creates a cave-in to trap Dinobot, the latter briefly clips through the screen as the "camera" pulls out. His left hand then passes through his sword, and as he hurries into the cave, he clips into the screen again, very briefly giving us a view of the insides of his animation model's head.
*When Megatron orders the clone to go, his left hand clips completely through the console on his seat.
*The circular compartment in the middle of the table that Rattrap emerges from has a ''very'' pixelated rim around it.
*After Clone One has kicked Rattrap's log off the ledge, he begins to leave, but instead of turning and beginning to walk convincingly, his body just awkwardly kinda contorts itself before the shot cuts.
*When Rattrap grabs a hold of the ledge after escaping the lava fall, he seems to have a double-hand: one which holds onto the rock and one that's actually attached to him. You can see the two hands' joints merging in and out of each other as he hangs there, and the stationary hand's joint even stays there as he pulls himself up.
*When Rattrap blows his way out of his predicament, the smoke of the explosion is very blocky and low-res.
*When the clone opens wide to snap at the real Dinobot, the inside of his maw is really messed up, and the lower part of his jaw folds over itself.
*During the clash between the Dinobots, the one who gets launched forward by the chair has some very weird things going on with his body. Namely, it gets so distorted, that the point where the legs meet the torso seemingly turn inside out, and flesh that wasn't there before (or afterwards) juts out of his sides. Also, while barely noticeable, his left arm jumps out of position for just a frame a few seconds before the chair hits him.

===Continuity errors===
* Phase One of Megatron's plan is basically "kill Dinobot", a job he dispatches Terrorsaur to take care of with seemingly no worry that he will fail. He doesn't normally display this level of faith in Terrorsaur's abilities. (Also, if "Kill Dinobot" is that easy, then the next phases should probably be "kill Rattrap", "kill Cheetor", etc.)
* Although Clone One failed in this particular situation, the overall experiment was a success. One wonders why Megatron didn't just create a whole herd of Dinobot clones. Even in Beast Mode, they'd be useful for boosting his numbers. (For that matter, if all it takes is a small, easily obtainable piece of DNA, we run into the same problem that we had back in "[[A Prime Problem]]"... why not clone Primal, or himself?)
*Although this episode necessarily takes place after the introduction of Sentinel in "[[A Better Mousetrap]]", when Dinobot activates the perimeter shield to betray Megatron, the appearance of the shield is that of the old green one, rather than the new silver one.

===Continuity notes===
* The Beast Warriors possess DNA, either instead of or in addition to the [[CNA]] that other versions of Cybertronians have. Presumably this stems from their organic beast modes; ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' would confirm that their beast modes incorporated organic material.
* The chamber Dinobot's clone was created in appears to be an extensively refitted Predacon [[CR chamber|R-Chamber]].
* Dinobot makes a couple of references to the still-to-be-renamed [[Pit (BW)|Inferno]].
* Rattrap gets to co-op Primal's catchphrase when he lets out a sarcastic "that's just prime" after finding out that the clone has been left in the base alone.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Rattrap once again makes use of the grenades stored in his forarms when he does his rocket-jump trick with the boulder.
** More of a skill than a power, but this episode establishes than Megatron is really quite good at this whole cloning business. He will do it at least [[Cutting Edge|twice]] [[Feral Scream Part 1|more]].

===Transformers references===
* Clone One addresses the Predacon leader as "Mighty Megatron", a phrase often in the original cartoon to describe the [[Megatron (G1)|Decepticon Leader]].

===Real-world references===
* Megatron creates the Dinobot clone in the middle of a dramatic lightning storm, as is {{w|Frankenstein|tradition}} when cartoon super-villains use mad science to create life. The references are less subtle [[Feral Scream Part 1|next time]].

===Trivia===
* Clone One's skin will later be seen on the wall of Dinobot's room.
* Megatron was extremely pleased to learn the clone had not betrayed him. Had Dinobot led him to think his clones were unreliable, it probably would have saved the Maximals a lot of trouble.... ''Ah, hindsight.''
* When Dinobot first encounters his clone, and the two mimic each other's movements, it is perhaps a reference to the famous mirror scene from the Marx Brothers movie {{w|Duck Soup (1933 film)|Duck Soup}}.
*While the Dinobot clone is trying to deactivate Sentinel, a holographic Maximal logo appears with [[Cybertronix]] writing under it saying "who is this putz scally user". Then the shot changes to behind the projection as some more text appears next to a diagram that says "hey ian go f**k yourself", making one wonder what either [[Ian James Corlett]] or [[Ian Pearson]] did to piss off an animator. Then the words 'Merv Griffin' display.
* When Dinobot's eyebeams are pushing against Megatron's own laser fire, smoke begins to bellow from his cheek vents to imply an overload.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le Clone'''" ("The Clone")
::*After telling the Maximals he ate the clone, Dinobot's burp is replaced by him saying "Tralalilalère", an onomatopoeia without a real meaning, that can be used either to boast after winning something, or to replace a vulgar word. Optimus Primal's phrase "You're disgusting!" is then replaced by him repeating "Tralalilalère?" and all the Maximals laughing after this. Desire to keep French kids classy or private joke among the French voice actors, we will never know.

:*''Title:'' "'''Double DinoBot'''" (Canada)

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der geklonte Dinobot'''" ("The Cloned Dinobot")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 4|4 July]] [[1998]]
::* Primal's line "You're disgusting!" was changed to "Where are your manners?"

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il vero e il falso'''" ("The Real and the Fake")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dinobot ga Futari ni?'''" (ダイノボットが二人に?, "Two Dinobots?")
::*''Original airdate:'' [[January 21|21 January]] [[1998]]
::* For comedic effect, the [[Clone One|Clone Dinobot]] speaks with a whiney, high-pitched voice rather than an identical copy of Dinobot's tone (which seems like it would be a dead giveaway that he's a fake, but hey). In fact, he also gets Dinobot's verbal tic wrong. Rather than hiss and repeat the noise ''-da'', the Clone Dinobot instead wheezes ''-de''. One other unique aspect of the Clone Dinobot's voice is his distinctive, ''incredibly goofy'' laugh. Something along the lines of, ''Goooo hoo hoo hoo hooooo''.
::* When the real Dinobot reveals his ruse to Megatron near the end of the episode by transforming, Megatron laments, "So, you have killed my ''adorable'' clone. ''And he was so cute...''"
::*In this version, Dinobot ate his clone with julienned cabbages and bell peppers with some {{w|mirin}}, salt and pepper

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dinobot Duplo'''" ("Double Dinobot")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Doble de Dinobot'''" (America, "Dinobot's Double")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Zhēn Jiǎ Kǒnglóng'''" (真假恐龙, "The true or false Dinobot")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — There are 2 Dinobots? ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx_pHBihECQ "Two Dinobots?"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz-SLrKDuMo "Two Dinobots? (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Dark Designs

2024-01-08T12:25:05Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the Beast Wars episode|the Titan Books collection|Transformers: Dark Designs}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=13
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=16
|prev2=Victory (episode)
|next2=Double Dinobot
|image=Dark Designs Evil Rhinox.jpg
|caption=Heeeeeere's Johnny!
|title="Dark Designs"
|season=1
|season ep=13
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[November 4]], 1996
|written by=[[Ian Weir]]
|directed by=[[Owen Hurley]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkwwtpPId0E
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''Megatron captures and reprograms Rhinox into a Predacon. It doesn't turn out very well.'''

==Synopsis==
In some usual rocky terrain, the [[Maximal]]s are disappointed to learn that their day's expedition has been a waste of time, as the [[energon]] they were searching for is inaccessible. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] whines, saying the situation couldn't get worse, prompting an attack from the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]. The Maximals are at a clear disadvantage, but [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] triggers a rockslide that crushes all the Predacons.

[[File:Dark Designs Rhinoxweb.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|What a catch.]]
[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] commends Rhinox's intelligent tactics, and the Maximals begin their return to base. [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] also determines that Rhinox is a major threat to his operation and orders [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] to capture the large Maximal. When Rhinox is a distance behind the other Maximals on the road home, the spider captures Rhinox and knocks the rhino out with some [[cyber venom]].

[[File:Dark Designs Transmuter.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Shocking footage reveals Hasbro's use of test animals for its [[redeco]] machinery.]]
A while later, the Maximals noticed their large comrade has disappeared. Rattrap activates his communicator, and are able to listen through Rhinox's communicator, overhearing the events in the Predacon base where Megatron uses "the [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]]" to turn Rhinox into an evil Predacon. While the Maximals are concerned, Optimus Primal plans to wait a while before the Maximals make an effort to rescue their friend, yessssssss...

In the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]], Megatron, and his new underling, Evil Rhinox, get down to plotting on how they can use Rhinox's knowledge to destroy the Maximals—but some technical problems with Megatron's computer halt the planning session. Rhinox is sent to check up on [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]'s repair of the system (which was secretly vandalised by Rhinox). With no witnesses, Rhinox drops several tons of hardware onto Scorponok. When Scorponok's flattened body is found later by Megatron and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], they have no clue who committed the crime.

[[File:Dark Designs Rhinox Terrorsaur.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Mmm, I feel like ''turkey'' tonight.]]
Waspinator deposits Scorponok into a [[CR chamber]] for repair, but flying away, Waspinator is hit with a heavy piece of weight pushed by Rhinox. The impact drives Waspinator into a state of dementia. This time, Rhinox's attempt at homicide is witnessed by [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], who meets with Rhinox in private. There, Rhinox declines Terrorsaur's offer of partnership and insists that Terrorsaur stay silent. Later, Megatron discovers that Tarantulas and Blackarachnia have been poisoned. Still oblivious, a furious Megatron shouts out his confusion.

Outside of the Predacon base, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] figures out Optimus Primal's plan: leave Rhinox as he is, so he'll run roughshod over the Predacons. But knowing that Megatron will eventually wise up, the Maximals get ready to mount a rescue. At the same time, Scorponok has been repaired, and he tells Megatron what happened to him. Megatron concludes that his little experiment has gone wrong, and decides to end it—and Rhinox as well.

[[File:Dark Designs Megatron.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|So purple is a primary color to Predacons, right?]]
Megatron confronts Rhinox, and assigns Scorponok and Terrorsaur to disarm the new recruit. By mentioning Terrorsaur's plotting, Rhinox is able to get the two Predacon goons to fight each other instead of himself, leaving them as easy pickings. With those two taken care of, he opens fire on Megatron, causing the Predacon to fall off his hover platform.

Rhinox taunts Megatron with a speech about who's the boss now, but Rhinox has stepped into the range of the Transmuter. Megatron reactivates the machine, converting Rhinox back to his regular good self. The Maximals blast their way into the base. Optimus Primal battles with Megatron, slicing off one of the Predacon leader's arms. A stray shot from the still demented Waspinator hits the Transmuter, and the Maximals grab Rhinox and evacuate while the Predacons take cover to avoid being harmed by the exploding machine.

Afterward, the Maximals relax. Rhinox admits that the Predacons have some serious personality problems, and the Maximals have a big laugh. Except for [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]].

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (1)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (5)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (7)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
[[File:Rhinox_bad_aim.gif|thumb|300px|right]]
"There's more than one way to skin a cat... so to speak."
:—'''Rhinox''', realizing that Cheetor is standing right there.

"Close the file on Optimus Primal... and ''delete!''"
:—'''Megatron''' is apparently referencing another [[Mainframe Entertainment|Mainframe]] {{w|ReBoot|series}}.

"Better dead than Pred." 
"Some of us have ''survived'' the experience, furball." 
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Dinobot''' discuss the benefits of being a Predacon.

"Oh, I'm being real careful. See, I'm on ''this'' side, and it's all gonna fall ''that way''."
:—'''Rhinox''', shortly before dropping a pile of crates on Scorponok.

"Idiot! What have you done?!" 
"Idiot does not respond! Idiot is comatose!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Waspinator''' inspect Rhinox's handiwork.

"These spiders have been POISONED!" 
''[He tries to activate coms, but nothing happens. He shakes his fist in frustration!]'' 
"'''WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND HERE!!!!'''" 
''[Cut to outside the Darksyde, and we hear the echoes of his frustration!]''
:—'''Megatron''' clearly regretting his decisions now.

"He's a smirker! Mangle!"
:—'''Scorponok''' re: Terrorsaur

'''Waspinator:''' "Destroy all Autobot-b-bot-bot-bot-bot!" 
'''Megatron:''' "Waspinator, what are you buzzing about?" 
'''Waspinator:''' "Waspinator? Negative-negative-negative! I am Shrapnel, Decepticon hero-o-o-o!" 
'''Blackarachnia:''' "Shrapnel? That was a Decepticon from the Great Wars three centuries ago! He's wacko." 
'''Waspinator:''' "Wacko? No, Wonko! Wonko the Sane!"
:—The Predacons watch '''Waspinator''', who has obviously flipped his lid.

"Well, what do you know? I win. Reprogramming me was the worst mistake you ever made cause now that I'm a Predacon, I'm just a little too crafty for you." 
"Yes, I see this now." 
"It's called irony, sport. I take over, and you head straight for the recycling bin. ''Yessss''." 
"So it would seem. And even now, Rhinox, you're teaching me a valuable lesson." 
"Yeah? What's that?" 
"Sometimes, Predacons ''gloat'' too much!"
:—'''Rhinox''' and '''Megatron'''

"Like you're three gigabytes of attitude on a two-gig hard drive. No ''wonder'' they've got personality problems!"
:—'''Rhinox''' on being a Predacon

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 12th March 1996
* Second draft: 26th April 1996
* Finalised: 12th June 1996
* As Air: 29th October 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
*The animation and continuity in the opening scene is janky even by early ''Beast Wars'' episode standards, a fact the jumpy editing and excessive use of shaky-cam do their best to hide. Some goofs in the sequence:
**Rhinox's Energon scanner disappears from his rhino mode leg.
**While Rattrap tempts fate, Dinobot's rear-end is messed up, with his tail sticking out at a very awkward angle and its base being all scrunched up.
**When the missile blows Cheetor away, his feet momentarily sink into the ground. After he hits the rock face, his limbs all twist around and clip through each other and his (non-animated) tail. After he lands, one of his back legs ends up ponting toward his back, and his front left paw slowly makes a 360° turn. His head rotates near 180°, crinkling his neck into a thin strand.
**During Cheetor's stunt, Rhinox and Primal are not animated in one shot, failing to react to the explosion in any way.
**One of Tarantulas' feet is situated on thin air during the fight, and is also painfully twisted. In some of his full-body shots, his foot seems bent normally, but he's still floating.
**All other Maximals aside from Cheetor and Rhinox are missing in one shot. Also, the river on the screen's left appears to gradually disappear.
**Following this, Dinobot's left leg remains clipping into the cliff side for much of the scene, and his spinning shield also sinks into it.
**In the closeup on Rhinox's chain gun, Dinobot's eye beams are extremely thin, too close to each other, and colorless. The latter two issues get fixed a moment later, but the beams remain way too thin. Some shots later, they're too close again.
**There's a few empty, blue gaps in the background scenery during the shots focusing on Tarantulas.
**Scorponok's lower body is clipping straight through the boulder he's supposedly hiding behind. His feet and a tiny speck of his knee poke through, and his left claw also clips into it at times. Also, his eyes are red.
**Megatron's thigh is clipping through his knee and shin.
**A gap appears between Dinobot's head and neck when he's looking up.
**While Dinobot and Rattrap argue, one shot shows Optimus up and well, despite having been shot down a bit earlier.
**As Rhinox attempts to blast apart the rock above the Predacons, Megatron's aim is way off, shooting far away from the Maximals (see the animated .gif above).
**There's no damage on Primal when he gets shot down. But afterwards, his whole body looks beat to scrap. He somehow turns back to normal just before the Maximal revert to [[beast mode]].
**When he chastises Rhinox for his aim, Cheetor is standing in between him and Optimus. In the next shot, Cheetor is gone.
**During Megatron's "Close the file..." line, what look like Dinobot's eye beams are shooting off into the distance behind the Maximals.
**After the whole firefight is done, the river in the bottom of the canyon isn't animated for a few shots.
**What ''do'' seem to be moving, however, are the textures on a background cliff as Rhinox says "Looks clear."
*When Rhinox terrorizes, he's suddenly not shackled anymore. He's standing like normal, clipping through the shackles.
*As the camera pulls out after Megatron introduced their new teammate, both Tarantulas' and Scorponok's feet are sunken into their floating platforms. Also despite cackling in this shot, Tarantulas' mandibles don't move.
*When Cheetor reacts to the news, the spots on his torso are messy-looking.
*As Rhinox compliments Megatron's setup, the latter's left-hand clips through the left armrest of his throne as he sits.
*When Megatron moves the crates off Scorponok, after having been supposedly flattened in the previous scene, only his head is conspicuously flattened, while his body is otherwise intact.
*While Terrorsaur watches Waspinator bouncing around, the top part of his neck is jutting through his head. It stays so in his following scene too.
*Blackarachnia's floating platform is clipping into Megatron's legs as the dazed Waspinator flies about.
*After Rhinox is done walking down a corridor, the texturing on his "skirt" completely changes.
*The joints on Rattrap's arms slip apart when he expresses his worries about Rhinox outside the Pred base.
*When Scorponok explains what happened to Megatron, he lowers his tail. In the next shot, it's above his head again.
*When we see the Maximals conversing near the Predacon base for the second time, all of them are floating. This is most noticeable on Dinobot, who looks like he's standing in the lava flow. Rattrap's lower arms are also twisted around again.
*Megatron's toes are sunken into his platform when he greets Rhinox.
*When Terrorsaur is about to attack Rhinox, he's missing his ''Pteranodon'' feet, and so his legs end in stubs.
*As Scorponok paces toward Rhinox, his right shoulder is turned upside-down, with his scorpion leg [[kibble]] sticking out above it instead of being on his back. His eyes also shift between red and yellow throughout the scene.
*When Terrorsaur tosses Scorponok over himself, Rhinox is missing from the back.
*After Rhinox disposes of Megatron's two goons, he keeps laughing with his mouth closed.
*As Megatron struggles to stand up while Rhinox gloats, his left arm panels keep clipping through each other.
*When the Maximals bust into the Pred base, Cheetor begins talking, but his mouth only starts moving when we cut to a closeup of him.
*Waspinator's damaged chest is suddenly pristine after Cheetor shoots him down.
*When Dinobot throws his sword at Scorponok, he keeps growling without opening his mouth.
*As Optimus swings his blade around, crying "Nooo!", the blade slices clean through his own neck. ''Ouch.''
*When Megatron dives to the floor to launch Optimus, his beast mode head can be seen lying on the ground, before it is severed.
*After he's cut off Megatron's beast head, Optimus' left leg twists around for a frame before popping back into shape.
*Megatron's arm gets severed at the bicep. But when he talks to Terrorsaur a bit later, his arm is intact down to his elbow, with part of his lower arm still attached.

===Continuity errors===
*Megatron describes the Transmuter as being "mega-cycles in the design." Since a mega-cycle is akin to about an hour, it seems odd that Megatron would use that particular term instead of a larger unit of time.
*Near the end of the episode, Evil Rhinox shoots Megatron's kneecaps, making it very hard for him to stand up. Yet Megatron has little trouble standing or moving around in the big fight with the Maximals that happens soon afterward.
*It's a bit of a cartoon standard, but whilst the bad guys find it nearly impossible to actually kill any of their opponents, capturing one is a piece of cake.

===Continuity notes===
*Megatron says that he might have "underestimated the rhinoceros" after falling to Rhinox's quick wits during the initial battle. Apparently the decking he received off the Maximal [[Victory (episode)|last episode]] wasn't enough to impress him.
*Gadgets and powers:
**Rhinox is using the same tricorder-esque thingamajig he used [[Victory (episode)|last episode]], but this time he's using it to detect energon.
**In addition to the bombs, grenades, and lockpicking kits, Rattrap also has a tracking device in his forearm which he can use to home in on a comm device. He's basically a walking Swiss-army knife.
*Blackarachnia says that the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] occurred "three centuries ago", giving us our first indication as to the time zone the Maximals and Predacons hail from. It's notable that she uses the English term rather than a Cybertronian one, as by this point in the series we have finally settled on [[Units of time|"cycles"]] for all other time measurements.

===Transformers references===
*A lot of them, thanks to [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]!
**After suffering a head injury, Waspinator babbles that his name is [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], an [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] from the pre-[[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He proceeds to stutter and repeat words in a semi-accurate reference to the distinctive speech pattern that Shrapnel had in the G1 cartoon, which saw him repeat the last word of his sentences, sentences.<ref>Oddly, Waspinator's Shrapnel impression is ''much'' more reminiscent of [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]'s speech pattern in the episode "[[City of Steel (episode)|City of Steel]]", widely assumed to be his normal speech pattern by fans despite actually being confined to that episode. Mix-Mix-Mixmaster repeated the first syllable of a sentence several times, while Shrapnel repeats the last word of a sentence once, once.</ref>
**Waspinator-as-Shrapnel describes himself as a "[[Decepticon]] hero", and one of his many non-sequiturs is the phrase "Destroy all [[Autobot]]-bot-bots!"
**Just after getting shot down by Cheetor, Waspinator delivers the classic TF slogan "More than meets the eye."
*This is the first episode to clarify what the "Great War", first alluded to back in [[Beast Wars (Part 1)|the first episode]], actually is — the Beast Era term for the original Autobot-Decepticon conflict.

===Real-world references===
*Cheetor's line "Better dead than Pred" is a paraphrase of the old 1950's anti-Communism slogan "Better dead than Red".
*Immediately following saying that he is Shrapnel, Waspinator claims that he is "Wonko! Wonko the Sane!" and salutes the audience before punching himself in the head. In addition to being a fictional character created by the sci-fi comedy author {{w|Douglas Adams}}, it is a tribute to Transfan [[Ben Yee]], whose online username at the time was Wonko the Sane.
*The scene where Optimus Primal proudly brandishes his swords before an unimpressed Megatron lazily shoots him down is reminiscent of the famous duel between [[Indiana Jones]] and the Cairo swordsman in ''{{w|Raiders of the Lost Ark}}''. Dinobot pushing Scorponok into his rotor blade weapon echoes the demise of the German engineer later in the movie.

===Trivia===
[[File:RhinoxEvilandGood.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Grapety purple edition not sold in stores. Or anywhere else, for that matter.]]
*Oddly enough, there are [[To sell toys|no purple and silver redecos of Rhinox.]]
*Rhinox gains evil, red eyes in beast mode upon being transformed into a Predacon. His robot form already has those, however, so to underscore his evilness in that form, his eyes are circled with silver rings that connect to the ridge over his forehead. The effect is similar to "dark circles" under a [[human]]'s eyes.
*Megatron only ever refers to Rhinox by name while he's a Predacon. Before and after his reprogramming, Megatron refers to Rhinox either as 'Rhinoceros' or 'Maximal'.
*Both Optimus and Rhinox say "Yeeessssss..." in a very similar manner to Megatron. Imitation ''is'' the sincerest form of flattery.
*Apparently Megatron didn't learn his lesson, because he'd go on to reprogram Rhinox ''again'' in ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''. Guess what happens...

===Foreign localization===
'''French''':
:*''Title:'' "'''Sombres Dessins'''" ("Dark Drawings")
::*When Waspinator thinks he is Shrapnel, he calls the Autobots "Autorobots". This will be corrected for the next episodes, regaining the classic "Autobot" name. However, the Decepticons will be called "Decepticors" until the end of the dubbed episodes.

:*''Title:'' "'''Sombre Modèle'''" (Canada, "Dark Model")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Finstere Absichten'''" ("Dark Intentions")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 28|28 June]] [[1998]]
::*The dub neigh-completely misinterprets Waspinator's concussion-induced babbling. As in the French dub, he calls the Autobots "Autorobots". Both him and Blackarachnia then refer to Shrapnel not as a Decepticon, but as an old artillery projectile from the Great Wars.

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Strani progetti'''" ("Strange Designs")
::*Injured Waspinator's dialogues are completely changed: instead of thinking he's Shrapnel, planning to destroy the Autobots, he says he's gonna become the Predacon leader.

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rhinox Ōabare!'''" (ライノックス大暴れ!, "Rhinox Rampages!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 14|14 January]] [[1998]]
::*As the Maximals limp away from the opening battle, during the shot that follows Rhinox from behind (focusing largely on his rump), Rhinox thinks to himself, "I have a sexy butt". Not making this up, we swear.
::*When Waspinator is injured by Rhinox and starts going bonkers, he does not take on the identity of [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]]. Instead, he identifies himself as "Ultramask the Third" (ウルトラマスク三世). Blackarachnia explains that Waspinator is mixing up his "TV heroes" (likely {{w|Ultraman}}, {{w|Tiger Mask}} and {{w|Lupin III|Lupin the Third}}).
:::Of course, to accommodate the pop culture gag, that means the translation completely eliminated Blackarachnia's speech about Decepticon ancestors and all the world-building it provided.
::*As Scorponok recounts his accident to Megatron, he whimpers and sniffles like a rueful child confessing to a parent. Scorponok was previously shown to be a blubbering crybaby in "[[Double Jeopardy]]".
::*After Rhinox makes his joke about Predacons and all the Maximals roll over with laughter, instead of just snarling in anger, Dinobot shouts, "They're all idiots!"

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Projetos Sombrios'''" ("Dark Projects")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Oscuros Designios'''" (America, "Dark Designs")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Hēi'àn zhī Xīn'''" (黑暗之心, "Dark Heart")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] [[1998]] — ''Beast Wars'' — Beasties Escape ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — The Destrons Make Drama ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] [[2001]] — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] [[2000]] — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] [[2003]] — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] [[2011]] — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] [[2005]] — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] [[2006]] — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] [[2009]] — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a1FMcH6UUs "Rhinox Rampages!"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UJlYfHJ_QE "Rhinox Rampages! (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Victory (episode)

2024-01-08T12:13:10Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig3|Victory}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=12
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=15
|prev2=The Trigger, Part 2
|next2=Dark Designs
|image=Victory Dinobot.jpg
|caption="I never noticed what great legs Tarantulas had."
|title="Victory"
|season=1
|season ep=12
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[November 1]], 1996
|written by=[[Wendy Reardon]]
|directed by=[[Steve Ball]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|packaged with=[[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|DX Convoy]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLbTXE8Mj_A
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''A rebellion (and explosion) at the Predacon base seemingly leads to a Maximal victory.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Victory Predacon rebellion.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"The Predacons are revolting!" "We know!"]]
Through a secret spy cam installed in the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]], the [[Maximal]]s watch as the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] attempt to use a device to increase the size and power of [[energon crystal]]s. But when the experiment fails and [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] demands another crystal specimen for a retest, his troops refuse; apparently, the continuous testing has wasted most of their [[energon]] supplies, and this latest failure has convinced the other Predacons to turn on their leader. A firefight soon breaks out, which ends up detonating the remaining energon in a huge explosion that seems to destroy the Predacon base. As the video feed goes dead, the Maximals are shocked; they have just won the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]].

[[File:Victory Optimus rhinox.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Yep, it's Megatron's light bulb collection all right.]]
Heading to the Predacon base to investigate, the Maximals find it in ruins, with little more than charred debris and a few scant Predacon parts to confirm the group's demise. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], sensitive guy that he is, is rather pleased at the development, while [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] is more somber, enough to completely ignore Rattrap's attempts to pick an argument with him; despite defecting, he still feels some kinship with the Predacons, and laments their destruction. However, Dinobot's loss is the other Maximals' gain, as they decide to ransack the Predacon base for its [[star drive]] components in order to repair the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' for the trip home.

[[File:Victory Predacons spot dinobot.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"And here you can see the once formidable pterosaur, about to be torn apart by other predators."]]
As the repairs are completed, Dinobot comes clean with [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] about his mood as of late; he's convinced that he'll be executed as a Predacon criminal if he returns to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and would rather try and tame the wild world they've found themselves on. Optimus Primal, being an Optimus, tries to convince him that they'll stand up for him, but his mind is set, and he is eventually let go to wander the wilderness. Just as the Maximals are ready to take off, though, the wandering Dinobot stumbles upon the very alive and functional Predacon crew hiding in a crevasse; they had found the spy camera before the incident, and used it to trick the Maximals into thinking them dead, planning on stealing the repaired ''Axalon'' and leaving the Maximals stranded. Dinobot makes a mad dash back to the Maximal ship to warn them of the Predacons' duplicity, but gives himself away to the Predacons, who give chase in an attempt to stop him.

[[File:Victory Optimus dinobot.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Quick, man! Cling tenaciously to my buttocks!]]
Fortunately, Dinobot is able to get within the Maximals' visual range before he's gunned down, and Optimus Primal and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] head down to help him; the launch cannot be aborted, though, so he insists they take off without him or Dinobot if they're not able to get back on in time. Cheetor is able to get Dinobot to safety in the ensuing firefight, but Optimus is tagged by an errant missile from [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]], sending him plummeting. Soon afterwards, Megatron himself manages to get on board, and briefly takes out most of the other Maximals, before being subdued and ejected from the ship by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]. The scuffle, though, has the unforeseen consequence of jamming Megatron's tail weapon into the control console, cutting the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engines and sending it on a one-way trip back to terra firma.

All seems lost, when Optimus—now fully recovered—comes in to save the day, pulling a [[Superman]] and exhausting his jetpack to slow the ship's descent enough to ease it back in its original place. Although no one is critically injured, the collateral damage has been done; the ''Axalon'' will never fly again. And just to ensure that everything is back to normal, Rattrap and Dinobot are right back to verbally tearing into each other, to the other Maximals' amusement.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (5)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (6)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (7)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (8)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (9)
*[[Tigatron]] (12)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (2)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (3)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (4)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"Cool. Now, aren't you glad we got cable?"
:—'''Cheetor''' upon seeing the fake uprising.

"Alas, poor Tarantulas. I knew him, Cheetor. This is the leg that stalked so many victims. That it should come to this..." 
"Aww, do you need a hug?"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Cheetor''', sharing a moment.

"I understand. Nonetheless, let the record show that I advise against this action. It will eventually lead to your destruction." 
"Eventually... Eventually can be a long time, Optimus Primal."
:—'''Optimus''' is about to leave '''Dinobot''' in charge of prehistoric Earth. Eesh.

"Give Waszzpinator more room! Tarantulas ''fat enough already!''" 
"If Waspinator does not stop cuddling me like a '''stuffed toy''' when he sleeps, I'll eat him as well!" 
"I'd like to see you try!" 
"Yes, I will!"
:—'''Tarantulas,''' shedding light on '''Waspinator''' and his soft side before both devolve into petty arguing.

"You all make me sick! Ah, I can't stand this any longer, Megatron! I—''I've gotta get out!''" ''[laughs manically]''
:—'''Terrorsaur''' cracks under the pressure of close quarters with his teammates.

"This is strategically unsound."
:—'''Dinobot''' on his imminent rescue.

"You... <''coughs''>... should have left me behind." 
"Hey pal! Optimus got left behind just to save your scaly skin! So don't spoil the sacrifice, capiche?" 
"Oh, but it ''is'' already spoiled! Yeeees."
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rattrap''''s latest argument is interrupted by '''Megatron'''.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIIIIIIE!" 
"Wait! Look! Down in the sky! Is it a bird?" 
"Maybe a plane!" 
"Nah! IT'S OPTIMUS!" 
:—'''Rattrap''', '''Dinobot''', and '''Rhinox''' looking at "Super Primal" saving them.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 18th February 1996
* Second draft: 30th May 1996
* Finalised: 6th June 1996
* As Air: 29th October 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
[[File:Victory clipping problems.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Get your hand out of my nipple, Maximal!]]
*When the Maximals are watching the false rebellion, the markings on Dinobot's chest are out of alignment, leaving half of his chest light brown and the other half dark brown.
*The Energon-filled tube that Megatron hides behind during the false rebellion has a large scorch mark before the Predacons even start firing at their leader.
*When Dinobot walks down a corridor in the Preds' ship, the tips of his spinning shield pass under his feet, making it look like he's floating.
*In the following few shots, as Rattrap talks to Optimus, the former' lower arms slowly twist around, coming off their "hinges".
*When Dinobot swipes at Cheetor, his left arm and his shield clip completely into the wall.
*As Dinobot menaces Cheetor after the latter suggests he needs a hug, there are a multitude of clipping errors: Cheetor's hand slowly passes into Dinobot's chest, Dinobot's chin clips through the "collar" around his neck, Rattrap's left hand clips through Dinobot's arm, and finally, still in the same shot, Dinobot's sword clips completely through Rattrap's shoulder.
*As Rhinox repairs the transwarp drive, Optimus mentions alerting Tigatron—but he very clearly pronounces his name "Tigertron" with an audible "r," likely a typo in the script.
*When Rattrap fantasizes about the dames back at home, his fists clip into each other, and after that, the rod holding his left shoulder clips into his neck.
*When Tarantulas devours the rat, a large drop of drool slides down the outside of his fangs before dripping on Terrorsaur's head. Presumably, the drool should have come from the inside edge. Also, his body is the same dark purple color as his mandibles in this shot.
*As Blackarachnia transforms to [[robot mode]] prior to chasing Dinobot, some of her spider legs are bent out of shape.
*In the same sequence, after Tarantulas takes on his robot form, his chest is briefly light purple before visibly changing to a darker shade of purple.
*When Dinobot is shot by Megatron's forces, he falls. After the cutaway to Optimus Primal, it pans out to show Dinobot "floating" on the ground for a few seconds.
*Cheetor's front paws clip through the rim on the top of the elevator shaft when he stops Optimus' descent and offers his help.
*As Optimus orders Cheetor to get back to his post and accepts his help a moment later, for some reason Optimus has double shoulder pads.
*The reflections disappear from Tigatron's arms and hands when he transforms inside the ''Axalon'', and as he sits down, his left fists sink into his chest. Then, as Rhinox orders him to activate the guns, his left lower arm clips through its outer plate.
*As Optimus covers Dinobot during the Predacon assault, the latter's helmet clips into Optimus' shield.
*Sounds of Waspinator's gun firing can be heard as the Predacons attack Optimus, despite Waspinator himself apparently being taken out before the Preds even arrived at the ''Axalon''.
*While Optimus begins flying away from the Predacons with Dinobot in tow, one of the shots that hits his shield clearly has the sound effect of Terrorsaur's cannons. However, Terrorsaur immediately appears to shoot Optimus from behind, so it couldn't be him.
*On the subject of Terrorsaur, his shoulder cannons are shown to be deployed ''and'' undeployed at the same time when he shoots Optimus; the deployed cannons are hovering over the raised "bumps" of their undeployed forms.
*When the Predacons charge the ''Axalon'' as it fires at them, the first few shots seem to pass right through Megatron, and Tarantulas is also partially missing the [[beast mode]] [[kibble]] on his back (the purple and yellow part that forms his spider mode abdomen). "Partially", because some vague outlines of it are still visible floating around his backside. It's especially noticeable since Tarantulas is shown in the next shot with his kibble intact.
*When Cheetor enters the ship with the damaged Dinobot, the latter's chest again has an incorrect texture. It changes yet again just before Megatron makes his entrance.
*Dinobot is missing in a couple of Rattrap's closeups as he's being menaced by Megatron. He's supposed to be lying right behind him.
*The position of Megatron's claw stuck into the ''Axalon'' console changes between shots.
*When the ship tilts and Rattrap and Rhinox lose their footing, what looks like a fallen chair in the background keeps flickering. Then as Rhinox hits the console, part of his left thigh clips through his rhino-shin "skirt". Also, Cheetor, who was lying just behind them is gone, and Dinobot's knee bends ''backwards'' as the ship begins falling.
*As the ''Axalon'' is falling from the sky, the ship itself is flipped. The antennas and such are normally on the port side of the ship, however during the fall, they are on the starboard side.
*In the same shot, a few empty black parts can briefly be glimpsed around the edges of the scenery's 3D model.
*When the ship settles back into place, Optimus is nowhere to be seen – his thrusters' jet seems to be coming from the ''Axalon'' itself. Then, as he turns the thrusters off, the jet doesn't actually disappear, it just turns dark.

===Continuity errors===
*The Predacon plan involves hiding until the Maximals repair the ''Axalon'', at which point they attack and steal the ship for themselves. However, there seems to be no way for them to tell that the ship is repaired; they only arrive at the ''Axalon'' while pursuing Dinobot. So how, exactly, was Megatron going to know ''when'' the ''Axalon'' was flight-capable, without giving away the plan?
*In probably one of the largest lapses of judgment, it made no sense for Dinobot to run all the way to the Maximals to warn them rather than radioing the news.
*When Dinobot is shot, Optimus Primal is in his robot mode. However, when we come back from the break and Dinobot's retaliation against the Predacons, Optimus is in his beast mode, which he changes out of less than a minute later. Weird.
*Optimus and Cheetor are both in robot mode when they leave the Axalon to rescue Dinobot, who has been in robot mode for some time. And yet somehow Optimus is affected with an energon overload first, forcing him back to beast mode. Cheetor is fine as he lies on the Axalon's lift, and then we see beast mode Optimus carrying robot mode Dinobot, who is ''still'' not suffering from energon overload.
*Cheetor only drags himself halfway onto the Axalon's lift before collapsing, but a moment later he's fully on the lift.
[[File:AxalonComp.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|The back of the ship is mangled...]]
[[File:AxalonFalling.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|...and now it's fixed!]]
*It's pretty clear that the rear section of the Axalon was damaged in the original crash. Not only were the fins bent out of position, the rear is missing much of its armor, and is bent. This is quite clearly shown in the computer targeting system Tigatron uses to lock to the Predacons. From the moment the ship takes off to the end of the episode, the entire rear section, fins included, are "reconstructed" and in their proper places. However every episode that follows shows the ship as it was before. Screwy.
*Speaking of that, the Axalon takes off, flies in a horizontal direction for a bit, and then loses power and starts to crash. And yet it somehow ends up landing in exactly the same position it was before? Okay then.
*Furthermore, when the Axalon is shown falling with the ground looming in the background the landscape appears to be mirrored from what it normally is, with the jungle on the wrong side of the grassland from where it has previously and will in future be located.
*Everyone acts as if Optimus has been abandoned when he gets knocked down to the ground. There's no dialogue to indicate that the Maximals can't steer the ship. Is there some reason the ''Axalon'' can't loop back around and pick him up? Or even hover in place to allow him to fly up to it? That said, the ship was barely holding together as is, likely making maneuvers difficult, and Optimus was seemingly knocked out in beast form while there were still functional Predacons on the field.

===Continuity notes===
* Dinobot's aversion to being rescued was explained in the [[The Probe|previous episode]].
* Though the two have been at odds since the beginning of the series, this is perhaps the first episode where Rattrap and Dinobot's constant feuding moves towards good-natured bickering. Rattrap is relieved when angsting Dinobot starts issuing comebacks to his insults again and offers constructive criticism on them; at the end of the episode, Optimus and Cheetor watch them volley insults back and forth with fondness.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Rhinox carries around a tricorder-like device capable of detecting Predacon energy signatures.
** Megatron displays the ability to "charge" his laser weapon, opening the jaws of his beast mode head with a visible orb of energy within it. Why he never seems to use it beyond this one episode is unclear, but his [[Transmetal]] form would make extensive use of a similar mechanic.
** The ''Axalon'' is equipped with a complement of riot shield-like devices. It's anyone's guess as to why a peaceful exploration ship would carry such an armory (although later episodes show that there's more to the Axalon than is [[Rampage (BW)|initially apparent]]), but one does wonder why the Maximals don't use these more often.

===Real-world references===
*Dinobot paraphrases [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''{{w|Hamlet}}'' for the first time upon finding several of Tarantulas's legs. More specifically, his little monologue is inspired by Hamlet's famous "Alas, poor Yorick!" scene.
*Rattrap refers to Tigatron as "Tigatron the Barbarian", a reference to pulp-magazine icon [[w:Conan the Barbarian|Conan the Barbarian]].
*The exchange between Dinobot, Rhinox, and Rattrap as Optimus saves the ''Axalon'' ("Look! Down in the sky! Is it a bird"? "Maybe a plane?" "No, it's Optimus!") riffs on a cliché line from [[Superman]], as does the John Williams-esque music that plays immediately afterwards.

===Trivia===
* While bickering with Tarantulas, Waspinator speaks in first-person.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Victoire'''" ("Victory")
::*After Optimus Primal claims that the Maximals have probably won the Beast Wars, a loud fart noise can be heard as the camera zooms in on Primal's face. Presumably, this was a piece of goofing-off by one of the voice actors that was accidentally left in the audio track. ''Classy.''

:*''Title:'' "'''Victoire'''" (Canada, "Victory")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Sieg'''" ("The Victory")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 20|20 June]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Vittoria'''" ("Victory")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Make Drama da Destron'''" (メーク・ドラマだデストロン, "The Destrons' Dramatic Finish")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 7|7 January]] [[1998]]
::*The Japanese release of ''Beast Wars'' significantly reordered the episodes. As a result, there's a noticeable continuity error in this episode: no [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]. When viewed in this order, it ends up looking like the Maximals are leaving "him" behind on [[Energoa]].
::*As an example of this dub's tendency to add levity which completely alters the mood of a scene: After dramatically bidding farewell to the Maximals and storming off into the lightning-riddled wastelands, Dinobot sings a carefree melody to himself using his humorous verbal tic (''Daaa daaa danananananaaaa''). His singing continues after the commercial break, as he tramples over the white rat. As he steps over the crevasse where the Predacons are hiding, he mumbles inanely to himself about the weather.
::*The "It's a bird, it's a plane, etc" reference made it through to the Japanese dub intact.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Vitória'''" ("Victory")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Victoria'''" ("Victory")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kǎixuán Guīlái'''" (凯旋归来, "Return with Victory")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Beasties Escape ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — The Destrons Make Drama ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 4 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwsEMfpnuJ0 "The Destrons' Dramatic Finish"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4OLZCE_w_I "The Destrons' Dramatic Finish (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

The Probe

2024-01-08T12:09:31Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=11
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=9
|prev2=Double Jeopardy
|next2=Gorilla Warfare
|image=Theprobetranswarpprobe.jpg
|caption=There's a probe around Uranus!
|title="The Probe"
|season=1
|season ep=11
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 15]], 1996
|written by=[[Craig Miller]] [[Marv Wolfman]]
|directed by=[[Ezekiel Norton]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Dinobot (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Dinobot]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTiH0L2geIU
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''As a probe from Cybertron approaches the planet, the Maximals desperately try to make contact with it, but Megatron has other plans.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Theprobeprimaldinorhinox.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|The Maximals read spoilers for later episodes of the show.]]
Numerous [[temporal probe]]s are launched from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], programmed to search through time for the missing ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]''. One pod floats through the rift in space-time created by [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and approaches the [[Earth|planet]] on which the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] are taking place.

On the planet's surface, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] challenges his [[Maximal]] teammates to a race home. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] does a commendable job in keeping up with the cheetah, but [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] wins the race by using his flight mode. Primal and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] scold Cheetor for letting his own guard down. Once inside, the four [[Maximal]]s meet with [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], who is trying to use the ship's scanners to detect something in space. Rattrap pulls up a visual, revealing that the orbital object is a temporal probe. Rhinox makes an attempt to contact the probe, but it moves out of range before communication can be established. However, there's one more chance to get the probe's attention, by duplicating the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[unspace|transwarp]] signal by the time the probe make its return journey. The Maximals are happy, except for Dinobot.

[[File:Tflocklens&tarantulas.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|An unreleased Tarantulas toy.]]
The next morning, the Maximals begin construction of the signal array they'll use to contact the probe. Although they're in [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] territory, they have [[Tigatron]] protecting them. Tigatron detects a tipsy [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and blasts the insect away easily. But by shooting down Waspinator, he makes himself a target of the [[Transformation Lock Lens|transformation lock lens]], a diabolical machine that [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] has built. Eventually, the device fires a beam that hits Tigatron, trapping him in his [[beast mode]]. Without his blaster, Tigatron is ensnared in an energon web. Cheetor arrives to aid Tigatron, but quickly finds himself in the same situation.

[[File:Theprobedinobot&rattrapagre.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Rattrap and Dinobot compare thumb sizes.]]
At the construction site, Dinobot admits that he imagines that upon returning to Cybertron, he'll be persecuted as a Predacon, but Optimus Primal assures him that this won't happen. [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]], spying on the Maximals, films some footage of the device and sends it to Megatron via [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]. Once the device is complete, Scorponok begins an attack upon it, but is quickly blasted away before the array can be damaged. All the array needs is a transwarp component, which Rhinox will deliver from the ''Axalon''.

The two cats have been caged inside the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]], where Megatron reviews footage of the Maximals constructing their signal array. Cheetor accidentally lets slip that the array is being made to contact a probe. The Predacons rush out of the room, leaving the captives unsupervised. Tigatron begins to swing his suspended cage. Cheetor copies this behavior, and the two cages soon strike each other, knocking their bottom panels open. Tigatron lands on his feet and catches Cheetor, saving him from a lava bath. They then head for the Predacons' restoration chambers to escape the transformation lock.

[[File:Theprobemegsonprimal.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|I would have waited an eternity for this! Yes!]]
Terrorsaur attacks the array, but the three Maximals scare off the flier in short order. Dinobot comments that Terrorsaur always was a coward. Megatron agrees, but notes that he still makes a great diversion. He and the two spiders engage the Maximals at closer range, with Tarantulas's device to assist them. Dinobot is locked into his beast mode and is defeated with several kicks from [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], but Rattrap blasts Blackarachnia over the edge of a cliff. With her out of the picture, Rattrap talks to Dinobot, who is experiencing transformational dysfunction. Rattrap figures out what's wrong—an instant before the lock lens strikes him as well. The two Maximals are then blasted by Megatron.

Optimus Primal defeats Tarantulas, but is then locked into his beast mode like the others. Nonetheless, he manages to fend off Megatron's next attempt to destroy the array, but is soon subdued. Megatron prepares to end Primal, but Rhinox arrives just in time, sending Megatron flying with a mighty punch. With the Predacons defeated, Rhinox activates the array. He only needs to enter in the code that will allow the array to mimic the ''Axalon''{{'}}s transwarp signal and contact the probe. But at the crucial moment, Tarantulas's evil device strikes Rhinox. Lacking fingers in his beast mode, he can't enter the codes and convinces Optimus he has to do it. But before Primal can input the codes, Megatron destroys the array.

Megatron prepares to finish off Optimus and Rhinox, but Cheetor and Tigatron arrive, destroying Tarantulus's device and driving off Megatron. But the damage has been done-the probe flies past the planet, uncontacted. Megatron boasts that the war will continue until he wins; the Maximals worry that they may never be rescued.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (3)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (5)
*[[Tigatron]] (7)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (9)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (10)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (11)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Don't cats ever get tired of being stupid?"
:—'''Rattrap''' (and later, '''Tarantulas''') to '''Cheetor'''

"C'mon, baby, c'mon, give it up for the rat…."
:—'''Rattrap''' has a unique way with computers.

"Well of ''course!'' We wouldn't want to miss our chance to go ''home.''" 
"HEY HEY HEY, what's biting your sensors, Dino''boob?''"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rattrap'''. Rattrap just said "boob."

"You're a Maximal now, and we'll see that you're treated as one." 
"And what makes you think that I ''want'' to be?"
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Dinobot'''

"Time for you to decorate a cage, Megadork!" 
"I. Think. Not. Cybertron won't find you now, and the war will go on—until ''I'' am the victor!"
:—'''Cheetor'''{{'}}s threat rings hollow when '''Megatron''' has already destroyed the array.

"Did we get our signal to the probe? Are we goin' home?!" 
"Not today, Cheetor… But someday."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* Finalised: 5th April 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
*The panels on Rattrap's elbows slide apart in certain shots, like when he discovers the probe or when he assures Dinobot that Rhinox will get there in time.
*When the Predacons review the footage captured by Scorponok, Tarantulas is either standing on nothing or clinging onto the platform in front of him with just the tips of his feet.
*As Dinobot, Rattrap and Optimus start shooting at Terrorsaur, the pistons on Optimus' right foot are disconnected. Also, for some reason he's trying to hit an airborne target by launching a missile straight in front of himself.
*While using his optic blasts against Terrorsaur, Dinobot's eyes do not glow green.
*When Megatron declares that Terrorsaur was an excellent diversion, the spike-like piece on his left shoulder is sticking straight up, instead of lying flat like normal.
*Scorponok was threatening Optimus Primal with his left claw when Rattrap blew it off. Odd, since his left claw doesn't contain missiles, but his [[Cyberbee]] drones. Perhaps another [[Gorilla Warfare|viral mine]]?
*Right before Scorponok's claw is blasted off, there is a tiny dark speck floating around it.
*As the Preds open fire on Optimus and co., the "shininess" on both the transformation lock lens and Blackarachnia's upper arm keep blinking on and off in sync with her weapon blasts, likely due to the light effects causing something to their textures.
*When the explosion scatters the three Maximals:
**The CG model of Dinobot's shield comes apart; its two tail-halves are open, but one half's inner red part is sticking forward. The tool also clips through Dinobot.
**A triangular piece briefly juts out of Dinobot's left hip as he's blown into the air.
**Optimus' body totally gets mangled; his arms snap back abruptly and his legs are pushed up into his body. As he flips around in the air, his feet remain in a horizontal position, completely clipping through him.
*After the transformation lock lens hits Optimus, Megatron's feet are sunken into the ground.
*Blackarachnia's shoulder plates turn black when Rattrap's blasts hit them, but when she's pushed back to the cliff edge, they're back to their normal color.
*As she's shot over the cliff side and falls, Blackarachnia's feet remain flat and parallel to the ground, clipping through her shins.
*When Optimus lifts up Tarantulas with his arm-cannon, Tarantulas' feet are sunken into the ground.
*Megatron's shoulders turn upside down as he gets up after being decked by Rhinox.
*On the multiple-angle explosion of the Maximal's construct, an arc-panning shot of the explosion is repeated exactly. Also, the characters are strangely absent in these shots.
*At the end, when Cheetor asks Optimus whether they'll be going home, his gun starts clipping into the ground.

===Continuity errors===
*The Maximals are all out in the open in their robot modes for quite a while- long enough for Cheetor and Tigatron to be taken to the ''Darksyde'', escape, heal themselves, and walk back to the tower- but they don't seem to suffer the usual side-effects.
*Right before Rhinox leaves the base to bring the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s duplicated transwarp signature to the array, the ship's computer informs him that the probe will be back in signal range in 1.4 mega-cycles. Two scenes later, the Predacons' space scanner detects that the probe will be over the planet in merely ten cycles. The deadline jumped down from basically 1.4 hours to ten minutes in no time at all. What's worse, a panning shot between these two scenes shows the array being built not very far from the ''Axalon'', yet Rhinox won't get to it until much later. What took him so long to get to the array?

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:The Probe orbiting wotsit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
*This is the first and only time we actually see Cybertron (outside of a dream in "[[The Web]]" and an illustrated description in "[[Law of the Jungle]]"). There's a bustling, neon-lit city with flying cars and an orbiting city-cum-spaceport that launches the probes, complete with a voiceover from an unseen Maximal official (voiced by [[Doug Parker]]).
*Following "[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]" and "[[Fallen Comrades]]", we get more hints about what planet the Beast Wars are taking place on. When we first see the probe approach the planet it heads towards a continent that looks like Africa. Later, the probe does a tour of the local solar system and passes by planets that look awfully like Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. When the probe returns towards the end of the episode, we can again see what looks like Africa and Madagascar along with Antarctica, although the locations are a bit off.
*After its creation [[A Better Mousetrap|two episodes ago]], we see [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] in regular use for the first time (unless you're watching one of the home video releases. See "Trivia" below.)
*Dinobot's hesitation towards the idea of being rescued will resurface in "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]".
*Cheetor may know where the Predacon's CR Chamber is due to the events of "[[Equal Measures]]", when he was chased through much of the Predacon base.
*In a neat little bit of continuity, when Blackarachnia is about to be shot off a cliff by Rattrap, Scorponok's body is barely visible at the bottom. He's even missing the claw that was blown off by Rattrap earlier in the episode!
*Gadgets and powers:
** Scorponok can apparently transfer recordings to the little disk bearing the Predacon insignia on his chest. The disk can be detached and taken back to base. Maybe his cyberbees were being repaired at the time? Or perhaps he was keeping it in reserve in order to fire another viral mine.
**Once again, Cheetor uses his rump gun instead of his normal gun when Tigatron is around.

===Transformers references===
*Tarantulas' Transformation Lock device has a similar function to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron's]] [[Transfixatron]] device in the G1 episode "[[The Autobot Run]]". However, Tarantulas' device is a step ahead forcing the target back into their [[alternate mode]]. It can also fly on its own. Like in the original episode, the good guys are shown to be slightly useless when stuck in their alt-modes. You'd think a giant robotic ''Velociraptor'' would be good in a fight, but no, Dinobot is taken down by Blackarachnia kicking him a few times and is only saved when Rattrap shoots her. Apparently guns and missiles are the only important thing in a Beast Wars fight. Though to be fair, the Maximals do eventually learn to appreciate their beast forms and put their capabilities to good use [[Call of the Wild|later on]].
*This episode has another reference to the [[Pit (BW)|Inferno]], the (soon to be renamed) Transformers version of Hell.
*After last episodes use of "minutes", this time we're back to using "cycles".
*Tigatron's exclamation of "By the Matrix, what's happening?!" is the first reference to the various meanings of [[Matrix (disambiguation)|Matrix]] to show up in the series.

===Trivia===
[[File:Theprobefbomb.jpg|thumb|Say cheese!]]
*Cheetor's dialogue at this point in the series is always slightly embarrassing, but calling the Predacon leader "Mega-dumb"? That's pretty mega-lame.
*Scorponok's black and white POV shot has purple [[Cybertronix]] text on the bottom. It translates to "f**k".
*A more clever use of Cybertronix comes when Rhinox identifies the probe. The text scrolling on the bottom repeats "ceci est un alphabet tres bizarre et je ne comprends rien", French for "This is a very odd alphabet, and I do not understand anything".
*On home video, the running order of this episode and "[[A Better Mousetrap]]" are consistently switched due to this episode having been the ninth one produced and that episode the eleventh, both having been switched in their original broadcast order.
**The exception is the American [[Rhino Entertainment|Kid Rhino]] DVD release of Season 1, in which this episode appears after "[[Double Jeopardy]]". This is particularly noticeable in the presence of the [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] defense system before its introductory episode. However, the [[Madman Entertainment|Madman]] release for Australia has this episode appearing in the proper place, as does [[Shout! Factory]]'s.
*Many (but not all) scenes with Blackarachnia were omitted in the [[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]] VHS release of this episode, as her [[Double Jeopardy|introductory episode]] was not included on the same cassette.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Sonde'''" ("The Probe")

:*''Title:'' "'''La Sonde'''" (Canada, "The Probe")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Sonde'''" ("The Probe")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 30|30 May]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La sonda'''" ("The probe")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kyōfu no Shin Heiki!'''" (恐怖の新兵器!, "A Terrifying New Weapon!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 26|26 November]] [[1997]]
:**When Tigatron and Cheetor are swinging the cages back and forth, Cheetor repeats ''wheeee'' and ''yahooooo'' incessantly.
:**With this episode, the Predacons fully adopt the Maximals' habit of making noises whenever they fire their weapons; usually a noise related to their verbal tic (Scorponok says ''orya orya orya'' whenever he fires, Terrorsaur says ''caw caw caw'' whenever he fires, etc.). Blackarachnia, however, not only shouts ''tshaa tshaa tshaa'' whenever she fires her weapon, but whenever she performs one of her kicks.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' '''A Sonda''' ("The Probe")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shíjiān Tànzhēn '''" (时间探针, "A Time Probe")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' '''La Sonda''' (America, "The Probe")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Beast Wars'' — A Feature Length Beasties Adventure ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Une Adventure Cybernetique (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — New Weapon of Terror ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 4 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Probe}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

The Web

2024-01-08T12:08:54Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=3
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=3
|prev2=Beast Wars (Part 2)
|next2=Equal Measures
|image=The Web Cheetorinweb.jpg
|caption=Cheetor trains to be a traffic warden.
|title="The Web"
|season=1
|season ep=3
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 18]], [[1996]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[C. Michael Easton]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Rhinox (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Rhinox]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-hni04gvfo
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''While testing a new communications device, Cheetor runs into trouble.'''

==Synopsis==
At the [[Maximal]] base, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] enthusiastically volunteers to field test a new comlink [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] has developed to aid long range communication. Cheetor is instructed to take care of the device and not engage any [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]. After Cheetor bolts out of the room, Rhinox expresses a bit of doubt, but [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus]] is confident that he'll do fine.

[[File:The Web Cheetor commsdevice.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|The WWF likes to keep track of their animals.]]

Five [[units of length|microquads]] away, Cheetor hears an explosion, caused by [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] trying to recover a mega-cannon from one of the two ships. He radios a report to Optimus and heads off to investigate, openly defying his orders of avoiding any trouble. Primal leaves to recover Cheetor before something bad happens. Cheetor finds Scorponok and radios to Rhinox that he's going to take immediate action. He holds Scorponok at gunpoint, but [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] surprises Cheetor, giving Scorponok the time he needs to take him out with a missile. By the time Optimus arrives, the two Predacons are gone and Cheetor is left heavily damaged. As he lies unconscious, he dreams...

[[File:The Web Cheetordream.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|This would be so much cooler with a tight rope.]]
:''On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] all open fire on Cheetor, who merely laughs at his attackers and blasts them away with ease. But from the darkness within an empty water tower, the glowing eyes of Tarantulas taunt Cheetor. He opens fire again, this time finding his accuracy sorely diminished. Suddenly Scorponok transforms and attacks, and out of the blue Rattrap appears for a split second. With his blaster exhausted, Cheetor is unable to do anything but watch as a missile from Scorponok closes in.''

Cheetor reawakens on the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', having been repaired by Rhinox. Cheetor tries to explain to the Maximals gathered around him that he had to take immediate action to stop Scorponok's recovery of the cannon, but Optimus and the others are still disappointed in him for losing both the communicator and the cannon because of his impulsive actions. Once Primal leaves, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] gives Cheetor a hard time, causing the cat bot to snarl back and rush out of the room again. Rhinox makes Rattrap face up to what Cheetor is surely going to do, so Rattrap relents and agrees to go after him.

In Predacon territory, Terrorsaur and Scorponok install the newly recovered mega-cannon. Cheetor tries to sneak past them, but is so focused on waiting for the correct moment that he doesn't notice Tarantulas emerge from the ground behind him, and is quickly ensnared.

[[File:The Web Cheetor Tarantulas.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hey, aren't you supposed to buy me dinner first?]]
Cheetor awakens in a dark cavern, stuck to an energy web that restricts his movement. Tarantulas explains to him that the [[stasis web]] is draining his energy slowly, leaving the delicious body ripe for consumption. Tarantulas crawls over his captive's body and laughs with delight at the thought of his meal.

In the ''Axalon''{{'}}s control room, Optimus, Rhinox, and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] look over a holo-map of the [[Darksyde (BW)|crashed Predacon ship]]. Primal prepares to send Rattrap on a scouting mission, but Rhinox covers for his friend and says that the rat is talking to Cheetor.

Unknown to Optimus, Rattrap is already in Predacon territory, following Cheetor's trail. Rattrap finds Tarantulas's lair, and engages his Predacon nemesis. While the two battle, Tarantulas increases the rate at which the web drains energy from Cheetor. Tarantulas hunts Rattrap through the cavern with a thermal scan, but Rattrap fools him with a "hot box" and blasts the unfortunate spider.

[[File:The Web Rattrap rescue.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|You realise this means we're married?]]
After destroying the energy web, Rattrap grabs Cheetor and gets ready to leave, but one last blast from Tarantulas forces Rattrap to make his exit by diving away from a large explosion... which causes the cavern to collapse upon Tarantulas.

Back at the base, Rattrap lies to Optimus and claims he and Cheetor were just hanging out together. The act spares Cheetor from Primal's anger. In private, Rattrap emphasizes to Cheetor that he was only lying to cover his own hide... but Cheetor is still grateful to his pal.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (1)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (2)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (3)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (9)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (10)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (4)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (5)
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (7)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"You know, that is why you mess up, kiddo. You don't have the sense to BE afraid." 
"OH, YEAH? I'll show you what I have the sense to do, motorhead! You and Big Bot!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Cheetor''' trade manly quips.

"This is a dumb plan, webface. I don't have any real blood, just mech fluid." 
"Oh, my filters will adjust. It is the act I enjoy more than the nourishment."
:—'''Cheetor''' finds out '''Tarantulas''' is one sick puppy.

"''I hate that rat.''"
:—'''Tarantulas'''

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
Finalised: 9th January 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* As Cheetor informs Primal and Rhinox about the explosion, Primal's shoulder armor is clipping into Rhinox's stomach.
* Optimus' eyes, apart from his pupils, are black instead of red as he leaves base.
** As if to make up for this, Cheetor's normally green cheetah eyes turn red in the immediate following shot.
* Right after Scorponok transforms back into [[beast mode]] to pull the cannon out of the rocks, his scorpion mode's torso blinks out of existence for a couple of frames. He also snaps his arms forward and back unrealistically during transformation.
* Could be intentional, but Scorponok's claws seem to be "stuck" in a raised position for awkwardly long as he readies to pull the cannon out of the rocks. They then snap around the cannon from one frame to the next with no transition between the poses.
* Scorponok's claws have a much stronger purple color as he moves away from the cannon at Cheetor's urging.
* When Cheetor is knocked unconscious by Scorponok, his face lacks the additional texture pattern, making it look less feline.
* There also seems to be a great deal of confusion as to what color Scorponok's eyes are supposed to be, changing between red and yellow intermittently.
* During Cheetor's first dream, as Megatron rapid-fires his purple lasers, the laser's own animation for leaving the gun doesn't appear, making it seem as if the gun's jammed.
* In the closeup on Tarantulas crawling right up to Cheetor's face, the spider has a much brighter purple color than normal.
* Just before Tarantulas transforms in his cave, there's a black shape sticking though the bottom of his spider-mode chin, looking rather like a goatee.
* As Cheetor is held captive by Tarantulas, his energy readout clearly drops to dangerous levels, yet in the next few subsequent shots, the levels are at maximum.
** Compounding on this problem, in the shot ''directly after'' Tarantulas turns the energy web to full power, it's shown at half power again. Whoops.
*When Rattrap is tracking Cheetor outside, his paws almost seem to hover above the ground. Indeed, it looks as if he was animated separate to the background, rather than within it.
* When Rattrap glances from Cheetor to the energy-draining machine, the cheetah's eyes are again red.
* Tarantulas' gun and the gold-colored segments on most of his body are matte instead of shiny when he notices he's been duped.
* When Tarantulas gets blasted away by Rattrap, he's apparently missing a considerable chunk of his chest, because you can clearly see his exposed inner joints, and some weird distorted pieces around the them. It is as though his left breast turned inside out. Strangely, once he's done falling to the ground, his chest is normal again.
** Also in this shot, Tarantulas' gun clips through his left arm.
* When Rattrap begins to carry Cheetor away, the latter's head seems almost melted. His face is all scrunched up and not animated, his ears are flattened and his nose is stretched and hanging down from his snout. The heck? He stays like that when Tarantulas' missile speeds toward them, then but gets fixed by the next shot.
* Cheetor's eyes very briefly turn red yet again as he and Rattrap turn away from the others at the end of the episode.

===Continuity notes===
* Cheetor wakes up after having been repaired by Rhinox, when generally the characters just emerge from a [[CR chamber]]. Based on this and the Maximals talking about the need for internal repairs in [[Beast Wars (Part 1)|the opening episode]], it appears they haven't got the chambers working yet.
* The Maximals have been stranded for at least a month (the time it took Rhinox to make the comlink). Either way, it becomes somewhat of a moot point in later episodes as the Maximals manage to communicate through interfaces on their bodies (presumably, Rhinox upgraded them to compensate for the lost comlink).
*Optimus mentions that Rhinox doesn't have the parts to build another comlink. Even if it did work, he wouldn't have been able to make any more for the rest of the team.
* Tarantulas makes the first reference to the '[[Pit (BW)|Inferno]]' (the Transformers version of Hell) in this episode. It's possible he was just talking about the subsequent Energy Web explosion, but unlikely. "Inferno" would get changed to "Pit" in later episodes to avoid confusion with a [[Inferno (BW)|yet-to-be introduced character]].
* Gadgets and powers:
** Cheetor's dream also contains a brief vision of Rattrap's rescue attempt before it actually happens. This is the first of several dreams, precognitive and otherwise, that Cheetor would have through the series.
** Optimus's eyes have a "scan mode" which he uses to track down Cheetor. He also appears to have a built in communication device which he activates by tapping his chest like he's wearing a Star Trek comm-badge. (It doesn't work, which he blames on energon interference. This is presumably what Rhinox was trying to work around with his external communication device.)
** Tarantulas can use a "thermo-scan" mode which he uses to try and find Rattrap's heat signature.
** Rattrap has portable devices that he carries in his forearms called "hot boxes". They generate a heat-field which fools Tarantulas's thermo-scan.

===Transformers references===
* In Cheetor's dream, you can see [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] in his Earth [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] flying over Cybertron for a few seconds: the [[Decepticon]] [[Insignia|sigil]] on his wing is the first direct Beast Wars reference to either the [[Autobot]]s or Decepticons.

===Trivia===
* Being an early episode, Cheetor and the other characters pretty distinctly pronounce his name as "Cheater".
* Also as an early episode, the Maximals and Predacons both also still use human time units here and there. Their own [[units of time]] would not become more firmly established until later.
* In a reverse of this, the Maximals use "microquads" as a unit of distance here. Later episodes will see them switch to human units of measurements (usually "klicks").
* The incredibly dangerous "mega-cannon" that is the focus of the early part of the episode is never mentioned again and the Maximals never seem to destroy it or even delay its installation.
* The Maximals spend a lot of time standing around on their ship in beast mode. While this is fine for Optimus, it does lead to Rhinox having to awkwardly put his front legs on the scanning table in order to see what's going on. As the series goes on, Maximals and Predacons being in beast mode on their respective ships becomes less and less common.
* Rattrap calls Tarantulas "eight eyes" even though his beast mode has nine.
* Scorponok's voice sounds less childish in this episode than in the preceding one. This is the first of many more 'mature' voice changes throughout the series, intentional or otherwise.
* Just prior to its debut in syndication, this episode was made available on DirecTV on a pay-per-view basis beginning on [[August 19]], 1996.
* Dinobot's line of "No no no! Destroy them!" is recycled audio from the first episode, originally two different lines used in separate parts of that episode ("Their shields are down. Destroy them!" and "No no no! It's all wrong. This cannot be Earth.").

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Toile'''" ("The Web")

:*''Title:'' "'''La Toile'''" (Canada, "The Web")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das Netz'''" ("The Web")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 18|18 April]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La ragnatela'''" ("The Spiderweb")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cheetus no Kiki'''" (チータスの危機, "Cheetus's Crisis")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 15|15 October]] [[1997]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''W sieci'''" ("The Web")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A Teia'''" ("The Web")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''黄豹历险'''" ("Cheetor's Adventure")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La telaraña'''" ("The Spiderweb")

:*''Title:'' "'''La telaraña'''" (Latin America, "The Spiderweb")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1997 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Cheetus' Crisis ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptBtijmE_Us "Cheetus's Crisis"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Wb2pvVIOE "Cheetus's Crisis" (Part 2)] on YouTube

{{DEFAULTSORT:Web}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Equal Measures

2024-01-08T12:08:35Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=4
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=4
|prev2=The Web
|next2=Chain of Command (BW)
|image=Equal Measures Cheetor darksyde.jpg
|caption=Later they discovered Cheetor was sitting on the self-destruct button.
|title="Equal Measures"
|season=1
|season ep=4
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 23]], 1996
|written by=[[Greg Johnson]]
|directed by=[[T.W. Peacocke]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Cheetor]], [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Megatron]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKS7w9FwR8g
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''Dinobot manipulates both Maximals and Predacons around a teleporter that Cheetor has unintentionally developed between both bases.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] watches a bolt of lightning shatter a mountain, revealing a cache of [[energon]]. Because of the hazardous conditions, he radios to his team to abort their current operation. The storm garbles the transmission, though, preventing the other [[Maximal]]s from receiving it.

[[File:Dinobotbulliescheetor.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Something we've seen all too often.]]
The mission involves [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] monitoring devices designed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], who has just gotten done building the last of them. Impatient to get going, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] carelessly plays with one of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s projects, a ''time bomb'', and accidentally drops it out the floor hatch... where it's caught by a returning Optimus, who reiterates his order for the mission to be scrubbed. Everyone's clearly upset over the development, not believing the storm to be that severe yet, but Primal is adamant; it'll have to wait until later. Dejected, everyone returns to quarters to wait out the storm.

In Cheetor's quarters, Dinobot meets with the cat-bot and endorses the mission being continued regardless of the danger from the weather and the energon. He points out that Primal clearly treats Cheetor like a child, even though with his speed, the cat-bot could easily outrun the storm and plant the devices before it hits. This appeal to vanity works, and Cheetor sneaks out to complete the mission.

[[File:Equal Measures Cheetor monitoring device.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|This wireless Broadband box is rubbish!]]
In the field, Cheetor plants survey apparatuses in quick succession, but a bolt of lightning causes the cat accidentally to plant one of the posts dangerously close to an energon vein. He tries to remove the device and correct his mistake, but in the middle of his struggle, a second lightning bolt hits, and he finds himself suddenly teleported — onto a control panel in the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]!

[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] "welcomes" Cheetor and attacks the Maximal, but Cheetor grabs a hover-platform and tries to escape. After being knocked off the platform, Cheetor lunges at Terrorsaur and pushes the Predacon onto the control panel he'd just arrived on, causing Terrorsaur to vanish. [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] arrive and chase Cheetor around the Predacon base, but lose him in the ventilation shafts.

[[File:Cheetorsurprised.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Shouldn't have had the vindaloo last night.]]
Meanwhile, Terrorsaur finds himself in the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' command center, where he's given a warm reception by Dinobot. However, the former Predacon is more concerned over how Terrorsaur arrived at the Maximal base, eventually working out that a freak combination of the survey devices, the storm, and the energon created a transporter link between the two bases. Using this to his advantage, Terrorsaur seems to convince Dinobot into forming an alliance, suggesting they scrap the Maximals, then take over the Predacons and rule together... until Dinobot drops the charade and unceremoniously flushes the Pred out of the ''Axalon'' through a waste disposal unit.

Back at the Predacon base, Cheetor continues to flee while avoiding fire from Waspinator. He sneaks away from the two long enough to hack the Predacons' data files, and determines that both bases sit on a common underground Energon vein, so an explosion at one base would cause a chain reaction that would obliterate both ships. Cheetor is discovered as soon as he downloads this data to a disk.

At the Maximal base, Optimus confronts Dinobot on Cheetor's whereabouts. Dinobot tells him about the link and how the cat-bot has "surely" been destroyed by now, but convinces him that they could use the link to annihilate the Predacon base with the bomb, a plan Primal only agrees to as long as the bomb's timer is set with enough time to allow the Preds to evacuate. Just as the bomb is sent, though, Cheetor tosses the disk with the energon vein data onto the console, transporting both items simultaneously.

[[File:Crispyterrorsaur.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Would you like me original, or extra crispy?]]
The Predacons finally corner Cheetor, but the bomb has magnetically locked itself onto the Pred console, forcing Megatron to let him go so he can release it. With a few seconds left, Cheetor throws it up to Terrorsaur, who flies it out of the base (and is blown up with it), while Cheetor escapes through the link. The Predacons' errant shots destroy the console instead. Furthermore, his return trip to the ''Axalon'' shatters all of the survey posts he's planted, ensuring the link is severed for good.

Afterwards, Rhinox and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] congratulate Cheetor's prevention of the Maximal base from being destroyed by their own explosive, while Dinobot is in a bad mood as usual and leaves—though Cheetor apparently didn't tell anyone that Dinobot talked him into the whole thing. Primal still commands Cheetor to take more care to obey direct orders. Cheetor says he will—except when he doesn't—and scampers off, leaving Optimus steamed up with Rhinox and Rattrap to have a jolly laugh. But Optimus figures out Cheetor was funny, and gets in the jolly laugh with Rhinox and Rattrap.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (1)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (2)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (3)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (6)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (7)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (8)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
"Defeating them does not mean we have to ''annihilate'' them. You seem to have trouble understanding that."
:—'''Optimus''' gently chides Dinobot for thinking like a Predacon.

"Shoulda known no Maximal'd be stupid enough to try anything on a day like this."
:—'''Terrorsaur''' underestimates the enemy again.

"YOOOOOW, BULLET TRAAAAAAAIN..." 
''[An explosion sends Cheetor crashing into the wall!]'' 
"Comin' through." 
:—'''Cheetor''' narrowly escapes being turned into a charbroiled cheetah!

"Cheetor! Maximi— did that already."
:—'''Cheetor''' forgets that he already transformed.

"He's gone into the vents! You better report this to Megatron." 
"Me?! ''You're'' second-in-command!" 
"So make it an order!"
:—'''Scorponok''' and '''Waspinator''' establish the chain of command.

"Where'd he go?! Where'd ''I'' go?"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' realises he isn't in [[Kansas]] any more.

"Think of the cosmic magnificence. Together we'll overthrow these low-grade metal knock-offs you've joined, and then rule the Predacons with two iron fists! NOTHING CAN STOP US!"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' has such naive optimism.

"Hey! What are you doing? We're partners!" 
"In case you had not realized, Needlenose... I am ''not'' a team player."
:—'''Terrorsaur''', about to get launched over the horizon by '''Dinobot'''

"OK, OK, I'll never do that again! Until the next time."
:—'''Cheetor''' has learned nothing from this adventure.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* In the opening shot, a segment of the mountains on the screen's left side reveals a gap in the mountain's computer model just a few frames before the shot cuts.
* The collapsing mountain seems to be sucked into the Energon cache after being hit with lightning, and before the lightning strikes, there's a bizarre flickering texture on the mountain's right side.
* Following the collapse, some energon crystals within the mountain keep flickering in and out of existence.
* When Cheetor walks over to the bomb, the two [[kibble]] panels on his back keep clipping through his cheetah leg kibble, and they don't seem to move together with the rest of his torso. When the bomb drops and he moves about, the panels remain stationary.
* When Optimus is tossing the time bomb in one hand, it really doesn't move convincingly.
* When Rhinox reacts to Optimus' announcement about being stalled, his rhinoceros skin "skirt" is clipping into his thighs.
* Shadows are inconsistently rendered in the beginning scene in the Maximal base. Rhinox, standing behind Rattrap, is fully lit at first, but at the end of the scene, there's a shadow cast over him.
* The shot of Cheetor descending out of the base, as the "camera" spins around him, is rendered very oddly. Parts of the ''Axalon'' that look like they should be behind the cliff face appear in front of it, and as Cheetor dashes away, he overlaps a metal bar that's much closer to view.
* As Cheetor jumps across the rocks, his feet don't always touch the terrain.
* Cheetor's mouth doesn't move as he shouts "Maximize!" while out in the field.
* Before Cheetor turns into [[robot mode]], he has red eyes as a cheetah. When his beast model is replaced with his mid-transformation model mid-movement, his eyes turn green and his spots rearrange themselves between frames. After he goes back into cheetah mode a few seconds later, the cheetah model again has red eyes and a different spot-arrangement, both of which change yet again as the lightning strikes near him.
* When Cheetor activates the first survey post, his left thumb clips into his chest.
* The little red bit on the top of the first survey post that Cheetor plants keeps blinking in and out of existence. While this might have been on purpose, to simulate a blinking light, none of the other posts do this.
* Cheetor doesn't really grab the Energon post's handle, his fist simply clips through it.
* When the lightning-bolt strikes him, you can tell by his shadow that Cheetor is actually floating a few inches above the ground.
* When Terrorsaur floats closer to the monitor screen on his platform, the tip of his right wing passes between the platform and his foot.
* As he reaches for his gun while dangling from the Predacons' flying platform, Cheetor's left elbow briefly turns inside-out.
* In one shot, when Terrorsaur is shooting at Cheetor's platform, the reflection textures on his grey elements near his gun disappear in sync with his blasts, due to the blast effects somehow "blotting them out". Strangely, this error doesn't occur in his closeup shortly thereafter.
* When Scorponok and Waspinator transform into robot mode, the latter already has various robot parts sticking out of him in his wasp form. Both his beast and robot mode abdomens exist at the same time, his robot crotch is poking through his underside and one of his robot legs is sticking out of his behind. Also, the stripes on his thighs are aligned the wrong way, a common error in early episodes.
* When Cheetor transforms to [[beast mode]] to jump into the vent, his various robot and beast parts all seem to appear and disappear randomly, out of sync with his usual transformation.
* Scorponok's eyes are weirdly distorted as he arrives to the vent. Also in this shot, Waspinator's left wings don't seem to "flap up", only down.
** In addition, Scorponok's visor shifts between yellow and red quite randomly, as it often happens in most episodes.
* Though a common cartoon convenience, both Waspinator's repeated shots and Scorponok's missile take an inordinately long time to reach Cheetor, and the distances between them jump back and forth between shots.
* As Cheetor hurries through the vent, none of the holes Waspinator has blasted into it are visible.
* After Cheetor escapes from the vents, he falls to the ground and his right forehead chevron kind of "twangs" forward. In the next scene he's in, it's back to normal against his head.
* Before Terrorsaur begins pruning his wing, the right side of his pterosaur chest appears to be sunken into his body.
* Scorponok's right claw is clipping though his thigh as he and Waspinator watch the missile chase Cheetor.
* Just before Optimus comes into frame to ask Dinobot about the survey posts, his fingers are visible at the left of the screen as the camera swivels.
* When Optimus asks Dinobot if he's sure about the bomb's timer, his right arm seems to jump position between frames.
* Two green bits are clipping through the opening hatch on the Predacon ship on either side.
* As the roasted Terrorsaur lands, his leg briefly clips through his wing.
* When Cheetor is zapped back home, blowing up all survey posts along the way, the posts are replaced by noticeably thicker, different-shaped exploding objects a few frames before they're supposed to blow.

===Continuity errors===
* A major plot point is that due to an energon vein running beneath both ships, the destruction of either Predacon or Maximal bases would destroy the other. This is never mentioned again and frequently contradicted due to the repeated explosions at both. While most of the planet's energon was stabilized by the start of Season 2 (and thus wouldn't be an issue), the plot of Season 1 episode "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]" revolves around... a massive explosion at the Predacon base. Arguably, either side could have harvested some of the energon by then to sever the connection between the bases, but this is never established!
* Despite making a big deal about how they should be killing Predacons when they get the chance, Dinobot doesn't avail himself of the opportunity when he's alone with Terrorsaur, instead harmlessly firing him out of the ship.
* When trying to outrun the explosion chasing him down the vents, for some reason Cheetor decides to transform to his [[robot mode]], even though it's been strongly implied that he's faster in beast mode.

===Continuity notes===
* The weather on prehistoric Earth appears to be ''extremely'' destructive. Two bolts of lightning cause a mountain to implode. This might have something to do with the abundant energon, although there's nothing in the show to back this up.
* This is the first episode where we get to hear Terrorsaur speak (Besides "Terrorsaur, terrorize!" that is). It's also the first time he is shown to be the series' resident [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], possessing a flight-based alternate mode and already plotting behind his leader's back.

===Transformers references===

===Real-world references===
* Cheetor name-drops the Tom Jones song, [[w:What's New Pussycat? (song)|"What's New Pussycat?"]] as an expression. This reference would later be said again in "[[The Spark]]" and "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]" back to back.

===Trivia===
*The cheetah silhouette poster hanging over Cheetor's bed reads "RESTRICTED" in [[Cybertronix]].
*When Cheetor appears before him, Terrorsaur greets him thus: "Welcome to the dark side!" The episode script reveals that this was simply Terrorsaur being dramatic. As it was in response to Cheetor wondering if he had died and come to the afterlife, Terrorsaur was basically messing with him by saying a more colorful (and kid-friendly) version of "Welcome to Hell!" However, because [[fandom|Transformers fans]] can be ''incredibly'' literal, some fans speculatively latched on to the idea that Terrorsaur was welcoming Cheetor to the "''Dark Side''", supposedly giving the Predacon ship/base a proper name. This bit of [[fanon]] was subsequently made official by the video game ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (PS)|Beast Wars Transmetals]]''. Years later, the ship's name was further codified by the [[BotCon 2006]] story "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]", which dodged [[trademark]] issues by giving it the intentional misspelling "[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]". This is what happens when fans are allowed to run things. Seriously.
*This episode marks the finalization of most of the Maximals' voices; Cheetor loses most of his whine, Rhinox gains a more expressive range, and Dinobot sounds a fair bit deeper.
*Plenty of alternate transformation schemes in this episode. Most of Cheetor's transformations involve his cheetah mode splitting in two through the middle (even the tail), and his cheetah head flipping down to be the chest of a fully-formed robot that's curled up within this beast "shell", already wearing most of his beast kibble. Dinobot also shows off a pair of transformations radically different from – and even more cheaty than – his normal one.
*Waspinator speaks in first-person in this episode.
*Just prior to its debut in syndication, this episode was made available on DirecTV on a pay-per-view basis beginning on [[August 19]], 1996.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dos à Dos'''" ("Back to Back")

:*''Title:'' "'''Dos à Dos'''" (Canada, "Back to Back")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Im gleichen Boot'''" ("In the Same Boat")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 25|25 April]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Pari opportunità per i Biocombat'''" ("Equal Opportunities for the Biocombats")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Jigen Bakudan Tensō Sakusen!'''" (時限爆弾転送作戦!, "Operation: Time Bomb Transfer!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 22|22 October]] [[1997]]
::*Terrorsaur's line, "Welcome to the dark side!" was rendered, "Yōkoso, kaku!" or "Welcome, stranger!" (with plenty of ''caw caw caw'' noises added to the end, as is Terrorsaur's vocal tic in Japan). Thus, any silly ambiguity as to the proper noun status of his line is eliminated (not that it would matter, as the Predacon's ship received an official name in Japan long before it got one in the West: "Terror Crasher").

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Równe szanse'''" ("Equal Chances")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Medidas Iguais'''" ("Equal Measures")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Medidas Equitativas'''" (America, "Equal Measures")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yī Mài Xiàng Lián '''" (一脉相连, "In One Vein")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1997 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Cheetus' Crisis ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Chain of Command (BW)

2024-01-08T12:08:24Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the ''Beast Wars'' episode|the ''Prime'' episode|Chain of Command (Prime)}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=5
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=5
|prev2=Equal Measures
|next2=Power Surge (episode)
|image=Coc getshorty.jpg
|caption=An armed society is a polite society.
|season=1
|season ep=5
|title="Chain of Command"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 24]], 1996
|written by=[[Jesse Winfield]]
|directed by=[[Andrew Doucette]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Cheetus]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugf3cptgJSE
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''After Optimus Primal is abducted by an alien probe, the remaining Maximals must decide on a new leader.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Chain of Command Standing stones glow.jpg|left|200px|thumb|No wonder Stonehenge is popular.]]
The [[Maximal]]s detect an [[energon crystal]] under the {{w|cairn}} in the [[Standing Stones]]. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] thinks it reeks of 'bait' and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] notes that the [[energon]] on [[Earth|this planet]] isn't natural, as it does not conform to the planet's geology. The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] attack, putting an end to the discussion. During the battle, [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] purposely fires directly on the buried energon crystal, causing it to destabilize. His prize now useless, [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] orders a retreat while the Maximals head for cover as it builds to overload. But instead of a debilitating [[energon wave]], it sends a signal to the stars, depleting the crystal's energy. With the Predacons gone and the energon reduced to dust, the bewildered Maximals return to base.

[[Image:Chain of Command Dinobot probe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You are getting sleepy...]]
Later, an [[Vok probe|alien probe]] emerges from [[unspace|transwarp space]] and enters the atmosphere. The Predacons initially mistake it for a [[stasis pod]], but Rhinox immediately recognizes it as something else. Both sides head to intercept it at the Standing Stones. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] confront Megatron and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], but when they transform and begin to battle, the probe puts out an energy burst that renders them unconscious and causes Primal to vanish into thin air.

A disoriented Dinobot awakens in the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s [[CR chamber]] and, seeing three angry Maximals standing over him, momentarily mistakes it for a [[Maximal Torture Chamber]]. The probe, as it turned out, somehow dumped Dinobot, Megatron and Waspinator outside of their respective bases. Believing Primal to be destroyed, Dinobot attempts to take command of the Maximals. Rhinox heads off a fight between Dinobot and Rattrap by insisting on a secret ballot, the traditional Maximal method for resolving such problems.

After the vote results in stalemate, with two votes for each contender, Dinobot giddily rebukes the shortcomings of their peaceful solution. He declares that he will break the tie by force and prepares to attack Rattrap. Before the fight can begin, they are contacted by Optimus Primal, who is ''not'' dead. Primal's body has been digitally stored, but his consciousness remains active within the probe. Optimus puts Rattrap in charge. Dinobot glares at him.

[[Image:Chain of Command Rhinox device.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"How's it going?" "Good, good". "... you just welded your hand to it didn't you?" "Yes, yes I did".]]
Megatron, also believing Primal dead, sends [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and Waspinator to the Standing Stones while the other Predacons attack the Axalon. Dinobot fights Megatron one-on-one, ignoring Rattrap's order to disengage and reset the Axalon's failing [[shield circuitry]]. Rattrap scrambles and is able to restore the shields at the last moment. The Predacons retreat when Dinobot beats Megatron back, and Dinobot apologizes to Rattrap for not following his orders, affirming himself "dishonored". Dinobot's uncharacteristic deference and respect makes Rattrap uncomfortable, and he brushes it off.

[[Image:Chain of Command Maximals probe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The Maximals prepare to fight [[Trukk not munky|G1 fanatics]].]]
The Maximals head to the Standing Stones with a device Rhinox has built to attempt to extract Optimus from the probe. The Predacons attack them at the Stones, Rhinox unloading his frustrations on Waspinator when his device malfunctions, blasting him to bits with his chaingun. Waspinator shorts out and comes in contact with one of the stones which activates, revealing the entire Standing Stones site is a single device. The probe opens in response, and Primal materializes. The Predacons retreat before his considerable firepower, but the probe dematerializes before the Maximals can decide what to do with it.

Optimus commends Rattrap on his performance as commander, though Rattrap is more than happy to hand the title back. The Maximals are left wondering what the probe's purpose was, and Rhinox ominously observes the [[Vok|aliens]] have learned they have the ability to reason... and of their destructive capabilities.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (1)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (3)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (7)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (8)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (9)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Vok probe]] (11)

}}

==Quotes==
"Hey power down! You're on our side now, remember?" 
"And Maximals don't have torture chambers! Though, you know... I could get behind that idea."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Rattrap''' to Dinobot

"Wait, stand by here! Who died and made you Prime, scaleface?"
:—'''Rattrap''' trying to show Dinobot who's boss.

"Megatron back! Megatron back! Scorponok alone with Tarantulas and Terrorsaur. Very ''bad!''"
:—'''Scorponok''' loses coherence under pressure.

"I know just how the weakling Maximals will respond to Optimus's death. Confusion! Bickering! Recriminations! The perfect opportunity for a surprise attack."
:—'''Megatron''' deals with loss like a true villain.

"Ha ha, great system, your 'democracy.' No mechanism to break a tie!"
:—'''Dinobot''', who's actually a socialist, believe it or not.

"Make a device to extract physical molecular structure from an alien probe? Man, I've gotta be a miracle worker!"
:—'''Rhinox''', channeling [[Scotty]].

"You were selfless in putting that shield back online. I ought to have followed your command. I... am dishonored." 
"Ehh... next time."
:—'''Dinobot''' and an uncomfortable '''Rattrap'''

"But why would they want to know? And more importantly, who are they? Friends, enemies, or... something ''more''?"
:—'''Dinobot''', on the mysterious aliens

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 9th January 1996
* Finalised: 15th January 1996
* Revised: 26th January 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* If that's a solar eclipse in the opening shot, how come there's light coming from below the horizon?
* When Waspinator first appears, his [[beast mode]] is all messed up with random bits being misaligned and sticking out of him oddly.
* During the initial fight, as Waspinator and Terrorsaur swoop up towards Optimus, Terrorsaur's upper body distorts for a fraction of a second before the shot changes.
* When Optimus is zapped into the alien device, his right gorilla hand is missing, his arm ending in a stump.
* Some of Rattrap's fingers are clipping though his hip as Rhinox announces the second vote for Dinobot.
* Both times when Rhinox says "Oh no", his lips don't move.
* When Dinobot executes his flying kick, his foot actually passes through Megatron's head. This is more apparent in the closeup shot.
* When Dinobot blasts away Megatron with his eye beams, the jaw of Megatron's ''T. rex'' head dislocates and snaps way wide open.
* Then, as Megatron lands and gets up, his dinosaur head clips through his leg.
* As Rhinox exclaims "This whole place ''is'' a single device!" and the view zooms out, Cheetor in the back keeps twitching and jumping poses between frames, as if he was still firing his gun.

===Continuity errors===
* Considering future revelations regarding the planet the Beast Wars occur on, the shots from space in this episode are odd. When the Standing Stones are first activated, we see a shot of the planet from space with the beam apparently originating from a large, unknown continent. When the Probe arrives we see it heading towards a continent that doesn't seem to match the earlier one. And the final shot of the episode also shows the planet, this time with a continent that looks the same shape as South America, but with Mexico missing. This time there's a continent to the right that could be Africa, but it's far too close if it is, and above is something that could vaguely be Europe if you squint, but it's also in the wrong place. It's possible that the vague geography was intentional on the part of the writers, to deliberately obfuscate future developments.
* The dialogue makes it very clear that the incapacitated Dinobot and Predacons did not return to base under their own power, but through some outside force. No one seems particularly concerned by this, though. Did the probe take everybody home? A genuine ''deus ex machina'' to move the plot forward?

===Continuity notes===
* The Maximals are not entirely convinced Dinobot didn't off Primal himself for the job, as he attempted to 3 episodes prior.
* The episode opens with the [[Planet Buster|second moon]] eclipsing the sun. The moon's unnatural nature will again be mentioned in "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]", and it plays a critical role in the season finale.
* Megatron initially mistakes the alien probe for a Maximal stasis pod. Later episodes will show that a falling stasis pod is a big deal for both sides, as it gives them a chance to add a new member to their respective army.
* The ongoing [[Vok]] storyline put in its first appearance since "[[Beast Wars (Part 2)]]", it will feature again in "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]". The Vok will not be named until the series is almost over.
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] exhibits his "babbling" personality in this episode as, apparently, being left alone with the scheming Terrorsaur and Tarantulas while Megatron is undergoing major repairs makes him ''extremely'' nervous. Given Tarantulas's dietary habits, this might be understandable...
* This episode features the (fairly awesome) debut of Rhinox's "Chaingun of Doom" (occasionally called the "Chaingun of Command" after this episode). It also involves the first time Waspinator is blown to scrap.

===Real-world references===
* Rattrap mentions "B-movies", a uniquely [[human]] concept.
* The "Standing Stones" resemble many European stone circles, of which [[Stonehenge]] is the most famous. (However, the shot from space of showing the location of the Standing Stones certainly isn't Britain, and doesn't resemble Europe either.)

===Trivia===
* The initial fight by the [[Standing Stones]] features shadow, a rare luxury in early ''Beast Wars'' episodes.
* Optimus Primal is reading late at night below the ''Axalon'' when the probe comes down, a rare quiet character moment.
* During the battle at the Maximal base, Megatron tries to gain the upper hand by ramming his face into Dinobot's airborne foot. Megatron clearly fails at this attempt and takes note to dodge easily evadable flying kicks in the future.
* It is fairly certain that Rhinox is the one who voted for Rattrap and Cheetor is the one who voted for Dinobot. Rhinox was clearly unpleasantly surprised by the second vote for Dinobot, and when Optimus tells them that Rattrap is in charge, Cheetor is seen visibly annoyed in the background while Rhinox happily pats Rattrap on the back.
* Scorponok's missiles sport a Predacon insignia instead of the Maximal logos they've carried until now. Apparently the original idea was that the Maximal insignia showed who the missiles were intended ''for'', but fans were confused as to why Scorponok, a Predacon, would have a Maximal logo on his weapons, so they changed it.
* On three separate occasions, the Maximals stand at the Standing Stones staring at them while Predacons sneak up behind them. It's a good thing that Megatron seems to prefer dramatically interrupting the Maximals while they are speaking rather than just, y'know, shooting them in the back.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Disparition'''" ("The Disappearance")

:*''Title:'' "'''Disparition'''" ("Disappearance")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rangordnung'''" ("Rank Order")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 3|3 May]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il passaggio del comando'''" ("The Passage of the Command")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kieta Convoy'''" (消えたコンボイ, "Convoy Disappeared")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 29|29 October]] [[1997]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cadeia de Comando'''" ("Chain of Command")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cadena de Mando'''" (America, "Chain of Command")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Jiērèn zhī Zhēng '''" (接任之争, "Dispute of Succession")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Beast Wars'' — A Feature Length Beasties Adventure ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Une Adventure Cybernetique (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Disappeared ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Power Surge (episode)

2024-01-08T12:08:09Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' episode|the ''[[Kre-O]]'' [[Decepticon]]|Power Surge (Kre-O)}}
{{episode
|series=BW
|ep=6
|series2=BWJ
|ep2=6
|prev2=Chain of Command (BW)
|next2=Fallen Comrades
|image=Power Surge Terrorsaur flexing.jpg
|caption=Check out '''THESE GUNS'''.
|title="Power Surge"
|season=1
|season ep=6
|airdate= [[September 25]], 1996
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[Nicholas Kendall]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Waspinator (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Waspeeter]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7uZBzDtHtk
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''Terrorsaur discovers a cache of energon on a floating mountain that gives him enough power to overthrow Megatron.'''

==Synopsis==
A wild and free bird majestically soars through the air, experiencing the wonders of aviation as it feels the wind flow around its proud wings. The bird explores its domain with a grace and sincerity and deliciousness. The latter-most attribute is of interest to a hungry [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], who quickly swallows the bird as a snack.

[[File:Power Surge Floating mountain.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Maybe it's made of very light rock?]]
Terrorsaur discovers a [[flying mountain|massive mountain elevated into the sky]]—defying gravity. Flying closer, he discovers the mountain houses an incredible cache of [[energon]]. To check the energon's stability, he transforms into his [[robot mode]], at the risk of having raw energon radiation harm his circuits. When he tries to take a sample for study, bolts of pure energy surge though him, greatly enhancing his abilities. Naturally, the first thing the overcharged [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] does is fly back to his base to overthrow [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Luckily, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] also finds the airborne crag, and watches Terrorsaur leaving at top speeds.

[[File:Power Surge Megatron down.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|They just don't make Megatrons like they used to.]]
Outside of the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacons' crashed ship]], Megatron shows his troops some newly installed territorial defenses. Terrorsaur arrives, and flowing with power, immediately announces that he's taking over the Predacons. Megatron obviously disagrees, and the two fight, but the pumped-up Terrorsaur easily blasts Megatron over the edge of a cliff, where he lands in pieces. With the remaining Predacons under his control, Terrorsaur announces the [[Maximal]]s are his next target. Cheetor, having followed Terrorsaur from the floating mountain, perceives the new developments as bad news.

Before he can lead the final battle against the Maximals, Terrorsaur finds his new charge has a short life and he must return to the floating mountain to reinvigorate himself. [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] follows in secret, eager to steal the source of Terrorsaur's new capabilities. [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] is left alone with [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], so the two begin to re-assemble and repair Megatron.

Cheetor rushes back to the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]] and scrambles onto the bridge, where he spits out an incoherent sequence of words vaguely relating to the current crisis. Giving explanations a second try, Cheetor explains the story thus far to his fellow Maximals. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] concludes that the floating mountain isn't totally scientifically impossible, given enough energon. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] prepare to destroy the entire island.

[[File:Power Surge Terrorsaur Primal.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|The Gutbuster Workout doesn't prove to be quite what Primal thought.]]
A weakened Terrorsaur flaps back to the island; on the ground, Tarantulas climbs a webline up to the suspended formation. Optimus and his cargo, Rattrap, arrive moments later. The two watch Terrorsaur re-charge his systems. To give Rattrap time to plant the explosives, Optimus Primal engages Terrorsaur in an airborne chase. Primal swiftly dodges most of what Terrorsaur fires, but eventually is hit by his [[Optic weaponry|optic blasts]]. He lands to deliver the finishing blast to Primal, who is now trapped in his [[beast mode]] thanks to energon buildup. But before a final shot can be fired, Terrorsaur's energon enhancements run out again, and he is forced to go for another recharge, promising to return to finish Optimus.

[[File:Power Surge Optimus Rattrap jump.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Fly, my pretties!]]
Rattrap meanwhile, has been tussling with Tarantulas, the two of them staying in their beast modes as they wrestle. With a toss of mud, Rattrap blinds Tarantulas and the spider blindly runs off the side of the mountain to the ground far, far below. Rattrap is passed by the flapping Terrorsaur, and concludes that Optimus Primal must have lost their bout. Terrorsaur, meanwhile, discovers the timed charges Rattrap left and flees in panic, deprived of a chance to recharge.

The explosives detonate, causing the energon crystals to collapse and explode. Before the ground loses form, Optimus arrives to carry Rattrap away from annihilation. With his ratty companion, Optimus Primal swan dives off the exploding alp and somehow the two survive thanks to Primal grabbing onto a tree.

Terrorsaur, no longer having the mountain's resources to rely on, returns to base to meet a very, very angry repaired Megatron. He turns white as a ghost, squawking out "Help!"

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (8)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (9)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (1)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
"Terrorsaur, you treacherous worm. I'll finish you forever!"
:—'''Megatron'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s famous last words.

"Well?" 
"Well what?" 
"If you're second in command, what is your command?" 
"..."
:—'''Waspinator''' and '''Scorponok'''. Be patient, Waspinator.

"Demolition charges?! Th... They'll blow this mountain to PIECES!"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' realizing the source of his energon addiction is coming to an explosive end.

"You do know... that was crazy." 
"Eh, sometimes crazy works. By the way, you did good up there!" 
"Eh, you weren't so bad yourself. But, er... don't tell anybody I said so!"
:—'''Rattrap''' witnesses '''Optimus Primal''' coin his motto.

"'''BLAST''' those Maximals! They destroyed my power source! But at least I got rid of Megatron..." 
''[But, when Terrorsaur lands, he sees, emerging, a fully repaired, and thoroughly '''PISSED''' Megatron.]'' 
"Well well... LOOK WHO'S ''...'''BACK.'''"'' 
''[Terrorsaur understandably turns as white as a ghost.]'' 
"...''help.''" 
:—'''Terrorsaur''' returns to see a very mad '''Megatron''', and pales at the consequences.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* Second draft: 20th February 1996
* Finalised: 13th March 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* Terrorsaur's left hand pops off his arm for a moment when he first gets supercharged.
* When Terrorsaur begins destroying Megatron, a patch of "flesh" is blasted off his back, revealing metal underneath. In the following shot, however, his backside is intact, save of course for the broken-off kibble.
* Tarantulas shoots a line up to the floating mountain and begins scurrying up it—yet the mountain is revolving. What is his line anchored to?
* Optimus' arms are rather oddly contorted when he lands on the floating mountain, and his right elbow-hinge is twisted around.
* Freeze-framing reveals the pistons connected to Optimus's feet have come apart while he's being chased through the air by Terrorsaur.
* When Optimus hits one of the floating rocks during his clash with Terrorsaur, the falling debris simply clip through a larger rock floating below.
* Terrorsaur's eye-beams stop midair and fade to white before disappearing. One of his shots doesn't even hit Optimus – the beams freeze a little distance away from him.
* When Rattrap smashes Tarantulas against the rock, his hindmost spider-leg pops out of its socket.
* Rattrap's ear clips into his shoulder area when he pulls it back as Tarantulas confronts him for the second time.
* The jungle backdrop in the last scene with Rattrap and Optimus has a ''really'' low resolution.

===Continuity notes===
* The Predacon [[Autogun]]s are introduced in this episode.
* Megatron's line "I thought you already learned your lesson about challenging me, Terrorsaur" suggests that this isn't the first time Terrorsaur has tried to openly seize leadership of the Predacons. Some possibilities are that this episode was meant to be set after "[[Double Jeopardy]]" (the absence of the Predacon [[Autogun]]s in that episode, alongside the currently "missing Blackarachnia", would both seem to reinforce that), or that Megatron has found out about the attempted coup in "[[Equal Measures]]". Alternately, it could just be that Terrorsaur did something "offscreen", possibly before the series started.
* Tarantulas's interest in the floating mountain's energon is the first glimpse at his treacherous nature. The darkly amused chuckle he gives upon seeing Megatron getting his aft kicked doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his loyalties, either...
* When indicating where he saw the floating mountain, Cheetor points to a projection of the planet. It's similar to the one shown as the end of [[Chain of Command (BW)|"Chain of Command"]], in that the continents look similar to Earth's, but they're too close together. Europe and Africa are far more northern relative to the Americas compared to where they should be. Cheetor appears to point to a location in North America.

===Transformers references===
* Terrorsaur eating the bird in the beginning of the episode may be alluding to his on-package [[bio]], where it is said that he "ingests entire flocks of birds by flying opened mouthed through their flight pattern". He apparently didn't have much of an appetite in this case.
* When Optimus Primal and Rattrap are flying to the mountain, Rattrap complains that if he wanted to fly, he'd have chosen a [[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys|bat]] as an altmode.
* After Terrorsaur informs the rest of the Predacons that "Megatron is scrap," he adds Megatron's practically patented "Yeess".
* A 'Con that wants to overthrow his leader? Where have we seen [[Starscream (G1)|this]] before? (In a twist on the usual formula, ''none'' of the 'Cons take his coup seriously and happily bring Megatron back when he's not looking.)

===Trivia===
* [[Insecticon (BW)|Insecticon]] was at one point slated to join the cast of the ''Beast Wars'' TV show. A remnant of this can be found in the script to "Power Surge" on [[Ben Yee]]'s website, where it is noted most of Insecticon's intended lines (including the ''"If you are second in command, what is your command?"'' exchange with [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]) were transferred to [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]].<ref>'''CHANGES FROM 1ST DRAFT TO FINAL''' - The Only Change is the removal of Insectacon {{sic}}. Some of his lines have gone to Waspinator. Changes are marked with an asterisk. - ''Power Surge'' script notes.</ref>
* This is the only episode in the entire series where Waspinator both has a speaking role and doesn't get damaged in some way, shape or form. That and the fact he doesn't use his normal tic of referring to himself and others in the third person are probably explained by his role originally being meant for Insecticon, as above.
* Rattrap plays holographic cards. According to the [[Cybertronix]] text, he's playing old maid.
* When charging on the unstable energon, Terrorsaur appears to flicker in and out of existence. That can't be good.
* When Terrorsaur sees the newly repaired Megatron, his entire body changes from red to white in complete terror.
* The word [[Units of time|"cycle"]] is used repeatedly in this episode, beginning the phasing out of human units of time that the series had been using up to this point.
* The concept of energon crystals supercharging a Transformer would be used again as an explanation for [[Transformers: Beast Wars Diorama Story#TM-SP Character Data File|the DX Convoy and DX Megatron toys]] in the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Telemocha Series]]'' being of a much larger size than the other toys.
* Just prior to its debut in syndication, this episode was made available on DirecTV on a pay-per-view basis beginning on [[August 19]], 1996.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'Énergie d'Énergon'''" ("The Energy of Energon")

:*''Title:'' "'''Surcharge'''" (Canada, "Overcharge")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Tödliche Energie'''" ("Deadly Energy")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 9|9 May]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sete di potere per i Biocombat'''" ("Thirst for Power for the Biocombats")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kūchū Sanmyaku Dai Bakuha'''" (空中山脈大爆破, "The Aerial Mountain Explodes")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 5|5 November]] [[1997]]
::*Immediately before devouring the bird at the start of the episode, Terrorsaur shouts "Itadakimasu!" Because even a Predacon knows to mind their manners at suppertime.
::*When Terrorsaur discovers the floating mountain in the original English version, he describes his thoughts and plans out loud by talking to himself. In the Japanese dub, this is instead framed as a conversation with [[Predacon computer|Navi-ko]].

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Surto de Energia'''" ("Power Surge")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Néngliàng Jùyǒng'''" (能量巨涌, "Power Surge")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Descarga de Energía'''" ("Power Discharge")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Disappeared ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Fallen Comrades

2024-01-08T12:07:49Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=7
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=7
|prev2=Power Surge (episode)
|next2=Double Jeopardy
|image=Fallen Comrades Tigatron beast.jpg
|caption=Do not bring your evil here.
|title="Fallen Comrades"
|season=1
|season ep=7
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 30]], 1996
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Steve Ball]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Tigatron#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Tigatron]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhYOvRUyws
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''A stasis pod falls in the Northern Sector of the planet and the Maximals and Predacons race to obtain it.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Fallen Comrades Tiger pod.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Foreshadowing is fun.]]
A field of debris circles the planet. Among the waste, a [[stasis pod]] falls from orbit and enters the atmosphere. Both the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] watch as it falls into the distant icy [[Northern Sector]]. Rather than immediately going for it themselves, [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] decides to ambush the Maximals' only flier ([[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]) as he goes for the pod.

At the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]], Primal is anxious to retrieve the pod containing a fellow Maximal. He falls for [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]'s trap despite [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s attempt to protect the Maximal leader. However, Dinobot is able to prevent the Predacons from taking Primal out of commission.

Back at the Predacon base, Megatron is disappointed to learn that Optimus Primal has survived, but realizes that the Maximals must now send a ground party to retrieve the stasis pod. This will leave the Maximal base undermanned and vulnerable to attack. Megatron dispatches his fliers to race to the pod, while he, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]], and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] go to attack the Maximal base.

[[File:Fallen Comrades Terrorsaur bridge.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|You'd think they'd, y'know, use their guns.]]
Meanwhile, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] run towards the pod. As they go, they remark that while leaving the base with the damaged Optimus Primal and Dinobot may not have been the best idea, it was their only option. Rhinox goes on to say that they need to hurry because, if the pod is damaged, the [[protoform]] robot within will be exposed to the planet's dangerous [[energon]] fields. Indeed, this seems to be the case when the stasis pod is shown opening, as the protoform's arm reaches from the pod and immediately begins to short out due to the high energon.

As they come to an ice bridge across a crevasse, the Maximal team is met by Waspinator and Terrorsaur. After a fire fight, the Predacons knock out the bridge and the Maximals' best hope of getting to the pod quickly.

[[File:Fallen Comrades Dinobot Optimus core.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Dinobot, Megatron's escaped. Recruit a team of Maximals with attitude.]]
Rattrap radios back to the base and informs Dinobot of this development. He accesses Optimus Primal's [[core consciousness]] in the [[CR chamber]] and informs him. Primal suggests that they send a laser transmission to the pod by bouncing the signal off something.

Outside of the Maximal base, Megatron and the other Predacons observe Dinobot setting up a laser transmitter on top of the base. Megatron offers Dinobot a chance to return to the Predacons by handing over the base. Dinobot responds by shooting Megatron with his [[Optic weaponry|eye lasers]] and is then promptly shot by Tarantulas and Scorponok. Although damaged, Dinobot is able to activate the base's auto-weapons which quickly dispatch the Predacons. Megatron then calls off the assault to join the pursuit of the pod.

With the transmitter in place, Optimus Primal is able to bounce a laser off one of the planet's moons and to the stasis pod. Both the Maximals, the Predacon fliers, and a nearby white tiger witness this development. The pod's [[DNA scanner]] comes online and scanning its surroundings.

His regeneration complete, Optimus Primal puts Dinobot in the CR chamber and begins his own flight towards the pod.

[[File:Fallen Comrades Tigatron gun.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Kiss my hand or I'll shoot you!]]
Meanwhile, back in the Northern Sector, the Maximal group arrives at the pod to find Waspinator and Terrorsaur struggling to open it. The Maximals warn the Predacons to stop, but soon Megatron arrives and threatens to kill two white tigers if the Maximals do not surrender. They agree, but when Megatron opens the pod to reprogram the protoform into a Predacon, he finds that the pod is empty. It turns out that one of the white tigers was the new Maximal [[Tigatron]]! As he and Optimus Primal join the fight the Predacons soon realize that they are out-gunned and retreat.

Primal welcomes Tigatron to the team and thanks him for his help. Tigatron tells his fellow Maximals that his identity circuits were damaged in the pod's landing and that he was not sure who he was until he saw that the Maximals were willing to risk their lives to save the tigers. He declines Optimus Primal's invitation to go back to the base with them, stating that he needs to stay in the wild since he is still more tiger than Maximal. Still, he promises his loyalty to the Maximals as a scout.

The Maximals head back to their base and leave Tigatron with the [[Snowstalker|other white tiger]].

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (1)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
*[[Tigatron]] (12)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (7)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (11)

|c4=
*[[Snowstalker]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh no! Waszzpinator in trouble!"
:—'''Waspinator'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s understatement after being flattened by a rock some ten times his size.

"Fear not, Optimus! I shall ensure your funeral is a glorious one, as befits a warrior who died in battle!" 
"'Fraid I'll have to miss it, Dinobot; I'm not scrap yet!" 
"Hmm, are you certain? It would be a triumphant passage."
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Optimus''', the former perhaps being a little too hopeful.

"No excuses, you pathetic rodent. Keep moving. Dinobot, out." 
"''HEY''! You can just kiss my pink, hairless—"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rattrap''' share some friendly banter over the comms.

"You win, you depraved wad of stinkin' slag."
:—'''Rattrap''', gracious in defeat.

"Let the trails lead where they may—I will follow."
:—'''Tigatron''' gets poetic. This would serve as his motto in "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" and ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook]]''.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 2nd February 1996
* Second draft: 26th February 1996
* Finalised: 13th March 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
*As is the case in many episodes with night scenes, the stars near the horizon are vertically elongated due to a mapping error in the sky backdrop.
*Likewise a repeated error, several stars can be seen through the moon in multiple shots.
*In a couple close shots on Dinobot's head in various scenes, a small gap can be spotted in his 3D model where the upper edge of his neck ends.
*As Dinobot rises back up with the lift in the beginning, his left hand is clipping into his leg.
*When Optimus pushes Dinobot back on the elevator, the latter's head clips halfway into the wall.
*When Primal gets shot, the pistons on his feet are clipping into his shins.
*Dinobot's rotating shield is blown apart by the Predacons' missiles, yet it still has its circular spinning motion blur effect as it falls to the ground.
*After Optimus is shot down, his right shoulder pad is upside down and remains like that for the rest of the scene.
*When the boulder falls on Waspinator, the rock wall he and Terrorsaur were hiding behind is gone. It returns after that.
*When Terrorsaur blasts away the boulder, it has a different texturing than before.
*Immediately after this, Waspinator's missing his wings and abdomen, and the insect leg [[kibble]] on his left arm is reduced to a couple stubs, yet the energon surge effect around them is "complete". Then as Terrorsaur drags him through the air, most of his body looks normal again but his wings are still absent.
*While talking to his fliers at their base, Megatron's claw at one point clips into the controls of Waspinator's floating platform.
*Just before Waspinator goes into [[beast mode]] before taking off after the pod, the stripes on his thighs are facing the wrong way.
*Scorponok's visor is red when Megatron addresses him and Tarantulas.
*Before the pod opens up by itself to reveal a hand, the outer machinery housing the DNA scanner on the pod's side is missing.
*The moon is horribly pixelated as Waspinator and Terrorsaur fly by.
*Waspinator's thigh textures are, as usual, messed up when he goes into [[robot mode]] before destroying the bridge.
*Rattrap's ear clips partially into his back when he notices the fliers.
*When Waspinator and Terrorsaur prepare to destroy the ice bridge, the former loses all of his black stripes for a shot.
*A segment on Rattrap's wrist becomes misaligned with his hand in one shot as he talks to Dinobot via com link.
*Just before Scorponok shoots Dinobot off the ''Axalon'' roof, his shoulders are rotated awkwardly to the back, the upper edge of his chest is scrunched up, and most peculiarly, he has his scorpion-legs for nipples. How do they even make that mistake?
*When Rattrap notices the "light show", his front foot is floating above Rhinox's back rather than resting on it.
*Optimus is missing his glowing pupils when he gives his command to the auto-cannons, but strangely, their vague outlines are still there.
*The side section on the pod has an ugly flickering texture on it.
*As they try to open the pod, the antennae on Waspinator's chest clip into its side, and when the Maximals disturb them, Terrorsaur's hand also passes through it. Then, his knee does.
*There's a prominent "weapon cocking" sound after the Maximals surprise Terrorsaur and Waspinator, but no one is actually making any movements.
*When Megatron lands, his tail clips into the snow hill.
*As Megatron's blast sends what he thinks are two tigers tumbling down, the one on the left keeps its front paws in the same flat position as it flips over, causing them to clip through its leg. Also, both have an expression of utter boredom despite their predicament.
*Rhinox's left hand clips into his hip as he says "They're not part of this."
*When Cheetor lowers his gun in surrender, it slides right through his leg.
*During the closeup on Rattrap as Megatron advances toward the pod, his neck tubing is clipping into his torso's inner structure.
*Waspinator is again missing all of his stripes and the yellow details on his face in a handful of shots when he opens up the pod. His teeth are also missing from his robot mouth, behind his mandibles. Furthermore, he has strange but distinct swirly lines both in his robot eyes and the insect eyes on his chest, instead of the usual irregular textures that give his compound eyes a sort of "rainbow" effect.
*As Megatron smiles in victory, his pupils too are missing, only appearing as faint shapes within his eyes.
*When Tigatron maximizes, the fake tiger eyes, nose and ears already appear floating in front of his robot torso before his tiger head actually flips down there.
*As the Maximals open fire, various reflection textures on their body and guns disappear in the vicinity of their blasts.
*In the same shot, the inner green layer of Rhinox's chest is poking through the outer layer near his right pectoral area. Also, the inner rim on his right knee is for some reason gold rather than green.
*When the scene is shown from Optimus' vintage point, the Maximal are shooting at what seem to be irregular shapes in the snow whose position doesn't at all align with the three Preds. As a bonus, their blasts curve and angle down as they fly.
*Waspinator's thighs show incorrectly mapped stripes yet again as he returns to beast mode at the end.
*Megatron's feet sink deep into the snow as he flees. Not an error in itself, though shouldn't he be leaving footprints?
*In several shots near the end of the episode, Tigatron's beast mode legs are yellow/tan instead of white.

===Continuity errors===
*Despite being flattened by a huge rock, Waspinator doesn't seem to spend any time being repaired and functions normally (for Waspinator, anyway) for the rest of the episode.
* Megatron got to the pod ''really'' quickly, despite the other Transformers taking nearly the entire ''episode'' to get there. Perhaps he should've just saved himself the trouble and just gone after the pod himself?
* Like previous episodes, the planet's wonky geography seems to be based on Cretaceous period Earth, with the stasis pod landing somewhere in what would be northern Europe. This (somewhat) matches the shots from space shown in "[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]", but doesn't jibe with later revelations about the planet. Either it's an attempt to hide the truth about the [[Earth|planet]] the Beast Wars are set on, or the writers hadn't yet pegged down the exact time-zone the series was set in.
*When Waspinator and Terrorsaur are trying to open Tigatron's stasis pod, the hatch has a large window. Apparently nobody noticed that the protoform was missing until ''after'' opening the pod.

===Continuity notes===
*A Transformer in a repair chamber can still be communicated with by accessing their [[core consciousness]]. When Dinobot talks to Primal's, it appears as a holographic floating head.
*This episode marks the first time that the ''Axalon'' has fired its weapons since it crashed. The ''Axalon's'' self-defence system will get a major upgrade in [[A Better Mousetrap|a couple of episodes time]].
*After Rhinox's initial attempts to boost long range communication by building an external communication device back in "[[The Web]]", the Maximals appear to have incorporated some improvements to their internal communicators. Although the Stasis Pod itself is out of range, Rattrap manages to communicate with the Maximal base whilst a considerable distance away.
*The [[Northern Sector]] is revealed to be 100 klicks north of the ''Axalon'', and 120 kilometers north of the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]''. Assuming that the characters meant "north" and not "north-east" or "north-west", and assuming that a 1 klick = 1 kilometer (as it usually does in English), the two bases are, at most, 156 kilometers apart, and possibly as close together as 20 kilometers.
*After the previous episode softened Rattrap from his initial "extremely obnoxious" personality down to a more palatable "slightly obnoxious", this episode marks a shift in Dinobot's behaviour. He volunteers to go out first to check for a potential ambush on Optimus, and then later he asks Primal for advice. He seem to have gained respect for the Maximal leader. (Even when he thinks that Optimus is dead, he talks about holding a "glorious" funeral, rather than attempting to take command.)
*Gadgets and powers:
**Optimus refers to his rockets jets as his "Primal jets". They appear to still function even if he has been knocked unconscious.
**Tigatron has a wrist mounted rocket launcher. It's apparently powered by [[to sell toys|First Appearance Power-Up Syndrome]] because he never uses it again after this episode.
**Waspinator still has his eye lasers. Use of other characters having eye lasers will decrease as the series goes on, eventually leaving just Dinobot with them.
** Just before Tigatron appears, Cheetor exchanges his usual gut for the gun that is formed out of the rump of his beast mode. Tigatron himself totes his own (white) gut gun. This will repeat in future episodes... Cheetor will normally use his gut gun, only using his rump gun when Tigatron is around and using ''his'' gut gun.

===Trivia===
*You can avoid being shot by Maximal [[autogun]]s if you stand perfectly still. Just try not to get so nervous that you shake uncontrollably.
*Talking of the autoguns, they are EXTREMELY weak for ship-mounted weapons, causing no visible damage to Scorponok, Tarantulas or Megatron despite several direct hits. It's possible that the power to the autoguns is much lower than in the first episode because the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s main engine core is damaged (assuming the guns receive their power directly from the engine).
*After the repeated use of [[Units of time|cycle]] in the [[Power Surge (episode)|previous episode]], we're back to regular human units of time in this one.
* Tigatron's character model, like his toy, is just barely retooled from Cheetor's, featuring a different head in both modes and being just slightly taller than the latter. Beyond that, their transformation animations and weapons are the same beyond the obvious different fur texturing.
* Later Beast Era stories would [[retcon]] Tigatron into being a pre-existing Maximal who had lived on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], albeit one who had suffered amnesia upon transferring to the ''Axalon''. It doesn't really synch up with the episode itself, though, as none of the Maximals seem to recognize the guy.
* Just prior to its debut in syndication, this episode was made available on DirecTV on a pay-per-view basis beginning on [[August 19]], 1996.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Ami venu du Ciel'''" ("A Friend from the Sky")

:*''Title:'' "'''Ami venu du Ciel'''" (Canada, "Friend from the Sky")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der gefallene Kamerad'''" ("The Fallen Comrade")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 16|16 May]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Compagni dispersi'''" ("Missing Comrades")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kodoku na Senshi Tigatron'''" (孤独な戦士タイガトロン, "The Solitary Warrior Tigatron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 12|12 November]] [[1997]]
::*This episode provides a prime example of the excessive adlibbing (a trademark of dubs directed by [[Yoshikazu Iwanami]]) subjected to the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars''. Whereas in the English version, the entire scene where Tarantulas and Scorponok are targetted by the auto-guns is rendered in silent pantomime, in the Japanese dub, the characters talk and make noisy asides throughout the sequence. Scorponok in particular cannot control his verbal tic of repeating ''orya orya'' over and over again.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Companheiros Caídos'''" ("Fallen Comrades")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Camaradas Caidos'''" ("Fallen Comrades")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Xīn Duìyǒu '''" (新队友, "The New Teammate")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Beast Wars'' — A Feature Length Beasties Adventure ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Une Adventure Cybernetique (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Lonely Warrior Tigatron ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 3 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFeJ3VWBASk "The Solitary Warrior Tigatron"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4NZWnqYQK8 "The Solitary Warrior Tigatron (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Double Jeopardy (episode)

2024-01-08T12:07:27Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=8
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=8
|prev2=Fallen Comrades
|next2=The Probe
|image=TerrorsaurcagedRT.jpg
|caption="It's not a Penis Mightier, Mr. Connery! There's no such thing!"
|title="Double Jeopardy"
|season=1
|season ep=8
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 7]], 1996
|written by=[[Jesse Winfield]]
|directed by=[[Mark Schiemann]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Wolfang (Predacon)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Wolfang]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxpHi959yQ
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''After a series of failed missions, Rattrap's loyalty is brought into question.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Tarantulusdesignsba.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Aw, hell. Let's go nuts. Swords for $48,000!"]]
[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] and [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] explore one of the planet's frozen regions looking to retrieve the latest [[stasis pod]]. They find the pod overhead, hanging over the edge of a cliff, and protected by the three [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] goons. While [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] bomb the [[Maximal]] duo, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] grabs the pod to lift it back to the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]. Primal sees the theft and flies after the bug, but is brought down by a shot in the back from Terrorsaur. With Primal downed, the Predacons scamper away.

At the Maximal base, Optimus Primal laments regarding the frequency of the Maximals being ambushed. Primal calls [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] into a private meeting, making it clear he suspects Rattrap has been feeding information to the Maximals' enemies. Rattrap denies this, and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] can't believe it. As a test of loyalty, Rattrap is sent on a mission into one of the [[Sector 12|more dangerous sectors]].

[[File:DoubleJeopardy-Blackarachniaintro.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"The day is mine! I'll take Famous Titties for $400!"]]
At the Predacon base, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] reveals the new Predacon made from the captured Maximal protoform: [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackrarachnia]]. Afterwards, they use their radio to eavesdrop on Rattrap's radio reports on how Rattrap's mission is going. Hearing that the rodent is by himself, Terrorsaur is sent to destroy Rattrap.

Terrorsaur and Rattrap battle, and with Rattrap unable to hit his target, Terrorsaur is able to stand over his enemy, his gun right in Rattrap's face. Desperate for his own survival, Rattrap bargains his own loyalty to Terrorsaur and the Predacons, while the rest of the Maximals listen, astonished by the change.

[[File:Rattrappredicon.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Mister Reynolds has apparently changed his name to 'Turd Ferguson.'" "Yeah, that's right. Turd Ferguson. It's a funny name."]]
Back at the Predacon base, Terrorsaur introduces his new underling and, with said underling's aid, overthrows [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (who is placed into the Predacon brig). Because he still can't be trusted, Rattrap is also imprisoned. The two captives are placed in cages and suspended over a flow of lava. Of course, Megatron has anticipated his own imprisonment and escapes with a few simple computer commands. Once Megatron is out of sight, Rattrap picks the lock on his own cage and jumps over the lava to freedom (barely).

Sneaking through the base, Rattrap follows another, actual rat. He passes by a Predacon computer console and discovers it contains a Maximal computer chip, explaining how they were able to listen to Maximal radio frequencies and anticipate the Maximals' movement. After removing the chip, he continues his sneaking, but activates a security alarm and is caught in a security web. He escapes, but Tarantulas follows Rattrap back to the suspended cages, compromising Rattrap's operation, or so he would be, were it not for Rattrap silencing the arachnid with a gun shot.

[[File:Double Jeopardy Rattrap point.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"You'll rue the day you crossed me, Trebek!"]]
The Maximals begin an attack on the Pred base to retrieve Rattrap. With the other Predacons looking to him for leadership, Terrorsaur panics—even more so when Megatron pops up right next to him, free from his cage. But he deigns to <s>give Terrorsaur rope to hang himself</s> follow Terrorsaur's leadership as the Predacons counter-attack. Rattrap is freed to help in the defense and, on Terrorsaur's order, opens fire on Optimus Primal, scoring a direct hit on his former leader. After the two armies bounce off each other a bit, Megatron gives Rattrap the opportunity to destroy Dinobot, but Rattrap declines and shoots Terrorsaur instead, giving Dinobot the time to free himself by kicking out some of Megatron's teeth. The Maximals take Rattrap and retreat. With Terrorsaur's command shown to be a total frak-up, Megatron effortlessly resumes command of his forces and rubs in the defeat.

Back in the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Optimus Primal explains to his friends that the entire betrayal was a charade—a ploy to let Rattrap into the Predacon base and find out how the Predacons have been listening to the Maximals' radio communications.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s |c1=
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (1)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (2)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (3)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (6)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"They're trapped! The pod is my trophy!"
:—'''Terrorsaur'''—shortly before looking up to see Waspinator flying off with the pod.

"Oh, be still my spinnerets."
:—'''Tarantulas''' after creating Blackarachnia.

"Will you still defend your friend, or will you see him for what he is—a traitor?!" 
"You're a fine one to talk."
:—'''Dinobot''' gets burned by '''Rhinox'''.

"The wise tyrant always ensures his prisons are designed for his personal escape."
:—'''Megatron''' after getting out of his cage.

"So, the juicy rat has been running his maze."
:—'''Tarantulas''' being creepy as usual.

"And thus ends the glorious reign of Terrorsaur: a lost battle, a missing Blackarachnia, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT DAMAGE inflicted by the Maximal spy!"
:—'''Megatron''' exposing Terrorsaur's blundering leadership abilities.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 30th January 1996
* Second draft: 22nd February 1996
* Finalised: 13th March 1996
* As Air: 28th August 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
[[File:DoubleJeopardy Blackarachnia protoform.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"SUCK IT, TREBEK!"]]
*Blackarachnia's protoform doesn't resemble those seen later in the series, instead using a modified form of the model used for pre-reformatting Megatron in "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]", but with Blackarachnia's head. The same model shows up with a different head as a [[:File:Agendapt1 generic Predacons.jpg|generic Predacon]] in "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]".
*Even by the standards of other season 1 characters, Blackarachnia's transformation is ''extremely'' cheatsy. Her entire body basically emerges from her [[beast mode]] mouth. (She's also by far the least [[Show-accuracy|toy-accurate]] model on the show, but when you consider that her toy is a redeco of Tarantulas's, that's probably a good thing.)
*As Dinobot exclaims "We are betrayed!", his right foot is sliding around.
*Then as Scorponok's missile blasts him and Optimus away, Dinobot's feet are still parallel to the ground even as he flips over.
*When he transforms over the box canyon, one of Waspinator's right wings stops moving and just floats next to him. Also, the ice cracks under the pod look completely different in this shot than before.
*Scorponok's visor turns red as he tries to target the flying Optimus. It goes back to yellow after Dinobot's eye beam hits him.
*The damage to Dinobot's shoulder is gone when he blasts Scorponok away.
*The angle of Optimus' fall after Terrorsaur shoots him out of the air is odd – he gets knocked forward, then begins falling while somehow being pulled ''backward'', slamming into the icy cliff before plummeting to the ground. Perhaps the intent was that his jet propulsion went haywire, but his thrusters aren't lit up as he falls.
*As Optimus puts his hands down on the table, some of his fingers clip through Dinobot's fist.
*Cheetor's right hand momentarily passes through the table's edge as he says "Like some rat slipping info."
*Tarantulas' claw and spider-leg [[kibble]] keep clipping through parts of the computer before he presents Blackarachnia to the team.
*When Blackarachnia begins striking poses after her introduction, her feet momentarily turn a darker shade, and her spider leg kibble clips through her head.
*When Rattrap transforms to engage Terrorsaur, the rock he places his left foot on begins wobbling like Jell-O.
*In the same shot, the blasts fired by Terrorsaur aren't visible, but the small explosions caused by them are.
*The tip of Terrorsaur's wings clip into his rising platform as he prepares to introduce Rattrap.
*When Terrorsaur laughs at the fallen Megatron, the underside of Blackarachnia's spider abdomen is brown. This also happens later when Terrorsaur addresses "his" troops again.
*In the closeup on Scorponok as he announces his loyalty to Megatron, the floor under him looks different than in the previous and following shot.
*When Terrorsaur orders Rattrap to be locked up, his long pterodactyl wing-finger briefly clips into part of his wing skin flap.
*When Rattrap and Megatron's cages are lowered, the bars on Rattrap's cage are spaced far enough apart that he could easily pass through them. They're placed closer in other shots.
*When Megatron breaks free from his cell, his tail clips completely through the bars. Then again, he ''does'' say the cage was designed for easy escape...
*When Tarantulas attempts to transform to confront Rattrap, his spider legs clip into the vent's sides. And an extra exploding object, meant to create debris, can also very quickly be seen appearing inside of his torso just slightly before Rattrap's blast hits him.
*After he closes the cell door, Rattrap's gun clips through its bars.
*When the Maximals transform to launch their assault on the Predacons, Cheetor's gun clips through the ground.
*Several giant pieces of debris land on the floor when Waspinator reports to Terrorsaur, but the timing of the sound effects doesn't line up with any of them.
*When the Predacons transform on Terrorsaur's command, the stripes on Waspinator's thighs are facing the wrong way – a common error in the show's early episodes.
*In one shot as the Preds and Rattrap rush toward the Maximals, Rattrap's feet keep sinking into the ground.
*Optimus closes his mouth plate when he takes off during the big battle, but it's open again when Rattrap shoots him down.
*The fallen Primal is missing from the ground when Blackarachnia walks towards Cheetor during the battle.
*Optimus is suddenly fine at the end of the fight, despite being shown with severe damage marks after he crashed.
*When the battered Predacons gather at the end of the battle, some of Scorponok's beast legs and a piece of metal are awkwardly sticking out of his shoulder. These disappear in subsequent shots. And his visor is red again.
*Though the error appears in other episodes, the frontal shot of Dinobot advancing on Rattrap with his spinning shield clearly shows how the shield's fake motion blur effect "blots out" the reflection textures on Dinobot's shiny parts.
*As Dinobot realizes that Optimus and Rattrap planned the latter's defection, the stripes on his right arm are reversed.

===Continuity errors===
*Other [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Maximals]] or [[Dinobot (BW)|Predacons]] who changed allegiances either prior to this episode or afterward signified the switch by changing their [[activation code]]. Rattrap doesn't follow suit. He simply changes the Maximal symbol on his arm to a Predacon symbol. Perhaps this should have been Terrorsaur's first tip that Rattrap wasn't truly defecting. (At one point, he says "Rattrap, Maximize" ''before'' he changes his symbol back to the Maximal one.)
*Far be it from us to question the Maximals' resident infiltration expert, but surely sneaking around the Predacon ship in his (much smaller) beast mode would have made a lot more sense? It would have made his footsteps quieter, at the very least.
*There was really no need to keep the plan from the other Maximals (none of them had any contact with the Predacons until ''after'' Rattrap recovered the chip). It can't be that Optimus was worried about being overheard while on the Axalon, since it looks like he briefed Rattrap about his plan right there on the bridge. Nor did it seem like there was any particular need to keep the deception going well into the battle in order to extract him from Predacon territory and all the way back to base afterwards. Did Rhinox not speak to Rattrap at all while carrying him on his back?
*Not necessarily an error, but while listening in on Rattrap's battle with Terrorsaur, Rhinox motions towards Dinobot saying "Told you he was no Predacon clone!", a notion which was never mentioned prior in the episode or series itself. While this might have made more sense had the episode taken place after "[[Double Dinobot]]", Megatron was shown only capable of creating a nontransforming [[Clone_One|clone]] of Dinobot's Beast mode, which would cast doubt on the idea of the clearly transforming Rattrap being yet another clone.

===Continuity notes===
*This is the (not entirely auspicious) debut of Blackarachnia. After being introduced by Tarantulas, she transforms into [[robot mode]], then spends a few minutes posing, preening, and doing karate moves in the background while Megatron talks. Later in the episode, she kicks loose screws out of Cheetor (and, admittedly, is a badass about it), then goes missing for no clear reason, though it does give early insight into her treacherous nature. Either way, Blackarachnia is already back with the Predacons by the next episode, leaving her absence at the end of the episode pointless.
*The Maximal chip is labeled in [[Cybertronix]]. It says "caution very hot".
*The activation codes have now started to function more like battle cries. Both times Terrorsaur declares his intention to "terrorize", he has already finished transforming before he's even said the word. (Rattrap hilariously breaks cartoon etiquette by shooting Tarantulus before the latter has a chance to finish speaking his activation code.)
*When Terrorsaur laughs in beast mode, his eyebrows seem to bounce up and down, moving in unison with his beak. This may be a CGI error or an awkward decision on the animators' part to make him emote.
*For the first time in the series, Terrorsaur doesn't squawk when he orders the other Predacons to "Terrorize".
*"Feet" is used as a unit of distance, after metric units were used in previous episodes. It's like living in the UK!
*Gadgets and powers:
**Rattrap carries an infiltration kit (including lockpicks) in his forearms. We're beginning to suspect that his arms are how Rattrap accesses his own [[subspace storage pocket|personal storage dimension]].
**Terrorsaur fires purple eye-beams
**Tarantulas has booby-trapped at least part of the ''Darksyde'' with the same [[stasis web]]s he used back on Cheetor in "[[The Web]]".

===Trivia===
*The female black widow is seen eating her tiny mate, in a reference to [[w:Spider cannibalism|real-world spider mating habits]].
*Unlike Tigatron being recycled from Cheetor in the previous episode, Blackarachnia's character model was not simply retooled from Tarantulas as the toy had been. While this unequestionably resulted in a more feminine figure, it also meant her toy was almost completely innaccurate to the show, the only similarity being the beast mode. Blackarachnia is the second and final retooled-toy character introduced in the show.
*Throughout Terrorsaur's big speech to gain leadership, Rattrap is making gestures in the background to punctuate his remarks.
*When Rattrap blasts Tarantulas for discovering his escape, Tarantulas is shown to have [[ball joint]]s. It even matches his toy. Score one for [[show-accuracy|toy accuracy]]!
*While sneaking through the Predacons' ventilation duct, Rattrap encounters a small rat, which seems to acknowledge his presence with a nod. Later on, Rattrap inadvertently saves the same rat from being eaten by accidentally walking into Tarantulas' web and triggering his alarm.
*Someone at [[Mainframe Entertainment]] apparently got new "Battle Damage" software. Optimus looks like hell after he's shot down at the beginning of the episode, as does Tarantulus after Rattrap shoots him. All the Predacons are sporting various knocks and discoloured parts at the end as well.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Agent Double'''" ("Double Agent")

:*''Title:'' "'''Double Danger'''" (Canada)

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Doppelte Gefahr'''" ("Double Danger")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 23|23 May]] [[1998]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Doppia condanna'''" ("Double Jeopardy")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kumo Onna no Kick'''" (クモ女のキック, "Kick of the Spider Woman")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 19|19 November]] [[1997]]
::*When Terrorsaur introduces Rattrap and makes his big speech, Rattrap's mannerisms are accompanied by sycophantic, supportive dialogue. For instance, when Terrorsaur nominates himself as the new leader of the Predacons, Rattrap suggests, "And President!"
::*When Rattrap makes the jump from the cage to the vent shaft, he announces "Flying Body Attack!"
::*In the scene where Rattrap spies the shadows of Scorponok and Terrorsaur arguing over whether Megatron is the true leader of the Predacons or not, Scorponok is heard to be weeping heavily. When Terrorsaur dismisses him, Scorponok runs away crying.
::*With this episode, the Maximals fully embrace the (irritating) running gag of making noises every time they fire their weapons. Rhinox shouts "danananana", Cheetor shouts "utsumashi" ("shoot"), Rattrap shouts "kuna" and so on. Every. Single. Time.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Perigo Duplo'''" ("Double Jeopardy")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Riesgo Doble'''" (America, "Double Risk")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shuāngchóng Wēijī '''" (双重危机, "Double Crisis")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Beasties Escape ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Lonely Warrior Tigatron ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 3 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToK4bCw6wT8 "Kick of the Spider Woman"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kajzEi36dhc "Kick of the Spider Woman (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

A Better Mousetrap

2024-01-08T12:07:07Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=9
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=11
|prev2=Gorilla Warfare
|next2=The Spark
|title="A Better Mousetrap"
|image=Better Mousetrap Rattrap button.jpg
|caption=Push the button, Frank.
|season=1
|season ep=9
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|written by=[[Chris Weber]] & [[Karen Willson]]
|directed by=[[J. Falconer]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 8]], 1996
|packaged with=[[Rattrap (BW)#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Rattrap]], [[Colada#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Colada]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bojm0Wv0h0k
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''After the new Sentinel security program malfunctions, Rattrap is trapped alone inside the Maximal base, and must disarm it.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Better Mousetrap Waspinator.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Guess who?]]
In the caverns beneath the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] dig a hole to deliver a [[sonic emitter]] that will allow the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] to access the [[Maximal]] base unhindered. When Waspinator leaves, Terrorsaur is stuck doing the labor.

On board the ''Axalon'', [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] shows a holographic simulation of the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s new defenses to [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] and [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] detects a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] in a [[Sector 19|sector]] of Maximal territory. Primal and [[Tigatron]] go to see why Waspinator has been buzzing around the area a lot recently.

[[Image:Better Mousetrap Dinobot.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Curse you Windows 95!]]
[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] is unimpressed by how non-lethal the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s new defenses are. Rattrap activates the defense against Dinobot to display how effective they can be. The enraged Dinobot breaks free from the restraints fastened around him and attacks the rat—but misses and impales the controls for the entire base's defense grid. The console registers the Maximals as intruders, forcing the occupants of the base to vacate. Rattrap stays behind and hides inside of a ventilation shaft so he can figure out how to disable the defenses.

Tigatron and Optimus Primal find Waspinator high on sugar and flying around aimlessly. When Primal gets Waspinator's attention, he runs away. Primal chases after, and has a surprisingly hard time keeping up with the hyperactive hornet. Primal returns home to see what irregularities are going on with [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]]. Hunting alone, Tigatron follows Waspinator's scent through a tunnel—the entrance hidden by a holographic projector.

[[Image:Better Mousetrap Rattrap duct.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Rattrap has been playing Sonic the Hedgehog games too many times.]]
Inside the ''Axalon'', Rattrap works his away around a pool of [[zero friction fluid]] by surfing over it. He scampers and dances to avoid other defensive systems. His marksman and demolitions expert skills come in useful as he works his way towards the ship's core.

Optimus Primal arrives at the ''Axalon'' and meets with the others locked outside. They explain what the situation is and where Rattrap is.

Tigatron finds the three Predacons underground in their excavation operation. He grabs their device and runs away with it. Blackarachnia demands he return it, explaining that the device is an explosive. Tigatron complies and tosses it at the Predacons, who all run away from the machine before it detonates. Tigatron also races away, and when the device explodes, it collapses a huge portion of the land outside of the ''Axalon'', but not harming the ''Axalon'' itself. One battle over, Tigatron meets with the rest of the Maximals.

Rattrap enters the room where Sentinel's core is stored. The internal defenses continue to try to purge him. But before he's terminated, he hits the big red button to deactivate Sentinel.

[[Image:Better Mousetrap Rattrap.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I nominate myself as the new leader.]]
Outside, the shield deactivates. Rhinox determines that this is because Rattrap must have been killed by the haywire defenses. The Maximals sadly say a few words to remember their annoying stinky friend who sacrificed himself trying to save them.

...until the ''Axalon'' hatch opens, and out comes Rattrap, alive and well, his mission a success.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (5)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (6)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (7)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
* [[Tigatron]] (9)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (10)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (1)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (2)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (3)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm soiled enough already just being around you two."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' doesn't appreciate Waspinator and Terrorsaur for company.

"Waszzpinator sick of taking orders. Waszzpinator is '''''greatest''''' of Predaconszz. Waszzpinator ''RULES''! ''Heh heh heh.''"
:—'''Waspinator''' muttering to himself while flying in circles.

"Looks like Waspinator's been on a sugar binge."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' observing the former.

"Oh, man, I'm startin' to sound like Optimus Pinhead."
:—'''Rattrap''' has nothing but respect for his leader.

"Giga-bummer."
:—'''Cheetor's''' pissed that he and the others are locked out.

"This ain't a security grid, it's a gym just for spy-guys like me!"
:—'''Rattrap''' enjoying himself just a little too much.

"''Resistance persists. Upgrading program.''" 
"Oh man, there won't be enough left of me to fill a teaspoon."
:—'''Sentinel''' telling '''Rattrap''' he's slagged.

'''Cheetor:''' Rattrap... gone? No way. I don't believe it. 
'''Optimus Primal:''' He was a difficult Maximal to deal with. At times, impossible. But I'll remember him with honor. 
'''Dinobot:''' I won't disgrace his memory with lies! He was a stinking, omnivorous pestilence! Still, in some perverse way... I will miss him. 
'''Rhinox:''' Sure, he smelled bad—he was a rat—but he was my best friend.
:—The Maximals memorialize Rattrap with honesty.

"Oh boo! Boo hoo! Oh, don't stop! You motorheads are KILLING me!" 
:—'''Rattrap''', king of ruining a memorial!

==Notes==

===Script timeline===
* Finalised: 1st May 1996
* As Air: 8th October 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* On most home video releases, the running order of this episode and "[[The Probe]]" are consistently switched (which results in Sentinel appearing before its official introduction in this episode). The order is fixed on the [[Madman Entertainment|Madman]] and [[Shout! Factory]] collections.
* The waterfalls in the background aren't animated when Primal and Tigatron converse on the cliffside.
* Whilst Tigatron is sneaking up on the Predacons, Waspinator can faintly be heard saying that he is "greatest of Predacons". This is a recycled clip from when he made the same declaration earlier on in the episode.
* When Waspinator transforms to chase after Tigatron, instead of his [[beast mode]] wings becoming his [[robot mode]] wings, he sprouts a new set of wings, leading to him having twice as many as he should.
* While sneaking into Sentinel's core, Rattrap's snout clips into some of the machinery.
* Tigatron's voice actor [[Blu Mankuma]] has his name misspelled as "Blu Mankma" in this episode's credits.

===Continuity notes===

* An Optimus Primal POV shot features the [[Cybertronix]] text "pud loser".
* For the first time both [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] are completely absent (although Megatron does make an appearance in Rhinox's Sentinel simulation).
* After going missing at the end of the previous episode, Blackarachnia is now back with the Predacons. Maybe she came back off-camera?
* The measuring system used this week is... imperial.
* Rattrap has apparently realised that [[Double Jeopardy|crawling around inside a ship]] in robot mode makes no sense. This episode, he largely sticks to his smaller beast mode.
* Rattrap has had a bit of a personality change (some would say "upgrade"). The guy who in the first episode refused to fire back at the Predacons in case it put him in danger, who spent all his time back talking authority figures and made perfectly clear that his main priority was himself... ''That'' guy volunteers to correct a mistake he's created at risk to his own life AND without being asked, just because it's the right thing to do. Even Rattrap himself notices the change ("I'm beginning to sound like Optimus Pinhead").
* Gadgets and powers:
** This is the first appearance of the Maximal defence system [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], a series of weapons and shields designed to protect the [[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]. Usually it's used for external threats, rather than the internal one seen in this episode.
** Rattrap's incredibly versatile forearms contain yet another gadget; a grenade.
* The huge gaping crater created just next to the Maximal base is oddly never seen again.
* Waspinator rules. But then we already knew that.

===Trivia===
* The episode was story-edited by [[Larry DiTillio]], and was originally titled "King of the Hill".<ref>https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.toys.transformers/n5n7stxzumE/vMw5ImjD-qQJ</ref>

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Attrape Souris'''" (Canada, "Mousetrap")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Rattenfalle'''" ("The Rat Trap")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 13|13 June]] [[1998]]
::*This episode aired after ''[[Gorilla Warfare]]'' and ''[[The Probe]]''.

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Trappola per topi'''" ("Mousetrap")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sayonara Rattle!?'''" (さよならラットル!?, "Goodbye, Rattle!?")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 10|10 December]] [[1997]]
::*When Dinobot is delivering his eulogy for Rattrap, as he gets to the end where he admits that he'll actually miss the rodent, his voice cracks and he gets weepy and tearful.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Uma Ratoeira Maior'''" ("A Better Mousetrap")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Una Mejor Ratonera'''" (America, "A Better Mousetrap")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gāojí Bǔshǔqì '''" (高级捕鼠器, "An Advanced Mousetrap")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Beasties Escape ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Goodbye Rattle!? ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 3 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Better Mousetrap}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Gorilla Warfare

2024-01-08T12:06:45Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=10
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=10
|prev2=The Probe
|next2=A Better Mousetrap
|image=Gorilla Warfare Berzerker Optimus.jpg|
|caption=He will kill the first person who makes a [[dull surprise]] joke.
|title="Gorilla Warfare"
|season=1
|season ep=10
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 14]], [[1996]]
|written by=[[Greg Johnson]]
|directed by=[[James Boshier]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Blackarachnia (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Blackwidow]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZcCMrMI7J0
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''A virus, courtesy of Scorponok, turns Optimus into an overly aggressive fighting machine.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyberbee&primal.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|RRRAAAIIIDDD?!]]
While out on a specimen-gathering mission, [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] argue over the importance of studying the local flora. Primal finds it valuable, while Dinobot thinks the whole mission is pointless and dangerous. As he turns to leave, the plant Primal is studying shoots a seed pod at Dinobot that lands right at the top of his neck, right where he can't reach. As Dinobot struggles, Primal helps remove the pod and notes that they've learned something.

Just then, the pair are ambushed by [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]], who manages to implant a [[Cyberbee]] onto Optimus Primal's chest before being driven away. Back at the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Primal recuperates in a [[CR chamber]] while Dinobot explains that the bee is a viral mine designed by Scorponok to infect Optimus's core systems and humble his personality, making him too cowardly to lead adequately. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] deduces that because the mine has infected all of Primal's core systems, removing the bee is impossible without killing the [[Maximal]] commander, and doing so would trigger a self-destruct that would destroy everything within sprinting distance.

[[File:Cheetor&badoptimus.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Why does your shoulderpad have to be so big?]]
As they wonder what to do next, the CR chamber shakes and is blasted apart. Out stomps Optimus Primal, ready for battle. The cyberbee has had the opposite effect on Primal, turning him into a crazed berserker. Obviously, Scorponok's "notorious incompetence" has caused the Predacon's plan to backfire. Still, in his current state, Primal is now a danger to himself and his teammates, and is still at risk of perishing under the system drain of the mine. Primal orders his troops to lock him up.

[[File:Megatronsbigfoot.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|I said, ''"No pictures!"'']]
The Maximals debate over what to do next, knowing that Scorponok would have the anti-virus for the mine but unsure of how to acquire it. With what little bit of clarity he has left, Optimus Primal convinces [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] that they could use the mine against the Predacons, and Cheetor releases him. Primal wants to take advantage of their enemy's lack of knowledge of the mine's malfunction to launch a surprise assault. When brought to the rest of the crew, his plan is shot down as being far too risky and dangerous to attempt. Optimus accidentally shoots and activates an alarm, which then sets him into a tantrum. The Maximals try to stop him, but Primal shoves them all away and takes off for the Pred base on his own.

With their options running short, Dinobot ironically suggests they "think like the old Optimus" and proposes negotiating with the Predacons for the cure, but their attempt only serves to give the Predacons advance warning of Optimus Primal's new state and his oncoming assault... but not before Megatron kicks Scorponok for being an "incompetent bug." Now with the Preds on full alert and with no other course of action to take, the Maximals begrudgingly follow Optimus to the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]] to give him covering fire in his one-ape assault.

[[File:Pileonoptimus.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, exploitable!]]
After blasting his way in, Optimus Primal takes on [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and pins him to the wall with his own weapon. Primal then breaks through another wall to grab [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and blow him away. Outside, the Maximals take on [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], giving Cheetor a chance to run inside the base.

After tearing through the Predacon crew, Optimus Primal ends up confronting [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], who teasingly dangles the cure in front of his nose while giving an ultimatum: Submit to him and live, or stay defiant and die from the mine.

[[File:Primalsaysnono.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|When he says, "Pull my finger"... don't, okay?]]
Inspired by the plant specimen from his mission with Dinobot, Optimus chooses a third option and rips the bee from his chest, activating its self-destruct. He tosses it at Megatron and it attaches to the Predacon leader's back where he can't reach. Megatron drops the anti-virus and flees to Scorponok for help. Fortunately for Primal, Cheetor manages to arrive just in time to grab the cure and administer it to the Maximal leader before his [[spark]] gives out. Megatron reaches Scorponok, but not in time, and the Cyberbee blows just after the Maximals rush outside the base.

Optimus Primal recuperates in his quarters and finds Dinobot watching over him. Dinobot shares an uncharacteristic sentiment that he's glad Optimus is back and wanders out. Primal sees that the former Predacon has brought him a sample of the flower they were studying earlier. Awwww.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (1)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (5)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (6)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (3)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (8)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"Just because we bumped into Predacons is no reason to stop learning new things." 
"Well, if we encounter any of Megatron's forces, you may learn that it is unwise to dally with plants."
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Dinobot'''

"Yeeesss, from now on, I shoot my dinner salad before I eat it."
:–'''Dinobot''' encounters hostile plant life for the first time.

"As much as I'd ''love'' to see the both of you scrap yourselves, save it for my birthday."
:—'''Rattrap''' wants strange birthday presents.

'''Rhinox:''' "Optimus would get blown to scrap. Big problem." 
'''Dinobot:''' "Well, that depends on your viewpoint." 
'''Rattrap:''' "Hey, hey, hey, shut up!" 
:—The Maximals debate what to do with Optimus.

"We've got to stop him before he hurts himself!" 
"Him? Try ''us!''"
:—'''Rhinox''' and '''Rattrap''' during Optimus' freakout.

"We must try to think what Optimus—the ''old'' Optimus—would do."
:—... Is '''Dinobot''' feeling all right?

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 24th January 1996
* Second draft: 1st March 1996
* Finalised: 25th April 1996
* As Air: 2nd October 1996

===Animation and technical glitches===
*After the Maximals transform to engage Scorponok during his ambush, Scorponok is seen firing missiles at them. The animation pace for this particular sequence seems a lot faster than the pace for the rest of the episode.
*In the overhead shot of the opening battle, Scorponok is either floating on the surface of the water, instead of the rocks right in front of him, or the water is incredibly shallow.
*When Optimus Primal gets hit by the Cyberbee and falls back, his left shoulder-pad turns upside down, clipping through his upper arm.
*May not be much of an error, but once again, Scorponok's visor optics are red momentarily when he is first blasted by Optimus and finds himself on a loose log near the waterfall. It changes color again when he's discussing the anti-virus with Megatron and when Cheetor tries to negotiate with the Preds.
*When Optimus bursts out of the CR chamber, parts of his body briefly turn see-through due to the blurring effect of the steam.
*It's probably more due to computer limitations than an outright error, but Optimus' reflection on the containment cell's glass is heavily pixellated.
*Just before Cheetor brings Optimus back to the command center, the top of Rhinox's head is black and white in an overhead shot. Also, his jaw isn't moving as he speaks.
*In two shots just before and after Optimus starts going "ape slag" on the Maximals, Rattrap's shoulders are turned downward and the rods that normally connect them to his torso are pointing upward.
*When Rhinox orders Cheetor to enter the Predacon ship, his hip joint is clipping through his "skirt".
*Cheetor's sprints into the Predacon base rather unconvincingly, seemingly sliding sideways as he runs.
*Optimus' thigh clips through his shin as he collapses in Scorponok's lab.
*When Megatron approaches the exhausted Primal, the damage from the latter's head is missing.
*When Cheetor injects the anti-virus into Optimus, his fist painfully twists to the side, clipping through his wrist armor. Then, the virus container floats in the air for a second, before it drops to the ground. Cheetor never opens his fist during the process, and continues to grip air.
*Just before Cheetor and Optimus leave the Pred base, Rhinox, kneeling on the screen's far left, is slowly sliding sideways.
*In the same shot, Rattrap seems to be shooting the boulder he's hiding behind rather than bothering to raise his gun above it.
*Still in the above shot, Dinobot's eye beams just sorta end a few inches in front of Terrorsaur, and Terrorsaur's weapon blasts likewise simply vanish just before reaching their target. No wonder no one hits anyone.
*As Rhinox gestures for his fellows to leave, Dinobot's eyes remain green even after he stopped shooting his eye beam.
*The explosion actually appears in the air just slightly behind and above the Cyberbee, rather than coming from the thing itself.
*At the end of the episode, as Optimus lies in his bed, the plate behind his head clips into his mattress.

===Continuity errors===
*Belying Rhinox's claims that removing the bee would activate a self-destruct and destroy everyone in sprinting distance, Megatron and Scorponok manage to survive being at ground zero, despite the blast blowing a slag-off big hole in the ''Darksyde''.

===Continuity notes===
* Aaaw, character development. How sweet. (And not just Dinobot. Rattrap also stops Cheetor and Dinobot arguing in order to get everyone to focus on Primal's condition. He's definitely a much changed 'bot from the jerk we met back in the first episode.)

===Transformers references===
*This episode has the first reference to a [[spark]] in any ''Transformers'' animated continuity, when Primal mutters "Spark... fading" after the Cyberbee is removed.
*If nothing else, this episode firmly cements "slag" as the Transformer swear-word of choice. (Or at least until Hasbro's UK branch coughed in the direction of the US branch). We also get Primal threatening to "smelt you all", which didn't catch on.

===Real-world references===
*We're still using "minutes" as a unit of time in this episode.
*In the scene where Primal bursts into the Pred base, he swiftly punches through the wall with Waspinator on the other side and drags him back through the hole. This could be a reference to a similar sequence in {{w|RoboCop}}, especially with Optimus' stompy footsteps beforehand.
*The episode title is a pun on the concept of {{w|guerrilla warfare}}. And though Megatron's comment that it suits Optimus makes for a nice joke and play on the title, it doesn't say much for the Predacon leader's knowledge of the tactics. True guerrilla warfare is built on surprise attacks, sabotage, ambushes, and deception. What it certainly isn't built on is insane and suicidal frontal assaults against superior numbers.
*Just before the cyberbee explodes, Megatron and Scorponok break the fourth wall and stare directly at us in horror and fear.

===Trivia===
* The [[Cybertronix]] on the screen in Scorponok's lab reads "you've got problems", though the text and message is upside down.
* Megatron spends the entire episode in [[beast mode]] (which, conveniently, makes it possible for Optimus to stick the Cyberbee on his back where his stubby arms can't reach it).
* Scorponok can apparently design viruses, which seems slightly at odds with his personality so far. (It really seams like it would be more Tarantulus's thing). That said, the virus does do the exact opposite of what it's supposed to, and that level of competency does seem more in-line with what we know about Scorponok.
*At no point during Beast Wars does Megatron ever call Cheetor by name. In this episode, he calls him "Pussycat" when Cheetor tries to negotiate with him.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Singe en Colère'''" ("An Angry Monkey")

:*''Title:'' "'''Méchant Optimus'''" (Canada, "Mean Optimus")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Kampfmaschine'''" ("The War Machine")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 6|6 June]] [[1998]]
::*As in Italy, this episode aired after ''[[The Probe]]''.

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gorilla dalla furia cieca'''" ("Running Amok Gorilla")
::*The episode begins with the narrator making a reference to ''The Probe'', since it aired before this episode in Italy.

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Satsujin Virus'''" (殺人ウィルス, "The Deadly Virus")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 3|3 December]] [[1997]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A Guerra do Gorila'''" ("Gorilla Warfare")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Guerra Gorila'''" (America, "Gorilla War")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Xīngxīng Chūzhàn '''" (猩猩出战, "Gorilla Battle")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Beasties Escape ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — New Weapon of Terror ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 4 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Gorilla Warfare

2024-01-08T12:03:22Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=10
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=10
|prev2=The Probe
|next2=A Better Mousetrap
|image=Gorilla Warfare Berzerker Optimus.jpg|
|caption=He will kill the first person who makes a [[dull surprise]] joke.
|title="Gorilla Warfare"
|season=1
|season ep=10
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 14]], [[1996]]
|written by=[[Greg Johnson]]
|directed by=[[James Boshier]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Blackarachnia (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Blackwidow]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZcCMrMI7J0
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''A virus, courtesy of Scorponok, turns Optimus into an overly aggressive fighting machine.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyberbee&primal.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|RRRAAAIIIDDD?!]]
While out on a specimen-gathering mission, [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] argue over the importance of studying the local flora. Primal finds it valuable, while Dinobot thinks the whole mission is pointless and dangerous. As he turns to leave, the plant Primal is studying shoots a seed pod at Dinobot that lands right at the top of his neck, right where he can't reach. As Dinobot struggles, Primal helps remove the pod and notes that they've learned something.

Just then, the pair are ambushed by [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]], who manages to implant a [[Cyberbee]] onto Optimus Primal's chest before being driven away. Back at the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Primal recuperates in a [[CR chamber]] while Dinobot explains that the bee is a viral mine designed by Scorponok to infect Optimus's core systems and humble his personality, making him too cowardly to lead adequately. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] deduces that because the mine has infected all of Primal's core systems, removing the bee is impossible without killing the [[Maximal]] commander, and doing so would trigger a self-destruct that would destroy everything within sprinting distance.

[[File:Cheetor&badoptimus.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Why does your shoulderpad have to be so big?]]
As they wonder what to do next, the CR chamber shakes and is blasted apart. Out stomps Optimus Primal, ready for battle. The cyberbee has had the opposite effect on Primal, turning him into a crazed berserker. Obviously, Scorponok's "notorious incompetence" has caused the Predacon's plan to backfire. Still, in his current state, Primal is now a danger to himself and his teammates, and is still at risk of perishing under the system drain of the mine. Primal orders his troops to lock him up.

[[File:Megatronsbigfoot.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|I said, ''"No pictures!"'']]
The Maximals debate over what to do next, knowing that Scorponok would have the anti-virus for the mine but unsure of how to acquire it. With what little bit of clarity he has left, Optimus Primal convinces [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] that they could use the mine against the Predacons, and Cheetor releases him. Primal wants to take advantage of their enemy's lack of knowledge of the mine's malfunction to launch a surprise assault. When brought to the rest of the crew, his plan is shot down as being far too risky and dangerous to attempt. Optimus accidentally shoots and activates an alarm, which then sets him into a tantrum. The Maximals try to stop him, but Primal shoves them all away and takes off for the Pred base on his own.

With their options running short, Dinobot ironically suggests they "think like the old Optimus" and proposes negotiating with the Predacons for the cure, but their attempt only serves to give the Predacons advance warning of Optimus Primal's new state and his oncoming assault... but not before Megatron kicks Scorponok for being an "incompetent bug." Now with the Preds on full alert and with no other course of action to take, the Maximals begrudgingly follow Optimus to the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]] to give him covering fire in his one-ape assault.

[[File:Pileonoptimus.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, exploitable!]]
After blasting his way in, Optimus Primal takes on [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and pins him to the wall with his own weapon. Primal then breaks through another wall to grab [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and blow him away. Outside, the Maximals take on [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], giving Cheetor a chance to run inside the base.

After tearing through the Predacon crew, Optimus Primal ends up confronting [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], who teasingly dangles the cure in front of his nose while giving an ultimatum: Submit to him and live, or stay defiant and die from the mine.

[[File:Primalsaysnono.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|When he says, "Pull my finger"... don't, okay?]]
Inspired by the plant specimen from his mission with Dinobot, Optimus chooses a third option and rips the bee from his chest, activating its self-destruct. He tosses it at Megatron and it attaches to the Predacon leader's back where he can't reach. Megatron drops the anti-virus and flees to Scorponok for help. Fortunately for Primal, Cheetor manages to arrive just in time to grab the cure and administer it to the Maximal leader before his [[spark]] gives out. Megatron reaches Scorponok, but not in time, and the Cyberbee blows just after the Maximals rush outside the base.

Optimus Primal recuperates in his quarters and finds Dinobot watching over him. Dinobot shares an uncharacteristic sentiment that he's glad Optimus is back and wanders out. Primal sees that the former Predacon has brought him a sample of the flower they were studying earlier. Awwww.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (1)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (5)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (6)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (3)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (8)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"Just because we bumped into Predacons is no reason to stop learning new things." 
"Well, if we encounter any of Megatron's forces, you may learn that it is unwise to dally with plants."
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Dinobot'''

"Yeeesss, from now on, I shoot my dinner salad before I eat it."
:–'''Dinobot''' encounters hostile plant life for the first time.

"As much as I'd ''love'' to see the both of you scrap yourselves, save it for my birthday."
:—'''Rattrap''' wants strange birthday presents.

'''Rhinox:''' "Optimus would get blown to scrap. Big problem." 
'''Dinobot:''' "Well, that depends on your viewpoint." 
'''Rattrap:''' "Hey, hey, hey, shut up!" 
:—The Maximals debate what to do with Optimus.

"We've got to stop him before he hurts himself!" 
"Him? Try ''us!''"
:—'''Rhinox''' and '''Rattrap''' during Optimus' freakout.

"We must try to think what Optimus—the ''old'' Optimus—would do."
:—... Is '''Dinobot''' feeling all right?

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 24th January 1996
* Second draft: 1st March 1996
* Finalised: 25th April 1996
* As Air: 2nd October 1996

===Animation and technical glitches===
*After the Maximals transform to engage Scorponok during his ambush, Scorponok is seen firing missiles at them. The animation pace for this particular sequence seems a lot faster than the pace for the rest of the episode.
*In the overhead shot of the opening battle, Scorponok is either floating on the surface of the water, instead of the rocks right in front of him, or the water is incredibly shallow.
*When Optimus Primal gets hit by the Cyberbee and falls back, his left shoulder-pad turns upside down, clipping through his upper arm.
*May not be much of an error, but once again, Scorponok's visor optics are red momentarily when he is first blasted by Optimus and finds himself on a loose log near the waterfall. It changes color again when he's discussing the anti-virus with Megatron and when Cheetor tries to negotiate with the Preds.
*When Optimus bursts out of the CR chamber, parts of his body briefly turn see-through due to the blurring effect of the steam.
*It's probably more due to computer limitations than an outright error, but Optimus' reflection on the containment cell's glass is heavily pixellated.
*Just before Cheetor brings Optimus back to the command center, the top of Rhinox's head is black and white in an overhead shot. Also, his jaw isn't moving as he speaks.
*In two shots just before and after Optimus starts going "ape slag" on the Maximals, Rattrap's shoulders are turned downward and the rods that normally connect them to his torso are pointing upward.
*When Rhinox orders Cheetor to enter the Predacon ship, his hip joint is clipping through his "skirt".
*Cheetor's sprints into the Predacon base rather unconvincingly, seemingly sliding sideways as he runs.
*Optimus' thigh clips through his shin as he collapses in Scorponok's lab.
*When Megatron approaches the exhausted Primal, the damage from the latter's head is missing.
*When Cheetor injects the anti-virus into Optimus, his fist painfully twists to the side, clipping through his wrist armor. Then, the virus container floats in the air for a second, before it drops to the ground. Cheetor never opens his fist during the process, and continues to grip air.
*Just before Cheetor and Optimus leave the Pred base, Rhinox, kneeling on the screen's far left, is slowly sliding sideways.
*In the same shot, Rattrap seems to be shooting the boulder he's hiding behind rather than bothering to raise his gun above it.
*Still in the above shot, Dinobot's eye beams just sorta end a few inches in front of Terrorsaur, and Terrorsaur's weapon blasts likewise simply vanish just before reaching their target. No wonder no one hits anyone.
*As Rhinox gestures for his fellows to leave, Dinobot's eyes remain green even after he stopped shooting his eye beam.
*The explosion actually appears in the air just slightly behind and above the Cyberbee, rather than coming from the thing itself.
*At the end of the episode, as Optimus lies in his bed, the plate behind his head clips into his mattress.

===Continuity errors===
*Belying Rhinox's claims that removing the bee would activate a self-destruct and destroy everyone in sprinting distance, Megatron and Scorponok manage to survive being at ground zero, despite the blast blowing a slag-off big hole in the ''Darksyde''.

===Continuity notes===
* Aaaw, character development. How sweet. (And not just Dinobot. Rattrap also stops Cheetor and Dinobot arguing in order to get everyone to focus on Primal's condition. He's definitely a much changed 'bot from the jerk we met back in the first episode.)

===Transformers references===
*This episode has the first reference to a [[spark]] in any ''Transformers'' animated continuity, when Primal mutters "Spark... fading" after the Cyberbee is removed.
*If nothing else, this episode firmly cements "slag" as the Transformer swear-word of choice. (Or at least until Hasbro's UK branch coughed in the direction of the US branch). We also get Primal threatening to "smelt you all", which didn't catch on.

===Real-world references===
*We're still using "minutes" as a unit of time in this episode.
*In the scene where Primal bursts into the Pred base, he swiftly punches through the wall with Waspinator on the other side and drags him back through the hole. This could be a reference to a similar sequence in {{w|RoboCop}}, especially with Optimus' stompy footsteps beforehand.
*The episode title is a pun on the concept of {{w|guerrilla warfare}}. And though Megatron's comment that it suits Optimus makes for a nice joke and play on the title, it doesn't say much for the Predacon leader's knowledge of the tactics. True guerrilla warfare is built on surprise attacks, sabotage, ambushes, and deception. What it certainly isn't built on is insane and suicidal frontal assaults against superior numbers.
*Just before the cyberbee explodes, Megatron and Scorponok break the fourth wall and stare directly at us in horror and fear.

===Trivia===
* The [[Cybertronix]] on the screen in Scorponok's lab reads "you've got problems", though the text and message is upside down.
* Megatron spends the entire episode in [[beast mode]] (which, conveniently, makes it possible for Optimus to stick the Cyberbee on his back where his stubby arms can't reach it).
* Scorponok can apparently design viruses, which seems slightly at odds with his personality so far. (It really seams like it would be more Tarantulus's thing). That said, the virus does do the exact opposite of what it's supposed to, and that level of competency does seem more in-line with what we know about Scorponok.
*At no point during Beast Wars does Megatron ever call Cheetor by name. In this episode, he calls him "Pussycat" when Cheetor tries to negotiate with him.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Singe en Colère'''" ("An Angry Monkey")

:*''Title:'' "'''Méchant Optimus'''" (Canada, "Mean Optimus")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gorilla dalla furia cieca'''" ("Running Amok Gorilla")
::*The episode begins with the narrator making a reference to ''The Probe'', since it aired before this episode in Italy.

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Kampfmaschine'''" ("The War Machine")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 6|6 June]] [[1998]]
::*As in Italy, this episode aired after ''[[The Probe]]''.

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Satsujin Virus'''" (殺人ウィルス, "The Deadly Virus")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 3|3 December]] [[1997]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A Guerra do Gorila'''" ("Gorilla Warfare")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Guerra Gorila'''" (America, "Gorilla War")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Xīngxīng Chūzhàn '''" (猩猩出战, "Gorilla Battle")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Beasties Escape ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — New Weapon of Terror ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 4 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

A Better Mousetrap

2024-01-08T11:56:32Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=9
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=11
|prev2=Gorilla Warfare
|next2=The Spark
|title="A Better Mousetrap"
|image=Better Mousetrap Rattrap button.jpg
|caption=Push the button, Frank.
|season=1
|season ep=9
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|written by=[[Chris Weber]] & [[Karen Willson]]
|directed by=[[J. Falconer]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 8]], 1996
|packaged with=[[Rattrap (BW)#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Rattrap]], [[Colada#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Colada]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bojm0Wv0h0k
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''After the new Sentinel security program malfunctions, Rattrap is trapped alone inside the Maximal base, and must disarm it.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Better Mousetrap Waspinator.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Guess who?]]
In the caverns beneath the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] dig a hole to deliver a [[sonic emitter]] that will allow the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] to access the [[Maximal]] base unhindered. When Waspinator leaves, Terrorsaur is stuck doing the labor.

On board the ''Axalon'', [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] shows a holographic simulation of the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s new defenses to [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] and [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] detects a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] in a [[Sector 19|sector]] of Maximal territory. Primal and [[Tigatron]] go to see why Waspinator has been buzzing around the area a lot recently.

[[Image:Better Mousetrap Dinobot.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Curse you Windows 95!]]
[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] is unimpressed by how non-lethal the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s new defenses are. Rattrap activates the defense against Dinobot to display how effective they can be. The enraged Dinobot breaks free from the restraints fastened around him and attacks the rat—but misses and impales the controls for the entire base's defense grid. The console registers the Maximals as intruders, forcing the occupants of the base to vacate. Rattrap stays behind and hides inside of a ventilation shaft so he can figure out how to disable the defenses.

Tigatron and Optimus Primal find Waspinator high on sugar and flying around aimlessly. When Primal gets Waspinator's attention, he runs away. Primal chases after, and has a surprisingly hard time keeping up with the hyperactive hornet. Primal returns home to see what irregularities are going on with [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]]. Hunting alone, Tigatron follows Waspinator's scent through a tunnel—the entrance hidden by a holographic projector.

[[Image:Better Mousetrap Rattrap duct.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Rattrap has been playing Sonic the Hedgehog games too many times.]]
Inside the ''Axalon'', Rattrap works his away around a pool of [[zero friction fluid]] by surfing over it. He scampers and dances to avoid other defensive systems. His marksman and demolitions expert skills come in useful as he works his way towards the ship's core.

Optimus Primal arrives at the ''Axalon'' and meets with the others locked outside. They explain what the situation is and where Rattrap is.

Tigatron finds the three Predacons underground in their excavation operation. He grabs their device and runs away with it. Blackarachnia demands he return it, explaining that the device is an explosive. Tigatron complies and tosses it at the Predacons, who all run away from the machine before it detonates. Tigatron also races away, and when the device explodes, it collapses a huge portion of the land outside of the ''Axalon'', but not harming the ''Axalon'' itself. One battle over, Tigatron meets with the rest of the Maximals.

Rattrap enters the room where Sentinel's core is stored. The internal defenses continue to try to purge him. But before he's terminated, he hits the big red button to deactivate Sentinel.

[[Image:Better Mousetrap Rattrap.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I nominate myself as the new leader.]]
Outside, the shield deactivates. Rhinox determines that this is because Rattrap must have been killed by the haywire defenses. The Maximals sadly say a few words to remember their annoying stinky friend who sacrificed himself trying to save them.

...until the ''Axalon'' hatch opens, and out comes Rattrap, alive and well, his mission a success.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (5)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (6)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (7)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
* [[Tigatron]] (9)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (10)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (1)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (2)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (3)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm soiled enough already just being around you two."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' doesn't appreciate Waspinator and Terrorsaur for company.

"Waszzpinator sick of taking orders. Waszzpinator is '''''greatest''''' of Predaconszz. Waszzpinator ''RULES''! ''Heh heh heh.''"
:—'''Waspinator''' muttering to himself while flying in circles.

"Looks like Waspinator's been on a sugar binge."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' observing the former.

"Oh, man, I'm startin' to sound like Optimus Pinhead."
:—'''Rattrap''' has nothing but respect for his leader.

"Giga-bummer."
:—'''Cheetor's''' pissed that he and the others are locked out.

"This ain't a security grid, it's a gym just for spy-guys like me!"
:—'''Rattrap''' enjoying himself just a little too much.

"''Resistance persists. Upgrading program.''" 
"Oh man, there won't be enough left of me to fill a teaspoon."
:—'''Sentinel''' telling '''Rattrap''' he's slagged.

'''Cheetor:''' Rattrap... gone? No way. I don't believe it. 
'''Optimus Primal:''' He was a difficult Maximal to deal with. At times, impossible. But I'll remember him with honor. 
'''Dinobot:''' I won't disgrace his memory with lies! He was a stinking, omnivorous pestilence! Still, in some perverse way... I will miss him. 
'''Rhinox:''' Sure, he smelled bad—he was a rat—but he was my best friend.
:—The Maximals memorialize Rattrap with honesty.

"Oh boo! Boo hoo! Oh, don't stop! You motorheads are KILLING me!" 
:—'''Rattrap''', king of ruining a memorial!

==Notes==

===Script timeline===
* Finalised: 1st May 1996
* As Air: 8th October 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* On most home video releases, the running order of this episode and "[[The Probe]]" are consistently switched (which results in Sentinel appearing before its official introduction in this episode). The order is fixed on the [[Madman Entertainment|Madman]] and [[Shout! Factory]] collections.
* The waterfalls in the background aren't animated when Primal and Tigatron converse on the cliffside.
* Whilst Tigatron is sneaking up on the Predacons, Waspinator can faintly be heard saying that he is "greatest of Predacons". This is a recycled clip from when he made the same declaration earlier on in the episode.
* When Waspinator transforms to chase after Tigatron, instead of his [[beast mode]] wings becoming his [[robot mode]] wings, he sprouts a new set of wings, leading to him having twice as many as he should.
* While sneaking into Sentinel's core, Rattrap's snout clips into some of the machinery.
* Tigatron's voice actor [[Blu Mankuma]] has his name misspelled as "Blu Mankma" in this episode's credits.

===Continuity notes===

* An Optimus Primal POV shot features the [[Cybertronix]] text "pud loser".
* For the first time both [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] are completely absent (although Megatron does make an appearance in Rhinox's Sentinel simulation).
* After going missing at the end of the previous episode, Blackarachnia is now back with the Predacons. Maybe she came back off-camera?
* The measuring system used this week is... imperial.
* Rattrap has apparently realised that [[Double Jeopardy|crawling around inside a ship]] in robot mode makes no sense. This episode, he largely sticks to his smaller beast mode.
* Rattrap has had a bit of a personality change (some would say "upgrade"). The guy who in the first episode refused to fire back at the Predacons in case it put him in danger, who spent all his time back talking authority figures and made perfectly clear that his main priority was himself... ''That'' guy volunteers to correct a mistake he's created at risk to his own life AND without being asked, just because it's the right thing to do. Even Rattrap himself notices the change ("I'm beginning to sound like Optimus Pinhead").
* Gadgets and powers:
** This is the first appearance of the Maximal defence system [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], a series of weapons and shields designed to protect the [[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]. Usually it's used for external threats, rather than the internal one seen in this episode.
** Rattrap's incredibly versatile forearms contain yet another gadget; a grenade.
* The huge gaping crater created just next to the Maximal base is oddly never seen again.
* Waspinator rules. But then we already knew that.

===Trivia===
* The episode was story-edited by [[Larry DiTillio]], and was originally titled "King of the Hill".<ref>https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.toys.transformers/n5n7stxzumE/vMw5ImjD-qQJ</ref>

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Attrape Souris'''" (Canada, "Mousetrap")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Trappola per topi'''" ("Mousetrap")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Rattenfalle'''" ("The Rat Trap")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 13|13 June]] [[1998]]
::*This episode aired after ''[[Gorilla Warfare]]'' and ''[[The Probe]]''.

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sayonara Rattle!?'''" (さよならラットル!?, "Goodbye, Rattle!?")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 10|10 December]] [[1997]]
::*When Dinobot is delivering his eulogy for Rattrap, as he gets to the end where he admits that he'll actually miss the rodent, his voice cracks and he gets weepy and tearful.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Uma Ratoeira Maior'''" ("A Better Mousetrap")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Una Mejor Ratonera'''" (America, "A Better Mousetrap")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gāojí Bǔshǔqì '''" (高级捕鼠器, "An Advanced Mousetrap")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Beasties Escape ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Goodbye Rattle!? ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 3 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Better Mousetrap}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Double Jeopardy (episode)

2024-01-08T11:53:02Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=8
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=8
|prev2=Fallen Comrades
|next2=The Probe
|image=TerrorsaurcagedRT.jpg
|caption="It's not a Penis Mightier, Mr. Connery! There's no such thing!"
|title="Double Jeopardy"
|season=1
|season ep=8
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 7]], 1996
|written by=[[Jesse Winfield]]
|directed by=[[Mark Schiemann]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Wolfang (Predacon)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Wolfang]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxpHi959yQ
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''After a series of failed missions, Rattrap's loyalty is brought into question.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Tarantulusdesignsba.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Aw, hell. Let's go nuts. Swords for $48,000!"]]
[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] and [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] explore one of the planet's frozen regions looking to retrieve the latest [[stasis pod]]. They find the pod overhead, hanging over the edge of a cliff, and protected by the three [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] goons. While [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] bomb the [[Maximal]] duo, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] grabs the pod to lift it back to the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]. Primal sees the theft and flies after the bug, but is brought down by a shot in the back from Terrorsaur. With Primal downed, the Predacons scamper away.

At the Maximal base, Optimus Primal laments regarding the frequency of the Maximals being ambushed. Primal calls [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] into a private meeting, making it clear he suspects Rattrap has been feeding information to the Maximals' enemies. Rattrap denies this, and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] can't believe it. As a test of loyalty, Rattrap is sent on a mission into one of the [[Sector 12|more dangerous sectors]].

[[File:DoubleJeopardy-Blackarachniaintro.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"The day is mine! I'll take Famous Titties for $400!"]]
At the Predacon base, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] reveals the new Predacon made from the captured Maximal protoform: [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackrarachnia]]. Afterwards, they use their radio to eavesdrop on Rattrap's radio reports on how Rattrap's mission is going. Hearing that the rodent is by himself, Terrorsaur is sent to destroy Rattrap.

Terrorsaur and Rattrap battle, and with Rattrap unable to hit his target, Terrorsaur is able to stand over his enemy, his gun right in Rattrap's face. Desperate for his own survival, Rattrap bargains his own loyalty to Terrorsaur and the Predacons, while the rest of the Maximals listen, astonished by the change.

[[File:Rattrappredicon.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Mister Reynolds has apparently changed his name to 'Turd Ferguson.'" "Yeah, that's right. Turd Ferguson. It's a funny name."]]
Back at the Predacon base, Terrorsaur introduces his new underling and, with said underling's aid, overthrows [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (who is placed into the Predacon brig). Because he still can't be trusted, Rattrap is also imprisoned. The two captives are placed in cages and suspended over a flow of lava. Of course, Megatron has anticipated his own imprisonment and escapes with a few simple computer commands. Once Megatron is out of sight, Rattrap picks the lock on his own cage and jumps over the lava to freedom (barely).

Sneaking through the base, Rattrap follows another, actual rat. He passes by a Predacon computer console and discovers it contains a Maximal computer chip, explaining how they were able to listen to Maximal radio frequencies and anticipate the Maximals' movement. After removing the chip, he continues his sneaking, but activates a security alarm and is caught in a security web. He escapes, but Tarantulas follows Rattrap back to the suspended cages, compromising Rattrap's operation, or so he would be, were it not for Rattrap silencing the arachnid with a gun shot.

[[File:Double Jeopardy Rattrap point.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"You'll rue the day you crossed me, Trebek!"]]
The Maximals begin an attack on the Pred base to retrieve Rattrap. With the other Predacons looking to him for leadership, Terrorsaur panics—even more so when Megatron pops up right next to him, free from his cage. But he deigns to <s>give Terrorsaur rope to hang himself</s> follow Terrorsaur's leadership as the Predacons counter-attack. Rattrap is freed to help in the defense and, on Terrorsaur's order, opens fire on Optimus Primal, scoring a direct hit on his former leader. After the two armies bounce off each other a bit, Megatron gives Rattrap the opportunity to destroy Dinobot, but Rattrap declines and shoots Terrorsaur instead, giving Dinobot the time to free himself by kicking out some of Megatron's teeth. The Maximals take Rattrap and retreat. With Terrorsaur's command shown to be a total frak-up, Megatron effortlessly resumes command of his forces and rubs in the defeat.

Back in the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Optimus Primal explains to his friends that the entire betrayal was a charade—a ploy to let Rattrap into the Predacon base and find out how the Predacons have been listening to the Maximals' radio communications.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s |c1=
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (1)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (2)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (3)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (6)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"They're trapped! The pod is my trophy!"
:—'''Terrorsaur'''—shortly before looking up to see Waspinator flying off with the pod.

"Oh, be still my spinnerets."
:—'''Tarantulas''' after creating Blackarachnia.

"Will you still defend your friend, or will you see him for what he is—a traitor?!" 
"You're a fine one to talk."
:—'''Dinobot''' gets burned by '''Rhinox'''.

"The wise tyrant always ensures his prisons are designed for his personal escape."
:—'''Megatron''' after getting out of his cage.

"So, the juicy rat has been running his maze."
:—'''Tarantulas''' being creepy as usual.

"And thus ends the glorious reign of Terrorsaur: a lost battle, a missing Blackarachnia, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT DAMAGE inflicted by the Maximal spy!"
:—'''Megatron''' exposing Terrorsaur's blundering leadership abilities.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 30th January 1996
* Second draft: 22nd February 1996
* Finalised: 13th March 1996
* As Air: 28th August 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
[[File:DoubleJeopardy Blackarachnia protoform.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"SUCK IT, TREBEK!"]]
*Blackarachnia's protoform doesn't resemble those seen later in the series, instead using a modified form of the model used for pre-reformatting Megatron in "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]", but with Blackarachnia's head. The same model shows up with a different head as a [[:File:Agendapt1 generic Predacons.jpg|generic Predacon]] in "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]".
*Even by the standards of other season 1 characters, Blackarachnia's transformation is ''extremely'' cheatsy. Her entire body basically emerges from her [[beast mode]] mouth. (She's also by far the least [[Show-accuracy|toy-accurate]] model on the show, but when you consider that her toy is a redeco of Tarantulas's, that's probably a good thing.)
*As Dinobot exclaims "We are betrayed!", his right foot is sliding around.
*Then as Scorponok's missile blasts him and Optimus away, Dinobot's feet are still parallel to the ground even as he flips over.
*When he transforms over the box canyon, one of Waspinator's right wings stops moving and just floats next to him. Also, the ice cracks under the pod look completely different in this shot than before.
*Scorponok's visor turns red as he tries to target the flying Optimus. It goes back to yellow after Dinobot's eye beam hits him.
*The damage to Dinobot's shoulder is gone when he blasts Scorponok away.
*The angle of Optimus' fall after Terrorsaur shoots him out of the air is odd – he gets knocked forward, then begins falling while somehow being pulled ''backward'', slamming into the icy cliff before plummeting to the ground. Perhaps the intent was that his jet propulsion went haywire, but his thrusters aren't lit up as he falls.
*As Optimus puts his hands down on the table, some of his fingers clip through Dinobot's fist.
*Cheetor's right hand momentarily passes through the table's edge as he says "Like some rat slipping info."
*Tarantulas' claw and spider-leg [[kibble]] keep clipping through parts of the computer before he presents Blackarachnia to the team.
*When Blackarachnia begins striking poses after her introduction, her feet momentarily turn a darker shade, and her spider leg kibble clips through her head.
*When Rattrap transforms to engage Terrorsaur, the rock he places his left foot on begins wobbling like Jell-O.
*In the same shot, the blasts fired by Terrorsaur aren't visible, but the small explosions caused by them are.
*The tip of Terrorsaur's wings clip into his rising platform as he prepares to introduce Rattrap.
*When Terrorsaur laughs at the fallen Megatron, the underside of Blackarachnia's spider abdomen is brown. This also happens later when Terrorsaur addresses "his" troops again.
*In the closeup on Scorponok as he announces his loyalty to Megatron, the floor under him looks different than in the previous and following shot.
*When Terrorsaur orders Rattrap to be locked up, his long pterodactyl wing-finger briefly clips into part of his wing skin flap.
*When Rattrap and Megatron's cages are lowered, the bars on Rattrap's cage are spaced far enough apart that he could easily pass through them. They're placed closer in other shots.
*When Megatron breaks free from his cell, his tail clips completely through the bars. Then again, he ''does'' say the cage was designed for easy escape...
*When Tarantulas attempts to transform to confront Rattrap, his spider legs clip into the vent's sides. And an extra exploding object, meant to create debris, can also very quickly be seen appearing inside of his torso just slightly before Rattrap's blast hits him.
*After he closes the cell door, Rattrap's gun clips through its bars.
*When the Maximals transform to launch their assault on the Predacons, Cheetor's gun clips through the ground.
*Several giant pieces of debris land on the floor when Waspinator reports to Terrorsaur, but the timing of the sound effects doesn't line up with any of them.
*When the Predacons transform on Terrorsaur's command, the stripes on Waspinator's thighs are facing the wrong way – a common error in the show's early episodes.
*In one shot as the Preds and Rattrap rush toward the Maximals, Rattrap's feet keep sinking into the ground.
*Optimus closes his mouth plate when he takes off during the big battle, but it's open again when Rattrap shoots him down.
*The fallen Primal is missing from the ground when Blackarachnia walks towards Cheetor during the battle.
*Optimus is suddenly fine at the end of the fight, despite being shown with severe damage marks after he crashed.
*When the battered Predacons gather at the end of the battle, some of Scorponok's beast legs and a piece of metal are awkwardly sticking out of his shoulder. These disappear in subsequent shots. And his visor is red again.
*Though the error appears in other episodes, the frontal shot of Dinobot advancing on Rattrap with his spinning shield clearly shows how the shield's fake motion blur effect "blots out" the reflection textures on Dinobot's shiny parts.
*As Dinobot realizes that Optimus and Rattrap planned the latter's defection, the stripes on his right arm are reversed.

===Continuity errors===
*Other [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Maximals]] or [[Dinobot (BW)|Predacons]] who changed allegiances either prior to this episode or afterward signified the switch by changing their [[activation code]]. Rattrap doesn't follow suit. He simply changes the Maximal symbol on his arm to a Predacon symbol. Perhaps this should have been Terrorsaur's first tip that Rattrap wasn't truly defecting. (At one point, he says "Rattrap, Maximize" ''before'' he changes his symbol back to the Maximal one.)
*Far be it from us to question the Maximals' resident infiltration expert, but surely sneaking around the Predacon ship in his (much smaller) beast mode would have made a lot more sense? It would have made his footsteps quieter, at the very least.
*There was really no need to keep the plan from the other Maximals (none of them had any contact with the Predacons until ''after'' Rattrap recovered the chip). It can't be that Optimus was worried about being overheard while on the Axalon, since it looks like he briefed Rattrap about his plan right there on the bridge. Nor did it seem like there was any particular need to keep the deception going well into the battle in order to extract him from Predacon territory and all the way back to base afterwards. Did Rhinox not speak to Rattrap at all while carrying him on his back?
*Not necessarily an error, but while listening in on Rattrap's battle with Terrorsaur, Rhinox motions towards Dinobot saying "Told you he was no Predacon clone!", a notion which was never mentioned prior in the episode or series itself. While this might have made more sense had the episode taken place after "[[Double Dinobot]]", Megatron was shown only capable of creating a nontransforming [[Clone_One|clone]] of Dinobot's Beast mode, which would cast doubt on the idea of the clearly transforming Rattrap being yet another clone.

===Continuity notes===
*This is the (not entirely auspicious) debut of Blackarachnia. After being introduced by Tarantulas, she transforms into [[robot mode]], then spends a few minutes posing, preening, and doing karate moves in the background while Megatron talks. Later in the episode, she kicks loose screws out of Cheetor (and, admittedly, is a badass about it), then goes missing for no clear reason, though it does give early insight into her treacherous nature. Either way, Blackarachnia is already back with the Predacons by the next episode, leaving her absence at the end of the episode pointless.
*The Maximal chip is labeled in [[Cybertronix]]. It says "caution very hot".
*The activation codes have now started to function more like battle cries. Both times Terrorsaur declares his intention to "terrorize", he has already finished transforming before he's even said the word. (Rattrap hilariously breaks cartoon etiquette by shooting Tarantulus before the latter has a chance to finish speaking his activation code.)
*When Terrorsaur laughs in beast mode, his eyebrows seem to bounce up and down, moving in unison with his beak. This may be a CGI error or an awkward decision on the animators' part to make him emote.
*For the first time in the series, Terrorsaur doesn't squawk when he orders the other Predacons to "Terrorize".
*"Feet" is used as a unit of distance, after metric units were used in previous episodes. It's like living in the UK!
*Gadgets and powers:
**Rattrap carries an infiltration kit (including lockpicks) in his forearms. We're beginning to suspect that his arms are how Rattrap accesses his own [[subspace storage pocket|personal storage dimension]].
**Terrorsaur fires purple eye-beams
**Tarantulas has booby-trapped at least part of the ''Darksyde'' with the same [[stasis web]]s he used back on Cheetor in "[[The Web]]".

===Trivia===
*The female black widow is seen eating her tiny mate, in a reference to [[w:Spider cannibalism|real-world spider mating habits]].
*Unlike Tigatron being recycled from Cheetor in the previous episode, Blackarachnia's character model was not simply retooled from Tarantulas as the toy had been. While this unequestionably resulted in a more feminine figure, it also meant her toy was almost completely innaccurate to the show, the only similarity being the beast mode. Blackarachnia is the second and final retooled-toy character introduced in the show.
*Throughout Terrorsaur's big speech to gain leadership, Rattrap is making gestures in the background to punctuate his remarks.
*When Rattrap blasts Tarantulas for discovering his escape, Tarantulas is shown to have [[ball joint]]s. It even matches his toy. Score one for [[show-accuracy|toy accuracy]]!
*While sneaking through the Predacons' ventilation duct, Rattrap encounters a small rat, which seems to acknowledge his presence with a nod. Later on, Rattrap inadvertently saves the same rat from being eaten by accidentally walking into Tarantulas' web and triggering his alarm.
*Someone at [[Mainframe Entertainment]] apparently got new "Battle Damage" software. Optimus looks like hell after he's shot down at the beginning of the episode, as does Tarantulus after Rattrap shoots him. All the Predacons are sporting various knocks and discoloured parts at the end as well.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Agent Double'''" ("Double Agent")

:*''Title:'' "'''Double Danger'''" (Canada)

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Doppia condanna'''" ("Double Jeopardy")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Doppelte Gefahr'''" ("Double Danger")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 23|23 May]] [[1998]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kumo Onna no Kick'''" (クモ女のキック, "Kick of the Spider Woman")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 19|19 November]] [[1997]]
::*When Terrorsaur introduces Rattrap and makes his big speech, Rattrap's mannerisms are accompanied by sycophantic, supportive dialogue. For instance, when Terrorsaur nominates himself as the new leader of the Predacons, Rattrap suggests, "And President!"
::*When Rattrap makes the jump from the cage to the vent shaft, he announces "Flying Body Attack!"
::*In the scene where Rattrap spies the shadows of Scorponok and Terrorsaur arguing over whether Megatron is the true leader of the Predacons or not, Scorponok is heard to be weeping heavily. When Terrorsaur dismisses him, Scorponok runs away crying.
::*With this episode, the Maximals fully embrace the (irritating) running gag of making noises every time they fire their weapons. Rhinox shouts "danananana", Cheetor shouts "utsumashi" ("shoot"), Rattrap shouts "kuna" and so on. Every. Single. Time.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Perigo Duplo'''" ("Double Jeopardy")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Riesgo Doble'''" (America, "Double Risk")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shuāngchóng Wēijī '''" (双重危机, "Double Crisis")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Beasties Escape ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Lonely Warrior Tigatron ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 2 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 3 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToK4bCw6wT8 "Kick of the Spider Woman"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kajzEi36dhc "Kick of the Spider Woman (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Fallen Comrades

2024-01-08T11:51:56Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=7
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=7
|prev2=Power Surge (episode)
|next2=Double Jeopardy
|image=Fallen Comrades Tigatron beast.jpg
|caption=Do not bring your evil here.
|title="Fallen Comrades"
|season=1
|season ep=7
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 30]], 1996
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Steve Ball]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Tigatron#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Tigatron]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhYOvRUyws
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''A stasis pod falls in the Northern Sector of the planet and the Maximals and Predacons race to obtain it.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Fallen Comrades Tiger pod.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Foreshadowing is fun.]]
A field of debris circles the planet. Among the waste, a [[stasis pod]] falls from orbit and enters the atmosphere. Both the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] watch as it falls into the distant icy [[Northern Sector]]. Rather than immediately going for it themselves, [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] decides to ambush the Maximals' only flier ([[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]) as he goes for the pod.

At the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]], Primal is anxious to retrieve the pod containing a fellow Maximal. He falls for [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]'s trap despite [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s attempt to protect the Maximal leader. However, Dinobot is able to prevent the Predacons from taking Primal out of commission.

Back at the Predacon base, Megatron is disappointed to learn that Optimus Primal has survived, but realizes that the Maximals must now send a ground party to retrieve the stasis pod. This will leave the Maximal base undermanned and vulnerable to attack. Megatron dispatches his fliers to race to the pod, while he, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]], and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] go to attack the Maximal base.

[[File:Fallen Comrades Terrorsaur bridge.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|You'd think they'd, y'know, use their guns.]]
Meanwhile, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] run towards the pod. As they go, they remark that while leaving the base with the damaged Optimus Primal and Dinobot may not have been the best idea, it was their only option. Rhinox goes on to say that they need to hurry because, if the pod is damaged, the [[protoform]] robot within will be exposed to the planet's dangerous [[energon]] fields. Indeed, this seems to be the case when the stasis pod is shown opening, as the protoform's arm reaches from the pod and immediately begins to short out due to the high energon.

As they come to an ice bridge across a crevasse, the Maximal team is met by Waspinator and Terrorsaur. After a fire fight, the Predacons knock out the bridge and the Maximals' best hope of getting to the pod quickly.

[[File:Fallen Comrades Dinobot Optimus core.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Dinobot, Megatron's escaped. Recruit a team of Maximals with attitude.]]
Rattrap radios back to the base and informs Dinobot of this development. He accesses Optimus Primal's [[core consciousness]] in the [[CR chamber]] and informs him. Primal suggests that they send a laser transmission to the pod by bouncing the signal off something.

Outside of the Maximal base, Megatron and the other Predacons observe Dinobot setting up a laser transmitter on top of the base. Megatron offers Dinobot a chance to return to the Predacons by handing over the base. Dinobot responds by shooting Megatron with his [[Optic weaponry|eye lasers]] and is then promptly shot by Tarantulas and Scorponok. Although damaged, Dinobot is able to activate the base's auto-weapons which quickly dispatch the Predacons. Megatron then calls off the assault to join the pursuit of the pod.

With the transmitter in place, Optimus Primal is able to bounce a laser off one of the planet's moons and to the stasis pod. Both the Maximals, the Predacon fliers, and a nearby white tiger witness this development. The pod's [[DNA scanner]] comes online and scanning its surroundings.

His regeneration complete, Optimus Primal puts Dinobot in the CR chamber and begins his own flight towards the pod.

[[File:Fallen Comrades Tigatron gun.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Kiss my hand or I'll shoot you!]]
Meanwhile, back in the Northern Sector, the Maximal group arrives at the pod to find Waspinator and Terrorsaur struggling to open it. The Maximals warn the Predacons to stop, but soon Megatron arrives and threatens to kill two white tigers if the Maximals do not surrender. They agree, but when Megatron opens the pod to reprogram the protoform into a Predacon, he finds that the pod is empty. It turns out that one of the white tigers was the new Maximal [[Tigatron]]! As he and Optimus Primal join the fight the Predacons soon realize that they are out-gunned and retreat.

Primal welcomes Tigatron to the team and thanks him for his help. Tigatron tells his fellow Maximals that his identity circuits were damaged in the pod's landing and that he was not sure who he was until he saw that the Maximals were willing to risk their lives to save the tigers. He declines Optimus Primal's invitation to go back to the base with them, stating that he needs to stay in the wild since he is still more tiger than Maximal. Still, he promises his loyalty to the Maximals as a scout.

The Maximals head back to their base and leave Tigatron with the [[Snowstalker|other white tiger]].

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (1)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
*[[Tigatron]] (12)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (7)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (11)

|c4=
*[[Snowstalker]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh no! Waszzpinator in trouble!"
:—'''Waspinator'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s understatement after being flattened by a rock some ten times his size.

"Fear not, Optimus! I shall ensure your funeral is a glorious one, as befits a warrior who died in battle!" 
"'Fraid I'll have to miss it, Dinobot; I'm not scrap yet!" 
"Hmm, are you certain? It would be a triumphant passage."
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Optimus''', the former perhaps being a little too hopeful.

"No excuses, you pathetic rodent. Keep moving. Dinobot, out." 
"''HEY''! You can just kiss my pink, hairless—"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Rattrap''' share some friendly banter over the comms.

"You win, you depraved wad of stinkin' slag."
:—'''Rattrap''', gracious in defeat.

"Let the trails lead where they may—I will follow."
:—'''Tigatron''' gets poetic. This would serve as his motto in "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" and ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook]]''.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 2nd February 1996
* Second draft: 26th February 1996
* Finalised: 13th March 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
*As is the case in many episodes with night scenes, the stars near the horizon are vertically elongated due to a mapping error in the sky backdrop.
*Likewise a repeated error, several stars can be seen through the moon in multiple shots.
*In a couple close shots on Dinobot's head in various scenes, a small gap can be spotted in his 3D model where the upper edge of his neck ends.
*As Dinobot rises back up with the lift in the beginning, his left hand is clipping into his leg.
*When Optimus pushes Dinobot back on the elevator, the latter's head clips halfway into the wall.
*When Primal gets shot, the pistons on his feet are clipping into his shins.
*Dinobot's rotating shield is blown apart by the Predacons' missiles, yet it still has its circular spinning motion blur effect as it falls to the ground.
*After Optimus is shot down, his right shoulder pad is upside down and remains like that for the rest of the scene.
*When the boulder falls on Waspinator, the rock wall he and Terrorsaur were hiding behind is gone. It returns after that.
*When Terrorsaur blasts away the boulder, it has a different texturing than before.
*Immediately after this, Waspinator's missing his wings and abdomen, and the insect leg [[kibble]] on his left arm is reduced to a couple stubs, yet the energon surge effect around them is "complete". Then as Terrorsaur drags him through the air, most of his body looks normal again but his wings are still absent.
*While talking to his fliers at their base, Megatron's claw at one point clips into the controls of Waspinator's floating platform.
*Just before Waspinator goes into [[beast mode]] before taking off after the pod, the stripes on his thighs are facing the wrong way.
*Scorponok's visor is red when Megatron addresses him and Tarantulas.
*Before the pod opens up by itself to reveal a hand, the outer machinery housing the DNA scanner on the pod's side is missing.
*The moon is horribly pixelated as Waspinator and Terrorsaur fly by.
*Waspinator's thigh textures are, as usual, messed up when he goes into [[robot mode]] before destroying the bridge.
*Rattrap's ear clips partially into his back when he notices the fliers.
*When Waspinator and Terrorsaur prepare to destroy the ice bridge, the former loses all of his black stripes for a shot.
*A segment on Rattrap's wrist becomes misaligned with his hand in one shot as he talks to Dinobot via com link.
*Just before Scorponok shoots Dinobot off the ''Axalon'' roof, his shoulders are rotated awkwardly to the back, the upper edge of his chest is scrunched up, and most peculiarly, he has his scorpion-legs for nipples. How do they even make that mistake?
*When Rattrap notices the "light show", his front foot is floating above Rhinox's back rather than resting on it.
*Optimus is missing his glowing pupils when he gives his command to the auto-cannons, but strangely, their vague outlines are still there.
*The side section on the pod has an ugly flickering texture on it.
*As they try to open the pod, the antennae on Waspinator's chest clip into its side, and when the Maximals disturb them, Terrorsaur's hand also passes through it. Then, his knee does.
*There's a prominent "weapon cocking" sound after the Maximals surprise Terrorsaur and Waspinator, but no one is actually making any movements.
*When Megatron lands, his tail clips into the snow hill.
*As Megatron's blast sends what he thinks are two tigers tumbling down, the one on the left keeps its front paws in the same flat position as it flips over, causing them to clip through its leg. Also, both have an expression of utter boredom despite their predicament.
*Rhinox's left hand clips into his hip as he says "They're not part of this."
*When Cheetor lowers his gun in surrender, it slides right through his leg.
*During the closeup on Rattrap as Megatron advances toward the pod, his neck tubing is clipping into his torso's inner structure.
*Waspinator is again missing all of his stripes and the yellow details on his face in a handful of shots when he opens up the pod. His teeth are also missing from his robot mouth, behind his mandibles. Furthermore, he has strange but distinct swirly lines both in his robot eyes and the insect eyes on his chest, instead of the usual irregular textures that give his compound eyes a sort of "rainbow" effect.
*As Megatron smiles in victory, his pupils too are missing, only appearing as faint shapes within his eyes.
*When Tigatron maximizes, the fake tiger eyes, nose and ears already appear floating in front of his robot torso before his tiger head actually flips down there.
*As the Maximals open fire, various reflection textures on their body and guns disappear in the vicinity of their blasts.
*In the same shot, the inner green layer of Rhinox's chest is poking through the outer layer near his right pectoral area. Also, the inner rim on his right knee is for some reason gold rather than green.
*When the scene is shown from Optimus' vintage point, the Maximal are shooting at what seem to be irregular shapes in the snow whose position doesn't at all align with the three Preds. As a bonus, their blasts curve and angle down as they fly.
*Waspinator's thighs show incorrectly mapped stripes yet again as he returns to beast mode at the end.
*Megatron's feet sink deep into the snow as he flees. Not an error in itself, though shouldn't he be leaving footprints?
*In several shots near the end of the episode, Tigatron's beast mode legs are yellow/tan instead of white.

===Continuity errors===
*Despite being flattened by a huge rock, Waspinator doesn't seem to spend any time being repaired and functions normally (for Waspinator, anyway) for the rest of the episode.
* Megatron got to the pod ''really'' quickly, despite the other Transformers taking nearly the entire ''episode'' to get there. Perhaps he should've just saved himself the trouble and just gone after the pod himself?
* Like previous episodes, the planet's wonky geography seems to be based on Cretaceous period Earth, with the stasis pod landing somewhere in what would be northern Europe. This (somewhat) matches the shots from space shown in "[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]", but doesn't jibe with later revelations about the planet. Either it's an attempt to hide the truth about the [[Earth|planet]] the Beast Wars are set on, or the writers hadn't yet pegged down the exact time-zone the series was set in.
*When Waspinator and Terrorsaur are trying to open Tigatron's stasis pod, the hatch has a large window. Apparently nobody noticed that the protoform was missing until ''after'' opening the pod.

===Continuity notes===
*A Transformer in a repair chamber can still be communicated with by accessing their [[core consciousness]]. When Dinobot talks to Primal's, it appears as a holographic floating head.
*This episode marks the first time that the ''Axalon'' has fired its weapons since it crashed. The ''Axalon's'' self-defence system will get a major upgrade in [[A Better Mousetrap|a couple of episodes time]].
*After Rhinox's initial attempts to boost long range communication by building an external communication device back in "[[The Web]]", the Maximals appear to have incorporated some improvements to their internal communicators. Although the Stasis Pod itself is out of range, Rattrap manages to communicate with the Maximal base whilst a considerable distance away.
*The [[Northern Sector]] is revealed to be 100 klicks north of the ''Axalon'', and 120 kilometers north of the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]''. Assuming that the characters meant "north" and not "north-east" or "north-west", and assuming that a 1 klick = 1 kilometer (as it usually does in English), the two bases are, at most, 156 kilometers apart, and possibly as close together as 20 kilometers.
*After the previous episode softened Rattrap from his initial "extremely obnoxious" personality down to a more palatable "slightly obnoxious", this episode marks a shift in Dinobot's behaviour. He volunteers to go out first to check for a potential ambush on Optimus, and then later he asks Primal for advice. He seem to have gained respect for the Maximal leader. (Even when he thinks that Optimus is dead, he talks about holding a "glorious" funeral, rather than attempting to take command.)
*Gadgets and powers:
**Optimus refers to his rockets jets as his "Primal jets". They appear to still function even if he has been knocked unconscious.
**Tigatron has a wrist mounted rocket launcher. It's apparently powered by [[to sell toys|First Appearance Power-Up Syndrome]] because he never uses it again after this episode.
**Waspinator still has his eye lasers. Use of other characters having eye lasers will decrease as the series goes on, eventually leaving just Dinobot with them.
** Just before Tigatron appears, Cheetor exchanges his usual gut for the gun that is formed out of the rump of his beast mode. Tigatron himself totes his own (white) gut gun. This will repeat in future episodes... Cheetor will normally use his gut gun, only using his rump gun when Tigatron is around and using ''his'' gut gun.

===Trivia===
*You can avoid being shot by Maximal [[autogun]]s if you stand perfectly still. Just try not to get so nervous that you shake uncontrollably.
*Talking of the autoguns, they are EXTREMELY weak for ship-mounted weapons, causing no visible damage to Scorponok, Tarantulas or Megatron despite several direct hits. It's possible that the power to the autoguns is much lower than in the first episode because the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s main engine core is damaged (assuming the guns receive their power directly from the engine).
*After the repeated use of [[Units of time|cycle]] in the [[Power Surge (episode)|previous episode]], we're back to regular human units of time in this one.
* Tigatron's character model, like his toy, is just barely retooled from Cheetor's, featuring a different head in both modes and being just slightly taller than the latter. Beyond that, their transformation animations and weapons are the same beyond the obvious different fur texturing.
* Later Beast Era stories would [[retcon]] Tigatron into being a pre-existing Maximal who had lived on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], albeit one who had suffered amnesia upon transferring to the ''Axalon''. It doesn't really synch up with the episode itself, though, as none of the Maximals seem to recognize the guy.
* Just prior to its debut in syndication, this episode was made available on DirecTV on a pay-per-view basis beginning on [[August 19]], 1996.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un Ami venu du Ciel'''" ("A Friend from the Sky")

:*''Title:'' "'''Ami venu du Ciel'''" (Canada, "Friend from the Sky")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Compagni dispersi'''" ("Missing Comrades")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der gefallene Kamerad'''" ("The Fallen Comrade")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 16|16 May]] [[1998]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kodoku na Senshi Tigatron'''" (孤独な戦士タイガトロン, "The Solitary Warrior Tigatron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 12|12 November]] [[1997]]
::*This episode provides a prime example of the excessive adlibbing (a trademark of dubs directed by [[Yoshikazu Iwanami]]) subjected to the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars''. Whereas in the English version, the entire scene where Tarantulas and Scorponok are targetted by the auto-guns is rendered in silent pantomime, in the Japanese dub, the characters talk and make noisy asides throughout the sequence. Scorponok in particular cannot control his verbal tic of repeating ''orya orya'' over and over again.

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Companheiros Caídos'''" ("Fallen Comrades")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Camaradas Caidos'''" ("Fallen Comrades")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Xīn Duìyǒu '''" (新队友, "The New Teammate")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Beast Wars'' — A Feature Length Beasties Adventure ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Une Adventure Cybernetique (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Lonely Warrior Tigatron ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 3 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFeJ3VWBASk "The Solitary Warrior Tigatron"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4NZWnqYQK8 "The Solitary Warrior Tigatron (Part 2)"] on YouTube

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Power Surge (episode)

2024-01-08T11:50:57Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' episode|the ''[[Kre-O]]'' [[Decepticon]]|Power Surge (Kre-O)}}
{{episode
|series=BW
|ep=6
|series2=BWJ
|ep2=6
|prev2=Chain of Command (BW)
|next2=Fallen Comrades
|image=Power Surge Terrorsaur flexing.jpg
|caption=Check out '''THESE GUNS'''.
|title="Power Surge"
|season=1
|season ep=6
|airdate= [[September 25]], 1996
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[Nicholas Kendall]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Waspinator (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Waspeeter]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7uZBzDtHtk
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''Terrorsaur discovers a cache of energon on a floating mountain that gives him enough power to overthrow Megatron.'''

==Synopsis==
A wild and free bird majestically soars through the air, experiencing the wonders of aviation as it feels the wind flow around its proud wings. The bird explores its domain with a grace and sincerity and deliciousness. The latter-most attribute is of interest to a hungry [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], who quickly swallows the bird as a snack.

[[File:Power Surge Floating mountain.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Maybe it's made of very light rock?]]
Terrorsaur discovers a [[flying mountain|massive mountain elevated into the sky]]—defying gravity. Flying closer, he discovers the mountain houses an incredible cache of [[energon]]. To check the energon's stability, he transforms into his [[robot mode]], at the risk of having raw energon radiation harm his circuits. When he tries to take a sample for study, bolts of pure energy surge though him, greatly enhancing his abilities. Naturally, the first thing the overcharged [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] does is fly back to his base to overthrow [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Luckily, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] also finds the airborne crag, and watches Terrorsaur leaving at top speeds.

[[File:Power Surge Megatron down.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|They just don't make Megatrons like they used to.]]
Outside of the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacons' crashed ship]], Megatron shows his troops some newly installed territorial defenses. Terrorsaur arrives, and flowing with power, immediately announces that he's taking over the Predacons. Megatron obviously disagrees, and the two fight, but the pumped-up Terrorsaur easily blasts Megatron over the edge of a cliff, where he lands in pieces. With the remaining Predacons under his control, Terrorsaur announces the [[Maximal]]s are his next target. Cheetor, having followed Terrorsaur from the floating mountain, perceives the new developments as bad news.

Before he can lead the final battle against the Maximals, Terrorsaur finds his new charge has a short life and he must return to the floating mountain to reinvigorate himself. [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] follows in secret, eager to steal the source of Terrorsaur's new capabilities. [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] is left alone with [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], so the two begin to re-assemble and repair Megatron.

Cheetor rushes back to the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]] and scrambles onto the bridge, where he spits out an incoherent sequence of words vaguely relating to the current crisis. Giving explanations a second try, Cheetor explains the story thus far to his fellow Maximals. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] concludes that the floating mountain isn't totally scientifically impossible, given enough energon. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] prepare to destroy the entire island.

[[File:Power Surge Terrorsaur Primal.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|The Gutbuster Workout doesn't prove to be quite what Primal thought.]]
A weakened Terrorsaur flaps back to the island; on the ground, Tarantulas climbs a webline up to the suspended formation. Optimus and his cargo, Rattrap, arrive moments later. The two watch Terrorsaur re-charge his systems. To give Rattrap time to plant the explosives, Optimus Primal engages Terrorsaur in an airborne chase. Primal swiftly dodges most of what Terrorsaur fires, but eventually is hit by his [[Optic weaponry|optic blasts]]. He lands to deliver the finishing blast to Primal, who is now trapped in his [[beast mode]] thanks to energon buildup. But before a final shot can be fired, Terrorsaur's energon enhancements run out again, and he is forced to go for another recharge, promising to return to finish Optimus.

[[File:Power Surge Optimus Rattrap jump.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Fly, my pretties!]]
Rattrap meanwhile, has been tussling with Tarantulas, the two of them staying in their beast modes as they wrestle. With a toss of mud, Rattrap blinds Tarantulas and the spider blindly runs off the side of the mountain to the ground far, far below. Rattrap is passed by the flapping Terrorsaur, and concludes that Optimus Primal must have lost their bout. Terrorsaur, meanwhile, discovers the timed charges Rattrap left and flees in panic, deprived of a chance to recharge.

The explosives detonate, causing the energon crystals to collapse and explode. Before the ground loses form, Optimus arrives to carry Rattrap away from annihilation. With his ratty companion, Optimus Primal swan dives off the exploding alp and somehow the two survive thanks to Primal grabbing onto a tree.

Terrorsaur, no longer having the mountain's resources to rely on, returns to base to meet a very, very angry repaired Megatron. He turns white as a ghost, squawking out "Help!"

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (7)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (8)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (9)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (1)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
"Terrorsaur, you treacherous worm. I'll finish you forever!"
:—'''Megatron'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s famous last words.

"Well?" 
"Well what?" 
"If you're second in command, what is your command?" 
"..."
:—'''Waspinator''' and '''Scorponok'''. Be patient, Waspinator.

"Demolition charges?! Th... They'll blow this mountain to PIECES!"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' realizing the source of his energon addiction is coming to an explosive end.

"You do know... that was crazy." 
"Eh, sometimes crazy works. By the way, you did good up there!" 
"Eh, you weren't so bad yourself. But, er... don't tell anybody I said so!"
:—'''Rattrap''' witnesses '''Optimus Primal''' coin his motto.

"'''BLAST''' those Maximals! They destroyed my power source! But at least I got rid of Megatron..." 
''[But, when Terrorsaur lands, he sees, emerging, a fully repaired, and thoroughly '''PISSED''' Megatron.]'' 
"Well well... LOOK WHO'S ''...'''BACK.'''"'' 
''[Terrorsaur understandably turns as white as a ghost.]'' 
"...''help.''" 
:—'''Terrorsaur''' returns to see a very mad '''Megatron''', and pales at the consequences.

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* Second draft: 20th February 1996
* Finalised: 13th March 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* Terrorsaur's left hand pops off his arm for a moment when he first gets supercharged.
* When Terrorsaur begins destroying Megatron, a patch of "flesh" is blasted off his back, revealing metal underneath. In the following shot, however, his backside is intact, save of course for the broken-off kibble.
* Tarantulas shoots a line up to the floating mountain and begins scurrying up it—yet the mountain is revolving. What is his line anchored to?
* Optimus' arms are rather oddly contorted when he lands on the floating mountain, and his right elbow-hinge is twisted around.
* Freeze-framing reveals the pistons connected to Optimus's feet have come apart while he's being chased through the air by Terrorsaur.
* When Optimus hits one of the floating rocks during his clash with Terrorsaur, the falling debris simply clip through a larger rock floating below.
* Terrorsaur's eye-beams stop midair and fade to white before disappearing. One of his shots doesn't even hit Optimus – the beams freeze a little distance away from him.
* When Rattrap smashes Tarantulas against the rock, his hindmost spider-leg pops out of its socket.
* Rattrap's ear clips into his shoulder area when he pulls it back as Tarantulas confronts him for the second time.
* The jungle backdrop in the last scene with Rattrap and Optimus has a ''really'' low resolution.

===Continuity notes===
* The Predacon [[Autogun]]s are introduced in this episode.
* Megatron's line "I thought you already learned your lesson about challenging me, Terrorsaur" suggests that this isn't the first time Terrorsaur has tried to openly seize leadership of the Predacons. Some possibilities are that this episode was meant to be set after "[[Double Jeopardy]]" (the absence of the Predacon [[Autogun]]s in that episode, alongside the currently "missing Blackarachnia", would both seem to reinforce that), or that Megatron has found out about the attempted coup in "[[Equal Measures]]". Alternately, it could just be that Terrorsaur did something "offscreen", possibly before the series started.
* Tarantulas's interest in the floating mountain's energon is the first glimpse at his treacherous nature. The darkly amused chuckle he gives upon seeing Megatron getting his aft kicked doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his loyalties, either...
* When indicating where he saw the floating mountain, Cheetor points to a projection of the planet. It's similar to the one shown as the end of [[Chain of Command (BW)|"Chain of Command"]], in that the continents look similar to Earth's, but they're too close together. Europe and Africa are far more northern relative to the Americas compared to where they should be. Cheetor appears to point to a location in North America.

===Transformers references===
* Terrorsaur eating the bird in the beginning of the episode may be alluding to his on-package [[bio]], where it is said that he "ingests entire flocks of birds by flying opened mouthed through their flight pattern". He apparently didn't have much of an appetite in this case.
* When Optimus Primal and Rattrap are flying to the mountain, Rattrap complains that if he wanted to fly, he'd have chosen a [[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys|bat]] as an altmode.
* After Terrorsaur informs the rest of the Predacons that "Megatron is scrap," he adds Megatron's practically patented "Yeess".
* A 'Con that wants to overthrow his leader? Where have we seen [[Starscream (G1)|this]] before? (In a twist on the usual formula, ''none'' of the 'Cons take his coup seriously and happily bring Megatron back when he's not looking.)

===Trivia===
* [[Insecticon (BW)|Insecticon]] was at one point slated to join the cast of the ''Beast Wars'' TV show. A remnant of this can be found in the script to "Power Surge" on [[Ben Yee]]'s website, where it is noted most of Insecticon's intended lines (including the ''"If you are second in command, what is your command?"'' exchange with [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]) were transferred to [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]].<ref>'''CHANGES FROM 1ST DRAFT TO FINAL''' - The Only Change is the removal of Insectacon {{sic}}. Some of his lines have gone to Waspinator. Changes are marked with an asterisk. - ''Power Surge'' script notes.</ref>
* This is the only episode in the entire series where Waspinator both has a speaking role and doesn't get damaged in some way, shape or form. That and the fact he doesn't use his normal tic of referring to himself and others in the third person are probably explained by his role originally being meant for Insecticon, as above.
* Rattrap plays holographic cards. According to the [[Cybertronix]] text, he's playing old maid.
* When charging on the unstable energon, Terrorsaur appears to flicker in and out of existence. That can't be good.
* When Terrorsaur sees the newly repaired Megatron, his entire body changes from red to white in complete terror.
* The word [[Units of time|"cycle"]] is used repeatedly in this episode, beginning the phasing out of human units of time that the series had been using up to this point.
* The concept of energon crystals supercharging a Transformer would be used again as an explanation for [[Transformers: Beast Wars Diorama Story#TM-SP Character Data File|the DX Convoy and DX Megatron toys]] in the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Telemocha Series]]'' being of a much larger size than the other toys.
* Just prior to its debut in syndication, this episode was made available on DirecTV on a pay-per-view basis beginning on [[August 19]], 1996.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'Énergie d'Énergon'''" ("The Energy of Energon")

:*''Title:'' "'''Surcharge'''" (Canada, "Overcharge")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sete di potere per i Biocombat'''" ("Thirst for Power for the Biocombats")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Tödliche Energie'''" ("Deadly Energy")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 9|9 May]] [[1998]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kūchū Sanmyaku Dai Bakuha'''" (空中山脈大爆破, "The Aerial Mountain Explodes")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 5|5 November]] [[1997]]
::*Immediately before devouring the bird at the start of the episode, Terrorsaur shouts "Itadakimasu!" Because even a Predacon knows to mind their manners at suppertime.
::*When Terrorsaur discovers the floating mountain in the original English version, he describes his thoughts and plans out loud by talking to himself. In the Japanese dub, this is instead framed as a conversation with [[Predacon computer|Navi-ko]].

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Surto de Energia'''" ("Power Surge")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Néngliàng Jùyǒng'''" (能量巨涌, "Power Surge")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Descarga de Energía'''" ("Power Discharge")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Disappeared ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Chain of Command (BW)

2024-01-08T11:50:41Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the ''Beast Wars'' episode|the ''Prime'' episode|Chain of Command (Prime)}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=5
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=5
|prev2=Equal Measures
|next2=Power Surge (episode)
|image=Coc getshorty.jpg
|caption=An armed society is a polite society.
|season=1
|season ep=5
|title="Chain of Command"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 24]], 1996
|written by=[[Jesse Winfield]]
|directed by=[[Andrew Doucette]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Cheetus]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugf3cptgJSE
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''After Optimus Primal is abducted by an alien probe, the remaining Maximals must decide on a new leader.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Chain of Command Standing stones glow.jpg|left|200px|thumb|No wonder Stonehenge is popular.]]
The [[Maximal]]s detect an [[energon crystal]] under the {{w|cairn}} in the [[Standing Stones]]. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] thinks it reeks of 'bait' and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] notes that the [[energon]] on [[Earth|this planet]] isn't natural, as it does not conform to the planet's geology. The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] attack, putting an end to the discussion. During the battle, [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] purposely fires directly on the buried energon crystal, causing it to destabilize. His prize now useless, [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] orders a retreat while the Maximals head for cover as it builds to overload. But instead of a debilitating [[energon wave]], it sends a signal to the stars, depleting the crystal's energy. With the Predacons gone and the energon reduced to dust, the bewildered Maximals return to base.

[[Image:Chain of Command Dinobot probe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You are getting sleepy...]]
Later, an [[Vok probe|alien probe]] emerges from [[unspace|transwarp space]] and enters the atmosphere. The Predacons initially mistake it for a [[stasis pod]], but Rhinox immediately recognizes it as something else. Both sides head to intercept it at the Standing Stones. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] confront Megatron and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], but when they transform and begin to battle, the probe puts out an energy burst that renders them unconscious and causes Primal to vanish into thin air.

A disoriented Dinobot awakens in the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s [[CR chamber]] and, seeing three angry Maximals standing over him, momentarily mistakes it for a [[Maximal Torture Chamber]]. The probe, as it turned out, somehow dumped Dinobot, Megatron and Waspinator outside of their respective bases. Believing Primal to be destroyed, Dinobot attempts to take command of the Maximals. Rhinox heads off a fight between Dinobot and Rattrap by insisting on a secret ballot, the traditional Maximal method for resolving such problems.

After the vote results in stalemate, with two votes for each contender, Dinobot giddily rebukes the shortcomings of their peaceful solution. He declares that he will break the tie by force and prepares to attack Rattrap. Before the fight can begin, they are contacted by Optimus Primal, who is ''not'' dead. Primal's body has been digitally stored, but his consciousness remains active within the probe. Optimus puts Rattrap in charge. Dinobot glares at him.

[[Image:Chain of Command Rhinox device.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"How's it going?" "Good, good". "... you just welded your hand to it didn't you?" "Yes, yes I did".]]
Megatron, also believing Primal dead, sends [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and Waspinator to the Standing Stones while the other Predacons attack the Axalon. Dinobot fights Megatron one-on-one, ignoring Rattrap's order to disengage and reset the Axalon's failing [[shield circuitry]]. Rattrap scrambles and is able to restore the shields at the last moment. The Predacons retreat when Dinobot beats Megatron back, and Dinobot apologizes to Rattrap for not following his orders, affirming himself "dishonored". Dinobot's uncharacteristic deference and respect makes Rattrap uncomfortable, and he brushes it off.

[[Image:Chain of Command Maximals probe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The Maximals prepare to fight [[Trukk not munky|G1 fanatics]].]]
The Maximals head to the Standing Stones with a device Rhinox has built to attempt to extract Optimus from the probe. The Predacons attack them at the Stones, Rhinox unloading his frustrations on Waspinator when his device malfunctions, blasting him to bits with his chaingun. Waspinator shorts out and comes in contact with one of the stones which activates, revealing the entire Standing Stones site is a single device. The probe opens in response, and Primal materializes. The Predacons retreat before his considerable firepower, but the probe dematerializes before the Maximals can decide what to do with it.

Optimus commends Rattrap on his performance as commander, though Rattrap is more than happy to hand the title back. The Maximals are left wondering what the probe's purpose was, and Rhinox ominously observes the [[Vok|aliens]] have learned they have the ability to reason... and of their destructive capabilities.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (1)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (3)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (7)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (8)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (9)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Vok probe]] (11)

}}

==Quotes==
"Hey power down! You're on our side now, remember?" 
"And Maximals don't have torture chambers! Though, you know... I could get behind that idea."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Rattrap''' to Dinobot

"Wait, stand by here! Who died and made you Prime, scaleface?"
:—'''Rattrap''' trying to show Dinobot who's boss.

"Megatron back! Megatron back! Scorponok alone with Tarantulas and Terrorsaur. Very ''bad!''"
:—'''Scorponok''' loses coherence under pressure.

"I know just how the weakling Maximals will respond to Optimus's death. Confusion! Bickering! Recriminations! The perfect opportunity for a surprise attack."
:—'''Megatron''' deals with loss like a true villain.

"Ha ha, great system, your 'democracy.' No mechanism to break a tie!"
:—'''Dinobot''', who's actually a socialist, believe it or not.

"Make a device to extract physical molecular structure from an alien probe? Man, I've gotta be a miracle worker!"
:—'''Rhinox''', channeling [[Scotty]].

"You were selfless in putting that shield back online. I ought to have followed your command. I... am dishonored." 
"Ehh... next time."
:—'''Dinobot''' and an uncomfortable '''Rattrap'''

"But why would they want to know? And more importantly, who are they? Friends, enemies, or... something ''more''?"
:—'''Dinobot''', on the mysterious aliens

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 9th January 1996
* Finalised: 15th January 1996
* Revised: 26th January 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* If that's a solar eclipse in the opening shot, how come there's light coming from below the horizon?
* When Waspinator first appears, his [[beast mode]] is all messed up with random bits being misaligned and sticking out of him oddly.
* During the initial fight, as Waspinator and Terrorsaur swoop up towards Optimus, Terrorsaur's upper body distorts for a fraction of a second before the shot changes.
* When Optimus is zapped into the alien device, his right gorilla hand is missing, his arm ending in a stump.
* Some of Rattrap's fingers are clipping though his hip as Rhinox announces the second vote for Dinobot.
* Both times when Rhinox says "Oh no", his lips don't move.
* When Dinobot executes his flying kick, his foot actually passes through Megatron's head. This is more apparent in the closeup shot.
* When Dinobot blasts away Megatron with his eye beams, the jaw of Megatron's ''T. rex'' head dislocates and snaps way wide open.
* Then, as Megatron lands and gets up, his dinosaur head clips through his leg.
* As Rhinox exclaims "This whole place ''is'' a single device!" and the view zooms out, Cheetor in the back keeps twitching and jumping poses between frames, as if he was still firing his gun.

===Continuity errors===
* Considering future revelations regarding the planet the Beast Wars occur on, the shots from space in this episode are odd. When the Standing Stones are first activated, we see a shot of the planet from space with the beam apparently originating from a large, unknown continent. When the Probe arrives we see it heading towards a continent that doesn't seem to match the earlier one. And the final shot of the episode also shows the planet, this time with a continent that looks the same shape as South America, but with Mexico missing. This time there's a continent to the right that could be Africa, but it's far too close if it is, and above is something that could vaguely be Europe if you squint, but it's also in the wrong place. It's possible that the vague geography was intentional on the part of the writers, to deliberately obfuscate future developments.
* The dialogue makes it very clear that the incapacitated Dinobot and Predacons did not return to base under their own power, but through some outside force. No one seems particularly concerned by this, though. Did the probe take everybody home? A genuine ''deus ex machina'' to move the plot forward?

===Continuity notes===
* The Maximals are not entirely convinced Dinobot didn't off Primal himself for the job, as he attempted to 3 episodes prior.
* The episode opens with the [[Planet Buster|second moon]] eclipsing the sun. The moon's unnatural nature will again be mentioned in "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]", and it plays a critical role in the season finale.
* Megatron initially mistakes the alien probe for a Maximal stasis pod. Later episodes will show that a falling stasis pod is a big deal for both sides, as it gives them a chance to add a new member to their respective army.
* The ongoing [[Vok]] storyline put in its first appearance since "[[Beast Wars (Part 2)]]", it will feature again in "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]". The Vok will not be named until the series is almost over.
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] exhibits his "babbling" personality in this episode as, apparently, being left alone with the scheming Terrorsaur and Tarantulas while Megatron is undergoing major repairs makes him ''extremely'' nervous. Given Tarantulas's dietary habits, this might be understandable...
* This episode features the (fairly awesome) debut of Rhinox's "Chaingun of Doom" (occasionally called the "Chaingun of Command" after this episode). It also involves the first time Waspinator is blown to scrap.

===Real-world references===
* Rattrap mentions "B-movies", a uniquely [[human]] concept.
* The "Standing Stones" resemble many European stone circles, of which [[Stonehenge]] is the most famous. (However, the shot from space of showing the location of the Standing Stones certainly isn't Britain, and doesn't resemble Europe either.)

===Trivia===
* The initial fight by the [[Standing Stones]] features shadow, a rare luxury in early ''Beast Wars'' episodes.
* Optimus Primal is reading late at night below the ''Axalon'' when the probe comes down, a rare quiet character moment.
* During the battle at the Maximal base, Megatron tries to gain the upper hand by ramming his face into Dinobot's airborne foot. Megatron clearly fails at this attempt and takes note to dodge easily evadable flying kicks in the future.
* It is fairly certain that Rhinox is the one who voted for Rattrap and Cheetor is the one who voted for Dinobot. Rhinox was clearly unpleasantly surprised by the second vote for Dinobot, and when Optimus tells them that Rattrap is in charge, Cheetor is seen visibly annoyed in the background while Rhinox happily pats Rattrap on the back.
* Scorponok's missiles sport a Predacon insignia instead of the Maximal logos they've carried until now. Apparently the original idea was that the Maximal insignia showed who the missiles were intended ''for'', but fans were confused as to why Scorponok, a Predacon, would have a Maximal logo on his weapons, so they changed it.
* On three separate occasions, the Maximals stand at the Standing Stones staring at them while Predacons sneak up behind them. It's a good thing that Megatron seems to prefer dramatically interrupting the Maximals while they are speaking rather than just, y'know, shooting them in the back.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Disparition'''" ("The Disappearance")

:*''Title:'' "'''Disparition'''" ("Disappearance")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il passaggio del comando'''" ("The Passage of the Command")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rangordnung'''" ("Rank Order")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 3|3 May]] [[1998]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kieta Convoy'''" (消えたコンボイ, "Convoy Disappeared")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 29|29 October]] [[1997]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cadeia de Comando'''" ("Chain of Command")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cadena de Mando'''" (America, "Chain of Command")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Jiērèn zhī Zhēng '''" (接任之争, "Dispute of Succession")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Beast Wars'' — A Feature Length Beasties Adventure ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Une Adventure Cybernetique (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Disappeared ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Chain of Command (BW)

2024-01-08T11:49:26Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{disambig2|the ''Beast Wars'' episode|the ''Prime'' episode|Chain of Command (Prime)}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=5
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=5
|prev2=Equal Measures
|next2=Power Surge (episode)
|image=Coc getshorty.jpg
|caption=An armed society is a polite society.
|season=1
|season ep=5
|title="Chain of Command"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 24]], 1996
|written by=[[Jesse Winfield]]
|directed by=[[Andrew Doucette]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Cheetus]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugf3cptgJSE
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''After Optimus Primal is abducted by an alien probe, the remaining Maximals must decide on a new leader.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Chain of Command Standing stones glow.jpg|left|200px|thumb|No wonder Stonehenge is popular.]]
The [[Maximal]]s detect an [[energon crystal]] under the {{w|cairn}} in the [[Standing Stones]]. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] thinks it reeks of 'bait' and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] notes that the [[energon]] on [[Earth|this planet]] isn't natural, as it does not conform to the planet's geology. The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] attack, putting an end to the discussion. During the battle, [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] purposely fires directly on the buried energon crystal, causing it to destabilize. His prize now useless, [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] orders a retreat while the Maximals head for cover as it builds to overload. But instead of a debilitating [[energon wave]], it sends a signal to the stars, depleting the crystal's energy. With the Predacons gone and the energon reduced to dust, the bewildered Maximals return to base.

[[Image:Chain of Command Dinobot probe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You are getting sleepy...]]
Later, an [[Vok probe|alien probe]] emerges from [[unspace|transwarp space]] and enters the atmosphere. The Predacons initially mistake it for a [[stasis pod]], but Rhinox immediately recognizes it as something else. Both sides head to intercept it at the Standing Stones. [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] confront Megatron and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], but when they transform and begin to battle, the probe puts out an energy burst that renders them unconscious and causes Primal to vanish into thin air.

A disoriented Dinobot awakens in the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'''s [[CR chamber]] and, seeing three angry Maximals standing over him, momentarily mistakes it for a [[Maximal Torture Chamber]]. The probe, as it turned out, somehow dumped Dinobot, Megatron and Waspinator outside of their respective bases. Believing Primal to be destroyed, Dinobot attempts to take command of the Maximals. Rhinox heads off a fight between Dinobot and Rattrap by insisting on a secret ballot, the traditional Maximal method for resolving such problems.

After the vote results in stalemate, with two votes for each contender, Dinobot giddily rebukes the shortcomings of their peaceful solution. He declares that he will break the tie by force and prepares to attack Rattrap. Before the fight can begin, they are contacted by Optimus Primal, who is ''not'' dead. Primal's body has been digitally stored, but his consciousness remains active within the probe. Optimus puts Rattrap in charge. Dinobot glares at him.

[[Image:Chain of Command Rhinox device.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"How's it going?" "Good, good". "... you just welded your hand to it didn't you?" "Yes, yes I did".]]
Megatron, also believing Primal dead, sends [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and Waspinator to the Standing Stones while the other Predacons attack the Axalon. Dinobot fights Megatron one-on-one, ignoring Rattrap's order to disengage and reset the Axalon's failing [[shield circuitry]]. Rattrap scrambles and is able to restore the shields at the last moment. The Predacons retreat when Dinobot beats Megatron back, and Dinobot apologizes to Rattrap for not following his orders, affirming himself "dishonored". Dinobot's uncharacteristic deference and respect makes Rattrap uncomfortable, and he brushes it off.

[[Image:Chain of Command Maximals probe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The Maximals prepare to fight [[Trukk not munky|G1 fanatics]].]]
The Maximals head to the Standing Stones with a device Rhinox has built to attempt to extract Optimus from the probe. The Predacons attack them at the Stones, Rhinox unloading his frustrations on Waspinator when his device malfunctions, blasting him to bits with his chaingun. Waspinator shorts out and comes in contact with one of the stones which activates, revealing the entire Standing Stones site is a single device. The probe opens in response, and Primal materializes. The Predacons retreat before his considerable firepower, but the probe dematerializes before the Maximals can decide what to do with it.

Optimus commends Rattrap on his performance as commander, though Rattrap is more than happy to hand the title back. The Maximals are left wondering what the probe's purpose was, and Rhinox ominously observes the [[Vok|aliens]] have learned they have the ability to reason... and of their destructive capabilities.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (1)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (3)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (7)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (8)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (9)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Vok probe]] (11)

}}

==Quotes==
"Hey power down! You're on our side now, remember?" 
"And Maximals don't have torture chambers! Though, you know... I could get behind that idea."
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Rattrap''' to Dinobot

"Wait, stand by here! Who died and made you Prime, scaleface?"
:—'''Rattrap''' trying to show Dinobot who's boss.

"Megatron back! Megatron back! Scorponok alone with Tarantulas and Terrorsaur. Very ''bad!''"
:—'''Scorponok''' loses coherence under pressure.

"I know just how the weakling Maximals will respond to Optimus's death. Confusion! Bickering! Recriminations! The perfect opportunity for a surprise attack."
:—'''Megatron''' deals with loss like a true villain.

"Ha ha, great system, your 'democracy.' No mechanism to break a tie!"
:—'''Dinobot''', who's actually a socialist, believe it or not.

"Make a device to extract physical molecular structure from an alien probe? Man, I've gotta be a miracle worker!"
:—'''Rhinox''', channeling [[Scotty]].

"You were selfless in putting that shield back online. I ought to have followed your command. I... am dishonored." 
"Ehh... next time."
:—'''Dinobot''' and an uncomfortable '''Rattrap'''

"But why would they want to know? And more importantly, who are they? Friends, enemies, or... something ''more''?"
:—'''Dinobot''', on the mysterious aliens

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 9th January 1996
* Finalised: 15th January 1996
* Revised: 26th January 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* If that's a solar eclipse in the opening shot, how come there's light coming from below the horizon?
* When Waspinator first appears, his [[beast mode]] is all messed up with random bits being misaligned and sticking out of him oddly.
* During the initial fight, as Waspinator and Terrorsaur swoop up towards Optimus, Terrorsaur's upper body distorts for a fraction of a second before the shot changes.
* When Optimus is zapped into the alien device, his right gorilla hand is missing, his arm ending in a stump.
* Some of Rattrap's fingers are clipping though his hip as Rhinox announces the second vote for Dinobot.
* Both times when Rhinox says "Oh no", his lips don't move.
* When Dinobot executes his flying kick, his foot actually passes through Megatron's head. This is more apparent in the closeup shot.
* When Dinobot blasts away Megatron with his eye beams, the jaw of Megatron's ''T. rex'' head dislocates and snaps way wide open.
* Then, as Megatron lands and gets up, his dinosaur head clips through his leg.
* As Rhinox exclaims "This whole place ''is'' a single device!" and the view zooms out, Cheetor in the back keeps twitching and jumping poses between frames, as if he was still firing his gun.

===Continuity errors===
* Considering future revelations regarding the planet the Beast Wars occur on, the shots from space in this episode are odd. When the Standing Stones are first activated, we see a shot of the planet from space with the beam apparently originating from a large, unknown continent. When the Probe arrives we see it heading towards a continent that doesn't seem to match the earlier one. And the final shot of the episode also shows the planet, this time with a continent that looks the same shape as South America, but with Mexico missing. This time there's a continent to the right that could be Africa, but it's far too close if it is, and above is something that could vaguely be Europe if you squint, but it's also in the wrong place. It's possible that the vague geography was intentional on the part of the writers, to deliberately obfuscate future developments.
* The dialogue makes it very clear that the incapacitated Dinobot and Predacons did not return to base under their own power, but through some outside force. No one seems particularly concerned by this, though. Did the probe take everybody home? A genuine ''deus ex machina'' to move the plot forward?

===Continuity notes===
* The Maximals are not entirely convinced Dinobot didn't off Primal himself for the job, as he attempted to 3 episodes prior.
* The episode opens with the [[Planet Buster|second moon]] eclipsing the sun. The moon's unnatural nature will again be mentioned in "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]", and it plays a critical role in the season finale.
* Megatron initially mistakes the alien probe for a Maximal stasis pod. Later episodes will show that a falling stasis pod is a big deal for both sides, as it gives them a chance to add a new member to their respective army.
* The ongoing [[Vok]] storyline put in its first appearance since "[[Beast Wars (Part 2)]]", it will feature again in "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]". The Vok will not be named until the series is almost over.
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] exhibits his "babbling" personality in this episode as, apparently, being left alone with the scheming Terrorsaur and Tarantulas while Megatron is undergoing major repairs makes him ''extremely'' nervous. Given Tarantulas's dietary habits, this might be understandable...
* This episode features the (fairly awesome) debut of Rhinox's "Chaingun of Doom" (occasionally called the "Chaingun of Command" after this episode). It also involves the first time Waspinator is blown to scrap.

===Real-world references===
* Rattrap mentions "B-movies", a uniquely [[human]] concept.
* The "Standing Stones" resemble many European stone circles, of which [[Stonehenge]] is the most famous. (However, the shot from space of showing the location of the Standing Stones certainly isn't Britain, and doesn't resemble Europe either.)

===Trivia===
* The initial fight by the [[Standing Stones]] features shadow, a rare luxury in early ''Beast Wars'' episodes.
* Optimus Primal is reading late at night below the ''Axalon'' when the probe comes down, a rare quiet character moment.
* During the battle at the Maximal base, Megatron tries to gain the upper hand by ramming his face into Dinobot's airborne foot. Megatron clearly fails at this attempt and takes note to dodge easily evadable flying kicks in the future.
* It is fairly certain that Rhinox is the one who voted for Rattrap and Cheetor is the one who voted for Dinobot. Rhinox was clearly unpleasantly surprised by the second vote for Dinobot, and when Optimus tells them that Rattrap is in charge, Cheetor is seen visibly annoyed in the background while Rhinox happily pats Rattrap on the back.
* Scorponok's missiles sport a Predacon insignia instead of the Maximal logos they've carried until now. Apparently the original idea was that the Maximal insignia showed who the missiles were intended ''for'', but fans were confused as to why Scorponok, a Predacon, would have a Maximal logo on his weapons, so they changed it.
* On three separate occasions, the Maximals stand at the Standing Stones staring at them while Predacons sneak up behind them. It's a good thing that Megatron seems to prefer dramatically interrupting the Maximals while they are speaking rather than just, y'know, shooting them in the back.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Disparition'''" ("The Disappearance")

:*''Title:'' "'''Disparition'''" ("Disappearance")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il passaggio del comando'''" ("The Passage of the Command")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rangordnung'''" ("Rank Order")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 9|9 May]] [[1998]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kieta Convoy'''" (消えたコンボイ, "Convoy Disappeared")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 29|29 October]] [[1997]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cadeia de Comando'''" ("Chain of Command")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cadena de Mando'''" (America, "Chain of Command")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Jiērèn zhī Zhēng '''" (接任之争, "Dispute of Succession")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Beast Wars'' — A Feature Length Beasties Adventure ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1996 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Une Adventure Cybernetique (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Disappeared ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Equal Measures

2024-01-08T11:46:43Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=4
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=4
|prev2=The Web
|next2=Chain of Command (BW)
|image=Equal Measures Cheetor darksyde.jpg
|caption=Later they discovered Cheetor was sitting on the self-destruct button.
|title="Equal Measures"
|season=1
|season ep=4
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 23]], 1996
|written by=[[Greg Johnson]]
|directed by=[[T.W. Peacocke]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Cheetor]], [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Megatron]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKS7w9FwR8g
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''Dinobot manipulates both Maximals and Predacons around a teleporter that Cheetor has unintentionally developed between both bases.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] watches a bolt of lightning shatter a mountain, revealing a cache of [[energon]]. Because of the hazardous conditions, he radios to his team to abort their current operation. The storm garbles the transmission, though, preventing the other [[Maximal]]s from receiving it.

[[File:Dinobotbulliescheetor.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Something we've seen all too often.]]
The mission involves [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] monitoring devices designed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], who has just gotten done building the last of them. Impatient to get going, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] carelessly plays with one of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s projects, a ''time bomb'', and accidentally drops it out the floor hatch... where it's caught by a returning Optimus, who reiterates his order for the mission to be scrubbed. Everyone's clearly upset over the development, not believing the storm to be that severe yet, but Primal is adamant; it'll have to wait until later. Dejected, everyone returns to quarters to wait out the storm.

In Cheetor's quarters, Dinobot meets with the cat-bot and endorses the mission being continued regardless of the danger from the weather and the energon. He points out that Primal clearly treats Cheetor like a child, even though with his speed, the cat-bot could easily outrun the storm and plant the devices before it hits. This appeal to vanity works, and Cheetor sneaks out to complete the mission.

[[File:Equal Measures Cheetor monitoring device.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|This wireless Broadband box is rubbish!]]
In the field, Cheetor plants survey apparatuses in quick succession, but a bolt of lightning causes the cat accidentally to plant one of the posts dangerously close to an energon vein. He tries to remove the device and correct his mistake, but in the middle of his struggle, a second lightning bolt hits, and he finds himself suddenly teleported — onto a control panel in the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]!

[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] "welcomes" Cheetor and attacks the Maximal, but Cheetor grabs a hover-platform and tries to escape. After being knocked off the platform, Cheetor lunges at Terrorsaur and pushes the Predacon onto the control panel he'd just arrived on, causing Terrorsaur to vanish. [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] arrive and chase Cheetor around the Predacon base, but lose him in the ventilation shafts.

[[File:Cheetorsurprised.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Shouldn't have had the vindaloo last night.]]
Meanwhile, Terrorsaur finds himself in the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' command center, where he's given a warm reception by Dinobot. However, the former Predacon is more concerned over how Terrorsaur arrived at the Maximal base, eventually working out that a freak combination of the survey devices, the storm, and the energon created a transporter link between the two bases. Using this to his advantage, Terrorsaur seems to convince Dinobot into forming an alliance, suggesting they scrap the Maximals, then take over the Predacons and rule together... until Dinobot drops the charade and unceremoniously flushes the Pred out of the ''Axalon'' through a waste disposal unit.

Back at the Predacon base, Cheetor continues to flee while avoiding fire from Waspinator. He sneaks away from the two long enough to hack the Predacons' data files, and determines that both bases sit on a common underground Energon vein, so an explosion at one base would cause a chain reaction that would obliterate both ships. Cheetor is discovered as soon as he downloads this data to a disk.

At the Maximal base, Optimus confronts Dinobot on Cheetor's whereabouts. Dinobot tells him about the link and how the cat-bot has "surely" been destroyed by now, but convinces him that they could use the link to annihilate the Predacon base with the bomb, a plan Primal only agrees to as long as the bomb's timer is set with enough time to allow the Preds to evacuate. Just as the bomb is sent, though, Cheetor tosses the disk with the energon vein data onto the console, transporting both items simultaneously.

[[File:Crispyterrorsaur.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Would you like me original, or extra crispy?]]
The Predacons finally corner Cheetor, but the bomb has magnetically locked itself onto the Pred console, forcing Megatron to let him go so he can release it. With a few seconds left, Cheetor throws it up to Terrorsaur, who flies it out of the base (and is blown up with it), while Cheetor escapes through the link. The Predacons' errant shots destroy the console instead. Furthermore, his return trip to the ''Axalon'' shatters all of the survey posts he's planted, ensuring the link is severed for good.

Afterwards, Rhinox and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] congratulate Cheetor's prevention of the Maximal base from being destroyed by their own explosive, while Dinobot is in a bad mood as usual and leaves—though Cheetor apparently didn't tell anyone that Dinobot talked him into the whole thing. Primal still commands Cheetor to take more care to obey direct orders. Cheetor says he will—except when he doesn't—and scampers off, leaving Optimus steamed up with Rhinox and Rattrap to have a jolly laugh. But Optimus figures out Cheetor was funny, and gets in the jolly laugh with Rhinox and Rattrap.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (1)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (2)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (3)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (6)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (7)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (8)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
"Defeating them does not mean we have to ''annihilate'' them. You seem to have trouble understanding that."
:—'''Optimus''' gently chides Dinobot for thinking like a Predacon.

"Shoulda known no Maximal'd be stupid enough to try anything on a day like this."
:—'''Terrorsaur''' underestimates the enemy again.

"YOOOOOW, BULLET TRAAAAAAAIN..." 
''[An explosion sends Cheetor crashing into the wall!]'' 
"Comin' through." 
:—'''Cheetor''' narrowly escapes being turned into a charbroiled cheetah!

"Cheetor! Maximi— did that already."
:—'''Cheetor''' forgets that he already transformed.

"He's gone into the vents! You better report this to Megatron." 
"Me?! ''You're'' second-in-command!" 
"So make it an order!"
:—'''Scorponok''' and '''Waspinator''' establish the chain of command.

"Where'd he go?! Where'd ''I'' go?"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' realises he isn't in [[Kansas]] any more.

"Think of the cosmic magnificence. Together we'll overthrow these low-grade metal knock-offs you've joined, and then rule the Predacons with two iron fists! NOTHING CAN STOP US!"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' has such naive optimism.

"Hey! What are you doing? We're partners!" 
"In case you had not realized, Needlenose... I am ''not'' a team player."
:—'''Terrorsaur''', about to get launched over the horizon by '''Dinobot'''

"OK, OK, I'll never do that again! Until the next time."
:—'''Cheetor''' has learned nothing from this adventure.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* In the opening shot, a segment of the mountains on the screen's left side reveals a gap in the mountain's computer model just a few frames before the shot cuts.
* The collapsing mountain seems to be sucked into the Energon cache after being hit with lightning, and before the lightning strikes, there's a bizarre flickering texture on the mountain's right side.
* Following the collapse, some energon crystals within the mountain keep flickering in and out of existence.
* When Cheetor walks over to the bomb, the two [[kibble]] panels on his back keep clipping through his cheetah leg kibble, and they don't seem to move together with the rest of his torso. When the bomb drops and he moves about, the panels remain stationary.
* When Optimus is tossing the time bomb in one hand, it really doesn't move convincingly.
* When Rhinox reacts to Optimus' announcement about being stalled, his rhinoceros skin "skirt" is clipping into his thighs.
* Shadows are inconsistently rendered in the beginning scene in the Maximal base. Rhinox, standing behind Rattrap, is fully lit at first, but at the end of the scene, there's a shadow cast over him.
* The shot of Cheetor descending out of the base, as the "camera" spins around him, is rendered very oddly. Parts of the ''Axalon'' that look like they should be behind the cliff face appear in front of it, and as Cheetor dashes away, he overlaps a metal bar that's much closer to view.
* As Cheetor jumps across the rocks, his feet don't always touch the terrain.
* Cheetor's mouth doesn't move as he shouts "Maximize!" while out in the field.
* Before Cheetor turns into [[robot mode]], he has red eyes as a cheetah. When his beast model is replaced with his mid-transformation model mid-movement, his eyes turn green and his spots rearrange themselves between frames. After he goes back into cheetah mode a few seconds later, the cheetah model again has red eyes and a different spot-arrangement, both of which change yet again as the lightning strikes near him.
* When Cheetor activates the first survey post, his left thumb clips into his chest.
* The little red bit on the top of the first survey post that Cheetor plants keeps blinking in and out of existence. While this might have been on purpose, to simulate a blinking light, none of the other posts do this.
* Cheetor doesn't really grab the Energon post's handle, his fist simply clips through it.
* When the lightning-bolt strikes him, you can tell by his shadow that Cheetor is actually floating a few inches above the ground.
* When Terrorsaur floats closer to the monitor screen on his platform, the tip of his right wing passes between the platform and his foot.
* As he reaches for his gun while dangling from the Predacons' flying platform, Cheetor's left elbow briefly turns inside-out.
* In one shot, when Terrorsaur is shooting at Cheetor's platform, the reflection textures on his grey elements near his gun disappear in sync with his blasts, due to the blast effects somehow "blotting them out". Strangely, this error doesn't occur in his closeup shortly thereafter.
* When Scorponok and Waspinator transform into robot mode, the latter already has various robot parts sticking out of him in his wasp form. Both his beast and robot mode abdomens exist at the same time, his robot crotch is poking through his underside and one of his robot legs is sticking out of his behind. Also, the stripes on his thighs are aligned the wrong way, a common error in early episodes.
* When Cheetor transforms to [[beast mode]] to jump into the vent, his various robot and beast parts all seem to appear and disappear randomly, out of sync with his usual transformation.
* Scorponok's eyes are weirdly distorted as he arrives to the vent. Also in this shot, Waspinator's left wings don't seem to "flap up", only down.
** In addition, Scorponok's visor shifts between yellow and red quite randomly, as it often happens in most episodes.
* Though a common cartoon convenience, both Waspinator's repeated shots and Scorponok's missile take an inordinately long time to reach Cheetor, and the distances between them jump back and forth between shots.
* As Cheetor hurries through the vent, none of the holes Waspinator has blasted into it are visible.
* After Cheetor escapes from the vents, he falls to the ground and his right forehead chevron kind of "twangs" forward. In the next scene he's in, it's back to normal against his head.
* Before Terrorsaur begins pruning his wing, the right side of his pterosaur chest appears to be sunken into his body.
* Scorponok's right claw is clipping though his thigh as he and Waspinator watch the missile chase Cheetor.
* Just before Optimus comes into frame to ask Dinobot about the survey posts, his fingers are visible at the left of the screen as the camera swivels.
* When Optimus asks Dinobot if he's sure about the bomb's timer, his right arm seems to jump position between frames.
* Two green bits are clipping through the opening hatch on the Predacon ship on either side.
* As the roasted Terrorsaur lands, his leg briefly clips through his wing.
* When Cheetor is zapped back home, blowing up all survey posts along the way, the posts are replaced by noticeably thicker, different-shaped exploding objects a few frames before they're supposed to blow.

===Continuity errors===
* A major plot point is that due to an energon vein running beneath both ships, the destruction of either Predacon or Maximal bases would destroy the other. This is never mentioned again and frequently contradicted due to the repeated explosions at both. While most of the planet's energon was stabilized by the start of Season 2 (and thus wouldn't be an issue), the plot of Season 1 episode "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]" revolves around... a massive explosion at the Predacon base. Arguably, either side could have harvested some of the energon by then to sever the connection between the bases, but this is never established!
* Despite making a big deal about how they should be killing Predacons when they get the chance, Dinobot doesn't avail himself of the opportunity when he's alone with Terrorsaur, instead harmlessly firing him out of the ship.
* When trying to outrun the explosion chasing him down the vents, for some reason Cheetor decides to transform to his [[robot mode]], even though it's been strongly implied that he's faster in beast mode.

===Continuity notes===
* The weather on prehistoric Earth appears to be ''extremely'' destructive. Two bolts of lightning cause a mountain to implode. This might have something to do with the abundant energon, although there's nothing in the show to back this up.
* This is the first episode where we get to hear Terrorsaur speak (Besides "Terrorsaur, terrorize!" that is). It's also the first time he is shown to be the series' resident [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], possessing a flight-based alternate mode and already plotting behind his leader's back.

===Transformers references===

===Real-world references===
* Cheetor name-drops the Tom Jones song, [[w:What's New Pussycat? (song)|"What's New Pussycat?"]] as an expression. This reference would later be said again in "[[The Spark]]" and "[[The Trigger, Part 1]]" back to back.

===Trivia===
*The cheetah silhouette poster hanging over Cheetor's bed reads "RESTRICTED" in [[Cybertronix]].
*When Cheetor appears before him, Terrorsaur greets him thus: "Welcome to the dark side!" The episode script reveals that this was simply Terrorsaur being dramatic. As it was in response to Cheetor wondering if he had died and come to the afterlife, Terrorsaur was basically messing with him by saying a more colorful (and kid-friendly) version of "Welcome to Hell!" However, because [[fandom|Transformers fans]] can be ''incredibly'' literal, some fans speculatively latched on to the idea that Terrorsaur was welcoming Cheetor to the "''Dark Side''", supposedly giving the Predacon ship/base a proper name. This bit of [[fanon]] was subsequently made official by the video game ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (PS)|Beast Wars Transmetals]]''. Years later, the ship's name was further codified by the [[BotCon 2006]] story "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]", which dodged [[trademark]] issues by giving it the intentional misspelling "[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]". This is what happens when fans are allowed to run things. Seriously.
*This episode marks the finalization of most of the Maximals' voices; Cheetor loses most of his whine, Rhinox gains a more expressive range, and Dinobot sounds a fair bit deeper.
*Plenty of alternate transformation schemes in this episode. Most of Cheetor's transformations involve his cheetah mode splitting in two through the middle (even the tail), and his cheetah head flipping down to be the chest of a fully-formed robot that's curled up within this beast "shell", already wearing most of his beast kibble. Dinobot also shows off a pair of transformations radically different from – and even more cheaty than – his normal one.
*Waspinator speaks in first-person in this episode.
*Just prior to its debut in syndication, this episode was made available on DirecTV on a pay-per-view basis beginning on [[August 19]], 1996.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dos à Dos'''" ("Back to Back")

:*''Title:'' "'''Dos à Dos'''" (Canada, "Back to Back")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Pari opportunità per i Biocombat'''" ("Equal Opportunities for the Biocombats")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Im gleichen Boot'''" ("In the Same Boat")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 25|25 April]] [[1998]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Jigen Bakudan Tensō Sakusen!'''" (時限爆弾転送作戦!, "Operation: Time Bomb Transfer!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 22|22 October]] [[1997]]
::*Terrorsaur's line, "Welcome to the dark side!" was rendered, "Yōkoso, kaku!" or "Welcome, stranger!" (with plenty of ''caw caw caw'' noises added to the end, as is Terrorsaur's vocal tic in Japan). Thus, any silly ambiguity as to the proper noun status of his line is eliminated (not that it would matter, as the Predacon's ship received an official name in Japan long before it got one in the West: "Terror Crasher").

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Równe szanse'''" ("Equal Chances")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Medidas Iguais'''" ("Equal Measures")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Medidas Equitativas'''" (America, "Equal Measures")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yī Mài Xiàng Lián '''" (一脉相连, "In One Vein")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1997 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Cheetus' Crisis ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 2 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

The Web

2024-01-08T11:45:56Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign localization */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=3
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=3
|prev2=Beast Wars (Part 2)
|next2=Equal Measures
|image=The Web Cheetorinweb.jpg
|caption=Cheetor trains to be a traffic warden.
|title="The Web"
|season=1
|season ep=3
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 18]], [[1996]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[C. Michael Easton]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Rhinox (BW)#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Rhinox]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-hni04gvfo
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''While testing a new communications device, Cheetor runs into trouble.'''

==Synopsis==
At the [[Maximal]] base, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] enthusiastically volunteers to field test a new comlink [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] has developed to aid long range communication. Cheetor is instructed to take care of the device and not engage any [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]. After Cheetor bolts out of the room, Rhinox expresses a bit of doubt, but [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus]] is confident that he'll do fine.

[[File:The Web Cheetor commsdevice.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|The WWF likes to keep track of their animals.]]

Five [[units of length|microquads]] away, Cheetor hears an explosion, caused by [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] trying to recover a mega-cannon from one of the two ships. He radios a report to Optimus and heads off to investigate, openly defying his orders of avoiding any trouble. Primal leaves to recover Cheetor before something bad happens. Cheetor finds Scorponok and radios to Rhinox that he's going to take immediate action. He holds Scorponok at gunpoint, but [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] surprises Cheetor, giving Scorponok the time he needs to take him out with a missile. By the time Optimus arrives, the two Predacons are gone and Cheetor is left heavily damaged. As he lies unconscious, he dreams...

[[File:The Web Cheetordream.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|This would be so much cooler with a tight rope.]]
:''On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] all open fire on Cheetor, who merely laughs at his attackers and blasts them away with ease. But from the darkness within an empty water tower, the glowing eyes of Tarantulas taunt Cheetor. He opens fire again, this time finding his accuracy sorely diminished. Suddenly Scorponok transforms and attacks, and out of the blue Rattrap appears for a split second. With his blaster exhausted, Cheetor is unable to do anything but watch as a missile from Scorponok closes in.''

Cheetor reawakens on the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', having been repaired by Rhinox. Cheetor tries to explain to the Maximals gathered around him that he had to take immediate action to stop Scorponok's recovery of the cannon, but Optimus and the others are still disappointed in him for losing both the communicator and the cannon because of his impulsive actions. Once Primal leaves, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] gives Cheetor a hard time, causing the cat bot to snarl back and rush out of the room again. Rhinox makes Rattrap face up to what Cheetor is surely going to do, so Rattrap relents and agrees to go after him.

In Predacon territory, Terrorsaur and Scorponok install the newly recovered mega-cannon. Cheetor tries to sneak past them, but is so focused on waiting for the correct moment that he doesn't notice Tarantulas emerge from the ground behind him, and is quickly ensnared.

[[File:The Web Cheetor Tarantulas.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hey, aren't you supposed to buy me dinner first?]]
Cheetor awakens in a dark cavern, stuck to an energy web that restricts his movement. Tarantulas explains to him that the [[stasis web]] is draining his energy slowly, leaving the delicious body ripe for consumption. Tarantulas crawls over his captive's body and laughs with delight at the thought of his meal.

In the ''Axalon''{{'}}s control room, Optimus, Rhinox, and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] look over a holo-map of the [[Darksyde (BW)|crashed Predacon ship]]. Primal prepares to send Rattrap on a scouting mission, but Rhinox covers for his friend and says that the rat is talking to Cheetor.

Unknown to Optimus, Rattrap is already in Predacon territory, following Cheetor's trail. Rattrap finds Tarantulas's lair, and engages his Predacon nemesis. While the two battle, Tarantulas increases the rate at which the web drains energy from Cheetor. Tarantulas hunts Rattrap through the cavern with a thermal scan, but Rattrap fools him with a "hot box" and blasts the unfortunate spider.

[[File:The Web Rattrap rescue.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|You realise this means we're married?]]
After destroying the energy web, Rattrap grabs Cheetor and gets ready to leave, but one last blast from Tarantulas forces Rattrap to make his exit by diving away from a large explosion... which causes the cavern to collapse upon Tarantulas.

Back at the base, Rattrap lies to Optimus and claims he and Cheetor were just hanging out together. The act spares Cheetor from Primal's anger. In private, Rattrap emphasizes to Cheetor that he was only lying to cover his own hide... but Cheetor is still grateful to his pal.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (1)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (2)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (3)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (9)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (10)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (4)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (5)
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (7)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"You know, that is why you mess up, kiddo. You don't have the sense to BE afraid." 
"OH, YEAH? I'll show you what I have the sense to do, motorhead! You and Big Bot!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Cheetor''' trade manly quips.

"This is a dumb plan, webface. I don't have any real blood, just mech fluid." 
"Oh, my filters will adjust. It is the act I enjoy more than the nourishment."
:—'''Cheetor''' finds out '''Tarantulas''' is one sick puppy.

"''I hate that rat.''"
:—'''Tarantulas'''

==Notes==
===Script timeline===
Finalised: 9th January 1996

===Animation and technical errors===
* As Cheetor informs Primal and Rhinox about the explosion, Primal's shoulder armor is clipping into Rhinox's stomach.
* Optimus' eyes, apart from his pupils, are black instead of red as he leaves base.
** As if to make up for this, Cheetor's normally green cheetah eyes turn red in the immediate following shot.
* Right after Scorponok transforms back into [[beast mode]] to pull the cannon out of the rocks, his scorpion mode's torso blinks out of existence for a couple of frames. He also snaps his arms forward and back unrealistically during transformation.
* Could be intentional, but Scorponok's claws seem to be "stuck" in a raised position for awkwardly long as he readies to pull the cannon out of the rocks. They then snap around the cannon from one frame to the next with no transition between the poses.
* Scorponok's claws have a much stronger purple color as he moves away from the cannon at Cheetor's urging.
* When Cheetor is knocked unconscious by Scorponok, his face lacks the additional texture pattern, making it look less feline.
* There also seems to be a great deal of confusion as to what color Scorponok's eyes are supposed to be, changing between red and yellow intermittently.
* During Cheetor's first dream, as Megatron rapid-fires his purple lasers, the laser's own animation for leaving the gun doesn't appear, making it seem as if the gun's jammed.
* In the closeup on Tarantulas crawling right up to Cheetor's face, the spider has a much brighter purple color than normal.
* Just before Tarantulas transforms in his cave, there's a black shape sticking though the bottom of his spider-mode chin, looking rather like a goatee.
* As Cheetor is held captive by Tarantulas, his energy readout clearly drops to dangerous levels, yet in the next few subsequent shots, the levels are at maximum.
** Compounding on this problem, in the shot ''directly after'' Tarantulas turns the energy web to full power, it's shown at half power again. Whoops.
*When Rattrap is tracking Cheetor outside, his paws almost seem to hover above the ground. Indeed, it looks as if he was animated separate to the background, rather than within it.
* When Rattrap glances from Cheetor to the energy-draining machine, the cheetah's eyes are again red.
* Tarantulas' gun and the gold-colored segments on most of his body are matte instead of shiny when he notices he's been duped.
* When Tarantulas gets blasted away by Rattrap, he's apparently missing a considerable chunk of his chest, because you can clearly see his exposed inner joints, and some weird distorted pieces around the them. It is as though his left breast turned inside out. Strangely, once he's done falling to the ground, his chest is normal again.
** Also in this shot, Tarantulas' gun clips through his left arm.
* When Rattrap begins to carry Cheetor away, the latter's head seems almost melted. His face is all scrunched up and not animated, his ears are flattened and his nose is stretched and hanging down from his snout. The heck? He stays like that when Tarantulas' missile speeds toward them, then but gets fixed by the next shot.
* Cheetor's eyes very briefly turn red yet again as he and Rattrap turn away from the others at the end of the episode.

===Continuity notes===
* Cheetor wakes up after having been repaired by Rhinox, when generally the characters just emerge from a [[CR chamber]]. Based on this and the Maximals talking about the need for internal repairs in [[Beast Wars (Part 1)|the opening episode]], it appears they haven't got the chambers working yet.
* The Maximals have been stranded for at least a month (the time it took Rhinox to make the comlink). Either way, it becomes somewhat of a moot point in later episodes as the Maximals manage to communicate through interfaces on their bodies (presumably, Rhinox upgraded them to compensate for the lost comlink).
*Optimus mentions that Rhinox doesn't have the parts to build another comlink. Even if it did work, he wouldn't have been able to make any more for the rest of the team.
* Tarantulas makes the first reference to the '[[Pit (BW)|Inferno]]' (the Transformers version of Hell) in this episode. It's possible he was just talking about the subsequent Energy Web explosion, but unlikely. "Inferno" would get changed to "Pit" in later episodes to avoid confusion with a [[Inferno (BW)|yet-to-be introduced character]].
* Gadgets and powers:
** Cheetor's dream also contains a brief vision of Rattrap's rescue attempt before it actually happens. This is the first of several dreams, precognitive and otherwise, that Cheetor would have through the series.
** Optimus's eyes have a "scan mode" which he uses to track down Cheetor. He also appears to have a built in communication device which he activates by tapping his chest like he's wearing a Star Trek comm-badge. (It doesn't work, which he blames on energon interference. This is presumably what Rhinox was trying to work around with his external communication device.)
** Tarantulas can use a "thermo-scan" mode which he uses to try and find Rattrap's heat signature.
** Rattrap has portable devices that he carries in his forearms called "hot boxes". They generate a heat-field which fools Tarantulas's thermo-scan.

===Transformers references===
* In Cheetor's dream, you can see [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] in his Earth [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] flying over Cybertron for a few seconds: the [[Decepticon]] [[Insignia|sigil]] on his wing is the first direct Beast Wars reference to either the [[Autobot]]s or Decepticons.

===Trivia===
* Being an early episode, Cheetor and the other characters pretty distinctly pronounce his name as "Cheater".
* Also as an early episode, the Maximals and Predacons both also still use human time units here and there. Their own [[units of time]] would not become more firmly established until later.
* In a reverse of this, the Maximals use "microquads" as a unit of distance here. Later episodes will see them switch to human units of measurements (usually "klicks").
* The incredibly dangerous "mega-cannon" that is the focus of the early part of the episode is never mentioned again and the Maximals never seem to destroy it or even delay its installation.
* The Maximals spend a lot of time standing around on their ship in beast mode. While this is fine for Optimus, it does lead to Rhinox having to awkwardly put his front legs on the scanning table in order to see what's going on. As the series goes on, Maximals and Predacons being in beast mode on their respective ships becomes less and less common.
* Rattrap calls Tarantulas "eight eyes" even though his beast mode has nine.
* Scorponok's voice sounds less childish in this episode than in the preceding one. This is the first of many more 'mature' voice changes throughout the series, intentional or otherwise.
* Just prior to its debut in syndication, this episode was made available on DirecTV on a pay-per-view basis beginning on [[August 19]], 1996.
* Dinobot's line of "No no no! Destroy them!" is recycled audio from the first episode, originally two different lines used in separate parts of that episode ("Their shields are down. Destroy them!" and "No no no! It's all wrong. This cannot be Earth.").

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Toile'''" ("The Web")

:*''Title:'' "'''La Toile'''" (Canada, "The Web")

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La ragnatela'''" ("The Spiderweb")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das Netz'''" ("The Web")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 18|18 April]] [[1998]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cheetus no Kiki'''" (チータスの危機, "Cheetus's Crisis")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 15|15 October]] [[1997]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''W sieci'''" ("The Web")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A Teia'''" ("The Web")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''黄豹历险'''" ("Cheetor's Adventure")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La telaraña'''" ("The Spiderweb")

:*''Title:'' "'''La telaraña'''" (Latin America, "The Spiderweb")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1997 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Cheetus' Crisis ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 1 ([[Universal]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Maximal Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Chain of Command (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes — Where the Beasties Began! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==External links==
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptBtijmE_Us "Cheetus's Crisis"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Wb2pvVIOE "Cheetus's Crisis" (Part 2)] on YouTube

{{DEFAULTSORT:Web}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

Repugnus (G1)

2023-12-27T06:28:49Z

Vrahno: /* Foreign names */

{{factions|autobot|maximal}}
{{disambig3|Repugnus}}
:''Repugnus is an [[Autobot]] [[Monsterbot (G1)|Monsterbot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:G1Repugnus boxart.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|There's ugly, pug-ugly, fugly, pug-fugly...and then below all those there's ''Repugnus''-ugly.]]
Never a [[Decepticon]], '''Repugnus''' is not always an Autobot. No, sometimes he's a former Autobot who has been discharged for insubordination or just plain nastiness, but he always gets called back to perform some mission too unsavory for anybody else. Though he doesn't give a slag for authority or decency, Repugnus always does his job well.

Man, does he love his job. He'll describe with relish how he clawed an enemy within an inch of his life, then beat the bastard's head into a fuel-soaked wad of scrap metal with his own torn-off leg unit. He'll also add plenty of profanities and colorful idioms to the story. His friends would find this disturbing, if he had any.

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
[[File:Brothersinarmor-repugnus-morethanwords.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|right|Obviously, that whole "quest for peace" thing worked out pretty well for him.]]
Repugnus decided to join [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Fortress Maximus]] in abandoning the war and settling down for a peaceful, quiet life on the verdant paradise of [[Nebulos]]. {{storylink|Ring of Hate!}}

After Decepticon treachery turned the locals against the Autobots, Repugnus and the other Monsterbots attempted to defend the [[Mercury Gardens of Melanossus]] from [[Scorponok (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Scorponok]]'s forces. Repugnus fought ferociously, blasting his enemies with optic lasers while trash-talking the Decepticon leader, and was outraged when Grotusque, realizing the gardens were being destroyed by the battle, ordered a retreat.

Repugnus and rest of Fortress Maximus's troops then left Nebulos for [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}} They made a stop on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]] to meet the Earth-stationed Autobots and to observe [[Code of Combat|a ritual battle]] between [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] for overall leadership of the Autobot forces. Repugnus never got to see the result of the duel, as the proceedings were interrupted by a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

====''Regeneration One''====
Repugnus was offlined during the Underbase fiasco and kept in stasis aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]. His body was reanimated and lobotomised by [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and pressed into service as part of a [[zombie]] army used to devastate the Earth. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}} When Megatron was defeated by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], all his inactive zombies were gathered up by the Autobots, thrown into a huge pit, and vaporized from orbit. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}}

===Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''Legends'' comic (1)====
The Monsterbots were created by [[Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Wheeljack]] in 2011 and programmed with low intelligence to keep them from rampaging like some other beast-type Transformers. Their strange personalities made them unsuitable to be placed on the frontlines, leading to their being stationed on Beast where they were treated as equals by the Beastformers and eventually developed more advanced intelligence. {{storylink|The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 3}}

====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michitaka Kobayashi]] (Japanese)}}

[[File:RebellionBeest Repugnus.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|At least Japan cares about me. ''sobs'']]
Repugnus and his fellow Monsterbots were sent to the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]] by [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]], as a fair number of the planet's natives had been enslaved by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. While rescuing some slaves from the Decepticon base, Repugnus found some sort of blueprint attached to a wall, and decided to take it with him. After Autobots had driven the Decepticon forces off the planet, the blueprint turned out to depict a component of [[Transtector|some kind of giant machine]]. Rodimus Prime subsequently ordered the Monsterbots to stay on Beast and protect it against any future Decepticon assaults. Repugnus was fine with this, replying that it seemed like a nice planet to stay on. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}}

The Monsterbots were later called away from Beast to assist [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] and the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] during a battle on the planet [[Paradise]]. Repugnus and his comrades attacked [[Abominus (G1)|Abominus]] with their fire-breath, and some stray flames served to destroy the [[energon cube]]s that the Decepticons had amassed. {{storylink|Head Formation of Friendship}}

====''Beastformers'' catalog====
When [[Devilbat]] scanned the secret of [[White Leo]]'s Burstsun power and produced a Secret Photo of it, Repugnus spotted the whole event and gave chase. Devilbat dropped the Secret Photo into Beast's greatest forest during the pursuit. {{storylink|Beastformers catalog|Series 2 catalog}}

====''Legends'' comic (2)====
At one point, the Monsterbots returned to Beast to aid the Beastformers in their war against the [[Laser Beast]]s. However, their heads were torn off when the Laser Beasts took control of the [[Head Hunter]]s. {{storylink|LG51 Doublecross Prologue}}

By [[2021]], Repugnus had rescaled as a Cyberdroid and ended up on the Legends World with [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]]'s crew. He had taken to mooching off of [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] where he went unemployed and lived on Brawn's salary. When Brawn acquired a larger pilotable body in order to impress [[Scylla]] only to fall ill on the day of their date, he pressured Repugnus into getting in the mech and going in his stead. Things went alright until Scylla opened up the mech's car mode and discovered Repugnus, after which she took out her anger on both him and Brawn. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 48|Bonus Edition Vol. 48}} As thanks for helping out, Brawn then got Repugnus a mech suit of his own. When Doublecross showed up under the control of the evil [[Tigerburn]], Repugnus was confused that his old Monsterbot friend was an enemy now. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 51|Bonus Edition Vol. 51}} Repugnus and Brawn later offered [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] use of their armor suits to defeat [[Thrust (Armada)|Armada Thrust]], and he was able to pilot an enlarged duplicate of the [[Repug Armor]] created using [[Blowpipe (G1)|Blowpipe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 53|Bonus Edition Vol. 53}}

Following the destruction of the Legends World, Repugnus emerged from a portal over planet Beast with the Battleship Maximus and his friends. They intervened on the side of the Beastformers to help Doublecross and [[White Leo]] against Tigerburn and the Laser Beasts. [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] used water from the [[Well of Transformation]] to separate the Laser Beasts from their stolen Headmaster bodies, allowing Repugnus to reclaim his original Monsterbot form as a Headmaster himself. Tigerburn then unleashed the Battle Bases on the Beastformers. Grotusque/[[Platinum Tiger]] and Doublecross/White Leo stood up to this new attack, and Repugnus lamented that he needed the power of teamwork as well. [[Hedgehog]] had acquired [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]'s old exo-suit, and offered to merge with Repugnus. They became a new Headmaster combination, but were almost immediately struck by the [[Shocking Shark]]. Repugnus repaired Hedgehog's head armor into a copy of his own head, and began using his Legends drone armor as a handheld weapon. The Battle Bases were defeated, and the final battle came down to White Leo and Tigerburn, who locked themselves into a crystal form, finally bringing peace to Beast. {{storylink|The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 1}}

In [[2038]], the Monsterbots greeted Legends [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] when he ended up on Beast {{storylink|Targetmaster Chapter Finale: Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two|Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two}} and got him up to speed on things. The destruction of the Legends World had cast the residents to different time periods, and so while Rattrap had only seen Repugnus hours earlier, it was fifteen years later for the Monsterbot. {{storylink|The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 1}}

As the Monsterbots and Beastformers met with the new arrivals, [[Galvatron II]] brought the Decepticons and his base-ship [[Nemesis (BW)|Nemesis]] to attack Beast. Repugnus had mass-produced his mini-me drone armor, and he and Hedgehog launched the drones at ''Nemesis'', only for many to be shot down by Galvatron. The Emperor of Destruction was too powerful for the Monsterbots, and he prepared to execute them. Repugnus and his friends tried to save their comrades by separating from their Headmasters before the final blow. This drew out the [[Three Wise Ones]] from their Gems, impressed by the Monsterbots' compassion. They fashioned themselves into mechanical head modules and merged with the Monsterbots, filling them with [[Beast Power]]. {{storylink|The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 3}}

Through the power of the Gem of Earth, Repugnus recombined with Hedgehog as a [[Getmaster]] in his chest. This Beastformer configuration enabled him to drive off the Decepticons using explosive needle attacks and defended Rattrap using his [[MVP Weapon]], the Double Jungle Swords. Doublecross was not as fortunate, however, and lost the Gem of Fire to Galvatron. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Repugnus)|Repugnus Chapter}} Still, Grotusque and Platinum Tiger were able to tap into their Getmaster mode, and Galvatron was defeated and driven off of Beast. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Grotusque)|Grotusque Chapter}}

Repugnus later appeared at the [[Zone Base]] with Rattrap and his Legends refugees and they prepared to reconstruct the Legends World. {{storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
The three Monsterbots and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] composed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s team during the search for [[Metascan Alpha]]. The group ended up on a desolate moon, confronted by [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]]. Although Repugnus was keen to fight "the ugly ones", Ultra Magnus insisted they continue with their mission. They flew down to the planet below, only to find it under attack by the [[Destructon]]s. Repugnus was batted aside by [[Bruton]]'s Confusion Club, and the Autobots beat a hasty retreat back to the moon. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

===3H comics===
Less than three [[Units of time|deca-cycles]] after the [[reformatting]] of Cybertron into a [[technorganic]] wonderland, Repugnus and his fellow Monsterbots (apparently all having undergone the [[Great Upgrade|Maximal Upgrade]] downsizing) were seen exiting a bar at [[Spaceport CSSB-16]], soused out of their minds (Repugnus especially so, as he was half carried by [[Doublecross]]) on some high-quality [[energon]]. {{storylink|The Wreckers: Finale Part 1}}

===Fun Publications comics===
[[Image:Repugnus-TFUart.jpg|left|thumb|I am the Frito Bandito...]]
A [[Maximal]] Repugnus from [[Primax 1104.30-TW Zeta]] {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/02}} was one of the [[Child of Primus|Children of Primus]] involved in the final battle of the [[Universe War]] on the surface of [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}} With the disappearance of Unicron beneath him, he apparently ended up at [[Axiom Nexus]] and was "processed". {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 1}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
{{First|[[Spotlight: Arcee]] (spark only); [[Maximum Dinobots issue 2|Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #2]] (full appearance)}}
[[File:MaximumDinobots3 RepugnusBeastMode.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|"Aw... wook at da cute widdle Monsterbot. Here, boy! Kootchie, kootchie... AUGH! AUGH! IT'S RIPPING MY ARM OFF!"]]
In the era of [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]], Repugnus was seen among the crowd of protesters rallying against the [[Outback (G1)|Autobot cop]] who reportedly killed an unarmed [[Hefter|Decepticon agitator]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen}}

Repugnus, apparent leader of the Monsterbots, was held as a prisoner in the [[Garrus-9]] penitentiary complex overseen by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Fortress Maximus]], stripped down to his [[spark]] and held in a tiny box for an as-of-yet unknown crime or offense. {{storylink|Spotlight: Arcee}}

He has apparently served out his sentence, as he showed up on Earth with the other Monsterbots to bail out [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]]. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 2|Maximum Dinobots #2}} He merrily directed his team to mass-murder the [[Sunstreaker clone]]s, while threatening that Grimlock ''better'' have something to make his trip worthwhile—both Monsterbot and [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobot]] may be outcasts, but he doesn't do things [[Death's Head (G1)|for free, yes?]] {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 3|Maximum Dinobots #3}}

[[File:Repugnus MaximumDinobots4.jpg|left|upright=1|thumb|Do you think I care that this is your series? Give me my damn money!]]
Later, aboard the Monsterbots' ship, Repugnus and his cohorts had a little sit-down with Grimlock. Repugnus wasn't particularly happy with Grimlock remaining mum on their payment, and not-so subtly hinted that they'd have to resort to violent methods (perish the thought, of course!) in order to extract their due. Grimlock calmly explained that they'd be given payment in the form of whatever information the Dynobots took from [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]]'s ship [[Spotlight: Shockwave|before they destroyed it]]. Repugnus seemed satisfied enough by this.

The Monsterbots dropped the Dynobots off at [[Machination]] HQ, and even laid down a suppressive bombardment to knock out the anti-air defenses, but that was the extent of their help. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4|Maximum Dinobots #4}}

When the battle largely went south, Repugnus and crew were summoned again for evac. [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]], and [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] showed up and Repugnus noted that they'd be good fits for his team, being interested only in themselves. This remark didn't appear to sit too well with the three Dynobots and they decided to return to help Grimlock battle Shockwave. The Monsterbots presumably lit out of there in a hurry before [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] caught sight of them. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

Years later, Repugnus had apparently rejoined the Autobot cause proper as a crew member of the ''[[Lost Light]]''. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} When the ''Lost Light'' began to rapidly disappear, Repugnus evacuated the ship along with the rest of the crew. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} After the ordeal had been dealt with, Repugnus was having a drink at [[Swerve's]] before being knocked out when [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] spiked the drinks. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}} Repugnus, along with [[Doublecross]] fell on top of [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], trapping him. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}}

[[File:Repugnus_Doublecross_prewake_adobespark.jpeg|right|upright=1.7|thumb|Bug off!]]
Repugnus was one of the Autobots who was there when [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] gave news of [[Thunder Clash]]'s prewake. As the speech was happening, [[Doublecross]] seemed to annoy him.{{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}}

Repugnus became a member of the security team for the ''Lost Light'' after supporting [[Getaway]]'s mutiny. Like all of the crew, he was subjected to [[mnemosurgery]] that made him forget the mutiny and believe [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]], and Ultra Magnus left of their own accord, abandoning the rest of the crew. He was subjected to additional reprogramming as a member of the security team, causing him to unquestioningly accept Getaway's orders, and believe anyone who opposed Getaway was a Decepticon traitor. {{storylink|The Plotters' Club (Part 1): Full Circle|Full Circle}}
{{-}}

===''Wings Universe''===
Repugnus was interviewed by [[Bishop (Autobot)|Bishop]] to give an expert entomologist opinion on a recent [[Virulent Clone|bug invasion]]. After Repugnus explained that he liked raising the cute little bug larvae to become massive horrible killers to sic on intruders, he then confirmed that not only was he not an entomologist, he didn't even know what that meant. {{storylink|Around Cybertron issue 10|Around Cybertron #10}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{Note|Repugnus is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Autobot duplicates in the Decepticon campaign.}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

==Commercial appearances==
Repugnus and the Monsterbots were created accidentally during an attempt to create new Autobots. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] raced to warn [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] of the accident as the wild Monsterbots trashed the lab where they were born. Thankfully the [[Decepticon]]s attacked just then, and the Monsterbots burst out of the building through the wall to fight them. Repugnus, sweet guy that he is, gave [[Octane]] a great big hug. Rodimus expressed relief that, though they were monsters, at least they were Autobot monsters. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Monsterbots|Monsterbots commercial}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
{{anchor|Generation 1}}
[[File:G1Repugnus toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Moonlights as a tin of baked beans.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Repugnus''' (Monsterbot, [[1987]])}}</ul>
:*''Takara name'': '''Repug'''
:*''Takara ID number'': '''C-98'''
:*''Accessories'': "[[Venom laser]]" gun

: Released in the fourth year of Hasbro's ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|The Transformers]]'' toyline (third in Europe and... sort-of in Takara's ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]'' line, we'll get to that), Monsterbot Repugnus transforms from robot to bizarre bug-thing and back. His toy can shoot [[sparking gimmick|"cold" sparks]] from his bug-mode mouth by pressing down on a geared button on his bug-skull. This mechanism also makes his mandibles open and close automatically.

: In Japan, "Repug" was never made available as part of the normal retail line. Instead, he was first offered as a mail-away contest prize in the second and third waves of the ''[[Beastformers (franchise)|Beastformers]]'' spin-off line, a potential prize by sending in five filled-in survey forms from ''Beastformers'' toys. After that, he was a normal mail-order item during ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1988 (Super-God Masterforce)|Super-God Masterforce]]'', costing 2500 yen (200 yen more than the other two Firebots/Monsterbots) and five [[Robot Point]]s. As a mail-away/prize offering, the Takara release was sold in Hasbro packaging, with only a couple of additional stickers identifying it as the Japanese market version. The ID number "C-98" comes from marketing material.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Autobot/Repugnus/repugnus.htm More info on Repugnus at TFU.info.]''
{{-}}

===''Universe'' (2003)===
[[File:Universe Repugnus toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Overbite with Repugnus''' (Ultra Class, [[2006]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Pincer-pack, tail-shield
{{toydesigner|[[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

: Released in the 2003 ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)| Universe]]'' toyline, this version Repugnus is a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Fuzor]] [[Buzzclaw (BW)#Toys|Buzzclaw]] toy in translucent red and yellow, Repugnus transforms into a praying mantis/lizard monster, with massive hooked claws and enormous mandibles. Pressing a grip on the creature's back causes the claws to swing outwards. This assembly can be used as a hand-held weapon in robot mode, while his tail becomes a forearm-mounted shield.

: He was only available in a box set with [[Overbite (G1)#Universe (2003)|''Universe'' Overbite]] which had been originally intended for normal retail release, but with the cancellation of the ''Universe'' line at retail, was eventually released as a [[Target]] [[exclusive]]. Repugnus is an Autobot according to the [[Insignia|faction sigil]] stamped on him, though the packaging labels him a [[Decepticon]].

: The same mold was used to create ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' [[Buzzclaw (G1)#Toys|Buzzclaw]], [[Dirge (Timelines)#Toys|Dirge]], and the [[Virulent Clone#Toys|Virulent Clone]]s. Like those figures, Repugnus came [[Misassembly|misassembled]], with his creature mode mandibles angled perpendicular to the beast head as opposed to their proper parallel position. This does not hamper his robot mode in any way, however.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Decepticon/UniRepugnus/repugnus.htm More information on ''Universe'' Repugnus at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Titans Return''===
[[File:TF-Generations-Titans-Return-Titan-Master-Repugnus.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Busy suffering the slings and arrows of [https://www.youtube.com/c/GavinSpenceTRDQ outrageous Scotsmen.]]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Repugnus''' (Titan Master, [[2017]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Insect/jet/blade-weapon vehicle
{{toydesigner|[[John Warden]] (Hasbro)}}

: Part of the fourth wave of ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' Titan Master figures, Repugnus transforms from robot based on his original toy to a head based on his [[character model]] used in ''The Headmasters'' cartoon and the US toy [[commercial]]s, and he's compatible as a head with any Deluxe-or-larger ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' figure. He gives his partner the power to steal data.

: Included with him is a shell that he can combine with to resemble his original toy's beast mode. His shell can become a bladed (non-firing) double-barreled blaster, or a jet-like vehicle with four thrusters molded into the legs. Repugnus fits inside the beast and weapon modes as a folded-up component, but "pilots" the jet mode as a robot.

: The two pegs at the bottom front of his beast shell can be used to connect his feet, though none of his modes use them in this way. In an undocumented or possibly unintended feature, moving the beast head forward and inserting the Titan Master behind it with arms raised allows the feet to peg firmly here, creating a "rider" mode. The notch in the back of the neck strut is just wide enough to accommodate the waist of the Titan Master.

: Like his wavemate [[Shuffler#Titans Return|Shuffler]], Repugnus never saw wide release in Malaysia, due to [[Shelfwarmer|shelfwarming]] in the first and second waves.

: His head was later redecoed for the ''Legends'' line (see below), while his insect/jet/blade-weapon vehicle was redecoed as [[Broadside (G1)#Legends|''Legends'' Broadside]]'s [[Repug Armor]] accessory.

{{-}}{{anchor|PWTSE}}{{anchor|SpecialEdition}}
[[File:TF-Generations-TR-Deluxe-Class-Repugnus.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|If you want me to have eyes, you have to buy me again. Sort of.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Repugnus''' (Special Edition, [[2018]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Two swords, "[[Dastard]]" [[Titan Master]], "[[Solus Prime#Titans Return|Solus Prime]]" [[Prime Master]]

:''Titans Return'' Special Edition Repugnus is a very extensive [[retool]]ing of Deluxe Class [[Doublecross#Generations|Twinferno]], transforming into his traditional robot and bug-monster modes. The robot's swords plug into the back in both creature and robot modes to give the appearance of an insect's curved carapace or combine together to create a sled that his Titan Master partner [[Dastard#Toys|Dastard]] (or any other Titan Master) can ride. They can also be clipped together onto his arm in robot mode, creating what is apparently supposed to be a bladed gauntlet of some kind. The sled can also be mounted on Repugnus's bug mode shoulder. Titan Master Dastard gives Repugnus a head sculpt very much based on the original toy, unlike the animation-based Repugnus Titan Master listed above. For an unknown reason, the instructions skip a step; the robot mode legs have to be tilted backwards once they form the abdomen, without doing this the Titan Master door cannot be opened. Despite this, the instructions show the incorrect allignment in step 18, and then in step 19 the legs are correct. Unlike standard toys from the ''Titans Return'' toyline, Repugnus does not come with a card showing his stats.

: Some specimens have red paint on both of the robot pectoral plates, while others have it only on one. It is unknown which version is more common.

: The picture on the back of the box shows the toy stretching its bug forelimbs out to the sides, though this is not possible on the final toy without [[customizing|filing down the elbow joint]].

: This "Special Edition" set, celebrating the ''Titans Return'' portion of the ''[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]'', was an [[Amazon (website)|Amazon.com]] exclusive in the U.S., first revealed via preorder listing without any official announcement from Hasbro. It was also available at general retail in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Singapore.
{{-}}

===''Legends''===
[[File:LG48-Repug.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Does not shoot sparks when installed on Brawn.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Gong & Repug''' ('''Brawn & Repugnus''')<ref>The packaging says "ゴング&リパッグ" (Gong & Repug) in Japanese, but the accompanying English subtitle is "Brawn & Repugnus".</ref> (2017)}}</ul>
:*''Release date'': [[October 28]], 2017
:*''ID number'': '''LG48'''

: Released in the twenty-second wave of TakaraTomy's ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' toyline, Repug is a redeco of ''Titans Return'' Repugnus, with the colors based on his animated appearance in ''The Headmasters''. Though he lacks the insect/jet/blade-weapon vehicle accessory of the Hasbro release, he is compatible with the redeco of said accessory included with [[Broadside (G1)#Legends|Broadside]].

: He was only available in a two-pack with [[Brawn (G1)/toys#LG48|Gong]].

{{-}}{{anchor|LGEX}}
[[File:Lgex_repug_grotes_inbox.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Repug & Grotes''' ('''Repugnus & Grotusque''') ([[2019]])}}</ul>
:*''Release date'': [[January 26]], 2019
:*''ID number'': '''LGEX'''
:*''Accessories'': 2 swords, "Hedgehog" Headmaster

: The "EX" version of ''Legends'' Repug is a re-release of the ''Prime Wars Trilogy'' Special Edition figure. The Takara release is very slightly different, utilizing a glossy paint finish and black screws in contrast to a matte finish and silver screws of the Hasbro release. Also, his Headmaster partner is now a new body for the ''[[Beastformers (franchise)|Beastformers]]'' character [[Hedgehog#Legends|Hedgehog]].

: He was only available in a two-pack with [[Grotusque#Legends|Grotes]] and his Headmaster partner [[Platinum Tiger#Legends|Platinum Tiger]], released exclusively online through [[TakaraTomy Mall]].
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===''Tiny Titans''===
*'''Repugnus''' (Tiny Titan, 2015)
**''Series'': '''3'''
**''Number: '''2/12'''

: Part of the third assortment of ''[[Tiny Titans]]'', Repugnus is a lightly-painted PVC figurine of the Monsterbot in insect-monster mode, one of only two Tiny Titans to not be in "robot" mode (the other being the [[Sharkticon (species)#Tiny Titans|Sharkticon]]).

: He includes a collectible card that renders him in the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|2015 ''Robots in Disguise'']] styling. The card includes a scan-badge for the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]], which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.
{{--}}

==Notes==
*The instructions for the original Repugnus and [[Doublecross]] toys depict Repugnus with Doublecross's Rust Ray and Doublecross with Repugnus's venom laser.
*The box photography for G1 Repugnus features his robot mode incorrectly transformed, with his bug mode claws hanging above his robot mode shoulders instead of folded across his robot mode chest.
*Repugnus was one of [[Glen Hallit]]'s last contributions to the ''Universe'' line, as the [[redeco]] was his brainchild. It's likely that if the ''Universe'' comic had continued, Repugnus would have been indicated to be the Generation 1 character, a favorite of Hallit's. [[Ask Vector Prime]] would [[Canonizing|canonize]] this idea years later, albeit as a Maximal.
*In one of the extras in ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|The Dark Ages]]'' trade paperback, [[Grotusque]] is listed as a member of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s evil [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacon]] faction. This seems at odds with what we know of Grotusque's personality, plus he never actually appeared in the comic at Starscream's side. It's possible this is a mistake, and it was meant to be his more unstable Monsterbot colleague, Repugnus.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Repug''' (リパッグ ''Ripaggu'')
*''French:'' '''Répugnus''' (Canada)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Undor''' ("Disgust")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Bàoluàn Shòu''' (China, 暴乱兽, "Riot Beast")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Amazon exclusives]]
[[Category:Children of Primus]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 toy Autobots]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Spies]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Regeneration One zombies]]
[[Category:TakaraTomy Mall exclusives]]
[[Category:Target exclusives]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Titan Masters]]
[[Category:Titans Return Autobots]]
[[Category:TransTech Maximals]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe Maximals]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]

Ferenc Hujber

2023-12-15T01:04:07Z

Vrahno:

'''Ferenc Hujber''' ([[September 9]], [[1974]] -) is a (former?) Hungarian actor, voice actor and TV show host, known from roles in productions such as the comedy trilogy ''A Kind of America'', the action show ''Hacktion'' or the soaps ''Barátok közt'' and ''Jóban Rosszban''.

Voice acting-wise, he has dubbed characters like Ragnar Lothbrok of ''Vikings'', Julian Bashir of ''[[Star Trek]]: Deep Space Nine'', the young Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto of the ''[[X-Men]]'' film series, Xandir of ''Drawn Together'', Ray Gillette of ''Archer'' and Roy Mustang of the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' anime franchise.

Following several bouts of controversy regarding his education, career, personal and public life, which included accusations of drug abuse, Ferenc went off the rails, leaving the acting business and his family, first moving to Canada in 2017, then being spotted working at a restaurant in the U.K., all the while stirring up further contention. He has made occasional return trips to his home country and still appeared in minor acting and dubbing roles during 2017 and '18. After a multi-year hiatus, he returned to voice acting in late 2023 for Netflix's ''Yu Yu Hakusho'' series.

==Voice roles==
===[[Transformers (film)|''Transformers'' (2007)]]===
*[[William Lennox]]

===''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]''===
*William Lennox

===''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]''===
*William Lennox

===''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]''===
*William Lennox

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0401286/ IMDB entry]
*[https://myanimelist.net/people/7852/Ferenc_Hujber My Anime List entry]
*{{w|lang=hu|Hujber Ferenc|Wikipedia entry}} (Hungarian)
*[http://iszdb.hu/?szemely=4050&lap=munkassag Hungarian Voice Acting Database entry] (Hungarian)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hujber, Ferenc}}
[[Category:Hungarian voice actors]]

Airazor (ROTB)

2023-12-05T00:44:59Z

Vrahno:

{{disambig3|Airazor}}
{{factions|maximal}}
:''Airazor is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]] portion of the [[Movie continuity family]].''
[[File:ROTB Airazor render.jpg|right|thumb|350px|''Transformers'' movies are for the birds!]]

'''Airazor''' is a high-flying Maximal. Wise, compassionate, and selfless, she embodies the Maximals' mission of preserving life across the universe, and is willing to risk her own [[spark]] to honor that vow. Though no one has any record of seeing her transform outside of her [[beast mode]], her fearless demeanor and willingness to swoop into the face of imminent danger helps maintain her status as a brave, dignified, and vigilant protector of her team, allies, and friends, including [[Elena Wallace]], whom the Maximal scout had grown fond of for her great historical knowledge throughout their perilous adventure.

{{bigquote|His sacrifice will be our oath. To preserve the [[Transwarp Key|key]], no matter the cost.|Airazor upon [[Apelinq (ROTB)|Apelinq]]'s death|''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''Rise of the Beasts'' film===
{{Voiceactor|[[Michelle Yeoh]] (English), [[Takako Honda]] (Japanese)|[[Dorothée|Frédérique Hoschedé]] (European French), [[Nathalie Coupal]] (Canadian French), [[Rebeca Manriquez]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Arianne Borbach]] (German), [[Laura Romano]] (Italian), [[Rosa Maria Baroli]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}

[[File:ROTB-Airazortrailer.jpg|thumb|That's a bridge we'll burn when we get to it.]]

Airazor was among the Maximals under the command of [[Apelinq (ROTB)|Apelinq]] when [[Unicron]] arrived to devour their [[Jungle Planet (colony)|home]] and claim the [[Transwarp Key]]. She regrouped with Apelinq, [[Optimus Primal (ROTB)|Optimus Primal]], [[Cheetor (ROTB)|Cheetor]], and [[Rhinox (ROTB)|Rhinox]] as Unicron's army invaded, taking out one of the two [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Scorponok (ROTB)|Scorponok]] drones pursing Apelinq with Primal. Apelinq declared he would hold the line against the approaching [[Scourge (ROTB)|Scourge]] and passed command to Primal, ordering the Maximals to flee to the stars to keep the Key out of Unicron's clutches. The Maximals were saddened by the sacrifice of their leader, but as they and others fled in a ship, Airazor affirmed that Apelinq's sacrifice, "no matter the cost" would become their oath.

Upon arriving to [[Earth]], the Maximals split the Key into two pieces to be kept by two groups for safekeeping, with Primal leading Cheetor and Rhinox to Peru while Airazor and a few others hid elsewhere. Due to unknown circumstances, her group did not last, leaving Airazor isolated, and, without contact with the other Maximals, led her to believe she was the last of her kind. Humanity noticed Airazor over the centuries and carved a statue in her likeness, which would hide Airazor's half of the Key. In 1994, the statue was unearthed and brought to a museum on Ellis Island in [[New York City]]. [[Elena Wallace]] quickly determined that the statue was not of any known human civilization and snuck into a lab after work to conduct her own research on it, which led to the statue crumbling to reveal the key fragment and unwittingly summon the [[Terrorcon (ROTB)|Terrorcons]]. Scourge soon arrived with [[Battletrap (ROTB)|Battletrap]] and [[Nightbird (ROTB)|Nightbird]] to claim the key fragment, and though they were successful, they decided to flee when Airazor arrived to reinforce the [[Autobot]]s led by [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]. In the aftermath of the fight, Airazor gave the Autobots her condolences for the loss of [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] and explained the nature of the Terrorcons to Elena and [[Noah Díaz]], and that Scourge only had half of the Key thanks to the Maximals splitting it. Airazor gently asked Elena to lead them to the site of the second key fragment once she realized the young woman had deciphered clues to it.

[[File:ROTB_Elena_and_Airazor.jpg|left|thumb|Every post-apocalyptic gang of survivors has that one guy who hides that they got bitten by a zombie.]]

The next day, Airazor flew to Peru alongside the Autobots and humans who rode aboard [[Stratosphere]]. She helped monitor Noah and Elena's infiltration of the nearby city to get to the second key fragment only for the Terrorcons to attack. As the battle went poorly for the Autobots once again, Airazor used her fire breath to destroy a bridge and forcibly stopped a further duel between Prime and Scourge. However, the Terrorcon leader thought fast and successfully shot Airazor with a portion of Unicron's dark energy, which slowly rotted her body and began to corrupt her. Airazor nonetheless arrived in time to defuse a standoff between the Autobots and her old Maximal comrades, who she was delighted to see again, but grimly reported she was all that was left of her detachment of Maximals. Elena noticed the growing corruption on her wing, but Airazor insisted she would be okay, despite the corruption beginning to affect her mind. After the group made camp as a human village allied with Primal, Airazor spoke to him privately. Primal admitted that Prime wasn't who he expected, but Airazor pointed out that they both had lost so much, and that Primal likely would act the same if he had another chance to save their planet from Unicron.

[[File:ROTB infected Airazor.jpg|thumb|'''''WHY''''' '''HAVE YOU COME?!''']]

By morning, unfortunately, Airazor finally succumbed to Scourge's corruption and attacked the humans. She kidnapped Elena in order to deliver the last key fragment to Scourge, who then set her after her comrades. Airazor violently engaged Primal, who was able to use his bulk and strength to grab her in a crushing embrace. Though Primal was distressed at what needed to be done, Airazor assured him it was okay and ordered him to do it. Primal reluctantly complied, crushing Airazor's spark and finally giving her peace again. As the others arrived, and Elena, Cheetor, and Rhinox grieved the loss of their friend, Primal morosely stood over his friend's corpse, resolutely repeating their oath, "no matter the cost." Airazor would later be avenged when Prime killed Scourge in battle and prevented Unicron from claiming another world and with it the Transwarp Key. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts}}

{{note|Airazor's involvement in the preceding events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the books "[[Mission at the Museum]]" and "[[The Search Is On]]".}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===''Studio Series''===
[[File:TF-Studio-Series-SS-97-Deluxe-ROTB-Airazor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Airazor''' (Deluxe Class, [[2023]])}}</ul>
:*''Movie'': '''''Rise of the Beasts'''''
:*''Hasbro ID number'': '''97'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''SS-107'''
:*''Accessories'': 2 photon blasters, "Peruvian Jungle Discovery" backdrop
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro), [[Yūya Ōnishi]] (TakaraTomy)<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Evan worked with Yuyu-san on Airazor design; built conversion similar to Kingdom. No reused parts from Kingdom Airazor. #Transformers|link=https://twitter.com/TFU_INFO/status/1622693246978691084|name=TFU liveblog of ''Transformers'' brand team roundtable|site=Twitter|day=06|month=02|year=2023}}</ref>}}

: Released as part of the nineteenth wave of ''[[Studio Series]]'' Deluxe Class figures, Airazor transforms into a mechanical peregrine falcon in twenty-three steps, sharing the transformation engineering of the prior [[Airazor (BW)#War for Cybertron: Kingdom|''Kingdom'' Airazor]] toy. As such, she includes two "photon blasters" which can be handheld or mount on her forearms via [[5 mm post|5 mm ports]]; these parts store there in beast mode as well because this toy is missing the hip ports ''Kingdom'' Airazor used for storage.

: Airazor's official robot mode stock picture is mistransformed, with the robot feet not being turned around. This error is also carried over to the way she is packaged in box. The box pictures also feature a much darker brown toy contrary to the lighter champagne gold colored final product. The box depictions also omit the silver Maximal symbol on her right forearm.

: Hasbro revealed the figure on [[January 17]], 2023.
{{--}}

===''Buzzworthy Bumblebee''===
[[File:TF-ROTB-Mainline-Deluxe-Class-Airazor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Just needs some [[Stiletto (BW)|stilettoes]] to complete the look.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1m1|'''Bumblebee / Airazor / Autobot Mirage''' (Jungle Mission 3-pack, July 2023)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': 2 swords
{{toydesigner|[[Shogo Hasui]] (TakaraTomy)}}

: Included as part of the second [[Target]]-exclusive ''[[Buzzworthy Bumblebee]]'' "Jungle Mission 3-pack", this Airazor is another Deluxe Class iteration of the character. While she converts into a mechanical peregrine falcon just as before, this time her transformation scheme is completely different, with the bulk of her wings becoming her robot-mode legs. She includes two small swords for her robot mode to wield. The Maximal symbol on Airazor's chest/bird noggin tends to be [[tampograph|printed]] on rather haphazardly, usually rotated counterclockwise by about five to ten degrees.

: This set also includes [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Rise of the Beasts|Bumblebee]] and [[Mirage (Movie)#Buzzworthy Bumblebee|Mirage]].
{{--}}

===''Rise of the Beasts''===
[[File:TF-ROTB-Deluxe-Airazor-Single.jpg|thumb|upright=1]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Airazor''' (Deluxe Class, 2023)}}</ul>
:*''TakaraTomy name'': '''Deluxe Class Airazor'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''BD-03'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[May 27]], 2023
:*''Accessories'': 2 swords
{{toydesigner|[[Shogo Hasui]] (TakaraTomy)}}

:The Airazor from the ''Buzzworthy Bumblebee'' Jungle Mission 3-pack was also available individually at general retail under [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (toyline)|''Rise of the Beasts'']] packaging. It was first sighted at UK retail.

{{-}}{{anchor|Battlemaster}}
[[File:TF-ROTB-Battlemaster-Airazor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.50]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Airazor''' (Beast Battle Masters, 2023)}}</ul>
:*''TakaraTomy name'': '''Kakusei Weapon Airazor'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''BW-05'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': October 28, 2023

: Part of the third wave of Beast Battle Masters, Airazor is a little bird with a 4-inch wingspan. Uniquely, she features two weapon modes: a crossbow blaster and a shield-blaster combo. Airazor has a [[5 mm post]] that allows her weapon modes to be used by other figures, which can also be used to attach her bird mode to compatible ports. The barrel of her blaster is also a 5 mm hole, making her compatible with numerous [[Fire Blast effect]]s.

: This figure was first found in Thailand, prior to any official acknowledgment by Hasbro. Airazor was later found at Monroe's Walmart.
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===Figural Bag Clip===
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Airazor''' (2023)}}</ul>
:Released by Monogram, this 2.5" 3D foam bag clip takes the form of a chibi ''Rise of the Beasts'' Airazor in falcon mode.

:It was available only as part of a [[Blindpacking|mystery blind bag]] collection.

===Kross Studio===
[[File:KrossStudioROTBAirazorWatch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Probably the highest-end piece Airazor will ever get.]]

<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''''Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'' Collector Set''' (2023)}}</ul>

: To celebrate the release of ''Rise of the Beasts'', watchmaking manufacturer Kross Studio partnered with Hasbro to make a 10-piece limited edition tourbillon watch designed with many elements taken from the film and its visual identity, such as green highlights, the Maximal insignia, [[Cybertronix]] symbols and Incan-inspired engravings.

: The watch comes enclosed inside a perfectly sculpted replica of the Airazor artifact as seen in the film, intentionally replicating the resting place of the first half of the Transwarp Key to be found. The replica features a pressure mechanism on its head that opens and closes its "wings" to reveal the watch bathed in a green LED light.
::*''[http://kross-studio.ch/en/transformers-rise-of-the-beasts-collector-set/overview More information on the Kross Studio Collector Set at kross-studio.ch]''
{{toystub}}
{{--}}

===''Pop!''===
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Airazor''' (2023)}}</ul>
:*''ID number:'' '''1379'''

:Released as part of a ''Rise of the Beasts''-themed batch of the ''Pop! Movies'' segment and as a [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2023 exclusive, [[Funko Pop!|Funko]]'s ''Pop!'' Airazor is a super deformed vinyl figure of the character flying in falcon mode supported by a translucent stand.
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:ROTBcap-Airazor-CU.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|We thought the feathered look was more an '80s thing.]]
* Airazor's design evidently changed after her merchandise was ready for production, as none of the toys developed for ''Rise of the Beasts'' feature the movie's beast mode design, which is a lot more feathery than the toys' smoother, metallic form.
* Airazor spends all of her screen time in ''Rise of the Beasts'' in her beast mode, never transforming to robot mode. No robot mode renders have been released either, and the toy designers had to come up with one for the toys.<ref>[https://news.tfw2005.com/2023/07/28/sdcc-2023-hasbro-show-floor-qa-legacy-studio-series-video-games-more-488215 San Diego Comic-Con 2023 Hasbro Show Floor Q&A]</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Airazor''' (エアレイザー ''Eareizā'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Fēi Jiàn''' (飞箭, "Flying Arrow"), '''Shényīng''' (神鷹, "Condor")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Légpenge''' ("Air Blade")<ref>The name is likely the result of an oversight. Most of the robot names in ''Rise of the Beasts'' were taken from the Hungarian translation of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|G1 Marvel comics]] and the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (cartoon)|Kingdom]]'' animated series. The film's translator was working with an incomplete Wikipedia list of name translations which neglected to include Airazor's ''Kingdom'' name ''Légszelő'' ("Air Slicer"), and she was thus given a new name for the film.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Rise of the Beasts Maximals]]
[[Category:Studio Series Maximals]]