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Equal Measures

2023-06-15T17:58:18Z

WreckNRule426: /* Animation and technical errors */

{{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")

'''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]]

Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)

2014-09-23T03:44:15Z

WreckNRule426: /* Quotes */

{{Nav-aoe}}
[[File:Transformers-_Age_of_ExtinctionOptimusPrimePoster.jpg‎|thumb|right|300px|An adventure 65 million years in the making.]]

'''''Transformers: Age of Extinction''''' is the fourth film in the [[live-action film series]]. It was released on [[June 27]], [[2014]].

Following the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Battle of Chicago]], humanity has come to fear both Autobots and Decepticons alike. With the aid of a Transformer mercenary named [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], a CIA [[Cemetery Wind|task-force]] operated by [[Harold Attinger]] begins hunting the remaining [[Transformer]]s on [[Earth]]. Hunted by enemies that were once his allies, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] loses faith in humanity and sends his forces into hiding. Now, five years later, struggling inventor and single-father [[Cade Yeager]] discovers a damaged Transformer, placing both himself and his [[Tessa Yeager|daughter]] on a collision course with events that threaten the extinction of humankind itself.

{{bigquote|Humans have asked us to play by their rules. Well, the rules have ''just changed''.|[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]|''Transformers: Age of Extinction''}}

==Synopsis==

[[File:The Creators cyberforming Earth AOE.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs."]]
65 million years ago, on the planet [[Earth]], during the Cretaceous Period, a ''Psittacosaurus'' is out hunting for food. Finding a fish, the small dinosaur starts to feed, but stops as hundreds of alien ships enter Earth's atmosphere, commanded by [[Creator (AOE)|"The Creators"]]. The alien ships launch dozens of metallic Seeds across the planet; when detonated, they convert all organic matter into metal. Barely escaping, the ''Psittacosaurus'' walks through the fields of metallic dinosaur corpses as the ships gather the metal. The Age of the Dinosaurs is over. Millions of years later, while digging in the [[Arctic]], a team of geologists uncovers a mysterious pair of metallized dinosaur skeletons...

Five years after the invasion of [[Chicago]], tensions between humans and Cybertronians have risen dramatically. Although the Autobots are officially granted asylum on Earth, public opinion has turned against all Transformers. The government of the United States has terminated all human-Autobot joint programs and instated [[Cemetery Wind]], an elite [[CIA]] unit intended to flush out any [[Decepticon]]s left on Earth. What the President doesn't know is that [[Harold Attinger]], the leader of the operation, is slaughtering all Transformers, regardless of faction. On one such mission, the team pinpoints [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] hiding within an abandoned boat. Though he tries to run, he is crippled and brought down by their weapons. Though he tries to reason with their team leader, [[James Savoy]], the man dismisses his pleas as his sister was killed in Chicago. Savoy mockingly asks why Ratchet ran if he's not their enemy, and Ratchet begins to replay a transmission he received from [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], ordering the Autobots to hide from humans. As he explains, [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] emerges from the nearby swamp and attacks Ratchet, further damaging him. Emerging from the swamp and walking past his human allies, Lockdown demands to know [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s whereabouts. When Ratchet refuses, Lockdown rips out his spark.
[[File:AOE Ratchet dying.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"Condors. Condors are on the verge of extinction..."]]

In Texas, struggling inventor [[Cade Yeager]] and his friend/employee [[Lucas Flannery]] meet at an old theater, looking for salvage. He finds an old truck, and upon inspection it seems to be full of artillery shells. He buys the truck along with the other theater equipment and puts it in his garage.[[Tessa Yeager|Tessa]], Cade's daughter, observes this while video-chatting with her boyfriend and criticizes her dad for buying the heap of junk. While attempting to salvage the truck's engine to sell, Cade realizes it's actually a badly-damaged Transformer. After calling Lucas and Tessa, he connects jumper cables to its engine, only for it to begin replaying the distress call Ratchet had received earlier. Lucas and Tessa advocate calling the government, claiming that there is a huge reward for Transformers. Cade convinces them not to call the authorities until he can spend more time working on the truck, as he may be able to stumble on a technological breakthrough if he can figure out how the Transformers work. When Cade removes a live missile from the truck's "power core," it transforms into a heavily injured Optimus Prime, who roars at them to stay back while he swings his weapon around the barn. Cade, Lucas, and Tessa ask why Optimus is so badly damaged, to which he replies that the Autobots are being hunted and he must help them. Cade offers to repair him, and sends Lucas to buy the parts that will enable him to fix Optimus. Cade and Optimus begin to bond as the repairs begin.
[[File:RustyoldtruckAOE.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Should we chance moving him?"]]

In the Arctic, Attinger arrives via helicopter at Lockdown's ship and demands to know why Optimus Prime escaped him in [[Mexico]]. Lockdown derisively tells Attinger that Optimus Prime would not have escaped were it not for Cemetery Wind's interference, stressing that he does not care about Attinger or his goals and wishes only to capture Optimus Prime.

Shortly after returning to [[Washington, D.C.]], Attinger receives a tip that Optimus Prime has been located in Texas and sends Savoy and Cemetery Wind to apprehend him. The agents swarm the barn, but there is no trace of Prime inside. When Savoy threatens Tessa to force Cade to tell him of Prime's whereabouts, the Autobot leader explodes out of the barn's basement in which he was hiding. He escapes after a brief skirmish that destroys the Yeager residence, with both Cemetery Wind and Lockdown in pursuit. As Cade catches one of Cemetery Wind's mini drones, a white rally car zooms over the adjacent fields and picks up the Yeagers and Lucas. The driver turns out to be [[Shane Dyson|Shane]], a rally car racer who is also Tessa's boyfriend. A group of Cemetery Wind vehicles begins chasing them.
[[File:Optimus shooting humans AOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"You think they'll have that on the tour?"]]

Both the rally car and Optimus Prime are chased into an abandoned factory, where Optimus Prime fights off Lockdown. Shane puts his driving skills to good use and pulls a series of tight maneuvers that result in the Cemetery Wind cars crashing, destroys his car in the process. Optimus Prime, who has caught Lockdown in a crane cable, transforms and tells the humans to pile into him and escape. Lockdown throws a grenade at the humans as they run towards Optimus Prime; though Shane and the Yeagers escape, Lucas is caught in the blast and killed.

Arriving at an abandoned gas station, Optimus orders the humans out and drives off to ensure that they have not been followed. Cade confronts Tessa and Shane about their relationship but Tessa gets angry at Cade for putting them all in danger. The next day, Optimus and the humans set off towards Monument Valley. Prime [[trans-scan|scans]] a passing truck, sheds his layer of rust and takes on a new form with his old paint scheme. They arrive in Monument Valley where they meet the other surviving Autobots in the form of [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]], [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]], [[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]], and their defacto leader [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]. Crosshairs and Hound start threatening the humans for having their species betray them but Optimus convinces them that they have risked their lives to save his. The Humans notice that there are clear tensions between the Autobots. Cade reveals footage of the attack on Ratchet and [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot's]] demise using the stolen aerial drone and Prime declares that he will kill the one responsible for hunting down the Autobots.

[[File:Autobots unite monument valley AOE.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sattler... Welcome to Jurassic Park." ]]

Inspection of the drone leads them to a company named [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]], located in a rebuilt Chicago. It is run by [[Joshua Joyce]], who is working with [[Su Yueming]] and Attinger to create artificial Transformers to eventually be used in the military. Using the remains of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]], the countless Decepticons from the Chicago battle and the hunted Autobots, they have synthesized the metal that the Transformers are made of, calling it [[Transformium]]. When given commands through a computer, Transformium can be changed into various shapes or objects. Although a drone called [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]] (designed after Bumblebee) is active, Joshua's major project is a bigger, stronger drone called [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]. However, his attempts have not been successful; the drone keeps resembling Megatron instead of the friendlier image of Optimus Prime. Bumblebee builds Cade and Shane faux-ID badges which the duo use to infiltrate KSI. Cade goes further in and projects imagery of Ratchet's severed head being melted down as well as the injured and enslaved [[Brains]], which sends Prime into a rage.

[[File:Joshua Joyce Transformium Experiment AOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"God help us, we're in the hands of engineers."]]

However, Cade is caught when his ID badge is found to have been scanned twice (by him and its original owner). He is taken to the upper floors and confronted by Attinger, who claims that what he has witnessed is in the name of world peace. He also asks him about the whereabouts of Optimus Prime but Cade maintains his silence.

Furious over how the humans have mutilated their comrades, Optimus orders an attack on KSI. Bumblebee, carried by Drift in copter mode, rescues Cade. The others trash the lab, free Brains, and confront Joshua, only for him to openly declare that what is being done is being done to prevent more Transformer-caused damage and that the humans "don't need" the Autobots. Disheartened, Prime orders a retreat.

As the Autobots exit the factory and leave, Attinger catches up with Joshua and claims that the Autobots are terrorists for attacking the facility. He coerces Joyce to use the two functional drones to take down the Autobots. Galvatron and Stinger activate and pursue their quarry across a highway, with Galvatron doing more damage than his KSI handlers intend. Bumblebee fires upon Galvatron but is surprised to see him simply disintegrate and reintegrate again. Galvatron attacks Prime. As they battle, Optimus declares that the artificial creation has no soul, to which it retorts "That is why I have no FEAR!"

[[File:AOEGalvatron.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Kids! You want to have one of those?"]]

As Tessa scrambles for cover in a nearby vehicle, Prime is suddenly shot from the back and falls-Lockdown has arrived, along with his ship! Lockdown gloats to his prisoner, claiming that Optimus was built, not born, and now the Creators want him returned in one piece. The bounty hunter orders a net dropped over Optimus and hoists both the Autobot leader and Tessa's hiding place into his ship. Cade desperately clings to the net, but his strength gives out and he falls to the fields below. As the spaceship departs, Cade and Shane vow to get Tessa back.

Lockdown throws Prime in a cage and orders his lackeys to dispose of Tessa. Prime takes note of several other aliens in similar cages, including [[Dinobot (AOE)|other Cybertronian warriors]]. He also discovers the original purpose of the mercenary ship: it was originally used by a group of legendary Knights (presumably including Prime himself) but now acts as Lockdown's flying prison. Lockdown's ship hovers over Chicago, triggering panic in the streets, but Attinger manages to talk down the authorities and send Savoy to rendezvous with Lockdown. As payment for Prime's capture, Lockdown gives him a Seed.

Cade, Shane, and the other Autobots get aboard the ship as it flies low over a bridge. While being pursued by Lockdown's henchmen, the two humans find a strange Knight armory, from which Cade takes a sword that opens up to form a gun. While Shane and Cade rescue Tessa, Crosshairs deploys the ship's mooring cables, which fire into the Willis Tower and preventing the ship from breaking atmosphere. The humans begin to clamber down the cables to safety, but they are pursued by a pack of [[Steeljaw]]s. Bumblebee manages to save the trio. The other Autobots locate Optimus, who reveals that the section of the ship they are on can separate from the main body. Crosshairs uses a gunship to pick up Bumblebee and the humans, then leads them on a dogfight through Chicago's streets, destroying some of Lockdown's mercenaries.

[[File:Prime gets shotAOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"It could have been worse, John. A lot worse."]]

Back at KSI, it is decided that all equipment is to be moved to the Beijing facility to continue operations. Joshua is also none too pleased about the previous field test of Galvatron; not only was it a loss on several fronts, but the drone also ''spoke'', which was something it was ''not'' programmed to do!

The Autobots land their new ship at an abandoned train yard. Optimus claims that he sensed Megatron's presence during his fight with Galvatron. Brains explains Galvatron's true nature: while he decoded dead Transformer brains, he learned that Megatron's mind had survived and planned to transfer itself to Galvatron's body, explaining Galvatron's sinister appearance. The tiny bot further mentions how Galvatron used his knowledge to build Stinger and the other drones, with plans to make them into his personal army. As Tessa tells about the Seed she saw, Optimus explains how the Creators used Seeds to wipe out entire species and harvest metal produced—Transformium. Cade makes a call to Joyce and relays the newfound data about Galvatron. Knowing that Joyce is also an inventor with a heart, he pleads with Joyce to shut down Galvatron before things escalate. Although Joyce puts up an unconvinced façade, he demands increased security around Galvatron after hanging up.

As police cars surround the train yard the Autobots board their shuttle again and take to the air. Optimus says that though the Autobots will travel to Hong Kong and get the Seed back, they will leave Earth afterwards; they are done protecting humanity. Cade disagrees but Prime is non-responsive. They later debate the matter, with Cade attempting to reignite Prime's faith in humanity.

In deep space, Lockdown finally discovers the absence of the smaller ship. He grumbles about Optimus Prime taking his trophy case and how the Prime will feel his wrath while he reverses course. Joyce meets with Attinger and Savoy and receives the Seed. Joyce intends to detonate it in a region of the [[Gobi Desert]], which will generate enough Transformium to last a century. Attinger is eager to expedite production but grows incensed when Joshua disagrees and says that they should go slower, quite obviously moved by Cade's call. Meanwhile, Galvatron activates ''himself'' and starts to infect the legion of over fifty other KSI Transformers. When the alarm rings regarding Galvatron's escape, Joyce has Attinger and Savoy evacuated from the building and gets in a car with Yueming, an associate named Darcy, and the Seed. They decide to try and hide the Seed in [[Hong Kong]].

Being hunted by Attinger and Savoy, Joyce seeks refuge on a rooftop when the Autobot-piloted ship arrives and attempts to pick him and the Seed up. However, Galvatron and his drones ramy arrive and shoot down the airborne vessel, causing Bumblebee, Hound, and the Yeagers to spill out while the others (Prime, Crosshairs, Drift, and the captured Knights) to careen away into the Wulong Valley. Savoy finds the Yeagers and Joyce on the rooftop and open fires on them but Cade leads him away from the others. The two jump across rooftops, eventually crashing into a house and getting into a fist fight which ends with Savoy falling from a window to his death.

Hound and Bumblebee attempt to escort the humans and the Seed out of the city, but are cut short when Joshua points out that the KSI-built Transformers were specifically built to destroy any Autobots or Decepticons left on Earth. This prompts Prime to enter the crashed ship and activate the armory as well as release the other captives within the ship. As Hound and Bumblebee hold the line and protect the humans, Optimus tries to convince the Legendary Warriors to fight alongside them. Their [[Grimlock (AOE) |apparent leader]] violently declines at first, fighting the Prime in both his massive robot mode and his Tyrannosaurus mode. Optimus quickly defeats him, saying that he and the other warriors will protect his family or die, then mounts the metal dinosaur. The Autobots mount their Dinobots and charge over the mountains into Hong Kong.

[[File:Dinobots ready for battle AOE.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"''T. rex'' doesn't want to be fed. He wants to hunt."]]

Meanwhile, As Hound and Bumblebee are starting to be overwhelmed by Galvatron's drone forces, Optimus and his fellow Autobots storm into the city, slamming, crushing, stomping, and chomping all nearby enemies. Galvatron retreats as the Autobots and Dinobots decimate his forces. With this battle over, Optimus confronts Joshua for his actions and gives the order to defend the humans and escort them, and the Seed, away from the city. On the way, a homing beacon within the Seed activates, allowing Lockdown to track the Autobots down. He activates a massive magnet, wreaking havoc on Hong Kong. Everything metal from kitchenware to massive ships are picked up by the magnet, including the Autobots and Dinobots. After narrowly avoiding the magnet, the Yeagers are momentarily separated from the Autobots. Optimus shoots at the magnet, destroying it and releasing the Transformers from its influence. The ship retreats to a nearby factory, with Optimus hot on its trail. Cade tells his daughter to stay with Shane and the Autobots, as he wishes to fight alongside Optimus against Lockdown. As Optimus and Lockdown battle one-on-one, Attinger corners Yeager with a pistol, accusing him of choosing aliens over his country, but he is quickly shot and killed by Optimus.

Because of Optimus' choice to save Cade before defending himself, Lockdown gains the upper hand, stabbing Optimus through the chest with his own sword and pinning him to a concrete pillar. Meanwhile, Tessa convinces Bumblebee to turn around and the three join in fighting Lockdown, allowing Shane to use a tow truck to unpin Prime. Just as Lockdown is about to kill Cade, Optimus jumps up and slices the bounty hunter in half. Activating one of Lockdown's grenades, Prime tells the humans to hold on and uses rocket boosters to escape while the grenade destroys the last of the KSI drones. Galvatron has survived and retreated to the outskirts of the city; watching Prime blast off, he tells Optimus to beware, for he is reborn...

[[File:AOE-DefendThisFamily.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"I don't know. I guess... I guess we'll just have to evolve too."]]

The Autobots, Dinobots and their Human allies all regroup on the waterfront. Cade and Tessa happily reconcile and Cade finally accepts Shane. Joshua nobly says he will help them with their destroyed home. Prime declares the Dinobots are now free as they depart for parts unknown. With the bounty on his head placing the entire Earth in danger, Prime blasts off into space with the Seed to confront the Creators and discover the mystery behind his own origins, but not before ordering the Autobots to protect the Yeager family. As he leaves Earth's atmosphere, Optimus Prime sends a message to his Creators to leave planet Earth alone, because he's coming for them.

{{--}}

==Quotes==
"Lockdown...?" 
"Autobots, Decepticons, like little children, always fighting; making a mess out of the universe, then ''I've'' got to clean it up! There is one way you survive. Tell me where he's hiding. Where is Optimus Prime?" 
"Never." 
''(Lockdown rips out Ratchet's spark)'' 
"Never is here." 
:—'''Ratchet''''s final moments.

"In this planet we have a saying: ''The enemy of my enemy is my friend''. 
"I also have a saying: '''''I don't care'''''."
:—'''Harold Attinger''' discusses with '''Lockdown'''.

"Every galaxy I've traveled, all you species are the same. You all think you're the center of the universe. You have no idea..."
:—'''Lockdown''' never truly appreciated one of his clients.

"Human beings. Bunch of backstabbing weasels!" 
"Hound, find your inner compass. ''Loyalty is but a flower in the winds of fear and temptation.''" 
"What the hell are you saying?!?" 
"It's a haiku." 
"Cut the crap before I drop a grenade down your throat!"
:—'''Hound''' doesn't appreciate '''Drift's''' haikus.

"Autobots, I have sworn never to kill humans..." 
"Big mistake." 
"...but when I find out who's behind this...he's going to ''die''."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Hound''' after witnessing Ratchet and Leadfoot's deaths.

"You have no soul!" 
"That is why I have no fear."
:—'''Galvatron''' isn't as lifeless as Optimus Prime thought.

"We're behind enemy lines now. Lockdown's ship has booby traps! Eyes open." 
"Beware of his bone-grinders, brain-blinders, flesh-stealers, chromosomal-inverters, catatonic slugs, black hole trapdoors and of course, radiation."

:—'''Hound''' and '''Crosshairs''' warn the humans of the perils held within Lockdown's ship.

"I was expecting a giant car!"
:—'''Drift''' witnessing Grimlock transform into a dinosaur.

"Ugh, you just want to die for the guy. ''That's'' leadership. Or brainwashing, or something." 
"No, that's Optimus Prime."
:—'''Crosshairs''' and '''Drift''', remarking on their [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|leader]]/[[Dinobot (AOE)|Giant Robot Dinosaur]] tamer.

"I'm like a fat ballerina who takes scalps and slits throats!"
:—'''Hound''' takes another five levels in badass and ballerina class.

"How do you say 'Get the f&%# out of the way' in Chinese?"
:—'''Joshua''' has some issues with the language barrier.

"I hate cheap knockoffs."
:—'''Bumblebee''' dismissing all [[Cliffjumper (Movie)|clones]] of him as "cheap".

"We shall meet again, Prime, for I am reborn."
:—'''Galvatron''' retreats to fight another day.

"There are mysteries to the universe we were never meant to solve, but who we are and why we are here are not among them. Those answers we carry inside. I am Optimus Prime, and this message is to my Creators. Leave planet Earth alone. 'Cause I'm coming...for you."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing narration.

==Main cast==
{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]] ([[Ken Watanabe]])
*[[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] ([[John Goodman]])
*[[Brains]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]]
*[[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]]
**[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]
**[[Strafe (AOE)|Strafe]]
**[[Slug (AOE)|Slug]]
**[[Scorn (AOE)|Scorn]]
*[[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s head
|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s head
*[[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]]
*[[Junkheap (AOE)|Junkheap]]
*[[Trax (AOE)|Traxes]]
*"[[Two Head]]s"
*"[[KSI Boss|KSI Bosses]]"
*[[McLaren Decepticon]]
*[[Aston Martin Decepticon]]
*[[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]]
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] (video footage)
*[[Protoform]]s (video footage)

|h3=[[Human]]s|c3=
*[[Cade Yeager]] ([[Mark Wahlberg]])
*[[Tessa Yeager]] ([[Nicola Peltz]])
*[[Shane Dyson]] ([[Jack Reynor]])
*[[Joshua Joyce]] ([[Stanley Tucci]])
*[[Harold Attinger]] ([[Kelsey Grammer]])
*[[James Savoy]] ([[Titus Welliver]])
*[[Lucas Flannery]] ([[T. J. Miller]])
*[[Darcy Tyril]] ([[Sophia Myles]])
*[[Su Yueming]] ([[Li Bingbing]])
*[[Gill Wembley]] ([[James Bachman]])
*[[Chief of Staff Greg]] ([[Thomas Lennon]])

|h4=Others|c4=
*''Psittacosaurus''
*Brachiosaur
*Hadrosaur
'''Lockdown's crew'''
*[[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Mercenary|Mercenaries]]
*[[Steeljaw (AOE)|Steeljaws]]
*"Ball drones"
*[[Stupid Drone|Stupid Drones]]
'''[[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]] prototypes'''
*[[Oreo Transformer]]
|nonumbering=true
}}

==Errors==
===Continuity errors===
[[File:DeceasedTransformersAOE.jpg‎|thumb|right|300px|]]
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] is seen on the cards Attinger pulls out early in the film, listed as deceased and having been last seen in Chicago. However, Ironhide was killed by Sentinel Prime in Washington, D.C., midway through ''Dark of the Moon'', and long before the final battle in Chicago.
*Scenes from the Decepticons' invasion of Chicago in ''Dark of the Moon'' are shown as archival footage presented by Attinger. While it is conceivable some lucky people with cameras recorded the initial attack and managed to survive and publish their footage, it's highly unlikely people would've been able to get close-up video footage of the NEST team taking down [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and the other Decepticons.
*During the 'Autobots reunite' sequence, Drift starts out in car mode on a road with Bumblebee and Crosshairs, before suddenly appearing atop a rock formation in robot mode and transforming to helicopter mode to meet up with Optimus Prime.

===Technical/animation errors===
* Arcee is seen on Attinger's cards mispelled as "Acree".
*Scrambling Cemetery Wind seems to scramble the timeline. From the deployment of Cemetery Wind to Lucas's death, the time of day is in limbo. For example, Optimus escapes from the Yeager property at sunset, joining the pursuit that takes place in early afternoon.
*During the scene where Cade is pretending to be a truck driver with Optimus still in his flat-nose truck form, he has a cap and white plaid shirt on. After Optimus scans into his newer form, Cade's back to wearing his leather jacket.
*When Shane's car gets sideswiped in the cornfield, the back left window is shattered. A couple scenes later, the window is just rolled down.
*After Lucas' death, there is nothing really stopping Lockdown or Cemetery wind from continuing to chase Optimus. Lockdown is much faster and could easily catch up to Optimus whilst Cemetery Wind could chase in their remaining vehicles.
*The truck that Optimus scans, while still being from the Western Star manufacturer, is an older and different model than the one he transforms into.
*When Optimus is on his way to the reunion site, the human characters inside are sitting this way: Shane to the right, Tessa in the Middle and Cade to the left. However when Optimus gets to the reunion point Cade comes out of the truck using Shane's side door (right) instead of his (left). It is clear they (the director and his crew) were trying to get a "superhero" pose but it doesn't make sense.
*When Optimus arrived to the reunion site you can see the filming crew in the reflection of his front chrome parts.
*Hound's dialogue when he's bickering with Drift doesn't really match up to what we see. Drift pulls his swords on Hound, but the big guy goads him on to "pull it", suggesting Drift was originally supposed to aim a firearm at him.
*After Bumblebee scans his new alternate mode, the camera pans over the car and Tessa and Shane are not inside. However when he's getting his new upgraded form you can see that they used stunt doubles for Shane and Tessa. That scene wasn't that dangerous to require stunt doubles, wasn't it?
[[File:Uncolored Ratchet head prop.jpg‎|thumb|right|300px|White is the new green]]

*When Joshua is in the lab showing Darcy Transformium, in two different shots, a white, uncolored prop of Ratchet's head can be seen being worked on in the next room.
*When Shane's car breaks into a building, the woman sitting right in the middle of the room is clearly waiting on the glass-breaking noise to start running.
*Some security guards in KSI fail to react to Crosshairs's shooting and shouting until a few seconds before the scene changes.
*When he loses his grip on the net holding Optimus and the car containing Tessa, Cade is shown falling toward the street, but he lands on the grass by the road.
*When the Autobots are on a bridge, before boarding Lockdown's ship, Crosshairs is clearly shown to be speaking but no dialogue is heard.
*When Tessa gets taken to the trash in Lockdown's ship, A Green Screen can be seen at the end of the corridor.
*While the human characters are climbing across the anchor cables to the high-rise building some of the Steeljaws begins to climb out after them. Cade tells his daughter not to look back and see them, but when we cut back to her, with a clear view of the cables behind her, the Steeljaws are gone.
*When Bumblebee jumps off Lockdown's ship to save the humans, he is followed by a Steeljaw. In the following shot, the Steeljaw is gone.
*While explaining Megatron's plans to the Autobots, Brains rings a bell on a train. In the next shot, the bell is not moving.
*During the motorcycle chase, the CIA cars change. At first, Joshua and Su are trailed by a Cadillac and an Audi; in the middle of the chase, the Cadillac is replaced by another Audi. By the end of the chase, the Cadillac is back.
*In Hong Kong, when Cade, Joshua, Tessa, and Shane enter the elevator to run away from the rooftop, the elevator won't move and Cade says it's overloaded. But in the next scene, we see that the maximum number of people that the elevator can carry is nine, and it's very clear that the Seed doesn't weigh as much as five people.
*When Grimlock transforms to his dino mode and charges at Optimus, there's no other Dinobots, nor the ship, to be seen in the backround. However, after Optimus punches Grimlock and the shot changes, Dinobots are standing almost right next to him.
*One of the air conditioning units kicked off the building exterior by Savoy falls away to reveal ... solid wall, with no connection to an apartment's interior.
*All of the vehicles seen in Hong Kong are left-hand drive, rather than the right-hand drive you'd expect in a location that drives on the left.
*During Hound's stand in Hong Kong, the pickup truck he uses as a shield sways left to right whilst his arm remains still.
*When Lockdown shoots at Cade during his battle with Optimus, both Cade and Attinger are shown taking cover despite Attinger's very recent death.
*The bridge out of the city shown in the film (Tsing Yi Bridge) is at least a half-hour drive from the battlefield in Central.
*During the final fight, Bumblebee decides to just leave during the fight, Considering the distance between the factory and the dock where they meeted, he must have left long before Optimus flew there.
*After Optimus takes off, the other Autobots are absent from the shot of the main cast watching Optimus fly off.
*Megatron severed head is in somewhat good shape for someone who got an axe stabbed on the top of his head. Further more, his head is more in line with its appearance in the first movie not DOTM.

===[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Paleontology weeps]]===
*The cyberformed remains of a ''Tyrannosaurus'' and a ''Spinosaurus'' appear frozen together in the arctic at the beginning of the film, which is rather odd considering the two are found on different continents (North America and Africa respectively) and separated by around 35 million years of evolution.
[[Image:ExtinctionOfTheDinosaurus.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Wrong era]]
*The opening scene of the movie shows a ''Psittaccosaurus'' (100-120 million years old), a generic hadrosaur that might be either an ''Edmontosaurus'' or a ''Shantungosaurus'' (65-70 million years old), and a brachiosaurid (100-157 million years old) all present during what is implied to be the K-Pg extinction event (64.5-65 million years old).
*The ''Psittaccosaurus'', a well known herbivorous animal, is seen actively hunting and killing live prey. In a nod to paleontological accuracy, however, it is depicted with a row of quill-like feathers along its back, as many ceratopsian dinosaurs are believed to have had.
*The Dinobots show various exaggerations and ornamentations which go beyond the usual suspension of disbelief involved in... [[Dinobot (disambiguation)|giant metal dinosaurs]]. Grimlock sports curved, backwards pointing horns and enormous fangs. Slug has huge tail spikes and a set of nasty chin horns, though his tail spikes could be a mechanised representation of the bristle-like fibres that triceratops is thought to have currently. Strafe is the biggest offender, with a pair of elongated tails and twin heads with teeth and incorrectly-shaped crests. Scorn probably gets off the easiest, being ''mostly'' correct, bar his extra spines. It's not his fault that a few months after the release of the movie, the morphology of ''Spinosaurus'' was completely revised, with a different spine shape and shorter legs.
* The Dinobot's alternate modes are orders of magnitude larger than the real dinosaurs on which they're based. In an interesting twist, using Optimus as a proxy for the average human, all the Dinobots bar Strafe have been accurately scaled up. At 850 tonnes <ref name="Grimlock stats">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/entertainment-weekly-reveals-new-details-on-transformers-4-age-of-extinction-new-grimlock-image-179675] summarised on TFW2005.</ref> Grimlock is as large compared to Optimus as a real ''Tyrannosaurus'' would be next to a human.

==Transformers references==

* As usual, many of the new characters have roots in older portions of the mythos:
** [[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]] is based on [[Drift (G1)|a Generation 1 character]] introduced in IDW's 2008 ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' series.
** Lockdown is derived from [[Lockdown (Animated)|a character in the 2008 ''Animated'' cartoon]] who had already jumped over to the G1 comics and, in toy form, to the movie universe.
** [[Hound (disambiguation)|Hound]] and [[Crosshairs (disambiguation)|Crosshairs]] both share names with previous characters; their personalities are new and unique, though Hound seems based on [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]] in physique, coloration and personality.
** Galvatron being a new form for Megatron has been a thing for [[Galvatron (disambiguation)|basically forever]]. With Joyce's intentions of creating him as a counterpart to Optimus Prime, he also takes cues from [[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|Nemesis Prime]]; in particular the human-controlled ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' [[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|character]].
** The Dinobots are the latest iteration of [[Dinobot (G1)|the powerhouse subfaction]] that first appeared in the early days of Generation 1. Their leader Grimlock is a direct analog of [[Grimlock (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]]; Strafe and Slug are based on Generation 1 [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] and [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], respectively.
* In the film's opening act, Optimus has adopted a cabover truck alternate mode akin to that of his [[Optimus Prime (G1)|G1 counterpart]]. His robot mode also draws some inspiration from his G1 design, such as the large grille on his chest.
* This is not the first time that Ratchet and Lockdown have faced off. ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] had [[The Thrill of the Hunt|a long-running feud]]. Within the movie universe, the two characters have been described as rivals on ''[[Hunt for the Decepticons]]'' toy [[packaging]] [[bio]]s, and faced off in ''[[Cyber Missions 3]]''.
* The concept of the Transformers being built by another race first appeared in the third season of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]].
* Meanwhile, the concept of humans hunting down all Transformers on Earth following a massive and disastrous battle hearkens back to plotlines from IDW's [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]].
* The (rather obvious) theme of humans (particularly evil government agencies) using captured Transformers as a source of technology has appeared numerous times in the mythos, going all the way back to the [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]] agency in the original Marvel Comics. [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|The ''Animated'' cartoon]] in particular featured the severed head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] being studied and reverse-engineered, while in IDW's ongoing G1 stories, [[Sunstreaker (G1)|a Transformer's severed head]] was used to help design man-made Transformers (in [[The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots|a Dinobot-focused series at that]].) More broad uses of the concept include the Dreamwave ''[[Prime Directive]]'' mini-series, Devils Due's ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War|Art of War]]'' mini-series (''again'' featuring the severed head of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]), the [[The Transformers (IDW)|IDW ongoing series]], [[All or Nothing!|Cobra's actions in the G2 comics]], [[MECH]] from the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]], and even in the movie universe itself, in IDW's ''[[Transformers: Alliance|Alliance]]'' mini-series that served as a prequel to the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' film. The idea of the human-built Transformers proving to be uncontrollable was also pioneered by some of these stories, most notably Dreamwave's aforementioned ''Prime Directive'' mini.
* A device that can "cyberform" other planets previously appeared in several places in the mythos, including in the original ''Transformers'' cartoon's [[Key to Vector Sigma (disambiguation)|Key to Vector Sigma]] two-parter, the aforementioned Dreamwave ''Prime Directive'' mini. In both cases, it was actually activated, unlike its movie counterpart.
* The idea of aliens and/or alien technology being found frozen in the arctic or antarctic ice is a very common trope in fiction; in terms of Transformers, the first use of the trope was [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] in the original cartoon's [[Fire in the Sky]]. A discovery specifically at the hands of ''humans'' was a plot point in the aforementioned Dreamwave ''Prime Directive'' mini, not to mention [[Transformers_(film)|the discovery of]] [[Megatron_(Movie)|N.B.E. 01]]. Or the [[Scraplets]].
* The ringtone on Joshua's assistant's cell phone is a remixed version of the original G1 Transformers [[theme song]].
* In the scene where Optimus scans a passing truck, the classic [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] plays when the Autobot symbol emerges from his grill.

==Real-life references==
*Among the objects KSI makes from Transformium in the film is a Rainbow Dash doll from [[My Little Pony|another popular Hasbro brand]].
*This marks the second time a Michael Bay film has begun with the extinction of the dinosaurs, the first being ''[[Armageddon]]''.

==Other editions==

==Prequel material==

==Adaptations==

==Music==
==Score==
{{main|Age of Extinction: The Score}}

==Home video releases==
{{main|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)/home video}}

==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery>
File:Transformers- Age of ExtinctionTeaserPoster.jpg|First teaser poster
File:Transformers- Age of ExtinctionOptimusPrimePoster.jpg
File:Transformers Age of Extinction poster-IMAX.jpg|IMAX poster
File:Transformers Age of Extinction Cade poster.jpg|Cade Yeager poster
File:Transformers Age of Extinction Shane poster.jpg|Shane Dyson poster
File:Transformers Age of Extinction Tessa poster.jpg|Tessa Yeager poster
File:Transformers Age of Extinction Su poster.jpg|Su Yueming poster
File:Transformers Age of Extinction Lockdown poster.jpg
File:Transformers Age of Extinction Rules Have Changed.jpg|It's a scene not in the movie!
File:Transformers Age of Extinction This Is Not War.jpg|This is not war, this is pest control
File:Transformers Age of Extinction Stand Together1.jpg
File:Transformers Age of Extinction Stand Together2.jpg|"Now look down. Now look at me. I'm on a dinosaur."
</gallery></center>

==Reception==

{{quote|"The few authentic inspirations to be found in the movie's hundred and sixty-five roiling minutes involve gigantic science-fiction contrivances."|[http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/transformers_age_of_extinction_bay The New Yorker's Richard Brody on Transformers 4: Age of Extinction], Richard Brody|[http://newyorker.com newyorker.com] [[2014]]}}

''Transformers: Age of Extinction'' was critically panned, and nearly universally condemned on the American front, receiving a rating of 18% positive critical reviews on RottenTomatoes.com, two percent lower than the final score for ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. While the film generally received praise for its visual effects and the preformances of some of its human actors, such as Stanley Tucci and Mark Wahlberg, common criticisms leveled against it included its relatively long run time of 2 hours and 45 minutes, the disproportionately small amount of screen time the Dinobots got in relation to their relatively large exposure in promotional materials for the film, an over-reliance on product placement, and the decision to set the final act in Hong Kong, which was perceived as a choice solely done to pander towards the Chinese audience for the film.<ref>http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_age_of_extinction/</ref>

==Production staff==
===Visual effects===
===Locations department===

==Development details==
*February 13, 2012 — Paramount announces [[Michael Bay]] has signed a deal to make a fourth ''Transformers'' film.<ref name="tf4update">[http://michaelbay.com/2012/02/14/transformers-4-update/ Transformers 4 Update] on Michael Bay's site.</ref>
*June 6, 2012 — During [[Transformers: The Ride – 3D]] coverage, LA Times reports Michael Bay as saying the film will have a whole new human cast and redesigned robots.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/transformers-the-ride-3d-even-impresses-disney-rivals/ Transformers taking new shape] on LA Times</ref>
*June 21, 2012 — In another LA Times interview, Bay reveals that the film will not be a reboot as previously stated.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/transformers-4-michael-bay-purges-stars-may-go-into-space/ 'Transformers 4': Michael Bay purges stars, may go into space] on LA Times</ref>
*September 21, 2012 — Bay confirms that voice actor [[Peter Cullen]] will be kept on as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] once again.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/michael-bay-transformers-4-pain-and-gain_n_1903523.html Huffington Post interview].</ref>
*October 18, 2012 — The logo is revealed at a Paramount presentation.<ref>[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=95936 Paramount Previews Jack Reacher, Pain & Gain, Jack Ryan, Transformers 4, World War Z & More! ] on Comingsoon.net</ref>
*November 8, 2012 — After a number of rumors suggest it, Bay casts actor [[Mark Wahlberg]] in the film.<ref name="wahlberg">[http://michaelbay.com/2012/11/08/michel-bay-re-teams-with-his-pain-gain-star-mark-mark-wahlberg-for-transformers-4/ Michael Bay Re-Teams With His 'Pain & Gain' Star Mark Wahlberg for Transformers 4] on Michael Bay's site.</ref>
*December 15, 2012 — Wahlberg confirms that filming of ''Transformers 4'' will commence in May 2013. <ref>[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2012/12/transformers-4-shoot-begins-in-may.html Transformers 4 Shoot Begins in May]</ref>
*January 8, 2013 — Bay casts Irish American actor [[Jack Reynor]] in ''Transformers 4''. <ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jack-reynor-lands-starring-role-409850 Jack Reynor Lands Starring Role]</ref>
*March 20, 2013 — The Michigan Film Office announces the film series will return to [[Detroit]],<ref>[http://www.michiganfilmoffice.org/The-Film-Office/Press-Releases/Detail.aspx?id=11620 Transformers Returning to Michigan, Approved for Film Incentive]</ref> and reveals plot details which are later debunked by Paramount Pictures.<ref>[http://screenrant.com/transformers-4-movie-plot-synopsis-cast/ Unofficial 'Transformers 4' Plot Synopsis Is Not Accurate]</ref>
*March 26, 2013 — [[Nicola Peltz]] is confirmed as a cast member via Bay's website.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/03/26/welcome-nicola-peltz-to-transformers-4/ Welcome Nicola Peltz to Transformers 4]</ref>
*April 15, 2013 — Actor [[Stanley Tucci]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/cinemaconnews.php?id=103034 CinemaCon: Stanley Tucci Joins Transformers 4]</ref>
*May 1, 2013 — [[Kelsey Grammer]] joins the cast as the lead villain named "Harold Attinger".<ref>[http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/kelsey-grammer-lands-lead-human-villain-in-transformers-sequel/ Kelsey Grammer Lands Lead (Human) Villain In ‘Transformers’ Sequel]</ref>
*May 6, 2013 — The Wrap confirms that [[Sophia Myles]] will play a scientist.<ref>[http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/sophia-myles-join-mark-wahlberg-michael-bays-transformers-4-exclusive-89661 Sophia Myles to Join Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay's 'Transformers 4' (Exclusive)]</ref>
*May 18, 2013 — The name of Mark Wahlberg's character is revealed to be Flynn Vincent (This was later either changed or misinformation).
*May 20, 2013 — Chinese actress [[Li Bingbing]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-li-bingbing-boards-transformers-525370 China's Li Bingbing Boards 'Transformers 4']</ref>
*May 28, 2013 — Actor-Comedian [[T. J. Miller]] joins the cast as a mechanic who is the best friend of Wahlberg's character.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tj-miller-joins-transformers-4-559359 T.J. Miller Joins 'Transformers4']</ref> Filming begins at [[Wikipedia:Monument Valley|Monument Valley]]<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformers-4-starts-filming-in-monument-valley-navajo-tribal-park/ Transformers 4 Starts Filming in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park]</ref> and the alternate modes of two new Autobots are revealed on Michael Bay's website: a C7 Corvette Stingray<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformers-4-cars-c7-corvette-stingray/ Transformers 4: C7 Corvette Stingray]</ref> and a Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformer-4-cars/ Transformers 4: Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse]</ref>
[[File:AOE Optimus Prime truck.jpg|thumb|right|240px|When having one's midlife crisis, it's not unusual to get a souped-up alternate mode.]]
*May 29, 2013 — Optimus Prime's new alternate mode is officially revealed by Michael Bay as a custom-built semi-truck.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/29/optimus-prime/ Optimus Prime]</ref>
*May 30, 2013 — Bumblebee's new alternate mode is revealed on Michael Bay's website as a highly modified 1967 Camaro SS.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/30/transformers-4-bumblebee/ Bumblebee]</ref>
*May 31, 2013 — Hound is revealed as a new character for Transformers 4, transforming into a Medium Tactical Vehicle.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/31/hound/ Hound]</ref>
*June 7, 2013 — Another new vehicle for the film is revealed as a Lamborghini Aventador.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/07/lamborghini-aventador/ Lamborghini Aventador]</ref>
*June 12, 2013 — The Sonic RS Rally Car is revealed for the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/12/sonic-rs/ Sonic RS Rally Car]</ref>
*June 25, 2013 — The Pagani Huayra is revealed to appear in the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/25/pagani-huayra/ Pagani Huayra]</ref>
*June 28, 2013 — A Freightliner Argosy cab-over truck is revealed for the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/28/freightliner/ Freightliner]</ref>
*July 2, 2013 — A second alternate mode is revealed for Bumblebee in the form of a 2014 Concept Camaro.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/02/bumblebee-2014-concept-camaro/ Bumblebee 2014 Concept Camaro]</ref><ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/02/bumblebee-2014-concept-camaro-2/ Bumblebee 2014 Concept Camaro]</ref>
*July 14, 2013 — Chinese actor-musician [[Han Geng]] is announced as being part of the cast.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/14/han-geng/ Han Geng]</ref>
*July 25, 2013 — After being spotted in Texas in June, actor [[Titus Welliver]] officially joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.deadline.com/2013/07/transformers-4-adds-titus-welliver/ ‘Transformers 4′ Adds Titus Welliver]</ref>
*July 27, 2013 — The S.S. Columbia and the S.S. Ste. Clair have been spotted to be featured in the film.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/07/26/wdr-boblo-boats-transformers-four.html Historic Boblo boats land role in Transformers 4]</ref>
*July 30, 2013 — Wahlberg's children have been cast.<ref>[http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/07/30/mark-wahlbergs-kids-cast-in-transformers-4/ Mark Wahlberg's Kids Cast In Transformers 4]</ref>
*August 12, 2013 — [[Victoria Summer]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/victoria-summer-in-transformers-4-178207/ Victoria Summer in Transformers 4]</ref>
[[File:TF4 Chinese Reality Show contestants.jpg|thumb|right|220px|If ''Age of Extinction'' teaches us anything, it's that more movies should be cast using reality shows.]]
*August 25, 2013 — The ''[[Transformers 4 Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show]]'' ends, with winners [[Byron Li]], [[Candice Zhao]], [[Austin Lin]] and [[Teresa Daley]] joining the cast.<ref>[http://beijing.china.org.cn/2013-08/28/content_29845758.htm 'Transformers 4' recruits 4 Chinese actors]</ref>
*September 3, 2013 — Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirms the presence of Dinobots in the film.<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/03/dinobots-confirmed-for-transformers-4 Dinobots Confirmed for Transformers 4]</ref>
*September 3, 2013 — The film's title, ''Transformers: Age of Extinction'', is officially announced and the first teaser poster is revealed.<ref>[http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/transformers-4-title-reveal-age-extinction-hints-dinobots-225716345.html 'Transformers 4' Title Reveal: 'Age of Extinction' Hints at Dinobots]</ref>
*October 17, 2013 — Director Michael Bay is assaulted on the set during filming in Hong Kong by two locals demanding money. Bay receives minor injuries, but plays the incident off on his blog. <ref>[http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=834789 MSN.com article]</ref> <ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/michael-bay-attacked-on-transformers-hong-kong-film-shoot-1.2100953 CBC News article]</ref> <ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/10/17/hong-kong-incident/ Post on Michael Bay's Blog]</ref>
*October 22, 2013 — Four additional locals approach a member of the crew and demand money; one of the four is later arrested by police. <ref>[http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=835795 Second extortion attempt reported on 'Transformers 4' set]</ref>
*October 28, 2013 — Director Michael Bay plays down the extortion attempts in an interview with the South China Morning Post. He notes that the locals were apologetic over what took place, and that he wanted to film more projects in Hong Kong. <ref>[http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1342084/hollywood-director-michael-bay-eager-shoot-hong-kong-again "Hollywood director Michael Bay eager to shoot in Hong Kong again", ''South China Morning Post'', 28 October 2013.]</ref>
[[File:AOE Michael Bay Nicola Peltz on set.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Michael Bay uses his legendary charm to get the very best performance out of his actors.]]
*November 25, 2013 — ''Age of Extinction'' features in ''Empire'' magazine, showing Optimus Prime's new look on the cover. Inside are on-set photos of Michael Bay and the film's human cast in action.<ref name="empire">[http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=39488 New Transformers: Age Of Extinction Images]</ref>
*December 10, 2013 — M1905 publishes a series of interview with cast and crew in which a plethora of information, mainly regarding the film's human characters, is revealed.<ref>[http://t4.m1905.com/Report/position/id/80 Interviews on m1950.com]</ref>
*December 17, 2013 — Producer [[Allegra Clegg]] visits Durfee Elementary-Middle School as the result of a competition, and answers questions and shows three minutes of footage from the film.<ref>[http://blog.thedetroithub.com/2013/12/17/transformers-4-producer-rewards-dps-eighth-graders-for-attendance/ Transformers 4 producer rewards DPS eighth graders for attendance] on Detroit Unspun]</ref>
*January 7, 2014 — Following an on-stage snafu at a Samsung presentation, Michael Bay announces on his site that a special presentation including Transformers 4 footage would be touring to promote Samsung's new line of curved TV screens. <ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/01/06/ces/ CES] on Michael Bay's blog</ref>
*January 16, 2014 — The new Lucasfilm facility in Singapore opens, with some ILM work on ''Age of Extinction'' to be done there.<ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/lifestyle/story/lucasfilm-singapore-work-new-avengers-and-transformers-movies-20140116 Lucasfilm Singapore to work on new Avengers and Transformers movies] on The Straits Times</ref>
*January 17, 2014 — [[Steve Jablonsky]] confirms in an interview with JoBlo that he'll be providing the score for ''Age of Extinction''.<ref>[http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/exclusive-interview-composter-steve-jablonsky-talks-transformers-4-lone-survivor-and-michael-bay Exclusive Interview (Part Two): Composer Steve Jablonsky talks Transformers 4, Lone Survivor, and Michael Bay]</ref>
*January 20, 2014 — Late script changes result in Bay and his crew returning to Chongqing for a week reshooting a scene.<ref>[http://www.ecns.cn/2014/01-23/98337.shtml 'Transformers 4' back to China for additional shots]</ref>
[[File:AOEOptimusRidingGrimlock.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.9|"Get me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!"]]
*February 2, 2014 — The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F33PCUTWPk ''Age of Extinction'' "big game spot"] is screened during Super Bowl XLVIII.
*February 18, 2014 — In an interview with Nerdist, Titus Welliver said the film would be darker and "not a kid's movie".<ref name="nerdist">[https://www.nerdist.com/2014/02/titus-welliver-talks-about-transformers-4-and-clark-greggs-s-h-i-e-l-d-comments/ Titus Welliver Talks About TRANSFORMERS 4 and Clark Gregg’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Comments]</ref>
*February 28, 2014 — Following a storm of online discussion regarding his previous statement, Titus Welliver issues a new statement to the effect that ''Age of Extinction'' is in fact a kid's movie and he meant to say it would expand the audience. Relax, it's totally fine to take your kids to see it.<ref name="nerdist" />
*March 3, 2014 — The first of a series of character posters is revealed.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/03/03/new-transformers-4-poster-featuring-mark-wahlberg/ New Transformers 4 Poster Featuring Mark Wahlberg]</ref>
*March 4, 2014 — The first [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGpDoyJvmI teaser trailer] is released.
*March 12, 2014 — An IMAX poster for the movie is released.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/03/12/transformers-4-imax-poster/ Transformers 4 IMAX Poster]</ref> MTV UK reports it features "Nightship".<ref>[http://www.mtv.co.uk/transformers/news/mtv-uk-exclusive-new-transformers-age-of-extinction-poster MTV UK Exclusive! New Transformers: Age of Extinction Poster]</ref>
*March 13, 2014 — CinemaCon announce that Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor will receive the Rising Stars of 2014 Award for Transformers 4.<ref>[http://cinemacon.com/press/press-release/2014-press-release/nicola-peltz-and-jack-reynor-to-receive-cinemacon-rising-stars-award.html Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor to Receive "CinemaCon® Rising Stars of 2014 Award]</ref>
*March 24, 2014 — On the first day of CinemaCon, [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] shows off 15 minutes of footage from the film.<ref>[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Transformers-Age-Extinction-CinemaCon-Footage-Brings-Dinosaurs-Explosions-More-42240.html Transformers: Age Of Extinction CinemaCon Footage Brings Dinosaurs, Explosions And More] on Cinema Blend</ref> Mark Wahlberg promises the movie will be the biggest of the year.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-wahlberg-guarantees-a-hit-with-transformers-age-of-extinction/ Mark Wahlberg "guarantees" a hit with "Transformers: Age of Extinction"] at CBS News</ref>
*May 8, 2014 — The robot voice cast is revealed on michaelbay.com.<ref name="voicecast">[http://michaelbay.com/2014/05/08/john-goodman-and-ken-watanabe-join-the-autobot-voice-cast-in-michael-bays-transformers-age-of-extinction/ John Goodman And Ken Watanabe Join The Autobot Voice Cast in Michael Bay’s ‘Transformers: Age Of Extinction’]</ref>
*May 15, 2014 — The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKD5SNYUpUk second trailer] is released on YouTube and iTunes.


{{--}}

=== Changes before, during and after production ===
* [[Slash (AOE)|Slash]] was originally intended to appear in the film (he even made it into some concept artwork). <ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/age-of-extinction-concept-art-by-wesley-burt-180567/</ref>
* [[Glenn Morshower]] was originally set to return in this film, reprising his role of [[Morshower|General Morshower]], but didn't return due to scheduling conflict. <ref>http://transformerslive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/general-morshower-not-returning-to.html</ref>
* Both [[Josh Duhamel]] and [[Tyrese Gibson]] were intended to cameo reprising their roles as [[William Lennox]] and [[Robert Epps]] but were cut early on before filming started. <ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/tyrese-gibson-in-talks-for-transformers-4-176078/</ref> <ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/tyrese-gibson-to-make-cameo-appearance-only-in-transformers-4-177407/</ref> <ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/josh-duhamel-to-make-cameo-appearance-in-transformers-4-177026/</ref> <ref>http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2013/06/josh-duhamel-not-in-transformers-4.html</ref>
* Ed Welburn, [[General Motors]]' vice president for global design, was originally set to cameo as the C.I.A. head before being recast as a KSI employee. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/automobiles/ed-welburn-gets-a-part-in-transformers.html?_r=0</ref>
* A scene depicting Hound and Bumblebee dancing with Tessa (while Drift bobs his head in the background) was not present in the final cut of the film. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnxZ7Gg2yV4</ref>
* Scorn's toys lack the additional two sails he has in the film, suggesting it was a late design change.
*The Pagani Huayra that eventually ended up as [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]] was at one point intended as the alternate mode of a female robot with the working name "Widow Maker".<ref name="vitaly">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-9/age-of-extinction-concept-art-by-vitaly-bulgarov-180636/ Age of Extinction concept art by Vitaly Bulgarov] at TFW2005, including "Widow Maker".</ref><ref name="jung">[http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/07/20/transformers-age-of-extinction-concept-art-shows-off-epic-scope-/ Age of Extinction concept art by Steve Jung] at Comicbook.com, including "Widow Maker".</ref>
* A scene where Cade says "Stick behind me" is not present in the final cut of the film. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXSkXQs890g</ref>
* Another piece of dialogue cut from the film is when Cade says "You tell me" to Attinger when he asks for Optimus Prime.
* In some concept artwork, Grimlock appears as a horn-less T-Rex.
* The original running time of the film was that of 2 hours with 7 minutes, making it the shortest film in the franchise. the final running time was that of 2 hours and 30 minutes <ref>http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/BatFreak/news/?a=77992</ref> <ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-4-age-of-extinction-running-time-revealed-180165/</ref>
* [[Dwayne Johnson]] was originally offered the role of Cade Yeager, but due his commitment to ''Hercules: The Thracian Wars'', the role was later taken over by his ''Pain & Gain'' co-star Mark Wahlberg.<ref>[https://twitter.com/TheRock/statuses/327892048978006016 Dwayne Johnson on Twitter]</ref>
*In some concept artwork, Drift was colored orange instead of blue.
*In some concept artwork, its shown that Optimus was intented to have his original trilogy body in the scenes where he had his new look.

{{-}}

===Misinformation campaign===

Like ''Revenge of the Fallen'' and ''Dark of The Moon'' before it, ''Age of Extinction'' had a campaign that would mask details of the final film. However, unlike the previous films, this one was all encompassing; no novelization or adaption by [[IDW Publishing]] was released, and a great many scenes in the trailers were altered and repurposed. Prime seemed far more willing to protect human kind, while Attinger was shown to seem as if he had no knowledge of Lockdown. Parts of dialogue were removed, such as Prime's "Here I am!" in Cemetery Wind's crackdown on the barn, and some scenes were spliced together to seem different, such as the scene where Shane Dyson saves the Yeager family in his car, and the protagonists' escape with the Seed in Hong Kong, signified by the fact that Lucas is in one part of the spliced footage, while Joshua Joyce's head is seen in the window in the other.

{{stub}}

==Notes==
*Not only do the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] go unnamed in the film (other than [[Scorn (AOE)|Scorn]] getting the nickname, "Spike"), the word Dinobot is never even said by anyone.
*In addition to the Mercenary robots, Steeljaws, and the ball-shaped drones (with kooky, cartoon-like eyes), inside Lockdown's ship there were also several hovering drones. These drones appear to be of the same type as those the United States used in ''Dark of the Moon'' (the one that got sucked into the engine of Bumblebee's commandeered Decepticon fighter). Maybe Attinger sold them to Lockdown?
*Michael Bay's website incorrectly refers to the film as "Transformers 4 The Age Of Extinction"
* The deceased Autobots and Decepticons shown in the cards Attinger pulled early in the film includes: [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]], [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] and [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]].

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers: Lost Age''''' (トランスフォーマーロストエイジ ''Toransufōmā Rosuto Eiji'')<ref>[http://www.cinematoday.jp/page/N0056111 『トランスフォーマー』第4弾の邦題は『トランスフォーマーロストエイジ』に決定！最新ビジュアルも公開]</ref>
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Epokha istrebleniya''''' (Трансформеры: Эпоха истребления ''Transformers: Age of Extermination'')
*''Argentina:'' '''''Transformers 4'''''
*''Cantonese:'' '''''Binying Gamgong: Chimmit Saigei''''' (變形金剛：殲滅世紀 "Transformers: The Century of Annihilation")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng Sz: Jiúe-jī Chúng-shēng''''' (Taiwan: 變型金剛4：絕跡重生, China: 变形金刚4：绝迹重生 "Transformers 4: Rebirth from the Extinction")
*''German:'' '''''Transformers: Ära des Untergangs''''' ("Transformers: Era of Doom")

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

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Age of Extinction (film)}}

[[Category:Age of Extinction| Age of Extinction (film)]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

Drag Strip (G1)

2014-09-23T03:41:37Z

WreckNRule426: /* Generations */

{{factions|decepticon|decepticong2}}
{{disambig3|Drag Strip}}
:''Drag Strip is a [[Decepticon]] [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticon]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[File:MTMTEDragstrip.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|One more word out of you, and I'll stomp my alt-mode.]]
'''Drag Strip''' has never heard of the term "graceful in victory". He doesn't just like to win, he ''loves'' it. Drag Strip would sooner die a miserable death than ever sacrifice a victory, as he thrives on the bragging rights which accompany first place. He can't keep himself from stroking his own ego and bragging about his accomplishments in ''excruciating'' detail.

The other Decepticons, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] included, hate his metal guts and would gladly pummel him to scrap for being plain obnoxious if it weren't for the fact that his insatiable lust for victory makes him a formidable foe against the [[Autobot]]s. Not that he cares; they're just jealous.

Drag Strip combines with his fellow Stunticons to form [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]].

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====The Transformers cartoon====
{{Voiceactor|[[Ron Gans]] (English), [[Kōki Kataoka]] (Japanese), [[Show Hayami]] (Japanese, "The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1"), [[Yū Shimaka]] (Japanese, "Masquerade"), [[Kenyū Horiuchi]] (Japanese, ''2010'')|[[Héctor Vieyra]] (Latin American), [[Willi Röbke]] (German, ''Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2''), [[Tonio von der Meden]] (German, Generation 2 Dub of ''Starscreams Brigade''), [[Willy Schäfer]] (German, Generation 2 Dub of ''Masquerade'')}}

[[File:KeytoVectorSigmaPt1 stealing DragStrip.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Long before fans, Rumble was inventing his own Toilet-modes for Transformers.]]
After a failed attempt to steal experimental [[superfuel]] from [[United States military]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] realized that while the Decepticons controlled the skies, the Autobots had supremacy on the ground, and so they needed new ground-based warriors who could out-drive and out-fight the Autobots on their terms. [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] was sent to steal various [[human]] vehicles that would be rebuilt into the new Stunticons. In Drag Strip's case, Rumble targeted the winner of a Formula 1 race on national television, which was a bad idea really, as it alerted the Autobots to Megatron's scheme. The Decepticons journeyed to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], beat the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] out of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'s possession and ordered the [[Vector Sigma|ancient supercomputer]] to give life to the Stunticons. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}} Whilst the Autobots were trapped on Cybertron, the Decepticons returned to [[Earth]] with the newly awakened Stunticons who began wreaking havoc and damaging the Autobots' good name by attacking the US military base containing the experimental rocket fuel. Eventually, the Autobots returned with the newly built [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] whose combined form [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] defeated the Stunticon combiner Menasor. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

Despite this defeat, the Stunticons were the key component in Megatron's elaborate scheme to hold [[Europa 2000|a fake charity race]] from Paris to Istanbul so he could steal US driver [[Auggie Cahnay (G1)|Auggie Cahnay's]] experimental car which would be melted down to house the powerful [[Pearl of Bahoudin]]. One by one, the Stunticons disabled the Autobot participants assigned to protect Cahnay, but the downfall of Megatron's plan came when he ordered the Stunticons to stop going after the remaining Autobots. Together, Cahnay, [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] defeated Menasor and destroyed the Pearl of Bahoudin. {{storylink|Trans-Europe Express}}

[[File:Dragstripcartoon.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Where'd he get this head from, anyway?]]
When Megatron needed additional equipment for his latest secret weapon, he sent the Stunticons out to steal it for him. Drag Strip and [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] stormed a U.S. military base and scooped up a new experimental generator for their leader. On the way back, Drag Strip kept trying to taunt the disinterested Dead End into racing with him back to base. Their racing was interrupted, though, by the Autobots [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. Drag Strip was knocked for a loop by Warpath's rapid-fire shells from his turret gun. Brought in to Autobot custody, the Stunticons were held prisoner while [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots used camouflage paint to disguise themselves as the Stunticons in order to enter Megatron's good graces and learn the purpose of the stolen equipment. [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], the Autobots' spy, took Drag Strip's place. The Stunticons did manage to break loose, though, and smashed their way out of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] as Menasor and made their rendezvous with Megatron, only to find themselves confronted with a faux Menasor, created by a combination of Mirage's illusions and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]'s magnetism. The real Menasor easily broke the delicately bonded "Menasor", but the Autobots had also sabotaged the equipment before handing it over to Megatron. After the super-cannon exploded, the Stunticons fled the battle. {{storylink|Masquerade}}

[[File:CosmicRust DragStrip waterskiing.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Come to Cuba, and let loose your wild side.]]
When Megatron was infected with [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] after a trip to the lost Autobot colony of [[Antilla]], the Stunticons were assigned to capture the Autobot scientist [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who had developed the powerful anti-corrosion [[Corrostop]]. Drag Strip water skiied behind a speedboat driven by [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]], allowing him to force Perceptor to back into the waiting [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]. After Megatron cured himself and infected the Autobots with the Cosmic Rust, Menasor attacked the Statue of Liberty in [[New York City]] with the ancient [[Lightning Bug]] heat ray, intent on stopping the Autobots from [[Matter duplicator|matter-duplicating]] more Corrostop from the layer they sprayed on the statue. Superion defeated Menasor and destroyed the Lightning Bug. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}

After [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] was banished for yet another failed coup, he returned with a powerful new Decepticon team called the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] who were able to outfight Autobot and Decepticon alike. With Megatron needing a trump card, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] attempted to call on the Stunticons to help, but Drag Strip said to tell Megatron to blow it out his exhaust pipe. However, the Stunticons belatedly arrived after the Combaticons' combined form of [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] defeated [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and forced Megatron to acknowledge Starscream as the new Decepticon leader. Realizing that Starscream would not stop at Megatron, the Stunticons merged into Menasor and disabled Bruticus in one mighty punch. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}}

In the wake of [[Unicron]]'s attack on Cybertron in the year 2005 and the subsequent Decepticon exile to [[Chaar]] in 2006, the Stunticons were reduced to being scavengers, fighting like [[slaarg]]s with their fellow Decepticons over the few scraps of energon they had. This changed when [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] brought news of [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s survival, and the Stunticons were among the first to donate their few remaining energon supplies to help revive their leader and give the Decepticons purpose. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} However, while Cyclonus and the [[Sweep]]s were resurrecting Galvatron, the [[Quintesson]]s arrived on Chaar with an offer of energon in exchange for attacking the Autobots. Drag Strip was among those who were incredulous at their offer... but the Stunticons were instrumental in convincing the other Decepticons to go along with the Quintessons. Drag Strip was the very first Decepticon to board the Quintesson ship when ordered. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} After Galvatron returned to seize control of the Decepticons, the Stunticons were part of the Decepticon team attacking the Autobots on Earth. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

When the Decepticons took up arms in Europe, Drag Strip and the Stunticons were part of the troops Galvatron maintained out of their mobile headquarters, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. They joined forces to battle Defensor as Menasor. Later, the Stunticons were diverted away from Trypticon by [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]], allowing the Witwickys to sneak inside and steal the city-bot's transforming cog. As diversions go, it was a good one—the Stunticons were beaten senseless by the two Autobot leaders, and were in no position to pursue the thieves. Galvatron expressed his disgust with their performance by punting Drag Strip into a tree. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

Drag Strip made a very brief appearance on Chaar when [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] used the power of the Matrix to temporarily wrest control of the Decepticons from Galvatron. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}} Drag Strip and the Stunticons were also among the first Decepticons to be infected by the [[Hate Plague]]. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in this continuity as detailed above, except the events of 2006 are pushed back to 2010. Japanese continuity inserts several new stories into the resultant gaps in the timeline.}}

=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' manga=====
Drag Strip and the Stunticons decided to have a little fun and tear up a baseball stadium in Japan. Luckily, the Autobots' plucky young ally [[Kenji]] was present to radio for assistance. All the combiner teams assembled, and it was Menasor and Bruticus against Superion and Defensor! Defensor was forced to break apart by the combined Decepticon attack, but Superion and Kenji got the idea to shoot out the Decepticons' legs. [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] and [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] took advantage of the empty combiner ports and took over as Menasor's legs, launching him into the ocean. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 5|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #5}}

While posing as Autobots, Drag Strip, [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] and the Stunticons rampaged through the city streets, smearing the good name of their adversaries. Later, [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] and [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] posed as humans to rally people against the Autobots, and Motormaster's brigade staged an attack on the rally to drive the point home. The Autobot fire engines [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] arrived, however, and used their water hoses to wash off the Decepticons' fake insignia. Enraged, Motormaster planned to combine into Menasor...only to see his men were already retreating into the distance. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 7|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #7}}

=====''Scramble City'' cartoon=====
Drag Strip and the Stunticons are summoned by Megatron to put an end to the [[Metroplex (G1)|Scramble City]] project, and succeed where [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] had failed. Their first strike was impressive, holding back Optimus Prime and a cadre of Autobots and shooting the Aerialbots out of the skies. When the Aerialbots formed Superion, Drag Strip and his teammates followed suit and merged into Menasor. {{storylink|Scramble City: Mobilization}}

=====''The Great Transformer War'' comic=====
Galvatron kidnapped Doctor [[Dalton (G1)|Dalton]] of [[Eran]] to upgrade the might of his combiner warriors. When the Autobot combiners arrived to save Dalton, Drag Strip and his teammates were deployed at high speeds from Motormaster's launcher mode. They met Superion in mid-air, and the force of their deployment enabled the combiner teams to tear him apart. The Stunticons then merged into Menasor to move in for the kill. They were ultimately outwitted by the Autobots, however, who rescued Dalton and safely returned to Metroplex. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 1|The Great Transformer War #1}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
Drag Strip and the Stunticons participated in Galvatron's siege on Cybertron. They managed to gain the high ground against the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and [[Throttlebot]]s, and rained laser fire down on their opponents. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Drag Strip and his team formed Menasor to fight their Autobot counterparts, but were steamrolled by the might and firepower of the [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]]. Transporting back to Earth, they attempted to interfere with [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]]'s quest for the Matrix. Drag Strip and the Stunticons were confronted by the Aerialbots in the desert, but the battle of their combiner forms eventually led them to the Arctic. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}}

When [[Vector Sigma]] began perfecting the new super-metal [[Cybertonuron]] on Cybertron, Galvatron ordered another all-out attack on the planet to seize the metal for the Decepticons before the Autobots could make use of it. Drag Strip and the Stunticons journeyed to Cybertron with the strike force, and confronted their old enemies, the Aerialbots. The Aerialbots got the drop on Drag Strip's group by forming Superion and lashing out before the Stunticons could form Menasor as well. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} Drag Strip and the Stunticons were still in a firefight sometime later, as [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] passed by looking for [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] and the Decepticon [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}} In [[San Francisco]], Drag Strip and the Stunticons assisted Bruticus in using [[buridanka|a carnivorous plant]] to distract the Autobots from [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s plans on [[Zarak (planet)|Zarak]]. They fought against the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]]s and [[Computron (G1)|Computron]]. {{storylink|Head On!! Fortress Maximus}}

Sometime later, Drag Strip and the Stunticons gathered in the desert as their Ninja Commander [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] began issuing orders. They assembled as Menasor, and took part in the escalating Decepticon war effort as five separate Autobot outposts were attacked simultaneously at Sixshot's command. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}} Drag Strip was also among the Decepticons who assembled to welcome Scorponok as their new Emperor of Terror following Galvatron's fall. {{storylink|I Risk My Life for Earth}}

=====''Zone'' OVA, manga and story pages=====
Seeking to create a [[Decepticon Zone]] to counter the [[Micro|Autobot Zone]], [[Emperor of Destruction|Decepticon Emperor]] [[Violen Jiger]] gathered together the Nine Great Demon Generals, upgrading them with powerful new armor and weaponry, then sent them forth to conquer planets. Drag Strip was among those summoned, but only as a part of Menasor. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 1}} {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (manga)|Zone}} {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
''Drag Strip and the Stunticons, along with the other [[Special Teams]], were first conceived within [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]'s mind shortly after the human had relinquished control of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] was able to view this data remotely and prepare for their development.'' {{storylink|Second Generation!}}

[[File:Stunticonsmarvelg1.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|And thus Drag Strip was born! Oh, and all those blue guys, too, we guess.]]
Upon learning that the [[cerebro-shell]] implanted in Optimus Prime had also granted them access to the powers of the Creation Matrix, [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] immediately built a team of Decepticons. The new Stunticons, which included Drag Strip, were sent to find the Autobot [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], who had earned new trust for the Autobots by publicly saving a [[human]]. After Drag Strip and the others knocked over every car in their way to get to Skids, they turned to "protect" him from the new Aerialbots, hoping to confuse the public and discredit the Autobots. Drag Strip combined with his fellow Stunticons to form Menasor, and they fought the Aerialbots' Superion. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

''Drag Strip and the other Stunticons watched in horror as Megatron bludgeoned [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] with a boulder for suggesting that he might need their assistance in defeating Optimus Prime.'' {{storylink|Prey!}}

Megatron gathered Drag Strip and the rest of the Stunticons before him to escort him in gun mode to Florida, where they would be air-lifted to the Decepticons' [[Club Con|new island headquarters]]. In the wake of the death of Optimus Prime, Megatron's paranoia had grown so great that Drag Strip and the others left their leader behind to deal with a random human truck. {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} After Megatron's apparent demise, Drag Strip stood by while his new commander, Shockwave, spoke to [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] about the temporary use of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] on [[Earth]]. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}}

[[File:Decepticons enemy action.jpg|thumb|300px]]
''Drag Strip was at Shockwave's side when the Decepticon leader suffered an embarrassment at the hands of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], part of a successful ploy by Galvatron to alienate Shockwave's troops.'' {{storylink|Enemy Action!}}

During a battle on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]] between [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] for command of the combined Earth/[[Nebulos]] Autobot forces, recently promoted Decepticon commander Ratbat orchestrated a surprise assault on both groups. Motormaster led Drag Strip and the entire Earth-based Decepticon army from their space-faring Decepticon headquarters. But when Blaster and Grimlock noticed the ambush, they teamed up and turned the tide against the Decepticons. Drag Strip was defeated by a shot from Grimlock's missile launchers, and after many casualties, the Decepticons were forced to retreat. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

[[File:Vortex drag strip wildrider thrust starscream club con.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|left|Drag Strip will take your bags up to your room.]]
Ratbat moved their space-traveling island base back to Earth's seas, where it became a human travel resort to smokescreen the Decepticons' efforts to locate a key to finding the powerful [[Underbase]]. Drag Strip was advertised on television as part of the island's smiling welcoming party. The Autobots sent Blaster and [[Jesse (G1)|Jessie]] to rescue [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]], and Jessie was able to sneak into the Decepticons' base and past Drag Strip and [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (who were telling jokes to each other) to find Buster. {{storylink|Club Con!}} After the Decepticons found what they were looking for, Drag Strip was seen escorting Buster Witwicky back to his cell. {{storylink|The Flames of Boltax!}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Battlechargers stunticons life in the slow lane.jpg|thumb|200px]]
Back in action on Earth, Drag Strip and his Stunticon partner Dead End began working for a faction of Decepticons led by Megatron. Megatron had created an [[Global warming satellite|ozone-warping rocket]], designed to trap heat in the atmosphere which could be tapped for a new source of energy, even though it would virtually destroy all life on Earth. Their plan was interrupted by two Autobots, [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]. {{storylink|Starting Over!}} While Wheeljack kept the Stunticons busy, Prowl leapt onto the rocket itself, his weight knocking it off course and causing it to crash before it reached the apex point in the atmosphere it was meant to travel to. Drag Strip and Dead End raced to the crashsite, hoping to retrieve the atmospheric poisons Megatron had loaded it with. At the fallen rocket, however, they ran into [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]], who were interested in securing the equipment for their commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. The four Decepticons began to tussle, little realizing Prowl had already snuck away and neutralized the canisters. {{storylink|Life in the Slow Lane}}

Later on, when the Decepticons attacked the Autobot Earthbase, Drag Strip was seen charging into battle in robot mode for some reason, even though the [[Battlecharger]]s and his fellow Stunticons were all racing forward in vehicle mode. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}} When the Decepticons needed to kidnap the Autobots' human ally, [[Irwin Spoon (G1)|Irwin Spoon]], Drag Strip and the Stunticons ran interference for Motormaster so that he could get away with the human stored inside his cab. After Breakdown took himself out of action, though, only Drag Strip and Dead End were left to stop [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] from catching up with their leader. The two Stunticons raced up onto the rear bumpers of their foes, only to be caught off guard when the Autobots suddenly broke away, sending the Decepticon cars hurtling into the back wheels of their own boss, Motormaster, knocking all of them off the road. {{storylink|End of the Road! (UK)|End of the Road!}}

{{note|Drag Strip and Dead End are mistakenly named as Shockwave's troops in "[[Life in the Slow Lane]]", just as the Battlechargers are mistakenly identified as working for Megatron.}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[File:Stunticons ark duty.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Ha!! I punched the old fart first! I win!"]]
In [[2003]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] uncovered information about a new city the Autobots were planning to build, and sent the Stunticons out to intercept [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], who was carrying the schematics to their human allies. Demonstrating the same skills that earned them high honors in [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]'s "Schoolyard-Bullying 101" seminar, Drag Strip and the Stunticons ganged up on the wily old Autobot and demanded <s>his lunch money</s> the data disk. Kup was relatively willing to give it up (the disk was, after all, a fake), but Drag Strip still had two of his buddies grab the Autobot's arms so's he could get in a few gutshots for good measure. And, to make a good day even better, a few minutes later Drag Strip and his cronies got to beat up [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]] too! {{storylink|Ark Duty}}

[[File:Menasor legacy of unicron.jpg|thumb|"First arm to punch through the wall wins! You on, Dead End??"]]
In [[2008]] Drag Strip was serving under Shockwave on Cybertron. When the renegade Decepticons [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] teamed up with the freelance peacekeeping agent [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] to assassinate the [[Decepticon leader]], [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] summoned the Stunticons to form Menasor and Drag Strip helped punch through the blast doors that cut them off from the battle. They succeeded but were too late, as Shockwave was already dead and rather than execute them for treason, the Decepticons were forced to accept Cyclonus and Scourge's leadership. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
{{-}}

====''Generation 2''====
[[File:Dragstripnewdawn.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|left|"Which is mostly all of him, turns out."]]
Drag Strip participated in the Decepticons' first battle with the [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]]. It, uh... didn't go too well. Any fight you can walk away from may be a good one, but any fight that leaves you scouring a planet for the impact crater [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|your leader]] made after he was knocked out of space can't have been ''that'' good. {{storylink|New Dawn}}
{{-}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
[[File:AtFightsEnd-OverkillDragstripAcidStorm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I look like Mirage now!]]
After the war officially ended on [[Klo]], Drag Strip was one of the handful of [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s Decepticons who scattered to the far corners of the universe. He, [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]], and [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]] were waiting on a dusty planet when [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s rogue team of Autobots attempted to hunt them down. {{storylink|At Fight's End}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
At some point in Cybertron's recent history, the Stunticons were deemed psychotic and too dangerous to function in society, and as a result were placed into perpetual stasis lock inside of a [[Detention Banks|prison facility]]. Later, in an attempt to create a diversion while he set his final plans in motion, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] arranged for the release of the Stunticons. They formed into Menasor and ran amok for awhile, until [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] arrived and began insulting them. Unable to reconcile with this, the five Stunticons began to bicker with each other over whose fault it was that they were failing, temporarily stopping Menasor and allowing Ultra Magnus to ram the combiner in the chest, forcing him to separate into his component parts and disabling the Stunticons. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' continuity===
Along with many other Transformers, the Stunticons were transported into Earth's past when [[Teletran 3]] went wild. Ending up in 1930's [[Chicago]], Drag Strip was deactivated and locked into the form of a '30s car, which was fairly sporty for the time but not nearly as fast as his usual race car mode. He and the other Stunticons were briefly used for organized crime by a group of humans, until a group of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]s and [[Cobra]] members showed up to bring them back to the future. As soon as Drag Strip was awakened from his car mode, however, he and his comrades starting chasing after the humans and their [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Autobot friend]]. The chase ended when the humans found and activated the lost Motormaster, which allowed all the time-travelers to return to the future. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2}}

The Stunticons later joined [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s Decepticon army and helped him capture a team of Autobots and G.I. Joes. As Menasor, they then participated in an attack on an Autobot peace ceremony. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} Drag Strip was later seen preparing to defend the Decepticon headquarters from a combined Autobot G.I./Joe assault. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
{{ongoing}}
[[File:IronInTheBlood-DragStrip.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|"So [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], you entered this race just to let me beat you? Great! Always happy to meet a fan!"]]
Before the war, Drag Strip was a professional [[Cybertronian sport#Races|racer]], with over six thousand victories under his belt thanks to his ruthless nature. He got involved with [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] when the miner-turned-gladiator began to make a name for himself, and as a result, the Autobot [[Outback (G1)|Outback]] tried to assassinate him prior to a race against [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]]. Drag Strip's life was saved by [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], a race track security guard. {{storylink|Iron in the Blood}}

[[File:MegatronOrigin4 Stunticons.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"Well...there goes the neighborhood...again."]]
When Megatron launched his brutal rebellion, Drag Strip participated in the battle of [[Kaon]] alongside [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]], defending themselves against [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] and his [[Apex Armor (G1)|Apex Armor]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}} During the war for Cybertron, Drag Strip killed [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] on the front lines. {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}}

Centuries later, Drag Strip was among the Decepticons who had been left behind following the Decepticon retreat from Earth. Along with several other Decepticons, he helped rescue [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], who referred to him as an "idiotic Stunticon" in return. Jerk. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 3: "Seasons in Flight"|Seasons in Flight}} Led by [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], Drag Strip and the other abandoned Decepticons attacked [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], until Swindle suggested that they team up with the Autobots with the goal of getting off the planet instead. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 1: "New Arrivals, Old Encounters"|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}}

A while later, Drag Strip and [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] were sent to retrieve [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], the only Stunticon missing from the group. They found him in the hands of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and began attacking him (after all, he could always be repaired after the human was squished). Spike fought back, puncturing one of Drag Strip's tires, but the Stunticons eventually won and took Breakdown back to their starship-building site. There, they revealed that Swindle had modified them into combiners, and attacked their former Autobot allies in the form of [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 4: "Enemies of the System"|Enemies of the System}}
[[File:NewArrivalsOldEncounters-evasiveaction.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"What do you mean I didn't come in first in this crowd shot?! [[Swindle (G1)|You]] [[Spyglass|two]] cheated!"]]
Swindle's hasty application of the combiner technology did not properly integrate the personalities of the Stunticons, leaving them arguing amongst themselves while combined. The Autobots managed to distract and overwhelm Menasor by targeting his components individually, bringing the gestalt down. Drag Strip and many of his comrades were taken into custody by Skywatch. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 5: "Earthworks"|Earthworks}}

After a few months in captivity, the Stunticons were broken out by the main Decepticon force once they returned to Earth. Drag Strip watched as Optimus Prime confronted Megatron near the Decepticon base, and was caught in an explosion when Prime suddenly had a satellite dropped on his nemesis. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}} Megatron then allowed himself to be captured and taken to Cybertron so that his army could follow him using a [[space bridge]], but [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] infiltrated them in an attempt to sabotage the bridge. The Stunticons stayed behind on Earth to kill the little Autobot, only to be knocked out by an electric surge when Bumblebee interrupted the space bridge's power flow, allowing the Autobots to recapture them. {{storylink|The Question}}

{{-}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Even [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] had trouble controlling the Stunticons. The team went on a crime spree in the back alleys of human cities until they were tracked down and stopped by [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and his team. {{storylink|The Thin Blue Line}} Drag Strip later aided [[Unicron]] when the planet-eater attacked [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|'Til All Are One (Legends)|'Til All Are One}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[File:G1Dragstrip toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|I think my cannon might be affecting my racing profile.]]
*'''Drag Strip''' (Stunticon, 1986/1987)
**''US Team ID number:'' '''S4'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-52'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Gravito-gun]], plasma-energy cannon, cannon connector

:Drag Strip transforms into a [[Wikipedia:Tyrrell P34|Tyrrell P34]] Six-Wheeler race car. He comes with a purple double-barreled [[plasma energy]] cannon that attaches to the back of his vehicle mode. In robot mode he is armed with a small purple "[[Gravito-gun]]". Since he was designed with the [[Scramble City (toyline)|Scramble City]]-style combination, he can form the arm or leg to any similarly-constructed robot combination, though his nominal placement is as the right arm to [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]].

:Drag Strip was available as a European Classics toy in 1990. At around this time he was offered as a mail away by the Weetabix Breakfast Cereal in the UK. [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]] [[Fireflight (G1)#Toys|Fireflight]] was available in the same offer.

:The Drag Strip in the adjacent photo is mis-transformed- the chromed section that forms Drag Strip's chest should fold back to cover the Decepticon sigil and form an engine block for the car mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Decepticon/DragStrip/dragstrip.htm More information on Drag Strip at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
{{anchor|Menasir}}
*'''Menasor''' (Giftset, 1986)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-55'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Gravito-gun]], plasma-energy cannon, cannon connector

:Drag Strip was also available as part of the Menasor giftset. All of the toys in the set are identical to their individually-packaged versions.
{{-}}

===Generation 2===
[[File:StuntsDragStripProtoMOSC2a.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Yeah, G2 sure was nothing but neon.]]
*'''Drag Strip''' (Stunticon)
**''Team ID number:'' '''S4'''
**''Accessories:'' Gravito-gun, plasma-energy cannon, cannon connector

:For the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' line, Hasbro intended to release [[redeco]]es of the Stunticons in 1994, with Drag Strip being cast in primarily black plastic, with blue accents. Ultimately, however, the toys never went into mass production and remained officially unreleased. Only the four limbs are known to have made it to the sample packaging stage, having turned up in very limited numbers over the years (with the exception of ''Generation 2'' [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], who was available at [[BotCon 1994]] in somewhat larger quantities). All the ''Generation 2'' Stunticons are known to catch high prices on the secondary market.<ref>[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Prototypes/Generation2/StuntsDragstripProtoMOSC1.html Photos of Generation 2 Drag Strip in sample packaging at Toyarchive.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.transformertoys.co.uk/content.php?/transformers-toys/toy-gallery/1532/Generation+2/Dragstrip.html Mirrored photos of Generation 2 Drag Strip in sample packaging at Transformers @ The Moon]</ref><ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/111393-pics-g2-stunticon-s4-drag-strip-mosc-pics.html Transfan2's photos of Drag Strip in sample packaging at TFW2005]</ref>
{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===Universe (2008)===
[[File:Universe2008 DragStrip.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|He's got a bit of a yellow streak.]]
*'''Decepticon Drag Strip''' ("Special Edition" Deluxe, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Front spoiler/gun

:''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' Decepticon Drag Strip is a redeco of ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]. He transforms into a closed-canopy Formula racer concept car. (With only four wheels, alas.) The front "wing" of the car mode detaches to become a handheld weapon. In spite of having clear red plastic in his light piping segment, Drag Strip's light piping gimmick was neutered... with red paint.

:Drag Strip suffers from sticky paint around the red cockpit similar to the sticky paint found on most [[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]] [[Prowl (G1)/toys#Universe .282008.29|Prowl]]s.

:Like the other "Special Edition" figures, Drag Strip comes in a black book box-style packaging with monochrome art. Though initially an Asian/Australian-market [[exclusive]], Drag Strip was made available for purchase in the United States via [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] and, bizarrely, at Marshall's stores.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' [[Fracture (Movie)#Toys|Fracture]], [[BotCon 2007]]'s [[Mirage (G1)#Timelines|Hologram Mirage]] and [[BotCon 2013]]'s [[Mirage (G1)#BotCon2013|''Machine Wars'' Mirage]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/HTSDragStrip/dragstrip.htm More information on ''Universe'' Drag Strip at TFU.info.]''
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generationstoy-Dragstrip.jpg|right|thumb|300px|What, not a redeco of ''Generations'' Arcee?]]
*'''Dragstrip''' (Deluxe Class, 2015)
**''Accessories:'' Sword, gun/fist/foot
: Dragstrip is part of wave one of ''[[Combiner Wars]]'' Deluxe Class toys and is a new-mold figure which transforms from an Indianapolis-style racer to robot and back! He will also be able to form either an arm or leg on any Voyager-class toys released as part of the same subline but is, of course, intended to be combined with [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]], [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]], [[Wildrider (G1)|Offroad]], and [[Blackjack]] to create [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]].
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Drag Stripe''' (ドラッグストライプ ''Doragu Sutoraipu'')
*''French:'' '''Démarro''' (Canada)
*''Italian:'' '''Iguana'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Bēn-chr''' (Taiwan, 奔馳, "Gallop"), '''Qǐangjíe''' （China, 抢劫, "Robbery"）
*''Russian:'' '''Ruchnik''' (Ручник, "Hand-Brake")

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Drag_Strip Drag Strip's ''Universe'' profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Predacons]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Stunticons]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Decepticons]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)

2014-07-09T07:25:19Z

WreckNRule426: /* Quotes */

{{Nav-aoe}}
[[File:Transformers-_Age_of_ExtinctionOptimusPrimePoster.jpg‎|thumb|right|300px|"Brace yourselves. Winter is coming."]]

'''''Transformers: Age of Extinction''''' is the fourth film in the [[live-action film series]]. It was released on [[June 27]], [[2014]].

Following the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Battle of Chicago]], humanity has come to fear both Autobots and Decepticons alike. With the aid of a Transformer mercenary named [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], a CIA [[Cemetery Wind|task-force]] operated by [[Harold Attinger]] begins hunting the remaining [[Transformer]]s on [[Earth]]. Hunted by enemies that were once his allies, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] sends his forces into hiding. Now, four years later, struggling inventor and single-father [[Cade Yeager]] discovers a damaged Transformer, placing both himself and his [[Tessa Yeager|daughter]] on a collision course with events that threaten the extinction of humankind itself.

==Synopsis==


[[File:The Creators AOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"Brace yourselves. Robotic hell is coming."]]
65 million years ago, on the planet [[Earth]], during the Cretaceous Period, a ''Psittacosaurus'' is out hunting for food. Finding a fish, the small dinosaur starts to feed, but stops as hundreds of alien ships enter Earth's atmosphere. These alien ships are commanded by [[Creator|"The Creators"]]. The alien ships begin launching bombs called "Seeds" everywhere. When detonated, they turn most of the Earth's surface and much of its organic life into a metallic element. Barely escaping, the ''Psittacosaurus'' walks through the fields of metallic dinosaur corpses. The Age of the Dinosaurs is over.

[[File:AOE Ratchet dying.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Knew I shouldn't have signed that Sacrificial Lion clause in the contract!"]]
Four years after the invasion of [[Chicago]], tensions between humans and Cybertronians have risen dramatically. The government of the United States has terminated all human-Autobot joint operations and deemed every Autobot a wanted fugitive. [[Harold Attinger]] heads a black-ops military unit known as [[Cemetery Wind]], which aims to hunt down and kill all Transformers, regardless of faction. On one such mission aboard an abandoned boat, the team pinpoint another Transformer in hiding, who turns out to be [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]. Initially he tries to run, but when he is forced to transform, he tries to reason with the CIA operatives. [[James Savoy]], who leads the field operations and reports to the paranoid Attinger, dismisses Ratchet's pleas. Then, a cannon emerges from the swamp, firing off a few rounds, knocking Ratchet down, and destroying his leg. It's revealed to be [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], who demands to know Optimus Prime's whereabouts. Ratchet's defiance earns him a hook through the chest, killing him.

In Texas, struggling inventor [[Cade Yeager]] and his friend/employee [[Lucas Flannery]] meet at an old theater, looking for parts/salvage. He finds an old truck, and upon inspection, it seems to have artillery shells inside it. He buys the truck along with the other theater equipment and puts it in his garage. [[Tessa Yeager|Tessa]], Cade's daughter, observes this while video-chatting with her boyfriend and criticizes her dad for buying the heap of junk.
[[File:RustyoldtruckAOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"*Gasp* It's not mint in box!"]]
Later on, Cade discovers a giant hole on the radiator while taking the truck apart. After calling Lucas and Tessa, he connects jumper cables to its engine, only for it to promptly declare "Calling all Autobots...". Lucas and Tessa advocate calling the police, claiming that there is a huge reward for Transformers. Cade convinces them not to call the authorities while he fixes the truck. When Cade removes a live missile from the truck's "power core," Optimus Prime transforms and roars in a fit of rage while waving his shotgun. Lucas gets injured in the head by the swinging shotgun. Cade, Lucas, and Tessa enquire why Optimus is in such a ragged state, to which he replies that the Autobots are being hunted and he must help them. Seeing the damaged condition the Autobot leader is in, Cade decides to repair him. Cade sends Lucas to buy the parts that will enable him to fix Optimus.

Shortly after, however, a strike team led by Savoy and commanded by Attinger approaches the farm, having been tipped off to Prime's location by Lucas. Agents swarm the barn, but there is no trace of Prime inside. As Savoy presses a gun to Tessa's head and Cade swears that he doesn't know where Prime is, said Cybertronian explodes out of the floor of the barn-he was hiding in the basement under the barn. Optimus escapes, still being chased by Cemetery Wind. As Cade catches a mini-drone used by Cemetery Wind and the Yeager residence explodes, a white rally car zooms over the adjacent fields and picks up the Yeagers and Lucas. The driver is revealed to be [[Shane Dyson|Shane]], Tessa's boyfriend and rally car racer.

Lockdown arrives to chase Optimus. Prime, as well as the Yeagers, Shane, and Lucas, is chased into an abandoned factory. While Optimus fights Lockdown, Shane puts his driving skills to good use and dispatches most of Cemetery Wind. However, the stunt driving has broken the car's axle. They pile into Optimus and flee, but Lucas is caught in the radius of Lockdown's grenade and is turned into metal, frozen in midstride.

Arriving at a very dilapidated gas station, Optimus orders the humans out and drives off to ensure that they have not been followed. Cade and Shane converse. Tessa gets angry at Cade again for putting them all in danger.
[[File:Autobots unite monument valley AOE.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Brace yourselves, the fat ballerina is coming." ]]
The next day Optimus and the humans set off towards Monument Valley but stop at a small ATM on the way. Cade tries to use the mini-drone to make a transaction out of his account. This fails, of course, and has the unfortunate side effect of alerting the feds to their location. A group of police cars descend on the scene but the entourage has already left. Prime scans a passing truck, sheds his layer of rust and takes on a new form with his old paint scheme. They arrive in Monument Valley where they meet other Autobot refugees in the form of [[Crosshairs (Movie)|Crosshairs]], [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]], [[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]], and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]. Crosshairs and Hound start threatening the humans for having their species betray them. Optimus convinces them that they have risked their lives to save his. Later, Optimus asks if the are any other Autobots that are still hiding. Cade reveals footage of Ratchet and Leadfoot's demise using the stolen aerial drone. Hound takes off his hat out of respect for his fallen friend while Prime declares that he will kill the one responsible for hunting down the Autobots.

Inspection of the drone leads them to a company named [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]], located in Chicago. It is run by [[Joshua Joyce]], who is working with [[Su Yueming]] and Attinger to create artificial Transformers to eventually be used in the military. Using the remains of Megatron, Sentinel Prime, and the countless Decepticons from the Chicago battle, they have synthesized a matter called '[[Transformium]]', which, when given commands through a computer, can 'transform' into various shapes or objects. Although a drone called [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]] (designed after Bumblebee) is active, Joshua's major project is a bigger, stronger drone called [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]. However, his attempts have not been successful—the drone keeps resembling ''[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'' instead of the more friendlier image of Optimus Prime. Bumblebee builds Cade and Shane faux-ID badges which the duo use to infiltrate KSI. Cade goes further in and projects imagery of Ratchet's severed head being melted down for Transformium and the captured [[Brains]], currently missing a leg. This sends Prime into a rage, prompting him to declare that he's "gonna tear them apart". Meanwhile, Shane tries to restrain Bumblebee from demolishing a Stinger prototype after a promotional video repeatedly calls him inferior to the man-made drone. He has only partial success, but both human and Autobot manage to avoid detection.

However, Cade is caught when his ID badge is found to have been scanned twice (by him and its original owner). He is taken to the upper floors and confronted by Attinger, who claims that what he has witnessed is for world peace. He also asks him about the whereabouts of Optimus Prime. Cade maintains his silence.

Furious over how the humans have mutilated their comrades, Optimus orders an attack on KSI. Bumblebee, carried upstairs by Drift in copter mode, rescues Cade. The others trash the lab, free Brains, and confront Joshua, only for him to openly declare that what is being done is being done to prevent more Transformer-caused damage and that the humans "don't need" the Autobots. Disheartened, Prime orders a retreat.

As the Autobots exit the factory and leave, Attinger catches up with Joshua and claims that the Autobots have declared war on the humans by smashing into the facility. He coerces Joyce to use the two functional drones to take down the Autobots. Galvatron and Stinger activate and pursue their quarry across a highway. The Autobots evade Galvatron's and Stinger's missiles but are deterred when the drones transform and attack. Bumblebee fires upon Galvatron but is surprised to see him simply disintegrate and reintegrate again. Galvatron attacks Prime, who tries to stab the robot in the 'spark chamber' but finds nothing. The artificial robot still functions, and when Prime is surprised about its lack of a spark, it snarls back "That is why I have no FEAR!"

As Tessa scrambles for cover in a nearby vehicle, Prime is suddenly shot from the back and falls—Lockdown has arrived, along with his ship! The bounty hunter orders a net dropped over Optimus, hoisting both the Autobot leader and the vehicle Tessa sought refuge in. Cade desperately clings to the net, but his strength gives out and he falls to the fields below. As the spaceship departs, Cade and Shane vow to get Tessa back.

Lockdown throws Prime in a cage and orders his lackeys to dispose of Tessa. Prime takes note of several other aliens in similar cages. He also discovers the original purpose of the mercenary ship: it was supposed to be used by a group of legendary Knights (presumably including Prime himself) but now acts as Lockdown's flying prison. As the vessel flies over Chicago, Attinger is informed of Prime's capture and arranges for Savoy to meet Lockdown aboard the ship. He also discourages several government agencies from opening fire, claiming that he has an "asset" on the ship.

Cade, Shane, and the other Autobots clamber on the ship as it flies low over a bridge. Cade and Shane find Tessa, who has seen Attinger and Savoy receive "the Seed" from Lockdown. However, Tessa completely ignores her father the moment they reconcile and proceeds to cling to Shane, calling him her savior. Cade, thoroughly ridiculed and at a loss for words, can only roll his eyes. The inventor and Shane also find a strange armory, from which Cade takes a sword that opens up to form a gun (referred to as "alien gun").

Crosshairs deploys the ship's mooring cables as a method of distraction, causing them to attach to the Willis Tower and preventing the ship from going into warp. This allows the humans to climb down to the tower with Bumblebee's help. Crosshairs appears again, this time in a gunship, and instructs the humans to come aboard. Lockdown's own ships soon give chase.

Lockdown has detached the mooring cables and prepare to warp once again. However, Prime reveals that the section they are in is actually a separate ship. With Hound controlling the ship, they separate from the main ship just as it warps away.

Back at KSI, it is decided that all equipment is to be moved to the Beijing facility to continue operations. Joshua is also none too pleased about the previous field test of Galvatron-not only was it lost on several fronts, but the drone also ''spoke'', which was something it was ''not'' programmed to do!

The Autobots regroup at a train yard and Optimus claims that he felt the presence of Megatron during his fight with Galvatron. Brains seconds this, as he was forced to decipher the functionality in Megatron's brain, which helped the humans build Galvatron's body (and explains why Joshua could not get Galvatron to resemble Optimus). The tiny bot further mentions how Galvatron used his knowledge to build Stinger and the other drones, with plans to make them into his personal army.

As Tessa elaborates about the Seed she saw, Optimus explains how the Creators used Seeds to wipe out entire species and harvest metal produced—Transformium.

Drift intercepts a communications message which says Joyce will be going to the Beijing facility. Hearing this, Cade makes a call to Joyce and relays the newfound data about Galvatron. Knowing that Joyce is also an inventor with a heart, he pleads with Joyce to shut down Galvatron before things escalate. Although Joyce puts up an unconvinced face, he calls for increased security around Galvatron right after the call.

As police cars surround the train yard the Autobots board the shuttle again and take to the air. Optimus says that though the Autobots will travel to Hong Kong and get the Seed back, they are done protecting humanity after that. Cade disagrees but Prime is non-responsive.

In deep space, Lockdown finally discovers the absence of the smaller ship. He grumbles about Optimus Prime taking his trophy case and how the Prime will feel his wrath while he reverses course.

Joyce meets with Attinger and Savoy and receives the Seed. Joyce intends to detonate it in a region of the Mongolian Desert, which will generate enough Transformium to last a century. Attinger is eager to expedite production but grows incensed when Joshua disagrees and says that they should go slower, quite obviously moved by Cade's call.

Meanwhile, Galvatron activates ''on his own'' and starts to infect the legion of over fifty KSI Transformers, including Stinger, [[Junkheap (AOE)|Junkheap]], a collection of differently colored [[Trax (AOE)|Traxes]], and some [[Two-headed Shockwave]]s. When the alarm rings regarding Galvatron's escape, Joyce has Attinger and Savoy evacuated from the building and gets in a car with Yueming, an associate named Darcy, and the Seed.

As the trio drive away, they realize the need for a place to hide the Seed. Yueming instructs them to head to Hong Kong, where she can enlist the help of the local armed forces. As the sun rises, Darcy drives off to create a diversion while Joshua and Yueming try to get the Seed out of the city. Joyce learns from his team of scientists (who are playing with some Transformium, using it to create a Rainbow Dash doll and a machine gun successively) that the Seed has the range of a thermo-nuclear device!

As Joyce seeks refuge on a rooftop (and grabs a nearby soybean drink), the Autobot-piloted ship arrives and attempts to pick him and the Seed up. However, Galvatron and his drones have arrived, and a Trax shoots down the airborne vessel with its rockets, causing Bumblebee, Hound, and the Yeagers to spill out of the cargo hold and the others (Prime, Crosshairs, Drift, and the captured Knights) to careen away into a mountainside. Savoy finds the Yeagers and Joyce on the rooftop and open fires on them as they take cover in the elevator. Cade distracts Savoy, who apparently now has a vendetta with the inventor, and distracts the agent long enough for his family to escape. The two jump acorss rooftops, eventually crashing into a house and get in a fist fight. Savoy pulls out a knife, ready to attack Cade, who counters with a football (apparently used to remember a dead kid) and a tackle that results in Savoy falling out a window and dying on impact. Attinger watches as this happens and receives a message from Lockdown on an advance communications device, asking where his bounty is. Attinger gives his location, giving Lockdown the green light to do what he must to retrieve Prime.

Hound and Bumblebee attempt to escort the humans and the Seed out of the city, but are cut short when Joshua points out that the KSI-built Transformers were specifically built to hunt and destroy any Autobots or Decepticons left on Earth. This prompts Prime to return into the ship and activate the armory as well as release the other captives within the ship. As Hound and Bumblebee hold the line and protect the humans, Optimus tries to convince the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Legendary Warriors]] to fight alongside them. Their [[Grimlock (AOE) |apparent leader]] declines at first, fighting the Prime in both his massive robot mode and his Tyrannosaurus mode. Optimus quickly defeats him, saying that he and other warriors will protect his family or die, then mounts the metal dinosaur. After a heroic speech, Crosshairs comments that one would want to die for Optimus, saying he shows great leadership...or brainwashing. Drift replies that this is just how Optimus Prime gains respect. The Autobots mount their Dinobots and charge over the mountains into Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Hound is running out of ammunition and growing desperate, even going so far as to throw his own helmet at synthetic enemies to knock them out. Just as he runs out, Optimus and his fellow Autobots storm into the city, slamming, crushing, stomping, and chomping on all nearby enemies. Galvatron, nowhere near any of this, yells that Prime and his allies are ruining everything. With this battle over, Prime turns his attention to Joyce. He says that Joyce will be responsible for the extinction of humanity. The T-Rex roars at the already frightened Joyce before Optimus gives the order to defend the humans and escort them away from the city.

On the way, a homing beacon within the Seed activates, allowing Lockdown to track it and the Autobots down. He activates a massive magnet, wreaking havoc on Hong Kong. Everything metal from kitchenware to massive ships are picked up by the magnet; not even the Autobots or the Warriors are safe. After narrowly avoiding the magnet, the Yeagers are separated from the Autobots, who are being sucked into Lockdown's ship by the same magnet. Optimus shoots at the magnet, destroying it. The ship retreats to a nearby factory, with Optimus hot on its trail. Cade tells his daughter to stay with Shane and the Autobots, as he wishes to fight alongside Optimus against Lockdown. As Optimus faces Lockdown, however, Attinger corners Yeager with a pistol, accusing him of choosing aliens over his country, but he is quickly shot and killed by Optimus. Cade replies to the corpse that he would make the same choice any time.

Lockdown gains the upper hand, stabbing Optimus through the chest with his own sword and pinning him to a concrete pillar. He makes a brief speech eerily similar to Attinger's before Cade starts shooting at him. Meanwhile, Tessa convinces Bumblebee to turn around and fight Lockdown, allowing Shane to use a tow truck to unpin Prime. Just as Lockdown is about to perform a killing blow on Cade, Optimus jumps up and slices the bounty hunter in half! Activating one of Lockdown's grenades, Prime tells the humans to hold on and blasts off while the grenade detonates and demolishes Galvatron's forces. Meanwhile, Galvatron watches Prime blast off and warns him to beware, for he is reborn...

Reflecting on the danger he will bring to the Earth if he stays (due to the bounty on his head), Prime blasts off into space with the Seed to confront the creators, but not before ordering the Autobots to protect the Yeager family.

==Quotes==
"There is one way you survive; tell me where he's hiding. Where is Optimus Prime?" 
"Never." 
''Lockdown impales Ratchet through his chest and extracts his spark.'' 
"Never is here."
:—'''Lockdown''' doesn't appreciate '''Ratchet's''' defiance.

"What about this one? This could be digital, possibly Imax?"
"I don't think so."
:-'''Cade''' dismisses the theater owner's theory on the quality of their vintage projectors.

"All you species are the same. You all think you're the center of the universe. You have no idea...''
:—'''Lockdown'''

"You promised me human intelligence. Or is there such a thing?''
:—'''Lockdown''' is not entirely satisfied with '''Harold Attinger''''s assistance.

"Autobots, I have sworn never to kill humans..." 
"Big mistake." 
"...but when I find out who's behind this...he's going to die."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Hound''' after seeing Leadfoot's death.

"They slaughtered Ratchet! I'M GOING TO TEAR THEM APART!!!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' after seeing Ratchet's death.

"Bee, you got to calm down right now" 
"I'm perfectly calm" 
" You got to breathe, do whatever it is that you do..." 
"I'm calm! I'm calm. I'm calm. I'm touching it. Okay? I'm barely touching, barely touching it" 
:- '''Shane''' trying to calm '''Bumblebee''' down after they view the video which repeatedly calls him inferior to Stinger

"Wha-We're not going to kick even ''a little'' ass??"
:—'''Brains''' finds his jailbreak to be a little anti-climactic.

"You have no soul!" 
"That is why I have no fear."
:—'''Galvatron's''' isn't as lifeless as Optimus Prime thought.

"I'll cover you! If I stop covering you, that means I'm dead. But that ain't going to happen."
:—'''Hound''' taking at least five levels in badass. And then being interrupted by incoming fire.

"I was expecting a giant car!"
:—'''Drift''' witnessing Grimlock transform into a dinosaur.

"Ugh, you just want to die for the guy. ''That's'' leadership. Or brainwashing, or something." 
"No, that's Optimus Prime."
:—'''Crosshairs''' and '''Drift'''

"I'm a fat ballerina who takes scalps and slits throats!"
:—Only '''Hound''' can take yet another level in badass and ballerina classes at the same time.

"My fat ass is stuck!"
:—'''Hound''' realizing the unfortunate circumstance of being overweight.

"LIKE A TACTICAL NUKE; LOL!"
:- '''Joshua''' receiving an inappropriately jubilant text message from his scientists, regarding the Seed's potential detonation range.

"How do you say 'Get the f&%# out of the way' in Chinese?"
:—'''Joshua Joyce''' has some issues with the language barrier.

"Oh this is the perfect place to hide, a BIG GLASS BOX! No one will ever find us here!"
:- '''Joshua''' complaining about their hiding spot

"Autobots! We charge together! Now roll out!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gives the [[Transform and Roll Out|age old order]] after securing reinforcements.

"You saved the human instead of saving yourself. You bring shame upon us all."
:—'''Lockdown''' to Optimus Prime

"You see my face, your life is done."
:—'''Lockdown's''' final words before Optimus slices ''his'' face in half.

"We shall meet again, Prime, for I am reborn."
:—'''Galvatron''' swears retribution to Optimus Prime

"There are mysteries to the universe we were never meant to solve, but who we are and why we are here, are not among them. Those answers we carry inside. I am Optimus Prime, and this message is to my Creators. Leave planet Earth alone. Cause I'm coming for you."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s closing narration.

==Main cast==
{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]] ([[Ken Watanabe]])
*[[Crosshairs (Movie)|Crosshairs]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] ([[John Goodman]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Brains]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] (John DiMaggio)
*[[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s head
*[[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]]
**[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]
**[[Strafe (AOE)|Strafe]]
**[[Slug (AOE)|Slug]]
**[[Scorn (AOE)|Scorn]]

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s head
*[[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]]
*[[Junkheap (AOE)|Junkheap]]
*[[Trax (AOE)|Traxes]]
*[[McLaren Decepticon]]
*[[Aston Martin Decepticon]]
*"[[Two-headed Shockwave]]s"
*"Nizzi Decepticons"
*[[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]]
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] (video footage)
*[[Protoform]]s (video footage)

|h3=Bounty Hunters|c3=
*[[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Steeljaw (AOE)|Steeljaws]]
*Lockdown's henchmen
|nonumbering=true

|h4=[[Human]]s|c4=
*[[Cade Yeager]] ([[Mark Wahlberg]])
*[[Tessa Yeager]] ([[Nicola Peltz]])
*[[Shane Dyson]] ([[Jack Reynor]])
*[[Joshua Joyce]] ([[Stanley Tucci]])
*[[Harold Attinger]] ([[Kelsey Grammer]])
*[[James Savoy]] ([[Titus Welliver]])
*[[Lucas Flannery]] ([[T. J. Miller]])
*[[Darcy Tyril]] ([[Sophia Myles]])
*[[Su Yueming]] ([[Li Bingbing]])
*[[Gill Wembley]] ([[James Bachman]])
*[[Chief of Staff Greg]] ([[Thomas Lennon]])

|h5=Others|c5=
*''Psittacosaurus''
*Brachiosaur
*Hadrosaur
*[[Oreo Transformer]]
}}

==Errors==
===Continuity errors===
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] is seen on the cards Attinger pulls out early in the film, listed as deceased and having been last seen in Chicago. However, Ironhide was killed by Sentinel Prime in Washington, D.C., midway through ''Dark of the Moon''.
*Scenes from the Decepticons' invasion of Chicago in ''Dark of the Moon'' are shown as archival footage presented by Attinger. While it is conceivable some lucky people with cameras recorded the initial attack and managed to survive and publish their footage, it's highly unlikely people would've been able to get close-up video footage of the [[NEST]] team taking down [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and the other Decepticons. In an outside-world context, these scenes are simply used as stock footage to help serve as exposition for the audience.

===Technical/animation errors===
*When Lucas leaves to get parts from the hardware store, he is wearing a green jacket. He returns jacket-less and in a red flannel shirt.
*Scrambling Cemetery Wind seems to scramble the timeline. From the deployment of Cemetery Wind to Lucas's death, the time of day is in limbo. For example, Optimus escapes from the Yeager property at sunset, joining the pursuit that takes place in early afternoon.
*When Shane's car gets sideswiped in the cornfield, the back left window is shattered. A couple scenes later, the window is just rolled down.
*After Bumblebee scans his new alternate mode, the camera pans over the car and Tessa and Shane are not inside.
*When Joshua is in the lab showing Darcy Transformium, in two different shots, a white, uncolored prop of Ratchet's head can be seen being worked on in the next room.
*When Shane's car breaks into the place where some people is in a kind of social activity the woman who is sitting in the middle of the room is clearly expecting the glass-breaking-noise to start running.
*Some security guards in KSI are completely oblivious to Crosshairs's shooting and shouting until a few seconds before the scene changes.
*When he loses his grip on the net holding Optimus and the car containing Tessa, Cade is shown falling toward the street, but he lands on the grass by the road.
*When the Autobots are on a bridge, before boarding Lockdown's ship, Crosshairs is clearly shown to be speaking but no dialogue is heard.
*While the human characters are climbing across the anchor cables to the high-rise building some of the Steeljaws begins to climb out after them. Cade tells his daughter not to look back and see them, but when we cut back to her, with a clear view of the cables behind her, the Steeljaws are not visible for this moment.
*When Bumblebee jumps off Lockdown's ship to save the humans, he is followed by a Steeljaw. In the following shot, the Steeljaw is gone.
*While explaining Megatron's plans to the Autobots, Brains rings a bell on a train. In the next shot, the bell is not moving.
*During the motorcycle chase, the CIA cars change. At first, Joshua and Su are trailed by a Cadillac and an Audi; in the middle of the chase, the Cadillac is replaced by another Audi. By the end of the chase, the Cadillac is back.
*In Hong Kong, when Cade, Joshua, Tessa, and Shane enter the elevator to run away from the rooftop, the elevator won't move and Cade says it is overloaded. But in the next scene, we could see that the maximum amount of person that the elevator could bring is 9 people. There are only 4 people and the seed (the seed is not as heavy as human because Joshua could lift it easily).
*When Cade is running from Savoy down the side of the Hong Kong building, Savoy stomps on an external air conditioning unit so it will fall on Cade. When the air conditioning unit breaks off the wall, it reveals a plain wall. This shows the air conditioner was there for no other reason than to come off the wall rather than actually be used to cool an interior.
*All of the vehicles see in Hong Kong are left hand drive. In Hong Kong they drive on the left and so most vehicles would be right hand drive.
*Grimlock melts some KSI Transformers on a covered bridge with his fire breath, though the bridge itself remains intact until he crashes through it.
*When Lockdown shoots at Cade during his battle with Optimus, Cade and Attinger take cover despite Attinger's very recent death.

===[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Paleontology weeps]]===
*The cyberformed remains of a ''Tyrannosaurus'' and a ''Spinosaurus'' appear frozen together in the arctic at the beginning of the film. This is rather odd considering the two are found in different continents (North America and Africa respectively) and separated by around 35 million years of evolution.
*The dinosaurs include a ''Psittaccosaurus'' (100-120 million years old), a generic hadrosaur that might be either an ''Edmontosaurus'' or a ''Shantungosaurus'' (65-70 million years old), and a brachiosaurid (100-157 million years old) during what is implied to be the K-Pg extinction event (64.5-65 million years old).
*The ''Psittaccosaurus'', a well known herbivorous animal, is seen actively hunting and killing live prey. In a nod to paleontological accuracy, however, it is depicted with a row of quill-like feathers along its back, as many ceratopsian dinosaurs are believed to have had.
*The Dinobots show various exaggerations and ornamentations which go beyond the usual suspension of disbelief involved in... [[Dinobot (disambiguation)|giant metal dinosaurs]]. Grimlock sports curved, backwards pointing horns and enormous fangs. Slug has huge tail spikes and a set of nasty chin horns. Scorn probably gets off the easiest, being ''mostly'' correct, bar his extra fins. Strafe is the biggest offender, with a double pair of elongate tails and twin heads.

==Transformers references==

* As usual, many of the new characters have roots in older portions of the mythos:
** [[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]] is based on [[Drift (G1)|a Generation 1 character]] introduced in IDW's 2008 ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' series.
** Lockdown is derived from [[Lockdown_(Animated)|a character in the 2008 ''Animated'' cartoon]] who had already jumped over to the G1 comics and, in toy form, to the Movie universe.
** [[Hound (disambiguation)|Hound]] and [[Crosshairs (disambiguation)|Crosshairs]] both share names with previous characters; their personalities are new and unique, though Hound seems based on [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]] in physique, coloration and personality.
** Galvatron being a new form for Megatron has been a thing for [[Galvatron (disambiguation)|basically forever]].
** The Dinobots are the latest iteration of [[Dinobot (G1)|the powerhouse subfaction]] that first appeared in the early days of Generation 1. Their leader Grimlock is a direct analog of [[Grimlock (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]]; Strafe and Slug are based on Generation 1 [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] and [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], respectively.
* In the film's opening act, Optimus has adopted a flatnosed truck alternate mode akin to that of his [[Optimus Prime (G1)|G1 counterpart]].
* This is not the first time that Ratchet and Lockdown have faced off. ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] had [[The Thrill of the Hunt|a long-running feud]]. Within the movie universe, the two characters have been described as rivals on toy packaging bios, and faced off in ''[[Cyber Missions 3]]''.
* The concept of the Transformers being built by another race first appeared in the third season of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]].
* Meanwhile, the concept of humans hunting down all Transformers on Earth following a massive and disastrous battle hearkens back to plotlines from IDW's [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]].
* The (rather obvious) theme of humans (particularly Evil Government Agencies) using captured Transformers as a source of technology has appeared numerous times in the mythos, going all the way back to the [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]] agency in the original Marvel Comics. [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|The ''Animated'' cartoon]] in particular featured the severed head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] being studied and reverse-engineered, while in IDW's ongoing G1 stories, [[Sunstreaker (G1)|a Transformer's severed head]] was used to help design man-made Transformers (in [[The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots|a Dinobot-focused series at that]].) More broad uses of the concept include the Dreamwave ''[[War and Peace]]'' mini-series, Devils Due's ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War|Art of War]]'' mini-series (''again'' featuring the severed head of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]), the [[The Transformers (IDW)|IDW ongoing series]], [[All or Nothing!|Cobra's actions in the G2 comics]], and [[MECH]] from the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]].
* The ringtone on Joshua's assistant's cell phone is a remixed version of the original G1 Transformers [[theme song]].
* In the scene where Optimus scans a passing truck, the classic [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] plays when the Autobot symbol emerges from his grill.

==Real-life references==
*Among the objects KSI makes from Transformium in the film is a Rainbow Dash doll from [[My Little Pony|another popular Hasbro brand]].

==Other editions==

==Prequel material==

==Adaptations==

==Music==
===Soundtrack===

===Score===

==Home video releases==

==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery>
File:Transformers- Age of ExtinctionTeaserPoster.jpg|First teaser poster
File:Transformers- Age of ExtinctionOptimusPrimePoster.jpg
</gallery></center>

==Reception==
The movie has been received with varied ratings. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 17%, though 58% of the audience liked it. Damn tomatoes. However, IMDb gave it 6.4. Entirely, as the only professional reviews, the movie received up and down ratings, leaving more reviews to come.

==Production staff==
===Visual effects===
===Locations department===

==Development details==
*February 13, 2012 — Paramount announces [[Michael Bay]] has signed a deal to make a fourth ''Transformers'' film.<ref name="tf4update">[http://michaelbay.com/2012/02/14/transformers-4-update/ Transformers 4 Update] on Michael Bay's site.</ref>
*June 6, 2012 — During [[Transformers: The Ride – 3D]] coverage, LA Times reports Michael Bay as saying the film will have a whole new human cast and redesigned robots.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/transformers-the-ride-3d-even-impresses-disney-rivals/ Transformers taking new shape] on LA Times</ref>
*June 21, 2012 — In another LA Times interview, Bay reveals that the film will not be a reboot as previously stated.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/transformers-4-michael-bay-purges-stars-may-go-into-space/ 'Transformers 4': Michael Bay purges stars, may go into space] on LA Times</ref>
*September 21, 2012 — Bay confirms that voice actor [[Peter Cullen]] will be kept on as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] once again.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/michael-bay-transformers-4-pain-and-gain_n_1903523.html Huffington Post interview].</ref>
*October 18, 2012 — The logo is revealed at a Paramount presentation.<ref>[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=95936 Paramount Previews Jack Reacher, Pain & Gain, Jack Ryan, Transformers 4, World War Z & More! ] on Comingsoon.net</ref>
*November 8, 2012 — After a number of rumors suggest it, Bay casts actor [[Mark Wahlberg]] in the film.<ref name="wahlberg">[http://michaelbay.com/2012/11/08/michel-bay-re-teams-with-his-pain-gain-star-mark-mark-wahlberg-for-transformers-4/ Michael Bay Re-Teams With His 'Pain & Gain' Star Mark Wahlberg for Transformers 4] on Michael Bay's site.</ref>
*December 15, 2012 — Wahlberg confirms that filming of ''Transformers 4'' will commence in May 2013. <ref>[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2012/12/transformers-4-shoot-begins-in-may.html Transformers 4 Shoot Begins in May]</ref>
*January 8, 2013 — Bay casts Irish American actor [[Jack Reynor]] in ''Transformers 4''. <ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jack-reynor-lands-starring-role-409850 Jack Reynor Lands Starring Role]</ref>
*March 20, 2013 — The Michigan Film Office announces the film series will return to [[Detroit]],<ref>[http://www.michiganfilmoffice.org/The-Film-Office/Press-Releases/Detail.aspx?id=11620 Transformers Returning to Michigan, Approved for Film Incentive]</ref> and reveals plot details which are later debunked by Paramount Pictures.<ref>[http://screenrant.com/transformers-4-movie-plot-synopsis-cast/ Unofficial 'Transformers 4' Plot Synopsis Is Not Accurate]</ref>
*March 26, 2013 — [[Nicola Peltz]] is confirmed as a cast member via Bay's website.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/03/26/welcome-nicola-peltz-to-transformers-4/ Welcome Nicola Peltz to Transformers 4]</ref>
*April 15, 2013 — Actor [[Stanley Tucci]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/cinemaconnews.php?id=103034 CinemaCon: Stanley Tucci Joins Transformers 4]</ref>
*May 1, 2013 — [[Kelsey Grammer]] joins the cast as the lead villain named "Harold Attinger".<ref>[http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/kelsey-grammer-lands-lead-human-villain-in-transformers-sequel/ Kelsey Grammer Lands Lead (Human) Villain In ‘Transformers’ Sequel]</ref>
*May 6, 2013 — The Wrap confirms that [[Sophia Myles]] will play a scientist.<ref>[http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/sophia-myles-join-mark-wahlberg-michael-bays-transformers-4-exclusive-89661 Sophia Myles to Join Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay's 'Transformers 4' (Exclusive)]</ref>
*May 18, 2013 — The name of Mark Wahlberg's character is revealed to be Flynn Vincent (This was later either changed or misinformation).
*May 20, 2013 — Chinese actress [[Li Bingbing]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-li-bingbing-boards-transformers-525370 China's Li Bingbing Boards 'Transformers 4']</ref>
*May 28, 2013 — Actor-Comedian [[T. J. Miller]] joins the cast as a mechanic who is the best friend of Wahlberg's character.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tj-miller-joins-transformers-4-559359 T.J. Miller Joins 'Transformers4']</ref> Filming begins at [[Wikipedia:Monument Valley|Monument Valley]]<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformers-4-starts-filming-in-monument-valley-navajo-tribal-park/ Transformers 4 Starts Filming in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park]</ref> and the alternate modes of two new Autobots are revealed on Michael Bay's website: a C7 Corvette Stingray<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformers-4-cars-c7-corvette-stingray/ Transformers 4: C7 Corvette Stingray]</ref> and a Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformer-4-cars/ Transformers 4: Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse]</ref>
[[File:AOE Optimus Prime truck.jpg|thumb|right|240px|When having one's midlife crisis, it's not unusual to get a souped-up alternate mode.]]
*May 29, 2013 — Optimus Prime's new alternate mode is officially revealed by Michael Bay as a custom-built semi-truck.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/29/optimus-prime/ Optimus Prime]</ref>
*May 30, 2013 — Bumblebee's new alternate mode is revealed on Michael Bay's website as a highly modified 1967 Camaro SS.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/30/transformers-4-bumblebee/ Bumblebee]</ref>
*May 31, 2013 — Hound is revealed as a new character for Transformers 4, transforming into a Medium Tactical Vehicle.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/31/hound/ Hound]</ref>
*June 7, 2013 — Another new vehicle for the film is revealed as a Lamborghini Aventador.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/07/lamborghini-aventador/ Lamborghini Aventador]</ref>
*June 12, 2013 — The Sonic RS Rally Car is revealed for the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/12/sonic-rs/ Sonic RS Rally Car]</ref>
*June 25, 2013 — The Pagani Huayra is revealed to appear in the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/25/pagani-huayra/ Pagani Huayra]</ref>
*June 28, 2013 — A Freightliner Argosy cab-over truck is revealed for the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/28/freightliner/ Freightliner]</ref>
*July 2, 2013 — A second alternate mode is revealed for Bumblebee in the form of a 2014 Concept Camaro.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/02/bumblebee-2014-concept-camaro/ Bumblebee 2014 Concept Camaro]</ref><ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/02/bumblebee-2014-concept-camaro-2/ Bumblebee 2014 Concept Camaro]</ref>
*July 14, 2013 — Chinese actor-musician [[Han Geng]] is announced as being part of the cast.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/14/han-geng/ Han Geng]</ref>
*July 25, 2013 — After being spotted in Texas in June, actor [[Titus Welliver]] officially joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.deadline.com/2013/07/transformers-4-adds-titus-welliver/ ‘Transformers 4′ Adds Titus Welliver]</ref>
*July 27, 2013 — The S.S. Columbia and the S.S. Ste. Clair have been spotted to be featured in the film.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/07/26/wdr-boblo-boats-transformers-four.html Historic Boblo boats land role in Transformers 4]</ref>
*July 30, 2013 — Wahlberg's children have been cast.<ref>[http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/07/30/mark-wahlbergs-kids-cast-in-transformers-4/ Mark Wahlberg's Kids Cast In Transformers 4]</ref>
*August 12, 2013 — [[Victoria Summer]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/victoria-summer-in-transformers-4-178207/ Victoria Summer in Transformers 4]</ref>
[[File:TF4 Chinese Reality Show contestants.jpg|thumb|right|220px|If ''Age of Extinction'' teaches us anything, it's that more movies should be cast using reality shows.]]
*August 25, 2013 — The ''[[Transformers 4 Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show]]'' ends, with winners [[Byron Li]], [[Candice Zhao]], [[Austin Lin]] and [[Teresa Daley]] joining the cast.<ref>[http://beijing.china.org.cn/2013-08/28/content_29845758.htm 'Transformers 4' recruits 4 Chinese actors]</ref>
*September 3, 2013 — Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirms the presence of Dinobots in the film.<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/03/dinobots-confirmed-for-transformers-4 Dinobots Confirmed for Transformers 4]</ref>
*September 3, 2013 — The film's title, ''Transformers: Age of Extinction'', is officially announced and the first teaser poster is revealed.<ref>[http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/transformers-4-title-reveal-age-extinction-hints-dinobots-225716345.html 'Transformers 4' Title Reveal: 'Age of Extinction' Hints at Dinobots]</ref>
*October 17, 2013 — Director Michael Bay is assaulted on the set during filming in Hong Kong by two locals demanding money. Bay receives minor injuries, but plays the incident off on his blog. <ref>[http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=834789 MSN.com article]</ref> <ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/michael-bay-attacked-on-transformers-hong-kong-film-shoot-1.2100953 CBC News article]</ref> <ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/10/17/hong-kong-incident/ Post on Michael Bay's Blog]</ref>
*October 22, 2013 — Four additional locals approach a member of the crew and demand money; one of the four is later arrested by police. <ref>[http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=835795 Second extortion attempt reported on 'Transformers 4' set]</ref>
*October 28, 2013 — Director Michael Bay plays down the extortion attempts in an interview with the South China Morning Post. He notes that the locals were apologetic over what took place, and that he wanted to film more projects in Hong Kong. <ref>[http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1342084/hollywood-director-michael-bay-eager-shoot-hong-kong-again "Hollywood director Michael Bay eager to shoot in Hong Kong again", ''South China Morning Post'', 28 October 2013.]</ref>
[[File:AOE Michael Bay Nicola Peltz on set.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Michael Bay uses his legendary charm to get the very best performance out of his actors.]]
*November 25, 2013 — ''Age of Extinction'' features in ''Empire'' magazine, showing Optimus Prime's new look on the cover. Inside are on-set photos of Michael Bay and the film's human cast in action.<ref name="empire">[http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=39488 New Transformers: Age Of Extinction Images]</ref>
*December 10, 2013 — M1905 publishes a series of interview with cast and crew in which a plethora of information, mainly regarding the film's human characters, is revealed.<ref>[http://t4.m1905.com/Report/position/id/80 Interviews on m1950.com]</ref>
*December 17, 2013 — Producer [[Allegra Clegg]] visits Durfee Elementary-Middle School as the result of a competition, and answers questions and shows three minutes of footage from the film.<ref>[http://blog.thedetroithub.com/2013/12/17/transformers-4-producer-rewards-dps-eighth-graders-for-attendance/ Transformers 4 producer rewards DPS eighth graders for attendance] on Detroit Unspun]</ref>
*January 7, 2014 — Following an on-stage snafu at a Samsung presentation, Michael Bay announces on his site that a special presentation including Transformers 4 footage would be touring to promote Samsung's new line of curved TV screens. <ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/01/06/ces/ CES] on Michael Bay's blog</ref>
*January 16, 2014 — The new Lucasfilm facility in Singapore opens, with some ILM work on ''Age of Extinction'' to be done there.<ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/lifestyle/story/lucasfilm-singapore-work-new-avengers-and-transformers-movies-20140116 Lucasfilm Singapore to work on new Avengers and Transformers movies] on The Straits Times</ref>
*January 17, 2014 — [[Steve Jablonsky]] confirms in an interview with JoBlo that he'll be providing the score for ''Age of Extinction''.<ref>[http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/exclusive-interview-composter-steve-jablonsky-talks-transformers-4-lone-survivor-and-michael-bay Exclusive Interview (Part Two): Composer Steve Jablonsky talks Transformers 4, Lone Survivor, and Michael Bay]</ref>
*January 20, 2014 — Late script changes result in Bay and his crew returning to Chongqing for a week reshooting a scene.<ref>[http://www.ecns.cn/2014/01-23/98337.shtml 'Transformers 4' back to China for additional shots]</ref>
[[File:AOEOptimusRidingGrimlock.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.9|"Get me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!"]]
*February 2, 2014 — The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F33PCUTWPk ''Age of Extinction'' "big game spot"] is screened during Super Bowl XLVIII.
*February 18, 2014 — In an interview with Nerdist, Titus Welliver said the film would be darker and "not a kid's movie".<ref name="nerdist">[https://www.nerdist.com/2014/02/titus-welliver-talks-about-transformers-4-and-clark-greggs-s-h-i-e-l-d-comments/ Titus Welliver Talks About TRANSFORMERS 4 and Clark Gregg’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Comments]</ref>
*February 28, 2014 — Following a storm of online discussion regarding his previous statement, Titus Welliver issues a new statement to the effect that ''Age of Extinction'' is in fact a kid's movie and he meant to say it would expand the audience. Relax, it's totally fine to take your kids to see it.<ref name="nerdist" />
*March 3, 2014 — The first of a series of character posters is revealed.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/03/03/new-transformers-4-poster-featuring-mark-wahlberg/ New Transformers 4 Poster Featuring Mark Wahlberg]</ref>
*March 4, 2014 — The first [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGpDoyJvmI teaser trailer] is released.
*March 12, 2014 — An IMAX poster for the movie is released.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/03/12/transformers-4-imax-poster/ Transformers 4 IMAX Poster]</ref> MTV UK reports it features "Nightship".<ref>[http://www.mtv.co.uk/transformers/news/mtv-uk-exclusive-new-transformers-age-of-extinction-poster MTV UK Exclusive! New Transformers: Age of Extinction Poster]</ref>
*March 13, 2014 — CinemaCon announce that Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor will receive the Rising Stars of 2014 Award for Transformers 4.<ref>[http://cinemacon.com/press/press-release/2014-press-release/nicola-peltz-and-jack-reynor-to-receive-cinemacon-rising-stars-award.html Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor to Receive "CinemaCon® Rising Stars of 2014 Award]</ref>
*March 24, 2014 — On the first day of CinemaCon, [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] shows off 15 minutes of footage from the film.<ref>[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Transformers-Age-Extinction-CinemaCon-Footage-Brings-Dinosaurs-Explosions-More-42240.html Transformers: Age Of Extinction CinemaCon Footage Brings Dinosaurs, Explosions And More] on Cinema Blend</ref> Mark Wahlberg promises the movie will be the biggest of the year.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-wahlberg-guarantees-a-hit-with-transformers-age-of-extinction/ Mark Wahlberg "guarantees" a hit with "Transformers: Age of Extinction"] at CBS News</ref>
*May 8, 2014 — The robot voice cast is revealed on michaelbay.com.<ref name="voicecast">[http://michaelbay.com/2014/05/08/john-goodman-and-ken-watanabe-join-the-autobot-voice-cast-in-michael-bays-transformers-age-of-extinction/ John Goodman And Ken Watanabe Join The Autobot Voice Cast in Michael Bay’s ‘Transformers: Age Of Extinction’]</ref>
*May 15, 2014 — The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKD5SNYUpUk second trailer] is released on YouTube and iTunes.


{{--}}

==Notes==
*Not only do the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] go unnamed in the film (other than [[Scorn (AOE)|Scorn]] getting the nickname, "Spike"), the word Dinobot is never even said by anyone.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers: Lost Age''''' (トランスフォーマーロストエイジ ''Toransufōmā Rosuto Eiji'')<ref>[http://www.cinematoday.jp/page/N0056111 『トランスフォーマー』第4弾の邦題は『トランスフォーマーロストエイジ』に決定！最新ビジュアルも公開]</ref>
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Epokha istrebleniya''''' (Трансформеры: Эпоха истребления ''Transformers: Age of Extermination'')
*''Argentina:'' '''''Transformers 4'''''
*''Cantonese:'' '''''Binying Gamgong: Chimmit Saigei''''' (變形金剛：殲滅世紀 "Transformers: The Century of Annihilation")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng Sz: Jiúe-jī Chúng-shēng''''' (Taiwan: 變型金剛4：絕跡重生, China: 变形金刚4：绝迹重生 "Transformers 4: Rebirth from the Extinction")

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

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Age of Extinction (film)}}

[[Category:Age of Extinction| Age of Extinction (film)]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)

2014-07-09T07:25:04Z

WreckNRule426: /* Quotes */

{{Nav-aoe}}
[[File:Transformers-_Age_of_ExtinctionOptimusPrimePoster.jpg‎|thumb|right|300px|"Brace yourselves. Winter is coming."]]

'''''Transformers: Age of Extinction''''' is the fourth film in the [[live-action film series]]. It was released on [[June 27]], [[2014]].

Following the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Battle of Chicago]], humanity has come to fear both Autobots and Decepticons alike. With the aid of a Transformer mercenary named [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], a CIA [[Cemetery Wind|task-force]] operated by [[Harold Attinger]] begins hunting the remaining [[Transformer]]s on [[Earth]]. Hunted by enemies that were once his allies, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] sends his forces into hiding. Now, four years later, struggling inventor and single-father [[Cade Yeager]] discovers a damaged Transformer, placing both himself and his [[Tessa Yeager|daughter]] on a collision course with events that threaten the extinction of humankind itself.

==Synopsis==


[[File:The Creators AOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"Brace yourselves. Robotic hell is coming."]]
65 million years ago, on the planet [[Earth]], during the Cretaceous Period, a ''Psittacosaurus'' is out hunting for food. Finding a fish, the small dinosaur starts to feed, but stops as hundreds of alien ships enter Earth's atmosphere. These alien ships are commanded by [[Creator|"The Creators"]]. The alien ships begin launching bombs called "Seeds" everywhere. When detonated, they turn most of the Earth's surface and much of its organic life into a metallic element. Barely escaping, the ''Psittacosaurus'' walks through the fields of metallic dinosaur corpses. The Age of the Dinosaurs is over.

[[File:AOE Ratchet dying.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Knew I shouldn't have signed that Sacrificial Lion clause in the contract!"]]
Four years after the invasion of [[Chicago]], tensions between humans and Cybertronians have risen dramatically. The government of the United States has terminated all human-Autobot joint operations and deemed every Autobot a wanted fugitive. [[Harold Attinger]] heads a black-ops military unit known as [[Cemetery Wind]], which aims to hunt down and kill all Transformers, regardless of faction. On one such mission aboard an abandoned boat, the team pinpoint another Transformer in hiding, who turns out to be [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]. Initially he tries to run, but when he is forced to transform, he tries to reason with the CIA operatives. [[James Savoy]], who leads the field operations and reports to the paranoid Attinger, dismisses Ratchet's pleas. Then, a cannon emerges from the swamp, firing off a few rounds, knocking Ratchet down, and destroying his leg. It's revealed to be [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], who demands to know Optimus Prime's whereabouts. Ratchet's defiance earns him a hook through the chest, killing him.

In Texas, struggling inventor [[Cade Yeager]] and his friend/employee [[Lucas Flannery]] meet at an old theater, looking for parts/salvage. He finds an old truck, and upon inspection, it seems to have artillery shells inside it. He buys the truck along with the other theater equipment and puts it in his garage. [[Tessa Yeager|Tessa]], Cade's daughter, observes this while video-chatting with her boyfriend and criticizes her dad for buying the heap of junk.
[[File:RustyoldtruckAOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"*Gasp* It's not mint in box!"]]
Later on, Cade discovers a giant hole on the radiator while taking the truck apart. After calling Lucas and Tessa, he connects jumper cables to its engine, only for it to promptly declare "Calling all Autobots...". Lucas and Tessa advocate calling the police, claiming that there is a huge reward for Transformers. Cade convinces them not to call the authorities while he fixes the truck. When Cade removes a live missile from the truck's "power core," Optimus Prime transforms and roars in a fit of rage while waving his shotgun. Lucas gets injured in the head by the swinging shotgun. Cade, Lucas, and Tessa enquire why Optimus is in such a ragged state, to which he replies that the Autobots are being hunted and he must help them. Seeing the damaged condition the Autobot leader is in, Cade decides to repair him. Cade sends Lucas to buy the parts that will enable him to fix Optimus.

Shortly after, however, a strike team led by Savoy and commanded by Attinger approaches the farm, having been tipped off to Prime's location by Lucas. Agents swarm the barn, but there is no trace of Prime inside. As Savoy presses a gun to Tessa's head and Cade swears that he doesn't know where Prime is, said Cybertronian explodes out of the floor of the barn-he was hiding in the basement under the barn. Optimus escapes, still being chased by Cemetery Wind. As Cade catches a mini-drone used by Cemetery Wind and the Yeager residence explodes, a white rally car zooms over the adjacent fields and picks up the Yeagers and Lucas. The driver is revealed to be [[Shane Dyson|Shane]], Tessa's boyfriend and rally car racer.

Lockdown arrives to chase Optimus. Prime, as well as the Yeagers, Shane, and Lucas, is chased into an abandoned factory. While Optimus fights Lockdown, Shane puts his driving skills to good use and dispatches most of Cemetery Wind. However, the stunt driving has broken the car's axle. They pile into Optimus and flee, but Lucas is caught in the radius of Lockdown's grenade and is turned into metal, frozen in midstride.

Arriving at a very dilapidated gas station, Optimus orders the humans out and drives off to ensure that they have not been followed. Cade and Shane converse. Tessa gets angry at Cade again for putting them all in danger.
[[File:Autobots unite monument valley AOE.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Brace yourselves, the fat ballerina is coming." ]]
The next day Optimus and the humans set off towards Monument Valley but stop at a small ATM on the way. Cade tries to use the mini-drone to make a transaction out of his account. This fails, of course, and has the unfortunate side effect of alerting the feds to their location. A group of police cars descend on the scene but the entourage has already left. Prime scans a passing truck, sheds his layer of rust and takes on a new form with his old paint scheme. They arrive in Monument Valley where they meet other Autobot refugees in the form of [[Crosshairs (Movie)|Crosshairs]], [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]], [[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]], and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]. Crosshairs and Hound start threatening the humans for having their species betray them. Optimus convinces them that they have risked their lives to save his. Later, Optimus asks if the are any other Autobots that are still hiding. Cade reveals footage of Ratchet and Leadfoot's demise using the stolen aerial drone. Hound takes off his hat out of respect for his fallen friend while Prime declares that he will kill the one responsible for hunting down the Autobots.

Inspection of the drone leads them to a company named [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]], located in Chicago. It is run by [[Joshua Joyce]], who is working with [[Su Yueming]] and Attinger to create artificial Transformers to eventually be used in the military. Using the remains of Megatron, Sentinel Prime, and the countless Decepticons from the Chicago battle, they have synthesized a matter called '[[Transformium]]', which, when given commands through a computer, can 'transform' into various shapes or objects. Although a drone called [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]] (designed after Bumblebee) is active, Joshua's major project is a bigger, stronger drone called [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]. However, his attempts have not been successful—the drone keeps resembling ''[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'' instead of the more friendlier image of Optimus Prime. Bumblebee builds Cade and Shane faux-ID badges which the duo use to infiltrate KSI. Cade goes further in and projects imagery of Ratchet's severed head being melted down for Transformium and the captured [[Brains]], currently missing a leg. This sends Prime into a rage, prompting him to declare that he's "gonna tear them apart". Meanwhile, Shane tries to restrain Bumblebee from demolishing a Stinger prototype after a promotional video repeatedly calls him inferior to the man-made drone. He has only partial success, but both human and Autobot manage to avoid detection.

However, Cade is caught when his ID badge is found to have been scanned twice (by him and its original owner). He is taken to the upper floors and confronted by Attinger, who claims that what he has witnessed is for world peace. He also asks him about the whereabouts of Optimus Prime. Cade maintains his silence.

Furious over how the humans have mutilated their comrades, Optimus orders an attack on KSI. Bumblebee, carried upstairs by Drift in copter mode, rescues Cade. The others trash the lab, free Brains, and confront Joshua, only for him to openly declare that what is being done is being done to prevent more Transformer-caused damage and that the humans "don't need" the Autobots. Disheartened, Prime orders a retreat.

As the Autobots exit the factory and leave, Attinger catches up with Joshua and claims that the Autobots have declared war on the humans by smashing into the facility. He coerces Joyce to use the two functional drones to take down the Autobots. Galvatron and Stinger activate and pursue their quarry across a highway. The Autobots evade Galvatron's and Stinger's missiles but are deterred when the drones transform and attack. Bumblebee fires upon Galvatron but is surprised to see him simply disintegrate and reintegrate again. Galvatron attacks Prime, who tries to stab the robot in the 'spark chamber' but finds nothing. The artificial robot still functions, and when Prime is surprised about its lack of a spark, it snarls back "That is why I have no FEAR!"

As Tessa scrambles for cover in a nearby vehicle, Prime is suddenly shot from the back and falls—Lockdown has arrived, along with his ship! The bounty hunter orders a net dropped over Optimus, hoisting both the Autobot leader and the vehicle Tessa sought refuge in. Cade desperately clings to the net, but his strength gives out and he falls to the fields below. As the spaceship departs, Cade and Shane vow to get Tessa back.

Lockdown throws Prime in a cage and orders his lackeys to dispose of Tessa. Prime takes note of several other aliens in similar cages. He also discovers the original purpose of the mercenary ship: it was supposed to be used by a group of legendary Knights (presumably including Prime himself) but now acts as Lockdown's flying prison. As the vessel flies over Chicago, Attinger is informed of Prime's capture and arranges for Savoy to meet Lockdown aboard the ship. He also discourages several government agencies from opening fire, claiming that he has an "asset" on the ship.

Cade, Shane, and the other Autobots clamber on the ship as it flies low over a bridge. Cade and Shane find Tessa, who has seen Attinger and Savoy receive "the Seed" from Lockdown. However, Tessa completely ignores her father the moment they reconcile and proceeds to cling to Shane, calling him her savior. Cade, thoroughly ridiculed and at a loss for words, can only roll his eyes. The inventor and Shane also find a strange armory, from which Cade takes a sword that opens up to form a gun (referred to as "alien gun").

Crosshairs deploys the ship's mooring cables as a method of distraction, causing them to attach to the Willis Tower and preventing the ship from going into warp. This allows the humans to climb down to the tower with Bumblebee's help. Crosshairs appears again, this time in a gunship, and instructs the humans to come aboard. Lockdown's own ships soon give chase.

Lockdown has detached the mooring cables and prepare to warp once again. However, Prime reveals that the section they are in is actually a separate ship. With Hound controlling the ship, they separate from the main ship just as it warps away.

Back at KSI, it is decided that all equipment is to be moved to the Beijing facility to continue operations. Joshua is also none too pleased about the previous field test of Galvatron-not only was it lost on several fronts, but the drone also ''spoke'', which was something it was ''not'' programmed to do!

The Autobots regroup at a train yard and Optimus claims that he felt the presence of Megatron during his fight with Galvatron. Brains seconds this, as he was forced to decipher the functionality in Megatron's brain, which helped the humans build Galvatron's body (and explains why Joshua could not get Galvatron to resemble Optimus). The tiny bot further mentions how Galvatron used his knowledge to build Stinger and the other drones, with plans to make them into his personal army.

As Tessa elaborates about the Seed she saw, Optimus explains how the Creators used Seeds to wipe out entire species and harvest metal produced—Transformium.

Drift intercepts a communications message which says Joyce will be going to the Beijing facility. Hearing this, Cade makes a call to Joyce and relays the newfound data about Galvatron. Knowing that Joyce is also an inventor with a heart, he pleads with Joyce to shut down Galvatron before things escalate. Although Joyce puts up an unconvinced face, he calls for increased security around Galvatron right after the call.

As police cars surround the train yard the Autobots board the shuttle again and take to the air. Optimus says that though the Autobots will travel to Hong Kong and get the Seed back, they are done protecting humanity after that. Cade disagrees but Prime is non-responsive.

In deep space, Lockdown finally discovers the absence of the smaller ship. He grumbles about Optimus Prime taking his trophy case and how the Prime will feel his wrath while he reverses course.

Joyce meets with Attinger and Savoy and receives the Seed. Joyce intends to detonate it in a region of the Mongolian Desert, which will generate enough Transformium to last a century. Attinger is eager to expedite production but grows incensed when Joshua disagrees and says that they should go slower, quite obviously moved by Cade's call.

Meanwhile, Galvatron activates ''on his own'' and starts to infect the legion of over fifty KSI Transformers, including Stinger, [[Junkheap (AOE)|Junkheap]], a collection of differently colored [[Trax (AOE)|Traxes]], and some [[Two-headed Shockwave]]s. When the alarm rings regarding Galvatron's escape, Joyce has Attinger and Savoy evacuated from the building and gets in a car with Yueming, an associate named Darcy, and the Seed.

As the trio drive away, they realize the need for a place to hide the Seed. Yueming instructs them to head to Hong Kong, where she can enlist the help of the local armed forces. As the sun rises, Darcy drives off to create a diversion while Joshua and Yueming try to get the Seed out of the city. Joyce learns from his team of scientists (who are playing with some Transformium, using it to create a Rainbow Dash doll and a machine gun successively) that the Seed has the range of a thermo-nuclear device!

As Joyce seeks refuge on a rooftop (and grabs a nearby soybean drink), the Autobot-piloted ship arrives and attempts to pick him and the Seed up. However, Galvatron and his drones have arrived, and a Trax shoots down the airborne vessel with its rockets, causing Bumblebee, Hound, and the Yeagers to spill out of the cargo hold and the others (Prime, Crosshairs, Drift, and the captured Knights) to careen away into a mountainside. Savoy finds the Yeagers and Joyce on the rooftop and open fires on them as they take cover in the elevator. Cade distracts Savoy, who apparently now has a vendetta with the inventor, and distracts the agent long enough for his family to escape. The two jump acorss rooftops, eventually crashing into a house and get in a fist fight. Savoy pulls out a knife, ready to attack Cade, who counters with a football (apparently used to remember a dead kid) and a tackle that results in Savoy falling out a window and dying on impact. Attinger watches as this happens and receives a message from Lockdown on an advance communications device, asking where his bounty is. Attinger gives his location, giving Lockdown the green light to do what he must to retrieve Prime.

Hound and Bumblebee attempt to escort the humans and the Seed out of the city, but are cut short when Joshua points out that the KSI-built Transformers were specifically built to hunt and destroy any Autobots or Decepticons left on Earth. This prompts Prime to return into the ship and activate the armory as well as release the other captives within the ship. As Hound and Bumblebee hold the line and protect the humans, Optimus tries to convince the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Legendary Warriors]] to fight alongside them. Their [[Grimlock (AOE) |apparent leader]] declines at first, fighting the Prime in both his massive robot mode and his Tyrannosaurus mode. Optimus quickly defeats him, saying that he and other warriors will protect his family or die, then mounts the metal dinosaur. After a heroic speech, Crosshairs comments that one would want to die for Optimus, saying he shows great leadership...or brainwashing. Drift replies that this is just how Optimus Prime gains respect. The Autobots mount their Dinobots and charge over the mountains into Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Hound is running out of ammunition and growing desperate, even going so far as to throw his own helmet at synthetic enemies to knock them out. Just as he runs out, Optimus and his fellow Autobots storm into the city, slamming, crushing, stomping, and chomping on all nearby enemies. Galvatron, nowhere near any of this, yells that Prime and his allies are ruining everything. With this battle over, Prime turns his attention to Joyce. He says that Joyce will be responsible for the extinction of humanity. The T-Rex roars at the already frightened Joyce before Optimus gives the order to defend the humans and escort them away from the city.

On the way, a homing beacon within the Seed activates, allowing Lockdown to track it and the Autobots down. He activates a massive magnet, wreaking havoc on Hong Kong. Everything metal from kitchenware to massive ships are picked up by the magnet; not even the Autobots or the Warriors are safe. After narrowly avoiding the magnet, the Yeagers are separated from the Autobots, who are being sucked into Lockdown's ship by the same magnet. Optimus shoots at the magnet, destroying it. The ship retreats to a nearby factory, with Optimus hot on its trail. Cade tells his daughter to stay with Shane and the Autobots, as he wishes to fight alongside Optimus against Lockdown. As Optimus faces Lockdown, however, Attinger corners Yeager with a pistol, accusing him of choosing aliens over his country, but he is quickly shot and killed by Optimus. Cade replies to the corpse that he would make the same choice any time.

Lockdown gains the upper hand, stabbing Optimus through the chest with his own sword and pinning him to a concrete pillar. He makes a brief speech eerily similar to Attinger's before Cade starts shooting at him. Meanwhile, Tessa convinces Bumblebee to turn around and fight Lockdown, allowing Shane to use a tow truck to unpin Prime. Just as Lockdown is about to perform a killing blow on Cade, Optimus jumps up and slices the bounty hunter in half! Activating one of Lockdown's grenades, Prime tells the humans to hold on and blasts off while the grenade detonates and demolishes Galvatron's forces. Meanwhile, Galvatron watches Prime blast off and warns him to beware, for he is reborn...

Reflecting on the danger he will bring to the Earth if he stays (due to the bounty on his head), Prime blasts off into space with the Seed to confront the creators, but not before ordering the Autobots to protect the Yeager family.

==Quotes==
"There is one way you survive; tell me where he's hiding. Where is Optimus Prime?" 
"Never." 
''Lockdown impales Ratchet through his chest and extracts his spark.'' 
"Never is here."
:—'''Lockdown''' doesn't appreciate '''Ratchet's''' defiance.

"What about this one? This could be digital, possibly Imax?"
"I don't think so."
:-'''Cade''' dismisses the theater owner's theory on the quality of their vintage projectors.

"All you species are the same. You all think you're the center of the universe. You have no idea...''
:—'''Lockdown'''

"You promised me human intelligence. Or is there such a thing?''
:—'''Lockdown''' is not entirely satisfies with '''Harold Attinger''''s assistance.

"Autobots, I have sworn never to kill humans..." 
"Big mistake." 
"...but when I find out who's behind this...he's going to die."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Hound''' after seeing Leadfoot's death.

"They slaughtered Ratchet! I'M GOING TO TEAR THEM APART!!!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' after seeing Ratchet's death.

"Bee, you got to calm down right now" 
"I'm perfectly calm" 
" You got to breathe, do whatever it is that you do..." 
"I'm calm! I'm calm. I'm calm. I'm touching it. Okay? I'm barely touching, barely touching it" 
:- '''Shane''' trying to calm '''Bumblebee''' down after they view the video which repeatedly calls him inferior to Stinger

"Wha-We're not going to kick even ''a little'' ass??"
:—'''Brains''' finds his jailbreak to be a little anti-climactic.

"You have no soul!" 
"That is why I have no fear."
:—'''Galvatron's''' isn't as lifeless as Optimus Prime thought.

"I'll cover you! If I stop covering you, that means I'm dead. But that ain't going to happen."
:—'''Hound''' taking at least five levels in badass. And then being interrupted by incoming fire.

"I was expecting a giant car!"
:—'''Drift''' witnessing Grimlock transform into a dinosaur.

"Ugh, you just want to die for the guy. ''That's'' leadership. Or brainwashing, or something." 
"No, that's Optimus Prime."
:—'''Crosshairs''' and '''Drift'''

"I'm a fat ballerina who takes scalps and slits throats!"
:—Only '''Hound''' can take yet another level in badass and ballerina classes at the same time.

"My fat ass is stuck!"
:—'''Hound''' realizing the unfortunate circumstance of being overweight.

"LIKE A TACTICAL NUKE; LOL!"
:- '''Joshua''' receiving an inappropriately jubilant text message from his scientists, regarding the Seed's potential detonation range.

"How do you say 'Get the f&%# out of the way' in Chinese?"
:—'''Joshua Joyce''' has some issues with the language barrier.

"Oh this is the perfect place to hide, a BIG GLASS BOX! No one will ever find us here!"
:- '''Joshua''' complaining about their hiding spot

"Autobots! We charge together! Now roll out!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gives the [[Transform and Roll Out|age old order]] after securing reinforcements.

"You saved the human instead of saving yourself. You bring shame upon us all."
:—'''Lockdown''' to Optimus Prime

"You see my face, your life is done."
:—'''Lockdown's''' final words before Optimus slices ''his'' face in half.

"We shall meet again, Prime, for I am reborn."
:—'''Galvatron''' swears retribution to Optimus Prime

"There are mysteries to the universe we were never meant to solve, but who we are and why we are here, are not among them. Those answers we carry inside. I am Optimus Prime, and this message is to my Creators. Leave planet Earth alone. Cause I'm coming for you."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s closing narration.

==Main cast==
{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]] ([[Ken Watanabe]])
*[[Crosshairs (Movie)|Crosshairs]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] ([[John Goodman]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Brains]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] (John DiMaggio)
*[[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s head
*[[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]]
**[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]
**[[Strafe (AOE)|Strafe]]
**[[Slug (AOE)|Slug]]
**[[Scorn (AOE)|Scorn]]

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s head
*[[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]]
*[[Junkheap (AOE)|Junkheap]]
*[[Trax (AOE)|Traxes]]
*[[McLaren Decepticon]]
*[[Aston Martin Decepticon]]
*"[[Two-headed Shockwave]]s"
*"Nizzi Decepticons"
*[[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]]
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] (video footage)
*[[Protoform]]s (video footage)

|h3=Bounty Hunters|c3=
*[[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Steeljaw (AOE)|Steeljaws]]
*Lockdown's henchmen
|nonumbering=true

|h4=[[Human]]s|c4=
*[[Cade Yeager]] ([[Mark Wahlberg]])
*[[Tessa Yeager]] ([[Nicola Peltz]])
*[[Shane Dyson]] ([[Jack Reynor]])
*[[Joshua Joyce]] ([[Stanley Tucci]])
*[[Harold Attinger]] ([[Kelsey Grammer]])
*[[James Savoy]] ([[Titus Welliver]])
*[[Lucas Flannery]] ([[T. J. Miller]])
*[[Darcy Tyril]] ([[Sophia Myles]])
*[[Su Yueming]] ([[Li Bingbing]])
*[[Gill Wembley]] ([[James Bachman]])
*[[Chief of Staff Greg]] ([[Thomas Lennon]])

|h5=Others|c5=
*''Psittacosaurus''
*Brachiosaur
*Hadrosaur
*[[Oreo Transformer]]
}}

==Errors==
===Continuity errors===
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] is seen on the cards Attinger pulls out early in the film, listed as deceased and having been last seen in Chicago. However, Ironhide was killed by Sentinel Prime in Washington, D.C., midway through ''Dark of the Moon''.
*Scenes from the Decepticons' invasion of Chicago in ''Dark of the Moon'' are shown as archival footage presented by Attinger. While it is conceivable some lucky people with cameras recorded the initial attack and managed to survive and publish their footage, it's highly unlikely people would've been able to get close-up video footage of the [[NEST]] team taking down [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and the other Decepticons. In an outside-world context, these scenes are simply used as stock footage to help serve as exposition for the audience.

===Technical/animation errors===
*When Lucas leaves to get parts from the hardware store, he is wearing a green jacket. He returns jacket-less and in a red flannel shirt.
*Scrambling Cemetery Wind seems to scramble the timeline. From the deployment of Cemetery Wind to Lucas's death, the time of day is in limbo. For example, Optimus escapes from the Yeager property at sunset, joining the pursuit that takes place in early afternoon.
*When Shane's car gets sideswiped in the cornfield, the back left window is shattered. A couple scenes later, the window is just rolled down.
*After Bumblebee scans his new alternate mode, the camera pans over the car and Tessa and Shane are not inside.
*When Joshua is in the lab showing Darcy Transformium, in two different shots, a white, uncolored prop of Ratchet's head can be seen being worked on in the next room.
*When Shane's car breaks into the place where some people is in a kind of social activity the woman who is sitting in the middle of the room is clearly expecting the glass-breaking-noise to start running.
*Some security guards in KSI are completely oblivious to Crosshairs's shooting and shouting until a few seconds before the scene changes.
*When he loses his grip on the net holding Optimus and the car containing Tessa, Cade is shown falling toward the street, but he lands on the grass by the road.
*When the Autobots are on a bridge, before boarding Lockdown's ship, Crosshairs is clearly shown to be speaking but no dialogue is heard.
*While the human characters are climbing across the anchor cables to the high-rise building some of the Steeljaws begins to climb out after them. Cade tells his daughter not to look back and see them, but when we cut back to her, with a clear view of the cables behind her, the Steeljaws are not visible for this moment.
*When Bumblebee jumps off Lockdown's ship to save the humans, he is followed by a Steeljaw. In the following shot, the Steeljaw is gone.
*While explaining Megatron's plans to the Autobots, Brains rings a bell on a train. In the next shot, the bell is not moving.
*During the motorcycle chase, the CIA cars change. At first, Joshua and Su are trailed by a Cadillac and an Audi; in the middle of the chase, the Cadillac is replaced by another Audi. By the end of the chase, the Cadillac is back.
*In Hong Kong, when Cade, Joshua, Tessa, and Shane enter the elevator to run away from the rooftop, the elevator won't move and Cade says it is overloaded. But in the next scene, we could see that the maximum amount of person that the elevator could bring is 9 people. There are only 4 people and the seed (the seed is not as heavy as human because Joshua could lift it easily).
*When Cade is running from Savoy down the side of the Hong Kong building, Savoy stomps on an external air conditioning unit so it will fall on Cade. When the air conditioning unit breaks off the wall, it reveals a plain wall. This shows the air conditioner was there for no other reason than to come off the wall rather than actually be used to cool an interior.
*All of the vehicles see in Hong Kong are left hand drive. In Hong Kong they drive on the left and so most vehicles would be right hand drive.
*Grimlock melts some KSI Transformers on a covered bridge with his fire breath, though the bridge itself remains intact until he crashes through it.
*When Lockdown shoots at Cade during his battle with Optimus, Cade and Attinger take cover despite Attinger's very recent death.

===[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Paleontology weeps]]===
*The cyberformed remains of a ''Tyrannosaurus'' and a ''Spinosaurus'' appear frozen together in the arctic at the beginning of the film. This is rather odd considering the two are found in different continents (North America and Africa respectively) and separated by around 35 million years of evolution.
*The dinosaurs include a ''Psittaccosaurus'' (100-120 million years old), a generic hadrosaur that might be either an ''Edmontosaurus'' or a ''Shantungosaurus'' (65-70 million years old), and a brachiosaurid (100-157 million years old) during what is implied to be the K-Pg extinction event (64.5-65 million years old).
*The ''Psittaccosaurus'', a well known herbivorous animal, is seen actively hunting and killing live prey. In a nod to paleontological accuracy, however, it is depicted with a row of quill-like feathers along its back, as many ceratopsian dinosaurs are believed to have had.
*The Dinobots show various exaggerations and ornamentations which go beyond the usual suspension of disbelief involved in... [[Dinobot (disambiguation)|giant metal dinosaurs]]. Grimlock sports curved, backwards pointing horns and enormous fangs. Slug has huge tail spikes and a set of nasty chin horns. Scorn probably gets off the easiest, being ''mostly'' correct, bar his extra fins. Strafe is the biggest offender, with a double pair of elongate tails and twin heads.

==Transformers references==

* As usual, many of the new characters have roots in older portions of the mythos:
** [[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]] is based on [[Drift (G1)|a Generation 1 character]] introduced in IDW's 2008 ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' series.
** Lockdown is derived from [[Lockdown_(Animated)|a character in the 2008 ''Animated'' cartoon]] who had already jumped over to the G1 comics and, in toy form, to the Movie universe.
** [[Hound (disambiguation)|Hound]] and [[Crosshairs (disambiguation)|Crosshairs]] both share names with previous characters; their personalities are new and unique, though Hound seems based on [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]] in physique, coloration and personality.
** Galvatron being a new form for Megatron has been a thing for [[Galvatron (disambiguation)|basically forever]].
** The Dinobots are the latest iteration of [[Dinobot (G1)|the powerhouse subfaction]] that first appeared in the early days of Generation 1. Their leader Grimlock is a direct analog of [[Grimlock (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]]; Strafe and Slug are based on Generation 1 [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] and [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], respectively.
* In the film's opening act, Optimus has adopted a flatnosed truck alternate mode akin to that of his [[Optimus Prime (G1)|G1 counterpart]].
* This is not the first time that Ratchet and Lockdown have faced off. ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] had [[The Thrill of the Hunt|a long-running feud]]. Within the movie universe, the two characters have been described as rivals on toy packaging bios, and faced off in ''[[Cyber Missions 3]]''.
* The concept of the Transformers being built by another race first appeared in the third season of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]].
* Meanwhile, the concept of humans hunting down all Transformers on Earth following a massive and disastrous battle hearkens back to plotlines from IDW's [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]].
* The (rather obvious) theme of humans (particularly Evil Government Agencies) using captured Transformers as a source of technology has appeared numerous times in the mythos, going all the way back to the [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]] agency in the original Marvel Comics. [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|The ''Animated'' cartoon]] in particular featured the severed head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] being studied and reverse-engineered, while in IDW's ongoing G1 stories, [[Sunstreaker (G1)|a Transformer's severed head]] was used to help design man-made Transformers (in [[The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots|a Dinobot-focused series at that]].) More broad uses of the concept include the Dreamwave ''[[War and Peace]]'' mini-series, Devils Due's ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War|Art of War]]'' mini-series (''again'' featuring the severed head of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]), the [[The Transformers (IDW)|IDW ongoing series]], [[All or Nothing!|Cobra's actions in the G2 comics]], and [[MECH]] from the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]].
* The ringtone on Joshua's assistant's cell phone is a remixed version of the original G1 Transformers [[theme song]].
* In the scene where Optimus scans a passing truck, the classic [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] plays when the Autobot symbol emerges from his grill.

==Real-life references==
*Among the objects KSI makes from Transformium in the film is a Rainbow Dash doll from [[My Little Pony|another popular Hasbro brand]].

==Other editions==

==Prequel material==

==Adaptations==

==Music==
===Soundtrack===

===Score===

==Home video releases==

==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery>
File:Transformers- Age of ExtinctionTeaserPoster.jpg|First teaser poster
File:Transformers- Age of ExtinctionOptimusPrimePoster.jpg
</gallery></center>

==Reception==
The movie has been received with varied ratings. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 17%, though 58% of the audience liked it. Damn tomatoes. However, IMDb gave it 6.4. Entirely, as the only professional reviews, the movie received up and down ratings, leaving more reviews to come.

==Production staff==
===Visual effects===
===Locations department===

==Development details==
*February 13, 2012 — Paramount announces [[Michael Bay]] has signed a deal to make a fourth ''Transformers'' film.<ref name="tf4update">[http://michaelbay.com/2012/02/14/transformers-4-update/ Transformers 4 Update] on Michael Bay's site.</ref>
*June 6, 2012 — During [[Transformers: The Ride – 3D]] coverage, LA Times reports Michael Bay as saying the film will have a whole new human cast and redesigned robots.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/transformers-the-ride-3d-even-impresses-disney-rivals/ Transformers taking new shape] on LA Times</ref>
*June 21, 2012 — In another LA Times interview, Bay reveals that the film will not be a reboot as previously stated.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/transformers-4-michael-bay-purges-stars-may-go-into-space/ 'Transformers 4': Michael Bay purges stars, may go into space] on LA Times</ref>
*September 21, 2012 — Bay confirms that voice actor [[Peter Cullen]] will be kept on as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] once again.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/michael-bay-transformers-4-pain-and-gain_n_1903523.html Huffington Post interview].</ref>
*October 18, 2012 — The logo is revealed at a Paramount presentation.<ref>[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=95936 Paramount Previews Jack Reacher, Pain & Gain, Jack Ryan, Transformers 4, World War Z & More! ] on Comingsoon.net</ref>
*November 8, 2012 — After a number of rumors suggest it, Bay casts actor [[Mark Wahlberg]] in the film.<ref name="wahlberg">[http://michaelbay.com/2012/11/08/michel-bay-re-teams-with-his-pain-gain-star-mark-mark-wahlberg-for-transformers-4/ Michael Bay Re-Teams With His 'Pain & Gain' Star Mark Wahlberg for Transformers 4] on Michael Bay's site.</ref>
*December 15, 2012 — Wahlberg confirms that filming of ''Transformers 4'' will commence in May 2013. <ref>[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2012/12/transformers-4-shoot-begins-in-may.html Transformers 4 Shoot Begins in May]</ref>
*January 8, 2013 — Bay casts Irish American actor [[Jack Reynor]] in ''Transformers 4''. <ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jack-reynor-lands-starring-role-409850 Jack Reynor Lands Starring Role]</ref>
*March 20, 2013 — The Michigan Film Office announces the film series will return to [[Detroit]],<ref>[http://www.michiganfilmoffice.org/The-Film-Office/Press-Releases/Detail.aspx?id=11620 Transformers Returning to Michigan, Approved for Film Incentive]</ref> and reveals plot details which are later debunked by Paramount Pictures.<ref>[http://screenrant.com/transformers-4-movie-plot-synopsis-cast/ Unofficial 'Transformers 4' Plot Synopsis Is Not Accurate]</ref>
*March 26, 2013 — [[Nicola Peltz]] is confirmed as a cast member via Bay's website.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/03/26/welcome-nicola-peltz-to-transformers-4/ Welcome Nicola Peltz to Transformers 4]</ref>
*April 15, 2013 — Actor [[Stanley Tucci]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/cinemaconnews.php?id=103034 CinemaCon: Stanley Tucci Joins Transformers 4]</ref>
*May 1, 2013 — [[Kelsey Grammer]] joins the cast as the lead villain named "Harold Attinger".<ref>[http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/kelsey-grammer-lands-lead-human-villain-in-transformers-sequel/ Kelsey Grammer Lands Lead (Human) Villain In ‘Transformers’ Sequel]</ref>
*May 6, 2013 — The Wrap confirms that [[Sophia Myles]] will play a scientist.<ref>[http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/sophia-myles-join-mark-wahlberg-michael-bays-transformers-4-exclusive-89661 Sophia Myles to Join Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay's 'Transformers 4' (Exclusive)]</ref>
*May 18, 2013 — The name of Mark Wahlberg's character is revealed to be Flynn Vincent (This was later either changed or misinformation).
*May 20, 2013 — Chinese actress [[Li Bingbing]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-li-bingbing-boards-transformers-525370 China's Li Bingbing Boards 'Transformers 4']</ref>
*May 28, 2013 — Actor-Comedian [[T. J. Miller]] joins the cast as a mechanic who is the best friend of Wahlberg's character.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tj-miller-joins-transformers-4-559359 T.J. Miller Joins 'Transformers4']</ref> Filming begins at [[Wikipedia:Monument Valley|Monument Valley]]<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformers-4-starts-filming-in-monument-valley-navajo-tribal-park/ Transformers 4 Starts Filming in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park]</ref> and the alternate modes of two new Autobots are revealed on Michael Bay's website: a C7 Corvette Stingray<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformers-4-cars-c7-corvette-stingray/ Transformers 4: C7 Corvette Stingray]</ref> and a Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformer-4-cars/ Transformers 4: Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse]</ref>
[[File:AOE Optimus Prime truck.jpg|thumb|right|240px|When having one's midlife crisis, it's not unusual to get a souped-up alternate mode.]]
*May 29, 2013 — Optimus Prime's new alternate mode is officially revealed by Michael Bay as a custom-built semi-truck.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/29/optimus-prime/ Optimus Prime]</ref>
*May 30, 2013 — Bumblebee's new alternate mode is revealed on Michael Bay's website as a highly modified 1967 Camaro SS.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/30/transformers-4-bumblebee/ Bumblebee]</ref>
*May 31, 2013 — Hound is revealed as a new character for Transformers 4, transforming into a Medium Tactical Vehicle.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/31/hound/ Hound]</ref>
*June 7, 2013 — Another new vehicle for the film is revealed as a Lamborghini Aventador.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/07/lamborghini-aventador/ Lamborghini Aventador]</ref>
*June 12, 2013 — The Sonic RS Rally Car is revealed for the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/12/sonic-rs/ Sonic RS Rally Car]</ref>
*June 25, 2013 — The Pagani Huayra is revealed to appear in the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/25/pagani-huayra/ Pagani Huayra]</ref>
*June 28, 2013 — A Freightliner Argosy cab-over truck is revealed for the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/28/freightliner/ Freightliner]</ref>
*July 2, 2013 — A second alternate mode is revealed for Bumblebee in the form of a 2014 Concept Camaro.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/02/bumblebee-2014-concept-camaro/ Bumblebee 2014 Concept Camaro]</ref><ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/02/bumblebee-2014-concept-camaro-2/ Bumblebee 2014 Concept Camaro]</ref>
*July 14, 2013 — Chinese actor-musician [[Han Geng]] is announced as being part of the cast.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/14/han-geng/ Han Geng]</ref>
*July 25, 2013 — After being spotted in Texas in June, actor [[Titus Welliver]] officially joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.deadline.com/2013/07/transformers-4-adds-titus-welliver/ ‘Transformers 4′ Adds Titus Welliver]</ref>
*July 27, 2013 — The S.S. Columbia and the S.S. Ste. Clair have been spotted to be featured in the film.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/07/26/wdr-boblo-boats-transformers-four.html Historic Boblo boats land role in Transformers 4]</ref>
*July 30, 2013 — Wahlberg's children have been cast.<ref>[http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/07/30/mark-wahlbergs-kids-cast-in-transformers-4/ Mark Wahlberg's Kids Cast In Transformers 4]</ref>
*August 12, 2013 — [[Victoria Summer]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/victoria-summer-in-transformers-4-178207/ Victoria Summer in Transformers 4]</ref>
[[File:TF4 Chinese Reality Show contestants.jpg|thumb|right|220px|If ''Age of Extinction'' teaches us anything, it's that more movies should be cast using reality shows.]]
*August 25, 2013 — The ''[[Transformers 4 Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show]]'' ends, with winners [[Byron Li]], [[Candice Zhao]], [[Austin Lin]] and [[Teresa Daley]] joining the cast.<ref>[http://beijing.china.org.cn/2013-08/28/content_29845758.htm 'Transformers 4' recruits 4 Chinese actors]</ref>
*September 3, 2013 — Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirms the presence of Dinobots in the film.<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/03/dinobots-confirmed-for-transformers-4 Dinobots Confirmed for Transformers 4]</ref>
*September 3, 2013 — The film's title, ''Transformers: Age of Extinction'', is officially announced and the first teaser poster is revealed.<ref>[http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/transformers-4-title-reveal-age-extinction-hints-dinobots-225716345.html 'Transformers 4' Title Reveal: 'Age of Extinction' Hints at Dinobots]</ref>
*October 17, 2013 — Director Michael Bay is assaulted on the set during filming in Hong Kong by two locals demanding money. Bay receives minor injuries, but plays the incident off on his blog. <ref>[http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=834789 MSN.com article]</ref> <ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/michael-bay-attacked-on-transformers-hong-kong-film-shoot-1.2100953 CBC News article]</ref> <ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/10/17/hong-kong-incident/ Post on Michael Bay's Blog]</ref>
*October 22, 2013 — Four additional locals approach a member of the crew and demand money; one of the four is later arrested by police. <ref>[http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=835795 Second extortion attempt reported on 'Transformers 4' set]</ref>
*October 28, 2013 — Director Michael Bay plays down the extortion attempts in an interview with the South China Morning Post. He notes that the locals were apologetic over what took place, and that he wanted to film more projects in Hong Kong. <ref>[http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1342084/hollywood-director-michael-bay-eager-shoot-hong-kong-again "Hollywood director Michael Bay eager to shoot in Hong Kong again", ''South China Morning Post'', 28 October 2013.]</ref>
[[File:AOE Michael Bay Nicola Peltz on set.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Michael Bay uses his legendary charm to get the very best performance out of his actors.]]
*November 25, 2013 — ''Age of Extinction'' features in ''Empire'' magazine, showing Optimus Prime's new look on the cover. Inside are on-set photos of Michael Bay and the film's human cast in action.<ref name="empire">[http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=39488 New Transformers: Age Of Extinction Images]</ref>
*December 10, 2013 — M1905 publishes a series of interview with cast and crew in which a plethora of information, mainly regarding the film's human characters, is revealed.<ref>[http://t4.m1905.com/Report/position/id/80 Interviews on m1950.com]</ref>
*December 17, 2013 — Producer [[Allegra Clegg]] visits Durfee Elementary-Middle School as the result of a competition, and answers questions and shows three minutes of footage from the film.<ref>[http://blog.thedetroithub.com/2013/12/17/transformers-4-producer-rewards-dps-eighth-graders-for-attendance/ Transformers 4 producer rewards DPS eighth graders for attendance] on Detroit Unspun]</ref>
*January 7, 2014 — Following an on-stage snafu at a Samsung presentation, Michael Bay announces on his site that a special presentation including Transformers 4 footage would be touring to promote Samsung's new line of curved TV screens. <ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/01/06/ces/ CES] on Michael Bay's blog</ref>
*January 16, 2014 — The new Lucasfilm facility in Singapore opens, with some ILM work on ''Age of Extinction'' to be done there.<ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/lifestyle/story/lucasfilm-singapore-work-new-avengers-and-transformers-movies-20140116 Lucasfilm Singapore to work on new Avengers and Transformers movies] on The Straits Times</ref>
*January 17, 2014 — [[Steve Jablonsky]] confirms in an interview with JoBlo that he'll be providing the score for ''Age of Extinction''.<ref>[http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/exclusive-interview-composter-steve-jablonsky-talks-transformers-4-lone-survivor-and-michael-bay Exclusive Interview (Part Two): Composer Steve Jablonsky talks Transformers 4, Lone Survivor, and Michael Bay]</ref>
*January 20, 2014 — Late script changes result in Bay and his crew returning to Chongqing for a week reshooting a scene.<ref>[http://www.ecns.cn/2014/01-23/98337.shtml 'Transformers 4' back to China for additional shots]</ref>
[[File:AOEOptimusRidingGrimlock.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.9|"Get me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!"]]
*February 2, 2014 — The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F33PCUTWPk ''Age of Extinction'' "big game spot"] is screened during Super Bowl XLVIII.
*February 18, 2014 — In an interview with Nerdist, Titus Welliver said the film would be darker and "not a kid's movie".<ref name="nerdist">[https://www.nerdist.com/2014/02/titus-welliver-talks-about-transformers-4-and-clark-greggs-s-h-i-e-l-d-comments/ Titus Welliver Talks About TRANSFORMERS 4 and Clark Gregg’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Comments]</ref>
*February 28, 2014 — Following a storm of online discussion regarding his previous statement, Titus Welliver issues a new statement to the effect that ''Age of Extinction'' is in fact a kid's movie and he meant to say it would expand the audience. Relax, it's totally fine to take your kids to see it.<ref name="nerdist" />
*March 3, 2014 — The first of a series of character posters is revealed.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/03/03/new-transformers-4-poster-featuring-mark-wahlberg/ New Transformers 4 Poster Featuring Mark Wahlberg]</ref>
*March 4, 2014 — The first [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGpDoyJvmI teaser trailer] is released.
*March 12, 2014 — An IMAX poster for the movie is released.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/03/12/transformers-4-imax-poster/ Transformers 4 IMAX Poster]</ref> MTV UK reports it features "Nightship".<ref>[http://www.mtv.co.uk/transformers/news/mtv-uk-exclusive-new-transformers-age-of-extinction-poster MTV UK Exclusive! New Transformers: Age of Extinction Poster]</ref>
*March 13, 2014 — CinemaCon announce that Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor will receive the Rising Stars of 2014 Award for Transformers 4.<ref>[http://cinemacon.com/press/press-release/2014-press-release/nicola-peltz-and-jack-reynor-to-receive-cinemacon-rising-stars-award.html Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor to Receive "CinemaCon® Rising Stars of 2014 Award]</ref>
*March 24, 2014 — On the first day of CinemaCon, [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] shows off 15 minutes of footage from the film.<ref>[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Transformers-Age-Extinction-CinemaCon-Footage-Brings-Dinosaurs-Explosions-More-42240.html Transformers: Age Of Extinction CinemaCon Footage Brings Dinosaurs, Explosions And More] on Cinema Blend</ref> Mark Wahlberg promises the movie will be the biggest of the year.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-wahlberg-guarantees-a-hit-with-transformers-age-of-extinction/ Mark Wahlberg "guarantees" a hit with "Transformers: Age of Extinction"] at CBS News</ref>
*May 8, 2014 — The robot voice cast is revealed on michaelbay.com.<ref name="voicecast">[http://michaelbay.com/2014/05/08/john-goodman-and-ken-watanabe-join-the-autobot-voice-cast-in-michael-bays-transformers-age-of-extinction/ John Goodman And Ken Watanabe Join The Autobot Voice Cast in Michael Bay’s ‘Transformers: Age Of Extinction’]</ref>
*May 15, 2014 — The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKD5SNYUpUk second trailer] is released on YouTube and iTunes.


{{--}}

==Notes==
*Not only do the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] go unnamed in the film (other than [[Scorn (AOE)|Scorn]] getting the nickname, "Spike"), the word Dinobot is never even said by anyone.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers: Lost Age''''' (トランスフォーマーロストエイジ ''Toransufōmā Rosuto Eiji'')<ref>[http://www.cinematoday.jp/page/N0056111 『トランスフォーマー』第4弾の邦題は『トランスフォーマーロストエイジ』に決定！最新ビジュアルも公開]</ref>
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Epokha istrebleniya''''' (Трансформеры: Эпоха истребления ''Transformers: Age of Extermination'')
*''Argentina:'' '''''Transformers 4'''''
*''Cantonese:'' '''''Binying Gamgong: Chimmit Saigei''''' (變形金剛：殲滅世紀 "Transformers: The Century of Annihilation")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng Sz: Jiúe-jī Chúng-shēng''''' (Taiwan: 變型金剛4：絕跡重生, China: 变形金刚4：绝迹重生 "Transformers 4: Rebirth from the Extinction")

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

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Age of Extinction (film)}}

[[Category:Age of Extinction| Age of Extinction (film)]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)

2014-07-09T07:24:18Z

WreckNRule426: /* Quotes */

{{Nav-aoe}}
[[File:Transformers-_Age_of_ExtinctionOptimusPrimePoster.jpg‎|thumb|right|300px|"Brace yourselves. Winter is coming."]]

'''''Transformers: Age of Extinction''''' is the fourth film in the [[live-action film series]]. It was released on [[June 27]], [[2014]].

Following the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Battle of Chicago]], humanity has come to fear both Autobots and Decepticons alike. With the aid of a Transformer mercenary named [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], a CIA [[Cemetery Wind|task-force]] operated by [[Harold Attinger]] begins hunting the remaining [[Transformer]]s on [[Earth]]. Hunted by enemies that were once his allies, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] sends his forces into hiding. Now, four years later, struggling inventor and single-father [[Cade Yeager]] discovers a damaged Transformer, placing both himself and his [[Tessa Yeager|daughter]] on a collision course with events that threaten the extinction of humankind itself.

==Synopsis==


[[File:The Creators AOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"Brace yourselves. Robotic hell is coming."]]
65 million years ago, on the planet [[Earth]], during the Cretaceous Period, a ''Psittacosaurus'' is out hunting for food. Finding a fish, the small dinosaur starts to feed, but stops as hundreds of alien ships enter Earth's atmosphere. These alien ships are commanded by [[Creator|"The Creators"]]. The alien ships begin launching bombs called "Seeds" everywhere. When detonated, they turn most of the Earth's surface and much of its organic life into a metallic element. Barely escaping, the ''Psittacosaurus'' walks through the fields of metallic dinosaur corpses. The Age of the Dinosaurs is over.

[[File:AOE Ratchet dying.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Knew I shouldn't have signed that Sacrificial Lion clause in the contract!"]]
Four years after the invasion of [[Chicago]], tensions between humans and Cybertronians have risen dramatically. The government of the United States has terminated all human-Autobot joint operations and deemed every Autobot a wanted fugitive. [[Harold Attinger]] heads a black-ops military unit known as [[Cemetery Wind]], which aims to hunt down and kill all Transformers, regardless of faction. On one such mission aboard an abandoned boat, the team pinpoint another Transformer in hiding, who turns out to be [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]. Initially he tries to run, but when he is forced to transform, he tries to reason with the CIA operatives. [[James Savoy]], who leads the field operations and reports to the paranoid Attinger, dismisses Ratchet's pleas. Then, a cannon emerges from the swamp, firing off a few rounds, knocking Ratchet down, and destroying his leg. It's revealed to be [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], who demands to know Optimus Prime's whereabouts. Ratchet's defiance earns him a hook through the chest, killing him.

In Texas, struggling inventor [[Cade Yeager]] and his friend/employee [[Lucas Flannery]] meet at an old theater, looking for parts/salvage. He finds an old truck, and upon inspection, it seems to have artillery shells inside it. He buys the truck along with the other theater equipment and puts it in his garage. [[Tessa Yeager|Tessa]], Cade's daughter, observes this while video-chatting with her boyfriend and criticizes her dad for buying the heap of junk.
[[File:RustyoldtruckAOE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"*Gasp* It's not mint in box!"]]
Later on, Cade discovers a giant hole on the radiator while taking the truck apart. After calling Lucas and Tessa, he connects jumper cables to its engine, only for it to promptly declare "Calling all Autobots...". Lucas and Tessa advocate calling the police, claiming that there is a huge reward for Transformers. Cade convinces them not to call the authorities while he fixes the truck. When Cade removes a live missile from the truck's "power core," Optimus Prime transforms and roars in a fit of rage while waving his shotgun. Lucas gets injured in the head by the swinging shotgun. Cade, Lucas, and Tessa enquire why Optimus is in such a ragged state, to which he replies that the Autobots are being hunted and he must help them. Seeing the damaged condition the Autobot leader is in, Cade decides to repair him. Cade sends Lucas to buy the parts that will enable him to fix Optimus.

Shortly after, however, a strike team led by Savoy and commanded by Attinger approaches the farm, having been tipped off to Prime's location by Lucas. Agents swarm the barn, but there is no trace of Prime inside. As Savoy presses a gun to Tessa's head and Cade swears that he doesn't know where Prime is, said Cybertronian explodes out of the floor of the barn-he was hiding in the basement under the barn. Optimus escapes, still being chased by Cemetery Wind. As Cade catches a mini-drone used by Cemetery Wind and the Yeager residence explodes, a white rally car zooms over the adjacent fields and picks up the Yeagers and Lucas. The driver is revealed to be [[Shane Dyson|Shane]], Tessa's boyfriend and rally car racer.

Lockdown arrives to chase Optimus. Prime, as well as the Yeagers, Shane, and Lucas, is chased into an abandoned factory. While Optimus fights Lockdown, Shane puts his driving skills to good use and dispatches most of Cemetery Wind. However, the stunt driving has broken the car's axle. They pile into Optimus and flee, but Lucas is caught in the radius of Lockdown's grenade and is turned into metal, frozen in midstride.

Arriving at a very dilapidated gas station, Optimus orders the humans out and drives off to ensure that they have not been followed. Cade and Shane converse. Tessa gets angry at Cade again for putting them all in danger.
[[File:Autobots unite monument valley AOE.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Brace yourselves, the fat ballerina is coming." ]]
The next day Optimus and the humans set off towards Monument Valley but stop at a small ATM on the way. Cade tries to use the mini-drone to make a transaction out of his account. This fails, of course, and has the unfortunate side effect of alerting the feds to their location. A group of police cars descend on the scene but the entourage has already left. Prime scans a passing truck, sheds his layer of rust and takes on a new form with his old paint scheme. They arrive in Monument Valley where they meet other Autobot refugees in the form of [[Crosshairs (Movie)|Crosshairs]], [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]], [[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]], and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]. Crosshairs and Hound start threatening the humans for having their species betray them. Optimus convinces them that they have risked their lives to save his. Later, Optimus asks if the are any other Autobots that are still hiding. Cade reveals footage of Ratchet and Leadfoot's demise using the stolen aerial drone. Hound takes off his hat out of respect for his fallen friend while Prime declares that he will kill the one responsible for hunting down the Autobots.

Inspection of the drone leads them to a company named [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]], located in Chicago. It is run by [[Joshua Joyce]], who is working with [[Su Yueming]] and Attinger to create artificial Transformers to eventually be used in the military. Using the remains of Megatron, Sentinel Prime, and the countless Decepticons from the Chicago battle, they have synthesized a matter called '[[Transformium]]', which, when given commands through a computer, can 'transform' into various shapes or objects. Although a drone called [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]] (designed after Bumblebee) is active, Joshua's major project is a bigger, stronger drone called [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]. However, his attempts have not been successful—the drone keeps resembling ''[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'' instead of the more friendlier image of Optimus Prime. Bumblebee builds Cade and Shane faux-ID badges which the duo use to infiltrate KSI. Cade goes further in and projects imagery of Ratchet's severed head being melted down for Transformium and the captured [[Brains]], currently missing a leg. This sends Prime into a rage, prompting him to declare that he's "gonna tear them apart". Meanwhile, Shane tries to restrain Bumblebee from demolishing a Stinger prototype after a promotional video repeatedly calls him inferior to the man-made drone. He has only partial success, but both human and Autobot manage to avoid detection.

However, Cade is caught when his ID badge is found to have been scanned twice (by him and its original owner). He is taken to the upper floors and confronted by Attinger, who claims that what he has witnessed is for world peace. He also asks him about the whereabouts of Optimus Prime. Cade maintains his silence.

Furious over how the humans have mutilated their comrades, Optimus orders an attack on KSI. Bumblebee, carried upstairs by Drift in copter mode, rescues Cade. The others trash the lab, free Brains, and confront Joshua, only for him to openly declare that what is being done is being done to prevent more Transformer-caused damage and that the humans "don't need" the Autobots. Disheartened, Prime orders a retreat.

As the Autobots exit the factory and leave, Attinger catches up with Joshua and claims that the Autobots have declared war on the humans by smashing into the facility. He coerces Joyce to use the two functional drones to take down the Autobots. Galvatron and Stinger activate and pursue their quarry across a highway. The Autobots evade Galvatron's and Stinger's missiles but are deterred when the drones transform and attack. Bumblebee fires upon Galvatron but is surprised to see him simply disintegrate and reintegrate again. Galvatron attacks Prime, who tries to stab the robot in the 'spark chamber' but finds nothing. The artificial robot still functions, and when Prime is surprised about its lack of a spark, it snarls back "That is why I have no FEAR!"

As Tessa scrambles for cover in a nearby vehicle, Prime is suddenly shot from the back and falls—Lockdown has arrived, along with his ship! The bounty hunter orders a net dropped over Optimus, hoisting both the Autobot leader and the vehicle Tessa sought refuge in. Cade desperately clings to the net, but his strength gives out and he falls to the fields below. As the spaceship departs, Cade and Shane vow to get Tessa back.

Lockdown throws Prime in a cage and orders his lackeys to dispose of Tessa. Prime takes note of several other aliens in similar cages. He also discovers the original purpose of the mercenary ship: it was supposed to be used by a group of legendary Knights (presumably including Prime himself) but now acts as Lockdown's flying prison. As the vessel flies over Chicago, Attinger is informed of Prime's capture and arranges for Savoy to meet Lockdown aboard the ship. He also discourages several government agencies from opening fire, claiming that he has an "asset" on the ship.

Cade, Shane, and the other Autobots clamber on the ship as it flies low over a bridge. Cade and Shane find Tessa, who has seen Attinger and Savoy receive "the Seed" from Lockdown. However, Tessa completely ignores her father the moment they reconcile and proceeds to cling to Shane, calling him her savior. Cade, thoroughly ridiculed and at a loss for words, can only roll his eyes. The inventor and Shane also find a strange armory, from which Cade takes a sword that opens up to form a gun (referred to as "alien gun").

Crosshairs deploys the ship's mooring cables as a method of distraction, causing them to attach to the Willis Tower and preventing the ship from going into warp. This allows the humans to climb down to the tower with Bumblebee's help. Crosshairs appears again, this time in a gunship, and instructs the humans to come aboard. Lockdown's own ships soon give chase.

Lockdown has detached the mooring cables and prepare to warp once again. However, Prime reveals that the section they are in is actually a separate ship. With Hound controlling the ship, they separate from the main ship just as it warps away.

Back at KSI, it is decided that all equipment is to be moved to the Beijing facility to continue operations. Joshua is also none too pleased about the previous field test of Galvatron-not only was it lost on several fronts, but the drone also ''spoke'', which was something it was ''not'' programmed to do!

The Autobots regroup at a train yard and Optimus claims that he felt the presence of Megatron during his fight with Galvatron. Brains seconds this, as he was forced to decipher the functionality in Megatron's brain, which helped the humans build Galvatron's body (and explains why Joshua could not get Galvatron to resemble Optimus). The tiny bot further mentions how Galvatron used his knowledge to build Stinger and the other drones, with plans to make them into his personal army.

As Tessa elaborates about the Seed she saw, Optimus explains how the Creators used Seeds to wipe out entire species and harvest metal produced—Transformium.

Drift intercepts a communications message which says Joyce will be going to the Beijing facility. Hearing this, Cade makes a call to Joyce and relays the newfound data about Galvatron. Knowing that Joyce is also an inventor with a heart, he pleads with Joyce to shut down Galvatron before things escalate. Although Joyce puts up an unconvinced face, he calls for increased security around Galvatron right after the call.

As police cars surround the train yard the Autobots board the shuttle again and take to the air. Optimus says that though the Autobots will travel to Hong Kong and get the Seed back, they are done protecting humanity after that. Cade disagrees but Prime is non-responsive.

In deep space, Lockdown finally discovers the absence of the smaller ship. He grumbles about Optimus Prime taking his trophy case and how the Prime will feel his wrath while he reverses course.

Joyce meets with Attinger and Savoy and receives the Seed. Joyce intends to detonate it in a region of the Mongolian Desert, which will generate enough Transformium to last a century. Attinger is eager to expedite production but grows incensed when Joshua disagrees and says that they should go slower, quite obviously moved by Cade's call.

Meanwhile, Galvatron activates ''on his own'' and starts to infect the legion of over fifty KSI Transformers, including Stinger, [[Junkheap (AOE)|Junkheap]], a collection of differently colored [[Trax (AOE)|Traxes]], and some [[Two-headed Shockwave]]s. When the alarm rings regarding Galvatron's escape, Joyce has Attinger and Savoy evacuated from the building and gets in a car with Yueming, an associate named Darcy, and the Seed.

As the trio drive away, they realize the need for a place to hide the Seed. Yueming instructs them to head to Hong Kong, where she can enlist the help of the local armed forces. As the sun rises, Darcy drives off to create a diversion while Joshua and Yueming try to get the Seed out of the city. Joyce learns from his team of scientists (who are playing with some Transformium, using it to create a Rainbow Dash doll and a machine gun successively) that the Seed has the range of a thermo-nuclear device!

As Joyce seeks refuge on a rooftop (and grabs a nearby soybean drink), the Autobot-piloted ship arrives and attempts to pick him and the Seed up. However, Galvatron and his drones have arrived, and a Trax shoots down the airborne vessel with its rockets, causing Bumblebee, Hound, and the Yeagers to spill out of the cargo hold and the others (Prime, Crosshairs, Drift, and the captured Knights) to careen away into a mountainside. Savoy finds the Yeagers and Joyce on the rooftop and open fires on them as they take cover in the elevator. Cade distracts Savoy, who apparently now has a vendetta with the inventor, and distracts the agent long enough for his family to escape. The two jump acorss rooftops, eventually crashing into a house and get in a fist fight. Savoy pulls out a knife, ready to attack Cade, who counters with a football (apparently used to remember a dead kid) and a tackle that results in Savoy falling out a window and dying on impact. Attinger watches as this happens and receives a message from Lockdown on an advance communications device, asking where his bounty is. Attinger gives his location, giving Lockdown the green light to do what he must to retrieve Prime.

Hound and Bumblebee attempt to escort the humans and the Seed out of the city, but are cut short when Joshua points out that the KSI-built Transformers were specifically built to hunt and destroy any Autobots or Decepticons left on Earth. This prompts Prime to return into the ship and activate the armory as well as release the other captives within the ship. As Hound and Bumblebee hold the line and protect the humans, Optimus tries to convince the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Legendary Warriors]] to fight alongside them. Their [[Grimlock (AOE) |apparent leader]] declines at first, fighting the Prime in both his massive robot mode and his Tyrannosaurus mode. Optimus quickly defeats him, saying that he and other warriors will protect his family or die, then mounts the metal dinosaur. After a heroic speech, Crosshairs comments that one would want to die for Optimus, saying he shows great leadership...or brainwashing. Drift replies that this is just how Optimus Prime gains respect. The Autobots mount their Dinobots and charge over the mountains into Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Hound is running out of ammunition and growing desperate, even going so far as to throw his own helmet at synthetic enemies to knock them out. Just as he runs out, Optimus and his fellow Autobots storm into the city, slamming, crushing, stomping, and chomping on all nearby enemies. Galvatron, nowhere near any of this, yells that Prime and his allies are ruining everything. With this battle over, Prime turns his attention to Joyce. He says that Joyce will be responsible for the extinction of humanity. The T-Rex roars at the already frightened Joyce before Optimus gives the order to defend the humans and escort them away from the city.

On the way, a homing beacon within the Seed activates, allowing Lockdown to track it and the Autobots down. He activates a massive magnet, wreaking havoc on Hong Kong. Everything metal from kitchenware to massive ships are picked up by the magnet; not even the Autobots or the Warriors are safe. After narrowly avoiding the magnet, the Yeagers are separated from the Autobots, who are being sucked into Lockdown's ship by the same magnet. Optimus shoots at the magnet, destroying it. The ship retreats to a nearby factory, with Optimus hot on its trail. Cade tells his daughter to stay with Shane and the Autobots, as he wishes to fight alongside Optimus against Lockdown. As Optimus faces Lockdown, however, Attinger corners Yeager with a pistol, accusing him of choosing aliens over his country, but he is quickly shot and killed by Optimus. Cade replies to the corpse that he would make the same choice any time.

Lockdown gains the upper hand, stabbing Optimus through the chest with his own sword and pinning him to a concrete pillar. He makes a brief speech eerily similar to Attinger's before Cade starts shooting at him. Meanwhile, Tessa convinces Bumblebee to turn around and fight Lockdown, allowing Shane to use a tow truck to unpin Prime. Just as Lockdown is about to perform a killing blow on Cade, Optimus jumps up and slices the bounty hunter in half! Activating one of Lockdown's grenades, Prime tells the humans to hold on and blasts off while the grenade detonates and demolishes Galvatron's forces. Meanwhile, Galvatron watches Prime blast off and warns him to beware, for he is reborn...

Reflecting on the danger he will bring to the Earth if he stays (due to the bounty on his head), Prime blasts off into space with the Seed to confront the creators, but not before ordering the Autobots to protect the Yeager family.

==Quotes==
"There is one way you survive; tell me where he's hiding. Where is Optimus Prime?" 
"Never." 
''Lockdown impales Ratchet through his chest and extracts his spark.'' 
"Never is here."
:—'''Lockdown''' doesn't appreciate '''Ratchet's''' defiance.

"What about this one? This could be digital, possibly Imax?"
"I don't think so."
:-'''Cade''' dismisses the theater owner's theory on the quality of their vintage projectors.

"All you species are the same. You all think you're the center of the universe. You have no idea...''
:—'''Lockdown'''

"You promised me human intelligence. Or is there such a thing?''
:—'''Lockdown'''

"Autobots, I have sworn never to kill humans..." 
"Big mistake." 
"...but when I find out who's behind this...he's going to die."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Hound''' after seeing Leadfoot's death.

"They slaughtered Ratchet! I'M GOING TO TEAR THEM APART!!!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' after seeing Ratchet's death.

"Bee, you got to calm down right now" 
"I'm perfectly calm" 
" You got to breathe, do whatever it is that you do..." 
"I'm calm! I'm calm. I'm calm. I'm touching it. Okay? I'm barely touching, barely touching it" 
:- '''Shane''' trying to calm '''Bumblebee''' down after they view the video which repeatedly calls him inferior to Stinger

"Wha-We're not going to kick even ''a little'' ass??"
:—'''Brains''' finds his jailbreak to be a little anti-climactic.

"You have no soul!" 
"That is why I have no fear."
:—'''Galvatron's''' isn't as lifeless as Optimus Prime thought.

"I'll cover you! If I stop covering you, that means I'm dead. But that ain't going to happen."
:—'''Hound''' taking at least five levels in badass. And then being interrupted by incoming fire.

"I was expecting a giant car!"
:—'''Drift''' witnessing Grimlock transform into a dinosaur.

"Ugh, you just want to die for the guy. ''That's'' leadership. Or brainwashing, or something." 
"No, that's Optimus Prime."
:—'''Crosshairs''' and '''Drift'''

"I'm a fat ballerina who takes scalps and slits throats!"
:—Only '''Hound''' can take yet another level in badass and ballerina classes at the same time.

"My fat ass is stuck!"
:—'''Hound''' realizing the unfortunate circumstance of being overweight.

"LIKE A TACTICAL NUKE; LOL!"
:- '''Joshua''' receiving an inappropriately jubilant text message from his scientists, regarding the Seed's potential detonation range.

"How do you say 'Get the f&%# out of the way' in Chinese?"
:—'''Joshua Joyce''' has some issues with the language barrier.

"Oh this is the perfect place to hide, a BIG GLASS BOX! No one will ever find us here!"
:- '''Joshua''' complaining about their hiding spot

"Autobots! We charge together! Now roll out!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gives the [[Transform and Roll Out|age old order]] after securing reinforcements.

"You saved the human instead of saving yourself. You bring shame upon us all."
:—'''Lockdown''' to Optimus Prime

"You see my face, your life is done."
:—'''Lockdown's''' final words before Optimus slices ''his'' face in half.

"We shall meet again, Prime, for I am reborn."
:—'''Galvatron''' swears retribution to Optimus Prime

"There are mysteries to the universe we were never meant to solve, but who we are and why we are here, are not among them. Those answers we carry inside. I am Optimus Prime, and this message is to my Creators. Leave planet Earth alone. Cause I'm coming for you."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s closing narration.

==Main cast==
{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]] ([[Ken Watanabe]])
*[[Crosshairs (Movie)|Crosshairs]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] ([[John Goodman]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Brains]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] (John DiMaggio)
*[[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s head
*[[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]]
**[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]
**[[Strafe (AOE)|Strafe]]
**[[Slug (AOE)|Slug]]
**[[Scorn (AOE)|Scorn]]

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s head
*[[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]]
*[[Junkheap (AOE)|Junkheap]]
*[[Trax (AOE)|Traxes]]
*[[McLaren Decepticon]]
*[[Aston Martin Decepticon]]
*"[[Two-headed Shockwave]]s"
*"Nizzi Decepticons"
*[[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]]
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] (video footage)
*[[Protoform]]s (video footage)

|h3=Bounty Hunters|c3=
*[[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Steeljaw (AOE)|Steeljaws]]
*Lockdown's henchmen
|nonumbering=true

|h4=[[Human]]s|c4=
*[[Cade Yeager]] ([[Mark Wahlberg]])
*[[Tessa Yeager]] ([[Nicola Peltz]])
*[[Shane Dyson]] ([[Jack Reynor]])
*[[Joshua Joyce]] ([[Stanley Tucci]])
*[[Harold Attinger]] ([[Kelsey Grammer]])
*[[James Savoy]] ([[Titus Welliver]])
*[[Lucas Flannery]] ([[T. J. Miller]])
*[[Darcy Tyril]] ([[Sophia Myles]])
*[[Su Yueming]] ([[Li Bingbing]])
*[[Gill Wembley]] ([[James Bachman]])
*[[Chief of Staff Greg]] ([[Thomas Lennon]])

|h5=Others|c5=
*''Psittacosaurus''
*Brachiosaur
*Hadrosaur
*[[Oreo Transformer]]
}}

==Errors==
===Continuity errors===
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] is seen on the cards Attinger pulls out early in the film, listed as deceased and having been last seen in Chicago. However, Ironhide was killed by Sentinel Prime in Washington, D.C., midway through ''Dark of the Moon''.
*Scenes from the Decepticons' invasion of Chicago in ''Dark of the Moon'' are shown as archival footage presented by Attinger. While it is conceivable some lucky people with cameras recorded the initial attack and managed to survive and publish their footage, it's highly unlikely people would've been able to get close-up video footage of the [[NEST]] team taking down [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and the other Decepticons. In an outside-world context, these scenes are simply used as stock footage to help serve as exposition for the audience.

===Technical/animation errors===
*When Lucas leaves to get parts from the hardware store, he is wearing a green jacket. He returns jacket-less and in a red flannel shirt.
*Scrambling Cemetery Wind seems to scramble the timeline. From the deployment of Cemetery Wind to Lucas's death, the time of day is in limbo. For example, Optimus escapes from the Yeager property at sunset, joining the pursuit that takes place in early afternoon.
*When Shane's car gets sideswiped in the cornfield, the back left window is shattered. A couple scenes later, the window is just rolled down.
*After Bumblebee scans his new alternate mode, the camera pans over the car and Tessa and Shane are not inside.
*When Joshua is in the lab showing Darcy Transformium, in two different shots, a white, uncolored prop of Ratchet's head can be seen being worked on in the next room.
*When Shane's car breaks into the place where some people is in a kind of social activity the woman who is sitting in the middle of the room is clearly expecting the glass-breaking-noise to start running.
*Some security guards in KSI are completely oblivious to Crosshairs's shooting and shouting until a few seconds before the scene changes.
*When he loses his grip on the net holding Optimus and the car containing Tessa, Cade is shown falling toward the street, but he lands on the grass by the road.
*When the Autobots are on a bridge, before boarding Lockdown's ship, Crosshairs is clearly shown to be speaking but no dialogue is heard.
*While the human characters are climbing across the anchor cables to the high-rise building some of the Steeljaws begins to climb out after them. Cade tells his daughter not to look back and see them, but when we cut back to her, with a clear view of the cables behind her, the Steeljaws are not visible for this moment.
*When Bumblebee jumps off Lockdown's ship to save the humans, he is followed by a Steeljaw. In the following shot, the Steeljaw is gone.
*While explaining Megatron's plans to the Autobots, Brains rings a bell on a train. In the next shot, the bell is not moving.
*During the motorcycle chase, the CIA cars change. At first, Joshua and Su are trailed by a Cadillac and an Audi; in the middle of the chase, the Cadillac is replaced by another Audi. By the end of the chase, the Cadillac is back.
*In Hong Kong, when Cade, Joshua, Tessa, and Shane enter the elevator to run away from the rooftop, the elevator won't move and Cade says it is overloaded. But in the next scene, we could see that the maximum amount of person that the elevator could bring is 9 people. There are only 4 people and the seed (the seed is not as heavy as human because Joshua could lift it easily).
*When Cade is running from Savoy down the side of the Hong Kong building, Savoy stomps on an external air conditioning unit so it will fall on Cade. When the air conditioning unit breaks off the wall, it reveals a plain wall. This shows the air conditioner was there for no other reason than to come off the wall rather than actually be used to cool an interior.
*All of the vehicles see in Hong Kong are left hand drive. In Hong Kong they drive on the left and so most vehicles would be right hand drive.
*Grimlock melts some KSI Transformers on a covered bridge with his fire breath, though the bridge itself remains intact until he crashes through it.
*When Lockdown shoots at Cade during his battle with Optimus, Cade and Attinger take cover despite Attinger's very recent death.

===[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Paleontology weeps]]===
*The cyberformed remains of a ''Tyrannosaurus'' and a ''Spinosaurus'' appear frozen together in the arctic at the beginning of the film. This is rather odd considering the two are found in different continents (North America and Africa respectively) and separated by around 35 million years of evolution.
*The dinosaurs include a ''Psittaccosaurus'' (100-120 million years old), a generic hadrosaur that might be either an ''Edmontosaurus'' or a ''Shantungosaurus'' (65-70 million years old), and a brachiosaurid (100-157 million years old) during what is implied to be the K-Pg extinction event (64.5-65 million years old).
*The ''Psittaccosaurus'', a well known herbivorous animal, is seen actively hunting and killing live prey. In a nod to paleontological accuracy, however, it is depicted with a row of quill-like feathers along its back, as many ceratopsian dinosaurs are believed to have had.
*The Dinobots show various exaggerations and ornamentations which go beyond the usual suspension of disbelief involved in... [[Dinobot (disambiguation)|giant metal dinosaurs]]. Grimlock sports curved, backwards pointing horns and enormous fangs. Slug has huge tail spikes and a set of nasty chin horns. Scorn probably gets off the easiest, being ''mostly'' correct, bar his extra fins. Strafe is the biggest offender, with a double pair of elongate tails and twin heads.

==Transformers references==

* As usual, many of the new characters have roots in older portions of the mythos:
** [[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]] is based on [[Drift (G1)|a Generation 1 character]] introduced in IDW's 2008 ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' series.
** Lockdown is derived from [[Lockdown_(Animated)|a character in the 2008 ''Animated'' cartoon]] who had already jumped over to the G1 comics and, in toy form, to the Movie universe.
** [[Hound (disambiguation)|Hound]] and [[Crosshairs (disambiguation)|Crosshairs]] both share names with previous characters; their personalities are new and unique, though Hound seems based on [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]] in physique, coloration and personality.
** Galvatron being a new form for Megatron has been a thing for [[Galvatron (disambiguation)|basically forever]].
** The Dinobots are the latest iteration of [[Dinobot (G1)|the powerhouse subfaction]] that first appeared in the early days of Generation 1. Their leader Grimlock is a direct analog of [[Grimlock (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]]; Strafe and Slug are based on Generation 1 [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] and [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], respectively.
* In the film's opening act, Optimus has adopted a flatnosed truck alternate mode akin to that of his [[Optimus Prime (G1)|G1 counterpart]].
* This is not the first time that Ratchet and Lockdown have faced off. ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] had [[The Thrill of the Hunt|a long-running feud]]. Within the movie universe, the two characters have been described as rivals on toy packaging bios, and faced off in ''[[Cyber Missions 3]]''.
* The concept of the Transformers being built by another race first appeared in the third season of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]].
* Meanwhile, the concept of humans hunting down all Transformers on Earth following a massive and disastrous battle hearkens back to plotlines from IDW's [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]].
* The (rather obvious) theme of humans (particularly Evil Government Agencies) using captured Transformers as a source of technology has appeared numerous times in the mythos, going all the way back to the [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]] agency in the original Marvel Comics. [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|The ''Animated'' cartoon]] in particular featured the severed head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] being studied and reverse-engineered, while in IDW's ongoing G1 stories, [[Sunstreaker (G1)|a Transformer's severed head]] was used to help design man-made Transformers (in [[The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots|a Dinobot-focused series at that]].) More broad uses of the concept include the Dreamwave ''[[War and Peace]]'' mini-series, Devils Due's ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War|Art of War]]'' mini-series (''again'' featuring the severed head of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]), the [[The Transformers (IDW)|IDW ongoing series]], [[All or Nothing!|Cobra's actions in the G2 comics]], and [[MECH]] from the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]].
* The ringtone on Joshua's assistant's cell phone is a remixed version of the original G1 Transformers [[theme song]].
* In the scene where Optimus scans a passing truck, the classic [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] plays when the Autobot symbol emerges from his grill.

==Real-life references==
*Among the objects KSI makes from Transformium in the film is a Rainbow Dash doll from [[My Little Pony|another popular Hasbro brand]].

==Other editions==

==Prequel material==

==Adaptations==

==Music==
===Soundtrack===

===Score===

==Home video releases==

==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery>
File:Transformers- Age of ExtinctionTeaserPoster.jpg|First teaser poster
File:Transformers- Age of ExtinctionOptimusPrimePoster.jpg
</gallery></center>

==Reception==
The movie has been received with varied ratings. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 17%, though 58% of the audience liked it. Damn tomatoes. However, IMDb gave it 6.4. Entirely, as the only professional reviews, the movie received up and down ratings, leaving more reviews to come.

==Production staff==
===Visual effects===
===Locations department===

==Development details==
*February 13, 2012 — Paramount announces [[Michael Bay]] has signed a deal to make a fourth ''Transformers'' film.<ref name="tf4update">[http://michaelbay.com/2012/02/14/transformers-4-update/ Transformers 4 Update] on Michael Bay's site.</ref>
*June 6, 2012 — During [[Transformers: The Ride – 3D]] coverage, LA Times reports Michael Bay as saying the film will have a whole new human cast and redesigned robots.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/transformers-the-ride-3d-even-impresses-disney-rivals/ Transformers taking new shape] on LA Times</ref>
*June 21, 2012 — In another LA Times interview, Bay reveals that the film will not be a reboot as previously stated.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/transformers-4-michael-bay-purges-stars-may-go-into-space/ 'Transformers 4': Michael Bay purges stars, may go into space] on LA Times</ref>
*September 21, 2012 — Bay confirms that voice actor [[Peter Cullen]] will be kept on as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] once again.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/michael-bay-transformers-4-pain-and-gain_n_1903523.html Huffington Post interview].</ref>
*October 18, 2012 — The logo is revealed at a Paramount presentation.<ref>[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=95936 Paramount Previews Jack Reacher, Pain & Gain, Jack Ryan, Transformers 4, World War Z & More! ] on Comingsoon.net</ref>
*November 8, 2012 — After a number of rumors suggest it, Bay casts actor [[Mark Wahlberg]] in the film.<ref name="wahlberg">[http://michaelbay.com/2012/11/08/michel-bay-re-teams-with-his-pain-gain-star-mark-mark-wahlberg-for-transformers-4/ Michael Bay Re-Teams With His 'Pain & Gain' Star Mark Wahlberg for Transformers 4] on Michael Bay's site.</ref>
*December 15, 2012 — Wahlberg confirms that filming of ''Transformers 4'' will commence in May 2013. <ref>[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2012/12/transformers-4-shoot-begins-in-may.html Transformers 4 Shoot Begins in May]</ref>
*January 8, 2013 — Bay casts Irish American actor [[Jack Reynor]] in ''Transformers 4''. <ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jack-reynor-lands-starring-role-409850 Jack Reynor Lands Starring Role]</ref>
*March 20, 2013 — The Michigan Film Office announces the film series will return to [[Detroit]],<ref>[http://www.michiganfilmoffice.org/The-Film-Office/Press-Releases/Detail.aspx?id=11620 Transformers Returning to Michigan, Approved for Film Incentive]</ref> and reveals plot details which are later debunked by Paramount Pictures.<ref>[http://screenrant.com/transformers-4-movie-plot-synopsis-cast/ Unofficial 'Transformers 4' Plot Synopsis Is Not Accurate]</ref>
*March 26, 2013 — [[Nicola Peltz]] is confirmed as a cast member via Bay's website.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/03/26/welcome-nicola-peltz-to-transformers-4/ Welcome Nicola Peltz to Transformers 4]</ref>
*April 15, 2013 — Actor [[Stanley Tucci]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/cinemaconnews.php?id=103034 CinemaCon: Stanley Tucci Joins Transformers 4]</ref>
*May 1, 2013 — [[Kelsey Grammer]] joins the cast as the lead villain named "Harold Attinger".<ref>[http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/kelsey-grammer-lands-lead-human-villain-in-transformers-sequel/ Kelsey Grammer Lands Lead (Human) Villain In ‘Transformers’ Sequel]</ref>
*May 6, 2013 — The Wrap confirms that [[Sophia Myles]] will play a scientist.<ref>[http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/sophia-myles-join-mark-wahlberg-michael-bays-transformers-4-exclusive-89661 Sophia Myles to Join Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay's 'Transformers 4' (Exclusive)]</ref>
*May 18, 2013 — The name of Mark Wahlberg's character is revealed to be Flynn Vincent (This was later either changed or misinformation).
*May 20, 2013 — Chinese actress [[Li Bingbing]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-li-bingbing-boards-transformers-525370 China's Li Bingbing Boards 'Transformers 4']</ref>
*May 28, 2013 — Actor-Comedian [[T. J. Miller]] joins the cast as a mechanic who is the best friend of Wahlberg's character.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tj-miller-joins-transformers-4-559359 T.J. Miller Joins 'Transformers4']</ref> Filming begins at [[Wikipedia:Monument Valley|Monument Valley]]<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformers-4-starts-filming-in-monument-valley-navajo-tribal-park/ Transformers 4 Starts Filming in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park]</ref> and the alternate modes of two new Autobots are revealed on Michael Bay's website: a C7 Corvette Stingray<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformers-4-cars-c7-corvette-stingray/ Transformers 4: C7 Corvette Stingray]</ref> and a Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/28/transformer-4-cars/ Transformers 4: Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse]</ref>
[[File:AOE Optimus Prime truck.jpg|thumb|right|240px|When having one's midlife crisis, it's not unusual to get a souped-up alternate mode.]]
*May 29, 2013 — Optimus Prime's new alternate mode is officially revealed by Michael Bay as a custom-built semi-truck.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/29/optimus-prime/ Optimus Prime]</ref>
*May 30, 2013 — Bumblebee's new alternate mode is revealed on Michael Bay's website as a highly modified 1967 Camaro SS.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/30/transformers-4-bumblebee/ Bumblebee]</ref>
*May 31, 2013 — Hound is revealed as a new character for Transformers 4, transforming into a Medium Tactical Vehicle.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/05/31/hound/ Hound]</ref>
*June 7, 2013 — Another new vehicle for the film is revealed as a Lamborghini Aventador.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/07/lamborghini-aventador/ Lamborghini Aventador]</ref>
*June 12, 2013 — The Sonic RS Rally Car is revealed for the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/12/sonic-rs/ Sonic RS Rally Car]</ref>
*June 25, 2013 — The Pagani Huayra is revealed to appear in the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/25/pagani-huayra/ Pagani Huayra]</ref>
*June 28, 2013 — A Freightliner Argosy cab-over truck is revealed for the film.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/06/28/freightliner/ Freightliner]</ref>
*July 2, 2013 — A second alternate mode is revealed for Bumblebee in the form of a 2014 Concept Camaro.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/02/bumblebee-2014-concept-camaro/ Bumblebee 2014 Concept Camaro]</ref><ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/02/bumblebee-2014-concept-camaro-2/ Bumblebee 2014 Concept Camaro]</ref>
*July 14, 2013 — Chinese actor-musician [[Han Geng]] is announced as being part of the cast.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/07/14/han-geng/ Han Geng]</ref>
*July 25, 2013 — After being spotted in Texas in June, actor [[Titus Welliver]] officially joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.deadline.com/2013/07/transformers-4-adds-titus-welliver/ ‘Transformers 4′ Adds Titus Welliver]</ref>
*July 27, 2013 — The S.S. Columbia and the S.S. Ste. Clair have been spotted to be featured in the film.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/07/26/wdr-boblo-boats-transformers-four.html Historic Boblo boats land role in Transformers 4]</ref>
*July 30, 2013 — Wahlberg's children have been cast.<ref>[http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/07/30/mark-wahlbergs-kids-cast-in-transformers-4/ Mark Wahlberg's Kids Cast In Transformers 4]</ref>
*August 12, 2013 — [[Victoria Summer]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/victoria-summer-in-transformers-4-178207/ Victoria Summer in Transformers 4]</ref>
[[File:TF4 Chinese Reality Show contestants.jpg|thumb|right|220px|If ''Age of Extinction'' teaches us anything, it's that more movies should be cast using reality shows.]]
*August 25, 2013 — The ''[[Transformers 4 Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show]]'' ends, with winners [[Byron Li]], [[Candice Zhao]], [[Austin Lin]] and [[Teresa Daley]] joining the cast.<ref>[http://beijing.china.org.cn/2013-08/28/content_29845758.htm 'Transformers 4' recruits 4 Chinese actors]</ref>
*September 3, 2013 — Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirms the presence of Dinobots in the film.<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/03/dinobots-confirmed-for-transformers-4 Dinobots Confirmed for Transformers 4]</ref>
*September 3, 2013 — The film's title, ''Transformers: Age of Extinction'', is officially announced and the first teaser poster is revealed.<ref>[http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/transformers-4-title-reveal-age-extinction-hints-dinobots-225716345.html 'Transformers 4' Title Reveal: 'Age of Extinction' Hints at Dinobots]</ref>
*October 17, 2013 — Director Michael Bay is assaulted on the set during filming in Hong Kong by two locals demanding money. Bay receives minor injuries, but plays the incident off on his blog. <ref>[http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=834789 MSN.com article]</ref> <ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/michael-bay-attacked-on-transformers-hong-kong-film-shoot-1.2100953 CBC News article]</ref> <ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2013/10/17/hong-kong-incident/ Post on Michael Bay's Blog]</ref>
*October 22, 2013 — Four additional locals approach a member of the crew and demand money; one of the four is later arrested by police. <ref>[http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=835795 Second extortion attempt reported on 'Transformers 4' set]</ref>
*October 28, 2013 — Director Michael Bay plays down the extortion attempts in an interview with the South China Morning Post. He notes that the locals were apologetic over what took place, and that he wanted to film more projects in Hong Kong. <ref>[http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1342084/hollywood-director-michael-bay-eager-shoot-hong-kong-again "Hollywood director Michael Bay eager to shoot in Hong Kong again", ''South China Morning Post'', 28 October 2013.]</ref>
[[File:AOE Michael Bay Nicola Peltz on set.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Michael Bay uses his legendary charm to get the very best performance out of his actors.]]
*November 25, 2013 — ''Age of Extinction'' features in ''Empire'' magazine, showing Optimus Prime's new look on the cover. Inside are on-set photos of Michael Bay and the film's human cast in action.<ref name="empire">[http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=39488 New Transformers: Age Of Extinction Images]</ref>
*December 10, 2013 — M1905 publishes a series of interview with cast and crew in which a plethora of information, mainly regarding the film's human characters, is revealed.<ref>[http://t4.m1905.com/Report/position/id/80 Interviews on m1950.com]</ref>
*December 17, 2013 — Producer [[Allegra Clegg]] visits Durfee Elementary-Middle School as the result of a competition, and answers questions and shows three minutes of footage from the film.<ref>[http://blog.thedetroithub.com/2013/12/17/transformers-4-producer-rewards-dps-eighth-graders-for-attendance/ Transformers 4 producer rewards DPS eighth graders for attendance] on Detroit Unspun]</ref>
*January 7, 2014 — Following an on-stage snafu at a Samsung presentation, Michael Bay announces on his site that a special presentation including Transformers 4 footage would be touring to promote Samsung's new line of curved TV screens. <ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/01/06/ces/ CES] on Michael Bay's blog</ref>
*January 16, 2014 — The new Lucasfilm facility in Singapore opens, with some ILM work on ''Age of Extinction'' to be done there.<ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/lifestyle/story/lucasfilm-singapore-work-new-avengers-and-transformers-movies-20140116 Lucasfilm Singapore to work on new Avengers and Transformers movies] on The Straits Times</ref>
*January 17, 2014 — [[Steve Jablonsky]] confirms in an interview with JoBlo that he'll be providing the score for ''Age of Extinction''.<ref>[http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/exclusive-interview-composter-steve-jablonsky-talks-transformers-4-lone-survivor-and-michael-bay Exclusive Interview (Part Two): Composer Steve Jablonsky talks Transformers 4, Lone Survivor, and Michael Bay]</ref>
*January 20, 2014 — Late script changes result in Bay and his crew returning to Chongqing for a week reshooting a scene.<ref>[http://www.ecns.cn/2014/01-23/98337.shtml 'Transformers 4' back to China for additional shots]</ref>
[[File:AOEOptimusRidingGrimlock.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.9|"Get me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!"]]
*February 2, 2014 — The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F33PCUTWPk ''Age of Extinction'' "big game spot"] is screened during Super Bowl XLVIII.
*February 18, 2014 — In an interview with Nerdist, Titus Welliver said the film would be darker and "not a kid's movie".<ref name="nerdist">[https://www.nerdist.com/2014/02/titus-welliver-talks-about-transformers-4-and-clark-greggs-s-h-i-e-l-d-comments/ Titus Welliver Talks About TRANSFORMERS 4 and Clark Gregg’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Comments]</ref>
*February 28, 2014 — Following a storm of online discussion regarding his previous statement, Titus Welliver issues a new statement to the effect that ''Age of Extinction'' is in fact a kid's movie and he meant to say it would expand the audience. Relax, it's totally fine to take your kids to see it.<ref name="nerdist" />
*March 3, 2014 — The first of a series of character posters is revealed.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/03/03/new-transformers-4-poster-featuring-mark-wahlberg/ New Transformers 4 Poster Featuring Mark Wahlberg]</ref>
*March 4, 2014 — The first [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGpDoyJvmI teaser trailer] is released.
*March 12, 2014 — An IMAX poster for the movie is released.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2014/03/12/transformers-4-imax-poster/ Transformers 4 IMAX Poster]</ref> MTV UK reports it features "Nightship".<ref>[http://www.mtv.co.uk/transformers/news/mtv-uk-exclusive-new-transformers-age-of-extinction-poster MTV UK Exclusive! New Transformers: Age of Extinction Poster]</ref>
*March 13, 2014 — CinemaCon announce that Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor will receive the Rising Stars of 2014 Award for Transformers 4.<ref>[http://cinemacon.com/press/press-release/2014-press-release/nicola-peltz-and-jack-reynor-to-receive-cinemacon-rising-stars-award.html Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor to Receive "CinemaCon® Rising Stars of 2014 Award]</ref>
*March 24, 2014 — On the first day of CinemaCon, [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] shows off 15 minutes of footage from the film.<ref>[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Transformers-Age-Extinction-CinemaCon-Footage-Brings-Dinosaurs-Explosions-More-42240.html Transformers: Age Of Extinction CinemaCon Footage Brings Dinosaurs, Explosions And More] on Cinema Blend</ref> Mark Wahlberg promises the movie will be the biggest of the year.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-wahlberg-guarantees-a-hit-with-transformers-age-of-extinction/ Mark Wahlberg "guarantees" a hit with "Transformers: Age of Extinction"] at CBS News</ref>
*May 8, 2014 — The robot voice cast is revealed on michaelbay.com.<ref name="voicecast">[http://michaelbay.com/2014/05/08/john-goodman-and-ken-watanabe-join-the-autobot-voice-cast-in-michael-bays-transformers-age-of-extinction/ John Goodman And Ken Watanabe Join The Autobot Voice Cast in Michael Bay’s ‘Transformers: Age Of Extinction’]</ref>
*May 15, 2014 — The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKD5SNYUpUk second trailer] is released on YouTube and iTunes.


{{--}}

==Notes==
*Not only do the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] go unnamed in the film (other than [[Scorn (AOE)|Scorn]] getting the nickname, "Spike"), the word Dinobot is never even said by anyone.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers: Lost Age''''' (トランスフォーマーロストエイジ ''Toransufōmā Rosuto Eiji'')<ref>[http://www.cinematoday.jp/page/N0056111 『トランスフォーマー』第4弾の邦題は『トランスフォーマーロストエイジ』に決定！最新ビジュアルも公開]</ref>
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Epokha istrebleniya''''' (Трансформеры: Эпоха истребления ''Transformers: Age of Extermination'')
*''Argentina:'' '''''Transformers 4'''''
*''Cantonese:'' '''''Binying Gamgong: Chimmit Saigei''''' (變形金剛：殲滅世紀 "Transformers: The Century of Annihilation")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng Sz: Jiúe-jī Chúng-shēng''''' (Taiwan: 變型金剛4：絕跡重生, China: 变形金刚4：绝迹重生 "Transformers 4: Rebirth from the Extinction")

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

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Age of Extinction (film)}}

[[Category:Age of Extinction| Age of Extinction (film)]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

MorBot

2014-07-09T06:29:40Z

WreckNRule426: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */

{{factions|drmorocco}}
:''The MorBot is a robot from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:ReignOfMorocco MorBot robot mode.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Go, mighty MorBot!]]
The '''MorBot''' is an invention of [[Thaddeus Morocco|Doctor Morocco]]. Constructed of the most advanced technology, it is positively bristling with <s>deadly weapons</s> hi-tech rescuing gear, including a <s>giant cannon</s> industrial-strength fire extinguisher and rocket boots. It even has the ability to [[transformation|convert]] into <s>an armored assault tank</s> a rescue vehicle. It's sure to be a great asset to any <s>terrorist</s> rescue organization.

==Fiction==
===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Maurice LaMarche]] (English)}}

[[Image:ReignOfMorocco MorBot vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[MECH]] should have just asked Doctor Morocco how to build a [[Transformer]].]]
After causing [[Doc Greene]] to be fired as [[Griffin Rock]]'s lead scientist, Morocco sabotaged a road roller, allowing his MorBot to swoop in and save the day ahead of the [[Rescue Bot]]s. The MorBot made short work of the roller, impressing [[Luskey|Mayor Luskey]], who agreed to let the MorBot enter into a competition with [[Charlie Burns|Chief Burn's]] team. Morocco engineered a fire at the dock, which the MorBot extinguished by diving into the sea and causing a giant wave. After the MorBot stopped both a runaway toy rocket and Doc Greene's [[solar car]], the latter just before it would have squashed the mayor, Luskey was only too happy to promote Morocco to lead scientist. {{storylink|The Other Doctor}}

The MorBot continued to rescue people, halting [[Harrison (RB)|Mr Harrison]]'s runaway flight and retrieving [[Mister Pettypaws]] from a tree, though its rescue methods left something to be desired. It also guarded the laboratory, and pursued [[Blades (RB)|Blades]], [[Dani Burns|Dani]] and [[Cody Burns|Cody]] when they tried to spy on Morocco. After Cody and [[Frankie Greene|Frankie]] sneaked into the lab, they were spotted by Morocco, who sent the MorBot after them. Though carelessly knocking a grenade and causing an explosion, the MorBot pursued its quarry into Morocco's blimp. It was prevented from reaching the two children by a large door, and by the time it broke through, Cody had landed the blimp. The MorBot jumped out to attack them, only to be surrounded by the Rescue Bots, who forcibly disassembled it. {{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}

In an alternate timeline, Morocco ruled "Moropolis" and used a number of MorBots as enforcement. When a team of [[Autobot]]s returned from [[1939]], [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] began trashing the Morbots, eventually wiping out all of them except the larger red MorBot that Morocco was driving. The evil scientist drove the last MorBot after the rogue group. He was too late to stop them, and crashed the MorBot into the time machine they were using. {{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

[[Category:Man-made transformers]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots technology]]
[[Category:Robots]]

MorBot

2014-07-09T06:29:02Z

WreckNRule426: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */

{{factions|drmorocco}}
:''The MorBot is a robot from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:ReignOfMorocco MorBot robot mode.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Go, mighty MorBot!]]
The '''MorBot''' is an invention of [[Thaddeus Morocco|Doctor Morocco]]. Constructed of the most advanced technology, it is positively bristling with <s>deadly weapons</s> hi-tech rescuing gear, including a <s>giant cannon</s> industrial-strength fire extinguisher and rocket boots. It even has the ability to [[transformation|convert]] into <s>an armored assault tank</s> a rescue vehicle. It's sure to be a great asset to any <s>terrorist</s> rescue organization.

==Fiction==
===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Maurice LaMarche]] (English)}}

[[Image:ReignOfMorocco MorBot vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[MECH]] and [Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI] should have just asked Doctor Morocco how to build a [[Transformer]].]]
After causing [[Doc Greene]] to be fired as [[Griffin Rock]]'s lead scientist, Morocco sabotaged a road roller, allowing his MorBot to swoop in and save the day ahead of the [[Rescue Bot]]s. The MorBot made short work of the roller, impressing [[Luskey|Mayor Luskey]], who agreed to let the MorBot enter into a competition with [[Charlie Burns|Chief Burn's]] team. Morocco engineered a fire at the dock, which the MorBot extinguished by diving into the sea and causing a giant wave. After the MorBot stopped both a runaway toy rocket and Doc Greene's [[solar car]], the latter just before it would have squashed the mayor, Luskey was only too happy to promote Morocco to lead scientist. {{storylink|The Other Doctor}}

The MorBot continued to rescue people, halting [[Harrison (RB)|Mr Harrison]]'s runaway flight and retrieving [[Mister Pettypaws]] from a tree, though its rescue methods left something to be desired. It also guarded the laboratory, and pursued [[Blades (RB)|Blades]], [[Dani Burns|Dani]] and [[Cody Burns|Cody]] when they tried to spy on Morocco. After Cody and [[Frankie Greene|Frankie]] sneaked into the lab, they were spotted by Morocco, who sent the MorBot after them. Though carelessly knocking a grenade and causing an explosion, the MorBot pursued its quarry into Morocco's blimp. It was prevented from reaching the two children by a large door, and by the time it broke through, Cody had landed the blimp. The MorBot jumped out to attack them, only to be surrounded by the Rescue Bots, who forcibly disassembled it. {{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}

In an alternate timeline, Morocco ruled "Moropolis" and used a number of MorBots as enforcement. When a team of [[Autobot]]s returned from [[1939]], [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] began trashing the Morbots, eventually wiping out all of them except the larger red MorBot that Morocco was driving. The evil scientist drove the last MorBot after the rogue group. He was too late to stop them, and crashed the MorBot into the time machine they were using. {{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

[[Category:Man-made transformers]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots technology]]
[[Category:Robots]]

MorBot

2014-07-09T06:26:46Z

WreckNRule426: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */

{{factions|drmorocco}}
:''The MorBot is a robot from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:ReignOfMorocco MorBot robot mode.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Go, mighty MorBot!]]
The '''MorBot''' is an invention of [[Thaddeus Morocco|Doctor Morocco]]. Constructed of the most advanced technology, it is positively bristling with <s>deadly weapons</s> hi-tech rescuing gear, including a <s>giant cannon</s> industrial-strength fire extinguisher and rocket boots. It even has the ability to [[transformation|convert]] into <s>an armored assault tank</s> a rescue vehicle. It's sure to be a great asset to any <s>terrorist</s> rescue organization.

==Fiction==
===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Maurice LaMarche]] (English)}}

[[Image:ReignOfMorocco MorBot vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[MECH]] and [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Kinetic_Solutions_Incorporated KSI] should have just asked Doctor Morocco how to build a [[Transformer]].]]
After causing [[Doc Greene]] to be fired as [[Griffin Rock]]'s lead scientist, Morocco sabotaged a road roller, allowing his MorBot to swoop in and save the day ahead of the [[Rescue Bot]]s. The MorBot made short work of the roller, impressing [[Luskey|Mayor Luskey]], who agreed to let the MorBot enter into a competition with [[Charlie Burns|Chief Burn's]] team. Morocco engineered a fire at the dock, which the MorBot extinguished by diving into the sea and causing a giant wave. After the MorBot stopped both a runaway toy rocket and Doc Greene's [[solar car]], the latter just before it would have squashed the mayor, Luskey was only too happy to promote Morocco to lead scientist. {{storylink|The Other Doctor}}

The MorBot continued to rescue people, halting [[Harrison (RB)|Mr Harrison]]'s runaway flight and retrieving [[Mister Pettypaws]] from a tree, though its rescue methods left something to be desired. It also guarded the laboratory, and pursued [[Blades (RB)|Blades]], [[Dani Burns|Dani]] and [[Cody Burns|Cody]] when they tried to spy on Morocco. After Cody and [[Frankie Greene|Frankie]] sneaked into the lab, they were spotted by Morocco, who sent the MorBot after them. Though carelessly knocking a grenade and causing an explosion, the MorBot pursued its quarry into Morocco's blimp. It was prevented from reaching the two children by a large door, and by the time it broke through, Cody had landed the blimp. The MorBot jumped out to attack them, only to be surrounded by the Rescue Bots, who forcibly disassembled it. {{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}

In an alternate timeline, Morocco ruled "Moropolis" and used a number of MorBots as enforcement. When a team of [[Autobot]]s returned from [[1939]], [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] began trashing the Morbots, eventually wiping out all of them except the larger red MorBot that Morocco was driving. The evil scientist drove the last MorBot after the rogue group. He was too late to stop them, and crashed the MorBot into the time machine they were using. {{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

[[Category:Man-made transformers]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots technology]]
[[Category:Robots]]

MorBot

2014-07-09T06:23:34Z

WreckNRule426: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */

{{factions|drmorocco}}
:''The MorBot is a robot from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:ReignOfMorocco MorBot robot mode.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Go, mighty MorBot!]]
The '''MorBot''' is an invention of [[Thaddeus Morocco|Doctor Morocco]]. Constructed of the most advanced technology, it is positively bristling with <s>deadly weapons</s> hi-tech rescuing gear, including a <s>giant cannon</s> industrial-strength fire extinguisher and rocket boots. It even has the ability to [[transformation|convert]] into <s>an armored assault tank</s> a rescue vehicle. It's sure to be a great asset to any <s>terrorist</s> rescue organization.

==Fiction==
===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Maurice LaMarche]] (English)}}

[[Image:ReignOfMorocco MorBot vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[MECH]] and [[KSI]] should have just asked Doctor Morocco how to build a [[Transformer]].]]
After causing [[Doc Greene]] to be fired as [[Griffin Rock]]'s lead scientist, Morocco sabotaged a road roller, allowing his MorBot to swoop in and save the day ahead of the [[Rescue Bot]]s. The MorBot made short work of the roller, impressing [[Luskey|Mayor Luskey]], who agreed to let the MorBot enter into a competition with [[Charlie Burns|Chief Burn's]] team. Morocco engineered a fire at the dock, which the MorBot extinguished by diving into the sea and causing a giant wave. After the MorBot stopped both a runaway toy rocket and Doc Greene's [[solar car]], the latter just before it would have squashed the mayor, Luskey was only too happy to promote Morocco to lead scientist. {{storylink|The Other Doctor}}

The MorBot continued to rescue people, halting [[Harrison (RB)|Mr Harrison]]'s runaway flight and retrieving [[Mister Pettypaws]] from a tree, though its rescue methods left something to be desired. It also guarded the laboratory, and pursued [[Blades (RB)|Blades]], [[Dani Burns|Dani]] and [[Cody Burns|Cody]] when they tried to spy on Morocco. After Cody and [[Frankie Greene|Frankie]] sneaked into the lab, they were spotted by Morocco, who sent the MorBot after them. Though carelessly knocking a grenade and causing an explosion, the MorBot pursued its quarry into Morocco's blimp. It was prevented from reaching the two children by a large door, and by the time it broke through, Cody had landed the blimp. The MorBot jumped out to attack them, only to be surrounded by the Rescue Bots, who forcibly disassembled it. {{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}

In an alternate timeline, Morocco ruled "Moropolis" and used a number of MorBots as enforcement. When a team of [[Autobot]]s returned from [[1939]], [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] began trashing the Morbots, eventually wiping out all of them except the larger red MorBot that Morocco was driving. The evil scientist drove the last MorBot after the rogue group. He was too late to stop them, and crashed the MorBot into the time machine they were using. {{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

[[Category:Man-made transformers]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots technology]]
[[Category:Robots]]

NASCAR

2013-10-31T17:00:32Z

WreckNRule426:

[[Image:Topspin (DOTM)carpit.jpg|left|450px|thumb|Blue Team, ready!]][[Image:Leadfoot (DOTM)carpit.jpg||right|450px|thumb|Red Team, ready!]]
{{-}}[[Image:NASCAR_logo.png|right|200px|thumb|Go fast, turn left, don't crash.]]
'''NASCAR''', the '''National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing''', is the most popular auto racing circuit in the United States. Given its broad success, it is relatively surprising that it <s>has had few interactions</s> took over two decades to officially connect with the ''Transformers'' brand.
==The real world==
NASCAR was founded in the mid 20th century as a sanctioning body for the then-unruly world of stock car racing. For decades it was only of regional interest, mostly in the Southern U.S. However, by the dawn of the 21st century, it was one of the most popular sports in the entire country.
In late 1999, [[Hasbro]] acquired the NASCAR license and produced the ''NASCAR Racers'' toyline, featuring the exploits of a multi-ethnic team of drivers in a futuristic version of the NASCAR circuit. Despite a fair amount of investment from NASCAR, Hasbro, and [[Fox Kids]], the line was not a particularly huge success, and only lasted about a year. ''Transformers''-brand employees who worked on the line included [[Aaron Archer]], [[Andrew Frankel]] and [[Joshua Lamb]].

In [[2009]], as part of the media blitz surrounding ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', [[Paramount Pictures]], [[M&M's]], and other related companies used their NASCAR connections to promote the film:
* [[June 21]]: [[Kyle Busch]] drove a specially decorated M&Ms/''ROTF'' Toyota Camry in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in California, finishing 22nd.
* [[October 11]]: As part of a sponsorship deal with ABC and ESPN<ref>http://twitter.com/NASCARSays/status/4795676058</ref>, televised coverage of the 2009 Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in California was "presented by" ''ROTF'', and race winner Jimmie Johnson celebrated his finish in the ''Transformers'' Victory Circle.
* [[October 17]]: Continuing the ABC/ESPN promotion, coverage of the NASCAR Banking 500 Only from Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina was again sponsored by ''ROTF'', and championship contenders [[Ryan Newman]] and [[Jeff Gordon]] drove ''ROTF'' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]-themed cars. Newman ended up in eleventh place, while Gordon finished fifth, claiming tongue-in-cheek during a post-race interview that "the bad guy won!" The Newman/Gordon challenge was marketed as a "[[Choose Your Side & Win]]" contest, with prizes including tickets to the final race of the season and ''ROTF'' DVDs signed by [[Megan Fox]]. Jimmie Johnson won (again) and celebrated (''again'') in the ''Transformers'' Victory Circle. In addition, ''ROTF'' director [[Michael Bay]] drove the pace car for a stretch.

The ties between NASCAR and the ''Transformers'' brand increased with the promotion surrounding ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'':
* [[February 20]]: Michael Bay, [[Josh Duhamel]], and [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]] served as Grand Marshals of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The trio gave the command for drivers to start their engines, as well as waving the green flag to start the race. The film prop versions of [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]], and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] were on display at trackside, as well as bringing up the rear during the pre-race pace laps. Televised coverage of the race also included a new ad for the film, featuring the [[Wrecker]]s prominently.

==Toys==
* The ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] [[Gearhead]] mold (and thus, [[Soundwave_(G1)/toys#Generation_2|all]] [[W.A.R.S.|the]] [[Camshaft_(SG)|other]] [[redeco]]s of said mold) turns into an (unlicensed) ninth-generation Ford Thunderbird NASCAR racer.
* ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]], and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] all turn into approximations of [[wikipedia:Chevrolet_Impala#NASCAR_Sprint_Cup|Sprint Cup Chevy Impala]] stock cars with the paint jobs of individual NASCAR drivers.

==See also==
* [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes]]
* [[General Motors]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Links==
* [http://www.nascar.com NASCAR's official website.]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nascar}}
[[Category:Companies]]
[[Category:External properties]]

Lee Tockar

2013-10-31T16:59:17Z

WreckNRule426:

[[Image:Lee_tockar.jpg|thumb|300px|''"There are a thousand ways I could destroy you right now. And 941 of them hurt."'']]
'''Lee Tockar''' (born, [[February 11]], [[1969]]) is a Canadian voice actor. Among his better-known roles are Abyo on ''Pucca'', Bling-Bling Boy on ''Johnny Test'', Makuta in the films ''Bionicle: Mask of Light'' and ''Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui'', Ripster in ''Street Sharks'', George on the [[2007]] version of ''George of the Jungle'', [[Shipwreck]] in ''G.I. Joe: Spy Troops'', Frieza in the Ocean Group dub of ''Dragon Ball Z: Kai'', Vile in ''Mega Man'', Doktor Frogg on ''The League of Super Evil'' as well as Snips and the sea serpent "Steven Magnet" on ''[[My Little Pony]]: Friendship is Magic''.

==Voice roles==
===''Beast Wars''===
* [[Ram Horn]]
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]

==Notes==
* His favorite Transformer is of course, [[Ravage (disambiguation)|Ravage]] and he owns a [[Shadow Panther]] toy. Ask him how to get into voice acting and he'll save you the $500 it would have cost you to take the course!

==External links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0865064/ Lee Tockar on the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tockar, Lee}}
[[Category:Mainframe Entertainment]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]

Lee Tockar

2012-12-01T23:26:17Z

WreckNRule426:

[[Image:Lee_tockar.jpg|thumb|300px|''"There are a thousand ways I could destroy you right now. And 941 of them hurt."'']]
'''Lee Tockar''' ([[February 11]], 1969–) is a Canadian voice actor. Among his better-known roles are Abyo on ''Pucca'', Bling-Bling Boy on ''Johnny Test'', Makuta in the ''Bionicle: Mask of Light'' and ''Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui'', Ripster in ''Street Sharks'', George on the [[2007]] version of ''George of the Jungle'', Doktor Frogg on ''The League of Super Evil'' as well as Snips and the sea serpent "Steven Magnet" on ''[[My Little Pony]]: Friendship is Magic''. His favorite Transformer is of course, [[Ravage (disambiguation)|Ravage]] and he owns a [[Shadow Panther]] toy. Ask him how to get into voice acting and he'll save you the $500 it would have cost you to take the course!

==Voice roles==
===''Beast Wars''===
* [[Ram Horn]]
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]

==External links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0865064/ Lee Tockar on the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tockar, Lee}}
[[Category:Mainframe Entertainment]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]

Flying Mind

2012-11-06T01:07:07Z

WreckNRule426:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 37
|prev=Armada (episode)
|next=Tunnel Vision
|image=
|caption=
|title="Flying Mind"
|airdate=[[April 28]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Bob Skir|Robert N. Skir]]
|directed by=[[Scooter Tidwell]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Megatron's attempt to repair the ''Nemesis'' has an unexpected side effect, forcing Raf, Jack, and Miko to put themselves in harm's way.'''

==Synopsis==
With the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' down, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] discovers that [[Bulkhead (Prime)|an Autobot]] was responsible for the crash. Despite [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]]'s protests, Megatron infuses [[Dark Energon]] into the ship's power core, hoping its regenerative effects will cut down on the lengthy time it would take to get the ship airworthy. Meanwhile, the [[Autobot]]s feel this might well be the time to strike. [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] reluctantly decides to use the [[spark extractor|Spark Extractor]] to terminate the Decepticons for good.

The Dark Energon infusion of the ''Nemesis'' works perfectly, bringing the ship to full operational status in minutes. The energy is detected by the Autobots, who immediately set out with [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]]. They arrive to find the 'Con warship already airborne, and it begins firing on them. The Autobots attempt to get close enough to use the Spark Extractor, but the ship hits them one by one with a [[Stasis Beam|stasis beam]], which a surprised Knock Out notes the ship was not previously equipped with, sending them into [[stasis lock]]. [[Image:Optimus Flying Mind.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Optimus is the ''best'' at freeze tag.]] Megatron is pleased at being able to get the Spark Extractor back, but when he orders the ship to move closer, it abruptly changes course, and it is quickly discovered that the ''Nemesis'' is ignoring its pilots and flying ''itself''. When Megatron demands the ship's computer be overridden, the [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]] at the helm is electrocuted. The ship suddenly speaks up with its own voice, announcing it is in charge and on a mission. Knock Out notes its decoding the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] database. Furious, Megatron demands they retake control, but when [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] attempts to do so, the ship retaliates and he's sent into stasis lock. When Megatron orders the Decepticons to sever all connections to the ship's mainframe, beams of energy sweep through the ship, disabling almost every last one of the 'Cons.

Back at base, Fowler notes that the ''Nemesis'' is heading towards North America, with its cloaking field down, no less, and the decision is made to try and contact Megatron to see what's up. On the warship, Knock Out is put into stasis lock while checking on the Iacon data, and Megatron attempts to disable the ship's power core, only to be put in stasis lock as well. When Ratchet contacts the ''Nemesis'', the ship responds and helpfully lets them know its mission is to find the missing Iacon artifacts of Decepticon origin. [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and the humans believe it's the opportune moment to download a copy of the Iacon database, so Fowler and the kids [[Ground Bridge]] on board the ship, determining that the ship cannot detect humans, as it left Fowler unmolested while leaving the battle earlier. They find the [[Project Iacon]] console, and clambering up Knock Out, plug in the [[transfer drive]] Ratchet gave them. [[Jack Darby|Jack]] notices the ship is heading for [[New York City|Manhattan]], the location of the first artifact, and if they don't stop it somehow, the ''Nemesis'' will destroy whatever part of the city lies atop the long-buried relic. While trying to change the ship's course, Fowler is electrically shocked into unconsciousness, but the ship, still scanning for Cybertronian-based life forms, is unable to detect the kids.
[[Image:Megatron flying mind.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Bob Dole doesn't need this...]]

Though Ratchet wants to bridge the kids back, Jack realizes they have to do something now, and head to the ship's power core, hoping to de-activate the ''Nemesis''' intelligence by dumping the dark energon out of the fuel supply. There they find the frozen Megatron, and Jack discovers that the manually-operated fuel injection valve is locked in place by Megatron's frozen hand. While he's still trying, the ship finally detects [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]], assuming them to be vermin that are infesting it. As a manipulator arm starts chasing them, they hide among the [[energon cube]]s, but the arm moves the containers aside, eventually exposing them. Jack manages to attract its attention and trick it into hitting Megatron. The Decepticon leader topples over, dragging the lever down and reversing the [[energon]] flow. [[Image:Lower Manhattan Flying Mind.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Man, why can't the aliens attack Jersey for a change?]] Though the ship tries to use the manipulator arm to move the lever back, it's not fast enough to do so before its intelligence is lost. As the ship "shifts into neutral", the stasis locked Transformers inexplicably begin recovering, and the kids make all haste back through the corridors. While Miko and Raf help a still-loopy Fowler through the Ground Bridge, Jack goes after the transfer drive, but he's still struggling with it as Knock Out comes back online. Jack's saved from an untimely end when Ratchet appears through the GroundBridge and clobbers Knock Out, taking Jack and the transfer drive with him, just in time to miss the arrival of Megatron, who is rather unhappy with Knock Out.

Ratchet gives the now-recovered Optimus the good news about the data they retrieved, but they realize they must act quickly, as Megatron has no more scruples than his ship about harming human life, and the ''Nemesis'' is even now bearing down on Manhattan...

[[Tunnel Vision|To be continued]]...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (4)
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (11)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (12)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (13)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (14)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (5)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (6)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (15)

|c3=
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (7)
* [[Jack Darby]] (8)
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (9)
* [[William Fowler]] (10)

|c4=
* "[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]"
|}}

==Quotes==
"Doc Knock is ''knocked out!''"
:—'''Miko''' makes the joke we've all been waiting to hear.

"On your feet, soldier!" 
"...and beavers and ducks and walnuts and Grandma..."
:-'''Miko''' helping a debilitated '''Fowler'''.

"Say ''ahhh!''"
:—'''Knock Out's''' dentistry leaves something to be desired.

"I'm here to offer a second opinion!"
:—'''Ratchet''' gives Knock Out the hint that he might want to consider going back to medical school.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*When Jack realizes that the ''Nemesis'' will have to tear down Manhattan to get to the first Iacon relic, the camera zooms out to show all 4, including Fowler and Rafael on the control panel. However Knock Out, who should be frozen right behind the two on the control panel, is nowhere to be seen.

===Continuity errors===
* In the previous episode, Bulkhead drove from the ''Nemesis'' crash site back to base rather than use the GroundBridge, suggesting the crash occurred not far away, or at the very least, on the same continent. In this episode, Fowler says the ''Nemesis'' is crossing the Atlantic Ocean and heading for North America.
* How does Jack on the ''Nemesis'' talk to Rachet back at base without a cell phone? He appears to be using an earpiece, but there's no indication that he received one.
* When stasis-locked Megatron gets knocked over, his hand, still clutching the release lever, opens to allow him to fall all the way down. The rest of him stays completely stiff even upon hitting the ground.

===Continuity notes===
* The Insecticons joining the Decepticons, Bulkhead's damage to the ''Nemesis'' power core and the ship's crash all took place in the [[Armada (episode)|previous episode]].
* Megatron makes note of Optimus's increasing ruthlessness and how he would no longer waste a chance to strike, likely referring to his near-termination by Optimus in "[[Crossfire]]".
* The Decepticons found their Dark Energon supply back in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]", but it hasn't seen much use since the [[Unicron#Prime cartoon|Unicron]] revelation.
* Soundwave has been trying to decrypt the Iacon database since Optimus Prime recovered his memory in "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]", and has apparently made very little progress.
* Though the ''Nemesis'' is established in ''[[Transformers: Exiles]]'' to be a stasis-locked [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]], its identity is left unstated here, as it does not refer to itself by name.
* The Autobots attempt to use the [[spark extractor]], which they acquired in "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1]]".
* This is the first time Knock Out has used his drill weapon since [[Deus ex Machina|his premiere episode]].

===Transformers references===

===Real-world references===
* The Nemesis's stasis beam uses the same sound effect of the Zat'ni'katel or Zat Gun from ''Stargate SG-1''.
* Miko's "On your feet, soldier" is a reference to the 1984 film, ''The Terminator''.
* Miko refers to Knock Out as "Doc Knock," most likely in reference to "Doc Ock," a common nickname of [[Spider-Man]] villain Doctor Octopus.
* The ship gaining sentience, turning on the crew, and its defeat all bear similarities to HAL 9000 from the film, ''2001: A Space Odyssey''.
* The grid design that immobilises Dreadwing and the Vehicons is similar to the laser hallways from ''Resident Evil''.

===Trivia===
* The ''Nemesis''' voice is listed only as "Warship" in this episode's credits.
* It seems the amount of power required to stasis lock a Transformer isn't enough to kill a Human, as the ship was unaware carbon-based life forms were aboard when Fowler was electrocuted, and was presumably trying the same trick it used on Soundwave.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Darkest Hour (episode)

2012-11-05T03:06:50Z

WreckNRule426:

{{disambig3|Darkest Hour}}

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 52
|prev=Regeneration (Prime)
|next=
|image=PrimeDarkestHourOPArm.jpg
|caption=WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE
|title="Darkest Hour"
|airdate=[[November 2]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
'''Megatron's plans force Optimus to make a risky decision that could have inescapable consequences for the entire Autobot team.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:DarkestHour-captives.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Jack: It's all because of us. Miko: We're so fragged. Raf: Can I go to the bathroom?]]

The two groups stand on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], locked in a face-off. While the [[Autobot]]s have the [[Omega Key]]s, the [[Decepticon]]s have [[Jack Darby|Jack]], [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]]. [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] orders [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] to get ready to expose Jack to Cybertron's toxic atmosphere. Though the kids are ready to sacrifice themselves to save the planet, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] isn't, and the Autobots throw down their weapons. [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] hands over his key in exchange for Miko, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] hands over his for Raf, and Megatron insists that as someone who was entrusted with the [[Matrix of Leadership]], Jack is surely worth ''two'' keys, so Arcee and Smokescreen are compelled to hand over theirs. The exchange done, a [[space bridge]] opens and the Autobots are quickly surrounded by [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]].

On [[Earth]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] gets a call from [[June Darby]], worried as she can't get in touch with Jack. Ratchet, unable to get in touch with Optimus and unaware that the kids are on Cybertron, is more concerned with keeping the comm lines clear, and quickly ends the call.

Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave and Knock Out each hold a key, and activate the [[Omega Lock]]. At a touch from Megatron, the lock sends out a beam of energy that recreates a nearby ruin, turning it into a pristine building. Though Optimus requests he be allowed to take the [[human]]s back to Earth, Megatron announces they'll be safer where they are. He has Starscream open up a space bridge portal over the Omega Lock site, and unleashes a mechaforming beam through it... to Earth, just outside of [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]]. A horrified June drops her phone, and the Autobot base's systems go haywire from the energy overload.

[[Image:DarkestHour-June.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"I've been watching far too many movies."]]

Miko wonders aloud if the beam will simply restore Earth, but Optimus says that this won't be the case; the beam will instead [[Eco-structuring|cyberform]] the planet, tuning it into another metallic world, and in the process destroy ''all'' indigenous life. Unable to let Earth die, Optimus leaps into action, slicing his way through the guards with his blade and lunging for the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. Though Megatron tries to respond with the [[Dark Star Saber]], Optimus neatly cleaves the purloined Prime arm off of the Decepticon leader and sends the Dark blade flying, charging the Lock. Starscream gets his face stamped on as he tries to stop Optimus, and the other two Decepticons dive for cover as the Star Saber finds its mark, resulting in a massive explosion.

The cyberforming beam dissipates, and Ratchet's equipment clears up in time to get a transmission from Optimus requesting a space bridge. As the Decepticons pick themselves out of the rubble, the Autobots retreat through back to Earth. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] quips, earning a quick backhand from Starscream, snarling that he needs to attend to their wounded leader. Starscream's ranting at Optimus's actions is cut of by a burst of maniacal laughter from Megatron... "They can run, but they can never again run ''home''!"

[[Image:DarkestHour-NewKaon.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Welp. There goes the neighborhood.]]

Ratchet is aghast as the Autobots return carrying the children, and even more so when they tell him Optimus has destroyed the Omega Lock. He staggers, lamenting that the sheer depth of loss the war has brought has all come to naught, with Cybertron now doomed to forever be a lifeless husk. [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] snaps at Ratchet, claiming it's not his place to question Optimus's battlefield decisions, and Ratchet does not exactly react well to that. The discussion is cut short by a call from an absolutely furious [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]], suggesting they take a look outside. As the Autobots reach the mountaintop via elevator, they find a huge [[New Kaon (fortress)|Cybertronian fortress]] now stands right on their doorstep. Fowler, landing his helicopter next to them, wonders why they picked Jasper. As the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' arrives, the answer becomes painfully clear: the Decepticons have found the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]].

Megatron, still missing his arm, rallies his air troops with a speech damning Optimus for his actions, and Starscream launches his armada of silver-toned Jet Vehicons, followed by the [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] horde. The Autobots retreat into the base, but Fowler jumps back into his helicopter and flies directly through the oncoming Decepticon formations. While he's soon outgunned and being chased by Vehicons, the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'' streaks into view—[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] has come to lend a hand, much to the surprise of the Autobots, since their last parting was not exactly on friendly terms.

[[Image:DarkestHour-thisistheplace.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[Revenge of the Fallen: The Album|We're going 'til the world stops turning, while we burn it to the ground tonight!]]]]

Optimus orders the Autobots to abandon base via [[GroundBridge]], each departing to different locations in the [[United States of America|USA]] in the hopes that it will allow them to evade capture easier and regroup. Bumblebee and Raf head out first, then Bulkhead and Miko, then Arcee and Jack. Outside, Fowler avoids more Decepticons only to see the ''Nemesis'' moving into position over the Autobot base. At the same time, June is approaching the base by car in search of her son, but is stopped by a low-flying Vehicon. Fowler moves fast, gunning the Decepticon down and pulling June to safety. Though Wheeljack has bought the Autobtos time, the numbers are against him, and a pair of seeking missiles from Starscream soon send the ''Jackhammer'' plummeting to Earth in a trail of smoke.

Smokescreen having departed on his own, Ratchet and Optimus are the last ones left in the base. Optimus tells Ratchet to go on, while he will make sure the Decepticons can't follow. Realizing the implications, Ratchet sadly takes his leave. Optimus moves to use the Star Saber to destroy the space bridge controls, but at that moment his task is rendered moot as the ''Nemesis'' fires a colossal cannon, destroying the Autobot base in a huge explosion.

Megatron and Starscream fly down to the remains, landing on the Autobot [[insignia]]. The two gloat over their victory... and not far, all that can be seen of Optimus is his hand sticking out from the burning rubble...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (1)
* [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] (2)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (4)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (14)
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (18)
|c2=
* [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (9)
* [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (10)
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (12)
* [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (13)
* [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (17)
|c3=
* [[Jack Darby]] (7)
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (8)
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (11)
* [[June Darby]] (15)
* [[William Fowler]] (16)
}}

==Quotes==
"I guess we should cancel the welcome home party."
:—'''Knock Out''' makes an ill-timed quip.

"Optimus... ''we needed that''."
:—'''Ratchet''' expresses his dismay over Optimus's actions.

"Our opportunity to revive Cybertron has been lost, due to the treachery of Optimus Prime. But from our fortress of New Kaon, we will instead seize control of THIS world! '''Decepticons! Transform and rise up!'''"
:—'''Megatron''' gives his army a motivational speech as the onslaught begins.

"And that's how you wreck a Wrecker!"
:—'''Starscream''' bragging as he shoots down Wheeljack's ship.

"I... never imagined it would end like this." 
''[Heads through the GroundBridge]'' 
"Neither did I, old friend."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Optimus Prime''' on the breaking of [[Team Prime]].

"United we stand, divided they fall."
:—'''Starscream''' continues to gloat at what is left of the Autobot base.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* As in previous episodes, Megatron's jet mode retains the fusion cannon even though he no longer has it.

===Continuity notes===
* Megatron remembers that Jack was entrusted with the [[Matrix of Leadership]] back in "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]".
* Ratchet vaguely references the events of "[[Hurt]]" when expressing surprise at Wheeljack's arrival. This also seems to be the reason why no one enlisted his aid for the events of the previous episode.
* Optimus cuts off Megatron's Prime arm, which he acquired in "[[Alpha/Omega]]", also removing his ability to use the Dark Star Saber.

===Transformers references===
* "[[Darkest hour]]", yet again.
* Megatron commands his troops to "Transform and rise up!", a phrase coined by the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].
* The red panel Megatron activates on the Omega Lock resembles an [[energon star]].
* Megatron plans to [[Cyberforming|cyberform]] Earth.
* Starscream refers to the silver Decepticon flyers in this episode as [[Cyclonus's Armada#The Transformers cartoon|his armada]].

===Trivia===
[[Image:PrimeDarkestHourStarscreamsArmadaSingle.jpg|thumb|250px|ARE YOU SARAH CONNOR?]]
* A new type of Decepticon flyer debuts, sporting a silver and grey paint job.
* June Darby makes an appearance after a 23-episode absence.
* This is the first time we see a space bridge portal open facing downward and the second time we see a portal open North-South.
* June bought a new car after her old one was destroyed in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]".
* Airachnid was still being held in that stasis pod when the Autobot Base blew up, leaving open the question of her fate.
* Soundwave's tentacle appendages can fire lasers.
* Optimus makes use of his integrated sword for the first time since the arrival of the Star Saber.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Darkest Hour (episode)

2012-11-05T03:02:02Z

WreckNRule426: /* Continuity errors */

{{disambig3|Darkest Hour}}

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 52
|prev=Regeneration (Prime)
|next=
|image=PrimeDarkestHourOPArm.jpg
|caption=WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE
|title="Darkest Hour"
|airdate=[[November 2]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
'''Megatron's plans force Optimus to make a risky decision that could have inescapable consequences for the entire Autobot team.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:DarkestHour-captives.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Jack: It's all because of us. Miko: We're so fragged. Raf: Can I go to the bathroom?]]

The two groups stand on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], locked in a face-off. While the [[Autobot]]s have the [[Omega Key]]s, the [[Decepticon]]s have [[Jack Darby|Jack]], [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]]. [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] orders [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] to get ready to expose Jack to Cybertron's toxic atmosphere. Though the kids are ready to sacrifice themselves to save the planet, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] isn't, and the Autobots throw down their weapons. [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] hands over his key in exchange for Miko, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] hands over his for Raf, and Megatron insists that as someone who was entrusted with the [[Matrix of Leadership]], Jack is surely worth ''two'' keys, so Arcee and Smokescreen are compelled to hand over theirs. The exchange done, a [[space bridge]] opens and the Autobots are quickly surrounded by [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]].

On [[Earth]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] gets a call from [[June Darby]], worried as she can't get in touch with Jack. Ratchet, unable to get in touch with Optimus and unaware that the kids are on Cybertron, is more concerned with keeping the comm lines clear, and quickly ends the call.

Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave and Knock Out each hold a key, and activate the [[Omega Lock]]. At a touch from Megatron, the lock sends out a beam of energy that recreates a nearby ruin, turning it into a pristine building. Though Optimus requests he be allowed to take the [[human]]s back to Earth, Megatron announces they'll be safer where they are. He has Starscream open up a space bridge portal over the Omega Lock site, and unleashes a mechaforming beam through it... to Earth, just outside of [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]]. A horrified June drops her phone, and the Autobot base's systems go haywire from the energy overload.

[[Image:DarkestHour-June.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"I've been watching far too many movies."]]

Miko wonders aloud if the beam will simply restore Earth, but Optimus says that this won't be the case; the beam will instead [[Eco-structuring|cyberform]] the planet, tuning it into another metallic world, and in the process destroy ''all'' indigenous life. Unable to let Earth die, Optimus leaps into action, slicing his way through the guards with his blade and lunging for the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. Though Megatron tries to respond with the [[Dark Star Saber]], Optimus neatly cleaves the purloined Prime arm off of the Decepticon leader and sends the Dark blade flying, charging the Lock. Starscream gets his face stamped on as he tries to stop Optimus, and the other two Decepticons dive for cover as the Star Saber finds its mark, resulting in a massive explosion.

The cyberforming beam dissipates, and Ratchet's equipment clears up in time to get a transmission from Optimus requesting a space bridge. As the Decepticons pick themselves out of the rubble, the Autobots retreat through back to Earth. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] quips, earning a quick backhand from Starscream, snarling that he needs to attend to their wounded leader. Starscream's ranting at Optimus's actions is cut of by a burst of maniacal laughter from Megatron... "They can run, but they can never again run ''home''!"

[[Image:DarkestHour-NewKaon.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Welp. There goes the neighborhood.]]

Ratchet is aghast as the Autobots return carrying the children, and even more so when they tell him Optimus has destroyed the Omega Lock. He staggers, lamenting that the sheer depth of loss the war has brought has all come to naught, with Cybertron now doomed to forever be a lifeless husk. [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] snaps at Ratchet, claiming it's not his place to question Optimus's battlefield decisions, and Ratchet does not exactly react well to that. The discussion is cut short by a call from an absolutely furious [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]], suggesting they take a look outside. As the Autobots reach the mountaintop via elevator, they find a huge [[New Kaon (fortress)|Cybertronian fortress]] now stands right on their doorstep. Fowler, landing his helicopter next to them, wonders why they picked Jasper. As the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' arrives, the answer becomes painfully clear: the Decepticons have found the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]].

Megatron, still missing his arm, rallies his air troops with a speech damning Optimus for his actions, and Starscream launches his armada of silver-toned Jet Vehicons, followed by the [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] horde. The Autobots retreat into the base, but Fowler jumps back into his helicopter and flies directly through the oncoming Decepticon formations. While he's soon outgunned and being chased by Vehicons, the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'' streaks into view—[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] has come to lend a hand, much to the surprise of the Autobots, since their last parting was not exactly on friendly terms.

[[Image:DarkestHour-thisistheplace.jpg|right|thumb|300px|We're going 'til the world stops turning, while we burn it to the ground tonight!]]

Optimus orders the Autobots to abandon base via [[GroundBridge]], each departing to different locations in the [[United States of America|USA]] in the hopes that it will allow them to evade capture easier and regroup. Bumblebee and Raf head out first, then Bulkhead and Miko, then Arcee and Jack. Outside, Fowler avoids more Decepticons only to see the ''Nemesis'' moving into position over the Autobot base. At the same time, June is approaching the base by car in search of her son, but is stopped by a low-flying Vehicon. Fowler moves fast, gunning the Decepticon down and pulling June to safety. Though Wheeljack has bought the Autobtos time, the numbers are against him, and a pair of seeking missiles from Starscream soon send the ''Jackhammer'' plummeting to Earth in a trail of smoke.

Smokescreen having departed on his own, Ratchet and Optimus are the last ones left in the base. Optimus tells Ratchet to go on, while he will make sure the Decepticons can't follow. Realizing the implications, Ratchet sadly takes his leave. Optimus moves to use the Star Saber to destroy the space bridge controls, but at that moment his task is rendered moot as the ''Nemesis'' fires a colossal cannon, destroying the Autobot base in a huge explosion.

Megatron and Starscream fly down to the remains, landing on the Autobot [[insignia]]. The two gloat over their victory... and not far, all that can be seen of Optimus is his hand sticking out from the burning rubble...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (1)
* [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] (2)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (4)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (14)
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (18)
|c2=
* [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (9)
* [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (10)
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (12)
* [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (13)
* [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (17)
|c3=
* [[Jack Darby]] (7)
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (8)
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (11)
* [[June Darby]] (15)
* [[William Fowler]] (16)
}}

==Quotes==
"I guess we should cancel the welcome home party."
:—'''Knock Out''' makes an ill-timed quip.

"Optimus... ''we needed that''."
:—'''Ratchet''' expresses his dismay over Optimus's actions.

"Our opportunity to revive Cybertron has been lost, due to the treachery of Optimus Prime. But from our fortress of New Kaon, we will instead seize control of THIS world! '''Decepticons! Transform and rise up!'''"
:—'''Megatron''' gives his army a motivational speech as the onslaught begins.

"And that's how you wreck a Wrecker!"
:—'''Starscream''' bragging as he shoots down Wheeljack's ship.

"I... never imagined it would end like this." 
''[Heads through the GroundBridge]'' 
"Neither did I, old friend."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Optimus Prime''' on the breaking of [[Team Prime]].

"United we stand, divided they fall."
:—'''Starscream''' continues to gloat at what is left of the Autobot base.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* As in previous episodes, Megatron's jet mode retains the fusion cannon even though he no longer has it.

===Continuity errors===

* Megatron must have some very efficient workers on his hands if they can build an entire fortress within two minute of the Autobots' escape.

===Continuity notes===
* Megatron remembers that Jack was entrusted with the [[Matrix of Leadership]] back in "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]".
* Ratchet vaguely references the events of "[[Hurt]]" when expressing surprise at Wheeljack's arrival. This also seems to be the reason why no one enlisted his aid for the events of the previous episode.
* Optimus disables Megatron's ability to use a Star Saber by cutting off his right arm, which he grafted on from the body of a Prime in [[Alpha/Omega]].

===Transformers references===
* "[[Darkest hour]]", yet again.
* Megatron commands his troops to "Transform and rise up!", a phrase coined by the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].
* The red panel Megatron activates on the Omega Lock resembles an [[energon star]].
* Megatron plans to [[Cyberforming|cyberform]] Earth.
* Starscream refers to the silver Decepticon flyers in this episode as [[Cyclonus's Armada#The Transformers cartoon|his armada]].

===Trivia===
[[Image:PrimeDarkestHourStarscreamsArmadaSingle.jpg|thumb|250px|ARE YOU SARAH CONNOR?]]
* A new type of Decepticon flyer debuts, sporting a silver and grey paint job.
* June Darby makes an appearance after a 23-episode absence.
* This is the first time we see a space bridge portal open facing downward and the second time we see a portal open North-South.
* June bought a new car after her old one was destroyed in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]".
* Airachnid was still being held in that stasis pod when the Autobot Base blew up, leaving open the question of her fate.
* Soundwave's tentacle appendages can fire lasers.
* Optimus makes use of his integrated sword for the first time since the arrival of the Star Saber.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Darkest Hour (episode)

2012-11-05T03:00:33Z

WreckNRule426: /* Continuity notes */

{{disambig3|Darkest Hour}}

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 52
|prev=Regeneration (Prime)
|next=
|image=PrimeDarkestHourOPArm.jpg
|caption=WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE
|title="Darkest Hour"
|airdate=[[November 2]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
'''Megatron's plans force Optimus to make a risky decision that could have inescapable consequences for the entire Autobot team.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:DarkestHour-captives.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Jack: It's all because of us. Miko: We're so fragged. Raf: Can I go to the bathroom?]]

The two groups stand on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], locked in a face-off. While the [[Autobot]]s have the [[Omega Key]]s, the [[Decepticon]]s have [[Jack Darby|Jack]], [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]]. [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] orders [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] to get ready to expose Jack to Cybertron's toxic atmosphere. Though the kids are ready to sacrifice themselves to save the planet, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] isn't, and the Autobots throw down their weapons. [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] hands over his key in exchange for Miko, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] hands over his for Raf, and Megatron insists that as someone who was entrusted with the [[Matrix of Leadership]], Jack is surely worth ''two'' keys, so Arcee and Smokescreen are compelled to hand over theirs. The exchange done, a [[space bridge]] opens and the Autobots are quickly surrounded by [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]].

On [[Earth]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] gets a call from [[June Darby]], worried as she can't get in touch with Jack. Ratchet, unable to get in touch with Optimus and unaware that the kids are on Cybertron, is more concerned with keeping the comm lines clear, and quickly ends the call.

Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave and Knock Out each hold a key, and activate the [[Omega Lock]]. At a touch from Megatron, the lock sends out a beam of energy that recreates a nearby ruin, turning it into a pristine building. Though Optimus requests he be allowed to take the [[human]]s back to Earth, Megatron announces they'll be safer where they are. He has Starscream open up a space bridge portal over the Omega Lock site, and unleashes a mechaforming beam through it... to Earth, just outside of [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]]. A horrified June drops her phone, and the Autobot base's systems go haywire from the energy overload.

[[Image:DarkestHour-June.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"I've been watching far too many movies."]]

Miko wonders aloud if the beam will simply restore Earth, but Optimus says that this won't be the case; the beam will instead [[Eco-structuring|cyberform]] the planet, tuning it into another metallic world, and in the process destroy ''all'' indigenous life. Unable to let Earth die, Optimus leaps into action, slicing his way through the guards with his blade and lunging for the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. Though Megatron tries to respond with the [[Dark Star Saber]], Optimus neatly cleaves the purloined Prime arm off of the Decepticon leader and sends the Dark blade flying, charging the Lock. Starscream gets his face stamped on as he tries to stop Optimus, and the other two Decepticons dive for cover as the Star Saber finds its mark, resulting in a massive explosion.

The cyberforming beam dissipates, and Ratchet's equipment clears up in time to get a transmission from Optimus requesting a space bridge. As the Decepticons pick themselves out of the rubble, the Autobots retreat through back to Earth. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] quips, earning a quick backhand from Starscream, snarling that he needs to attend to their wounded leader. Starscream's ranting at Optimus's actions is cut of by a burst of maniacal laughter from Megatron... "They can run, but they can never again run ''home''!"

[[Image:DarkestHour-NewKaon.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Welp. There goes the neighborhood.]]

Ratchet is aghast as the Autobots return carrying the children, and even more so when they tell him Optimus has destroyed the Omega Lock. He staggers, lamenting that the sheer depth of loss the war has brought has all come to naught, with Cybertron now doomed to forever be a lifeless husk. [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] snaps at Ratchet, claiming it's not his place to question Optimus's battlefield decisions, and Ratchet does not exactly react well to that. The discussion is cut short by a call from an absolutely furious [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]], suggesting they take a look outside. As the Autobots reach the mountaintop via elevator, they find a huge [[New Kaon (fortress)|Cybertronian fortress]] now stands right on their doorstep. Fowler, landing his helicopter next to them, wonders why they picked Jasper. As the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' arrives, the answer becomes painfully clear: the Decepticons have found the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]].

Megatron, still missing his arm, rallies his air troops with a speech damning Optimus for his actions, and Starscream launches his armada of silver-toned Jet Vehicons, followed by the [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] horde. The Autobots retreat into the base, but Fowler jumps back into his helicopter and flies directly through the oncoming Decepticon formations. While he's soon outgunned and being chased by Vehicons, the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'' streaks into view—[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] has come to lend a hand, much to the surprise of the Autobots, since their last parting was not exactly on friendly terms.

[[Image:DarkestHour-thisistheplace.jpg|right|thumb|300px|We're going 'til the world stops turning, while we burn it to the ground tonight!]]

Optimus orders the Autobots to abandon base via [[GroundBridge]], each departing to different locations in the [[United States of America|USA]] in the hopes that it will allow them to evade capture easier and regroup. Bumblebee and Raf head out first, then Bulkhead and Miko, then Arcee and Jack. Outside, Fowler avoids more Decepticons only to see the ''Nemesis'' moving into position over the Autobot base. At the same time, June is approaching the base by car in search of her son, but is stopped by a low-flying Vehicon. Fowler moves fast, gunning the Decepticon down and pulling June to safety. Though Wheeljack has bought the Autobtos time, the numbers are against him, and a pair of seeking missiles from Starscream soon send the ''Jackhammer'' plummeting to Earth in a trail of smoke.

Smokescreen having departed on his own, Ratchet and Optimus are the last ones left in the base. Optimus tells Ratchet to go on, while he will make sure the Decepticons can't follow. Realizing the implications, Ratchet sadly takes his leave. Optimus moves to use the Star Saber to destroy the space bridge controls, but at that moment his task is rendered moot as the ''Nemesis'' fires a colossal cannon, destroying the Autobot base in a huge explosion.

Megatron and Starscream fly down to the remains, landing on the Autobot [[insignia]]. The two gloat over their victory... and not far, all that can be seen of Optimus is his hand sticking out from the burning rubble...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (1)
* [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] (2)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (4)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (14)
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (18)
|c2=
* [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (9)
* [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (10)
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (12)
* [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (13)
* [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (17)
|c3=
* [[Jack Darby]] (7)
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (8)
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (11)
* [[June Darby]] (15)
* [[William Fowler]] (16)
}}

==Quotes==
"I guess we should cancel the welcome home party."
:—'''Knock Out''' makes an ill-timed quip.

"Optimus... ''we needed that''."
:—'''Ratchet''' expresses his dismay over Optimus's actions.

"Our opportunity to revive Cybertron has been lost, due to the treachery of Optimus Prime. But from our fortress of New Kaon, we will instead seize control of THIS world! '''Decepticons! Transform and rise up!'''"
:—'''Megatron''' gives his army a motivational speech as the onslaught begins.

"And that's how you wreck a Wrecker!"
:—'''Starscream''' bragging as he shoots down Wheeljack's ship.

"I... never imagined it would end like this." 
''[Heads through the GroundBridge]'' 
"Neither did I, old friend."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Optimus Prime''' on the breaking of [[Team Prime]].

"United we stand, divided they fall."
:—'''Starscream''' continues to gloat at what is left of the Autobot base.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* As in previous episodes, Megatron's jet mode retains the fusion cannon even though he no longer has it.

===Continuity errors===

===Continuity notes===
* Megatron remembers that Jack was entrusted with the [[Matrix of Leadership]] back in "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]".
* Ratchet vaguely references the events of "[[Hurt]]" when expressing surprise at Wheeljack's arrival. This also seems to be the reason why no one enlisted his aid for the events of the previous episode.
* Optimus disables Megatron's ability to use a Star Saber by cutting off his right arm, which he grafted on from the body of a Prime in [[Alpha/Omega]].

===Transformers references===
* "[[Darkest hour]]", yet again.
* Megatron commands his troops to "Transform and rise up!", a phrase coined by the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].
* The red panel Megatron activates on the Omega Lock resembles an [[energon star]].
* Megatron plans to [[Cyberforming|cyberform]] Earth.
* Starscream refers to the silver Decepticon flyers in this episode as [[Cyclonus's Armada#The Transformers cartoon|his armada]].

===Trivia===
[[Image:PrimeDarkestHourStarscreamsArmadaSingle.jpg|thumb|250px|ARE YOU SARAH CONNOR?]]
* A new type of Decepticon flyer debuts, sporting a silver and grey paint job.
* June Darby makes an appearance after a 23-episode absence.
* This is the first time we see a space bridge portal open facing downward and the second time we see a portal open North-South.
* June bought a new car after her old one was destroyed in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]".
* Airachnid was still being held in that stasis pod when the Autobot Base blew up, leaving open the question of her fate.
* Soundwave's tentacle appendages can fire lasers.
* Optimus makes use of his integrated sword for the first time since the arrival of the Star Saber.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Legacy (episode)

2012-09-23T17:34:21Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformers references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 46
|prev=The Human Factor
|next=Alpha; Omega
|image=Legacy-ohcrap.jpg
|caption=
|title="Legacy"
|airdate=[[September 21]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

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

==Synopsis==

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

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

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

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

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

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

[[Image:Legacy-PrimeStarSaber.jpg|left|thumb|300px|''sheeeeeng!'']]

As the ''Nemesis'' starts lifting the massive rock holding the Star Saber, Megatron begins interrogating Smokescreen with little effect. Prime's team suddenly arrives and starts laying into the Decepticons troops. Megatron looks around for Optimus himself, and spots the Autobot leader rapidly scaling the mountain in pursuit of the Star Saber, so he and some jet Vehicons take off to try to intercept. The other Autobots finish off the rest of the Decepticon troopers and Arcee rescues Jack from the Insecticons. Despite the best efforts of Megatron and his troops, Optimus manages to grab hold of the Star Saber which activates and pulls free of the rock. Megatron orders the rock dropped on him, but even as the other Autobots shout warnings, Prime merely uses the Star Saber to slice the whole thing in half. In shock, Megatron helplessly looks on as Prime follows up by taking a swing, unleashing a wave of energy at the ''Nemesis''. The Decepticons hastily retreat as their leader laments over his failure and believes it is now their darkest hour.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* Smokescreen has the same [[license plate]] as [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] and [[June Darby|June]].
*Optimus' [[Faceplate|mouthplate]] retracts slowly and silently while saying ''Autobots Transform and Rollout.''
* Optimus would not have been able to realign his flight trajectory when he took a glancing shot in his truck mode and transformed into robot mode; he would have continued spinning while flying.

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

===Transformers references===
* Jack mentions [[Robots In Disguise]].
* This episode marks yet another use of the phrase "[[darkest hour]]", only this time it's the Decepticons who get to use it.
* Megatron commands his troops to "Commence transport", the same phrase said by [[Sentinel Prime (DOTM)|Sentinel Prime]] in [[Dark of the Moon (film)|''Dark of the Moon'']] to power up his space bridge.
* The first "[[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]]" sword was the combined form of the [[Air Defense Mini-Con Team (Armada)|Air Defense Mini-Con Team]] in ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Transformers: Armada]]'', while the [[Thirteen]]-affiliated iteration was first mentioned in "[[The Coming Storm: Part 1]]." Technically, the name originated from [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]], the Autobot [[Supreme Commander]] from ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (franchise)|Transformers: Victory]]''.

===Real-world references===
* The Star Saber's location and its inability to be removed except by a Prime is a reference to ''[[wikipedia:Excalibur#Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone|Excalibur]]''.
* The truck driver referred Smokescreen's alternate mode as from the Indy 500, a motor racing competition.

===Trivia===
* Bumblebee warns Smokescreen about the speed limit, but apparently didn't think it was important to warn him that he's driving into oncoming traffic.
* Vince's behavior hasn't changed since the events of "Speed Metal". Some people just don't learn their lessons.
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Triage (episode)

2012-05-23T05:21:36Z

WreckNRule426: /* Synopsis */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 40
|prev=Triangulation
|next=Toxicity
|image=
|caption=
|title="Triage"
|airdate=[[May 19]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

{{picsneeded}}
'''During the third relic hunt, Ratchet and Wheeljack get a one-of-a-kind opportunity when Soundwave's Deployer is disabled.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] rendezvous with [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] in a wooded area to search for the third of four relics. Though Wheeljack rubs Ratchet up the wrong way, they take off in the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'' to find the relic and soon pick up [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] as company. After Wheeljack dogfights with Soundwave for a few minutes, Soundwave releases [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] to take over the attack on the ship. Wheeljack is more than happy to chase Laserbeak instead, though as they chase the drone, it almost causes them to hit the side of a mountain, much to Ratchet's panic. He finally scores a hit on Laserbeak, but as it goes down, a random shot hits the ''Jackhammer'', bringing the ship down as well.

Ratchet is keen to resume the search for the relic, but Wheeljack spots the downed Laserbeak. They examine it, and Wheeljack hits on the idea of planting a grenade in it to provide the Decepticons with a surprise. It gives Ratchet a better idea—implanting a virus to get them access to the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' computer and hack the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] database. He contacts base and asks [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] to prepare a virus. At Raf's suggestion, they implant a grenade into Laserbeak as well to provide a decoy that the Decepticons will find and throw them off the scent of the virus. Wheeljack leaves Ratchet to find Soundwave so he can buy Ratchet time.

Meanwhile, Soundwave has located the relic, the [[Resonance Blaster]], and dug it up. Wheeljack quickly locates him and attacks. They trade blows until Soundwave relieves Wheeljack of a sword and uses his tentacles to throw the Autobot around. Wheeljack manages to use Soundwave's tentacles against each other and cracks the Decepticon's visor with his head. They go flying off the cliff, but Wheeljack finally has Soundwave at his mercy, at least until Soundwave grabs the Resonance Blaster with a tentacle and uses it on Wheeljack.

Ratchet and Raf begin uploading the virus into Laserbeak, but as they need it online to do so, the drone activates and tries to fly off, forcing Ratchet to hold it down. Soundwave is about to finish off Wheeljack when he detects activity from Laserbeak and heads off to investigate. Wheeljack has time to warn Ratchet before falling unconscious, and the virus download finishes in time for Ratchet to hide before Soundwave arrives. After some tense moments, the Decepticon picks up Laserbeak, but appears to be alerted to Ratchet. Soundwave's tentacles venture into Ratchet's hiding place, but as it turns out they're merely after a lost piece of Laserbeak. Having retrieved it, Soundwave heads off back to the ''Nemesis''. Ratchet, unable to raise Wheeljack, goes to help his comrade.

[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] is happy with Soundwave's find, though disappointed at [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]'s and [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]]'s performances. Megatron has Knock Out examine Laserbeak and they find the grenade which Knock Out disposes of (after some initial panic). Soundwave returns to working on the Iacon database.

Returning to the ''Jackhammer'', Ratchet calls for a [[GroundBridge]], having forged a mutual respect with Wheeljack. He bridges back to base, where the computers are busily downloading the Iacon database. A short time later, Raf reports that [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] is returning to base, but as they open the GroundBridge, Bulkhead comes flying through, his back smoking.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (1)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (11)

|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (8)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (9)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (10)

|c3=
* [[William Fowler]] (5)
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
“I'll be sure to be on my best behavior, Doc." 
"Please don't call me 'Doc'." 
"Whatever you say, Sunshine." 
:—'''Wheeljack''' pulls out a rather unfitting nickname for '''Ratchet'''. 

"Wait a minute, a grenade inside of Laserbeak, inside of Soundwave? Like a turducken!" 
"I'm sorry?" 
"It's a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a... never mind." 
:—'''Raf''' fails to enlighten '''Ratchet'''. 

"Any last words?" 
"..." 
"Right... silent type."
:—'''Wheeljack''' remembers only too late that '''Soundwave''' ISN'T going to say anything.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* After Soundwave's face lens is cracked by Wheeljack, the cracks disappear and reappear at various times.
* Even without Laserbeak, Soundwave has him on his chest in some shots.
* During a shot, you can see the ends of Soundwave's tentacles sticking out of him like two holes.
* The sound normally used for arm weapons transforming is used as Soundwave straightens his fingers before fighting Wheeljack.

===Continuity notes===
* This episode happens concurrently with the previous two and the following one. Knock Out returns from his mission in "[[Tunnel Vision]]", which was a failure, and [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] has already returned after losing the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]] to [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] in "[[Triangulation]]". On the Autobot side of things, Bulkhead returns from his mission, which takes place in the [[Toxicity|following episode]], diving through the GroundBridge with severe damage to his back.

===Transformers references===

===Real-world references===
* For those who are wondering, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turducken turducken is real.]

===Trivia===
* Laserbeak is named for the first time in-series.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)

2012-05-10T05:00:22Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformers references */

{{Nav-dotm}}
[[Image:DOTM-OPportraitposter.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|my friend]], I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered, he was the most...human."]]
'''''Transformers: Dark of the Moon''''' is the third film in the [[live-action film series]]. It was released in 3D and IMAX at 9PM on [[June 28]], [[2011]]<ref name="open3D">[http://www.michaelbay.com/blog/files/1ef99019addbf7f207595f5da129bfb6-690.php See Dark Of The Moon One Day Earlier on IMAX 3D | MichaelBay]</ref> and in wide release on [[June 29]], [[2011]]<ref name="open">[http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/paramount-moving-up-transformers-3/ Paramount Moving Up ‘T’formers 3′ Release – Deadline.com]</ref> in the United States, and between [[June 29]] and July 1 for other markets.

The film is set three years after the events of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. The Autobots continue to work for NEST, but no longer in secret, and for the goal of keeping peace between humans by taking out volatile overseas political targets. But after discovering a strange artifact during a mission in Chernobyl, it becomes apparent to Optimus Prime that the United States government has been less than forthright with them.

And SCENE!

{{bigquote|Aw, shit, I seen this one. It's the one where [[Spock]] goes nuts.|Wheelie|''Transformers: Dark of the Moon''}}

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Dotm-Arkreflection.jpg|left|thumb|250px|"Wha... this is the finest engine room in the whole Starfleet!"]]

In the distant past, during the latter days of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] civil war, [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] attempted to leave the planet with groundbreaking technology on board the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]''. However, his ship was shot down by the Decepticons and, after being sent hurling through space for a while, eventually crashed on the [[Earth|Earth's]] [[Moon (moon)|moon]] in 1961. The crash is noticed by the humans on Earth, leading to the [[Wikipedia:Space Race|Space Race]] under President [[John F. Kennedy]]. Landing on the Moon as part of the [[Apollo 11]] mission in 1969, astronauts [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] use several minutes of [[radio]] silence to investigate the spaceship and discover that Mankind is not alone in space.

In the present day, the Autobots are still part of [[NEST]], cooperating with the [[United States military|US Armed Forces]]. They have also begun to help humanity in it's local conflicts, as [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]], [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]], and [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] destroy an illegal [[Iran]]ian nuclear facility. On a mission to the [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]], a NEST team led by [[William Lennox|Lt. Col. Lennox]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] discovers an unknown alien fuel cell which had led to the [[Wikipedia:Chernobyl disaster|Chernobyl disaster]]. While trying to secure the cell, they are attacked by the Decepticon [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] and his pet, the [[Driller]], who are eventually forced to retreat by Optimus Prime. Meanwhile, [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] kills [[Alexi Voskhod]], who had called NEST to Chernobyl and was secretly working for him. After securing the fuel cell and identifying it as part of the ''Ark'', Optimus Prime is angry at the humans for not following through with their agreement of sharing all known information relating to Cybertron and its inhabitants. Despite this, he eventually informs his allies and [[Charlotte Mearing]], the [[WIkipedia:Director of National Intelligence|Director of National Intelligence]], about the space bridge technology the ''Ark'' contains. Together with [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], Optimus travels to the Moon, where they find Sentinel Prime inside the ship. Retrieving him along with four pillars of the space bridge and the accompanying control pillar, they return to Earth, where Optimus uses the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to reactivate Sentinel Prime. In [[Africa]], Decepticon leader [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] (still recovering from wounds [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|suffered]] in [[Egypt]]) meets with his lieutenants [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. Upon learning that the Autobots have recovered Sentinel and the pillars, Megatron orders Soundwave and Laserbeak to terminate their "loose ends".

Meanwhile, [[Sam Witwicky]], the Autobots' human friend, is suffering from everyday problems. Even though President [[Barack Obama]] has awarded him a medal for saving the Earth twice, Sam has trouble finding a job. Together with his new girlfriend [[Carly Spencer]], whom he had met in the [[White House]] (after his former girlfriend [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] had left him), he also gives the stranded Autobots [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] and [[Brains]] a home. After a long search, he finally finds a position as a mail carrier at a telecommunication company named [[Accuretta Systems]]. From his colleague, [[Jerry Wang]], he learns about a conspiracy by humans who collaborate with the Decepticons. Before Jerry can tell Sam more, however, he is killed by Laserbeak.

[[Image:DOTM-Sentinelendofyourworld.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"There's a man out there I haven't seen in fifteen years who's trying to kill me."]]

Locked out of participating in the investigation by Mearing, Sam turns to [[Seymour Simmons]] for help. Simmons, who has become a millionaire as a writer, and his aide, [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]], help Sam find out that the Soviets have taken photos of Decepticons removing hundreds of space bridge pillars out of the ''Ark'' even before Apollo 11 had landed on the Moon. Sam and Simmons conclude that the Decepticons had left Sentinel Prime behind on purpose, knowing that only he would be able to activate the space bridge, and only Optimus Prime could reactivate him. Sam is able to warn the Autobots in time so they can protect Sentinel from a Decepticon attack and escort him back to the NEST headquarters. Arriving there, however, Sentinel Prime reveals that he had made a deal with Megatron, knowing that the Autobots could never win the war. After killing [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and several NEST soldiers, Sentinel Prime claims the remaining pillars and escapes. The other Autobots track him down to [[Washington, D.C.]], but before Optimus can stop him, Sentinel activates a space bridge to the Moon. The portal allows Decepticon troops which had remained hidden under the Moon's surface to reach Earth, forcing the Autobots to retreat.

[[Image:DOTM-Moonspacebridge.jpg|thumb|left|280px|"We are one big, happy fleet! Ah, Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is ''very'' cold in space."]]

In the meantime, Sam is worried about Carly and searches for her. He finds her with her employer, [[Dylan Gould]], who reveals to Sam that he not only arranged for Sam to get a job with Acuretta, but is also a collaborator with the Decepticons. At their request, his father had used his influence to ensure that [[NASA]] would not conduct any more missions to the Moon. When Sam and Carly attempt to flee, they discover Carly's car is a disguise for Soundwave, who takes her captive. Dylan instructs Sam to ask Optimus Prime about the Autobots' strategy, otherwise Carly will die. To ensure that Sam will not try to warn the Autobots, he attaches a Decepticon disguised as a watch on Sam's wrist, and it taps into his nervous system.

Meanwhile, Sentinel Prime has given Mankind an ultimatum to exile the Autobots from Earth, since he is only trying to save Cybertron, or so he claims. The US government promptly passes a bill to this effect. Before the Autobots leave Earth aboard their spaceship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', Sam asks Optimus about his plan. Optimus replies that there is no plan, and Mankind is on its own now. With all Autobots on board, the ''Xantium'' takes off, but is promptly intercepted by Starscream, who had waited in Earth's orbit. With the ''Xantium'' destroyed, the Decepticons believe the Autobots to be dead and let Sam go.

With the Autobots out of the way, the Decepticons conquer [[Chicago]], kill most of its population and set up the control pillar for the space bridge inside the city, placing the other pillars around the world. Dylan informs Carly that the Decepticons do not intend to return to Cybertron; instead, they want to transport Cybertron into Earth's orbit, because Earth not only has the necessary resources, but also six billion slaves to rebuild the Transformers' home planet.

Sam decides to go to Chicago, where Dylan has taken Carly. Former NEST soldier [[Robert Epps]], who now works for NASA, accompanies him, together with other former NEST members. Upon arrival in Chicago, they are promptly attacked by the Decepticons, but are rescued by Optimus Prime and the other Autobots. Having never intended to leave Earth, they had hidden themselves inside a modified rocket booster that was jettisoned before Starscream destroyed the ''Xantium''.

[[Image:DOTM Driller vs Prime.jpg|right|thumb|280px|"From Hell's heart, I stab at thee!"]]

The Autobots and the humans soldiers make their way to the skyscraper where Dylan is located in order to destroy the space bridge's control pillar. Sam and Bumblebee rescue Carly, killing Laserbeak in the process, during which they find a damaged UAV and alert the military to the Decepticons plans. Due to another attack by a team of Decepticons led by Shockwave, the team is separated once more. While the Autobots battle the Decepticons, Epps and his team try to destroy the pillar from another skyscraper. However, they are attacked by Shockwave's "pet", the Driller, who brings the skyscraper crashing down. Optimus Prime comes to their aid and destroys the Driller.

In the meantime, Lennox and the rest of NEST have managed to make their way into the city using [[wingsuit]]s, and with Lennox's help, Sam destroys Starscream using weapons provided to him by the Autobots' inventor Que. Meanwhile, the Decepticons have captured several Autobots, but Dylan convinces them not to take prisoners and kill them all. [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] executes Que, and Soundwave moves to kill Bumblebee next, but the Autobots Wheelie and Brains have managed to make one of the Decepticons' ships crash, thereby distracting Soundwave long enough for Bumblebee and the other Autobots to get free. While NEST and the Autobots fight the Decepticons and kill most of them, Optimus Prime kills Shockwave and uses his arm cannon to topple over the space bridge's control pillar, deactivating the bridge.

[[Image:DOTMCybertrontransit.jpg|thumb|left|280px|"Earth was created in six days. Now, watch out! Here comes Genesis! We'll do it for you in six minutes!"]]

A fight between Sentinel Prime and Optimus Prime ensues, during which Optimus loses an arm, with Sentinel gaining the upper hand. Carly stumbles across Megatron outside the main battle zone. Having previously witnessed a violent argument between Sentinel Prime and Megatron, she appeals to his pride and makes him realize that he will never be able to rule over Cybertron as long as Sentinel Prime is alive. Infuriated, he intervenes in the battle and turns on Sentinel, declaring that Earth is his planet to rule, and severely damages him. Megatron realized how far he had fallen in power within the past few years, and had decided to once again take his rightful place at the top of the command chain. Meanwhile, Dylan manages to reactivate the toppled pillar, but is attacked by Sam, who hurls him against the pillar, killing him. Subsequently, Bumblebee destroys the pillar for good, thus destroying the space bridge and, presumably, Cybertron with it. Megatron offers Optimus Prime a truce as long he could remain in charge of his Decepticon forces, but Optimus ignores his plea and just as Megatron is about to shoot his shotgun Optimus splits Megatron's head with an axe. Subsequently, he uses Megatron's shotgun cannon to kill a weakened Sentinel Prime, who is trying to excuse his actions.

[[Image:DOTM Autobots NEST victorious.jpg|thumb|right|280px|"Live long...and prosper..."]]

With the battle over, Sam and Carly are reunited, and Simmons takes an opportunity to kiss Mearing, who he still has feelings for, and she has him arrested. With their home planet now forever beyond reach, and the forces of the Decepticons destroyed, the remaining Autobots finally accept Earth as their new home, as Optimus Prime states that the Autobots will always be here, to protect the Earth and all who live on it.

[['Til all are one]].

==Quotes==

'''Mission Control''': We are not alone after all, are we? 
'''Buzz Aldrin''': No, sir. We are not alone. 
:—Buzz Aldrin makes history, and raises the hackles of conspiracy theorists.

'''Dino''': "He's in a bad mood. He's not talking to anybody today." 
'''Mearing''': "What is this, the silent treatment?" 
'''Ironhide''': "No, I've seen that. This is ''not'' that." 
'''Que''': "Definitely not." 
'''Ironhide''': "This is ''worse''."
:—NEST discusses Optimus Prime's foul mood.

"Who wants some chicken dinner now, bitch? Huh? 'Cause somebody messed with the wrong Wang today!" 
:—'''Jerry Wang''', being crazy. But also awesome.

"The thing about Russians is, they never like to talk. Gonna take a little of the 'international language.'" <Doorman opens sliding hatch> "''Do svidaniya''." 
"That means 'goodbye!'" <closes hatch>
:—'''Simmons''' tries to reason with a '''Russian''', to no avail.

"It's a Cyrillic alphabet; it's like all the buttons you never push on a calculator!"
:—'''Dutch''' tries to translate Russian, also to no avail.

"Class dismissed."
:—'''Ironhide''', after dispatching the Dreads.

"What you must realize, my Autobot brothers, is that we were never going to win the war. For the sake of our planet's survival, a deal had to be made...with ''Megatron''."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' reveals his treachery.

[[Image:DOTM-MegatronLincoln.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I'll give him this: [[Atlantis, Arise!|he's]] [[Transformers The Game (console)|consistent]]!"]]
"Here we are. Fight us ''now''."
:—'''Megatron''', pulling the evil overlord cliche on us while sitting atop the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial]]

"If you go in this building, that's if she's even still alive, there's no way you're going to reach her!" 
"What do you suggest I do?!" 
"...it's over. I'm sorry, but it's over." 
:—'''Robert Epps''' tells '''Sam Witwicky''' that they've run out of plans.

"We will kill them all."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' offers an alternative plan.

"They got my trailer. I ''need'' that flight tech!" 
:—'''Optimus Prime''', valiantly [[To sell toys|selling toys]].

"Your Decepticons are finally conquering this planet, and yet their leader won't be you." 
"IT WILL BE ME! It will ''always'' be me! 
"In any minute now, you'll be nothing but Sentinel's bitch."
:—'''Carly Spencer''' tells '''Megatron''' that if he's going to be the Starscream, he should ''act'' like it.

"Who would you be without me, Prime?" 
"Time to find out." 
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime''' exchange pre-fight banter one last time.

"In any war, there are calms between the storms. There will be days when we lose faith. Days when our allies turn against us... but the day will never come when we forsake this planet and its people."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing narration.

==Main cast==

{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] ([[Leonard Nimoy]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] ([[James Remar]])
*[[Mirage (Movie)|Dino/Mirage]]<ref name="credits">Mirage and Wheeljack, known by those names in the toyline and essentially all supporting media, are respectively named "Dino" and "Que" in the film. While Dino is simply credited as such, Que is listed in the credits as "Que/Wheeljack".</ref> ([[Francesco Quinn]])
*[[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que/Wheeljack]]<ref name="credits"/> ([[George Coe]])
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Brains]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]]
*[[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]]<ref>Roadbuster is listed as "Roadbuster/Amp" in the credits, a reference to his car mode's sponsor. His name is not used in the film, but he is called "Roadbuster" in the toyline and supporting media.</ref> ([[Ron Bottitta]])
*[[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]]<ref>Leadfoot is listed in the film's end credits as "Leadfoot/Target", a reference to his car mode's sponsor. His name is not spoken in the film, but he is called "Leadfoot" in the toyline and the supporting media.</ref> ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]]<ref name=skidsandmudflap>Skids and Mudflap only appear during the convoy scene at the beginning of the film</ref>
*[[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]<ref name=skidsandmudflap/>

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] ([[Hugo Weaving]])
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] ([[Charlie Adler]])
*[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] ([[Keith Szarabajka]])
*[[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Igor]] ([[Greg Berg]])
*[[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]]
*[[Crowbar]] ([[Jimmie Wood]])*
*[[Hatchet]]
*[[Driller]]
*[[Hatchling|Hatchlings]]
*[[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] type Decepticon
*[[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]] type Decepticon
*An unnamed [[Audi R8 Decepticon]]
*An unnamed [[M1 Abrams Decepticon]]
*[[Garbage truck Decepticon]]
*[[Superfund Decepticon]]
*[[Devcon (DOTM)|Devcon]]
*Unnamed [[Lensmeter Decepticon]]s
*Unnamed [[protoform]]s
*[[Watch-bot]]<ref>Repeatedly referred to as the "Watch-bot" (proper noun) in the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel|''Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel'']]</ref>
*Unnamed [[Pickup Decepticon]]
*Unnamed [[Police car Decepticon]]

|h3=[[Human]]s|c3=
*[[Sam Witwicky]] ([[Shia LaBeouf]])
*[[Carly Spencer]] ([[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]])
*[[William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Robert Epps]] ([[Tyrese Gibson]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[Charlotte Mearing]] ([[Frances McDormand]])
*[[Dylan Gould]] ([[Patrick Dempsey]])
*[[Bruce Brazos]] ([[John Malkovich]])
*[[Hardcore Eddie]] ([[Lester Speight]])
*[[Morshower]] ([[Glenn Morshower]])
*[[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]] ([[Alan Tudyk]])
*[[Ron Witwicky]] ([[Kevin Dunn]])
*[[Judy Witwicky]] ([[Julie White]])
*[[Jerry Wang]] ([[Ken Jeong]])
*[[Neil Armstrong]] ([[Don Jeanes]])
*[[Buzz Aldrin]] ([[Cory Tucker]]/himself)
*[[Walter Cronkite]]
*[[Bill O'Reilly]] (himself)
*[[Alexi Voskhod]] ([[Ravil Isyanov]])

|h4=Other|c4=
|nonumbering=true
}}

* *During the highway battle, Jimmie Wood's Bonecrusher scream in the high way battle from the first movie can be heard coming from Crowbar.

==Errors==
===Astronomical and historical errors===
* The Moon does not rotate with respect to Earth, and Mare Tranquillitatis is near the middle of the near side. Therefore, Tranquility Base could never be described as being on the far side, and Earth is never as close to the horizon as shown in the movie.
* The Apollo 11 Command/Service Module is seen flying to the Moon without the Lunar Module. The Lunar Module is attached when the vehicle is orbiting the Moon, however.
* When the modern day site of the Apollo 11 landing is seen, the ascent module (the cabin Buzz and Neil flew back to orbit in) is still there.
* Cybertron is apparently several times the size of Earth, yet the characters talk of bringing it "into Earth's atmosphere".
* The Space Bridge starts to bring Cybertron amazingly close to Earth - less than one Earth-diameter away. Assuming Cybertron's mass is proportional to its size, Cybertron's gravitational field would [[The Ultimate Doom|tear the Earth apart]] at that distance.

===Geographic discontinuities===
* The [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]] is shown to be located ''inside'' of, or at least right next to the abandoned city of [[Wikipedia:Pripyat|Pripyat]], and the human characters access it through nearby buildings. In reality, the power plant is situated on the outskirts of the city. Even worse, [[Alexi Voskhod]] ''explicitly'' says that the entrance leads through a ''school''. Who builds a ''school'' right next to a ''nuclear power plant''?
* Furthermore, Prypiat's infamous Ferris wheel as shown in the movie is not only the wrong model (the real one's passenger cabins have canopies), but the real one is also located in an open field far away from any buildings.<ref name="ferris">[http://www.flickr.com/photos/nubber/544337347/ Photo of the Prypiat Ferris wheel] showing the closest nearby buildings.</ref> But hey, at least it's the right color!
* Also, why exactly is the Sputnik mission case inside the Chernobyl reactor building? Did the Soviets never bother to discard the packaging of their toy after starting to play with it?
* When Megatron transforms for the first time, he's in a grassy savannah. In the next shot, he's standing in the middle of a desert... and in the establishing shot of the Decepticon camp, it's back in the savannah.
* [[wikipedia:Mount Kilimanjaro|Mount Kilimanjaro]] is seen in the background of many of the scenes in Namibia; in reality, the mountain is located in Tanzania, more than three thousand kilometers away.
[[Image:DOTM-Wreckers-Prime-Cables.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Chicago's own [[knockoff]] of a prominent Chinese building.]]
* In a [[Atlantis, Arise!|fairly common cinematic contrivance]], the film depicts multiple skyscrapers in the background of many scenes set in Washington, D.C., while the real-life city has no skyscrapers.
* Also, Washington, D.C. almost entirely lacks old industrial buildings that could be converted into lofts, and likewise doesn't have the kind of densely urban streets that Sam is shown to live on.
* NEST Headquarters, supposedly in Washington, is actually Chicago's abandoned Main Post Office.
* Likewise, Dylan's auto collection museum, also set in (land-locked) Washington, is actually the Milwaukee Art Museum. [[Lake Michigan]] is even visible through the windows!
* When Optimus Prime (using his jetpack) gets himself caught in wires below an under-construction building, that building bears a striking resemblance to the [[Wikipedia: China Central Television Headquarters|China Central Television Headquarters]] in [[Beijing]], [[China]]... a far shot from [[Chicago]]. Since construction for the CCTV building was finished in 2008, long before ''Dark of the Moon'' was even ''conceived'', this appears to be an intentional instance of a "cool building" being inserted just for the sake of it.

===Continuity errors===
* Like in ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Ironhide sports his [[license plate]] from the [[Transformers (film)|first movie]], "4PCI382", on his robot mode chest, but doesn't have a license plate in vehicle mode. (According to set photos, his license plate in vehicle mode is mostly black, with a NEST logo on it.)
* Speaking of inconsistencies between robot and vehicle mode: Bumblebee's updated Chevrolet Camaro alternate mode no longer has pinstripes bordering his black racing stripes, but the CG robot model still has the pinstripes.
* In the highway battle scene with the [[Dread (DOTM)|Dreads]], Bumblebee enhances his front wheels to evade Hatchet, yet in the next scene he's fully in Stealth Force mode.
* During Ironhide and Sideswipe's "Mexican standoff" with Crankcase and Crowbar, all combatants drop their firearms, but when Ironhide is speared, his guns are on his back again. They disappear in subsequent shots.
* Despite being captured by Soundwave in her evening gown, Carly is somehow able to change into more convenient clothes before arriving in Chicago, and has yet another outfit the following day. Not only that, she changes her earrings, too!
* When the Autobots are boarding the ''Xantium,'' Simmons mentions that nine Autobots are leaving. Former Decepticons Wheelie and Brains apparently don't count. Poor little guys!
* The Wreckers claim they had been hiding inside a rocket booster that was jettisoned from the ''Xantium'' before Starscream destroyed it. The boosters are only seen to be detached after Starscream destroys the ship, after it has barely taken off from the ground.
* Though it's a standard action movie contrivance, it sure is convenient that the glass windows inside skyscrapers are extremely fragile when needed, and glass shards are as dangerous as bread crumbs so nobody suffers a single cut from sliding across them.
* Shortly after everyone jumps through the window and starts sliding down, a downwards shot of the building shows all of the windows behind them are intact.
* As everyone tumbles through a lower floor of the building, [[Stone]] is shown to fall right through and out the other side with a collection of office furniture, but not long after is back with Epps's squad.
* Despite the Decepticons taking over Chicago and killing a whole bunch of people, there seem to be a lot of people continuing to go about their daily lives. The skyscraper Epps's team goes into to launch a rocket from still seems to have plenty of office workers in it when the Driller attacks it. When Sam's being thrown around on the end of the grapple glove rope while fighting Starscream, he crashes through a wall into a dry-cleaning business where a woman appears to be calmly hanging up a shirt. Did they all just not get the memo?
* Though in an earlier sequence, Epps, Sam and company slide down the damaged building to a floor near the break, after the building falls over, the team is seen moving from one of the building's topmost floors to the neighboring building.
* Throughout the sequence of Barricade kicking and shoving Que along before executing him, he is speaking with Soundwave's voice.
*While fighting the Autobots at the end of the film, Sentinel Prime's cape disappears for a brief scene before reappearing on his back when the camera angle changes.
*Soundwave has his Mercedes alternate mode while he is in Africa, but his chest has only a blank grille. The Mercedes logo is only added to his chest from the scene where he reveals himself to be Carly's car onward.
*When Sam and Carly are reunited after the final battle, Carly's hands keep changing the position on every cut, sometimes on Sam's neck, sometimes on his shoulders.
*Not intentional: Skids and Mudflap appear for a brief few seconds in the film. This leaves questions as to what happened to them. They weren't seen departing from Earth or taking part in the Chicago battle.
*Dino used his electro-disrupter to overthrow Hatchet and kill him. When Hatchet falls on the car and is destroyed, Dino's weapon is still connected to him, so Dino was in robot mode, but in the next cut Dino appears at background in vehicle mode.
*It's said that four Autobots were captured by the Decepticons in Chicago, but actually five Autobots were captured.
*When Que is about to be executed, the "cardboard head on a stick" prop used for [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] during the shooting of the movie (a common method used for the movies to give the actors ''something'' to react to) can be spotted in the final edit of the film<ref name="headprop">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/494618-movies-errors-mirage-prop-final-movie-edit.html "Movies Errors - Mirage prop in final movie edit"] at TFW2005</ref>, possibly a leftover from an earlier draft of the script where Soundwave mocked Bumblebee with Dino's decapitated head.
*Oddly, during the Decpticon siege of Chicago, and after all of the unmanned drones were shot down trying to get inside the city, no one within the government considered the use of submarines as a means of sneaking in.

==Transformers references==
In addition to recurring elements from the previous films, ''Dark of the Moon'' bases a number of elements on previous versions of the ''Transformers'' mythos, including plot elements based on older stories, something fairly rare in the other two movies:
* New characters [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] are heavily based upon their Generation 1 counterparts. [[Que]] is derived from G1 character [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]. [[Sentinel Prime]] is the name of Optimus's predecessor in many continuities, and in this instance, he continues his [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)| predecessor]]'s legacy of being a giant jerk.

* "Carly" was the name of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]'s [[Carly|girlfriend and eventual wife]] in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]].

* The ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'' gets its name from the Autobots' crashed spaceship in the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''Transformers'' comics]].

* The ''[[Xantium (G1)|Xantium]]'' is the name of the [[Wrecker]]s' spaceship in the [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Transformers'' comics.

* Optimus's new trailer is based on the trailer that [[Optimus Prime (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]] hauled around, including its ability to open up into a weapons base.

* Optimus now carries the Matrix around in his chest as he has in past incarnations.

* The corrosive end met by Ironhide comes at the hands of [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]], the oxidizing pathogen that first appeared in the Generation 1 cartoon episode [[Cosmic Rust (episode)|of the same name]]. Though not named in the film, its identity is made clear by production artwork by [[Josh Nizzi]] which labels Sentinel Prime's gun a "Cosmic Rust gun".

* Megatron removing [[Abraham Lincoln]] from his chair at the [[wikipedia:Lincoln Memorial|Lincoln Memorial]] and then sitting in it is a scene taken directly from the Generation 1 cartoon episode, "[[Atlantis, Arise!]]", and the Decepticon ending for ''[[Transformers The Game]]'' (sort of).

* The idea of bringing Cybertron to Earth via space bridge and enslaving humans was the plot of the Generation 1 multi-part episode "[[The Ultimate Doom]]."

* Likewise, the idea of an influential and powerful human joining forces with the Decepticons, resulting in the Autobots being exiled from Earth by the government via a spacecraft, only for that spacecraft to be destroyed, was the plot behind another Generation 1 cartoon multi-part episode, "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1|Megatron's Master Plan]]."

* The Xantium is also [[Ark II|not the first]] ship to be simultaneously engineered by Cybertronians and humans, in the hopes of transporting Autobots off Earth, only to be destroyed by Decepticons seconds after takeoff.

* When the worker at Accureta Systems is trying to make the [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|photocopier]] work, it beeps the "more than meets the eye" refrain from the original cartoon's [[theme song]].

* The [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] can be heard at the end of the film when Bumblebee transforms to robot mode, the final onscreen transformation, just as it was heard during [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout's]] transformation, which was also the first onscreen transformation in the first film.

==Real-world references==
* When Brains and Wheelie are watching ''[[Wikipedia: Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', the screen features [[Spock|Mr. Spock]], portrayed by Leonard Nimoy—who voices Sentinel Prime. Wheelie comments that it is "the one where Spock goes nuts," which foreshadows Sentinel's heel turn. The episode itself is likely the famous ''TOS'' episode ''[[Wikipedia: Amok Time|Amok Time]]''.

* Sentinel Prime says "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." The voice actor said the same line in the 1982 film ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'' as Mr. Spock. However, in that movie, Nimoy's character dies a hero.

* To finish the Spock trifecta, when Bumblebee says his goodbyes to Sam, he uses a clip of Leonard Nimoy, as Spock, saying "I will always be your friend," another line from ''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan''.

* [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]] and his fake girlfriend's name, "India", are a reference to [[Wikipedia:Dutch India|Dutch India]].

* [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]]'s name is a reference to [[Wikipedia:Q (James Bond)|Q]] from ''[[Wikipedia:James Bond|James Bond]]'' novels and films. Que also gives weapons to NEST soldiers while explaining the advantages and abilities for the weapons much like Q does for James Bond.

* When Bumblebee brings forth "rings" for Sam and Carly, he "hums" the [[Wikipedia: Wedding March|Wedding March]] (or, more correctly, the [[Wikipedia: Bridal Chorus|Bridal Chorus]] from [[Wikipedia: Richard Wagner|Richard Wagner's]] 1850 opera ''[[Wikipedia: Lohengrin (opera)|Lohengrin]]'').

==Other editions==

==Prequel material==
*''[[Transformers: Sector 7]]''
*''[[Transformers: Foundation]]''
*''[[Transformers: Rising Storm]]''
*''[[Transformers: Convergence]]''
*''[[Transformers: Jazz]]''
*''[[Transformers: Space Case]]''
*''[[Transformers: Ratchet]]''
*''[[Transformers: Arcee]]''
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee]]''
*''[[Transformers: Starscream]]''
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)]]''
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Stealth Force Edition]]''
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons]]''
*''[[Transformers (Titan Magazine)#Dark of the Moon|Transformers (Titan Magazine)]]''
*''[[Transformers Classified: Switching Gears]]''

==Adaptations==
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation]]''
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (novel)]]''
*''[[Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel]]''

==Soundtrack==
{{main|Dark of the Moon: The Album}}

==Score==
{{main|Dark of the Moon: The Score}}

==Home video releases==
''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' was released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital Download on September 30, 2011, followed by the 2-Disc Special Edition in December.<ref>[TFW2005 - Official Transformers Movie Website Updated With Transformers 3 Home Release Info http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/official-transformers-movie-website-updated-with-transformers-3-home-release-info-173245/]</ref>

==Theatrical posters==
<center>
<gallery perrow="3">
Image:DOTM-OPbillboardposter.jpg
Image:DOTM-Bumblebeebanner.jpg
Image:DOTM-Shockwavebanner.jpg
Image:DOTM-OPportraitposter.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

==Reception==
On June 23, 2011, the world premiere of ''Dark of the Moon'' was held in [[Moscow]], [[Russia]], with band [[Linkin Park]] performing a concert that included their title song for the movie, "Iridescent".

The official release date was moved up from July 1 to June 29 to allow breathing room between its release and ''[[Wikipedia:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]''. On June 28, 2011, the film was released in 3D and IMAX at 9pm in the US. Some theaters cheated a little and showed it at 8:45.

''Dark of the Moon'' launched with nearly 10,000 copies in 4011 theaters nationwide. On its opening day, the movie earned $37.3 million, making not only for the best opening day of 2011 up to that point, but also ranking as the sixth most successful opening on a Wednesday ever, while at the same time ranking well behind ''Revenge of the Fallen'', with $60 million on its opening day (also a Wednesday).<ref name="openingday">[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3197&p=.htm "'Transformers' Suboptimal on Wednesday"], Box Office Mojo, June 2011.</ref> (Of course, a lot of the print material still listed the release date as [[July 1]]st, the following Friday.)

On [[August 2]], it crossed the $1 billion mark in worldwide gross, just under 5 weeks after its release, landing it in the #9 spot for worldwide gross of all time.<ref>http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-crosses-1-billion-worldwide-mark-for-paramount/ Deadline Hollywood</ref> Of that, $338 million came from the US. Currently it is the only Paramount picture to have made the $1 billion mark. (While ''Titanic'' also made over $1 billion worldwide, it was only a Paramount movie ''domestically'', where it made "only" $620 million.)

''Dark of the Moon'' ended its theatrical run in the #4 spot for highest worldwide gross of all time.

''Dark of the Moon'' was nominated for three Academy Awards, in the categories of Best Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing, losing all to ''[[wikipedia: Hugo (film)|Hugo]]''.<ref>[http://oscar.go.com/nominees#t Official 2012 Oscar nominees page]</ref>

On February 25, 2012 it was announced that ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' was nominated for eight [[Wikipedia:Golden Raspberry Award|Golden Raspberry Award]]s. However unlike ''Revenge of the Fallen'', it did not recieved the awards for Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, & Worst Director. Losing all of it's nominations to ''[[wikipedia: Jack & Jill (film)|Jack & Jill]]''.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-is-safe-from-razzies-174726/]</ref>

==Production staff==
{{stub}}

===Visual effects===
{{stub}}

===Locations department===
{{quote|[The Decepticons'] decision to attack Chicago seems inexplicable, until you take into consideration the generous tax credits offered by the Illinois Film Office.|film critic Roger Ebert|[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/07/on_the_origin_of_transformers.html On the Origin of Transformers]}}

==Development details==
===Cast and crew signing on===
[[Image:TF3-licensingPrime.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Featuring a surprise appearance by Optimus Prime!]]
On May 30, 2007, a month before the official release of ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'', [[DreamWorks]] announced that two sequels were already being planned.<ref name="spy">[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a58430/two-transformers-sequels-in-pipeline.html Digital Spy article from May 2007, confirming that two sequels were being planned]</ref> On March 16, 2009, over three months before the premiere of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] announced the third movie for July 1, 2011.<ref name="3release">Pamela McClintock: [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001280?refCatId=13 Variety article from March 2009], confirming Transformers 3 for July 2011.</ref> Director [[Michael Bay]] promptly backpedaled, as he had intended for the third ''Transformers'' movie to be released in 2012.<ref name="baywait">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?3947-Wait-a-minute! Michael Bay's reaction to Paramount's July 2011 date for ''Transformers 3''], March 2009.</ref> He officially changed his mind in October 2009, agreeing to the release date set by Paramount.<ref name="bay3-2011">[http://www.michaelbay.com/blog/files/a2bd79bb4c222b807e27707aaf1497e6-570.php Michael Bay officially confirms the 2011 release date], October 2009.</ref>

[[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], two of the previous two movies' screenwriters, had already announced in March 2009 that they would not return for a third part.<ref name="noorcikurtz">[http://www.slashfilm.com/orci-and-kurtzman-not-returning-for-transformers-3-will-leonard-nimoy-voice-the-fallen/ Slashfilm quoting Roberto Orci that he and Kurtzman would not return for a third movie], March 2009. (Original post on Don Murphy's message board appears to no longer exist.)</ref> In September 2009, their ''Revenge'' co-writer [[Ehren Kruger]] was confirmed as the screenwriter of ''Transformers 3''.<ref name="krugernelson">[http://www.michaelbay.com/blog/files/0fd64fd57c9b9b6d33e15c76a46dae48-565.php Michael Bay's website admin Nelson Lauren sorta-confirms Ehren Kruger as TF3's screenwriter], September 2009.</ref> Kruger had already impressed both director Michael Bay and [[Hasbro]] CEO [[Brian Goldner]] with his knowledge of ''Transformers'' mythology prior to working on ''Revenge''.<ref name="writersr">[http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/zap-transformers2writers,0,1938976.story Zap2it story about the ROTF writers]</ref>

In an interview with ''Wonderland'' magazine in September 2009, [[Megan Fox]], the main female star of the previous two movies, discussed the harsh conditions on the sets and compared director Michael Bay to [[Wikipedia:Adolf Hitler|Adolf Hitler]].<ref name="latimesfox">[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/09/megan-fox-on-michael-bay-he-wants-to-be-hitler.html Los Angeles Times article about Megan Fox's fatal interview with ''Wonderland'' magazine], September 2009.</ref> Bay initially played down the affair and still welcomed Fox back for the third installment a month later.<ref name="bay3-2011"/> Even though Fox was still spotted on the ''Transformers 3'' set in May 2010<ref name="foxonset">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/100786-megan-fox-on-set-for-transformers-3-previz Megan Fox on the DOTM set], May 2010.</ref>, Paramount announced a few weeks later that she wouldn't return for a third movie after all.<ref name="nomorefox">[http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/michael-bays-revenge-no-more-megan/ Deadline article confirming that Megan Fox had been dropped off ''Transformers 3''], May 2010.</ref> Still that same month, [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]] was confirmed to replace her as the lead female actress.<ref name="rosierepl">[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1640047/model-rosie-huntingtonwhiteley-cast-transformers-3.jhtml MTV.com article confirming Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as the new female star of ''Transformers ''], May 2010.</ref> Her character's name was confirmed as "[[Carly Spencer|Carly]]" by Nelson Lauren, the webmaster of Michael Bay's official website, in July 2010.<ref name="nelsonchicagojul">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?7566-Transformers-3-Chicago-Set-Photos Nelson posts about his visit to the Chicago set at shootfortheedit.com's forums], July 2010.</ref> In 2011, Michael Bay finally confirmed in an interview with ''GQ'' magazine that it had been [[Steven Spielberg]], executive producer of the ''Transformers'' movies, who had urged him to fire Fox following the Hitler comparison.<ref name="baygq">[http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201107/michael-bay-steven-spielberg-fired-megan-fox-transformers GQ interview with Michael Bay], June 2011.</ref> In a later interview, however, he claimed this statement had been taken out of context.<ref name="baych">[http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/kultur/kino/Diese-Autos-muessen-zerstoert-werden--und-da-bin-ich-der-richtige-Mann/story/23997460 Interview with Michael Bay from Switzerland] (German language), July 2011.</ref>

In March 2010, Oscar winners [[John Malkovich]] and [[Frances McDormand]] as well as Comedian [[Ken Jeong]] were confirmed having signed on for supporting roles.<ref name="malkomcdor">[http://michaelbay.com/blog/files/73978045c5496d5271c90be6884209a8-598.php Michael Bay confirming John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Ken Jeong for ''Transformers 3''], March 2010.</ref>

In April 2010, [[Kevin Dunn]] and [[Julie White]] were confirmed as returning as Sam Witwicky's parents.<ref name="varietydunnwhite">[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017329.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1 'Dunn, White sign on for 'Transformers 3''], Variety, April 2010.</ref>

In May 2010, Paramount confirmed that [[Patrick Dempsey]] has been cast in ''Transformers 3'' to play Mikaela Banes' boss (this was before Megan Fox was fired from the production).<ref name="dempsey">[http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/05/04/patrick-dempsey-confirmed-for-transformers-3/ "Patrick Dempsey confirmed for Transformers 3"], Hollywood Insider, May 2010.</ref>

In July 2010, Nelson Lauren confirmed that former American footballer [[Lester Speight]] would play a soldier in the movie.<ref name="nelsonchicagophotos">[http://www.michaelbay.com/blog/files/6e7f5a008e98162953abdfdfca1d32e8-612.php Photos of the Chicago set by michaelbay.com webmaster Nelson Lauren], July 2010.</ref>

[[Leonard Nimoy]] was confirmed as the voice actor for [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] in March 2011.<ref name="nimoysent">[http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/03/31/leonard-nimoy-transformers-dark-of-the-moon Entertainment Weekly announces Leonard Nimoy's involvement], March 2011]</ref> Nimoy, who had previously voiced [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] in 1986's ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and is married to Michael Bay's cousin Susan, had previously been under consideration for [[The Fallen]]'s voice in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', but Bay had been hesitant for fear of offending his relative with the relatively low pay allotted to voice actors.<ref name="nimoy1">[http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/04/21/michael-bay-afraid-to-offend-leonard-nimoy-with-transformers-family-reunion-offer/ ''Michael Bay Afraid To Offend Leonard Nimoy With ‘Transformers’ Family Reunion Offer''], MTV.com Movies blog, April 2009.</ref> Even though Nimoy openly asked Bay to simply give him a call<ref name="nimoy2">[http://www.latinoreview.com/news/leonard-nimoy-to-michael-bay-call-me-6682 Leonard Nimoy To Michael Bay: "Call Me!"], Latino Review, April 2009.</ref>, it ultimately never worked out, and The Fallen was voiced by [[Tony Todd]] instead. For ''Dark of the Moon'', Bay finally overcame his anxiety and hired Nimoy, who accepted the offer.<ref name="nimoy3">[http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/03/31/leonard-nimoy-transformers-dark-of-the-moon/ "Leonard Nimoy joins 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' voice cast -- EXCLUSIVE"], Entertainment Weekly, March 2011.</ref> In return, screenwriter Ehren Kruger included several nods to Nimoy's well-known character as Mr. Spock from ''Star Trek'' in the movie.<ref name="nimoystartrek">[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666643/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-star-trek-references.jhtml "'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon': Behind The 'Star Trek' Nods"], MTV.com, July 2011.</ref>

===Writing and production===
After having defended the almost universally critically panned ''Revenge of the Fallen'' for a long time, Michael Bay finally acknowledged flaws of the script, but blamed the [[Wikipedia:2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike|2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike]] prior to the movie for many problems. As a definite error, he singled out the "dork comedy", which he promised to avoid with ''Dark of the Moon''.<ref name="bayvisit">[http://collider.com/michael-bay-interview-transformers-dark-moon-edit-bay-visit/63824/ Collider.com article about DOTM], December 2010.</ref>

Principal shooting began in May 2010. Shooting locations included [[Chicago]] (and nearby East Chicago and Gary Indiana), Moscow,<ref name="locations">[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=63682 "Transformers 3 Headed to Chicago and Moscow"], Comingsoon.net, February 2010.</ref> the [[Kennedy Space Center]] in Florida<ref name="kennedyspace">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/101114-the-transformers-3-shoot-at-kennedy-space-center "The Transformers 3 Shoot at Kennedy Space Center"], SuperHeroHype.com, May 2010.</ref>, Milwaukee (Wisconsin)<ref name="milwaukee">[http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/movies/98266574.html "'Transformers 3' takes over Milwaukee Art Museum"], Journal Sentinel Online, July 2010.</ref>, Detroit<ref name="detroit">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/107775-photos-from-the-detroit-transformers-3-set "Photos From the Detroit Transformers 3 Set"], SuperHeroHype.com, September 2010.</ref>, [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="militaryextras">[http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=473674758199&id=114648515718 US Department of Defense casting call for ''Dark of the Moon''], October 2010.</ref> and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.<ref name="angkor">[http://www.akp.gov.kh/?p=1184 "'Transformers 3' To Be Shot in Cambodia"], Agence Kampuchea Presse, January 2011.</ref>

For the scene where Lennox and his soldier jump out of a V-22 Osprey using wingsuits, Michael Bay used real parachutists and thus avoided unnecessary CG effects. In fact, he had been inspired for this scene in the first place by watching the parachutists in their wingsuits on television<ref name="wingsuits">[http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/1498-transformers-wingsuits-no-cgi-required Yahoo! Movies article on the wingsuit parachutists], June 2011.</ref> and wrote the scene with the intention of using the parachutists in the movie.<ref name="bayvisit"/>

For the Apollo 11 moon landing mission in the flashback sequence at the beginning of the movie, astronauts [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] are played by actors Don Jeanes and Cory Tucker, respectively. In the present day timeline, Aldrin himself appears briefly as his own older self.<ref name="aldrin">[http://movies.yahoo.com/news/yahoo-contributor-network/astronaut-buzz-aldrin-hangs-out-with-optimus-prime-transformers-dark-moon Yahoo! Movies article on Buzz Aldrin's appearance in DOTM], July 2011.</ref>

Over 500 cars were destroyed in the making of ''Dark of the Moon'', all of them damaged property from insurance companies intended for destruction.<ref name="baych"/>

Two accidents happened during shooting: In September 2010, while shooting in East Chicago, Indiana, a female extra was severely injured when a stunt scene went wrong, leaving her with permanent brain damage, the left side of her body paralyzed and her left eye stitched shut. Paramount was subsequently sued for damages by the victim's family.<ref name="extrastunt">[http://articlles.chicagotribune.com/2010-10-05/news/ct-met-transformers-lawsuit-20101005_1_gabriela-cedillo-stunt-welding Chicago tibune article on the injured extra and the subsequent lawsuit], October 2010.</ref> As a consequence, part of the scene of the car chase battle in Washington, D.C. (which would have included the shoot that had led to the accident) was instead "[[Stock footage|borrowed]]" from Michael Bay's 2005 film ''[[Wikipedia:The Island (2005 film)|The Island]]''.<ref name="island1">[http://movies.ign.com/articles/118/1180411p1.html "Transformers 3 Re-Uses Car Crash From The Island"], IGN Movies, July 2011.</ref> While shooting in Washington, D.C., in October 2010, one of the Chevrolet Camaro prop cars that served as Bumblebee's [[alternate mode]] crashed into a [[Wikipedia: Metropolitan Police|Metropolitan Police]] SUV. Nobody was seriously injured this time.<ref name="camarocrash">[http://jalopnik.com/5661321/bumblebee-smashes-cop-car-in-yet-another-transformers-3-accident Jalopnik article on the Camaro crash], October 2010.</ref> Hasbro would later "commemorate" this event with the [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] [[Cyberverse]] "Cybertronian Warriors" multi-pack.

''Dark of the Moon'' is the first of the ''Transformers'' movies to be released in 3D. Despite early considerations to shoot the movie in 2D and convert it into 3D later, Michael Bay ultimately shot 60% of the film in native 3D, another 15% were done digitally, and the rest was shot in 2D and converted later. [[James Cameron]] assisted Michael Bay with the 3D effects. The movie's budget amounted to $195 million, which is about the same budget ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had. About $30 million went into the 3D effects.<ref name="cameron">[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-bay-reveals-james-camerons-191774 "Michael Bay Reveals James Cameron's Secret Role in the Making of 'Transformers'"], The Hollywood Reporter, May 2011.</ref>

=== Sponsors and partners ===
==== Hasbro ====
Hasbro, licensor of the [[Transformers brand]], hoped that the third movie would once again boost toy sales, after profits had dropped in the first quarter of 2011.<ref name="hasbroq12011">[http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Hasbro-1Q-profit-drops-71-pct-apf-664090076.html?x=0&.v=11 Yahoo! Finance article about weak Hasbro toy sales in 2011's first quarter], April 2011.</ref> For the second quarter of 2011, Hasbro reported a net revenue growth of 23 percent to $908.5 million, citing brands such as ''Transformers'' and ''Beyblade'' as the main sources of the increased income.<ref name="hasbro2nsq">[http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Hasbro-Reports-Revenue-and-bw-4063497156.html?x=0&.v=1 "Hasbro Reports Revenue and Earnings Growth for the Second Quarter 2011"], Yahoo! Finance, July 2011.</ref>

==== US military and NASA ====
Like the previous two movies, ''Dark of the Moon'' featured real military personnel as extras, supported by the US Department of Defense.<ref name="militaryextras"/> Shooting locations were Hurlburt Field and [[Edwards Air Force Base]].<ref name="hurlburt">[http://www.shadowspear.com/special-operations-entertainment/105725-transformers-filmed-at-hurlburt.html "'Transformers 3 Filmed at Hurlburt, 1SOW Included as 'Extras'"], ShadowSpear Special Operations, July 2011.</ref>

In addition, ''Dark of the Moon'' was also supported by NASA, and NASA employees appear as extras in the movie as well.<ref name="nasa">[http://www.space.com/12142-transformers-film-nasa-space-program-touches.html "'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' Has Real-Life NASA Touches"], Space.com, July 2011.</ref>

==== General Motors and other car manufacturers ====
[[General Motors]] once again provided several vehicles. All recurring Autobots retain their [[alternate mode]]s from ''Revenge of the Fallen'' despite some minor tweaks, such as Sideswipe now being a convertible, and Bumblebee now sporting a rear spoiler. Once again, the cooperation was mutual, with General Motors using Bumblebee for TV commercials. The first of those, aired during the 2011 Super Bowl, also revealed some minor tweaks to Bumblebee's robot mode.<ref name="bumblebeead1">[http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/02/-bumblebee-appears-in-a-chevrolet-camaro-super-bowl-ad/1 "'Bumblebee' appears in Chevrolet's Super Bowl ad"], USA Today, February 2011.</ref><ref name="bumblebeead2">[http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/06/chevy-drops-new-ad-touting-transformers-3-tie-in/ "Video: Chevy drops new ad touting Transformers 3 tie-in"], Autoblog.com, June 2011.</ref> According to Chevrolet, the ''Transformers'' movies notably affect car sales, as about ten percent of all Camaros sold in the preceding year were yellow, twice as many as with other models.<ref name="carstarscast">[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/transformers-dark-moon-how-sequels-204557 "'Transformers: Dark of the Moon': How the Sequel's Star Cars Were Cast"], The Hollywood Reporter, June 2011.</ref>

New additions for ''Dark of the Moon'' are a Ferrari 458 Italia and a Mercedes-Benz E550 as Autobots ([[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] and [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]], respectively) and a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG as a Decepticon ([[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]). In the movie, both Autobots sport names which aren't recycled from existing Hasbro toys. In the Ferrari's case, the reason for this is that Hasbro's greatest competitor, Mattel, has an exclusive license for Ferrari toys.<ref name="ferrarimattel">[http://www.ferrari.com/English/Pages/Mattel.aspx Mattel license information], Ferrari.com.</ref><ref name="nelsonnomirage">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/409844-mirage-no-longer-name-red-italia-dotm-3.html#post6103423 Michael Bay's website admin, Nelson Lauren, explaining why the Ferrari isn't named "Mirage"], TFW2005, May 2011.</ref> "Dino" is named in reference to [[Wikipedia: Alfredo Ferrari|Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari]], as per Ferrari's request. The Mercedes-Benz E550, meanwhile, was specifically customized for the movie.<ref name="e550tuning">[http://www.eurotuner.com/news/eurp_1102_mercedes_benz_e550_for_next_transformers_movie/index.html "Mercedes-Benz E550 for Next Transformers Movie - Web Exclusive"], Eurotuner.com, February 2011.</ref> "Que" is named in homage to [[Wikipedia:Q (James Bond)|Q]] from [[Wikipedia:James Bond|James Bond]]. A Maybach 62S Landaulet is also featured in the movie, albeit not as a Transformer, but merely as a regular car used by [[Seymour Simmons]] and his assistant [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]].

Unlike Optimus Prime, whose alternate mode was not licensed for any of the three movies, the Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 airport fire truck used for [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] was officially provided by the Rosenbauer International AG and entirely repainted specifically for the film, at a cost of thousands of dollars, as real-world aircraft fire-fighting vehicles are required by FAA regulations to have a much lighter color scheme, which didn't appeal to director [[Michael Bay]].<ref name="rosenbauer">[http://www.rosenbaueramerica.com/press/2011/06/rosenbauer-panther-6x6-to-be-f/ Rosenbauer America press release, June 28, 2011]</ref>

Since the heavily armed Chevrolet Impalas that serve as the [[Wrecker|Wreckers']] alternate modes are directly based on existing NASCAR race cars, the prop versions of [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]], [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] made an appearance at [[2011]] Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on [[February 20]], four month before the movie's release, appearing both off the track as display cars, and on the track, participating in the ceremonial first lap.<ref name="daytona">[http://www.hendrickmotorsports.com/news/photos/2011/02/18/TRANSFORMERS-cars-on-display-at-Daytona "'TRANSFORMERS' cars on display at Daytona"], Hendrick Motorsports, February 2011.</ref> Director Michael Bay, actor [[Josh Duhamel]] and actress [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]] also attended the event, and during the television broadcast of the race, a new ''Dark of the Moon'' television spot was aired.

==== Other product placement ====
As always, various companies have their products and names prominently displayed throughout the movie, such as [[Wikipedia:Northrop Grumman|Northrop Grumman]], [[Wikipedia:CNN|CNN]], [[Wikipedia:Fox News Channel|Fox News]], [[Wikipedia:Cisco|Cisco]] and [[Wikipedia:Superfund|Superfund]].<ref name="brands1">[http://www.brandchannel.com/brandcameo_films.asp?movie_year_az=2011 "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"] at brandchannel.com.</ref> Paper manufacturer Double A also cooperated with Paramount and even had Michael Bay direct a commercial that features scenes from ''Dark of the Moon'', notably [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]].<ref name="paper">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/167497-transformers-featured-in-double-a-paper-ad "Transformers Featured in Double A Paper Ad"] at SuperHeroHype, June 2011.</ref> Of particular note is the large number of Chinese brands such as [[Wikipedia:Lenovo|Lenovo]], [[Wikipedia:Yili Group|Yili]] Shuhua Milk, [[Wikipedia:Metersbonwe Group|Metersbonwe]] Mtee shirts and [[Wikipedia:TCL Corporation|TCL]] HDTV screens.<ref name="chinesebrands">[http://advertising.chinasmack.com/2011/transformers-the-rise-of-chinese-product-placement.html "Transformers: The Rise Of Chinese Product Placement"] at Chinasmack.</ref><ref name="brands2">[http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/07/05/Brandcameo-070411-Transformers-3.aspx "Transformers 3 Product Placement: If Tom Hanks Gets a Pass, Michael Bay Does Not"] at brandchannel, July 2011.</ref>

For [[Wikipedia:Nokia|Nokia]], the product placement turned out to be dated by the time the movie came out, as a mobile phone featured in the movie ran on [[Wikipedia:Symbian|Symbian]], despite Nokia mostly dropping Symbian as an operating system due to their recent partnership with [[Wikipedia:Microsoft|Microsoft]].<ref name="nokiaobit">[http://www.thenoisecast.com/2011/07/nokia-x7-product-placement-in-transformers-3-feels-like-an-obituary/ "Nokia X7 Product Placement In Transformers 3 Feels Like An Obituary"], Noisecast, July 2011.</ref>

=== Changes before, during and after production ===
* In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in June 2009, Michael Bay suggested that [[Ramon Rodriguez]] would reprise his role as [[Leo Spitz]] from ''Revenge of the Fallen'' for the third movie.<ref name="bayramon">[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2009/06/30/ramon-rodriguez-will-have-bigger-role-in-third-transformers-movie-bay-hints/ "Ramon Rodriguez will have bigger role in third ‘Transformers’ movie, Bay hints"], Los Angeles Times, June 2009.</ref>

* As stated above, [[Megan Fox]] was originally intended to reprise her role as [[Mikaela Banes]] from the previous two movies. She was still spotted on the ''Dark of the Moon'' set during the previsualization stage in May 2010<ref name="foxonset"/>, but was fired from the production shortly afterwards due to a falling out with director [[Michael Bay]]. [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]]'s character of [[Carly Spencer]] was written in as a replacement, though the fact that her part was originally written for Mikaela still shows in some parts: For example, Carly is overseeing [[Dylan Gould|Dylan]]'s car collection, which could be viewed as an extension of Mikaela's history with working with cars. Furthermore, Sam and Carly not only have [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] (who had been previously "domesticated" by Mikaela) as a "pet", but also her dog [[Bonecrusher (dog)|Bonecrusher]] (played by Michael Bay's eponymous real-life dog).

*In January 2010, actor James Avery claimed in an interview that he would be playing a new Autobot named "Silverbolt".<ref name="avery">[http://unscripted.ca/episodes/show/136 James Avery interview on Unscripted], January 2010</ref> In June 2010, representatives of James Avery, responding to a bizarre rumor that he had passed away, confirmed that the actor was indeed alive and would be playing Silverbolt in ''Transformers 3''.<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/entertainment-in-national/uncle-phil-james-avery-isn-t-dead-after-all James Avery isn't dead after all], The Examiner, June 2010.</ref> Despite this, neither Avery nor Silverbolt ultimately appear in ''Dark of the Moon''.

* In January of 2011, an Idaho newspaper<ref>[http://magicvalley.com/news/local/article_d4f374a4-d960-5589-8d0c-be37df66fc40.html?mode=story "Rupert's Fagerbakke finds a voice that is truly golden"]</ref> announced voice actor [[Bill Fagerbakke]] as the voice of a "Chevy Impala stock car" that would appear in ''Dark of the Moon'' (presumably meaning one of the three [[Wrecker]]s, who share that base altmode). Why Fagerbakke did not end up voicing any of the Wreckers in the final cut of the film is unknown.

* Shockwave's original voice actor, [[Corey Burton]], expressed that he had no interest in voicing him for ''Dark of the Moon'', explaining "[I] have practically no interest in that kind of mega-budget movie enterprise involvement" and that the inspiration for his Shockwave voice, [[wikipedia:David Warner (actor)|David Warner]], was rumored to have been considered.<ref>[http://www.coreyburton.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=2707&highlight=#2707 Corey Burton's message board post.]</ref> In the end, Shockwave's almost-entirely-wordless-snarl-based role would have been something of a waste of Warner; the role ultimately went to Frank Welker. There's a nice touch of symmetry in the casting, with Welker taking over a Burton-originated role not long after Burton took on a Welker-originated character in [[Megatron (Animated)|''Animated'' Megatron]].

* In an earlier draft of the movie's script, Megatron is sincere when he offers Optimus Prime a truce at the end. Optimus accepts, and Megatron and the remaining Decepticons leave Earth to rebuild Cybertron. This ending is used for the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (novel)|novelization]] and the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation|comic adaptation]], according to Nelson, the ending was changed because the studio didn't want the adaptations to share the same ending with the film.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/members/nelson-47919.html#vmessage284191</ref>

* Furthermore, it was originally supposed to be [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage/"Dino"]] rather than [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack/"Que"]] who would have been executed by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] in Chicago. This version made it into the comic adaptation and the [[Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel|junior novelization]].

* Another scrapped death for Mirage is seen in the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (novel)|novelization]], in where he's decapicated by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]. His severed head is subsequently used by Soundwave to mock the Autobots before they are about to get executed.

* [[The Twins]], [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], were originally supposed to return for ''Dark of the Moon'', and to die at the hands of Sentinel Prime shortly after Ironhide. Even though [[General Motors]] provided two Chevrolet Sparks to serve as their alternate modes<ref name="chevyspark">[http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-spark-transformers-3.html Left Lane News article on two Chevrolet Sparks spotted on the DOTM set], May 2010.</ref> which were still spotted on the set as late as October 2010<ref name="dcparking">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2010/10/transformers-3-dc-parking-lot-gallery.html "Transformers 3 DC Parking Lot Gallery"], Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, October 2010.</ref>, the two were mostly edited out of the final movie (their vehicle modes can barely be glimpsed in a few brief shots). Michael Bay even went so far as to offer a $25,000 reward for anyone who would see the Twins "perform" in the movie.<ref name="reward">[http://collider.com/transformers-3-twins-skids-mudflap-michael-bay/91104/ Collider.com article on Michael Bay's "reward" for spotting Skids and Mudflap "perform" in DOTM], May 2011.</ref> In the novelization and the comic adaptation, Skids and Mudflap still appear.

* Another plot point that was apparently dropped was an anti-Autobot sentiment among the human populace. Graffiti with a crossed out Autobot [[insignia|logo]] with the words "go home" below it showed up in several set photos.<ref name="gohome1">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2010/05/transformers-3-filming-with-twins.html Photos from the set in Sherman Oaks, California] at the Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, May 2010.</ref><ref name="gohome2">[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/possible-tf3-plot-point-revealed-autobots-go-home/19188/ Photos from the Chicago set] at Seibertron.com, July 2010.</ref> In the movie, Congress instantly passes a law exiling the Autobots from Earth following Sentinel Prime's ultimatum.

* Early working names included "[[Ultra Magnus (disambiguation)|Ultra Magnus]]" for [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]<ref name="chicagocall">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2011/06/chicgo-call-sheet-for-ultra-magnus.html "Chicago Call Sheet For Ultra Magnus"], Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, June 2011.</ref>, "Enzo" (after [[Wikipedia:Enzo Ferrari|Enzo Ferrari]])<ref name="callsheet2">[http://tilallaremine.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/dark-of-the-moon-call-sheets/ Dark of the Moon Call Sheets!] at Til All Are Mine blog, July 2011.</ref> and "Rush" for Mirage/"Dino", "[[Warpath (disambiguation)|Warpath]]" for both [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]] and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]], "Tempest" for Topspin, "[[Flash (disambiguation)|Flash]]" for [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], "[[Dreadwind (disambiguation)|Dreadwind]]" for [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]], "[[Hooligan]]" for [[Crowbar]], "[[Dirtbag]]" for [[Hatchet]], "[[Blitzwing (disambiguation)|Blitzwing]]" for [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]], "[[Breakdown (disambiguation)|Breakdown]]" for Soundwave's new vehicular design, "Colossus" for the [[Driller]]<ref name="nizzi">[http://www.joshnizzi.com/TF3.htm Josh Nizzi DOTM concepts.]</ref>, "Buzzard" for [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], "[[Undermine]]" for [[Igor]] and "[[Steeljaw (disambiguation)|Steeljaw]]" for Wheeljack/"Que". However, it's quite possible a few of these were code names used to keep character identities a secret during production as images of Megatron's new cloak obscured face refer to the character as "Cyclonus".<ref name="wburt">[http://conceptartworld.com/?p=8388 Wesley Burt DOTM concepts.]</ref>
[[Image:DOTM-SentinelPrimetrailer.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Colour me your colour, baby Colour me your car Colour me your colour, darling I know who you are]]

* Roadbuster was originally intended to have [[Wikipedia:Jeff Gordon|Jeff Gordon]]'s #24 [[Wikipedia:DuPont|DuPont]]-sponsored Chevrolet Impala as his alternate mode, rather than [[Wikipedia:Dale_Earnhardt,_Jr.|Dale Earnhardt, Jr.]]'s #88 Impala sponsored by [[Wikipedia:AMP Energy|AMP Energy]].<ref name="nizzi"/>

* Que/Wheeljack's head was once considered to be based on [[Wikipedia:Christopher Lloyd|Christopher Lloyd]]'s [[Wikipedia:Emmett Brown|Doc Brown]] from the [[Wikipedia:Back to the Future trilogy|''Back to the Future'' movies]], rather than [[Wikipedia:Albert Einstein|Albert Einstein]].<ref name="wburt"/>

* The Wreckers were originally intended to have a robot pet dog, whose working names also included "Warpath".<ref name="nizzi"/> Hasbro released a toy of the dog with the [[Human Alliance]] version of Leadfoot, named "[[Steeljaw (DOTM)|Steeljaw]]".

* In an interview with MTV.com, actors [[Shia LaBeouf]] and [[John Malkovich]] hinted at at some smaller scenes that were cut from the final edit of the movie. In addition to some add-libbing by the actors, one scene would have featured Malkovich's character, [[Bruce Brazos]], attempting to get Carly's phone number.<ref name="deletedmtv">[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666772/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-dvd-deleted-scenes.jhtml MTV.com on deleted scenes], July 2011.</ref>

* In the original teaser trailer for ''Dark of the Moon'' that was released in December 2010, the opening scene that featured [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] investigate the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'' on the moon had Sentinel Prime sport a gold and silver color scheme. For the final movie, his base color was changed to red.
{{-}}

=== Leaks and disinformation===
[[Image:DOTMgameSoundwave.jpg|thumb|300px|right|What you're about to see is totally classified.]]
The movie's title, then "Transformers: ''The'' Dark of the Moon", was first discovered on October 6, 2010 via listings for childrens' books on [http://www.amazon.com/ Amazon.com]. The title was further confirmed by a whois check for "www.transformersdarkofthemoonmovie.com".<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-3-title-revealed-170697/ Transformers 3 Title Revealed?] @ TFW2005.com</ref> On October 31, the official website for all three movies, [http://www.transformersmovie.com/ transformersmovie.com], was updated to show the ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' logo as well as international release dates.

[[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] was heavily touted as the new main villain, no doubt in an attempt to conceal [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s unexpected betrayal halfway through the movie. A piece of information that commonly popped up in media coverage was the claim that Shockwave was the ruler of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] while the other Autobots and Decepticons were duking it out on Earth.<ref name="pushpops">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-3-plot-summary-revealed-170756/ "Transformers 3 Plot Summary Revealed"], TFW2005, October 2010.</ref> The last bit could be written off as a case of [[Wikipedia:Chinese whispers|chinese whisper]]: Shockwave got announced as the villain for ''Dark of the Moon'', mainstream media (such as USA Today<ref name="usatodayswitch">[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-06-11-Transformers11_ST_N.htm "Next 'Transformers' is due for a switch"], USA Today, June 2010.</ref>) who aren't versed in Transformers lore looked up the character, found out about his ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Shockwave (G1)|namesake]]'s role in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]], included it as a piece of trivia to show they did their research, and then the trivia note got picked up as gospel by other media. Nevertheless, it was included in the ''official plot summary'' by Paramount's German branch (which also claimed that ''Shockwave'' was the robot discovered inside the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'' as seen in the trailer).<ref name="germansite">[http://www.transformers3-film.de/ Official German DOTM site] including faulty plot summary.</ref>

[[Image:TF3HasbroSoundwaveBio.JPG|thumb|300px|left|If you breathe a word of what you see in here, you will do time for treason.]]Michael Bay and other official parties tried ''really'' hard to suppress the plot twist of the silver Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG given to [[Carly Spencer|Carly]] by [[Dylan Gould|Dylan]] turning out to be the new [[alternate mode]] of [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. After the Mercedes had been spotted on the set, with [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]] exiting it<ref name="mercedesset">[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=67518 DOTM Set Photos], ComingSoon.net, July 2010.</ref>, the first hint that it was more than meets the eye came with the trailer for the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)|video game]], which showed Soundwave's robot mode with car [[kibble]] such as wheels that heavily resembled those of the Mercedes. In addition, [[Rising Storm issue 3|issue 3]] of ''[[Transformers: Rising Storm]]'' depicted Soundwave's robot mode not only with car kibble, but with a Mercedes star on his chest. Despite this, director Michael Bay insisted that the Mercedes was simply Carly's car, claiming that "Mercedes would never let us make their car into a bad Decepticon. Car company's {{sic}} really frown on that. I can't say what the game company and comics do that's their own thing. They don't have the same constraints movies do. It's Carly's car."<ref name="baynomerc">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?8724-Update-Is-Soundwave-the-silver-Mercedes-on-set-of-DOTM&p=169598&viewfull=1#post169598 Michael Bay's response to the fan theory that Soundwave is the Silver Mercedes.], April 2011.</ref> On April 19, 2011, an event for promoting the ''Spider-Man: Edge of Time'' and ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' video games was held in London. As part of this, [[High Moon Studios]] released promotional stills from the ''Dark of the Moon'' game, one of which depicted Soundwave's new robot mode, again with Mercedes parts. However, a news embargo was enforced on the attending press, which was broken by South African video game site [http://egamer.co.za egamer].<ref name="egamera">[http://egamer.co.za/2011/05/exclusive-hands-on-transformers-dark-of-the-moon/ egamer's preview of the ''Dark of the Moon'' video game]</ref> The site was soon asked to take down the article and images, as were various ''Transformers'' fan sites that had reported on the article and mirrored the images. On May 2, 2011, Hasbro's [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/ official Transformers website] was given a massive overhaul, including the addition of the new [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/cybertronian-database.cfm Vector Sigma database]. The entry for Soundwave initially identified his alternate mode as a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, but was soon changed to "satellite". On May 3, 2011, the embargo for the video game article and promotional stills was finally lifted, allowing sites to freely show the image of Soundwave's new robot mode.

On May 5, 2011, several weeks before the trade paperback collection's official release, preview pages from [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation|''Dark of the Moon'' comic adaptation]] were discovered on [http://www.amazon.com/ Amazon.com]. Through some bizarre system error, ''several dozen pages'' were made available, which included the major plot twist of Sentinel Prime showing his true colors and killing [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]. Unsurprisingly, this discovery was quickly posted on several major Transformers [[fandom|fan sites]], often without a spoiler warning.

==Notes==
* A 126-page script for the movie was leaked in December 2009<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/6435/20/ The Allspark: Transformers News Movie Comics Animated - Script Treatment for Transformers 3? Bogus or Not, Here You Go!]</ref>, causing much discussion among the fandom. It was later confirmed as fake.<ref>[http://shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6532 Script]</ref>
* When word hit that [[Megan Fox]] was off the picture, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIuqiepu4UY Heidi Montag] put an "audition" for her part on YouTube. [http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/114ce28ddd/sir-ben-kingsley-shows-up-heidi-montag Sir Ben Kingsley] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4FZeucBO0c Ashton Kutcher] made fun of her, because life is rad.
* Several concepts that had been established by the [[Transformers (film)|first movie]] were (more or less) dropped with ''Dark of the Moon'' in favor or a more traditional, ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]''-esque approach:
** In the 2007 movie, the Autobots arrive on Earth in "[[Protoform]]" entry modes (which was subsequently used as the basis for the Decepticons' arrival in [[Planetfall (Movie)|Planetfall]]). Prior to the release of the movie, screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]] defended this choice over the use of a spaceship such as the ''Ark'' by asking why "aliens who moonlight as vehicles need other vehicles to travel".<ref name="orcitravel">[http://tformers.com/Ark-Not-Making-An-Appearance-In-the-Movie/6513/news.html TFormers quoting Roberto Orci], because Don Murphy's board can only be read by registered members.</ref> He somewhat changed his mind after the movie had been released, however.<ref name="orciship">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=388596&postcount=271 Roberto Orci on the Transformers Live Action Movie Boards], July 2007.</ref> After the Decepticons' ship, the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'', had made an appearance in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', ''Dark of the Moon'' not only introduces the movieverse version of the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'', but also reveals that all the new Autobots who have been on Earth since before ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had arrived in their own spaceship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', making the notion of individual Transformers traveling through space as "comets" an exception rather than the rule.
** Furthermore, ''Dark of the Moon'' largely abandons the idea of Transformers having all their weapons integrated into their bodies in favor of more traditional, separate weapons. For example, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], who had blades and hooks emerging from his forearms in the previous two movies now stores all his weapons (including an axe) as accessories inside his trailer (though Optimus was shown to have his swords still in his arms during the battle for Chicago). Also, Ironhide, whose cannons were previously affixed to his arms, now sports handheld firearms instead. (To be fair, he dropped his cannons during the final battle in ''Revenge of the Fallen''.) Even Megatron, whose [[fusion cannon]] previously grew out of his arms, now has an ordinary handheld shotgun. (then again his arm that turned into his Fusion cannon was ripped off by Prime in ''Revenge of the Fallen''.) The only ones who still seem to have the same converting arm cannons as in the previous movies are Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Starscream.

* [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] finally achieves a certain consistency between his two primary modes: Ever since his upgrade to a modern Camaro in ''Transformers'' (2007), his [[license plate]] had alternated between "900 STRA" in vehicle mode and "4NZZ 454" in robot mode. ''Dark of the Moon'' finally uses "900 STRA" for the robot mode as well. Hasbro's toys, which had previously favored the CG robot model's "4NZZ 454" (barring the occasional "4NZZ'''Z''' 454" flub), follow suit.
*Speaking of license plates: [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]]'s Maybach 62S Landaulet sports a German license plate, "'''S MM 6201'''", registered in the city of Stuttgart. In reality, that plate is registered to the manufacturer and used for promotional photos.<ref name="maybach">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/update--transformers-3-rumor--who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-170533/ Set photos and promo photos of the Maybach 62S Landaulet] at TFW2005.</ref>
*Michael Bay's private Gulfstream Aerospace G-1159A jet (registration number N4500X) has a cameo in the movie as [[Charlotte Mearing]]'s plane.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers/Dark Side Moon''''' (トランスフォーマー/ダークサイド・ムーン ''Toransufōmā/Dāku Saido Mūn'')
*''Cantonese:'' (變形金剛: 黑月降臨, "Transformers: The Arrival of the Black Moon")
*''Finnish:'' '''''Transformers: Kuun pimeä puoli''''' ("Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon")
*''French:'' '''''Transformers 3: La Face cachée de la Lune''''' ("Transformers 3: The Hidden Side of the Moon")
*''German:'' '''''Transformers 3'''''
*''Polish:'' '''''Transformers 3'''''
*''Portuguese:'' '''''Transformers: O Lado Oculto da Lua''''' ("Transformers: The Hidden Side of the Moon")
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery 3: Tjomnaja storona Luny''''' (Трансформеры 3: Тёмная сторона Луны, "Transformers 3: The Dark Side of the Moon")
*''Serbian:'' '''''Transformers 3: Tama Meseca''''' ("Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon")
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: El Lado Oscuro de la Luna''''' (America, "Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon")
*''Swedish:'' '''''Transformers 3'''''
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng Sān''''' (Taiwan, 變形金剛３, "Transformers 3"), '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng: Yuè Hēi zhī Shí''''' (China, 变形金刚：月黑之时, "Transformers: The Time When the Moon Becomes Black")

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.transformersmovie.com/ Official ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' website]
*[http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/transformersdarkofthemoon/ Trailers.Apple.com ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' page]
* Designer portfolios: [http://www.joshnizzi.com/TF3.htm Josh Nizzi], [http://www.warrenmanser.com/WarrenManser.com/PORTFOLIO_M/Pages/TRANSFORMERS_3.html Warren Manser], [http://www.joelchang.com/index.php?/projects/transformers-dark-of-the-moon/ Joel Chang], [http://conceptartworld.com/?p=8293 The Aaron Sims Company] (at Concept Art World), [http://conceptartworld.com/?p=8388 Wesley Burt] (at Concept Art World), [http://massiveblack.com/MBwebolution/blog/?p=301 Massive Black]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark of the Moon (film)}}
[[Category: Dark of the Moon| Dark of the Moon (film)]]
[[Category: Dark of the Moon media| ]]
[[Category: Real world films]]

Ripped Up Space

2012-05-10T04:49:26Z

WreckNRule426:

{{episode|
|series=Energon
|ep=26
|prev=Open Fire!
|next=Team Optimus Prime
|title="Ripped Up Space"
|japanese=切り裂かれた宇宙
|romaji=Kirisakareta Uchū
|translation=Ripped Up Space
|image=E26_titlecard.jpg
|caption=We totally ripped up your mom's space.
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Akira Okeya]]
|director=[[Naoki Ōhira]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.|Actas]], [[Studio A-CAT]] (3D)
|airdate=[[July 2|2 July]] [[2004]] (Japanese) [[September 4]], 2004 (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}

'''There's a hole in the universe, dear Optimus, dear Optimus, a hole.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]] marvels as [[Unicron]] returns to life. [[Kicker Jones|Kicker]] and [[Misha Miramond|Misha]] are likewise amazed, but also worried about what will happen now that Unicron has his head back. [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] notes that the only remaining task is to get rid of [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]].

In his control harness, Megatron swears revenge on Alpha Q. [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] (linked with [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]]) arrives with [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] and [[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]]; but Megatron shields himself before they can fire. Megatron causes Unicron to release massive amounts of unstable, potentially explosive [[energon]].

[[Shockblast]] stalks Optimus Prime through Unicron, but when he threatens to usurp Megatron, [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] and [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] arrive and hold both of them off. Optimus's entreaties to Starscream to stop Megatron fall on deafly obedient ears.

[[Image:Energon-Optimus-Saber-Burning-Justice.jpg|230px|thumb|left|The power of [[burning justice]]! Or maybe it's just energon.]]

Alpha Q panics, noting that Megatron's actions will destroy Unicron. Kicker wonders how they're supposed to stop him, which Alpha Q immediately takes as a refusal.

Rodimus and company blast into Megatron's chamber, but he's gone. They keep hunting for him.

The newly recreated Wing Dagger, now calling himself [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]], arrives to help Prime out. They combine and counterattack, quickly leaving Megatron's troops behind.

Scorponok wants to leave [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] behind, saying that he's just "baggage". Prime meets up with Rodimus; Ironhide radios that he's with Scorponok somewhere, and that Scorponok has sensed an energon stockpile. Prime and Rodimus realize Scorponok is a [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]. Rodimus tells Prime that Megatron wants nothing less than a final showdown with Prime and places himself under Prime's command. Prime has devised a complex attack strategy: Destroy Megatron.

Prime's plan changes: Hot Shot will help Alpha Q and separate Unicron's head from his body, while he and Rodimus finish off Megatron.

[[Image:Energon-Scorponok-Hand-Drawn-Scream.jpg|230px|thumb|right|I say, that's going a bit far.]]

In space, Alpha Q's red orb drifts away from Unicron. Hot Shot informs Kicker that Alpha Q is moving, so they'll need the [[human]]'s guidance. Elsewhere, Alpha Q is releasing energon under Kicker and Misha's direction, but he's a bit confused as to why. Kicker tells him to go slowly, so Megatron won't notice.

Megatron, wired up to another control node, is furious at this attempt at resistance. He plans to destroy Unicron and then everyone else. Scorponok arrives and challenges him. Alpha Q stops, as he senses Scorponok and Megatron engaging. Despite backup from Ironhide, Megatron slices off Scorponok's tail, rips off his arm, and stabs him through the chest. Alpha Q refuses to leave his friend behind and heads back toward Unicron, despite Kicker's protests.

Megatron rejoins with his control harness. Alpha Q speaks, asking why Megatron is doing this and telling him that Unicron will destroy him as well if he doesn't stop. Megatron expels Scorponok and Ironhide and activates his energon. The energon starts to react, spreading panic among all the forces. Megatron merely chuckles as a giant energy rift forms near Unicron, sucking in Hot Shot's team. Ironhide challenges him, but Optimus and Rodimus arrive before Megatron can do anything. Hot Shot and Prowl combine to go after Landmine; [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] and [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] are also sucked in.

[[Image:Energon-Sun-Fall-Rift.jpg|230px|thumb|left|THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.]]

Alpha Q retreats in the face of the rift, getting too close to it, to the point that it begins to pull him in. Having started this, Alpha Q vows to see it through. Kicker loses contact with him.

Prime and Megatron prepare to have a final showdown. Shockblast briefly interferes, but a chunk of debris clobbers him and sends him spiralling off into the rift. Megatron leads Starscream and Mirage away into the rift. The [[Autobot]]s retreat, as Unicron is about to explode. Unicron falls into the rift. Prime sends Ironhide to report back to Cybertron and leads the rest of the team in pursuit of Megatron through the rift. Ironhide contacts Kicker, who yells and screams a lot till Ironhide tells him he's just following orders. [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]] arrives with a squad of [[Omnicon]]s as the ''[[Miranda II]]'' prepares to follow Optimus through the rift.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (5)
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (8)
* [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] (9)
* [[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] (10)
* [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (11)
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (14)
* [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (18)
* [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] (19)
* [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (20)
* [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]] (21)
* [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] (22)
* [[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]] (23)
* [[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flare]] (24)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (7)
* [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] (12)
* [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (13)
* [[Shockblast]] (15)
* [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] (16)
* [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] (17)

|c3=
* [[Kicker Jones]] (2)
* [[Misha Miramond]] (3)

|c4=
* [[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]] (1)
* [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] (4)
}}

==Quotes==
"Kicker..." 
"...we're ''confused''." 
"We have... a question."
:—'''Alpha Q''' summarizes the entire <strike>episode</strike> series in a nutshell.

"I'll use the energon I've collected and use it to destroy all who dare challenge my supremacy!"
:—'''Megatron''' is such a user.

'''Rodimus:''' "Optimus. I hate to disagree." 
'''Optimus:''' "Uh?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "You can't let Ironhide get ahead of us. Megatron will
annihilate him in a nanosecond. Megatron wants a showdown with you, his
arch-rival, and he won't let anything stand in his way." 
'''Optimus:''' "Yes." 
'''Hot Shot:''' "Let's ''do'' this!" 
'''Landmine:''' "Yeah!" 
'''Rodimus:''' "Until this mission is completed, I put myself totally under your command, Optimus. Just let us know what you need, sir." 
'''Optimus:''' "Thank you, Rodimus." 
'''Prowl:''' "So. I guess that means we kinda got ourselves a new boss, Landmine." 
'''Landmine:''' "Kinda looks like it, doesn't it, Prowl." 
'''Rodimus:''' "Okay. Now that we all agree that you're running the show, Optimus, what's our first plan of attack?" 
'''Optimus:''' "Ha hah. Very simple. We destroy Megatron. But remember—he's mine." 
'''Rodimus:''' "Yes, sir." 
'''Optimus:''' "Okay, let's get moving, men. We've got a job to do. Roll out!" 
'''Rodimus:''' "Hm. Just lead the way. Disengage!" 
[''Hot Shot separates from Rodimus''] 
'''Hot Shot:''' "Hot Shot reporting in, sir." 
'''Optimus:''' "We're ''counting on you'', soldier." 
'''Rodimus:''' "Remember to stay close, in case we need to link up again, Hot Shot." 
'''Hot Shot:''' "Don't you worry, Rodimus. We'll do whatever it takes to win this fight." 
'''Rodimus:''' "Right. Then let's listen up to Optimus." 
'''Optimus:''' "Change in plans, men. Hot Shot, take Prowl and Landmine and help Alpha Q. Rodimus and I will take care of Megatron. ''Your'' mission is to separate Unicron's head from its body." 
'''Hot Shot:''' "Yes, ''sir''!" 
'''Optimus:''' "''This'' is the most dangerous mission we've ever been on. But with the ''power of energon'', we will succeed." 
:—The Autobots put their faith in a true master tactician.

"There's a [[Rift (Energon)|hole in the universe]]!"
:—'''Alpha Q'''

"Optimus. What's our next plan of action, sir?" 
"We ''save the universe.''" 
"That's a pretty tall order, sir." 
:—'''Rodimus''' calls bullshit on '''Optimus'''

"So what are you doing back here?" 
"Well, because...Optimus ordered me—" 
"Where did everybody else go?" 
"They all followed Optimus somewhere." 
"Why didn't you go?! Why are you ''here?!'' Where's Optimus?!" 
"I was ordered to report to Cybertron!" 
"''Why didn't you say that before?!''"
:—'''Ironhide''' should really just step on '''Kicker'''

==Notes==
===Lost in translation===
* The precise nature of ''what the hell is happening in this episode'' is obscured by the dub's repeated failure to explain the following key fact: if the red, positively-charged energon that Unicron's head is powered-up with comes into contact with the green, negatively-charged energon from Unicron's body, they will react, to devastating effect. Megatron is releasing the green energon from Unicron in a specific attempt to cause this reaction, in hopes of destroying Alpha Q. ''This'' is why Kicker is constantly screaming at Alpha Q to ''get the hell away'', and why he goes bonkers when Alpha Q decides to turn around and head back. Save for one unexplained reference to "the energon reacting," the dub just makes it sound like Megatron is going to make Unicron self-destruct (even after the rift has opened and he's just falling into it!).
* You see those little sparkly balls floating around the glowing red sphere that was formerly Unicron's head? Those are the "sparks" of all the planets consumed by Unicron, which Alpha Q released at the end of the previous episode. Guess what? The dub never explains that.
* The dub opens with some pep talk from Kicker. He's supposed to be angrily cursing that Alpha Q has foolishly released his planets too soon.
* An early scene of Scorponok and Ironhide features the Terrorcon saying that he's not going to slow down for Ironhide's sake. ''Energon'' warps this into Scorponok deliberately leaving Ironhide behind, since he would "only slow him down"—which is kinda at odds with the fact that Ironhide is constantly with him.
* And ''again'' with the "Unicron is coming to life" nonsense.
* This episode is one of those affected by the ''Energon'' dub's bizarre fondness for intermittently ignoring Primus. When Wing Saber credits his revival to Energon, and in the quoted scene above where Prime says that power of Energon will help the Autobots win, ''Super Link'' has Primus being referred to instead.
* The point of Hot Shot's separation from Rodimus is screwed up for ''Energon'', where he just sort of disengages and says hi. In ''Super Link'', the point was that Prime was thanking all of his troops for backing him up, and looked down at pants-mode Hot Shot, prompting him and Rodimus to separate so that he could be properly recognized for this. Instead of telling Hot Shot to stay close so they can link up again, Rodimus was actually ''apologising'' for using him as his legs for so long!
* Without explaining what the planet sparks are, the dub has Alpha Q randomly decide that he has to flee, amid a barrage of contradictory statements like "We have to go" and "We must help protect you". In ''Super Link'', he heads into the rift because his planet is getting sucked into it.
* Unicron isn't "about to blow", as Rodimus says; he's getting sucked into the rift.
* Optimus's order in ''Super Link'' isn't to "save the universe"; it's to follow Megatron into the rift, hence Rodimus's hesitation. The dub's "universe" bit apparently comes from his next line, about how their duty is to defend the universe, no matter which one.
* While the ''Energon'' dub makes it appear that Megatron arbitrarily decides not to fight Prime and run away into the rift instead, in ''Super Link'', he's incensed because Shockblast's unceremonious interruption and exit has ruined the drama of the moment. As such, he decides to "postpone" the fight until it can be done right.
[[Image:Rippedupspace comparisons.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The colors, Duke, the colors!]]
* There are a few examples of unfinished animation in the ''Energon'' version of this episode, but nothing serious—just some missing glow effects and color tints. Check out the screenshots on the right.

===Pain count===
* "Uh?": 22
* Stock footage: 1
* You're kidding/joking: 2
* The power of energon: 2
* It's time to: 1
* We don't have time for this: 4
* We've gotta: 3
* Let's do it: 3
* Our planets: 3

===Continuity errors===
* Scorponok manually climbs up a cliff despite having a flying alternate mode.

===Trivia===
* This episode is an incredibly chaotic jumble of bad visuals, incongruous scene changes and garbled script writing—and it ''ain't'' just down to the dub. Specifically, if you haven't seen the previous episode, you're not likely to realize that the big glowing red ball is Unicron's head, and that Alpha Q is inside it, because it's not overtly stated in either the dub or the original (mind you, it doesn't help that the ambiguous nature of the ''Energon'' dialogue could make you think that Unicron's actually got his head back on his shoulders, instead of stabbed into his side).
* Scorponok's scream of pain as Megatron smashes him up is drawn by hand.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Transformer: Super Link'' — Volume 007 ([[Interchannel]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — Volume 3: Shockblast Unleashed ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)

[[Category:Energon episodes]]

Hard hat

2012-05-10T04:47:03Z

WreckNRule426:

:''Hard hats appear in many stories, but are primarily from the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:SparkplugG1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|C'mon, Prime...everybody does it.]]
A '''hard hat''' is the primary means by which all [[Human|humans]] cover their heads. They are either considered highly fashionable, or else required to be worn by international law. Humans not only wear hardhats in typical situations such as oil rigs or [[Ruby crystal mines of Burma|ruby crystal mines]], but also during a variety of other endeavors such as:

* Robbing a bank
* [[Possum Brown|Driving a tractor trailer]]
* Reading meters at a [[Sherman Dam|hydroelectric plant]]
* Designing doomsday weapons
* Going to a museum.
* [[Vogel|Cleaning subway tunnels in New York]]

The versatility of the hard hat in fact seems to be limitless.

[[Category:Earth culture]]

Transformers: Prime (cartoon)

2012-03-28T00:29:44Z

WreckNRule426:

{{Nav-Prime}}

[[Image:TransformersPrimePremierePoster.jpg|thumb|300px|We finally have toys!!!...that got cancelled.]]

'''''Transformers: Prime''''' is a multiple Daytime Emmy Award-winning [[computer-generated imagery|computer-animated]] television series that premiered on [[The Hub]] on [[November 26]], [[2010]] with a five-part mini-series, which was followed by a season of another 21 episodes beginning on [[February 11]], [[2011]]. Season 2 began screening [[February 18]], [[2012]], and a third season has been outlined by the screenwriters.<ref name="tformersbotcon10">[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=13779 TFormers BotCon 2010 Hasbro Studios Panel Coverage]</ref>

The Canadian broadcast of the series has been undertaken by Corus Entertainment, and the show is currently airing on Teletoon.<ref>[http://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/hasbro-studios-and-corus-entertainments-kids-networks-reach-broad-animation-and-live-action-programming-agreement.html Hasbro Studios and Corus Entertainment’s Kids Networks Reach Broad Animation and Live-Action Programming Agreement]</ref>

The series premiered in the UK from [[September 5]] on [[Cartoon Network]]'s "Action Heroes" block. It will air in Japan starting April 2012<ref>http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/japan-to-broadcast-transformers-prime-in-april-2012/23452/</ref>

==Story==

[[Team Prime]] lives on [[Earth]] as a pre-emptive measure against the return of the [[Decepticon]]s. [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot Central Command]] is located in a converted [[missile]] silo in [[Nevada]] which was provided by the [[United States of America|United States]] government, with whom the Autobots have formed an alliance. However, the presence of [[Transformer]]s on Earth is not generally known among the civilian population. The Autobots have taken three [[human]] teens under their protection after their association with the Autobots put them in danger from the Decepticons.

[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] returns having discovered [[Dark Energon]], which grants him rule of life itself, but is injured, with [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] taking command in his absence. In addition to the Decepticons, the Autobots also contend with the human terrorist organization, [[MECH]].

==Cast==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
;Main Cast
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] ([[Sumalee Montano]])
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] ([[Kevin Michael Richardson]])
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] ([[Jeffrey Combs]])
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]
;Others
* [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Dwayne Johnson]])
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] ([[James Horan]])
* [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]] ([[Josh Keaton]])
|c2=
;Main Cast
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] ([[Steve Blum]])
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] ([[Daran Norris]])
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] ([[Adam Baldwin]])
*[[Airachnid]] ([[Gina Torres]])
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]
;Others
*[[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] ([[Richard Green]])
*[[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] ([[Kevin Michael Richardson]])
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] ([[Tony Todd]])<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-prime-discussion/409135-tony-todd-tfp.html#post6097225 James Horan's Facebook photo of Todd and Orci.]</ref>
*[[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]]
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]]
*[[Decepticon Miner]]s
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]]

|h3=Humans
|c3=
;Main Cast
* [[Jack Darby]] ([[Josh Keaton]])
* [[Miko Nakadai]] ([[Tania Gunadi]])
* [[Raf Esquivel]] ([[Andy Pessoa]])
* [[William Fowler]] ([[Ernie Hudson]])
;Others
* [[June Darby]] ([[Markie Post]])
* [[Silas]] ([[Clancy Brown]])
* [[Sierra]] ([[Alexandra Krosney]])

|c4=
* [[Unicron]] ([[John Noble]])
|nonumbering=true}}

[[James Remar]]<ref>[http://press.discovery.com/media/ugc/press/hubacq.pdf THE HUB TAPS POPULAR TALENT FOR UPCOMING ORIGINAL SERIES, August 6, 2010]</ref> and [[David Kaye]]<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/auto-assembly-2011-update---david-kaye-in-transformers-prime-173120/ Auto Assembly 2011 Update - David Kaye In Transformers: Prime]</ref> will be voicing characters.

==Episodes==
{{see|List of Prime episodes}}
===Season 1===
{{collist|2|
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 1]]
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 2]]
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 3]]
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 4]]
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]
#[[Masters & Students]]
#[[Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap]]
#[[Con Job]]
#[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]
#[[Deus ex Machina]]
#[[Speed Metal]]
#[[Predatory]]
#[[Sick Mind]]
#[[Out of His Head]]
#[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]
#[[Operation: Breakdown]]
#[[Crisscross]]
#[[Metal Attraction]]
#[[Rock Bottom]]
#[[Partners]]
#[[T.M.I.]]
#[[Stronger, Faster]]
#[[One Shall Fall]]
#[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]
#[[One Shall Rise, Part 2]]
#[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]
}}

===Season 2===
#[[Orion Pax, Part 1]]
#[[Orion Pax, Part 2]]
#[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]
#[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1]]
#[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 2]]
#[[Loose Cannons]]
#[[Crossfire]]
#[[Nemesis Prime (episode)|Nemesis Prime]]
#[[Grill]]

==Production==
After the [[live-action film series]], screenwriters [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] signed to become show runners with [[Jeff Kline]] and [[Duane Capizzi]] of The Hub's ''Transformers'' cartoon, explaining the TV show would not have the constraints of a two-hour film in delving into the mythology.<ref name="botcon2011">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-transformers-prime-panel-172315/ TFW coverage of Hasbro Studios panel at BotCon 2011]</ref> (Orci's employees [[Steven Puri]] and [[Mandy Safavi]] were also credited as producers.)<ref name="castcrewlist">[http://tformers.com/transformers-exclusive-transformers-prime-voice-cast-revealed-which-includes-the-rock/14278/news.html TFormers cast and crew announcement] including Dwayne Johnson exclusive.</ref> The show runners were given the "[[Binder of Revelation]]", a near 400-page [[production bible]] that [[Hasbro]] had been working on since the movies, that combined elements of the most popular [[continuity|continuities]].<ref>[http://collider.com/roberto-orci-jeff-kline-interview-transformers-prime/75039/ Collider transcript]</ref> The show's title was based on the desire to create a master continuity and a literal [[Wikipedia:Earth Prime|Prime continuity]].<ref name="botcon2011"/> Whereas the movies were about a [[Sam Witwicky|boy]] and his [[Bumblebee (Movie)|car]], the dynamic between the kids and the robots on the show was meant to be more like ''[[Wikipedia:The Iron Giant|The Iron Giant]]''.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Pb3MeUDdY Roundtable interview with ''Prime'' staff at BotCon 2011]</ref>

The writing staff was headed by Capizzi and consists of [[Nicole Dubuc]], [[Marsha Griffin]], [[Joseph Kuhr]] and [[Steven Melching]]. Kline said they wanted the show to be very cinematic, with tension, suspense and danger (as marked by Cliffjumper's death in the pilot) as children are more media savvy than they were in the past. Regardless, they had to be considerate as the show still had a broad audience.<ref>[http://parrygamepreserve.com/newsDetail.php?jID=1642 PGP January 2011 Q&A]</ref> As part of the [[aligned continuity family]] with ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)| War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'', the producers strove to maintain many of the common elements (eg. Optimus and Megatron's past friendship, Dark Energon's origins as [[Unicron]]'s spawn, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] sharing his film counterpart's backstory), but were allowed contradictions if it served the storytelling. By using the mammoth story bible, the writers could plan events years in advance. The large number of episodes per season meant they could pace and establish characters during season 1 slowly, while saving the more momentous, less stand alone episodes that delved into the backstory for season 2. Some of the plot ideas (namely the [[Terrorcon (Prime)|zombie robots]]) were based on stories they came up with when playing with the [[The Transformers (toyline)|toys]] as kids.<ref name="botcon2011"/> [[Bob Skir]] has written some episodes.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/9248/20/ Allspark.com coverage of Shout and Hasbro's "Evolution of Transformers Animation" panel at 2011's Comic-Con.]</ref>

Designers include [[Christophe Vacher]] (colors), [[Vince Toyama]] and [[Jevon Bue]] (backgrounds) and [[Jose Lopez]] (lead character designer). Vacher wanted to do something different from traditional animation and saw something edgy about ''Prime''.<ref name="botcon2011"/> According to [[Ken Christiansen]], the show's characters were formed by [[Hasbro Studios]] hiring freelance conceptual artists like himself. The submitted artwork was given Lopez's staff to be examined, and they incorporated the ideas they liked best.<ref>[http://badflipblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/me-and-transformers-prime.html August 2010 blog post by Ken Christiansen]</ref> Other concept artists include [[Augusto Barranco]] and [[Walter Gatus]].

Supervising director [[Dave Hartman]] headed a team including [[Todd Waterman]], [[Shaunt Nigoghossian]], [[Vinton Heuck]] and [[Kirk Van Wormer]]. [[Polygon Pictures]] provided the [[computer-generated imagery|CG animation]], for which [[Digitalscape]] performed a recruitment drive for before the show began production.<ref>[http://www.dsp.co.jp/pr/contents/000178.html Announcement on Digitalscape, also asking for job applicants.]</ref> Lopez said the animation would be a "groundbreaking mix of 2D animation and CGI".<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/san-diego-comic-con-33/jose-lopez-breaks-the-silence-talks-about-transformers-prime-at-san-diego-comic-con-2010-170217/ Jose Lopez speaks about Prime's animation style]</ref> Each character has three CG models: the robot mode, their alternate mode, and one for the transformation.<ref>[http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=29224 Cybertron.ca January 2011 Q&A]</ref> Lopez said the designs were personality driven, and that the 3D animation allowed them to go "crazy" with the transformation schemes. In contrast, the characters were given realistic textures,<ref>[http://www.asmzine.com/geekly-rewind/2011/02/07/hasbro-transformers-qa-bonus-round-answer/ ASM Geekly Rewind January 2011 Q&A]</ref> and are subject to battle damage during episodes.<ref name="botcon">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/botcon-2010-transformers-prime-panel-coverage-170054/ Botcon 2010 Transformers Prime Panel Coverage]</ref> A show on the level of ''Prime'' would take two years to produce, but the animators only had ten months. Five episodes are animated at a time (hence the monthly gaps during a season).<ref name="botcon2011"/>

[[Susan Blu]] was the casting director, but was replaced as voice director by [[Jamie Simone]] following a death in her family.<ref>[http://tformers.com/transformers-sdcc-2010-the-hub-transformers-panel-1st-looks-at-prime-designs/13975/news.html Tformers.com's coverage of the SDCC Transformers Prime panel, July 22, 2010.]</ref> [[Brian Tyler]] composed the show's [[theme song]] and background music. [[Matthew Margeson]] served as music arranger.

==Awards==
===2011 Daytime Emmy Awards===
*Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program - [[Peter Cullen]] as [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]
*Outstanding Directing In An Animated Program - [[Dave Hartman|David Hartman]], Supervising Director; [[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]; [[Todd Waterman]]; [[Vinton Heuck]]; [[Susan Blu]], Voice Director
*Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation - [[Vince Toyama]], Background Designer '''(WINNER)'''
*Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation - [[Christophe Vacher]], Colour Designer '''(WINNER)'''
*Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction And Composition - [[Brian Tyler]]
*Outstanding Writing In Animation - [[Duane Capizzi]], Writer/Producer; [[Steven Melching]]; [[Nicole Dubuc]]; [[Joseph Kuhr]]; [[Marsha Griffin]]

==Japanese release==
[[Image:JapPrimeCartoonLogo01.jpg|thumb|center|300px|]]

''Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Prime'' (超ロボット生命体トランスフォーマープライム ''Chō Robot Seimeitai Transformers Prime'') will begin airing in Japan on [[TV Tokyo]] affiliate [[TV Aichi]], beginning [[April 7]], 2012, with an 8am Saturday morning timeslot (the same channel and timeslot as the previous two ''Transformers'' cartoons to air in Japan).

The [[theme song]] for this version is "[[FEELING]]" by [[BIGBANG]] while the ending theme is "[[I Believe in All]]" by [[CLUTCHO]].

==Home video releases==
{{main|Transformers: Prime (cartoon)/home video}}
;United States
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Darkness Rising (2011)<ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Transformers-Prime-Darkness-Rising/15916 Press release: Transformers Prime - 'Darkness Rising', the Newest Program's Original 5-Part Mini-Series, Announced!]</ref>
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Includes 3 episodes (2011)<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/special-transformers-prime-dvd-released-at-walmart-173588/ Transformers Prime DVD released at Walmart]</ref>
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Season One (2012)<ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Transformers-Prime-Season-1-Press-Release/16300]</ref>

;Germany
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Die dunkle Macht erhebt sich (2012)
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Meister und Schüler (2012)

==Soundtrack==
{{main|Transformers Prime: Music from the Animated Series}}

==Notes==
*Unlike most ''Transformers'' shows, episodes do not have an episode title card. Episode titles are from The Hub website.
*The series has also been advertised as '''''Transformers: Prime - The Animated Series'''''.
*The show was said to be "rightfully huge" at the [[BotCon 2010]] panel.<ref name="tformersbotcon10"/> Later, at the Hasbro designers' panel, the [[Thirteen|Thirteen original Transformers]] were described as being "rightfully huge".<ref>[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=13797 BotCon 2010 Hasbro designers' panel.]</ref>
*Executive Producer Jeff Kline confirmed they have talked about producing a theatrical ''Prime'' film.<ref>[http://tformers.com/transformers-botcon-2011-transformers-prime-interview-with-executive-producer-jeff-kline/15863/news.html TFormers BotCon 2011 interview with Kline]</ref>

==Footnotes==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.hubworld.com/transformers/shows/prime Hub World page]
**[http://hubforteachers.discoveryeducation.com/hub-spotlight/transformers.cfm Hub for Teachers page]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3iKDbKQwKI&feature=related Behind the scenes video]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime (cartoon)}}
[[Category: Prime media]]
[[Category: Television series]]

Transformers: Prime (cartoon)

2012-03-28T00:29:05Z

WreckNRule426:

{{Nav-Prime}}

[[Image:TransformersPrimePremierePoster.jpg|thumb|300px|We finally have toys! That got cancelled!]]

'''''Transformers: Prime''''' is a multiple Daytime Emmy Award-winning [[computer-generated imagery|computer-animated]] television series that premiered on [[The Hub]] on [[November 26]], [[2010]] with a five-part mini-series, which was followed by a season of another 21 episodes beginning on [[February 11]], [[2011]]. Season 2 began screening [[February 18]], [[2012]], and a third season has been outlined by the screenwriters.<ref name="tformersbotcon10">[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=13779 TFormers BotCon 2010 Hasbro Studios Panel Coverage]</ref>

The Canadian broadcast of the series has been undertaken by Corus Entertainment, and the show is currently airing on Teletoon.<ref>[http://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/hasbro-studios-and-corus-entertainments-kids-networks-reach-broad-animation-and-live-action-programming-agreement.html Hasbro Studios and Corus Entertainment’s Kids Networks Reach Broad Animation and Live-Action Programming Agreement]</ref>

The series premiered in the UK from [[September 5]] on [[Cartoon Network]]'s "Action Heroes" block. It will air in Japan starting April 2012<ref>http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/japan-to-broadcast-transformers-prime-in-april-2012/23452/</ref>

==Story==

[[Team Prime]] lives on [[Earth]] as a pre-emptive measure against the return of the [[Decepticon]]s. [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot Central Command]] is located in a converted [[missile]] silo in [[Nevada]] which was provided by the [[United States of America|United States]] government, with whom the Autobots have formed an alliance. However, the presence of [[Transformer]]s on Earth is not generally known among the civilian population. The Autobots have taken three [[human]] teens under their protection after their association with the Autobots put them in danger from the Decepticons.

[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] returns having discovered [[Dark Energon]], which grants him rule of life itself, but is injured, with [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] taking command in his absence. In addition to the Decepticons, the Autobots also contend with the human terrorist organization, [[MECH]].

==Cast==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
;Main Cast
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] ([[Sumalee Montano]])
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] ([[Kevin Michael Richardson]])
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] ([[Jeffrey Combs]])
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]
;Others
* [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Dwayne Johnson]])
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] ([[James Horan]])
* [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]] ([[Josh Keaton]])
|c2=
;Main Cast
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] ([[Steve Blum]])
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] ([[Daran Norris]])
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] ([[Adam Baldwin]])
*[[Airachnid]] ([[Gina Torres]])
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]
;Others
*[[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] ([[Richard Green]])
*[[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] ([[Kevin Michael Richardson]])
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] ([[Tony Todd]])<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-prime-discussion/409135-tony-todd-tfp.html#post6097225 James Horan's Facebook photo of Todd and Orci.]</ref>
*[[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]]
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]]
*[[Decepticon Miner]]s
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]]

|h3=Humans
|c3=
;Main Cast
* [[Jack Darby]] ([[Josh Keaton]])
* [[Miko Nakadai]] ([[Tania Gunadi]])
* [[Raf Esquivel]] ([[Andy Pessoa]])
* [[William Fowler]] ([[Ernie Hudson]])
;Others
* [[June Darby]] ([[Markie Post]])
* [[Silas]] ([[Clancy Brown]])
* [[Sierra]] ([[Alexandra Krosney]])

|c4=
* [[Unicron]] ([[John Noble]])
|nonumbering=true}}

[[James Remar]]<ref>[http://press.discovery.com/media/ugc/press/hubacq.pdf THE HUB TAPS POPULAR TALENT FOR UPCOMING ORIGINAL SERIES, August 6, 2010]</ref> and [[David Kaye]]<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/auto-assembly-2011-update---david-kaye-in-transformers-prime-173120/ Auto Assembly 2011 Update - David Kaye In Transformers: Prime]</ref> will be voicing characters.

==Episodes==
{{see|List of Prime episodes}}
===Season 1===
{{collist|2|
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 1]]
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 2]]
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 3]]
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 4]]
#[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]
#[[Masters & Students]]
#[[Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap]]
#[[Con Job]]
#[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]
#[[Deus ex Machina]]
#[[Speed Metal]]
#[[Predatory]]
#[[Sick Mind]]
#[[Out of His Head]]
#[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]
#[[Operation: Breakdown]]
#[[Crisscross]]
#[[Metal Attraction]]
#[[Rock Bottom]]
#[[Partners]]
#[[T.M.I.]]
#[[Stronger, Faster]]
#[[One Shall Fall]]
#[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]
#[[One Shall Rise, Part 2]]
#[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]
}}

===Season 2===
#[[Orion Pax, Part 1]]
#[[Orion Pax, Part 2]]
#[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]
#[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1]]
#[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 2]]
#[[Loose Cannons]]
#[[Crossfire]]
#[[Nemesis Prime (episode)|Nemesis Prime]]
#[[Grill]]

==Production==
After the [[live-action film series]], screenwriters [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] signed to become show runners with [[Jeff Kline]] and [[Duane Capizzi]] of The Hub's ''Transformers'' cartoon, explaining the TV show would not have the constraints of a two-hour film in delving into the mythology.<ref name="botcon2011">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-transformers-prime-panel-172315/ TFW coverage of Hasbro Studios panel at BotCon 2011]</ref> (Orci's employees [[Steven Puri]] and [[Mandy Safavi]] were also credited as producers.)<ref name="castcrewlist">[http://tformers.com/transformers-exclusive-transformers-prime-voice-cast-revealed-which-includes-the-rock/14278/news.html TFormers cast and crew announcement] including Dwayne Johnson exclusive.</ref> The show runners were given the "[[Binder of Revelation]]", a near 400-page [[production bible]] that [[Hasbro]] had been working on since the movies, that combined elements of the most popular [[continuity|continuities]].<ref>[http://collider.com/roberto-orci-jeff-kline-interview-transformers-prime/75039/ Collider transcript]</ref> The show's title was based on the desire to create a master continuity and a literal [[Wikipedia:Earth Prime|Prime continuity]].<ref name="botcon2011"/> Whereas the movies were about a [[Sam Witwicky|boy]] and his [[Bumblebee (Movie)|car]], the dynamic between the kids and the robots on the show was meant to be more like ''[[Wikipedia:The Iron Giant|The Iron Giant]]''.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Pb3MeUDdY Roundtable interview with ''Prime'' staff at BotCon 2011]</ref>

The writing staff was headed by Capizzi and consists of [[Nicole Dubuc]], [[Marsha Griffin]], [[Joseph Kuhr]] and [[Steven Melching]]. Kline said they wanted the show to be very cinematic, with tension, suspense and danger (as marked by Cliffjumper's death in the pilot) as children are more media savvy than they were in the past. Regardless, they had to be considerate as the show still had a broad audience.<ref>[http://parrygamepreserve.com/newsDetail.php?jID=1642 PGP January 2011 Q&A]</ref> As part of the [[aligned continuity family]] with ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)| War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'', the producers strove to maintain many of the common elements (eg. Optimus and Megatron's past friendship, Dark Energon's origins as [[Unicron]]'s spawn, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] sharing his film counterpart's backstory), but were allowed contradictions if it served the storytelling. By using the mammoth story bible, the writers could plan events years in advance. The large number of episodes per season meant they could pace and establish characters during season 1 slowly, while saving the more momentous, less stand alone episodes that delved into the backstory for season 2. Some of the plot ideas (namely the [[Terrorcon (Prime)|zombie robots]]) were based on stories they came up with when playing with the [[The Transformers (toyline)|toys]] as kids.<ref name="botcon2011"/> [[Bob Skir]] has written some episodes.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/9248/20/ Allspark.com coverage of Shout and Hasbro's "Evolution of Transformers Animation" panel at 2011's Comic-Con.]</ref>

Designers include [[Christophe Vacher]] (colors), [[Vince Toyama]] and [[Jevon Bue]] (backgrounds) and [[Jose Lopez]] (lead character designer). Vacher wanted to do something different from traditional animation and saw something edgy about ''Prime''.<ref name="botcon2011"/> According to [[Ken Christiansen]], the show's characters were formed by [[Hasbro Studios]] hiring freelance conceptual artists like himself. The submitted artwork was given Lopez's staff to be examined, and they incorporated the ideas they liked best.<ref>[http://badflipblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/me-and-transformers-prime.html August 2010 blog post by Ken Christiansen]</ref> Other concept artists include [[Augusto Barranco]] and [[Walter Gatus]].

Supervising director [[Dave Hartman]] headed a team including [[Todd Waterman]], [[Shaunt Nigoghossian]], [[Vinton Heuck]] and [[Kirk Van Wormer]]. [[Polygon Pictures]] provided the [[computer-generated imagery|CG animation]], for which [[Digitalscape]] performed a recruitment drive for before the show began production.<ref>[http://www.dsp.co.jp/pr/contents/000178.html Announcement on Digitalscape, also asking for job applicants.]</ref> Lopez said the animation would be a "groundbreaking mix of 2D animation and CGI".<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/san-diego-comic-con-33/jose-lopez-breaks-the-silence-talks-about-transformers-prime-at-san-diego-comic-con-2010-170217/ Jose Lopez speaks about Prime's animation style]</ref> Each character has three CG models: the robot mode, their alternate mode, and one for the transformation.<ref>[http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=29224 Cybertron.ca January 2011 Q&A]</ref> Lopez said the designs were personality driven, and that the 3D animation allowed them to go "crazy" with the transformation schemes. In contrast, the characters were given realistic textures,<ref>[http://www.asmzine.com/geekly-rewind/2011/02/07/hasbro-transformers-qa-bonus-round-answer/ ASM Geekly Rewind January 2011 Q&A]</ref> and are subject to battle damage during episodes.<ref name="botcon">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/botcon-2010-transformers-prime-panel-coverage-170054/ Botcon 2010 Transformers Prime Panel Coverage]</ref> A show on the level of ''Prime'' would take two years to produce, but the animators only had ten months. Five episodes are animated at a time (hence the monthly gaps during a season).<ref name="botcon2011"/>

[[Susan Blu]] was the casting director, but was replaced as voice director by [[Jamie Simone]] following a death in her family.<ref>[http://tformers.com/transformers-sdcc-2010-the-hub-transformers-panel-1st-looks-at-prime-designs/13975/news.html Tformers.com's coverage of the SDCC Transformers Prime panel, July 22, 2010.]</ref> [[Brian Tyler]] composed the show's [[theme song]] and background music. [[Matthew Margeson]] served as music arranger.

==Awards==
===2011 Daytime Emmy Awards===
*Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program - [[Peter Cullen]] as [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]
*Outstanding Directing In An Animated Program - [[Dave Hartman|David Hartman]], Supervising Director; [[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]; [[Todd Waterman]]; [[Vinton Heuck]]; [[Susan Blu]], Voice Director
*Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation - [[Vince Toyama]], Background Designer '''(WINNER)'''
*Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation - [[Christophe Vacher]], Colour Designer '''(WINNER)'''
*Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction And Composition - [[Brian Tyler]]
*Outstanding Writing In Animation - [[Duane Capizzi]], Writer/Producer; [[Steven Melching]]; [[Nicole Dubuc]]; [[Joseph Kuhr]]; [[Marsha Griffin]]

==Japanese release==
[[Image:JapPrimeCartoonLogo01.jpg|thumb|center|300px|]]

''Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Prime'' (超ロボット生命体トランスフォーマープライム ''Chō Robot Seimeitai Transformers Prime'') will begin airing in Japan on [[TV Tokyo]] affiliate [[TV Aichi]], beginning [[April 7]], 2012, with an 8am Saturday morning timeslot (the same channel and timeslot as the previous two ''Transformers'' cartoons to air in Japan).

The [[theme song]] for this version is "[[FEELING]]" by [[BIGBANG]] while the ending theme is "[[I Believe in All]]" by [[CLUTCHO]].

==Home video releases==
{{main|Transformers: Prime (cartoon)/home video}}
;United States
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Darkness Rising (2011)<ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Transformers-Prime-Darkness-Rising/15916 Press release: Transformers Prime - 'Darkness Rising', the Newest Program's Original 5-Part Mini-Series, Announced!]</ref>
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Includes 3 episodes (2011)<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/special-transformers-prime-dvd-released-at-walmart-173588/ Transformers Prime DVD released at Walmart]</ref>
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Season One (2012)<ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Transformers-Prime-Season-1-Press-Release/16300]</ref>

;Germany
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Die dunkle Macht erhebt sich (2012)
*''Transformers: Prime'' - Meister und Schüler (2012)

==Soundtrack==
{{main|Transformers Prime: Music from the Animated Series}}

==Notes==
*Unlike most ''Transformers'' shows, episodes do not have an episode title card. Episode titles are from The Hub website.
*The series has also been advertised as '''''Transformers: Prime - The Animated Series'''''.
*The show was said to be "rightfully huge" at the [[BotCon 2010]] panel.<ref name="tformersbotcon10"/> Later, at the Hasbro designers' panel, the [[Thirteen|Thirteen original Transformers]] were described as being "rightfully huge".<ref>[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=13797 BotCon 2010 Hasbro designers' panel.]</ref>
*Executive Producer Jeff Kline confirmed they have talked about producing a theatrical ''Prime'' film.<ref>[http://tformers.com/transformers-botcon-2011-transformers-prime-interview-with-executive-producer-jeff-kline/15863/news.html TFormers BotCon 2011 interview with Kline]</ref>

==Footnotes==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.hubworld.com/transformers/shows/prime Hub World page]
**[http://hubforteachers.discoveryeducation.com/hub-spotlight/transformers.cfm Hub for Teachers page]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3iKDbKQwKI&feature=related Behind the scenes video]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime (cartoon)}}
[[Category: Prime media]]
[[Category: Television series]]

Lee Tockar

2012-02-08T02:09:24Z

WreckNRule426:

[[Image:Lee_tockar.jpg|thumb|300px|''"There are a thousand ways I could destroy you right now. And 941 of them hurt."'']]
'''Lee Tockar''' ([[February 11]], 1969–) is a Canadian voice actor. Among his better-known roles are Abyo on ''Pucca'', Bling-Bling Boy on ''Johnny Test'', Makuta in the ''Bionicle: The Mask of Light'' and ''Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui'', Ripster in ''Street Sharks'', George on the [[2007]] version of ''George of the Jungle'' and Doktor Frogg on ''The League of Super Evil''. His favourite Transformer is of course, [[Ravage (disambiguation)|Ravage]] and he owns a [[Shadow Panther]] toy. Ask him how to get into voice acting and he'll save you the $500 it would have cost you to take the course!

==Voice roles==
===''Beast Wars''===
* [[Ram Horn]]
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]

==External links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0865064/ Lee Tockar on the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tockar, Lee}}
[[Category:Mainframe Entertainment]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]

Transformers (novel)

2012-02-06T04:36:15Z

WreckNRule426: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[Movie (books)|''Transformers'' book series]]
|prev=Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday
|next=Transformers: The Veiled Threat
|title=''Transformers''
|image=TF2007_novelisation.jpg
|caption=Transformers: the Movie: the Novel: the Game: the Movie: the Series: the Novel: the Toyline: the Movie: the Novel
|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]
|date=[[May 29]], [[2007]]
|writer=[[Alan Dean Foster]]
|continuity=[[Movie continuity]]
|pagecount=304
|story=[[Alex Kurtzman]], [[Roberto Orci]], and [[John Rogers]]
|screenplay=[[Alex Kurtzman]] & [[Roberto Orci]]
|ISBN=ISBN 0345497996 ISBN 978-0345497994
}}

'''An ancient conflict between the forces of chaos and those who covet freedom has come to Earth. Their War. Our World.'''

==Synopsis==
The book begins with the history of Cybertron's destruction at the hands of Megatron, and his quest to obtain the [[AllSpark|Energon Cube]]. Megatron discovers the Cube on [[Earth]], but crash-lands in the [[Arctic|Arctic Circle]], becoming frozen in the ice. Captain [[Archibald Witwicky]] and his crew of explorers stumble upon Megatron's body in the late 19th century. Megatron's navigational system is unintentionally activated, and Archibald's eye glasses are imprinted with the coordinates to the Cube's location. Sector Seven, a secret organization of the United States government, discovers the Energon Cube and builds the Hoover Dam around it to mask the energy signal. The still-frozen Megatron is moved into this facility, and is reverse engineered to further advance human technology.

In the present day, the rest of the Decepticons—Blackout, Scorponok, Frenzy, Barricade, Starscream, Bonecrusher, and Devastator—have already landed on Earth and assumed the disguise of Earth vehicles. Blackout and Scorponok attack a U.S. military base in Qatar in an effort to use the military database to discover the location of Megatron and the Cube, but they do not succeed. A small group of survivors from the military base attack wander through the desert and are attacked by Scorponok. The Autonomous Robotic Life Form (shortened to "Autobot") known as Bumblebee is also on Earth, disguised as a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro, and looking for Sam Witwicky, the descendant of Captain Archibald Witwicky. As soon as he locates Sam, the two quickly begin to bond as Bumblebee helps Sam try and woo his crush, Mikaela Banes; Sam is unaware of the fact that Bumblebee is an alien, until he witnesses Bumblebee transform and send out a homing signal for the rest of the Autobots. After Blackout's failure, Frenzy infiltrates [[Air Force One]] and discovers that Sam possesses the map that will lead the Decepticons to the Energon Cube. Frenzy and Barricade begin tracking Sam's location.

Barricade confronts Sam, demanding Archibald's glasses. Bumblebee, who is following Sam, transforms and battles Barricade. Mikaela, who is also following Sam, is caught in the crossfire, and leaves with Sam and Bumblebee to rendezvous with the rest of the Autobots. The Autobots—Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet—land on Earth and take on the forms of several Earth vehicles. Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots return to Sam's home to retrieve the glasses. However, agents from Sector Seven arrive to take Sam and Mikaela into custody. Bumblebee is also apprehended, against the pleas of Sam who assures the agents—to no avail—that he means them no harm.

Frenzy secretly accompanies the group to the [[Hoover Dam]], and releases Megatron from cryogenic stasis. Locating the Cube, he sends out an alert to the rest of the Decepticons. Megatron escapes, and Sam convinces the Sector Seven agents to release Bumblebee so that he can get the Cube to Optimus Prime. The Decepticons chase the Autobots, who now possess the Energon Cube, into a neighboring city. An battle ensues, resulting in casualties on both sides, with Sam ultimately destroying Megatron and the Energon Cube when he rams it into Megatron's chest. The remains of the Decepticons are cast into the [[Laurentian Abyss]]. With no other home to go to — Cybertron having been destroyed by Megatron and the Cube being the only thing that could have restored it — the Autobots decide to stay on Earth, and Optimus sends out a signal across space in an effort to locate any surviving Autobots, while Sam and Mikaela begin a relationship. Starscream, one of the Decepticons that survived the battle, leaves Earth.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]
*[[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]
|c2=
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]
*[[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]]
*[[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]]
*[[Brawl (Movie)|Devastator]]
*[[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]]
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]
*[[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]
|c3=
*[[Tom Banachek]]
*[[Mikaela Banes]]
*[[Bobby Bolivia]]
*[[Robert Epps]]
*[[John Keller (Movie)|John Keller]]
*[[William Lennox]]
*[[Maggie Madsen]]
*[[Seymour Simmons]]
*[[Glen Whitmann]]
*[[Judy Witwicky]]
*[[Ron Witwicky]]
*[[Sam Witwicky]]
}}

==Notes==
Several scenes differ between the film and novel due to the fact that Foster was working from an earlier version of the script. These include:

* The [[AllSpark]] is known as the "[[Energon Cube]]", although its function in the story is nothing like that of Energon cubes from ''Transformers'' history, instead serving exactly the same purpose as the AllSpark in the film.
* [[Jorge Figueroa]] doesn't talk in Spanish during the Osprey ride and later dies on the plane taking [[William Lennox|Lennox]] and his men back to America. Fig's death scene was filmed but was ultimately cut from the movie, and in fact it was suggested before the release of ''Dark of the Moon'' that Fig would return in that film, rendering his death non-canon.
*[[Judy Witwicky|Sam's mom]] DOES NOT make any reference to [[Sam Witwicky|a certain embarrassed boy]] masturbating. Which is a good thing.
*When Ratchet scans Sam and Mikaela, he reveals their undergarments. Weird.
*As with the film, Optimus Prime and Megatron actually refer to each other as "brother",
*During the battle in [[Mission City|some city]], the energy released when the AllSpark hits the ground causes ''lots'' of [[Xbox 360 robot|video game consoles]] to become Transformers. Interestingly, ''guns'' can become Transformers if in range of the cube's energy.
*The novel has the final battle take place in [[Las Vegas]] instead of [[Mission City]].
*Sam and Mikaela don't make out on top of Bumblebee at the end, although they do kiss in the school parking lot.
*Starscream has a chat with Megatron at [[Hoover Dam]], where they seem to be on good terms. Starscream's fight with the F-22s is not included, though much of the final battle scene is greatly abridged.
*[[Brawl (Movie)|Devastator]] appears out of nowhere during the city battle.
*Megatron rips out Jazz's spark instead of tearing him in half. In addition, during the hologram flashback to Cybertron, Megatron is shown killing an Autobot in the same way, instead of spearing him from a distance.
*Neither the movie nor its adaptations explain how global communications were restored or how long it took for it to happen (or anything that happened beyond the events involving the Transformers). They all also assume that no one used a camera phone to record the battle and post it on the Internet after it was restored.
*Jazz doesn't talk "street" in the novel; in fact, all Autobots speak an unnaturally formal form of English to enhance their alien status. In the film, Jazz's first line is "What's cracking, li'l bitches?", while in the novel, his first line is "Greetings, terrestrial adolescent humans." This also reflects Foster's depiction of the character in ''[[Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday|Ghosts of Yesterday]]''.

==Quotes==
"Whoa, hey. I thought we'd wait till she was at least two before we got into the R-rated stuff."
:—'''Lennox''' needs to head back to parenting classes.

"Actually, it's not ''Margaret''. I ''hate'' that. It says ''Maggie'' on my birth certificate and whenever anyone calls me Margaret I tend to—never mind, sorry. I got a little impulse-control problem, no filter. Like I probably shouldn't say your bushy eyebrows are kinda throwing me right now..."
:—'''Maggie''' needs to get her filter fixed and quick.

'''Optimus''': Did you look within the oblong clothing-storage device? 
'''Sam''': The what? 
'''Mikaela''': I think he means the dresser. 
'''Ratchet''': Perhaps it is beneath the four-point floor sheath. 
'''Sam''': Okay, totally stumped. 
'''Mikaela''': The rug?
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Ratchet''' not understanding Earth culture, '''Sam''' not understanding alien language, and '''Mikaela''' being the smartest around.

"I owe you my life. Humans do not always think rationally, but you can think fast."
:—'''Optimus''' unintentionally insults and compliments humans in the same sentence.

==International printings==
'''Japan'''
*ISBN 4150116229
*ISBN 978-4150116224
*'''Date published:''' [[July 15]], 2007
*'''Publisher:''' [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A9%E5%B7%9D%E6%9B%B8%E6%88%BF Hayakawa Publishing Corp.]
*'''Translator:''' [[Naoya Nakahara]]
*'''Pagecount:''' 415

==External links==
*[http://www.randomhouse.com/book/54936/transformers-by-alan-dean-foster Product page at Del Rey Online]

[[Category:Adaptations]]
[[Category:Movie books]]
[[Category:Novels]]

Transformers: The Ride â€“ 3D

2012-02-06T04:26:40Z

WreckNRule426: /* Synopsis */

'''Transformers: The Ride''' is a theme park attraction which opened [[December 3]], [[2011]] first at [[Universal Studios]] Singapore at Sentosa, Singapore, and then later at Universal Studios [[Hollywood]] in California. Based on the [[live-action film series]], the ride features High Definition 3D film footage and visual effects by [[Industrial Light & Magic]].<ref>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118039268?refCatId=13 ''Variety'' article]</ref>

==Synopsis==
At a [[NEST]] outpost in Universal Studios, [[you]] are enlisted and assigned with [[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] to transport the last shard of the [[AllSpark]]. However, [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] steals it and leaps onto Evac's hood and claws at the passengers then retreats. [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] retrieves the shard from Ravage while battling [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] and entrusts the riders and Evac to protect the AllSpark. Evac flees the scene by crashing through a wall and plowing through city traffic. [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] appears and says he will guide the way and tackles the charging [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], who orders the [[Decepticon]]s to destroy them. [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] then flies in and attempts to catch them with his rotor weapon but is blocked off by a train and loses his arm when Evac flees into a tunnel.

Megatron continues to chase them and even captures Evac, who struggles and manages to break free. Megatron fires a missile at Evac while grappling with Optimus, but he maneuvers to avoid the oncoming shell and escapes through a hole blown in the wall by the missile. As they drive, Evac is pulled and thrown through the air by [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]]'s vortex. As Evac drives away, [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] provides back up and the pair race through city streets until [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] attacks. Sideswipe manages to hold off Bonecrusher until Evac blasts the Decepticon in the chest and head a few times.

Evac is then pulled into Devastator's [[Vortex Grinder]] and only survives the grinders within due to activating his battle shields. When he emerges in one piece he is grabbed by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s grappling hook and flung through the air as Starscream flies and is sent crashing into a building. Evac surveys the top of the building and sees Optimus and Megatron still locked in battle, with Megatron apparently being the stronger. Starscream returns to taunt Evac but is chased a away by [[NEST]] air support.

Not wanting to run anymore, Evac charges into Optimus and Megatron's battle and hits Megatron from behind. As Optimus holds Megatron from behind, Evac [[Transformers (film)|jabs the shard into Megatron's chest]], severely weakening him. As this happens, Megatron falls backwards over the edge of the roof and pulls Evac down with him. Megatron howls in defeat as they both plummet to the ground but Bumblebee appears and catches Evac at the last moment. With Megatron defeated, Optimus Prime congratulates Evac and the recruits on a mission accomplished. As Evac drives through the tunnels back to base, he passes underneath Megatron's lifeless body smashed through the pavement and comments that the riders can ride with him anytime.

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] ([[James Remar]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] ([[John DiMaggio]])

|c2=
*[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]]
*[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] ([[Charlie Adler]])
*[[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Jimmie Wood]])
|c3=
*[[You]]
*[[Morshower]]
}}

==Production==
The ride was announced in October 2008, and opened in Singapore on December 3, 2011.<ref>[http://www.slashfilm.com/transformers-the-ride-at-universal-studios/ /Film article on the press release.]</ref><ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_707461.html ''The Straits Times'' article in Singapore]</ref><ref>[http://tftheride.rwsentosablog.com/2011/10/27/breaking-news-transformers-the-ride-premieres-at-universal-studios-singapore%C2%AE-on-3-december-2011-2/ BREAKING NEWS: TRANSFORMERS The Ride Premieres at Universal Studios Singapore® on 3 December 2011]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://nestneedsyou.com/ NEST Needs You!]
*[http://tftheride.rwsentosablog.com/ Blog]

[[Category:Live-action film series]]

Steve (disambiguation)

2012-02-06T04:25:25Z

WreckNRule426:

The name '''Steve''' has been chosen by the parents of several real-life humans involved with the Transformers property in an official capacity.

* [[John Tomlinson|Steve Alan]], the writing pseudonym of '''John Tomlinson''', a [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK]] comic designer and editor.
* [[Steve Ball]], a Canadian director who worked on several episodes of [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'']] as well being animation supervisor of "[[A Better Mousetrap]]".
* [[Steve Blum]], American voice actor of various Transformers, such as ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'' [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]], ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Dark Scream]] and [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]].
* [[Steve Bono]], a [[Hasbro]] designer who worked on the [[Alternators]] line.
* [[Steve Bulen]], an American voice actor who performed the roles of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|G1]] characters such as [[Peacemaker]], [[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]], and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]].
* [[Steve Ditko]], an American artist who worked on comic books involving a [[Spider-Man|man who can crawl up walls]] as well two [[Bumblebee to the Rescue!|coloring]] [[The Autobot Smasher!|books]].
* [[Steve Gerber]], an American comic book writer who served as editor for the third season of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]].
* [[Steve Jablonsky]], an American music composer who composed the scores to [[Transformers: The Score|''Transformers'']], [[Revenge of the Fallen: The Score|''Revenge of the Fallen'']], and [[Dark of the Moon: The Score|''Dark of the Moon]].
* [[Steve Kramer]], an American writer, director, and voice actor, having worked as voice director on [[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|''Robots in Disguise'']], as well writing "[[Bullet Train to the Rescue]]" and voicing [[Cerebros (RID)|Cerebros]] and [[R.E.V.]]
* [[Steve Mitchell]], an American writer who wrote "[[Surprise Party]]".
* [[Steve Parkhouse]], a British comic writer and letterer who worked "[[Man of Iron (story)|Man of Iron]]" and "[[Wrecking Havoc]]" for Marvel UK.
* [[Steve Sacks]], another Canadian director on both several episodes of [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'']] and [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|''Beast Machines'']], as well an off-line editor for several episodes of ''Beast Wars''.
* [[Steve Skeates]], an American comic writer who helped write the episodes "[[The Face of the Nijika]]" and 3-parter "[[The Rebirth]]".
* [[Steve Whitaker]], a British colorist on [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK's ''Transformers'' comics]].
* [[Steve White]], another British colorist for Marvel UK's ''Transformers'' comics and now an editor on [[Titan Books|Titan]]'s [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|''Transformers'']] comics.

{{disambig}}

Transformers (film)

2012-02-06T04:12:13Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformer references */

{{disambig2|the 2007 movie|other uses of ''The Transformers''|Transformers (disambiguation)}}

{{nav-movie}}

:''Transformers is an [[Sector Seven (game)|elaborate cover up]] from the [[live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:Transformers2007teaserposter.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Beyond good. Beyond evil. Beyond your wildest imagination!]]
'''''Transformers''''' is a live-action movie released by [[DreamWorks]] in 2007, with Executive Producer [[Steven Spielberg]] and Director [[Michael Bay]]. The story follows the Transformers' arrival on modern-day Earth and their interactions with the human race, as they search for the life-giving [[AllSpark]] and continue their ages-old civil war. The movie is a new imagining of the [[Transformers brand]], drawing on past Transformers fiction but also distinct in its own right.

''Transformers'' features [[Sam Witwicky]], a plucky teenager who just wants a cool car, but gets more than he bargained for. The beater he and his father take home is actually [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], an alien robot from the planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], who plants Sam down in the middle of a civil war between Bumblebee's benevolent [[Autobot]] comrades and the evil [[Decepticon]]s who threaten the galaxy's peace. Both sides are after the AllSpark, a mysterious artifact that landed on Earth ten thousand years ago. The approaching robot-against-robot battle is a coming-of-age moment for Sam, who learns the meaning of his family's motto, "No sacrifice, no victory."

The principal cast members are [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Jon Voight]], and [[Megan Fox]], with [[Peter Cullen]] and [[Hugo Weaving]] as the voices of the Transformers' iconic leaders. About 75 percent of the film's character designs and visual effects were created by [[Industrial Light and Magic]], the effects-wizards behind the [[Star Wars (film)|''Star Wars'' films]]. The remaining 25 percent were done by Michael Bay's company, [[Digital Domain]].

Originally slated to release in the summer of 2006, the film arrived in US theaters on [[July 3]], 2007, and hit UK theaters on [[July 27]] and French theaters on [[July 25]]. It premiered in Australia on [[June 12]], 2007, and was released there and in a number of Asian countries on [[June 28]], 2007. An extended cut of the film featuring footage not in the original was released to IMAX theatres on [[September 21]], 2007.

{{bigquote|Sam Witwicky, you hold the key to Earth's survival.|[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] on the basic plot}}

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Allspark movie.jpg|left|200px|thumb|With this, I shall make you my slave!]]
The film begins with the history of Cybertron's destruction at the hands of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], and his quest to obtain the AllSpark. Megatron discovers the AllSpark on [[Earth]], but crash-lands in the Arctic Circle, becoming frozen in the ice. Captain [[Archibald Witwicky]] and his crew of explorers stumble upon Megatron's body in the late 19th century. Megatron's navigational system is unintentionally activated, and [[Glasses#Movie|Archibald's eye glasses]] are imprinted with the coordinates to the AllSpark's location. [[Sector Seven]], a secret organization of the United States government, discovers the AllSpark and builds the [[Hoover Dam]] around it to mask its energy signal. The still-frozen Megatron is moved into this facility, and is reverse engineered to further advance [[human]] technology.

[[Image:Movie Blackout SOCCENT.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Let the slaughter begin!]]
In the present day, the rest of the Decepticons — [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]], [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], and [[Brawl (Movie)|Devastator]] — have already landed on Earth and assumed the disguise of Earth vehicles. Blackout and Scorponok attack the U. S. [[SOCCENT Forward Operations Base]] in [[Qatar]] in an effort to use the military database to discover the location of Megatron and the AllSpark, but they do not succeed. A small group of survivors under Captain [[William Lennox]] wander through the desert and are followed by Scorponok. The Autonomous Robotic Organism (shortened to "Autobot") known as Bumblebee is also on Earth, disguised as a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro, and looking for Sam Witwicky, the descendant of Captain Archibald Witwicky. He finds Sam at a used car lot where he is looking to purchase a car. Bumblebee covertly sabotages all of the other cars in the lot, leaving him as Sam's only option. Sam buys Bumblebee and the two quickly begin to bond as Bumblebee helps Sam try and woo his crush, [[Mikaela Banes]]. Sam is unaware of the fact that Bumblebee is an alien, until one night when he drives out of the house. Sam chases him on a bike to a factory area, calling the police in the process, and witnesses Bumblebee transform into robot mode and send a signal to the Autobots in space. The police soon arrive and Sam is arrested.

[[Image:Movie Scorponok leapsout.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Run, Blaster! Save yourself!]]
At the [[Pentagon]], Defense Secretary [[John Keller]] oversees the investigation into the attack in Qatar. After Blackout's failure, Frenzy infiltrates Air Force One and attempts to download all information relating to "Project Iceman". However, [[Maggie Madsen]], one of the technicians studying the Decepticon infiltration signal, discovers Frenzy's actions and convinces the Pentagon to take down the Defense Network, halting Frenzy's download. When [[Air Force One]] makes an emergency landing, Frenzy slips into Barricade, and discusses his discovery of Archibald Witwicky, who has seen [[Cybertronian languages|their language]]. Using an internet search, they discover that Sam's glasses will lead the Decepticons to the AllSpark. Frenzy and Barricade begin tracking Sam's location. Back in Qatar, the Army Rangers are attacked by Scorponok, and take refuge in a nearby village. Calling the Pentagon and getting air support, they discover that the Decepticons are vulnerable to high heat weaponry such as sabot rounds. Using this information, the soldiers inform the Pentagon that they now have a weapon.

[[Image:Movie Sam Mikaela meettheAutobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] say find friends today.]]
Sam having been bailed out of jail by his father, gets the impression that Bumblebee is stalking him. A freaked out Sam flees from Bumblebee (who is in car mode) on his mother's bike. Bumblebee pursues him. Mikaela sees Sam on the run and follows him on her motor scooter. After Sam evades Bumblebee, he is confronted by Barricade who demands Archibald's glasses. Mikaela arrives as Sam is running away from Barricade. Bumblebee, still in car mode, then finds them and has them get in. Barricade chases Bumblebee to a power plant where Bumblebee transforms and battles the Decepticon robot-to-robot. Meanwhile, Frenzy chases Sam but gets his head decapitated by Mikaela. however his head still functions and takes the form of Mikaela's phone to hide in her purse. Bumblebee, who has defeated Barricade, properly introduces himself to Sam and Mikaela. He then takes them to rendezvous with the rest of the Autobots. The Autobots—[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]—land on Earth and take on the forms of several Earth vehicles. They all meet in a dark, secluded alley, transform in front of the two amazed humans, introduce themselves and tell of the reasons they had to come to Earth to Sam and Mikaela. Meanwhile, Maggie, unable to convince John Keller and his officers of the Decepticon virus' complexity, makes a copy of the intrusion signal and shows it to her friend [[Glen Whitmann]], who discovers a message with the signal about Sector Seven, Captain Witwicky, and [[Project Iceman]]. However, the FBI arrest Glen and Maggie, who desperately tries to convince them not to go to war with the wrong country.

[[Image:Movie Autobots Sector Seven.JPG|left|200px|thumb|I'll use the universal greeting.]]
Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots then return to Sam's home to retrieve the glasses. However, agents from [[Sector Seven]] arrive to take Sam and Mikaela into custody. As Sam and Mikaela are taken away in one of their vehicles, [[Seymour Simmons]], the agency's director, reveals that Mikaela has a criminal record and threatens Sam with life imprisonment, at which point the Autobots disable the convoy and rescue the teens. Mikaela then explains to Sam that the only reason she has a record is her refusal to turn her father in for the crimes he committed, prompting her to ask him what he has ever sacrificed in his "perfect little life." Reinforcements arrive at the scene and the Autobots retreat. However Sam and Mikaela are recaptured and Bumblebee is also captured despite Sam's pleas to let him go. Prime orders the Autobots to let them go, unwilling to use deadly force against the humans. At the Pentagon, a virus Frenzy uploaded during the Air Force One hack causes a global communications blackout, while Keller is finally informed of the Transformers by a Sector 7 officer. After Bumblebee's capture, Optimus uses the glasses to locate the AllSpark at Hoover Dam, and declares that if they cannot defeat the Decepticons, he will merge the Cube with his spark, even though it will kill him.

[[Image:Movie Optimus Megatron.JPG|right|200px|thumb|One shall stand. One shall fall.]]
Sam, Mikaela, Keller, Maggie, Glen, and Lennox's unit are brought to Hoover Dam, where they are shown the frozen Megatron and the AllSpark, while Frenzy slips away. Sam explains the Decepticons' plan to use the AllSpark to transform human machines to conquer the universe. Locating the AllSpark, Frenzy regenerates the rest of his body and sends out an alert to Starscream, who mobilizes the rest of the Decepticons. Due to Starscream's attack and Frenzy's sabotage, Megatron begins to thaw, and Sam, Lennox, Keller convinces the Sector Seven agents to release Bumblebee so that he can get the AllSpark to Optimus Prime. Bumblebee converts the AllSpark into a smaller state for transportation to [[Mission City]].

Glen, Maggie, Keller, and Simmons manage to contact the Air Force and direct F22s to Mission City. Frenzy tries to stop them but is killed. As Bumblebee, Sam, Mikeala, and Lennox's unit drive to Mission City, they come in contact with the other Autobots, in their vehicle modes, who change their coarse and go with their convoy. Barricade, Devastator, and Bonecrusher, in vehicle modes, pursue them and Bonecrusher transforms into robot mode. Optimus also transforms to stay behind and battle Bonecrusher, killing him. Meanwhile, the rest of the Autobots and the soldiers reach Mission City and attack by Starscream, Devastator, and Megatron. Bumblebee in crippled by Starscream while Jazz is killed by Megatron. Mikaela hijacks a tow truck to carry Bumblebee to safety while Lennox tasks Sam with taking the AllSpark to a building where it will be taken by military helicopters. Ironhide and Ratchet cover Sam as he makes his run to the building, protecting him form Blackout before being wounded by Starscream, leaving Sam to get to the building on his own.

[[Image:Megatron allspark merge.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Now, light our darkest hour!]]
Optimus finally arrives in the area and confronts Megatron. The two battle one-on-one before Megatron knocks Prime out and chases Sam. As Sam get to the roof of the building and is about to hand the AllSpark off to one of the helicopters, it is shot down by Starscream. Megatron destroys the portion of the roof the Sam is standing on when he refuses to hand over the AllSpark. However Optimus catches Sam and he and Megatron resume their duel with Megatron once again gaining the upper hand over Optimus. Meanwhile, Mikaela drives the tow truck in reverse to allow Bumblebee to fire on Devastator, who has Lennox and his men pinned down. Bumblebee kills Devastator and a full air strike is called in on Blackout and Megatron. As Blackout attempts to assist Megatron, he is killed by Lennox and the Air Force before he can engage. Starscream hides among a raptor squadron, destroying three fighters before being chased away. The Air Force and Lennox's rangers attack Megatron, inflicting serious damage upon him, but he is still functional, and heading toward the Cube. Finally, with both Prime and Megatron weakened, Prime beckons Sam to shove the AllSpark into his chest, destroying them both, but Sam instead takes the riskier action of shoving the AllSpark into Megatron's chest,destroying it, and killing Megatron instead.

{{note|For an extensive synopsis of the battle, see separate article [[Mission City]].}}

[[Image:Movie Optimus ending.JPG|right|200px|thumb|[['Til all are one]]!]]
Optimus thanks Sam for his courage and for saving his life, while Bumblebee, who has temporarily regained his voice, asks permission to remain with Sam, which is granted. In an attempt to cover up the existence of the Transformers, Sector Seven is disbanded, while the remains of the Decepticons are cast into the [[Laurentian Abyss]]. And though Megatron is dead, the AllSpark's destruction leaves the Autobots unable to restore Cybertron. With no other home to go to, the Autobots decide to stay on Earth, and Optimus sends out a signal across space in an effort to locate any surviving Autobots, while Sam and Mikaela begin a relationship. Starscream retreats from Earth.
{{-}}

==Quotes==
"Before time began, there was the Cube. We know not where it comes from, only that it holds the power to create worlds and fill them with life. That was how our race was born. For a time, we lived in harmony, but like all great power, some wanted it for good, others for evil. And so began the war - a war that ravaged our planet until it was consumed by death, and the Cube was lost to the far reaches of space. We scattered across the galaxy, hoping to find it and rebuild our home, searching every star, every world. And just when all hope seemed lost, message of a new discovery drew us to an unknown planet called...Earth. But we were already too late."
:—'''Optimus Prime's''' opening narration

"Look, can you do me a favor—can you look out the window for a second? See my father? He's the guy in the green car? Let me tell you about a dream, a boy's dream, and a man's promise to that boy. He looked him in the eye and said "Son, I'm gonna buy you a car, but I want you to bring me two-thousand dollars and three A's." OK, I got the two thousand and two A's. OK, here's the dream. Your B minus? Pfff! Dream gone. Kaputt. Sir, just ask yourself... what would [[Jesus]] do?"
:—'''Sam Witwicky''' negotiates a better mark for his Family Genealogy project

'''Bobby Bolivia:''' What with the semi-classic nature of the vehicle, slick wheels and custom paint job— 
'''Sam:''' The paint's faded! 
'''Bobby:''' Y-yeah, but it's custom. 
'''Sam:''' It's custom faded? 
'''Bobby:''' Well, it's your first car, I wouldn't expect you to understand. ''[turns to Ron]'' Five grand. 
'''Ron:''' No, not paying over four. Sorry. 
'''Bobby:''' ''[turns back to Sam]'' Kid, c'mon, get out, get out of the car. 
'''Sam:''' No, no, no, you said cars pick their drivers! 
'''Bobby:''' Well, sometimes they pick a driver with a cheap-ass father—out of the car. 
:—Negotiations over [[Bumblebee (Movie)|the car]] at [[Bolivia's Finest Quality Used Cars and Petting Zoo]]

''[Sam's car leaves in a huge puff of black smoke]'' 
"Wow... you are so cheap." 
"It's his first car... supposed to be like that."
:—'''Judy Witwicky''' comments on the car's condition to '''Ron'''

'''Capt. Lennox:''' I need a credit card! Epps, where's your wallet? 
'''Sgt. Epps:''' Pocket! ''[fires gun]'' 
'''Lennox:''' Which pocket?" 
'''Epps:''' My ''back'' pocket! ''[fires gun]'' 
'''Lennox:''' You got ten back pockets! 
'''Epps:''' Left cheek! Left cheek! ''Left cheek!'' 
:—Calling the Pentagon from Qatar gets complicated.

"Ready, heat's coming!" 
"What, BRING IT!" 
:—'''Lennox''' and '''Epps''' giving the green light for Strike Package Bravo to attack

"The parents are... irritating. Can I take them out?"
:—'''Ironhide''' meets the family

'''Jazz''': What about Bumblebee? We can't just leave him to die! And become some human experiment! 
'''Optimus Prime''': He'll die in vain if we don't accomplish our mission. Bumblebee is a brave soldier. This is what he would want. 
'''Ironhide:''' Why are we fighting to save the humans? They're a primitive and violent race. 
'''Optimus Prime:''' Were we so different? They are a young species. They have much to learn... but I've seen goodness in them. [[Make Prime Speak|Freedom is the right of all sentient beings]]... You all know there is only one way to end this war: We must destroy the Cube. If all else fails, I will unite it with the spark in my chest. 
'''Ratchet:''' That's suicide! The Cube is raw power—it could destroy you both. 
'''Optimus Prime:''' A necessary sacrifice to bring peace to this planet... We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes. It's been an honor serving with you all. Autobots, roll out! 
'''Jazz''': We rollin'! 
:—The Autobots discuss their next move.

"Do you want a piece of me?! Do you want a piece-" 
"NO! I want TWO!"''[rips Jazz in two]'' 
:—'''Jazz''', showing no fear and '''Megatron''', showing cruelty and cleverness

"Humans don't deserve to live." 
"They deserve to choose for themselves!" 
"Then you will die with them! Join them in extinction!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime''' have some mid-battle banter, Transformers style

"Give me the AllSpark, and you may live to be my ''pet''." 
"I'm never giving you this AllSpark!" 
"Oh, ''so'' unwise..."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Sam Witwicky''' have a tense moment on a Mission City rooftop.

"With the AllSpark gone, we cannot return life to our planet. And fate has yielded its reward: a new world to call... home. We live among its people now, hiding in plain sight... but watching over them in secret... waiting... protecting. I have witnessed their capacity for courage, and though we are worlds apart, like us, there's more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars: We are here... we are waiting."
:—'''Optimus Prime's''' closing narration

==Main cast==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] ([[Darius McCrary]])
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
|c2=
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]]
*[[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Jimmie Wood]])
*[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]'''*''' / Devastator
*[[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] ([[Hugo Weaving]])
*[[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] ([[Charles Adler]])
|c3=
*[[Tom Banachek]] ([[Michael O'Neill]])
*[[Mikaela Banes]] ([[Megan Fox]])
*[[Bobby Bolivia]] ([[Bernie Mac]])
*[[Robert Epps]] ([[Tyrese Gibson]])
*[[John Keller]] ([[Jon Voight]])
*[[William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Maggie Madsen]] ([[Rachael Taylor]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[Glen Whitmann]] ([[Anthony Anderson]])
*[[Judy Witwicky]] ([[Julie White]])
*[[Ron Witwicky]] ([[Kevin Dunn]])
*[[Sam Witwicky]] ([[Shia LaBeouf]])
|c4=[[AllSpark Mutation]]s
*[[Nokia-bot]]
*[[Dispensor]]
*[[Steering wheel robot|Steering wheel]]
*[[Xbox 360 robot|Xbox 360]]
|c5=Others|c5=
*[[Mojo]] ([[Chester The Dog]])
|nonumbering=true
}}
'''<nowiki>*</nowiki>''' - Brawl is named "Devastator" in the film itself, but "Brawl" in the toyline and most of the supporting media. Plot summaries and such will reflect whichever name is relevant to that being described.

==Errors==
* Sunset occurs roughly every fifteen minutes. Possibly indicative of time passage, but a little too much to not warrant mention in the actual movie. Specific instances:
**When the radar operator at SOCCENT base first spots Blackout, he reports him as an "inbound unidentified infiltrator, ten miles out". [[Colonel Sharp]] dispatches two F-22s, which incercept Blackout still in broad daylight. When Blackout lands at the base, it's suddenly sunset. As the soldiers round him up, it rapidly turns dark within what appears to be seconds. Once Blackout transforms, it's already night.
**When Mikaela walks home from the lake, the sun is still shining. Sam tells Miles that she "lives ten miles from here". After he picked her up, Bumblebee feigns an engine problem. By the time Sam gets him running again, the sky is still in an early stage of pre-sunset. By the time Sam drops Mikaela at her home, it's night again.
**Barricade assaults Sam in the middle of the day. Bumblebee intervenes and drives off with Sam and Mikaela still in broad daylight. During the ensuing car chase, sunset abruptly occurs once Bumblebee has left the warehouse, and it promptly turns night between shots.
* The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) used by the US Air Force to investigate Scorponok's attack on Captain Lennox is modeled after the [[wikipedia:MQ-9_Reaper|MQ-9 Reaper]], but is identified as the [[wikipedia:MQ-1_Predator|MQ-1 Predator]]. Also, neither of these UAVs use jet engines.
[[Image:MovieTaxis.jpg|thumb|250px|right|These shots were ''shown in sequence'', believe it or not.]]
* After Maggie copies the signal to take to Glen, she hails a black and white cab, but she's dropped off at Glen's house by an all-white cab. (The "cab hailing" footage originally came from a deleted scene near the beginning of the movie when Maggie was late for work.), and are two different models of the Crown Victoria taxicab.
* When Sam's car breaks down and Mikaela gets out to look at the engine, she leaves the passenger door open. When the car restarts and Sam leaves to close the hood, the passenger side door is now shut. But hey, maybe that was Bumblebee.
* Mikaela identifies Bumblebee's engine as having a "high-rise, double-pump carburetor" but the engine shown has no such carburetor.
* After Bumblebee backs into a corner of the power plant to evade Barricade, there is a close up shot of him spinning his wheels to make his getaway. However, the shot of the wheels spinning is at a different location: the empty warehouse that Bumblebee and Barricade had raced through moments earlier.
* Possibly an error, or possibly just a confusing shot setup, but when Bumblebee makes his escape, Barricade appears to change positions multiple times as camera angles change. Bumblebee guns his engines as Barricade is just starting to cross in front of him, but as Bumblebee speeds backwards, Barricade has backtracked well out of the way.
* After scanning his new Concept Camaro alt-form, Bumblebee's robot body displays either battle-worn parts or brand new parts at random times for the duration of the film.
[[Image:MovieJazzBarricadeLicensePlates.jpg|thumb|180px|Barricade has the plate before Jazz even comes to Earth, so it's not a trophy or anything...]]
* As long as Bumblebee transforms into a 1976 Camaro, his license plate consistently reads "489 PCE" both in vehicle and robot mode. After scanning his modern Camaro alternate mode, the license plate changes too... which isn't actually an error. What ''is'' an error, though, is that the new license plate keeps changing from "900 STRA" in vehicle mode to "4NZZ454" in robot mode.
*Jazz's license plate is equally inconsistent: On his robot mode chest it's "1-4027E", but during his transformation before his fight with [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]], he sports the license plate "664 NLZO" in vehicle mode. What's worse, "1-4027E" is also ''Barricade's'' license plate in vehicle mode, as can be seen when he slows down and then accelerates again after having seemingly cornered Bumblebee.
* During the scene where Optimus Prime scans a truck for his new body, the passing truck has what appears to be an Autobot sigil on its grill, but the actual truck that Prime turns into at the end of the scene has a much wider, flatter symbol on the grill, quite possibly a Peterbilt logo.
* When Simmons replays Sam's "last words" recorded onto his cell phone, it doesn't match what he said in the scene where he actually recorded them.
* When the Autobots arrive to rescue Sam and Mikaela from Agent Simmons, Ironhide is the first Autobot to reach the damaged SUV and the other Sector Seven agents. Behind him, Ratchet is making his way towards the SUV, while Jazz and Bumblebee have their respective weapons drawn. However, in the very next shot, Ratchet's gun is suddenly in front of Ironhide, who is now making two short steps towards the SUV, while Jazz's gun has been replaced by his hand (which he uses to pull Sector Seven's guns away magnetically). In the shot after that, Jazz is just standing around sans Sector Seven guns, while Bumblebee wanders up and draws his gun...again.
[[Image:Movie2007 Keller OBVIOUSVISUALAID.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Yer days're numbered now, Decepti-creeps.]]
* When Banachek shows Keller photographs of the Decepticon that destroyed the [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] [[Beagle 2 Rover]], and supposedly a photo of Blackout taken by Epps during the attack on SOCCENT Qatar, "Blackout's photo" is clearly taken during the day, complete with the sun behind the Decepticon as a major light source, whereas the attack on SOCCENT took place in the evening. This was either a continuity error or a ham-handed attempt to make the audience realise the attackers in both photos are one and the same by making the photos look similar.
** Not to mention that the actual Beagle 2 was a '''''European''''' Space Agency '''''lander''''', not a [[NASA]] Rover.
* During the montage where Bumblebee's frozen body is being transported inside Hoover Dam via a moving platform whilst the Autobots discuss his fate, in one of the shots the physical Bumblebee prop is missing its distinctive car doors.
* During the first half of the movie, Maggie is wearing a slim striped skirt, but she is suddenly dressed in 3/4 jeans in the scene when they arrive at Hoover Dam.
*This may not be an error, but Barricade seems to disappear after the highway scene, as he is never shown again in the movie or the [[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|sequel]]. [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] later pulls the same trick in said sequel.
* When Ironhide transforms and performs a somersault to dodge Brawl's missiles, he is seen rising first, then falling. At that moment, he is already almost at the ground, low enough to touch the ground if he stretched his arms. However on the next scene, he has gone much higher up, high enough to fire both the cannons on his arms then perform a midair somersault.
* When Lennox arrives as Sam and Mikaela are supposedly strapping Bumblebee with the tow truck's chains, Bumblebee is not actually there. When the shot changes angles to the other side of the truck, Bumblebee is sitting right beside the truck while Sam directs Mikaela to wrap Bumblebee in the chains. When Lennox tells Sam to evacuate the Cube, subsequent camera angles from this side of the truck are actually where Bumblebee was moments earlier, but he's not there again (it is unlikely the angle was meant to be from Bumblebee's perspective). When Sam starts to run off and Mikaela calls him back, Bumblebee is once again clearly not sitting beside the truck. In fact, the space he once occupied has the beige van he crawled out of, earlier in the battle. What makes this all the more bizarre is that the life-sized Bumblebee prop was actually used for some of the scenes that depict Bumblebee strapped to the tow truck.
[[Image:MovieTowTruckNumbers.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Mike changed phone numbers while giant robots were fighting in the city.]]
* After Optimus Prime and Megatron land in the city streets after flying through the office tower, Megatron throws the Autobot leader a short distance away, causing him to land on a parked car. After Megatron forms his fusion cannon, Optimus Prime has suddenly moved further down the street and the car he crushed, along with the other abandoned cars, have vanished. Also, in this shot, Optimus' feet don't make craters or any visible mark on the concrete. Yet, when Optimus is running from the Sector Seven Agents, he's making huge craters while he is side-stepping cars. (This comes with weighing over four tons and running 40 miles an hour.) Additionally, Optimus stops at the intersection just in front of Megatron to pull out his Ion blaster in this shot, but when it cuts to a shot to the left-front of Optimus, he is only mid-way up the street, and there is a parked yellow cab at the curb which was empty seconds earlier. Funnily enough, this curb was where the crushed car was parked.
* During the fight towards the end of the film between Megatron and Optimus, it is shown that Optimus is about the same size as Megatron in robot mode. Yet, in vehicle mode, Megatron is a great deal larger then Optimus is. Similarly, Starscream seems to be smaller than Megatron in robot form, leading to the logical conclusion that he is smaller than Optimus as well. Yet in vehicle mode, he is nearly four to five times larger, seeing as an F-22 Raptor is a great deal larger than a Peterbilt 379 tractor cab. And they say they don't have [[scale]] problems.
* ''See also: [[Mission City]].''
*The phone number on the doors of the tow truck is "800-555-0199" when Mikaela is driving it, but when she gets out, the number changes to "800-555-MIKE". The font is slightly different, too.
* In the battle at Mission City, Brawl very clearly fires 3 missiles out of his shoulder-mounted missile launcher, but before he dies, all 4 missiles are in his missile launcher. Then again, this could just be a sort of 'auto-reload' thing the Transformers have going on, as they probably wouldn't get very far in battle if they were only limited to 4 missiles each.
* When Keller is meeting with the other officials, he says they're going to dump the bodies of the Decepticons into the Laurentian Abyss, the deepest place on the planet. The deepest place on the planet is the Mariana Trench.

===Explicable discrepancies===
* Sam and Mikaela, as well as Maggie and Glen arrive at Hoover Dam on the same helicopter despite being from opposite ends of the country. Occasionally cited as an error, it is actually a narrative oversight, as it is likely that Sam and Mikaela were held in custody at a U.S. Air Base while waiting for Maggie and Glen to arrive with Secretary Keller's party by plane, then they all left for Hoover Dam together on the helicopters.

* There are some problems with Simmons's statement about various technologies being reverse-engineered from Megatron. Cars came about in one shape or form at about the turn of the century, and spaceflight technology was pioneered by German and Soviet scientists. (This is possibly what [[Sector Seven|they]] ''want'' you to think.) Then again, [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]] also thinks that Nokia is a Japanese company...

* Most people mistakenly confuse the date of Megatron's discovery with the date the Hoover Dam was built. Based on the various dates given by Banachek, it's clear that Megatron was ''left in the Arctic'' for many years before being moved to Hoover Dam, making his discovery easily pre-date cars.

==Transformer references==
The movie contains a number of nods and winks to previous iterations of ''Transformers'', primarily from ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]''. Some of these were included in direct response to urgings of the fans; others originated with the production crew.

* The basic story set-up is similar to many iterations of the ''Generation 1'' story — two warring factions, the noble Autobots and the power-hungry Decepticons, arrive on Earth, having left their devastated home planet, the war-torn mechanical world of Cybertron.
* Many of the featured Transformers are re-imagined versions of characters from ''Generation 1''. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] in particular are similar in physical form and characterization to their movie incarnations. The Movie versions of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] differ in appearance but fulfill story roles similar to their original versions.
* Though the characters are new, "[[Frenzy (disambiguation)|Frenzy]]", "[[Scorponok (disambiguation)|Scorponok]]", "[[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]]/[[Devastator (disambiguation)|Devastator]]", "[[Blackout (disambiguation)|Blackout]]", "[[Barricade (disambiguation)|Barricade]]", and "[[Bonecrusher (disambiguation)|Bonecrusher]]" are all names that have been used on Transformer characters before.
* Blackout's symbiotic relationship with Scorponok originated as an interpretation of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and his cassette troops. Frenzy's transformation into a portable stereo is likewise an homage to Soundwave's cassette deck alternate form.
* Sam shares his last name with the [[Witwicky#Generation 1 continuity family|main human allies]] of the Autobots in the original [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]]. Like Spike before him, he's closest to Bumblebee.
* The Autobot faction symbol seen on Bumblebee and others is basically unchanged from its ''Generation 1'' appearance.
* The AllSpark takes its name from [[Allspark|a concept]] originally introduced in ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''.
* The original G1 [[transformation]] sound pops up several times during the course of the film, such as Blackout's first conversion sequence (though truth be told it sounds more like it's being broadcast from a loudspeaker.)
[[Image:Movie BoliviasFinestQualityUsedCars 2.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Your bargaining posture is highly dubious.]]
* In his first appearance, Bumblebee parks next to a yellow Volkswagen Beetle — the alternate form of [[Bumblebee (G1)|G1 Bumblebee]].
* When instructing the Autobots to escape Sector Seven and when they later head for Hoover Dam, Optimus Prime delivers his catchphrase from the ''Generation 1'' cartoon, ordering them to [[Roll out|"Roll out!"]]
* Sam's surmise that the Transformers come from Japan is [[TakaraTomy|not entirely inaccurate]].
* Prime references "the spark in my chest". [[Spark]]s — the life-force that makes Transformers alive — have been an integral part of Transformers fiction since ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.
* Although the Transformers' primary energy supply, [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]], does not make an established physical appearance in the film, its name appears on the license plate of an SUV thrown through the air during Megatron's rampage in [[Mission City]].
* Optimus Prime's line "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" is the quote from his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|original 1984 toy's]] [[bio]]. At least one of the reasons for the inclusion of this line was because it won in an online contest conducted by [[Paramount]] in late 2006, named "[[Make Prime Speak]]".
* Prime's line "...one shall stand; one shall fall" comes from the 1986 animated ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* The scene in which Jazz yanks aside Devastator's tank barrel is a direct homage to a similar sequence from TF:TM involving [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]].
* Ironhide's complaint that [[Mojo]] "leaked lubricant" on his foot references a [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|favorite]] [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|exclamation]] [[Power Play!|of his]] ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Ironhide (G1)|counterpart]], "Leakin' lubricant!" The phrase originated with his [[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|original character outline]], stating that "he [refers to] excessive talking as 'leaking lubricant.'"
* Sam telling Mikaela that there's "more than meets the eye... with you" quotes the slogan used in the toy line, also included in the G1 series [[theme song]].
*Megatron wields a flail in the Mission City battle, just as he did in his fight with Optimus Prime in the second-ever G1 episode, [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]].

==Other editions==
The 2007 Transformers film has more than one "cut."

* The worldwide theatrical release was essentially identical all around the world with a few minor exceptions.
* The film board of Malaysia{{fact}} required [[Judy Witwicky]]'s masturbation reference be removed. However, no such change has been made and her lines were not omitted from the film.
*Glen's line, "that killer robot is really distracting", was cut from DVD releases. However, it is featured in the official novelization of the movie.
* The [[wikipedia:IMAX|IMAX]] edition of the movie features two minutes of additional footage in the form of slightly extended scenes and very brief new scenes. Added material includes the following:
**Before heading to the lake party, Sam is shown picking Miles up at his house. Miles derides Sam's choice of car colors.
**After Sam is questioned by the sheriff at the police station, he is given an anti-drug bumper sticker and shown the "[[wikipedia:This is Your Brain on Drugs|This is Your Brain on Drugs]]" [[Public service announcement|PSA]] starring [[wikipedia:Rachel Leigh Cook|Rachel Leigh Cook]].
**After abducting Sam and Mikaela, Agent Simmons uses a device to monitor Sam's pupil dilation while interrogating him in the truck. He also remarks that he has "been there" when it comes to women with criminal records.
**Upon arriving at Hoover Dam, Simmons remarks colorfully that it is "Area 50". A few minutes later, he lists the nicknames of all the U.S. Presidents to have toured the facility.
**In Mission City, Lennox acquires short-range radios from a gun-toting, but easily-flattered, pawn shop owner.

==Prequel material==
* ''[[Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday]]''
: A novel about the truth behind humankind's first venture into space and how that event is related to the Transformers' presence on Earth, both past and present.

* ''[[Transformers: Movie Prequel |Transformers: Movie Prequel]]''
: A four issue limited series comic book from [[IDW Publishing]], released before the movie's debut. It chronicles the events which bring the Transformers to [[Earth]].

* "[[Interlude]]" (also originally published as ''Transformers Movie Prequel'')
: A short comic book by IDW, produced in cooperation with [[Target]], available (online) from Target's website and (in printed form) at BotCon and in theaters, following Bumblebee's early search for clues on Earth.

* "[[Planetfall (Movie)|Planetfall]]" (also originally published as ''Transformers Movie Prequel'')
: A mini-comic by IDW, produced in cooperation with Target, available (online) from Target's website and (in printed form) as a Target exclusive bonus pack-in with the Movie DVD, showing the Decepticons' arrival on Earth.

* The ''[[Movie Prequel Special]]''
: A mass retail release that contains reprints of both "Planetfall" and "Interlude" (now with individual story titles) in collected form.

* ''[[Transformers: Beginnings]]''
: A not-really-animated animatic version of IDW's ''[[Transformers: Movie Prequel |Movie Prequel]]'' comics, voiced by some of the actors from the movie, the game and a bunch of other people. Included on a [[Walmart]] exclusive bonus DVD available with the Movie DVD.

* ''[[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Transformers]]''
: A monthly comic published in the UK by [[Titan Books]], featuring new adventures set before the movie in its initial six issues (in addition to reprints of stories originally published by IDW). They were reprinted by IDW in the ''[[Transformers: Saga of the Allspark|Saga of the Allspark]]'' mini-series.

Some dialog in the film contradicts the prequel material, specifically pertaining to the years in which the frozen Megatron was moved from the Arctic to Hoover Dam, and exactly when the Decepticons arrived on Earth. Some of the prequel material contradicts the ''other'' prequel material... at least till [[John Barber]] fixed some of them on his [[Dark of the Moon (franchise)|''Dark of the Moon'' tie in comics]].

==Adaptations==
* A novelization of the film by [[Alan Dean Foster]] was published under the title ''[[Transformers (novel)|Transformers]]''.
* IDW Publishing released a comic adaptation of the film under the title ''[[Transformers: Movie Adaptation|Movie Adaptation]]''.

==Sequels==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}

A sequel to this film has been produced and has been released worldwide.

[[IDW Publishing]] also released the comic sequel to the film, titled ''[[Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream]]''.

==Soundtrack==
{{main|Transformers: The Album}}

==Score==
{{main|Transformers: The Score}}

==Home video releases==
[[Image:2007Movie 2-disc DVD.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
{{main|Transformers (2007)/home video}}
* '''US:''' [http://tformers.com/US-To-Get-Transformers-DVD-HD-DVD-October-16th/8350/news.html October 16th, 2007] (DVD, HD-DVD), [http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1175/transformers2007.html September 2nd, 2008] (Blu-ray)
* '''Australia:''' November 1st, 2007 (DVD)
* '''United Kingdom:''' December 3rd, 2007 (DVD, HD-DVD), September 8th, 2008 (Blu-ray)

There are nearly a dozen store [[exclusive]] [http://tformers.com/Transformers-DVD-Exclusives-Who-Gets-What/8534/news.html versions and sales premiums of the DVD.] They include:

* [[Target]] and HMV UK: transforming Optimus Prime display case.
* Best Buy: [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] [[Cliffjumper (Movie)|Cliffjumper]] and battle-damaged Optimus Prime.
* [[Walmart]]: [[Transformers: Beginnings]] "animated" prequel material.
* Borders: "Making Of" book.
* Circuit City: password unlocking 15 minutes of exclusive online behind-the-scenes featurettes, covering the voice recording sessions, prop construction, stunt work, and early CG tests and animatics.
{{-}}

==Theatrical posters==
{{picsneeded|Any other official posters not depicted here}}
<center><gallery perrow="4">
Image:Transformers2007teaserposter.jpg|Teaser poster
Image:Movie2007 Autobot promo poster.jpg|Autobot promo poster
Image:Movie2007 Decepticon promo poster.jpg|Decepticon promo poster
Image:Prime-Sam-Mikaela-poster.jpg|Promotional poster
Image:Movie2007 Megatron onesheet.jpg|Megatron one sheet
Image:Movie2007 Prime onesheet.jpg|Optimus Prime one sheet
Image:Movie2007_final_standee.jpg|Standee, also used as a poster
Image:Movie2007 humans internationalposter.jpg|International "Humans" poster/US theatrical poster
Image:Movie2007 Sphere internationalposter.jpg|International "Sphere" poster
Image:Movie2007 Bumblebee internationalposter.jpg|International Bumblebee poster
Image:Movie2007 Prime internationalposter.jpg|International Optimus Prime poster
Image:Movie2007 Megatron internationalposter.jpg|International Megatron poster
Image:Movie2007_Korean_poster.jpg|South Korean theatrical release poster
Image:Movie2007 Japanese Aprilpromo poster.jpg|Japanese April 2007 promotional poster
Image:Movie2007_Japanese_release_poster.jpg|Japanese theatrical release poster
Image:Movie2007_IMAX_poster.jpg|IMAX promotional poster
Image:Movie2007_IMAX_releaseposter.jpg|IMAX release poster
Image:Movie2007 handsmashy ver7 poster.jpg|Used as a prominent skyscraper advert
</gallery></center>

==Reception==
The movie set multiple records when it opened, including biggest opening week gross for a non-sequel ($155.4 million), biggest Tuesday release gross ($27.4 million), biggest July 4th gross ($29 million), and the biggest film opening in mainland China ($3 million) [http://www.china.org.cn/english/entertainment/217368.htm].

The movie closed domestically on [[November 8]], [[2007]], during which time it took in $319,246,193. (Domestic gross accounted for $310,578,372 before the IMAX version's release.) It has earned a ''worldwide'' gross of $708,272,592. It currently sits at spot #20 in the "most domestic gross" list of movies, though this listing is ''not'' adjusted for inflation. When taking inflation into account, ''Transformers'' currently sits at #102. [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers06.htm 2]

{{quote|I didn't sleep through it the way I Novocained my way through the awful ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'', but by the time it ended, I thought I might have vertigo or whiplash, or both, and I certainly lost more than a few of my remaining I.Q. points|[http://www.observer.com/2007/bay-bombs-again Rex Reed]}}

{{quote|It's goofy fun with a lot of stuff that blows up real good, and it has the grace not only to realize how preposterous it is, but to make that into an asset.|Roger Ebert}}

{{quote|But it's tough to really care about questions like, "Why did that happen?" or even "What's going on?" when you’re constantly interrupted by "Oh my goodness! Giant robots! Weeee!"|Peter Suderman|[http://tinyurl.com/373rps The National Review]}}

Critical reception was hit-and-miss, [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_the_movie/ more positive than negative but not by a lot], though it's sometimes hard to tell how many negative reviewers were more interested in criticizing [[Michael Bay]] in general over the movie itself. Otherwise, the most common negatives involved it being a generally think-free "spectacle"-style movie; even those who rated the movie positively noted it was a pure "popcorn" movie meant to wow its audience with [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] and explosions rather than make them think (Richard Roper noted in his "thumbs up" review "it has no nutritional value"). Whether one considers that a good or bad thing for a movie and if the movie was enough fun to overcome that is, of course, highly debatable. The other main culprit, again noted by many of the positive reviews, was its long running time, particularly the overly-chaotic, often hard-to-follow final big-bang extended ending action sequence. ([http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070705/REVIEWS/70620006/1023 Roger Ebert] noted that this sequence was what made him give the movie three out of four stars rather than the full four.)

Transformers was nominated for three Oscars, in the fields of Achievement in Sound Editing, Achievement in Sound Mixing, and Achievement in Visual Effects. The sound awards went to ''The Bourne Ultimatum'', and the visual effects award went to ''The Golden Compass''.

Two sequels have been produced to date ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' was released worldwide on [[June 24]] [[2009]] and ''[[Dark of the Moon (film)|Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]'' was released on [[June 28]], [[2011]].

According to a 2011 survey, the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie is the third most-pirated movie of all time.<ref><tt>The usual suspects were there, with "Avatar" (21 million downloads) taking top (dis?)honors, and "The Dark Knight" tying for second place with "Transformers" at 19 million downloads apiece.</tt>[http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/14/showbiz/movies/top-pirated-movies-ew/index.html Top 10 most pirated movies], October 14, 2011</ref>

==Technical details==
'''Length:''' 144 min (original theatrical)<ref>The movie had some content cuts to meet the standards of some <strike>oppressive regimes</strike> quaint "developing world" rating boards.</ref> 
'''Aspect Ratio:''' 2.35:1 
'''Audio:''' Dolby Digital / DTS / SDDS 
'''Content Rating:'''
{{collist|4|
* PG-13 (USA/MPAA)
* ? (Japan)
* 12A (United Kingdom)
* PG (Canada; British Columbia)<ref>''Transformers'' received a "14A" rating in British Columbia, but an appeal by the studio successfully reduced it to PG.</ref>
* G (Canada; Quebec)
* PG (Canada; Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario)
* PG (Canada; Canadian Home Video Rating System)
* PG (Taiwan)
* IIA (China; Hong Kong)
* PG (Singapore)
* G (Philippines/MTRCB)
* U (France)
* U (Malaysia)
* M (Australia)
* M (New Zealand)
* TE (Chile)
* 10 (Brazil)
* 10M (South Africa)
* 11 (Denmark)
* K-11 (Finland)
* 11 (Norway)
* 11 (Sweden)
* 12 (Germany)
* 12A (Ireland)
* 12 (Netherlands)
* M/12 (Portugal)
* 12 (South Korea)
* 12 (Switzerland)
* 13 (Argentina)
* 14 (Peru)
* 12 (Poland)
* B (Mexico)}}

==Production staff==
[[Image:Movie Castandcrew2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Megatron? Is that you?!]]
* Executive Producer: [[Steven Spielberg]]
* Executive Producer: [[Brian Goldner]]
* Director: [[Michael Bay]]
* Producers: [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]], [[Ian Bryce]], [[Tom DeSanto]], [[Don Murphy]]
* Story by: [[Alex Kurtzman]] & [[Roberto Orci]] and [[John Rogers]],
* Screenwriters: [[Alex Kurtzman]] & [[Roberto Orci]]
* Music by: [[Steve Jablonsky]]

====Visual Effects====
* Visual Effects by: [[Industrial Light and Magic]], [[Digital Domain]]
* Production Designer: [[Jeff Mann]]
* Lead Robot Illustrator: [[Ben Procter]]
* Illustrators: [[James Clyne]], [[Tim Flattery]]
* ILM Visual Effects Supervisior: [[Scott Farrar]]
* Art Director: [[Alex Jaeger]]
* Animation Supervisors: [[Scott Benza]], [[Dan Taylor (ILM)|Dan Taylor]]
* Animators: [[Charles Alleneck]], [[C. Michael Easton]], [[Keiji Yamaguchi]]

====Locations Department====
(winners of the California On Location Award[http://www.californiaonlocationawards.com/] for "Production Company / Location Team of the Year for Feature Films")

* Supervising Location Manager: '''Ilt Jones'''
* Location Managers: '''Michael J. Burmeister''', '''Fermín Dávalos''', and '''Emre Sonmez'''
* Key Assistant Location Managers: '''Michael Wesley Aycock''', '''Leann Emmert''', '''Perri Fichtner''', '''Ronald M. Haynes''', '''Jonathan Hook''', '''Kathy McCurdy''', '''Manny Padilla''', '''Lisa Patton''', '''Rob Swenson''', '''Marta Tomkiw''', and '''Scott Trimble'''
* Additional Key Assistant Location Managers: '''Brooks Bonstin''', '''Alexandre Chen''', '''Michael Chickey''', '''Martin J. Cummins'''
* Assistant Location Managers: '''Ces Hardy''' and '''Amanda Harrington'''
* Location Scouts: '''Stuart Raven Barter''', '''Richard Klotz''', '''James Lin''', and '''Keith Nakata'''
{{-}}
==Development details==
===Cast and crew signing on===
In 2000, director Joseph Kahn pitched his treatment for a live-action Transformers film to [[Sony]], but they eventually lost interest in a film. In 2003, producer [[Don Murphy]] had intended to produce a movie based on another [[Hasbro]] property, [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]. However, following the US invasion of Iraq in March of 2003, a movie entitled "G.I. Joe" was no longer considered viable, so Carol Monroe, who was in charge of Hasbro's movie department at that time, suggested doing a ''Transformers'' movie instead.<ref name="murphylatino">[http://www.latinoreview.com/news/on-set-interview-producer-don-murphy-on-transformers-1502 Latino Review interview with producer Don Murphy.]</ref> [[Tom DeSanto]] joined the project as a second producer and wrote a treatment that he and Murphy tried to shop around for a while. (The treatment would eventually remain entirely unused, but DeSanto would try to get a writing credit regardless, even though none of the screenwriters had ever actually ''seen'' his treatment.<ref name="bayspat">[http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-hollywood-deal/2007/07/05/michael-bays-spat-with-his-transformer-producers Rant by Michael Bay, deleted from his own blog, still mirrored on other sites]</ref>) The movie was officially announced for the first time in June of 2003.<ref name="comingsoon">[http://www.comingsoon.net/news.php?id=238 Coming Soon announcing he movie.]</ref>

In 2004, after [[DreamWorks]] won a bidding war with New Line Cinema over the rights to the film, [[Steven Spielberg]] signed up as executive producer, while [[John Rogers]] was confirmed as screenwriter in November of the same year.<ref>[http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/563/563081p1.html IGN confirming Rogers as screenwriter.]</ref> In February of 2005, Rogers was replaced by [[Alex Kurtzman]] and [[Roberto Orci]],<ref name="ignkurtzorc">[http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/588/588884p1.html IGN confirming Kurtzman and Orci as new screenwriters.]</ref> who drastically reworked Rogers' original script.<ref name="rogerscred">[http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2007/07/proper-credits-for-transformers.html John Rogers confirming that Kurtzman and Orci drastically rewrote his script]</ref> Spielberg tried to convince [[Michael Bay]] to direct the movie in late July of 2005, but Bay initially declined, having no interest in a "toy movie". He later changed his mind after attending "Transformers school" at Hasbro, but decided to make the movie "realistic" and accessible for adult viewers.<ref name="audio">Michael Bay's audio commentary on the ''Transformers'' DVD.</ref>

A few days after a list of names of the human cast had been leaked on the internet, [[Shia LaBeouf]] was confirmed as the first cast member.<ref name="ignshia">[http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/698/698735p1.html IGN confirming Shia LaBeouf.]</ref> Producer Don Murphy,<ref name="murphytfcon">[http://www.transformerscon.com/videos.php Don Murphy at the Canadian TransformersCon.]</ref> Hasbro<ref name="tfwtour">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/139273-botcon-2007-botcon-2007-hasbro-tour-updated-friday-12-45pm.html Hasbro tour report.]</ref> and the screenwriters<ref name="mtv">[http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1554426/20070312/story.jhtml MTV.com interview with Kurtzman and Orci.]</ref> all favored [[Peter Cullen]] and [[Frank Welker]] as voice actors for [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]. Bay had both audition, but only hired Cullen, while preferring [[Hugo Weaving]] as Megatron.<ref name="cgirobot">[http://web.archive.org/web/20070810172643/http://www.wizarduniverse.com/movies/transformersmovie/004974570.cfm Wizard Universe article about the production of the movie.]</ref> However, Welker still got to voice Megatron (alongside Cullen as Prime) in the video game adaption of the movie, ''[[Transformers The Game]]'', as well as in ''[[Transformers: Beginnings]]'', an animated (sort of) version of [[IDW Publishing|IDW's]] [[Transformers: Movie Prequel |prequel comic mini-series]] that was available on a Wal*Mart exclusive bonus disc included with the movie DVD.

===Sponsors and partners===
====Hasbro====
In addition to acting as a licensor, Hasbro also actively participated in the development of the movie, starting with an introduction into the world of the Transformers, called the "Transformers School", for everyone involved, including [[Michael Bay]].<ref name="paramountbotcon">[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=8001 "Hasbro and Paramount Partnership Panel" at BotCon 2007.]</ref> Hasbro also had a say in the depiction of the Transformers in the movie, the selection of the voice actors,<ref name="tfwtour" /> naming the characters, working on the robot designs<ref name="lorenzoiesb">[http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2724&Itemid=99 IESB interview with Ian Bryce and Lorenzo di Bonaventura.]</ref> and the inclusion of "easter eggs", but no veto rights.<ref name="paramountbotcon" /> According to screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]], Hasbro was more interested in an adequate adaption of the ''Transformers'' concept rather than ''only'' marketing the toyline.<ref name="orcihasbro">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2200611&postcount=239 Roberto Orci discussing Hasbro's involvement.]</ref> Nevertheless, Hasbro urged [[Michael Bay]] very early on to decide upon the Transformers characters to be used in the movie and their vehicle forms because of the long production run of the toys, even though the script wasn't completed yet by that point.<ref name="bayew">[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20035285_20035331_20044598_3,00.html Entertainment Weekly interview with Michael Bay.]</ref> Hasbro and [[Takara]] then created the [[Movie (toyline)|toys]] based on the designs developed by [[Industrial Light and Magic]]. Aside from this, Takara wasn't involved in the creation of the movie at all.<ref name="murphytformers">[http://www.tformers.com/article.php?sid=3945 TFormers interview with Don Murphy.]</ref>

Unlike other ''Transformers'' toylines (except for ''[[Alternators]]''), Hasbro and Takara don't share the full rights to the movie toys: Paramount and ILM hold the rights to the robot designs, while the vehicle modes were licensed by companies such as General Motors ([[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]), Saleen ([[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]), Force Protection Industries ([[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]]), the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation ([[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]]) and the Lockheed Martin Corporation ([[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]). Only [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] didn't require a license, since his vehicle mode in the movie was heavily genericized, and all manufacturer logos were removed.<ref name="edmundsveh">[http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=121424 Edmunds.com article on the vehicles featured in the movie.]</ref> TakaraTomy even identifies the Leader Class toy as a Kenworth W900 instead of a Peterbilt 379.<ref name="takaraprime">[http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/products/movie/ma-01.html TakaraTomy product page for Leader Class Optimus Prime.]</ref>

Even though Hasbro didn't directly profit from the box office revenue, owning the ''Transformers'' brand allowed them to profit more from the toys than from licensed brands such as ''[[Spider-Man]]'' or ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]''. In addition, Hasbro was able to give out over 240 licenses to third party companies.<ref name="hasbrofall">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6912693.stm BBC reporting on Hasbro quarterly earnings for July 2007.]</ref> In the USA alone, Hasbro had sold more than three million toys from the movie line as early as July 2007,<ref name="cnnmoney">[http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/23/news/companies/hasbro/index.htm?section=money_topstories CNN Money story on Hasbro sales.]</ref> while Wal-Mart had earned more than five million $USD with the movie Transformers at the same time.<ref name="walmartmillion">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=143983 Wal-Mart employee Steevy Maximus reporting on sales figures for movie toys.]</ref> A lot of the movie toys were frequently sold out at many stores ("drought") due to a mix of popularity, stores underestimating said popularity (and thus not ordering enough toys), shipping problems in China and [[Toy scalping|scalpers]].

====US Military====
The [[United States military]] supported the movie by providing vehicles and soldiers. The vehicles included an MH-53 Pave Low helicopter ([[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout)]], several F-22 Raptors (one of them serving as [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s alternate mode), two A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jets, an E-3 Sentry AWACS plane, an AC-130 Spectre gunship and two V-22 Ospreys. Many other airplanes are seen in the background like a few UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, several F-117 Nighthawks, and several cargo planes like the C-17 Globemaster and the C-130 Hercules. Therefore, ''Transformers'' is the first movie to feature real, non-CG F-22s.<ref name="afmil">[http://www.afspc.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123061917 Air Force Space Command article on the movie.]</ref> Real soldiers trained with the actors who played military personnel<ref name="tyreselatino">[http://www.latinoreview.com/news.php?id=2260 Latino Review interview with Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel.]</ref> and were also featured as extras in the movie. Michael Bay even allowed them to improvise lines to make their military dialogue sound as "realistic" as possible.<ref name="nabbtfw">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=115126 First Lieutenant Micheal McNabb reporting his experience of working on the movie.]</ref> In return for their cooperation, Bay gave the military a say in their own depiction in the movie.<ref name="wired">[http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/15-07/trans_movie?currentPage=all Wired.com article on the movie.]</ref> The military, in turn, views the movie as a new form of recruitment.<ref name="aflink">[http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123021491 Air Force Link article about the movie.]</ref>

====Product Placement====
Aside from advertising the ''Transformers'' toyline, the movie also features product placement for other companies, such as Apple, Yahoo, Burger King, Nokia, Panasonic, eBay and Hewlett-Packard. The machines given life by the Allspark include an Xbox 360 (including the original startup sound) and a [[Dispensor|Mountain Dew soda vending machine]]. In addition, the movie also features other Hasbro brands, such as ''My Little Pony'' and ''Furby'' (the latter being a property of Hasbro's subsidiary Tiger Electronics). Furthermore, all Autobots, with the exception of Optimus Prime, have vehicles provided by subsidiaries of General Motors as their [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]], which saved Michael Bay $3 million of his budget.<ref name="bayew" />

Many of these cooperations were mutual: Burger King offered the obligatory Kids Meal toys based on the movie characters for the movie's theatrical launch, and General Motors and Mountain Dew ran TV ads under the titles "Transform Your Ride" and "Transform Your Summer", respectively. According to producers Ian Bryce and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, however, some of these brands, such as [[eBay]], were not originally included as part of a sponsoring deal, but had been part of the script from the beginning for story purposes on the writers' behalf.<ref name="lorenzoiesb" /> For the DVD release of the movie, meanwhile, ''additional'' "Cisco" logos were added into the movie that had not been there yet in the theatrical version.<ref name="dvdprod">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=38792 Allspark thread featuring comparison stills of the theatrical and DVD versions of the movie.]</ref>

===Special effects===
* Three quarters of the CG effects were done by [[Industrial Light & Magic]]. The other quarter was done by [[Digital Domain]], a company [[Michael Bay]] bought shortly before signing up to the ''Transformers'' movie.
* As seen in the bonus material for the Movie DVD, at least some of the ILM designers are actually Transformers fans. One of the animators, [[Charles Alleneck]], has his entire office decorated in more ''Transformers'' toys than a lot of "regular" fans might own.
* Physical props and set pieces were built for several of the Transformers' robot modes. Full body props for [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] (the 2009 Camaro body) and [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] were used for scenes that involved direct interaction with the human cast. The Bumblebee prop (with detached legs) was also used for the scene where he was strapped to a [[Longarm (Movie)|tow truck]]. A set featuring the frozen lower half of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] body was also built. The rest is assorted bits and pieces, such as [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok's]] head and tail, a part of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s leg (including a wheel) and an unpainted, entirely blue version of his head plus a small part of the upper chest, and various semi-random chunks meant to represent the remains of the destroyed Decepticons dumped into the ocean (some of the parts meant to represent pieces of [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] even feature markings found on a real-life MH-53 Pave Low helicopter).

===Changes before, during and after production===
A lot of details about the movie changed during the pre-production phase (and even still during production and post-production):

* The script was originally supposed to center around the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], but because the studio wanted to avoid association with the ''Matrix'' movie trilogy, it had to be renamed. For the longest time, the working name was "[[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] Cube", which neither the fans nor producer [[Don Murphy]] were really happy with.<ref name="murphytfcon" /> Ultimately, it was renamed into the [[AllSpark]] for the final movie; however, the name "Energon Cube" is still used in [[Alan Dean Foster]]'s [[Transformers (novel)|novelization]] of the movie, and was also used by [[Shia LaBeouf]] in a CBS interview immediately before the movie's official theatrical launch.<ref name="shiacbs">[http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3004937n?source=search_video CBS interview with Shia LaBeouf.]</ref>
* One of the Autobot characters in the early Kurtzman/Orci drafts was [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], who would have turned into a motorcycle. Even though Hasbro developed a toy based on the designs for the character, Arcee was dropped from the script and replaced with [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]: Kurtzman and Orci didn't want to spend time explaining the purpose of "female" Autobots,<ref name="orciign">[http://movies.ign.com/articles/801/801098p3.html IGN interview with Roberto Orci.]</ref> and Michael Bay considered her too small as compared to the rest of the Autobots.<ref name="orciwizard">[http://web.archive.org/web/20070714214451/http://www.wizarduniverse.com/movies/transformersmovie/005082421.cfm?page=1 Wizard interview with Kurtzman and Orci]</ref> Despite what fans commonly assume, however, the scene during the final battle in [[Mission City]] where [[William Lennox|Lennox]] uses an abandoned motorcycle for his assault on [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] wasn't added to the script until ''after'' Arcee had already been dropped from the script; however, had she ''not'' been dropped, she ''would'' have probably been that motorcycle.<ref name="arceelennox">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/2288318-post539.html Orci once again clearing up the story between Arcee and the motorcycle Lennox uses during the final battle]</ref>
* Other Autobot characters considered by Orci and Kurtzman were [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]].<ref name="orcichara">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=388609&postcount=280 Roberto Orci confirming various characters originally intended for the movie.]</ref> The last was eventually dropped because Orci and Kurtzman preferred the idea of "a Decepticon in disguise as a police vehicle".<ref name="orciprowl">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=365508&postcount=4411 Orci explaining why Prowl is not in the movie]</ref>
* Kurtzman and Orci tried ''twice'' to include [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] in the movie. The first attempt was supposed to turn into a helicopter,<ref name="orciswave">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=351304&postcount=4161 Roberto Orci confirming that Blackout was originally intended to be Soundwave.]</ref> but Hasbro rejected that notion and insisted that Soundwave's [[alternate mode]] should have something to do with music.<ref name="murphyswave">[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showpost.php?p=97507&postcount=23 Post by Don Murphy at his message board.]</ref> The "helicopter" character was then renamed multiple times, among those names being "Grimlock",<ref name="early">Details from an early script draft [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2213120&postcount=297 summed up here], [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2214148&postcount=303 confirmed as authentic by Roberto Orci here].</ref> "Vortex",<ref name="orcisample">[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showpost.php?p=1120447&postcount=2360 Unformatted script sample from first draft posted by Roberto Orci on Don Murphy's message board]</ref> "Devastator"<ref name="procterdevas">[http://www.benprocter.com/SITEv2/HTML/ZOOM_Trans/ZOOM_32.html "Devastator" concept art at Ben Procter's online portfolio.]</ref> and "Incinerator".<ref name="procterinc">[http://www.benprocter.com/SITEv2/HTML/ZOOM_Trans/ZOOM_34.html "Incinerator" pre-production render at Ben Procter's online portfolio.]</ref> The character eventually ended up as [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]].
* The second attempt would have infiltrated the CIA headquarters in the form of a "portable stereo" and then transformed (and size-shifted) into a Humvee for his escape and tracked down [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]].<ref name="early" /> The "vehicle" part was later turned into a separate character, who was then given a different alternate mode (as a police cruiser) and eventually ended up as [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]. Meanwhile, the "portable stereo" character also went through several changes, because Kurtzman and Orci eventually decided that the character didn't really do Soundwave justice, so they decided to change his name and save Soundwave for the [[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|sequel]].<ref name="webcast">[http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808716430/video/2701721/20070418/2048/2701721-300-wmv-s.35907855-,2701721-300-flash-s.35907881-,2701721-100-wmv-s.35907849-,2701721-100-flash-s.35907874-,2701721-1000-wmv-s.35907866-,2701721-1000-flash-s.35907894-,2701721-700-flash-s.35907887-,2701721-700-wmv-s.35907861- Yahoo webcast with Kurtzman and Orci, revealing the final names of the movie characters.]</ref> The character went through some other working names such as "Boombot"<ref name="procterboom">[http://www.benprocter.com/SITEv2/HTML/ZOOM_Trans/ZOOM_45.html "Boombot" concept art at Ben Procter's online portfolio.]</ref> and "Soundbyte"<ref name="proctersbyte">[http://www.benprocter.com/SITEv2/HTML/ZOOM_Trans/ZOOM_54.html "Soundbyte" head study at Ben Procter's online portfolio.]</ref> and eventually ended up as [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]].
* Other Decepticon characters considered by Orci and Kurtzman, aside from Soundwave, were [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]].<ref name="orcichara" /> The latter was originally supposed to be a minion of helicopter Soundwave, who would have chased [[William Lennox|Lennox]] and his crew through the jungle after the attack on their base. However, when the scene was changed from the jungle to the desert (and Soundwave was no longer Soundwave), Ravage was replaced by [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]].<ref name="orciravage">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=234188&postcount=2008 Roberto Orci confirming that Scorponok replaced Ravage].</ref>
* Because of the long production run of the toys, Hasbro urged [[Michael Bay]] very early on to decide upon the Transformers characters to be used in the movie and their vehicle forms, even though the script wasn't completed yet by that point.<ref name="bayew" /> As a result, many of the Decepticon characters in particular were chosen somewhat hastily, and aren't really based on established Transformers characters aside from their names. The tank used for [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] (aka "Devastator") was a recycled prop originally built for the movie ''xXx: State of the Union'', while the mine protected vehicle used for [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] caught the filmmakers' attention because of a giant photoshopped fork depicted on the manufacturer's website.<ref name="enewsi">[http://enewsi.com/news.php?catid=190&itemid=11213 Entertainment News International article on the making of the movie.]</ref>
* Other Decepticon characters featured in an early draft, aside from "Grimlock" (helicopter) and "Soundwave" (portable stereo/Humvee), were Brawl as a Jeep, Frenzy as a Piranha III mortar artillery vehicle, Onslaught as a mobile missile launcher, Octane as a tanker truck, and three jets named Blitzwing, Starscream and Devastator (a cargo plane, a 747 jet and F-16 fighter; the script doesn't say which is which). Instead of having been hiding on Earth for a while, they would have arrived there during the movie after having been summoned by Soundwave.<ref name="early" /> It's possible that the Piranha III later evolved into Stryker/[[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]].
* The "evil police car Decepticon" that replaced Prowl took over the "vehicle" portion of the second character originally conceived as Soundwave (which eventually became [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]]). His vehicle form was originally supposed to be a Ford Crown Victoria, while his working name was "Brawl".<ref name="policebrawl">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-images/events/Botcon-2007/Hasbro-Tour/PICT5108.JPG.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1 Early design for Barricade with working name "Brawl" shown during the BotCon 2007 Hasbro Tour].</ref> Eventually the character ended up as [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], with the vehicle mode being changed into a Saleen S281 "Extreme" Mustang, because Ford didn't want one of their cars used as a "villain". Therefore, Barricade sports no "Ford" logos in the movie.<ref name="edmundsveh" />
* Another Decepticon character intended to be in the movie had the working name "Stryker", named after his vehicle mode, a M1126 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle.<ref name="stryker">[http://www.seibertron.com/events/fullsize.php?event_id=70&size=2&image=262 Unused design for "Stryker", revealed at the BotCon 2007 Hasbro tour.]</ref> It's possible that he had evolved from a character named "Frenzy" featured in an early script draft, who would have turned into a Piranha III. The character ultimately never made it into the movie, but Hasbro later turned the design into a toy regardless, named [[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]].<ref name="tfwtour" />
* Michael Bay also considered having a Transformers character turn into an aircraft carrier, but eventually scrapped that idea for cost reasons.<ref name="ignround">[http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/796/796057p2.html IGN roundtable with Michael Bay from the Australian press conference.]</ref> Orci and Kurtzman included the character in one of their drafts of the script,<ref name="orciaircraft">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=387736&postcount=210 Roberto Orci confirming that the aircraft carrier was in one of the drafts.]</ref> and artist Tim Flattery created concept art.<ref name="flattery">Tim Flattery's concept art for the unused aircraft carrier Transformer: [http://timflattery.com/transformers/4.html Image 1], [http://timflattery.com/transformers/5.html image 2].</ref>
* Working names for the tank Decepticon were "Demolisher"<ref name="hasbrodemolisher">[http://www.hasbro.com/objects/content/wallpaper.cfm?img=wp_transformers651_1280.jpg&brand_id=496&lang_id=1 Wallpaper at Hasbro's website calling Brawl/Devastator "Demolisher".]</ref> and "Devastator", the latter of which had also been a working name for [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] at one point. Even though [[Michael Bay]] confirmed in May of 2006 that this was not the final name,<ref name="baysecret">[http://michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/586e45dbd5e89a45846b0ec668a70e03-12.html Michael Bay claiming that the Transformers' names circulating were "aliases".]</ref> screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman confirmed the final name to be "[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]" in April 2006,<ref name="webcast" /> and Hasbro used that name for all their toys based on the movie character, he identifies himself as "Devastator" in a subtitle in the movie itself. According to a fan who attended the Australian press conference, Bay had decided to use that name regardless,<ref name="griffin">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=1360922&postcount=122 Australian fan griffin-of-oz reporting from the Australian press conference].</ref> while Hasbro considered the name in the movie a "continuity error",<ref name="hasbrofuture">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=139268 Hasbro Transformers Future Product Unveiling panel at BotCon 2007.]</ref> and Orci even claimed that he and Kurtzman had pointed out said "error" in the editing room twice.<ref name="orcidevastator">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=368555&postcount=4479 Orci confirming the name "Devastator" to be an "error".]</ref>
* Michael Bay decided to have [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] not turn into a Volkswagen Beetle because he wanted to avoid similarities with Disney's ''[[Wikipedia:Herbie|Herbie, the Love Bug]]''.<ref name="bayew" /> Production Designer Jeff Mann originally suggested using a Dodge Super Bee as Bumblebee's alternate mode,<ref name="edmunds1976">[http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=121138 Edmunds.com article on the classic Bumblebee Camaro.]</ref> but eventually Bay signed a deal with General Motors that saved him $3 million of his budget, which is why Bumblebee turns into a Chevrolet Camaro in the movie.<ref name="bayew" />
* [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] was originally intended to transform into a fire truck rather than a Search & Rescue Hummer. After being changed into a Hummer, he initially still retained a red and white deco, which later served as the inspiration for Hasbro's "Rescue Ratchet" redecos of the movie toys.<ref name="ratchettour">[http://www.seibertron.com/events/fullsize.php?event_id=70&size=2&image=285 Early designs for Ratchet shown at the BotCon 2007 Hasbro tour.]</ref>
* After designs of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] had leaked on the internet, his head design was slightly revised following massive fan complaints.<ref name="murphysunday">[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showpost.php?p=764141&postcount=1 Don Murphy confirming that Megatron's head design was changed due to fan complaints.]</ref>
* The studio had originally preferred the Transformers not to talk ''at all'' throughout the movie, a notion Hasbro heavily contested.<ref name="tfwtour" /> Bumblebee still ended up being mute throughout most of the movie, which, according to Orci and Kurtzman, was inspired by Spielberg's ''E.T.'' and is supposed to signify that his friendship with Sam transcends words.<ref name="mtv" />
* Most drafts of the script started the movie with [[Archibald Witwicky]]'s discovery of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]. In the actual movie, this scene was moved to a later point, shown as a flashback (actually at two points, split into two parts). [[IDW Publishing|IDW's]] [[Movie Adaptation Issue Number One|comic adaptation]] of the movie still has this as the opening scene.
* Also in one of the early drafts, the original reason for Mikaela's falling out with [[Trent DeMarco|Trent]] was not because he wouldn't let his "little bunny" drive his car, but because she refused to let him drive after having drunk beer. [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Anvilicious Anvilicious] much?
* In an early draft, [[William Lennox|Lennox]] and his crew would have defeated [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] with a simple grenade, which would have "dissolved him at a molecular level". The air strike would have never happened, and Lennox wouldn't have established contact with the Pentagon until around the time when [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]] and [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] were apprehended by [[Sector Seven]].<ref name="early" />
* In the same draft, Sam had left his grandfather's glasses at school. The Autobots would have distracted a security guard while Sam and Mikaela would have broken into their school. It would have been there that Sam would have learned about Mikaela's criminal past, and the scene would have ended with their arrest by Sector Seven.<ref name="early" />
* In some earlier drafts of the script, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] was supposed to kill [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] too after he had finished off [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]]. That scene never made it into the final movie, and Barricade simply disappears with no explanation after Bonecrusher transforms; however, the scene still made it into Alan Dean Foster's [[Transformers (novel)|novelization]] of the movie and IDW's [[Movie Adaptation issue 4|comic adaptation]].
* Also in earlier drafts of the script, [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was supposed to kill [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] by consuming his [[Spark]]. Again, this is only explicitly confirmed in the novelization and IDW's comic adaptation of the movie, but not in the movie itself.

==Notes==
* The Autobot computer generated models consisted of 35,592 total pieces, 7,435,478 polygons, 95,247 rig nodes, and 20,258 texture maps. If laid end to end, the pieces would stretch 3.11 miles.
* For all the robots combined, there are 60,217 pieces of geometry, 123,509,502 polygons, 144,341 rigging nodes, and 34,215 texture maps.<ref>Robertson, Barbara (2007). Heavy Metal. ''Computer Graphics, 30''(7), 12-17.</ref>
* The events of the movie span 4-5 days.
* Within the movie, neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons are referred to as "Transformers".
* As confirmed in the audio commentary on the movie DVD, director [[Michael Bay]] has a brief cameo as an innocent bystander getting flicked against a taxi cab by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]].
* The "<tt>[322] days without a safety breach</tt>" sign behind Agent Simmons before they bring the [[Nokia-bot|cell phone]] to life relates to a piece of backstory that was cut from the final film. A researcher named [[James Farr (Movie)|James Farr]] was killed when a [[AX9-8946-09SU-1|robot they brought to life]] ran amok, causing the damage Glen comments on. The [[Sector Seven (game)|viral marketing campaign]] gives a date for Farr's death; [[March 16]], [[2006]]. This would chronologically place the primary events of the film as occurring over a 3 day period, [[January 30]] - [[February 1]], [[2007]].
* In an interesting showing of unified marketing, the Japanese dub of the movie uses the English-market character and factions names (e.g., Autobot, Decepticon, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee) rather than the terms previously established in Japanese Transformers continuity (e.g., Cybertron, Destron, Convoy, Bumble). This has subsequently influenced Takara's subsequent dub of ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'', where (for the most part) they retain the english-market names and factions.
* In a bit of a shocker, [[Simon Furman]] has said he personally isn't a fan of the film, though he believes they're great for the intended audience of young kids. <ref> [http://mindlessones.com/2009/07/20/transformers-terminators-and-the-rest11-questions-with-simon-furman/ Interview at Mindless Ones blog]</ref>
* In an unexpected celebrity-related moment, famed multi award-winning British actress Helen Mirren, a Dame Commander of the British Empire, was one of the guests at the June 27, 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival premiere of ''Transformers''. One wonders what she thought of it. <ref>[http://movies.about.com/od/transformers/ig/Transformers-Premiere-Photos/transformersprem34.htm Helen Mirren at the June 27, 2007 Los Angeles premiere of ''Transformers'';Rebecca Murray, Movies.About.com Guide]</ref>
* ''Transformers'' (ahem) "inspired" a [[Knockoff|direct-to-video movie]] called [[Wikipedia:Transmorphers|''Transmorphers'']]. It got a [[Wikipedia:Transmorphers: Fall of Man|prequel]] in 2009, starring [[Wikipedia:Bruce Boxleitner|Bruce Boxleitner]], of all people. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
* Somewhat less embarrassing, ''Transformers'' also inspired the [[Wikipedia:Knight Rider (2008 film)|2008 ''Knight Rider'' television movie]] and the [[Wikipedia:Knight Rider (2008 TV series)|short-lived revival/sequel series]] that followed it.<ref name="varietykr">[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972829?refCatId=14 Variety article about the then-upcoming 2008 ''Knight Rider'' revival]</ref> Furthermore, the special effects<ref name="madeatl">[http://madeinatlantis.com/movies_central/2008/iron_man_production_details.htm ''Iron Man'' Full Production Notes]</ref> and the marketing campaign<ref name="imtie-ins">[http://www.brandweek.com/bw/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003692165 Brandweek article about the ''Iron Man'' marketing campaign.</ref> both served as inspirations for the 2008 [[Wikipedia:Iron Man (film)|''Iron Man'' movie]].

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers''''' (トランスフォーマー ''Toransufōmā'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng''''' (變形金剛, "Transformers")
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery''''' (Трансформеры, "Transformers")

==External links==
* [http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=68329&p=irol-newsArticlePR&ID=421174 June 11, 2003 Press Release announcing the movie.]
* [http://www.transformersmovie.com/ Transformersmovie.com]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/ ''Transformers'' at IMDB.com]
* [http://www.transformersalbum.com/ ''Transformers The Album'']
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers_%28film%29 ''Transformers'' 2007 film on Wikipedia]
* Designer portfolios: [http://www.benprocter.com/SITEv2/HTML/PROJPAGE_Trans_01.html Ben Procter], [http://www.jamesclyne.com/projects.php?gallery_id=297 James Clyne], [http://timflattery.com/main.html Tim Flattery], [http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=4150 Alex Jaeger] (at CG Society), [http://2d2cg.com/# James Cook]
* [http://www.capalert.com/capreports/transformers.htm ''Transformers'' CAPalert.com review]

==References==
{{reflist|3}}

[[Category:Movie| ]]
[[Category:Movie media]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

When Robots Attack!

2012-02-03T02:45:11Z

WreckNRule426:

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' storybooks
|prev=Optimus Prime Versus Megatron
|next=Operation Autobot
|title="When Robots Attack!"
|image=Tf2009 whenrobotsattack.jpg
|caption="ROBOTS ATTACK! In a TRANSFORMERS film! This is somehow SURPRISING!"
|date=[[May 12]], [[2009]]
|publisher=[[HarperCollins Publishers]]
|imprint=HarperFestival
|price=$3.99
|written by=[[Ray Santos]]
|illustrated by=[[MADA Design, Inc.]] and [[Kanila Tripp]]
|continuity=[[movie continuity|live-action film]]
|pagecount=24
|ISBN=978-0061729652 0061729655
}}
'''Sam Witwicky finds a fragment of AllSpark stuck in his clothing, and it brings his kitchen appliances to life!'''

==Synopsis==

==Featured characters==

==Notes==

==External links==
*[http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Transformers-Revenge-Fallen-When-Robots-Attack/?isbn=9780061729652 Listing at HarperCollins.com]

{{stub}}

[[Category:Adaptations]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen storybooks]]

When Robots Attack!

2012-02-03T02:44:28Z

WreckNRule426:

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' storybooks
|prev=Optimus Prime Versus Megatron
|next=Operation Autobot
|title="When Robots Attack!"
|image=Tf2009 whenrobotsattack.jpg
|caption=
|date=[[May 12]], [[2009]]
|publisher=[[HarperCollins Publishers]]
|imprint=HarperFestival
|price=$3.99
|written by=[[Ray Santos]]
|illustrated by=[[MADA Design, Inc.]] and [[Kanila Tripp]]
|continuity=[[movie continuity|live-action film]]
|pagecount=24
|ISBN=978-0061729652 0061729655
}}
'''Sam Witwicky finds a fragment of AllSpark stuck in his clothing, and it brings his kitchen appliances to life!'''

==Synopsis==

==Featured characters==

==Notes==

==External links==
*[http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Transformers-Revenge-Fallen-When-Robots-Attack/?isbn=9780061729652 Listing at HarperCollins.com]

{{stub}}

[[Category:Adaptations]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen storybooks]]

Transformers: The Ride â€“ 3D

2012-02-03T02:35:03Z

WreckNRule426:

'''Transformers: The Ride''' is a theme park attraction which opened [[December 3]], [[2011]] first at [[Universal Studios]] Singapore at Sentosa, Singapore, and then later at Universal Studios [[Hollywood]] in California. Based on the [[live-action film series]], the ride features High Definition 3D film footage and visual effects by [[Industrial Light & Magic]].<ref>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118039268?refCatId=13 ''Variety'' article]</ref>

==Synopsis==
At a [[NEST]] outpost in Universal Studios, [[you]] are enlisted and assigned with [[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] to transport the last shard of the [[AllSpark]]. However, [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] steals it and leaps onto Evac's hood and claws at the passengers then retreats. [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] retrieves the shard from Ravage while battling [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] and entrusts the riders and Evac to protect the AllSpark. Evac flees the scene by crashing through a wall and plowing through city traffic. [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] appears and says he will guide the way and tackles the charging [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], who orders the [[Decepticon]]s to destroy them. [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] then flies in and attempts to catch them with his rotor weapon but is blocked off by a train and loses his arm when Evac flees into a tunnel.

Megatron continues to chase them and even captures Evac, who struggles and manages to break free. Megatron fires a missile at Evac while grappling with Optimus, but he maneuvers to avoid the oncoming shell and escapes through a hole blown in the wall by the missile. As they drive, Evac is pulled and thrown through the air by [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]]'s vortex. As Evac drives away, [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] provides back up and the pair race through city streets until [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] attacks. Sideswipe manages to hold off Bonecrusher until Evac blasts the Decepticon in the chest and head a few times.

Evac is then pulled into Devastator's [[Vortex Grinder]] and only survives the grinders within due to activating his battle shields. When he emerges in one piece he is grabbed by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s grappling hook and flung through the air as Starscream flies and is sent crashing into a building. Evac surveys the top of the building and sees Optimus and Megatron still locked in battle, with Megatron apparently being the stronger. Starscream returns to taunt Evac but is chased a away by [[NEST]] air support.

Not wanting to run anymore, Evac charges into Optimus and Megatron's battle and hits Megatron from behind. As Optimus holds Megatron from behind, Evac jabs the shard into Megatron's chest, severely weakening him. As this happens, Megatron falls backwards over the edge of the roof and pulls Evac down with him. Megatron howls in defeat as they both plummet to the ground but Bumblebee appears and catches Evac at the last moment. With Megatron defeated, Optimus Prime congratulates Evac and the recruits on a mission accomplished. As Evac drives through the tunnels back to base, he passes underneath Megatron's unmoving body smashed through the pavement and comments that the riders can ride with him anytime.

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] ([[James Remar]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] ([[John DiMaggio]])

|c2=
*[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]]
*[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] ([[Charlie Adler]])
*[[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Jimmie Wood]])
|c3=
*[[You]]
*[[Morshower]]
}}

==Production==
The ride was announced in October 2008, and opened in Singapore on December 3, 2011.<ref>[http://www.slashfilm.com/transformers-the-ride-at-universal-studios/ /Film article on the press release.]</ref><ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_707461.html ''The Straits Times'' article in Singapore]</ref><ref>[http://tftheride.rwsentosablog.com/2011/10/27/breaking-news-transformers-the-ride-premieres-at-universal-studios-singapore%C2%AE-on-3-december-2011-2/ BREAKING NEWS: TRANSFORMERS The Ride Premieres at Universal Studios Singapore® on 3 December 2011]</ref>

==Transformers references==
An Autobot ally shoving the AllSpark into Megatron's chest to kill him? Never seen that before...nope...[[Transformers (film)|NEVER...]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://nestneedsyou.com/ NEST Needs You!]
*[http://tftheride.rwsentosablog.com/ Blog]

[[Category:Live-action film series]]

Transformers: The Ride â€“ 3D

2012-02-03T02:34:26Z

WreckNRule426:

'''Transformers: The Ride''' is a theme park attraction which opened [[December 3]], [[2011]] first at [[Universal Studios]] Singapore at Sentosa, Singapore, and then later at Universal Studios [[Hollywood]] in California. Based on the [[live-action film series]], the ride features High Definition 3D film footage and visual effects by [[Industrial Light & Magic]].<ref>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118039268?refCatId=13 ''Variety'' article]</ref>

==Synopsis==
At a [[NEST]] outpost in Universal Studios, [[you]] are enlisted and assigned with [[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] to transport the last shard of the [[AllSpark]]. However, [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] steals it and leaps onto Evac's hood and claws at the passengers then retreats. [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] retrieves the shard from Ravage while battling [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] and entrusts the riders and Evac to protect the AllSpark. Evac flees the scene by crashing through a wall and plowing through city traffic. [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] appears and says he will guide the way and tackles the charging [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], who orders the [[Decepticon]]s to destroy them. [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] then flies in and attempts to catch them with his rotor weapon but is blocked off by a train and loses his arm when Evac flees into a tunnel.

Megatron continues to chase them and even captures Evac, who struggles and manages to break free. Megatron fires a missile at Evac while grappling with Optimus, but he maneuvers to avoid the oncoming shell and escapes through a hole blown in the wall by the missile. As they drive, Evac is pulled and thrown through the air by [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]]'s vortex. As Evac drives away, [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] provides back up and the pair race through city streets until [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] attacks. Sideswipe manages to hold off Bonecrusher until Evac blasts the Decepticon in the chest and head a few times.

Evac is then pulled into Devastator's [[Vortex Grinder]] and only survives the grinders within due to activating his battle shields. When he emerges in one piece he is grabbed by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s grappling hook and flung through the air as Starscream flies and is sent crashing into a building. Evac surveys the top of the building and sees Optimus and Megatron still locked in battle, with Megatron apparently being the stronger. Starscream returns to taunt Evac but is chased a away by [[NEST]] air support.

Not wanting to run anymore, Evac charges into Optimus and Megatron's battle and hits Megatron from behind. As Optimus holds Megatron from behind, Evac jabs the shard into Megatron's chest, severely weakening him. As this happens, Megatron falls backwards over the edge of the roof and pulls Evac down with him. Megatron howls in defeat as they both plummet to the ground but Bumblebee appears and catches Evac at the last moment. With Megatron defeated, Optimus Prime congratulates Evac and the recruits on a mission accomplished. As Evac drives through the tunnels back to base, he passes underneath Megatron's lifeless body smashed through the pavement and comments that the riders can ride with him anytime.

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] ([[James Remar]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] ([[John DiMaggio]])

|c2=
*[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]]
*[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] ([[Charlie Adler]])
*[[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Jimmie Wood]])
|c3=
*[[You]]
*[[Morshower]]
}}

==Production==
The ride was announced in October 2008, and opened in Singapore on December 3, 2011.<ref>[http://www.slashfilm.com/transformers-the-ride-at-universal-studios/ /Film article on the press release.]</ref><ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_707461.html ''The Straits Times'' article in Singapore]</ref><ref>[http://tftheride.rwsentosablog.com/2011/10/27/breaking-news-transformers-the-ride-premieres-at-universal-studios-singapore%C2%AE-on-3-december-2011-2/ BREAKING NEWS: TRANSFORMERS The Ride Premieres at Universal Studios Singapore® on 3 December 2011]</ref>

==Transformers references==
An Autobot ally shoving the AllSpark into Megatron's chest to kill him? Never seen that before...nope...[[Transformers (film)|NEVER...]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://nestneedsyou.com/ NEST Needs You!]
*[http://tftheride.rwsentosablog.com/ Blog]

[[Category:Live-action film series]]

Sam Witwicky

2012-02-02T04:25:11Z

WreckNRule426: /* Dark of the Moon film */

{{factions|autobotfilm}}
:''Sam [[Witwicky]] is a [[human]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Sam Witwicky.jpg|right|250px|thumb|If he wears a [[hard hat]], we quit.]]
'''Samuel James "Sam" Witwicky''' (b. [[October 10]], [[1990]] or [[September 13]], [[1991]])<ref>Sam's birthday, according to the [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/Timeline.cfm Hasbro.com official timeline] that came out with the first movie, is October 10, 1990. Indeed, the [[:Image:Witwickytree.jpg|genealogy chart]] in [[Transformers (2007)|the 2007 movie]] indicates Sam was born in 1990. In ''Revenge of the Fallen'', the shot of Sam's driver's license has the date of birth as [[September 13]], 1991. ''[[Transformers: The Junior Novel]]'' has Frenzy note that Sam is 16 due to the information Sam provided in his eBay listing, and so that would seem to suggest a 1991 birth date as well. Take your pick as to which is right.</ref> is a typical adolescent human with an atypical destiny. He quite often ends up in the crossfire in the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. He can seem to be a coward sometimes, but he has the makings of a true leader.

When he bought a car, it turned out to be [[Bumblebee (Movie)|an alien robot]]. Who knew? Also, his pheromone levels suggest that he wants to mate with [[Mikaela Banes]].

He is also known as '''LadiesMan217'''.

{{quote|You are the ''strangest'' boy I have ever met.|[[Mikaela Banes]]| ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]''}}
{{quote|Dude, what kind of tool ''are'' you?|[[Fassbinder]]| ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''}}
{{quote|That kid is an alien bad news magnet.|[[Simmons]]| ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''}}

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:MoviePrequel3_Sam_madman.jpg|thumb|left|150px|]]

At age twelve, [[Ron Witwicky|Sam's father]] presented him with the heirlooms of his ancestor [[Archibald Witwicky]]. At first, thinking they would be priceless artifacts or treasure, Sam was not impressed with what he described as "junk" and made googly eyes with the arctic explorer's glasses. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 3|Movie Prequel #3}}

Years later, Sam discovered the concept of riding around in cars to cruise for chicks. His best friend [[Miles Lancaster|Miles]] suggested an [[eBay|online auction]], but also convinced him to hold off on it until he was actually old enough to drive, as perhaps by then somebody would be interested in his family's heirlooms. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 4|Movie Prequel #4}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beginnings''===
:''Voice actor:'' Unknown

When Sam was presented with Archibald Witwicky's personal effects, at first he was excited at the prospect of becoming rich, but was less than impressed with the "junk" in the box and made flippant remarks about Archibald's eventual fate. This reaction mildly annoyed his father. {{Storylink|Transformers: Beginnings (Movie)|Transformers: Beginnings}}

{{note|Transformers: Beginnings is a condensed, flash-animated retelling of the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] ''[[Transformers: Movie Prequel]]'' that is detailed above this section.}}

===''Transformers'' film===
:''Actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Davide Perino]] (Italian dub), [[Fuminori Komatsu]] (Japanese dub), [[Sérgio Cantú]] (Brazilian dub), [[Víctor Ugarte Fonseca|Víctor Ugarte]] (American Spanish dub)
[[Image:Movie Sam classreport papers.jpg|250px|thumb|Is this a genealogy report or an auction?]]

After getting an undeserved A- for his genealogy report, Sam went with his father to buy a car. Though they passed a [[Jazz (G1)|Porsche]] car lot, Ron was actually playing a cruel joke on his son. (Real smart, considering that he'll eventually get [[wikipedia:Power_of_attorney|power of attorney]] someday.) Going to [[Bobby Bolivia]]'s car lot, they went shopping for a used car. Sam spotted a Camaro that he liked, but Ron, ever the cheap man, refused to go over four thousand dollars. However, when all the windows in the car lot suddenly exploded, Bolivia agreed to four thousand.

[[Image:Movie Sam Bumble Lake.jpg|left|200px|thumb|That Charles Atlas course really works!]]

Sam took his buddy Miles to the lake, where they encountered Mikaela and her boyfriend [[Trent DeMarco|Trent]]. Trent pretty much told them to get lost, but Mikaela then dumped Trent. Realizing he had his one shot, Sam abandoned Miles and offered to give Mikaela a ride home. When his car had some engine trouble, Mikaela looked under the hood and was quite impressed with the layout of the Camaro's engine, though Sam was more impressed with the layout of Mikaela. After giving her a ride home, Mikaela asked Sam if he thought she was shallow. Sam awkwardly replied that he thought there was "more than meets the eye...with you". After berating himself for his lame pickup line, Sam watched Mikaela wave goodbye from her porch and felt that he had made progress, prompting him to say he loved his car.

[[Image:Movie2007 Bumblebee firstsighting.jpg|250px|thumb|Nope, nothing out of the ordinary here, no sirree.]]

Later that night, his car suddenly left. Believing it was being stolen, Sam followed it to an abandoned junkyard. To his shock and horror, the car was [[Transformer|alive]]. Sam left his last words to his parents and [[Mojo]], in which he acknowledged that he owned the ''Busty Beauties'' issues that were given to him by his uncle [[Charles (Movie)|Charles]], then investigated. Some police came and arrested him, and an overzealous cop, believing him to be a junkie, called him "[[50 Cent]]". Once he returned home, [[Unicron|Satan's]] Camaro arrived, and Sam fled ignominiously on his [[Judy Witwicky|mother's]] pink bike. He hit the cement hard in front of Mikaela and soon found a police car. He demanded the officer's help...at which point said police car turned into [[Barricade (Movie)|an even scarier car]]. After throwing Sam onto a nearby vehicle, the cop car demanded the location of Sam's eBay items, but Sam fled and ran into Mikaela. The Camaro arrived and took them to a power plant, where the two cars fought it out while Sam was chased by [[Frenzy (Movie)|a spastic abomination]] who pantsed him. Mikaela was able to cut off its head, which Sam punted.

[[Image:BarricadeVsSam.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"Are you user name ladiesman217?!" "NO!" "Oh. Well, then never mind." "Really?" "No, I'm still gonna kill you."]]

Sam and Mikaela approached the Camaro, who could only speak through his radio and offered them a ride. Mikaela was hesitant, but Sam convinced her to get in. While driving, Sam had shotgun, but Mikaela refused to sit in the driver's seat. Sam suggested that she sit in his lap. Safety first, right? She agreed, then admitted to Sam that it was a smooth move on his part. Mikaela then asked if the robot was so advanced, then why did he turn into a piece of crap Camaro? Insulted, the car forced them out. As Sam lamented how four thousand dollars had driven off, the car returned as a 2009 Camaro. It took the teens to an observatory, where they watched as four meteors entered Earth's atmosphere, during which Mikaela instinctively reached out for Sam's hand. They were then escorted to an abandoned alley, where they met the biggest surprises of them all: Four other cars [[Transformation|transformed]] into robots. The lead robot, after inquiring about Sam's identity, introduced himself as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot|Autobots]], autonomous robotic lifeforms from a planet known as [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Prime introduced [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], his first lieutenant; [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], his weapons expert; and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], their medical officer (who claimed that Sam's pheromone level indicated that he wanted to mate with Mikaela, embarrassing both teens); and identified the Camaro as Bumblebee, Sam's appointed guardian. Optimus explained their mission to locate the [[AllSpark]], the betrayal of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], and how Archibald Witwicky's [[glasses]] played a vital role in finding the AllSpark.

[[Image:Movie Sam Mikaela meettheAutobots.jpg|thumb|250px|Oh, great, now you get mugged by giant alien robots.]]

Going to his house, Sam frantically searched for the glasses, but the Autobots were somewhat impatient and totally wrecked his dad's backyard. After he found the glasses, government agents arrived. Their leader, [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]], took Sam and Mikaela into custody, separating Sam from his parents. Simmons went bad cop on Sam, threatening him with life imprisonment and revealing Mikaela's criminal record. Just as Simmons demanded answers about aliens, Prime intercepted the convoy, and the Autobots totally outclassed the agents. Sam demanded to know what [[Sector Seven]] was, but a backup team arrived. Prime took Sam and Mikaela to hide under a bridge, but they nearly fell to their deaths. Bumblebee saved them but was captured, and Sam and Mikaela were recaptured.

[[Image:Movie Sam Bumblebee capture.jpg|left|200px|thumb|If you thought this part of the hazing was bad, wait'll you see what they do with the scraplets.]]

They were taken to [[Hoover Dam]], where Simmons tried the awkward role of good cop, but Sam was uninterested in talking. [[Tom Banachek]] tried to bribe him, and Sam demanded the freeing of Bumblebee, his parents, and the expunging of Mikaela's criminal record. Taking them into the dam, Sector Seven showed them [[Megatron (Movie)|N.B.E.-1]], whom Sam recognized as Megatron. He explained Megatron's goals and the purpose of the AllSpark. However, the spastic abomination that had pantsed him sent a message to the Decepticons, who attacked. Sam implored Sector Seven to release Bumblebee, saying he could help, which [[William Lennox|Captain Lennox]] expedited by putting a gun to Simmons's chest. Bumblebee converted the AllSpark to a smaller form, and the soldiers, soon augmented by the Autobots, escorted the two teens and Bumblebee to [[Mission City]].

[[Image:Movie Megatron Samonroof.jpg|250px|thumb|Why, Mr. Witwicky, why, WHY do you persist!?]]

Upon reaching Mission City, an F-22 Raptor was spotted, which Ironhide recognized as [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]. Starscream attacked, damaging Bumblebee's legs, and [[Brawl (Movie)|a tank]] attacked the soldiers. As the Autobots and the soldiers went to deal with the tank, Mikaela arrived with a tow truck to remove Bumblebee from the battle. Megatron soon arrived and killed Jazz, and Lennox ordered Sam to take the AllSpark to a building to be escorted out of the city. Despite Sam's refusal to leave, Bumblebee handed the Cube to him, urging him to go. Sam was pursued by Megatron, Starscream, and [[Blackout (Movie)|a helicopter]], with Ratchet and Ironhide providing protection, but they were injured by Starscream, and Sam was forced to leave without them. During his flight, Sam dropped the AllSpark, causing [[Steering wheel robot|some]] [[Dispensor|nearby]] [[Xbox 360 robot|machines]] to come to life. Reaching the building, Sam ignited a flare, but his ride was destroyed by Starscream.

[[Image:Movie Sam defeats Megatron.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Now, light our darkest hour...]]

Cornered on the roof, Megatron demanded the AllSpark in exchange for living to be [[Ravage (G1)|his]] [[Laserbeak (G1)|pet]], but Sam refused. Megatron used his flail to knock Sam off the roof, but Sam was saved by Optimus Prime. Telling Sam to hold onto the cube, Prime tried to scale down the building, but Megatron knocked them all off. Prime managed to shield Sam from any serious injury, however. Prime expressed admiration for Sam's efforts and told him that if he couldn't defeat Megatron, Sam was to merge the Cube with Optimus's [[spark]], destroying both Prime and the AllSpark. Megatron was indeed too powerful for Optimus to defeat alone, and Prime told Sam to push the cube into the Autobot's chest. Instead, Sam merged the AllSpark with Megatron, killing him. Optimus extended his thanks, telling him he owed Sam a debt of gratitude. Bumblebee, who could now speak, requested permission to stay with Sam, to which Sam eagerly agreed. Sam and Mikaela entered into a relationship and made out on Bumblebee's hood while Ironhide and Ratchet observed.

Sam ''really'' loves having a car. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)|Transformers}}
{{-}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
{{notetitantlg}}

Sam held the key to Earth's survival, and his attempt to destroy Megatron with the AllSpark... failed. Sam was killed, and Mikaela and Bumblebee mourn him still. Bumblebee wondered if there was another reality where Sam's attempt succeeded and the Decepticons didn't conquer the United States... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 9|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1}}

===IDW ''Revenge of The Fallen'' comics===
Shortly after the battle of Mission City, Sam and Mikaela were watching Ratchet reattach Bumblebee's legs when [[Dispensor|the transformed Mountain Dew machine]] suddenly attacked Sam. Fortunately, Ratchet crushed the creature before it could cause further havoc. Examining the liquid from its remains, Ratchet warned his human friends about the dangers in weight gain and tooth decay that the substance could cause to them. Amused, Sam and Mikaela promised to be careful. {{storylink|Alliance issue 1|Alliance #1}}

A few months later, after the Autobots and the [[United States military]] had agreed to operation under a formal military alliance as [[NEST]], Major Lennox became concerned over an ominous warning he had received from [[Swindle (Movie)|a Decepticon]] they had just destroyed. The Decepticons were looking for "it", and both Lennox and Optimus Prime feared they could be after Sam again. Though Lennox refused Prime's suggestion of placing Sam in protective custody at their base on [[Diego Garcia]], believing it was too much for the boy to handle, they agreed that somebody needed to keep an eye on Sam, and so Bumblebee once again assumed the role of his protector. {{storylink|Alliance issue 4|Alliance #4}}

Sam was delighted to see Bumblebee return, but the delight stopped when Bumblebee "helped" to get a cat out of a tree by shaking the tree until it got off. After learning that Bumblebee had returned to watch over him, Sam used the Autobot as his ride to the movies for a double date between him and Mikaela, and Miles with Mikaela's friend [[Lyndsey]]. Once there, he saw Trent's truck and hoped not to run into him. The night went without a hitch, and Sam was happy that Bumblebee behaved himself in front of Trent, but Bumblebee explained that he got back at Trent by flipping over his car, which displeased Sam. As the days went by, Bumblebee's attempt to integrate himself into Sam's life didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped. Without the team structure of the Autobots, Bumblebee grew more reckless and impulsive, from smashing a would-be car thief with the door he was attempting to unlock, to inadvertently earning Sam traffic tickets for running red lights. Eventually, Sam discussed his upcoming college plans with Bumblebee, explaining that the yellow guy might not be able to accompany him at school. He then had to persuade his parents to let Bumblebee stay in the garage while he was at school, but Ron strenuously said no, stating that 'Bee could stay for the summer, but once Sam left for school, the Autobot had to leave too. Frustrated, Sam walked to Mikaela's to cool off, but twenty minutes later, he was captured by Barricade, who chained him up and hung him from a hook over a junkyard car crusher. The Decepticon demanded that Sam tell him the locations of Bumblebee and the AllSpark, but Sam had no idea about either. As Barricade prepared to drop the young human into the crusher, Bumblebee arrived just in time, and Sam safely fell onto a pile of tires while Barricade taunted Bumblebee about how Earth had made the Autobot soft and how their last encounter was just luck. Barricade easily swatted Bumblebee aside and went after Sam, but 'Bee managed to pull himself out of the scrap and assaulted Barricade once more. Barricade had the upper hand, so Sam helped by operating a crane. However, he had trouble controlling the vehicle, and Barricade snapped the chain-hook off and tossed the crane aside before charging at the crane's occupant again. Bumblebee then used the abandoned chain-hook to knock Barricade into a pool of gasoline. He sent Sam off to a safer distance and fired his cannon at the gasoline-soaked Decepticon menace, causing a massive explosion. Bumblebee survived the explosion, and Sam was happy to see him okay. He then asked what had happened to Barricade, and Bumblebee responded that they probably hadn't seen the last of the Decepticon. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 1|Tales of the Fallen #1}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
Sam's parents took him to college, and ''God'', did he regret that when his mother kept holding his hand. He was slightly surprised when Bumblebee drove off without warning. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}}

[[Image:Titan6_Samabducted.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Is that Sam or Adam Sandler?]]

Weeks later, he was en route to meet Mikaela when he was accosted by [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. Annoyed, he pointed out he'd done his part and just wanted to be left alone, but the twins pushed him into taking a ride in Skids. They explained they'd been framed for a crime they didn't commit, they had vital intelligence of a secret Decepticon army, and they wanted Sam to inform Optimus because Prime trusted him. Sam, being a smart kid, didn't think much of wild stories by two strangers who'd abducted him and said he'd ''think'' about it. When Bumblebee turned up and the twins accelerated, he stopped thinking and starting banging on Skids window in a desire to GTFO.

Luckily, Skids spat him out. Unluckily, he then saw Bumblebee get gunned down by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], who'd come to recruit the twins. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
:''Actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Davide Perino]] (Italian dub), [[Fuminori Komatsu]] (Japanese dub), [[Sérgio Cantú]] (Brazilian dub), [[Víctor Ugarte Fonseca|Víctor Ugarte]] (American Spanish dub)

[[Image:ROTF Sam Cube fragment.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Damned bedbugs.]]
About two years later, Sam was packing up his stuff and preparing to leave for college with his parents, insisting that he was not going to be with anyone else but [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]], at which point she called to tell him she was breaking up with him. Sam played it cool as he convinced her that they should stay together, having already brought a "long distance relationship kit", and offered to throw im his sweater from the battle two years earlier. A shard of the AllSpark fell out of the sweater and a.) brought numerous kitchen devices to life and b.) imprinted a large collection of ancient Cybertronian knowledge onto his brain. After [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] destroyed the kitchen robots (and parts of the Witwickys' house with them), Sam handed the AllSpark shard to [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]]. In a wrenching heart-to-heart with Bumblebee, he dismissed him from his role as guardian, saying it was time for Bumblebee to rejoin the other Autobots (and Sam wasn't allowed to have a car at college, anyway). Before he departed he and Mikaela argued over the fact that neither would say they loved each other, and Sam claimed it was all part of an elaborate plan to keep her interested.

Arriving at college, Sam met his roommate, [[Leo Spitz]], who operated a [[The Real Effing Deal|conspiracy website]] and was convinced that alien robots were hiding on Earth. Sam, already fretting that his wacky roommate would discover his connection to the Autobots and attempting to throw him off the truth, was mortified when he realised [[Judy Witwicky|Judy]] had unknowingly brought and digested brownies, making her run around the campus and babbling about his private life before [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] took her away. Going to a frat party on at the same time as his first web chat date with Mikaela, Sam also met his fellow student [[Alice]], who immediately and forcefully attempted to seduce him. When Bumblebee showed up noting they had a problem, Alice invited herself along on a ride with Sam, but Bumblebee did everything he could to convince her to leave. After finally getting rid of her, Bumblebee took Sam to Optimus Prime, who was convinced—for some reason—that Sam was in danger. Even more strangely, Optimus asked Sam to act as a go-between for the Autobots to humanity at large. Sam, wanting to be normal, declined due to his anger that he hadn't even been given one day of normality at college.

[[Image:ROTF mental meltdown.jpg|thumb|right|250px|What do you mean, this movie is [http://theabyssgazes.blogspot.com/2010/03/teal-and-orange-hollywood-please-stop.html only orange and teal?]]]
Because no good deed goes unpunished, of course, as Sam shortly thereafter began to see [[Cyberglyphics|strange symbols]] right in the middle of his first astronomy class. He also developed a nasty eye tic and decided to assert in front of his [[Colan|professor]] and about three hundred of his colleagues that Einstein was wrong, that the first four dimensions were unfairly in the spotlight, and what about the other thirteen that nobody ever talks about? He began to write out the symbols in support of this theory on a blackboard in front of his class, until he pulled himself together and was ordered out of the class.

After recovering from this outburst, Sam believed it might have something to do with him touching the AllSpark shard, and he contacted his bitter-for-standing-him-up girlfriend to warn her not to touch the shard. Mikaela promptly boarded a plane to see Sam, but when she arrived, she found him in what appeared to be an intimate moment with Alice, who had come in with Leo as Sam was drawing more Cybertronian symbols all over the walls. Fortunately for Sam's relationship, Alice turned out to be a killer alien robot who tried to strangle him with her tongue. Sam, Mikaela and Leo, who stumbled across Alice's robotic self by accident, tried to escape but were captured by a [[Grindor (ROTF)|Decepticon helicopter]] who took them to an abandoned foundry where [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and a resurrected [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] waited.

[[Image:ROTF must have brain.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Hey Doc, don't get all Egyptian-ish and take out my brain through my nose!]]
After Sam's failure at relating to the thirty-foot-tall robot, Megatron ordered a small, glasses-wearing robot called [[Scalpel (ROTF)|The Doctor]] and his [[Scalpel's assistant|assistants]] to remove Sam's brain in order to access the information from the AllSpark shard. Sam pleaded for the chance to talk things through, just as Optimus Prime and Bumblebee arrived and attacked the Decepticons, freeing Sam, Mikaela and Leo. Fleeing with the Autobot leader through a forest, Sam was caught up in Optimus's attempt to fight off Megatron, Starscream and Grindor all by himself. After killing Grindor, Optimus was impaled by Megatron and died, his last words being for Sam to run. Just then, the other Autobots arrived, causing Megatron and Starscream to retreat. Sam was safe, for the moment at least, and upset that he had been responsible to Optimus Prime's death.

In a hijacked TV broadcast, [[The Fallen]] revealed his existence to the global public and demanded Sam to be surrendered to him. Decepticons landed around the globe, killing several thousand people. In Paris, one of them tracked down Sam's parents and captured them, and a manhunt led by the FBI and CIA began for Sam. Sam hid out with Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee and the Autobot twins, [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] in an old prison, and was frustrated by Leo's panicking. Sam contemplated turning himself in, blaming himself for all the casualties, but Mikaela and Bumblebee knew the Decepticons wouldn't just leave Earth alone if that happened.

Sam then decided they should try and find out what the symbols he had been seeing meant, but neither Bumblebee or the twins could read the ancient dialect, and Leo suggested they ask his rival, "[[Robo-Warrior]]", owner of a [[GiantEffingRobots.com|competing website]], for help. To everyone's surprise, Robo-Warrior turned out to be none other than [[Seymour Simmons]], former agent of [[Sector Seven]], who still held a small grudge against Sam until he mentioned the Cybertronian symbols. Simmons revealed that symbols similar to those Sam was obsessed with had been found on numerous excavation sites around the world, but in order to read them, they might need a Decepticon. Mikaela just happened to be carrying around [[Wheelie (ROTF)|a Decepticon]], who when interrogated suggested they track down one of the [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seekers]], a species of Transformer that had been present on Earth for much of its history.

[[Image:ROTF Sam burns hand.jpg|thumb|right|250px| AHHH, THE LIGHT—IT BURNS!!!]]
At the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Sam used the last remaining AllSpark shard to reactivate an old Decepticon named [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], disguised as an SR-71 Blackbird. Jetfire claimed to have defected to the Autobots and upon Sam showing him the symbols and mentioning The Fallen's name, Jetfire opened a [[space bridge]] and teleported the entire group to [[Egypt]], injuring Sam's hand in the process. Jetifre proceeded to tell them about The Fallen, who betrayed his brothers, the [[Dynasty of Primes|Primes]], many millennia ago. The Fallen intended to destroy the Earth's sun in order to create [[energon]], the Transformers' source of energy, and the symbols in Sam's head were a map to the location of the [[Star Harvester]], the weapon intended to use to destroy the sun. Jetfire also revealed that only a Prime could stop The Fallen, and a key was needed to activate the harvester: the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. Sam asked Jetfire whether the Matrix would also revive Optimus Prime, to which Jetfire responded that it might be possible, given the unusual radiation that the Matrix generated.

[[Image:ROTF Matrix crumbles.jpg|thumb|left|250px|We came all the way to Kansas for this, and that benefactor didn't tell me my PS3 Controller would just crumble into dust!]]
Setting off with Jetfire's translation of the symbols, "When dawn alights the Dagger's Tip, Three Kings shall reveal the doorway", Sam planned to have Simmons call [[William Lennox|Lennox]] and have him transport Optimus's body to Egypt. After a stopover for the night between the Pyramids of Giza, during which Sam totally failed at declaring his love for Mikaela, he realised that the Three Kings were in fact the star constellations above the Pyramids, which pointed to Jordan. In the Petra mountains, the group discovered the tomb of the Primes, uncovered during a fight between Skids and Mudflap. Inside, Sam found the Matrix, which crumbled to dust when he touched it. Sam collected the dust regardless, and together they traveled back to Egypt.

[[Image:ROTF-Mikaela-and-Sam-Running.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Run, Mikaela! Run for the sake of cool perspective shots!]]
Meanwhile, the NEST team parachuted down and prepared for [[Operation: Firestorm|battle]] near the pyramids, having realised the Decepticons were on their way. Before Sam and the others could get back to Lennox and his people, the Decepticons commenced their assault and Starscream attacked, so while the others created a diversion, Sam and Mikaela cut through an Egyptian village. After killing a searching [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]], they fled from Starscream and [[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]], running straight into a trap the Constructicon [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]] had set up using his parents. Sam stalled for time by offering to hand over the Matrix dust, 'til he was rescued by Bumblebee. Sam ordered Bumblebee to get his parents to safety while he and Mikaela continued on.

[[Image:Tf2009 mol.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Even Frisbees on Cybertron were co-opted into the [[Great War (disambiguation)|Great War]].]]
Sam and Mikaela almost joined a search group led by [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], but they were attacked and forced to head on by themselves. Arriving at the site of the main battle, they were saved by Lennox, [[Robert Epps|Epps]] and Jetfire, but Sam was mortally wounded by a blast fired by Megatron as he made his way to Optimus's body. While paramedics tried to reanimate him, the Matrix dust was spilled across his hand, and Sam encountered the dead Primes in a vision. The Primes told him that he was destined to find the Matrix and save the life of the last Prime. Sam returned to life, and the dust in his hand reassembled itself into the Matrix. Sam took the opportunity to tell Mikaela that he loved her. With the Matrix, Sam was able to revive Optimus Prime, who ultimately was able to defeat the Fallen.

[[Image:ROTF Sam back at school.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Did anyone miss me?]]
With the battle won, the Autobots, NEST, Sam and his friends returned to the USA on board an aircraft carrier, where Sam and Optimus Prime checked out the view from the back. Optimus thanked Sam for saving his life, and Sam in turn thanked him for believing in him. Upon his return, Sam continued to attend college. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

{{note|In adaptations based on early drafts of the screenplay, Sam became a new vessel for the AllSpark as it transferred its knowledge from the Cube's remains to him. The information was transferred to the [[Matrix of Leadership]], and Sam would never be bothered by symbols again. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen issue 2|Revenge of the Fallen #2}} {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|Revenge of the Fallen}}}}

===Transformers Annual 2011===
Just as Sam was getting bored with doing his homework, he was attacked by Starscream. He dashed out towards the garage, but Bumblebee, already alerted, proved no match for the Decepticon. Starscream was about to make off with Sam, when Optimus arrived and quickly sent Starscream packing. Sam surveyed the effect that the battle had had on his dad's garden and reflected that he was in for trouble when his dad got back. {{storylink|Sam in Danger}}

===IDW ''Dark of the Moon'' comics===
Sam and Mikaela later broke up, making him somewhat "testy". {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} He was also invited to dinner at the [[White House]], having saved the world twice, where he met [[Carly Spencer]]. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

{{storylink|Transformers: Space Case}}{{storylink|Transformers: Ratchet}}{{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee}}{{storylink|Transformers: Arcee}}

Sam was returning from a fast food restaurant in [[Philadelphia]] when he found Bumblebee menacing a small robot calling itself "[[Brains]]". {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 1|Rising Storm #1}} He and Bumblebee brought the renegade Decepticon brain unit to Sam's college, where they met [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]], who realized Brains was a scrap drone like him. Sam asked Brains why he was in Philadelphia, and the little 'bot responded that he was running for his life from a Decepticon trying to kill him. [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] then smashed through the wall and attempted to reclaim Brains. Sam contacted NEST, and [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack]] and [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage]] arrived to help. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} As the place quickly became a battlefield and Sam was about to be killed by [[Space Case (DOTM)|Space Case]], Carly appeared and saved him by using a weapon attached to one of the fallen Transformers around her to fend off the Decepticon. Both of them were saved from subsequent danger by the arrival of the rest of the Autobots. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} Later, he and Carly began a relationship and moved to Washington, D.C. along Brains and Wheelie. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===
:''Actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Davide Perino]] (Italian dub), [[Fuminori Komatsu]] (Japanese dub), [[Víctor Ugarte Fonseca|Ugarte]] (American Spanish dub), [[Sérgio Cantú]] (Brazilian dub)
Sometime after [[Operation: Firestorm]] and following being dumped by Mikaela, Sam was awarded a medal for his heroism by [[Barack Obama]]. While at the White House, he met [[Carly Spencer]]. He later went on to move in with his new girlfriend in [[Washington, D.C.]]. They took in the small Autobots [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] and [[Brains]] as "pets" (and [[Bonecrusher (dog)|Mikaela's dog]] for some reason) while Bumblebee also continued to live with Sam, but he would frequently leave to continue his work with [[NEST]], leading Sam to buy a Bumblebee-like car (described by his mother as a 'sad piece of shit') to fill in for his friend.

Receiving a stuffed rabbit from Carly as a good luck charm as he prepared to set out to find a new job, Sam took a moment to complain about the government not allowing him to work with the Autobots, having to borrow money from Carly to pay for things, and the fact that his parents were coming to visit in a week's time. As Carly left for work, Sam reminded the small Autobots of their place and left to begin job-hunting. But his parents had arrived early, and Sam made it clear he had job interviews, and he had to get a ride from them, since his car refused to start. After a series of failed interviews, Sam arrived at a telecommunication company named [[Accuretta Systems]], where his apparently failing attempt to win over [[Bruce Brazos]] succeeded, and he was given a position as a mail carrier. Sam then visited Carly at [[Hotchkiss Gould Investments]] with the news. He then met Carly's boss, [[Dylan Gould]], who seemed all too close to his girlfriend, but Sam denied any jealousy. Before they could go, Dylan revealed that he was on the board for Accuretta Systems and had provided a letter of recommendation for him, to Sam's confusion.

Almost as soon as he started work, Sam found his job to be boring and unfulfilling. Receiving a quick visit from Carly, during which she apparently helped boost Bruce's opinion of Sam, he was dismayed to learn Dylan had loaned her a Mercedes SLS AMG.

[[Image:DOTM-JerryWangSam.jpg|left|thumb|300px|I'm Chang, and I cannot die, I cannot die, I cannot-- oops.]]
Later, one of Sam's co-workers, [[Jerry Wang]], confronted Sam and held him down in a toilet stall. There Jerry told the freaked-out Sam that the Autobots were in danger and the Decepticons were killing humans. After giving Sam his manifesto, Jerry left and Bruce noticed that the two had been struggling in the stall together, creating some . . . awkward moments afterwards. Sam went through Jerry's notes, which contained information regarding the dark side of the Moon. He was confused as to what it meant and went to Jerry's office to ask some questions, but Jerry acted strangely, pretending it had never happened and demanded he leave. Almost immediately after, Jerry fell out of the window to his death, and Bruce told Sam that he didn't care about what had happened earlier, however a [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|condor-like Decepticon]] suddenly attacked Sam, amd he barely managed to get out of the office.

Sam decided to head to the NEST base with Carly, but the guards refused to let him in and pretended he was in the wrong place. After arguing with the guards, Sam radioed for Bumblebee as they restrained him, and Bumblebee arrived and warned them off. Before they went in, Sam told Bumblebee that he was disappointed that they never saw each other any more. He told [[William Lennox|Lennox]] about Jerry's death and his notes of the Moon. Incidentally, NEST and the Autobots had discovered the crashed Autobot ship the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'', which had been the driving force of the American-Russian space race in the '60s, on the Moon. Not only that, they had recently returned from it with the deactivated [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] and five pillars that helped form a space bridge. National Intelligence Director [[Charlotte Mearing]] was not happy with Sam's presence, and after witnessing Optimus reactivate Sentinel with the [[Matrix of Leadership]], she warned Sam that while she was pleased with the information he had brought, he was nothing but a messenger and that his help wasn't necessary.

Upon arriving back at home with Bumblebee, Sam decided he wasn't going to let the matter go and called [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]] and his assistant [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]] for help. The group went through piles of information and came to the conclusion that humans were working with the Decepticons and had been doing so since the space race. When Carly got back, she wasn't happy with Sam, reminding him they were going to Dylan's and believed that he wanted to put himself in danger. She asked Sam to let the situation go, but he refused, and she left. After tracking down a pair of Russian cosmonauts, the group learned that there were once hundreds of pillars, but the Decepticons had stolen them before anyone had reached the ''Ark''. Realising that the Decepticons had left behind Sentinel, the only one who could control the pillars, so that the Autobots could revive him, Sam called Mearing to warn her. Aided by Bumblebee, [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] and [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]], they began escorting Sentinel back to the NEST base. En route, they were attacked by the [[Dread (subgroup)|Dreads]], and during the ensuing chase, Bumblebee was forced transform over a crashing truck, tossing Sam out above him and catching again as he reverted to vehicle mode. But when they arrived back at base, Sentinel revealed that he had made a deal with Megatron to restore Cybertron, then killed [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], wrecked the NEST base and stole his pillars before leaving.

Sam rushed back home to find Carly before remembering she was at Dylan's. He went to his parents to tell them about their argument, and after an embarrassing conversation in which Judy and Ron expressed their opinions of Sam's love life, he realized how much he loved Carly and warned his parents to leave the city. Arriving at Dylan's mansion, he convinced Carly to allow them the chance to talk by being rude to Dylan. However Dylan revealed that his father was once one of the Decepticons' allies. Sam and Carly tried to flee in the loaned Mercedes, only for it to reveal itself as [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], who held Carly hostage. Dylan demanded that Sam find out the Autobots' plan to fight back against the hundreds of the Decepticons brought to Earth by the space bridge, forcing him to wear a [[Watch-bot]] so that he couldn't warn them. Before he left, Sam promised that he would kill Dylan for threatening Carly. He was taken to Mearing by NEST agents, and after she apologized for not believing him, learned that Sentinel had forced the government into exiling the Autobots. Sam was taken to the Autobots' ship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', where a group of Autobots called the [[Wrecker]]s were preparing the ship for launch. Sam pleaded for Optimus to ignore the government's demand for exile and asked what their plan was, but Optimus said they had none. After he and Bumblebee bade him farewell, Sam watched as the ''Xantium'' took off and called Dylan to let him know they were gone, only to learn that the Decepticons had never intended to let the Autobots leave. Sam could only watch as the ship was then destroyed.

He decided that he would find Dylan and save Carly, and with Simmons and Dutch's help he tracked Dylan's location to [[Chicago]]. [[Robert Epps|Epps]] decided to help Sam and gathered a group of soldiers to accompany them. But en-route, the Decepticons invaded Chicago, and the group arrived on the devastated city outskirts. While the soldiers were reluctant to go in, Sam was determined, even though Epps tried to convince him they didn't stand a chance. They were then attacked by a Decepticon [[Orbital Assault Carrier|fighter]], which was brought down by Optimus Prime and the Wreckers. As the rest of the Autobots arrived, they revealed that they had known the Decepticons would never let them go or leave Earth alone and so had hid in a booster rocket that disengaged before the ship was destroyed. With Bumblebee piloting the fighter, Sam infiltrated Dylan's building but was again attacked by Laserbeak, who dropped him over the side. Luckily, Bumblebee caught him, and after Carly jumped onto the fighter, Sam held Laserbeak in place as Bumblebee blasted the 'Con's head off. Once the fighter crash-landed, they awaited the arrival of the rest of the Autobots. After Carly explained the Decepticons' scheme to bring Cybertron into Earth's solar system to NEST via a downed UAV drone optic, Epps came up with a plan to destroy the control pillar with a rocket shot from a high building. Before Sam and the other humans left, [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] handed out grappling hooks and boomsticks.

[[Image:DOTMGrappleglove.jpg|right|thumb|250px|I love the Power Glove. It's so bad. ]]

Sam and the others made it into a tall building, but before the rocket could be launched, Decepticon fighters began firing at the skyscraper, causing it to tilt, and a Decepticon protoform came in looking for them. Escaping by jumping out of the window and sliding down to a lower floor, the group's presence was discovered by [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]], who sent his [[Driller]] to finish the building. After their tower slammed into another, Sam and the others escaped while Optimus arrived and killed the Driller. They began rushing toward the building with the pillars, which had started to activate, but Sam and Carly were separated from Epps and his men. They were found by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], who relished the opportunity to be alone with Sam and started toying around with him. Sam fired the grappling hook into one of Starscream's eyes, and as Starscream thrashed in panic, Sam was flung around and eventually crashed through a window. While he had the opportunity, he armed one of the boomsticks Que had given him, hoping that it had 'better work.' Taking advantage of the arrival of Lennox's team, Sam jumped onto Starscream's head and lodged the armed boomstick into his other eye. He was again flung around while Lennox tried to free him. Starscream flew to the top of a building, and as his head exploded, Bumblebee arrived to catch the falling pair.

They met up with Epps's team and large force of soldiers, but Sam and Carly snuck across the river to find Bumblebee, Dino, Sideswipe, Que and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] captured by Soundwave's forces. As the 'Cons began executing their prisoners, starting with Que, Sam desperately tried to prepare another boomstick to save Bumblebee when his turn came, but it malfunctioned, forcing Sam to watch in horror and despair as his friend was about to be executed before his eyes. Luckily, Bumblebee was saved when Wheelie and Brains took control of a Decepticon ship and caused a distraction that allowed Bumblebee to kill Soundwave. Sam and Carly ended up in the middle of the battlefield, and Sam called to Optimus to warn him about the pillars, and Optimus managed to stall the process by firing at the control pillar. Sam insisted on helping and assured Carly she would be all right, then began rushing to the pillar, which Dylan was trying to reactivate. Sam tried to stop him but failed, and Dylan kicked him off the collapsed structure. Sam refused to give up, however. When Dylan said Sam wasn't a hero, Sam agreed, stating he was just the messenger...then knocked Dylan into the active pillar, killing him. Bumblebee and Ratchet arrived and destroyed the pillar, causing the partially formed Cybertron to collapse in on itself.

After Optimus had killed Sentinel Prime and Megatron, Sam arrived with the others and hugged Carly in relief. Sam apologized for putting himself in danger and said she was all he needed and he would do anything to make it up to her. She forgave him, and Bumblebee took the opportunity to pass out rings, though Sam interpreted this as needing to "slow way down". Sam then joined the Autobots and soldiers as they stood as heroes for rescuing the world from utter destruction -- perhaps finally with due credit. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''Transformers'' - The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]] (English)

====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC/Wii/PS2====
=====Autobot campaign=====
Bumblebee was listening in on the Witwicky family's conversations and discovered Sam's father had promised to buy him a car the next day. When Sam arrived at the used car lot, he felt as though the Camaro was calling to him and convinced his father to buy it. Later, Sam and Mikaela were leaving school when they were attacked by Barricade. Sam was surprised when his car arrived and turned into a robot, and he and Mikaela fled at Bumblebee's prompting. Once Barricade was defeated, Sam thanked Bumblebee for saving him, then witnessed four other Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, arrive in Tranquility. Sam nervously introduced himself, and Optimus said they needed his help. Sam was surprised to learn his great-grandfather's glasses contained the location to the Allspark, and he went to go retrieve them with Mikaela, only for them and Bumblebee to be captured by Sector 7.

Bumblebee's interference at the Sector 7 base inside Hoover Dam also allowed the two humans to be set free, and they escaped the dam with the Allspark as Megatron began unfreezing. Reaching Mission City, Sam and Mikaela were forced to flee as Barricade returned. Once Bumblebee finally finished the Decepticon, Sam noted how insane the situation was. At that moment, Megatron arrived, and Sam and Mikaela fled once again. Megatron discovered them hiding in a building, but Optimus arrived and apparently killed Megatron. As Sam prepared to hand the Allspark over to Optimus, Megatron charged, and a shocked Sam dropped the Allspark, which Optimus used to end the Decepticon leader's life.
{{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

=====Decepticon campaign=====
Sam and Mikaela were innocently walking down the street when Barricade arrived and attacked. Luckily, Bumblebee came to the rescue, and the two humans got in and drove off. However, Bumblebee was soon defeated by Barricade, who told Sam to give him the glasses. Sam tossed the glasses away, but Barricade got them. Once Barricade left, Sam and Mikaela were surrounded by Sector 7 vehicles.

Later, during the Battle of Mission City, Scorponok threatened Sam, who was prepared to hand over the Allspark, but Ironhide arrived and told them to flee. However, after Ironhide and Jazz were killed in the battle, he and Mikaela went to report this to Optimus. Sam then witnessed the battle between Optimus and Megatron, the latter of whom tracked Sam all across the city until Optimus was killed. Sam dropped the Allspark as he looked solemnly at Optimus's remains, and Megatron used the Allspark to achieve ultimate power. What happened to him after the Decepticons won the battle is unknown. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

====''Transformers: The Game'' (PSP)====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]] (English)
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers The Game (PSP)}}

====Transformers Autobots====
Bumblebee was sent to retrieve the glasses that Sam had, but Barricade got there first and got the information. What he did to Sam is unknown. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers Autobots}}

====Transformers Decepticons====
Barricade went to retrieve the glasses that Sam had, but Bumblebee got there first and got the information.
{{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers Decepticons}}

===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]] (English)

====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC====
=====Autobot campaign=====
The Autobots did their best to keep Sam out of the increasingly intense war with the Decepticons, reassigning Bumblebee to rejoin Optimus Prime's unit. Unfortunately, the Decepticons led by Grindor kidnapped him, intent on extracting information from his brain (no doubt in a most unpleasant and final manner). Fortunately for Sam, a force of Autobots arrived to rescue him. Sam managed to warn them of Grindor's presence before being escorted to safety.

Following this, Sam was escorted by the Autobots to an unassuming deli, where former Sector Seven agent Simmons now worked. From there, he led the Autobots to the conveniently close-by museum, where he managed to awaken the ancient Transformer Jetfire while the Autobots held off a Decepticon assault outside. Jetfire teleported them to Egypt, where Sam explored a mysterious tomb while Optimus Prime personally battled Megatron and Starscream. Despite Jetfire's death in battle, the Autobots managed to drive off the Decepticons. During the final battle against the Fallen, Sam's only contribution was to beg Optimus not to lose.

He tended to start babbling when panicked, and there were times when the Autobots must have surely wanted him to shut up. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

=====Decepticon campaign=====
At first, the human germ was of no further interest to Starscream and his Decepticon forces. However, upon discovering his fellow human Mikaela possessed an Allspark shard, the Decepticons first kidnapped her to seize the shard and then visited his college town. After they tore their way through a unit of Autobots sent to stop them, Starscream managed to capture the boy, despite his protests.

Seeing as how he and Mikaela weren't heard from after that, it...er...didn't look too good for them. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

====Wii/PS2====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]] (English)
After [[The Fallen]]'s defeat, [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] and Sam were heard talking to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Wii/PS2)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

==Toys==
===Transformers (2007)===
{{anchor|First Encounter}}
[[Image:Movie ScreenBattles SamMikaelaFrenzy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Yes, run toward the crazy robot.]]
*'''First Encounter''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''SB-01'''

: This Screen Battles pack features a largely unchanged Deluxe class [[Barricade (Movie)/toys#First Encounter|Barricade]] figure, but the Frenzy accessory has been cast in black plastic to better blend in with Barricade's chest. The pack also comes with unposable figurines of Sam Witwicky in a running pose, Frenzy menacing Sam, and [[Mikaela Banes#First Encounter|Mikaela Banes]] holding the power saw she uses to attack [[Frenzy (Movie)#First Encounter|Frenzy]]. The set is packaged in a special window box with a diorama depicting the battle between Barricade and Bumblebee.
{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===
====Human Alliance====
[[Image:ROTF HumanAlliance Sam%26Bumblebee.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Sculpted [[Dull surprise|DULL SURPRISE]]!]]
*'''Bumblebee''' / '''Sam Witwicky''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-21'''

:The first human partner in the Human Alliance subset of the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' toyline]], Sam is an articulated 2.5-inch-tall action figure designed to work with the larger-scale, all-new [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Human Alliance|Bumblebee figure]] and other Human Alliance-scale Transformers. He can sit inside Bumblebee's vehicle interior, ride in special seats mounted on Bumblebee's arms, or stand on his shoulder behind his head, with each location having a different weapon for Sam or any other Human Alliance human character figure to use. He's a bit out of [[scale]] with the Bumblebee and the other Human Alliance figures, being slightly undersized.
{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
====Human Alliance====
[[Image:TF2010HASamWitwicky.jpg|thumb|250px|PUDDING]]
*'''Bumblebee''' / '''Sam Witwicky''' (2010)

:Sam in this release is an all-new mold that matches his appearance during the final battle in Egypt during ''Revenge of the Fallen''. His proportions are... unfortunate. He comes with a slight [[redeco]] of [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Human Alliance 2|Bumblebee]].
{{-}}

===Dark of the Moon===
====Human Alliance====
[[Image:DOTM_HumanAlliance_Bumblebee_Sam.jpg|thumb|right|300px|thumb|"Okay, you're still half yellow. We clearly need to go over this whole 'stealth' thing again..."]]
*'''Bumblebee''' / '''Sam Witwicky''' (Human Alliance, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:''

:''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' Human Alliance Sam is virtually identical to the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' figure and is included with a primarily black "stealth" redeco of Human Alliance [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Human Alliance 3|Bumblebee]].
{{-}}

{{anchor|Daredevil}}
[[Image:DOTM_AutobotDaredevilSquad_toys.jpg|thumb|300px|thumb|[[wikipedia:The Man Without Fear|The Man (and Bots) Without Fear]].]]
*'''Autobot Daredevil Squad''' (Multi-pack, 2011)
:An altered version of the original figure, for once. His shirt was [[repaint]]ed to resemble a protective vest. He comes with redecos of [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Daredevil|Bumblebee]] and [[Backfire (TF 2010)#Daredevil|Backfire]], and an Autobot Alliance patch.
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:RobotHeroes_BattlefortheAllspark.jpg|300px|thumb|right|So it doesn't strike anyone as odd that he's running towards [[Brawl (Movie)|another crazy robot]], or that he's the same size as his car, or that his car is melting?]]
*'''Battle for the Allspark''' (multi-pack, 2009)

: The first human ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' figure, Sam is a small [[super deformed]] figure sculpted running with the [[AllSpark]] cube while grinning stupidly. He is only available in a multi-pack with [[Megatron (Movie)/toys|Megatron]], [[Starscream (Movie)/toys|Starscream]], [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]], [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bumblebee]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Sam was not given the nickname "[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]", nor [[Ron Witwicky|his father]] the nickname "[[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]" (though [[Judy Witwicky|his wife]] does refer to him as "Spark"), because, unlike their Generation 1 counterparts, the movie characters are not oil rig workers or mechanics. Earlier drafts of the script did have Sam earning the nickname "Spike" another way, but this was dropped before the script was finalized.<ref>[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=350123&postcount=4134 Roberto Orci on Paramount's official ''Transformers'' movie forum] explaining why the names Spike and Sparkplug weren't used in the movie.</ref> Regardless, in the Latin American dub of ''Transformers'', Sam appears credited under the name of Sam "Spike" Witwicky.

* Sam's [[eBay]] user name, "LadiesMan217", is a reference to movie director [[Michael Bay]]'s birthday, [[February 17]]. [http://myworld.ebay.com/ladiesman217/ ladiesman217] is a registered user on eBay.

* In the Japanese dub of the film, Sam's eBay username is changed from "LadiesMan217" to "[[Playboy|playboy217]]", since "ladies' man" isn't a term the Japanese are familiar with. To better suit this joke in the Spanish version, his username is "[[wikipedia:Don Juan|DonJuan217]]", named after the famed Spanish womanizer. In the IDW [[Transformers: Movie Adaptation|comics adaptation]], his [[eBay|ePay]] username is "hotstud217". This is even more disturbing.

* According to screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]], he and writing partner [[Alex Kurtzman]] pitched the character of Sam as "Marty McFly on crack".<ref>[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showpost.php?p=1119191&postcount=1921 Roberto Orci on Don Murphy's forum] responding to criticisms of the human characters.</ref>

==References==
<references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witwicky, Sam}}
[[Category:Dark of the Moon humans]]
[[Category:Human Alliance]]
[[Category:Kmart exclusives]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Movie humans]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen humans]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) characters]]
[[Category:Witwicky family|Sam Witwicky]]

Sam Witwicky

2012-02-02T04:22:19Z

WreckNRule426: /* Dark of the Moon film */

{{factions|autobotfilm}}
:''Sam [[Witwicky]] is a [[human]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Sam Witwicky.jpg|right|250px|thumb|If he wears a [[hard hat]], we quit.]]
'''Samuel James "Sam" Witwicky''' (b. [[October 10]], [[1990]] or [[September 13]], [[1991]])<ref>Sam's birthday, according to the [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/Timeline.cfm Hasbro.com official timeline] that came out with the first movie, is October 10, 1990. Indeed, the [[:Image:Witwickytree.jpg|genealogy chart]] in [[Transformers (2007)|the 2007 movie]] indicates Sam was born in 1990. In ''Revenge of the Fallen'', the shot of Sam's driver's license has the date of birth as [[September 13]], 1991. ''[[Transformers: The Junior Novel]]'' has Frenzy note that Sam is 16 due to the information Sam provided in his eBay listing, and so that would seem to suggest a 1991 birth date as well. Take your pick as to which is right.</ref> is a typical adolescent human with an atypical destiny. He quite often ends up in the crossfire in the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. He can seem to be a coward sometimes, but he has the makings of a true leader.

When he bought a car, it turned out to be [[Bumblebee (Movie)|an alien robot]]. Who knew? Also, his pheromone levels suggest that he wants to mate with [[Mikaela Banes]].

He is also known as '''LadiesMan217'''.

{{quote|You are the ''strangest'' boy I have ever met.|[[Mikaela Banes]]| ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]''}}
{{quote|Dude, what kind of tool ''are'' you?|[[Fassbinder]]| ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''}}
{{quote|That kid is an alien bad news magnet.|[[Simmons]]| ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''}}

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:MoviePrequel3_Sam_madman.jpg|thumb|left|150px|]]

At age twelve, [[Ron Witwicky|Sam's father]] presented him with the heirlooms of his ancestor [[Archibald Witwicky]]. At first, thinking they would be priceless artifacts or treasure, Sam was not impressed with what he described as "junk" and made googly eyes with the arctic explorer's glasses. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 3|Movie Prequel #3}}

Years later, Sam discovered the concept of riding around in cars to cruise for chicks. His best friend [[Miles Lancaster|Miles]] suggested an [[eBay|online auction]], but also convinced him to hold off on it until he was actually old enough to drive, as perhaps by then somebody would be interested in his family's heirlooms. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 4|Movie Prequel #4}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beginnings''===
:''Voice actor:'' Unknown

When Sam was presented with Archibald Witwicky's personal effects, at first he was excited at the prospect of becoming rich, but was less than impressed with the "junk" in the box and made flippant remarks about Archibald's eventual fate. This reaction mildly annoyed his father. {{Storylink|Transformers: Beginnings (Movie)|Transformers: Beginnings}}

{{note|Transformers: Beginnings is a condensed, flash-animated retelling of the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] ''[[Transformers: Movie Prequel]]'' that is detailed above this section.}}

===''Transformers'' film===
:''Actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Davide Perino]] (Italian dub), [[Fuminori Komatsu]] (Japanese dub), [[Sérgio Cantú]] (Brazilian dub), [[Víctor Ugarte Fonseca|Víctor Ugarte]] (American Spanish dub)
[[Image:Movie Sam classreport papers.jpg|250px|thumb|Is this a genealogy report or an auction?]]

After getting an undeserved A- for his genealogy report, Sam went with his father to buy a car. Though they passed a [[Jazz (G1)|Porsche]] car lot, Ron was actually playing a cruel joke on his son. (Real smart, considering that he'll eventually get [[wikipedia:Power_of_attorney|power of attorney]] someday.) Going to [[Bobby Bolivia]]'s car lot, they went shopping for a used car. Sam spotted a Camaro that he liked, but Ron, ever the cheap man, refused to go over four thousand dollars. However, when all the windows in the car lot suddenly exploded, Bolivia agreed to four thousand.

[[Image:Movie Sam Bumble Lake.jpg|left|200px|thumb|That Charles Atlas course really works!]]

Sam took his buddy Miles to the lake, where they encountered Mikaela and her boyfriend [[Trent DeMarco|Trent]]. Trent pretty much told them to get lost, but Mikaela then dumped Trent. Realizing he had his one shot, Sam abandoned Miles and offered to give Mikaela a ride home. When his car had some engine trouble, Mikaela looked under the hood and was quite impressed with the layout of the Camaro's engine, though Sam was more impressed with the layout of Mikaela. After giving her a ride home, Mikaela asked Sam if he thought she was shallow. Sam awkwardly replied that he thought there was "more than meets the eye...with you". After berating himself for his lame pickup line, Sam watched Mikaela wave goodbye from her porch and felt that he had made progress, prompting him to say he loved his car.

[[Image:Movie2007 Bumblebee firstsighting.jpg|250px|thumb|Nope, nothing out of the ordinary here, no sirree.]]

Later that night, his car suddenly left. Believing it was being stolen, Sam followed it to an abandoned junkyard. To his shock and horror, the car was [[Transformer|alive]]. Sam left his last words to his parents and [[Mojo]], in which he acknowledged that he owned the ''Busty Beauties'' issues that were given to him by his uncle [[Charles (Movie)|Charles]], then investigated. Some police came and arrested him, and an overzealous cop, believing him to be a junkie, called him "[[50 Cent]]". Once he returned home, [[Unicron|Satan's]] Camaro arrived, and Sam fled ignominiously on his [[Judy Witwicky|mother's]] pink bike. He hit the cement hard in front of Mikaela and soon found a police car. He demanded the officer's help...at which point said police car turned into [[Barricade (Movie)|an even scarier car]]. After throwing Sam onto a nearby vehicle, the cop car demanded the location of Sam's eBay items, but Sam fled and ran into Mikaela. The Camaro arrived and took them to a power plant, where the two cars fought it out while Sam was chased by [[Frenzy (Movie)|a spastic abomination]] who pantsed him. Mikaela was able to cut off its head, which Sam punted.

[[Image:BarricadeVsSam.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"Are you user name ladiesman217?!" "NO!" "Oh. Well, then never mind." "Really?" "No, I'm still gonna kill you."]]

Sam and Mikaela approached the Camaro, who could only speak through his radio and offered them a ride. Mikaela was hesitant, but Sam convinced her to get in. While driving, Sam had shotgun, but Mikaela refused to sit in the driver's seat. Sam suggested that she sit in his lap. Safety first, right? She agreed, then admitted to Sam that it was a smooth move on his part. Mikaela then asked if the robot was so advanced, then why did he turn into a piece of crap Camaro? Insulted, the car forced them out. As Sam lamented how four thousand dollars had driven off, the car returned as a 2009 Camaro. It took the teens to an observatory, where they watched as four meteors entered Earth's atmosphere, during which Mikaela instinctively reached out for Sam's hand. They were then escorted to an abandoned alley, where they met the biggest surprises of them all: Four other cars [[Transformation|transformed]] into robots. The lead robot, after inquiring about Sam's identity, introduced himself as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot|Autobots]], autonomous robotic lifeforms from a planet known as [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Prime introduced [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], his first lieutenant; [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], his weapons expert; and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], their medical officer (who claimed that Sam's pheromone level indicated that he wanted to mate with Mikaela, embarrassing both teens); and identified the Camaro as Bumblebee, Sam's appointed guardian. Optimus explained their mission to locate the [[AllSpark]], the betrayal of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], and how Archibald Witwicky's [[glasses]] played a vital role in finding the AllSpark.

[[Image:Movie Sam Mikaela meettheAutobots.jpg|thumb|250px|Oh, great, now you get mugged by giant alien robots.]]

Going to his house, Sam frantically searched for the glasses, but the Autobots were somewhat impatient and totally wrecked his dad's backyard. After he found the glasses, government agents arrived. Their leader, [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]], took Sam and Mikaela into custody, separating Sam from his parents. Simmons went bad cop on Sam, threatening him with life imprisonment and revealing Mikaela's criminal record. Just as Simmons demanded answers about aliens, Prime intercepted the convoy, and the Autobots totally outclassed the agents. Sam demanded to know what [[Sector Seven]] was, but a backup team arrived. Prime took Sam and Mikaela to hide under a bridge, but they nearly fell to their deaths. Bumblebee saved them but was captured, and Sam and Mikaela were recaptured.

[[Image:Movie Sam Bumblebee capture.jpg|left|200px|thumb|If you thought this part of the hazing was bad, wait'll you see what they do with the scraplets.]]

They were taken to [[Hoover Dam]], where Simmons tried the awkward role of good cop, but Sam was uninterested in talking. [[Tom Banachek]] tried to bribe him, and Sam demanded the freeing of Bumblebee, his parents, and the expunging of Mikaela's criminal record. Taking them into the dam, Sector Seven showed them [[Megatron (Movie)|N.B.E.-1]], whom Sam recognized as Megatron. He explained Megatron's goals and the purpose of the AllSpark. However, the spastic abomination that had pantsed him sent a message to the Decepticons, who attacked. Sam implored Sector Seven to release Bumblebee, saying he could help, which [[William Lennox|Captain Lennox]] expedited by putting a gun to Simmons's chest. Bumblebee converted the AllSpark to a smaller form, and the soldiers, soon augmented by the Autobots, escorted the two teens and Bumblebee to [[Mission City]].

[[Image:Movie Megatron Samonroof.jpg|250px|thumb|Why, Mr. Witwicky, why, WHY do you persist!?]]

Upon reaching Mission City, an F-22 Raptor was spotted, which Ironhide recognized as [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]. Starscream attacked, damaging Bumblebee's legs, and [[Brawl (Movie)|a tank]] attacked the soldiers. As the Autobots and the soldiers went to deal with the tank, Mikaela arrived with a tow truck to remove Bumblebee from the battle. Megatron soon arrived and killed Jazz, and Lennox ordered Sam to take the AllSpark to a building to be escorted out of the city. Despite Sam's refusal to leave, Bumblebee handed the Cube to him, urging him to go. Sam was pursued by Megatron, Starscream, and [[Blackout (Movie)|a helicopter]], with Ratchet and Ironhide providing protection, but they were injured by Starscream, and Sam was forced to leave without them. During his flight, Sam dropped the AllSpark, causing [[Steering wheel robot|some]] [[Dispensor|nearby]] [[Xbox 360 robot|machines]] to come to life. Reaching the building, Sam ignited a flare, but his ride was destroyed by Starscream.

[[Image:Movie Sam defeats Megatron.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Now, light our darkest hour...]]

Cornered on the roof, Megatron demanded the AllSpark in exchange for living to be [[Ravage (G1)|his]] [[Laserbeak (G1)|pet]], but Sam refused. Megatron used his flail to knock Sam off the roof, but Sam was saved by Optimus Prime. Telling Sam to hold onto the cube, Prime tried to scale down the building, but Megatron knocked them all off. Prime managed to shield Sam from any serious injury, however. Prime expressed admiration for Sam's efforts and told him that if he couldn't defeat Megatron, Sam was to merge the Cube with Optimus's [[spark]], destroying both Prime and the AllSpark. Megatron was indeed too powerful for Optimus to defeat alone, and Prime told Sam to push the cube into the Autobot's chest. Instead, Sam merged the AllSpark with Megatron, killing him. Optimus extended his thanks, telling him he owed Sam a debt of gratitude. Bumblebee, who could now speak, requested permission to stay with Sam, to which Sam eagerly agreed. Sam and Mikaela entered into a relationship and made out on Bumblebee's hood while Ironhide and Ratchet observed.

Sam ''really'' loves having a car. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)|Transformers}}
{{-}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
{{notetitantlg}}

Sam held the key to Earth's survival, and his attempt to destroy Megatron with the AllSpark... failed. Sam was killed, and Mikaela and Bumblebee mourn him still. Bumblebee wondered if there was another reality where Sam's attempt succeeded and the Decepticons didn't conquer the United States... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 9|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1}}

===IDW ''Revenge of The Fallen'' comics===
Shortly after the battle of Mission City, Sam and Mikaela were watching Ratchet reattach Bumblebee's legs when [[Dispensor|the transformed Mountain Dew machine]] suddenly attacked Sam. Fortunately, Ratchet crushed the creature before it could cause further havoc. Examining the liquid from its remains, Ratchet warned his human friends about the dangers in weight gain and tooth decay that the substance could cause to them. Amused, Sam and Mikaela promised to be careful. {{storylink|Alliance issue 1|Alliance #1}}

A few months later, after the Autobots and the [[United States military]] had agreed to operation under a formal military alliance as [[NEST]], Major Lennox became concerned over an ominous warning he had received from [[Swindle (Movie)|a Decepticon]] they had just destroyed. The Decepticons were looking for "it", and both Lennox and Optimus Prime feared they could be after Sam again. Though Lennox refused Prime's suggestion of placing Sam in protective custody at their base on [[Diego Garcia]], believing it was too much for the boy to handle, they agreed that somebody needed to keep an eye on Sam, and so Bumblebee once again assumed the role of his protector. {{storylink|Alliance issue 4|Alliance #4}}

Sam was delighted to see Bumblebee return, but the delight stopped when Bumblebee "helped" to get a cat out of a tree by shaking the tree until it got off. After learning that Bumblebee had returned to watch over him, Sam used the Autobot as his ride to the movies for a double date between him and Mikaela, and Miles with Mikaela's friend [[Lyndsey]]. Once there, he saw Trent's truck and hoped not to run into him. The night went without a hitch, and Sam was happy that Bumblebee behaved himself in front of Trent, but Bumblebee explained that he got back at Trent by flipping over his car, which displeased Sam. As the days went by, Bumblebee's attempt to integrate himself into Sam's life didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped. Without the team structure of the Autobots, Bumblebee grew more reckless and impulsive, from smashing a would-be car thief with the door he was attempting to unlock, to inadvertently earning Sam traffic tickets for running red lights. Eventually, Sam discussed his upcoming college plans with Bumblebee, explaining that the yellow guy might not be able to accompany him at school. He then had to persuade his parents to let Bumblebee stay in the garage while he was at school, but Ron strenuously said no, stating that 'Bee could stay for the summer, but once Sam left for school, the Autobot had to leave too. Frustrated, Sam walked to Mikaela's to cool off, but twenty minutes later, he was captured by Barricade, who chained him up and hung him from a hook over a junkyard car crusher. The Decepticon demanded that Sam tell him the locations of Bumblebee and the AllSpark, but Sam had no idea about either. As Barricade prepared to drop the young human into the crusher, Bumblebee arrived just in time, and Sam safely fell onto a pile of tires while Barricade taunted Bumblebee about how Earth had made the Autobot soft and how their last encounter was just luck. Barricade easily swatted Bumblebee aside and went after Sam, but 'Bee managed to pull himself out of the scrap and assaulted Barricade once more. Barricade had the upper hand, so Sam helped by operating a crane. However, he had trouble controlling the vehicle, and Barricade snapped the chain-hook off and tossed the crane aside before charging at the crane's occupant again. Bumblebee then used the abandoned chain-hook to knock Barricade into a pool of gasoline. He sent Sam off to a safer distance and fired his cannon at the gasoline-soaked Decepticon menace, causing a massive explosion. Bumblebee survived the explosion, and Sam was happy to see him okay. He then asked what had happened to Barricade, and Bumblebee responded that they probably hadn't seen the last of the Decepticon. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 1|Tales of the Fallen #1}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
Sam's parents took him to college, and ''God'', did he regret that when his mother kept holding his hand. He was slightly surprised when Bumblebee drove off without warning. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}}

[[Image:Titan6_Samabducted.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Is that Sam or Adam Sandler?]]

Weeks later, he was en route to meet Mikaela when he was accosted by [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. Annoyed, he pointed out he'd done his part and just wanted to be left alone, but the twins pushed him into taking a ride in Skids. They explained they'd been framed for a crime they didn't commit, they had vital intelligence of a secret Decepticon army, and they wanted Sam to inform Optimus because Prime trusted him. Sam, being a smart kid, didn't think much of wild stories by two strangers who'd abducted him and said he'd ''think'' about it. When Bumblebee turned up and the twins accelerated, he stopped thinking and starting banging on Skids window in a desire to GTFO.

Luckily, Skids spat him out. Unluckily, he then saw Bumblebee get gunned down by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], who'd come to recruit the twins. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
:''Actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Davide Perino]] (Italian dub), [[Fuminori Komatsu]] (Japanese dub), [[Sérgio Cantú]] (Brazilian dub), [[Víctor Ugarte Fonseca|Víctor Ugarte]] (American Spanish dub)

[[Image:ROTF Sam Cube fragment.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Damned bedbugs.]]
About two years later, Sam was packing up his stuff and preparing to leave for college with his parents, insisting that he was not going to be with anyone else but [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]], at which point she called to tell him she was breaking up with him. Sam played it cool as he convinced her that they should stay together, having already brought a "long distance relationship kit", and offered to throw im his sweater from the battle two years earlier. A shard of the AllSpark fell out of the sweater and a.) brought numerous kitchen devices to life and b.) imprinted a large collection of ancient Cybertronian knowledge onto his brain. After [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] destroyed the kitchen robots (and parts of the Witwickys' house with them), Sam handed the AllSpark shard to [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]]. In a wrenching heart-to-heart with Bumblebee, he dismissed him from his role as guardian, saying it was time for Bumblebee to rejoin the other Autobots (and Sam wasn't allowed to have a car at college, anyway). Before he departed he and Mikaela argued over the fact that neither would say they loved each other, and Sam claimed it was all part of an elaborate plan to keep her interested.

Arriving at college, Sam met his roommate, [[Leo Spitz]], who operated a [[The Real Effing Deal|conspiracy website]] and was convinced that alien robots were hiding on Earth. Sam, already fretting that his wacky roommate would discover his connection to the Autobots and attempting to throw him off the truth, was mortified when he realised [[Judy Witwicky|Judy]] had unknowingly brought and digested brownies, making her run around the campus and babbling about his private life before [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] took her away. Going to a frat party on at the same time as his first web chat date with Mikaela, Sam also met his fellow student [[Alice]], who immediately and forcefully attempted to seduce him. When Bumblebee showed up noting they had a problem, Alice invited herself along on a ride with Sam, but Bumblebee did everything he could to convince her to leave. After finally getting rid of her, Bumblebee took Sam to Optimus Prime, who was convinced—for some reason—that Sam was in danger. Even more strangely, Optimus asked Sam to act as a go-between for the Autobots to humanity at large. Sam, wanting to be normal, declined due to his anger that he hadn't even been given one day of normality at college.

[[Image:ROTF mental meltdown.jpg|thumb|right|250px|What do you mean, this movie is [http://theabyssgazes.blogspot.com/2010/03/teal-and-orange-hollywood-please-stop.html only orange and teal?]]]
Because no good deed goes unpunished, of course, as Sam shortly thereafter began to see [[Cyberglyphics|strange symbols]] right in the middle of his first astronomy class. He also developed a nasty eye tic and decided to assert in front of his [[Colan|professor]] and about three hundred of his colleagues that Einstein was wrong, that the first four dimensions were unfairly in the spotlight, and what about the other thirteen that nobody ever talks about? He began to write out the symbols in support of this theory on a blackboard in front of his class, until he pulled himself together and was ordered out of the class.

After recovering from this outburst, Sam believed it might have something to do with him touching the AllSpark shard, and he contacted his bitter-for-standing-him-up girlfriend to warn her not to touch the shard. Mikaela promptly boarded a plane to see Sam, but when she arrived, she found him in what appeared to be an intimate moment with Alice, who had come in with Leo as Sam was drawing more Cybertronian symbols all over the walls. Fortunately for Sam's relationship, Alice turned out to be a killer alien robot who tried to strangle him with her tongue. Sam, Mikaela and Leo, who stumbled across Alice's robotic self by accident, tried to escape but were captured by a [[Grindor (ROTF)|Decepticon helicopter]] who took them to an abandoned foundry where [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and a resurrected [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] waited.

[[Image:ROTF must have brain.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Hey Doc, don't get all Egyptian-ish and take out my brain through my nose!]]
After Sam's failure at relating to the thirty-foot-tall robot, Megatron ordered a small, glasses-wearing robot called [[Scalpel (ROTF)|The Doctor]] and his [[Scalpel's assistant|assistants]] to remove Sam's brain in order to access the information from the AllSpark shard. Sam pleaded for the chance to talk things through, just as Optimus Prime and Bumblebee arrived and attacked the Decepticons, freeing Sam, Mikaela and Leo. Fleeing with the Autobot leader through a forest, Sam was caught up in Optimus's attempt to fight off Megatron, Starscream and Grindor all by himself. After killing Grindor, Optimus was impaled by Megatron and died, his last words being for Sam to run. Just then, the other Autobots arrived, causing Megatron and Starscream to retreat. Sam was safe, for the moment at least, and upset that he had been responsible to Optimus Prime's death.

In a hijacked TV broadcast, [[The Fallen]] revealed his existence to the global public and demanded Sam to be surrendered to him. Decepticons landed around the globe, killing several thousand people. In Paris, one of them tracked down Sam's parents and captured them, and a manhunt led by the FBI and CIA began for Sam. Sam hid out with Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee and the Autobot twins, [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] in an old prison, and was frustrated by Leo's panicking. Sam contemplated turning himself in, blaming himself for all the casualties, but Mikaela and Bumblebee knew the Decepticons wouldn't just leave Earth alone if that happened.

Sam then decided they should try and find out what the symbols he had been seeing meant, but neither Bumblebee or the twins could read the ancient dialect, and Leo suggested they ask his rival, "[[Robo-Warrior]]", owner of a [[GiantEffingRobots.com|competing website]], for help. To everyone's surprise, Robo-Warrior turned out to be none other than [[Seymour Simmons]], former agent of [[Sector Seven]], who still held a small grudge against Sam until he mentioned the Cybertronian symbols. Simmons revealed that symbols similar to those Sam was obsessed with had been found on numerous excavation sites around the world, but in order to read them, they might need a Decepticon. Mikaela just happened to be carrying around [[Wheelie (ROTF)|a Decepticon]], who when interrogated suggested they track down one of the [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seekers]], a species of Transformer that had been present on Earth for much of its history.

[[Image:ROTF Sam burns hand.jpg|thumb|right|250px| AHHH, THE LIGHT—IT BURNS!!!]]
At the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Sam used the last remaining AllSpark shard to reactivate an old Decepticon named [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], disguised as an SR-71 Blackbird. Jetfire claimed to have defected to the Autobots and upon Sam showing him the symbols and mentioning The Fallen's name, Jetfire opened a [[space bridge]] and teleported the entire group to [[Egypt]], injuring Sam's hand in the process. Jetifre proceeded to tell them about The Fallen, who betrayed his brothers, the [[Dynasty of Primes|Primes]], many millennia ago. The Fallen intended to destroy the Earth's sun in order to create [[energon]], the Transformers' source of energy, and the symbols in Sam's head were a map to the location of the [[Star Harvester]], the weapon intended to use to destroy the sun. Jetfire also revealed that only a Prime could stop The Fallen, and a key was needed to activate the harvester: the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. Sam asked Jetfire whether the Matrix would also revive Optimus Prime, to which Jetfire responded that it might be possible, given the unusual radiation that the Matrix generated.

[[Image:ROTF Matrix crumbles.jpg|thumb|left|250px|We came all the way to Kansas for this, and that benefactor didn't tell me my PS3 Controller would just crumble into dust!]]
Setting off with Jetfire's translation of the symbols, "When dawn alights the Dagger's Tip, Three Kings shall reveal the doorway", Sam planned to have Simmons call [[William Lennox|Lennox]] and have him transport Optimus's body to Egypt. After a stopover for the night between the Pyramids of Giza, during which Sam totally failed at declaring his love for Mikaela, he realised that the Three Kings were in fact the star constellations above the Pyramids, which pointed to Jordan. In the Petra mountains, the group discovered the tomb of the Primes, uncovered during a fight between Skids and Mudflap. Inside, Sam found the Matrix, which crumbled to dust when he touched it. Sam collected the dust regardless, and together they traveled back to Egypt.

[[Image:ROTF-Mikaela-and-Sam-Running.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Run, Mikaela! Run for the sake of cool perspective shots!]]
Meanwhile, the NEST team parachuted down and prepared for [[Operation: Firestorm|battle]] near the pyramids, having realised the Decepticons were on their way. Before Sam and the others could get back to Lennox and his people, the Decepticons commenced their assault and Starscream attacked, so while the others created a diversion, Sam and Mikaela cut through an Egyptian village. After killing a searching [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]], they fled from Starscream and [[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]], running straight into a trap the Constructicon [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]] had set up using his parents. Sam stalled for time by offering to hand over the Matrix dust, 'til he was rescued by Bumblebee. Sam ordered Bumblebee to get his parents to safety while he and Mikaela continued on.

[[Image:Tf2009 mol.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Even Frisbees on Cybertron were co-opted into the [[Great War (disambiguation)|Great War]].]]
Sam and Mikaela almost joined a search group led by [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], but they were attacked and forced to head on by themselves. Arriving at the site of the main battle, they were saved by Lennox, [[Robert Epps|Epps]] and Jetfire, but Sam was mortally wounded by a blast fired by Megatron as he made his way to Optimus's body. While paramedics tried to reanimate him, the Matrix dust was spilled across his hand, and Sam encountered the dead Primes in a vision. The Primes told him that he was destined to find the Matrix and save the life of the last Prime. Sam returned to life, and the dust in his hand reassembled itself into the Matrix. Sam took the opportunity to tell Mikaela that he loved her. With the Matrix, Sam was able to revive Optimus Prime, who ultimately was able to defeat the Fallen.

[[Image:ROTF Sam back at school.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Did anyone miss me?]]
With the battle won, the Autobots, NEST, Sam and his friends returned to the USA on board an aircraft carrier, where Sam and Optimus Prime checked out the view from the back. Optimus thanked Sam for saving his life, and Sam in turn thanked him for believing in him. Upon his return, Sam continued to attend college. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

{{note|In adaptations based on early drafts of the screenplay, Sam became a new vessel for the AllSpark as it transferred its knowledge from the Cube's remains to him. The information was transferred to the [[Matrix of Leadership]], and Sam would never be bothered by symbols again. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen issue 2|Revenge of the Fallen #2}} {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|Revenge of the Fallen}}}}

===Transformers Annual 2011===
Just as Sam was getting bored with doing his homework, he was attacked by Starscream. He dashed out towards the garage, but Bumblebee, already alerted, proved no match for the Decepticon. Starscream was about to make off with Sam, when Optimus arrived and quickly sent Starscream packing. Sam surveyed the effect that the battle had had on his dad's garden and reflected that he was in for trouble when his dad got back. {{storylink|Sam in Danger}}

===IDW ''Dark of the Moon'' comics===
Sam and Mikaela later broke up, making him somewhat "testy". {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} He was also invited to dinner at the [[White House]], having saved the world twice, where he met [[Carly Spencer]]. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

{{storylink|Transformers: Space Case}}{{storylink|Transformers: Ratchet}}{{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee}}{{storylink|Transformers: Arcee}}

Sam was returning from a fast food restaurant in [[Philadelphia]] when he found Bumblebee menacing a small robot calling itself "[[Brains]]". {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 1|Rising Storm #1}} He and Bumblebee brought the renegade Decepticon brain unit to Sam's college, where they met [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]], who realized Brains was a scrap drone like him. Sam asked Brains why he was in Philadelphia, and the little 'bot responded that he was running for his life from a Decepticon trying to kill him. [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] then smashed through the wall and attempted to reclaim Brains. Sam contacted NEST, and [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack]] and [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage]] arrived to help. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} As the place quickly became a battlefield and Sam was about to be killed by [[Space Case (DOTM)|Space Case]], Carly appeared and saved him by using a weapon attached to one of the fallen Transformers around her to fend off the Decepticon. Both of them were saved from subsequent danger by the arrival of the rest of the Autobots. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} Later, he and Carly began a relationship and moved to Washington, D.C. along Brains and Wheelie. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===
:''Actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Davide Perino]] (Italian dub), [[Fuminori Komatsu]] (Japanese dub), [[Víctor Ugarte Fonseca|Ugarte]] (American Spanish dub), [[Sérgio Cantú]] (Brazilian dub)
Sometime after [[Operation: Firestorm]] and following being dumped by Mikaela, Sam was awarded a medal for his heroism by [[Barack Obama]]. While at the White House, he met [[Carly Spencer]]. He later went on to move in with his new girlfriend in [[Washington, D.C.]]. They took in the small Autobots [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] and [[Brains]] as "pets" (and [[Bonecrusher (dog)|Mikaela's dog]] for some reason) while Bumblebee also continued to live with Sam, but he would frequently leave to continue his work with [[NEST]], leading Sam to buy a Bumblebee-like car (described by his mother as a 'sad piece of shit') to fill in for his friend.

Receiving a stuffed rabbit from Carly as a good luck charm as he prepared to set out to find a new job, Sam took a moment to complain about the government not allowing him to work with the Autobots, having to borrow money from Carly to pay for things, and the fact that his parents were coming to visit in a week's time. As Carly left for work, Sam reminded the small Autobots of their place and left to begin job-hunting. But his parents had arrived early, and Sam made it clear he had job interviews, and he had to get a ride from them, since his car refused to start. After a series of failed interviews, Sam arrived at a telecommunication company named [[Accuretta Systems]], where his apparently failing attempt to win over [[Bruce Brazos]] succeeded, and he was given a position as a mail carrier. Sam then visited Carly at [[Hotchkiss Gould Investments]] with the news. He then met Carly's boss, [[Dylan Gould]], who seemed all too close to his girlfriend, but Sam denied any jealousy. Before they could go, Dylan revealed that he was on the board for Accuretta Systems and had provided a letter of recommendation for him, to Sam's confusion.

Almost as soon as he started work, Sam found his job to be boring and unfulfilling. Receiving a quick visit from Carly, during which she apparently helped boost Bruce's opinion of Sam, he was dismayed to learn Dylan had loaned her a Mercedes SLS AMG.

[[Image:DOTM-JerryWangSam.jpg|left|thumb|300px|I'm Chang, and I cannot die, I cannot die, I cannot-- oops.]]
Later, one of Sam's co-workers, [[Jerry Wang]], confronted Sam and held him down in a toilet stall. There Jerry told the freaked-out Sam that the Autobots were in danger and the Decepticons were killing humans. After giving Sam his manifesto, Jerry left and Bruce noticed that the two had been struggling in the stall together, creating some . . . awkward moments afterwards. Sam went through Jerry's notes, which contained information regarding the dark side of the Moon. He was confused as to what it meant and went to Jerry's office to ask some questions, but Jerry acted strangely, pretending it had never happened and demanded he leave. Almost immediately after, Jerry fell out of the window to his death, and Bruce told Sam that he didn't care about what had happened earlier, however a [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|condor-like Decepticon]] suddenly attacked Sam, amd he barely managed to get out of the office.

Sam decided to head to the NEST base with Carly, but the guards refused to let him in and pretended he was in the wrong place. After arguing with the guards, Sam radioed for Bumblebee as they restrained him, and Bumblebee arrived and warned them off. Before they went in, Sam told Bumblebee that he was disappointed that they never saw each other any more. He told [[William Lennox|Lennox]] about Jerry's death and his notes of the Moon. Incidentally, NEST and the Autobots had discovered the crashed Autobot ship the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'', which had been the driving force of the American-Russian space race in the '60s, on the Moon. Not only that, they had recently returned from it with the deactivated [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] and five pillars that helped form a space bridge. National Intelligence Director [[Charlotte Mearing]] was not happy with Sam's presence, and after witnessing Optimus reactivate Sentinel with the [[Matrix of Leadership]], she warned Sam that while she was pleased with the information he had brought, he was nothing but a messenger and that his help wasn't necessary.

Upon arriving back at home with Bumblebee, Sam decided he wasn't going to let the matter go and called [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]] and his assistant [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]] for help. The group went through piles of information and came to the conclusion that humans were working with the Decepticons and had been doing so since the space race. When Carly got back, she wasn't happy with Sam, reminding him they were going to Dylan's and believed that he wanted to put himself in danger. She asked Sam to let the situation go, but he refused, and she left. After tracking down a pair of Russian cosmonauts, the group learned that there were once hundreds of pillars, but the Decepticons had stolen them before anyone had reached the ''Ark''. Realising that the Decepticons had left behind Sentinel, the only one who could control the pillars, so that the Autobots could revive him, Sam called Mearing to warn her. Aided by Bumblebee, [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] and [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]], they began escorting Sentinel back to the NEST base. En route, they were attacked by the [[Dread (subgroup)|Dreads]], and during the ensuing chase, Bumblebee was forced transform over a crashing truck, tossing Sam out above him and catching again as he reverted to vehicle mode. But when they arrived back at base, Sentinel revealed that he had made a deal with Megatron to restore Cybertron, then killed [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], wrecked the NEST base and stole his pillars before leaving.

Sam rushed back home to find Carly before remembering she was at Dylan's. He went to his parents to tell them about their argument, and after an embarrassing conversation in which Judy and Ron expressed their opinions of Sam's love life, he realized how much he loved Carly and warned his parents to leave the city. Arriving at Dylan's mansion, he convinced Carly to allow them the chance to talk by being rude to Dylan. However Dylan revealed that his father was once one of the Decepticons' allies. Sam and Carly tried to flee in the loaned Mercedes, only for it to reveal itself as [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], who held Carly hostage. Dylan demanded that Sam find out the Autobots' plan to fight back against the hundreds of the Decepticons brought to Earth by the space bridge, forcing him to wear a [[Watch-bot]] so that he couldn't warn them. Before he left, Sam promised that he would kill Dylan for threatening Carly. He was taken to Mearing by NEST agents, and after she apologized for not believing him, learned that Sentinel had forced the government into exiling the Autobots. Sam was taken to the Autobots' ship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', where a group of Autobots called the [[Wrecker]]s were preparing the ship for launch. Sam pleaded for Optimus to ignore the government's demand for exile and asked what their plan was, but Optimus said they had none. After he and Bumblebee bade him farewell, Sam watched as the ''Xantium'' took off and called Dylan to let him know they were gone, only to learn that the Decepticons had never intended to let the Autobots leave. Sam could only watch as the ship was then destroyed.

He decided that he would find Dylan and save Carly, and with Simmons and Dutch's help he tracked Dylan's location to [[Chicago]]. [[Robert Epps|Epps]] decided to help Sam and gathered a group of soldiers to accompany them. But en-route, the Decepticons invaded Chicago, and the group arrived on the devastated city outskirts. While the soldiers were reluctant to go in, Sam was determined, even though Epps tried to convince him they didn't stand a chance. They were then attacked by a Decepticon [[Orbital Assault Carrier|fighter]], which was brought down by Optimus Prime and the Wreckers. As the rest of the Autobots arrived, they revealed that they had known the Decepticons would never let them go or leave Earth alone and so had hid in a booster rocket that disengaged before the ship was destroyed. With Bumblebee piloting the fighter, Sam infiltrated Dylan's building but was again attacked by Laserbeak, who dropped him over the side. Luckily, Bumblebee caught him, and after Carly jumped onto the fighter, Sam held Laserbeak in place as Bumblebee blasted the 'Con's head off. Once the fighter crash-landed, they awaited the arrival of the rest of the Autobots. After Carly explained the Decepticons' scheme to bring Cybertron into Earth's solar system to NEST via a downed UAV drone optic, Epps came up with a plan to destroy the control pillar with a rocket shot from a high building. Before Sam and the other humans left, [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] handed out grappling hooks and boomsticks.

[[Image:DOTMGrappleglove.jpg|right|thumb|250px|I love the Power Glove. It's so bad. ]]

Sam and the others made it into a tall building, but before the rocket could be launched, Decepticon fighters began firing at the skyscraper, causing it to tilt, and a Decepticon protoform came in looking for them. Escaping by jumping out of the window and sliding down to a lower floor, the group's presence was discovered by [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]], who sent his [[Driller]] to finish the building. After their tower slammed into another, Sam and the others escaped while Optimus arrived and killed the Driller. They began rushing toward the building with the pillars, which had started to activate, but Sam and Carly were separated from Epps and his men. They were found by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], who relished the opportunity to be alone with Sam and started toying around with him. Sam fired the grappling hook into one of Starscream's eyes, and as Starscream thrashed in panic, Sam was flung around and eventually crashed through a window. While he had the opportunity, he armed one of the boomsticks Que had given him, hoping that it had 'better work.' Taking advantage of the arrival of Lennox's team, Sam jumped onto Starscream's head and lodged the armed boomstick into his other eye. He was again flung around while Lennox tried to free him. Starscream flew to the top of a building, and as his head exploded, Bumblebee arrived to catch the falling pair.

They met up with Epps's team and large force of soldiers, but Sam and Carly snuck across the river to find Bumblebee, Dino, Sideswipe, Que and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] captured by Soundwave's forces. As the 'Cons began executing their prisoners, starting with Que, Sam desperately tried to prepare another boomstick to save Bumblebee when his turn came, but it malfunctioned, forcing Sam to watch in horror and despair as his friend was about to be executed before his eyes. Luckily, Bumblebee was saved when Wheelie and Brains took control of a Decepticon ship and caused a distraction that allowed Bumblebee to kill Soundwave. Sam and Carly ended up in the middle of the battlefield, and Sam called to Optimus to warn him about the pillars, and Optimus managed to stall the process by firing at the control pillar. Sam insisted on helping and assured Carly she would be all right, then began rushing to the pillar, which Dylan was trying to reactivate. Sam tried to stop him but failed, and Dylan kicked him off the collapsed structure. Sam refused to give up, however. When Dylan said Sam wasn't a hero, Sam agreed, stating he was just the messenger...then knocked Dylan into the active pillar, killing him. Bumblebee and Ratchet arrived and destroyed the pillar, causing the partially formed Cybertron to collapse in on itself.

After Optimus had killed Sentinel Prime and Megatron, Sam arrived with the others and hugged Carly in relief. Sam apologised for putting himself in danger and said she was all he needed and he would do anything to make it up to her. She forgave him, and Bumblebee took the opportunity to pass out rings, though Sam told him that he was going too fast and needed to slow down. Sam then joined the Autobots and soldiers as they stood as heroes for saving the world. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''Transformers'' - The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]] (English)

====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC/Wii/PS2====
=====Autobot campaign=====
Bumblebee was listening in on the Witwicky family's conversations and discovered Sam's father had promised to buy him a car the next day. When Sam arrived at the used car lot, he felt as though the Camaro was calling to him and convinced his father to buy it. Later, Sam and Mikaela were leaving school when they were attacked by Barricade. Sam was surprised when his car arrived and turned into a robot, and he and Mikaela fled at Bumblebee's prompting. Once Barricade was defeated, Sam thanked Bumblebee for saving him, then witnessed four other Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, arrive in Tranquility. Sam nervously introduced himself, and Optimus said they needed his help. Sam was surprised to learn his great-grandfather's glasses contained the location to the Allspark, and he went to go retrieve them with Mikaela, only for them and Bumblebee to be captured by Sector 7.

Bumblebee's interference at the Sector 7 base inside Hoover Dam also allowed the two humans to be set free, and they escaped the dam with the Allspark as Megatron began unfreezing. Reaching Mission City, Sam and Mikaela were forced to flee as Barricade returned. Once Bumblebee finally finished the Decepticon, Sam noted how insane the situation was. At that moment, Megatron arrived, and Sam and Mikaela fled once again. Megatron discovered them hiding in a building, but Optimus arrived and apparently killed Megatron. As Sam prepared to hand the Allspark over to Optimus, Megatron charged, and a shocked Sam dropped the Allspark, which Optimus used to end the Decepticon leader's life.
{{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

=====Decepticon campaign=====
Sam and Mikaela were innocently walking down the street when Barricade arrived and attacked. Luckily, Bumblebee came to the rescue, and the two humans got in and drove off. However, Bumblebee was soon defeated by Barricade, who told Sam to give him the glasses. Sam tossed the glasses away, but Barricade got them. Once Barricade left, Sam and Mikaela were surrounded by Sector 7 vehicles.

Later, during the Battle of Mission City, Scorponok threatened Sam, who was prepared to hand over the Allspark, but Ironhide arrived and told them to flee. However, after Ironhide and Jazz were killed in the battle, he and Mikaela went to report this to Optimus. Sam then witnessed the battle between Optimus and Megatron, the latter of whom tracked Sam all across the city until Optimus was killed. Sam dropped the Allspark as he looked solemnly at Optimus's remains, and Megatron used the Allspark to achieve ultimate power. What happened to him after the Decepticons won the battle is unknown. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

====''Transformers: The Game'' (PSP)====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]] (English)
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers The Game (PSP)}}

====Transformers Autobots====
Bumblebee was sent to retrieve the glasses that Sam had, but Barricade got there first and got the information. What he did to Sam is unknown. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers Autobots}}

====Transformers Decepticons====
Barricade went to retrieve the glasses that Sam had, but Bumblebee got there first and got the information.
{{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers Decepticons}}

===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]] (English)

====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC====
=====Autobot campaign=====
The Autobots did their best to keep Sam out of the increasingly intense war with the Decepticons, reassigning Bumblebee to rejoin Optimus Prime's unit. Unfortunately, the Decepticons led by Grindor kidnapped him, intent on extracting information from his brain (no doubt in a most unpleasant and final manner). Fortunately for Sam, a force of Autobots arrived to rescue him. Sam managed to warn them of Grindor's presence before being escorted to safety.

Following this, Sam was escorted by the Autobots to an unassuming deli, where former Sector Seven agent Simmons now worked. From there, he led the Autobots to the conveniently close-by museum, where he managed to awaken the ancient Transformer Jetfire while the Autobots held off a Decepticon assault outside. Jetfire teleported them to Egypt, where Sam explored a mysterious tomb while Optimus Prime personally battled Megatron and Starscream. Despite Jetfire's death in battle, the Autobots managed to drive off the Decepticons. During the final battle against the Fallen, Sam's only contribution was to beg Optimus not to lose.

He tended to start babbling when panicked, and there were times when the Autobots must have surely wanted him to shut up. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

=====Decepticon campaign=====
At first, the human germ was of no further interest to Starscream and his Decepticon forces. However, upon discovering his fellow human Mikaela possessed an Allspark shard, the Decepticons first kidnapped her to seize the shard and then visited his college town. After they tore their way through a unit of Autobots sent to stop them, Starscream managed to capture the boy, despite his protests.

Seeing as how he and Mikaela weren't heard from after that, it...er...didn't look too good for them. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

====Wii/PS2====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Shia LaBeouf]] (English)
After [[The Fallen]]'s defeat, [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] and Sam were heard talking to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Wii/PS2)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

==Toys==
===Transformers (2007)===
{{anchor|First Encounter}}
[[Image:Movie ScreenBattles SamMikaelaFrenzy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Yes, run toward the crazy robot.]]
*'''First Encounter''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''SB-01'''

: This Screen Battles pack features a largely unchanged Deluxe class [[Barricade (Movie)/toys#First Encounter|Barricade]] figure, but the Frenzy accessory has been cast in black plastic to better blend in with Barricade's chest. The pack also comes with unposable figurines of Sam Witwicky in a running pose, Frenzy menacing Sam, and [[Mikaela Banes#First Encounter|Mikaela Banes]] holding the power saw she uses to attack [[Frenzy (Movie)#First Encounter|Frenzy]]. The set is packaged in a special window box with a diorama depicting the battle between Barricade and Bumblebee.
{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===
====Human Alliance====
[[Image:ROTF HumanAlliance Sam%26Bumblebee.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Sculpted [[Dull surprise|DULL SURPRISE]]!]]
*'''Bumblebee''' / '''Sam Witwicky''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-21'''

:The first human partner in the Human Alliance subset of the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' toyline]], Sam is an articulated 2.5-inch-tall action figure designed to work with the larger-scale, all-new [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Human Alliance|Bumblebee figure]] and other Human Alliance-scale Transformers. He can sit inside Bumblebee's vehicle interior, ride in special seats mounted on Bumblebee's arms, or stand on his shoulder behind his head, with each location having a different weapon for Sam or any other Human Alliance human character figure to use. He's a bit out of [[scale]] with the Bumblebee and the other Human Alliance figures, being slightly undersized.
{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
====Human Alliance====
[[Image:TF2010HASamWitwicky.jpg|thumb|250px|PUDDING]]
*'''Bumblebee''' / '''Sam Witwicky''' (2010)

:Sam in this release is an all-new mold that matches his appearance during the final battle in Egypt during ''Revenge of the Fallen''. His proportions are... unfortunate. He comes with a slight [[redeco]] of [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Human Alliance 2|Bumblebee]].
{{-}}

===Dark of the Moon===
====Human Alliance====
[[Image:DOTM_HumanAlliance_Bumblebee_Sam.jpg|thumb|right|300px|thumb|"Okay, you're still half yellow. We clearly need to go over this whole 'stealth' thing again..."]]
*'''Bumblebee''' / '''Sam Witwicky''' (Human Alliance, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:''

:''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' Human Alliance Sam is virtually identical to the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' figure and is included with a primarily black "stealth" redeco of Human Alliance [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Human Alliance 3|Bumblebee]].
{{-}}

{{anchor|Daredevil}}
[[Image:DOTM_AutobotDaredevilSquad_toys.jpg|thumb|300px|thumb|[[wikipedia:The Man Without Fear|The Man (and Bots) Without Fear]].]]
*'''Autobot Daredevil Squad''' (Multi-pack, 2011)
:An altered version of the original figure, for once. His shirt was [[repaint]]ed to resemble a protective vest. He comes with redecos of [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Daredevil|Bumblebee]] and [[Backfire (TF 2010)#Daredevil|Backfire]], and an Autobot Alliance patch.
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:RobotHeroes_BattlefortheAllspark.jpg|300px|thumb|right|So it doesn't strike anyone as odd that he's running towards [[Brawl (Movie)|another crazy robot]], or that he's the same size as his car, or that his car is melting?]]
*'''Battle for the Allspark''' (multi-pack, 2009)

: The first human ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' figure, Sam is a small [[super deformed]] figure sculpted running with the [[AllSpark]] cube while grinning stupidly. He is only available in a multi-pack with [[Megatron (Movie)/toys|Megatron]], [[Starscream (Movie)/toys|Starscream]], [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]], [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bumblebee]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Sam was not given the nickname "[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]", nor [[Ron Witwicky|his father]] the nickname "[[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]" (though [[Judy Witwicky|his wife]] does refer to him as "Spark"), because, unlike their Generation 1 counterparts, the movie characters are not oil rig workers or mechanics. Earlier drafts of the script did have Sam earning the nickname "Spike" another way, but this was dropped before the script was finalized.<ref>[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=350123&postcount=4134 Roberto Orci on Paramount's official ''Transformers'' movie forum] explaining why the names Spike and Sparkplug weren't used in the movie.</ref> Regardless, in the Latin American dub of ''Transformers'', Sam appears credited under the name of Sam "Spike" Witwicky.

* Sam's [[eBay]] user name, "LadiesMan217", is a reference to movie director [[Michael Bay]]'s birthday, [[February 17]]. [http://myworld.ebay.com/ladiesman217/ ladiesman217] is a registered user on eBay.

* In the Japanese dub of the film, Sam's eBay username is changed from "LadiesMan217" to "[[Playboy|playboy217]]", since "ladies' man" isn't a term the Japanese are familiar with. To better suit this joke in the Spanish version, his username is "[[wikipedia:Don Juan|DonJuan217]]", named after the famed Spanish womanizer. In the IDW [[Transformers: Movie Adaptation|comics adaptation]], his [[eBay|ePay]] username is "hotstud217". This is even more disturbing.

* According to screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]], he and writing partner [[Alex Kurtzman]] pitched the character of Sam as "Marty McFly on crack".<ref>[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showpost.php?p=1119191&postcount=1921 Roberto Orci on Don Murphy's forum] responding to criticisms of the human characters.</ref>

==References==
<references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witwicky, Sam}}
[[Category:Dark of the Moon humans]]
[[Category:Human Alliance]]
[[Category:Kmart exclusives]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Movie humans]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen humans]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) characters]]
[[Category:Witwicky family|Sam Witwicky]]

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)

2012-02-01T02:21:35Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformers references */

{{Nav-dotm}}
[[Image:DOTM-OPportraitposter.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|my friend]], I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered, he was the most...human."]]
'''''Transformers: Dark of the Moon''''' is the third film in the [[live-action film series]]. It was released in 3D and IMAX at 9PM on [[June 28]], [[2011]]<ref name="open3D">[http://www.michaelbay.com/blog/files/1ef99019addbf7f207595f5da129bfb6-690.php See Dark Of The Moon One Day Earlier on IMAX 3D | MichaelBay]</ref> and in wide release on [[June 29]], [[2011]]<ref name="open">[http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/paramount-moving-up-transformers-3/ Paramount Moving Up ‘T’formers 3′ Release – Deadline.com]</ref> in the United States, and between [[June 29]] and July 1 for other markets.

The film is set three years after the events of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. The Autobots continue to work for NEST, but no longer in secret, and for the goal of keeping peace between humans by taking out volatile overseas political targets. But after discovering a strange artifact during a mission in Chernobyl, it becomes apparent to Optimus Prime that the United States government has been less than forthright with them.

And SCENE!

{{bigquote|Aw, shit, I seen this one. It's the one where [[Spock]] goes nuts.|Wheelie|''Transformers: Dark of the Moon''}}

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Dotm-Arkreflection.jpg|left|thumb|250px|"Wha... this is the finest engine room in the whole Starfleet!"]]

In the distant past, during the latter days of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] civil war, [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] attempted to leave the planet with groundbreaking technology on board the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]''. However, his ship was shot down by the Decepticons and, after being sent hurling through space for a while, eventually crashed on the [[Earth|Earth's]] [[Moon (moon)|moon]] in 1961. The crash is noticed by the humans on Earth, leading to the [[Wikipedia:Space Race|Space Race]] under President [[John F. Kennedy]]. Landing on the Moon as part of the [[Apollo 11]] mission in 1969, astronauts [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] use several minutes of [[radio]] silence to investigate the spaceship and discover that Mankind is not alone in space.

In the present day, the Autobots are still part of [[NEST]], cooperating with the [[United States military|US Armed Forces]]. They have also begun to help humanity in it's local conflicts, as [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]], [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]], and [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] destroy an illegal [[Iran]]ian nuclear facility. On a mission to the [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]], a NEST team led by [[William Lennox|Lt. Col. Lennox]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] discovers an unknown alien fuel cell which had led to the [[Wikipedia:Chernobyl disaster|Chernobyl disaster]]. While trying to secure the cell, they are attacked by the Decepticon [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] and his pet, the [[Driller]], who are eventually forced to retreat by Optimus Prime. Meanwhile, [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] kills [[Alexi Voskhod]], who had called NEST to Chernobyl and was secretly working for him. After securing the fuel cell and identifying it as part of the ''Ark'', Optimus Prime is angry at the humans for not following through with their agreement of sharing all known information relating to Cybertron and its inhabitants. Despite this, he eventually informs his allies and [[Charlotte Mearing]], the [[WIkipedia:Director of National Intelligence|Director of National Intelligence]], about the space bridge technology the ''Ark'' contains. Together with [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], Optimus travels to the Moon, where they find Sentinel Prime inside the ship. Retrieving him along with four pillars of the space bridge and the accompanying control pillar, they return to Earth, where Optimus uses the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to reactivate Sentinel Prime. In [[Africa]], Decepticon leader [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] (still recovering from wounds [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|suffered]] in [[Egypt]]) meets with his lieutenants [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. Upon learning that the Autobots have recovered Sentinel and the pillars, Megatron orders Soundwave and Laserbeak to terminate their "loose ends".

Meanwhile, [[Sam Witwicky]], the Autobots' human friend, is suffering from everyday problems. Even though President [[Barack Obama]] has awarded him a medal for saving the Earth twice, Sam has trouble finding a job. Together with his new girlfriend [[Carly Spencer]], whom he had met in the [[White House]] (after his former girlfriend [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] had left him), he also gives the stranded Autobots [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] and [[Brains]] a home. After a long search, he finally finds a position as a mail carrier at a telecommunication company named [[Accuretta Systems]]. From his colleague, [[Jerry Wang]], he learns about a conspiracy by humans who collaborate with the Decepticons. Before Jerry can tell Sam more, however, he is killed by Laserbeak.

[[Image:DOTM-Sentinelendofyourworld.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"There's a man out there I haven't seen in fifteen years who's trying to kill me."]]

Locked out of participating in the investigation by Mearing, Sam turns to [[Seymour Simmons]] for help. Simmons, who has become a millionaire as a writer, and his aide, [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]], help Sam find out that the Soviets have taken photos of Decepticons removing hundreds of space bridge pillars out of the ''Ark'' even before Apollo 11 had landed on the Moon. Sam and Simmons conclude that the Decepticons had left Sentinel Prime behind on purpose, knowing that only he would be able to activate the space bridge, and only Optimus Prime could reactivate him. Sam is able to warn the Autobots in time so they can protect Sentinel from a Decepticon attack and escort him back to the NEST headquarters. Arriving there, however, Sentinel Prime reveals that he had made a deal with Megatron, knowing that the Autobots could never win the war. After killing [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and several NEST soldiers, Sentinel Prime claims the remaining pillars and escapes. The other Autobots track him down to [[Washington, D.C.]], but before Optimus can stop him, Sentinel activates a space bridge to the Moon. The portal allows Decepticon troops which had remained hidden under the Moon's surface to reach Earth, forcing the Autobots to retreat.

[[Image:DOTM-Moonspacebridge.jpg|thumb|left|280px|"We are one big, happy fleet! Ah, Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is ''very'' cold in space."]]

In the meantime, Sam is worried about Carly and searches for her. He finds her with her employer, [[Dylan Gould]], who reveals to Sam that he not only arranged for Sam to get a job with Acuretta, but is also a collaborator with the Decepticons. At their request, his father had used his influence to ensure that [[NASA]] would not conduct any more missions to the Moon. When Sam and Carly attempt to flee, they discover Carly's car is a disguise for Soundwave, who takes her captive. Dylan instructs Sam to ask Optimus Prime about the Autobots' strategy, otherwise Carly will die. To ensure that Sam will not try to warn the Autobots, he attaches a Decepticon disguised as a watch on Sam's wrist, and it taps into his nervous system.

Meanwhile, Sentinel Prime has given Mankind an ultimatum to exile the Autobots from Earth, since he is only trying to save Cybertron, or so he claims. The US government promptly passes a bill to this effect. Before the Autobots leave Earth aboard their spaceship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', Sam asks Optimus about his plan. Optimus replies that there is no plan, and Mankind is on its own now. With all Autobots on board, the ''Xantium'' takes off, but is promptly intercepted by Starscream, who had waited in Earth's orbit. With the ''Xantium'' destroyed, the Decepticons believe the Autobots to be dead and let Sam go.

With the Autobots out of the way, the Decepticons conquer [[Chicago]], kill most of its population and set up the control pillar for the space bridge inside the city, placing the other pillars around the world. Dylan informs Carly that the Decepticons do not intend to return to Cybertron; instead, they want to transport Cybertron into Earth's orbit, because Earth not only has the necessary resources, but also six billion slaves to rebuild the Transformers' home planet.

Sam decides to go to Chicago, where Dylan has taken Carly. Former NEST soldier [[Robert Epps]], who now works for NASA, accompanies him, together with other former NEST members. Upon arrival in Chicago, they are promptly attacked by the Decepticons, but are rescued by Optimus Prime and the other Autobots. Having never intended to leave Earth, they had hidden themselves inside a modified rocket booster that was jettisoned before Starscream destroyed the ''Xantium''.

[[Image:DOTM Driller vs Prime.jpg|right|thumb|280px|"From Hell's heart, I stab at thee!"]]

The Autobots and the humans soldiers make their way to the skyscraper where Dylan is located in order to destroy the space bridge's control pillar. Sam and Bumblebee rescue Carly, killing Laserbeak in the process, during which they find a damaged UAV and alert the military to the Decepticons plans. Due to another attack by a team of Decepticons led by Shockwave, the team is separated once more. While the Autobots battle the Decepticons, Epps and his team try to destroy the pillar from another skyscraper. However, they are attacked by Shockwave's "pet", the Driller, who brings the skyscraper crashing down. Optimus Prime comes to their aid and destroys the Driller.

In the meantime, Lennox and the rest of NEST have managed to make their way into the city using [[wingsuit]]s, and with Lennox's help, Sam destroys Starscream using weapons provided to him by the Autobots' inventor Que. Meanwhile, the Decepticons have captured several Autobots, but Dylan convinces them not to take prisoners and kill them all. [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] executes Que, and Soundwave moves to kill Bumblebee next, but the Autobots Wheelie and Brains have managed to make one of the Decepticons' ships crash, thereby distracting Soundwave long enough for Bumblebee and the other Autobots to get free. While NEST and the Autobots fight the Decepticons and kill most of them, Optimus Prime kills Shockwave and uses his arm cannon to topple over the space bridge's control pillar, deactivating the bridge.

[[Image:DOTMCybertrontransit.jpg|thumb|left|280px|"Earth was created in six days. Now, watch out! Here comes Genesis! We'll do it for you in six minutes!"]]

A fight between Sentinel Prime and Optimus Prime ensues, during which Optimus loses an arm, with Sentinel gaining the upper hand. Carly stumbles across Megatron outside the main battle zone. Having previously witnessed a violent argument between Sentinel Prime and Megatron, she appeals to his pride and makes him realize that he will never be able to rule over Cybertron as long as Sentinel Prime is alive. Infuriated, he intervenes in the battle and turns on Sentinel, declaring that Earth is his planet to rule, and severely damages him. Megatron realized how far he had fallen in power within the past few years, and had decided to once again take his rightful place at the top of the command chain. Meanwhile, Dylan manages to reactivate the toppled pillar, but is attacked by Sam, who hurls him against the pillar, killing him. Subsequently, Bumblebee destroys the pillar for good, thus destroying the space bridge and, presumably, Cybertron with it. Megatron offers Optimus Prime a truce as long he could remain in charge of his Decepticon forces, but Optimus ignores his plea and just as Megatron is about to shoot his shotgun Optimus splits Megatron's head with an axe. Subsequently, he uses Megatron's shotgun cannon to kill a weakened Sentinel Prime, who is trying to excuse his actions.

[[Image:DOTM Autobots NEST victorious.jpg|thumb|right|280px|"Live long...and prosper..."]]

With the battle over, Sam and Carly are reunited, and Simmons takes an opportunity to kiss Mearing, who he still has feelings for, and she has him arrested. With their home planet now forever beyond reach, and the forces of the Decepticons destroyed, the remaining Autobots finally accept Earth as their new home, as Optimus Prime states that the Autobots will always be here, to protect the Earth and all who live on it.

[['Til all are one]].

==Quotes==

'''Mission Control''': We are not alone after all, are we? 
'''Buzz Aldrin''': No, sir. We are not alone. 
:—Buzz Aldrin makes history, and raises the hackles of conspiracy theorists.

'''Dino''': "He's in a bad mood. He's not talking to anybody today." 
'''Mearing''': "What is this, the silent treatment?" 
'''Ironhide''': "No, I've seen that. This is ''not'' that." 
'''Que''': "Definitely not." 
'''Ironhide''': "This is ''worse''."
:—NEST discusses Optimus Prime's foul mood.

"Who wants some chicken dinner now, bitch? Huh? 'Cause somebody messed with the wrong Wang today!" 
:—'''Jerry Wang''', being crazy. But also awesome.

"The thing about Russians is, they never like to talk. Gonna take a little of the 'international language.'" <Doorman opens sliding hatch> "''Do svidaniya''." 
"That means 'goodbye!'" <closes hatch>
:—'''Simmons''' tries to reason with a '''Russian''', to no avail.

"It's a Cyrillic alphabet; it's like all the buttons you never push on a calculator!"
:—'''Dutch''' tries to translate Russian, also to no avail.

"Class dismissed."
:—'''Ironhide''', after dispatching the Dreads.

"What you must realize, my Autobot brothers, is that we were never going to win the war. For the sake of our planet's survival, a deal had to be made...with ''Megatron''."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' reveals his treachery.

[[Image:DOTM-MegatronLincoln.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I'll give him this: [[Atlantis, Arise!|he's]] [[Transformers The Game (console)|consistent]]!"]]
"Here we are. Fight us ''now''."
:—'''Megatron''', pulling the evil overlord cliche on us while sitting atop the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial]]

"If you go in this building, that's if she's even still alive, there's no way you're going to reach her!" 
"What do you suggest I do?!" 
"...it's over. I'm sorry, but it's over." 
:—'''Robert Epps''' tells '''Sam Witwicky''' that they've run out of plans.

"We will kill them all."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' offers an alternative plan.

"They got my trailer. I ''need'' that flight tech!" 
:—'''Optimus Prime''', valiantly [[To sell toys|selling toys]].

"Your Decepticons are finally conquering this planet, and yet their leader won't be you." 
"IT WILL BE ME! It will ''always'' be me! 
"In any minute now, you'll be nothing but Sentinel's bitch."
:—'''Carly Spencer''' tells '''Megatron''' that if he's going to be the Starscream, he should ''act'' like it.

"Who would you be without me, Prime?" 
"Time to find out." 
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime''' exchange pre-fight banter one last time.

"In any war, there are calms between the storms. There will be days when we lose faith. Days when our allies turn against us... but the day will never come when we forsake this planet and its people."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing narration.

==Main cast==

{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] ([[Leonard Nimoy]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] ([[James Remar]])
*[[Mirage (Movie)|Dino/Mirage]]<ref name="credits">Mirage and Wheeljack, known by those names in the toyline and essentially all supporting media, are respectively named "Dino" and "Que" in the film. While Dino is simply credited as such, Que is listed in the credits as "Que/Wheeljack".</ref> ([[Francesco Quinn]])
*[[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que/Wheeljack]]<ref name="credits"/> ([[George Coe]])
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Brains]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]]
*[[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]]<ref>Roadbuster is listed as "Roadbuster/Amp" in the credits, a reference to his car mode's sponsor. His name is not used in the film, but he is called "Roadbuster" in the toyline and supporting media.</ref> ([[Ron Bottitta]])
*[[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]]<ref>Leadfoot is listed in the film's end credits as "Leadfoot/Target", a reference to his car mode's sponsor. His name is not spoken in the film, but he is called "Leadfoot" in the toyline and the supporting media.</ref> ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]]<ref name=skidsandmudflap>Skids and Mudflap only appear during the convoy scene at the beginning of the film</ref>
*[[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]<ref name=skidsandmudflap/>

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] ([[Hugo Weaving]])
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] ([[Charlie Adler]])
*[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] ([[Keith Szarabajka]])
*[[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Igor]] ([[Greg Berg]])
*[[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]]
*[[Crowbar]] ([[Jimmie Wood]])*
*[[Hatchet]]
*[[Driller]]
*[[Hatchling|Hatchlings]]
*[[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] type Decepticon
*[[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]] type Decepticon
*An unnamed [[Audi R8 Decepticon]]
*An unnamed [[M1 Abrams Decepticon]]
*[[Garbage truck Decepticon]]
*[[Superfund Decepticon]]
*[[Devcon (DOTM)|Devcon]]
*Unnamed [[Lensmeter Decepticon]]s
*Unnamed [[protoform]]s
*[[Watch-bot]]<ref>Repeatedly referred to as the "Watch-bot" (proper noun) in the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel|''Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel'']]</ref>
*Unnamed [[Pickup Decepticon]]
*Unnamed [[Police car Decepticon]]

|h3=[[Human]]s|c3=
*[[Sam Witwicky]] ([[Shia LaBeouf]])
*[[Carly Spencer]] ([[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]])
*[[William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Robert Epps]] ([[Tyrese Gibson]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[Charlotte Mearing]] ([[Frances McDormand]])
*[[Dylan Gould]] ([[Patrick Dempsey]])
*[[Bruce Brazos]] ([[John Malkovich]])
*[[Hardcore Eddie]] ([[Lester Speight]])
*[[Morshower]] ([[Glenn Morshower]])
*[[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]] ([[Alan Tudyk]])
*[[Ron Witwicky]] ([[Kevin Dunn]])
*[[Judy Witwicky]] ([[Julie White]])
*[[Jerry Wang]] ([[Ken Jeong]])
*[[Neil Armstrong]] ([[Don Jeanes]])
*[[Buzz Aldrin]] ([[Cory Tucker]]/himself)
*[[Walter Cronkite]]
*[[Bill O'Reilly]] (himself)
*[[Alexi Voskhod]] ([[Ravil Isyanov]])

|h4=Other|c4=
|nonumbering=true
}}

* *During the highway battle, Jimmie Wood's Bonecrusher scream in the high way battle from the first movie can be heard coming from Crowbar.

==Errors==
===Astronomical and historical errors===
* The Moon does not rotate with respect to Earth, and Mare Tranquillitatis is near the middle of the near side. Therefore, Tranquility Base could never be described as being on the far side, and Earth is never as close to the horizon as shown in the movie.
* The Apollo 11 Command/Service Module is seen flying to the Moon without the Lunar Module. The Lunar Module is attached when the vehicle is orbiting the Moon, however.
* When the modern day site of the Apollo 11 landing is seen, the ascent module (the cabin Buzz and Neil flew back to orbit in) is still there.
* Cybertron is apparently several times the size of Earth, yet the characters talk of bringing it "into Earth's atmosphere".
* The Space Bridge starts to bring Cybertron amazingly close to Earth - less than one Earth-diameter away. Assuming Cybertron's mass is proportional to its size, Cybertron's gravitational field would [[The Ultimate Doom|tear the Earth apart]] at that distance.

===Geographic discontinuities===
* The [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]] is shown to be located ''inside'' of, or at least right next to the abandoned city of [[Wikipedia:Pripyat|Pripyat]], and the human characters access it through nearby buildings. In reality, the power plant is situated on the outskirts of the city. Even worse, [[Alexi Voskhod]] ''explicitly'' says that the entrance leads through a ''school''. Who builds a ''school'' right next to a ''nuclear power plant''?
* Furthermore, Prypiat's infamous Ferris wheel as shown in the movie is not only the wrong model (the real one's passenger cabins have canopies), but the real one is also located in an open field far away from any buildings.<ref name="ferris">[http://www.flickr.com/photos/nubber/544337347/ Photo of the Prypiat Ferris wheel] showing the closest nearby buildings.</ref> But hey, at least it's the right color!
* Also, why exactly is the Sputnik mission case inside the Chernobyl reactor building? Did the Soviets never bother to discard the packaging of their toy after starting to play with it?
* When Megatron transforms for the first time, he's in a grassy savannah. In the next shot, he's standing in the middle of a desert... and in the establishing shot of the Decepticon camp, it's back in the savannah.
* [[wikipedia:Mount Kilimanjaro|Mount Kilimanjaro]] is seen in the background of many of the scenes in Namibia; in reality, the mountain is located in Tanzania, more than three thousand kilometers away.
[[Image:DOTM-Wreckers-Prime-Cables.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Chicago's own [[knockoff]] of a prominent Chinese building.]]
* In a [[Atlantis, Arise!|fairly common cinematic contrivance]], the film depicts multiple skyscrapers in the background of many scenes set in Washington, D.C., while the real-life city has no skyscrapers.
* Also, Washington, D.C. almost entirely lacks old industrial buildings that could be converted into lofts, and likewise doesn't have the kind of densely urban streets that Sam is shown to live on.
* NEST Headquarters, supposedly in Washington, is actually Chicago's abandoned Main Post Office.
* Likewise, Dylan's auto collection museum, also set in (land-locked) Washington, is actually the Milwaukee Art Museum. [[Lake Michigan]] is even visible through the windows!
* When Optimus Prime (using his jetpack) gets himself caught in wires below an under-construction building, that building bears a striking resemblance to the [[Wikipedia: China Central Television Headquarters|China Central Television Headquarters]] in [[Beijing]], [[China]]... a far shot from [[Chicago]]. Since construction for the CCTV building was finished in 2008, long before ''Dark of the Moon'' was even ''conceived'', this appears to be an intentional instance of a "cool building" being inserted just for the sake of it.

===Continuity errors===
* Like in ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Ironhide sports his [[license plate]] from the [[Transformers (2007)|first movie]], "4PCI382", on his robot mode chest, but doesn't have a license plate in vehicle mode. (According to set photos, his license plate in vehicle mode is mostly black, with a NEST logo on it.)
* Speaking of inconsistencies between robot and vehicle mode: Bumblebee's updated Chevrolet Camaro alternate mode no longer has pinstripes bordering his black racing stripes, but the CG robot model still has the pinstripes.
* In the highway battle scene with the [[Dread (subgroup)|Dreads]], Bumblebee enhances his front wheels to evade Hatchet, yet in the next scene he's fully in Stealth Force mode.
* During Ironhide and Sideswipe's "Mexican standoff" with Crankcase and Crowbar, all combatants drop their firearms, but when Ironhide is speared, his guns are on his back again. They disappear in subsequent shots.
* Despite being captured by Soundwave in her evening gown, Carly is somehow able to change into more convenient clothes before arriving in Chicago, and has yet another outfit the following day. Not only that, she changes her earrings, too!
* When the Autobots are boarding the ''Xantium,'' Epps mentions that nine Autobots are leaving. Former Decepticons Wheelie and Brains apparently don't count. Poor little guys!
* The Wreckers claim they had been hiding inside a rocket booster that was jettisoned from the ''Xantium'' before Starscream destroyed it. The boosters are only seen to be detached after Starscream destroys the ship, after it has barely taken off from the ground.
* Though it's a standard action movie contrivance, it sure is convenient that the glass windows inside skyscrapers are extremely fragile when needed, and glass shards are as dangerous as bread crumbs so nobody suffers a single cut from sliding across them.
* Shortly after everyone jumps through the window and starts sliding down, a downwards shot of the building shows all of the windows behind them are intact.
* As everyone tumbles through a lower floor of the building, [[Stone]] is shown to fall right through and out the other side with a collection of office furniture, but not long after is back with Epps's squad.
* Despite the Decepticons taking over Chicago and killing a whole bunch of people, there seem to be a lot of people continuing to go about their daily lives. The skyscraper Epps's team goes into to launch a rocket from still seems to have plenty of office workers in it when the Driller attacks it. When Sam's being thrown around on the end of the grapple glove rope while fighting Starscream, he crashes through a wall into a dry-cleaning business where a woman appears to be calmly hanging up a shirt. Did they all just not get the memo?
* Throughout the sequence of Barricade kicking and shoving Que along before executing him, he is speaking with Soundwave's voice.
*While fighting the Autobots at the end of the film, Sentinel Prime's cape disappears for a brief scene before reappearing on his back when the camera angle changes.
*Soundwave has his Mercedes alternate mode while he is in Africa, but his chest has only a blank grille. The Mercedes logo is only added to his chest from the scene where he reveals himself to be Carly's car onward.
*When Sam and Carly are reunited after the final battle, Carly's hands keep changing the position on every cut, sometimes on Sam's neck, sometimes on his shoulders.
*Not intentional: Skids and Mudflap appear for a brief few seconds in the film. This leaves questions as to what happened to them. They weren't seen departing from Earth or taking part in the Chicago battle.
*Dino used his electro-disrupter to overthrow Hatchet and kill him. When Hatchet falls on the car and is destroyed, Dino's weapon is still connected to him, so Dino was in robot mode, but in the next cut Dino appears at background in vehicle mode.
*It's said that four Autobots were captured by the Decepticons in Chicago, but actually five Autobots were captured.
*When Que is about to be executed, the "cardboard head on a stick" prop used for [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] during the shooting of the movie (a common method used for the movies to give the actors ''something'' to react to) can be spotted in the final edit of the film<ref name="headprop">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/494618-movies-errors-mirage-prop-final-movie-edit.html "Movies Errors - Mirage prop in final movie edit"] at TFW2005</ref>, possibly a leftover from an earlier draft of the script where Soundwave mocked Bumblebee with Dino's decapitated head.
*Oddly, during the Decpticon siege of Chicago, and after all of the unmanned drones were shot down trying to get inside the city, no one within the government considered the use of submarines as a means of sneaking in.

==Transformers references==
In addition to recurring elements from the previous films, ''Dark of the Moon'' bases a number of elements on previous versions of the ''Transformers'' mythos, including plot elements based on older stories, something fairly rare in the other two movies:
* New characters [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] are heavily based upon their Generation 1 counterparts. [[Que]] is derived from G1 character [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]. [[Sentinel Prime]] is the name of Optimus's predecessor in many continuities, and in this instance, he continues his [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)| predecessor]]'s legacy of being a giant jerk.

* "Carly" was the name of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]'s [[Carly|girlfriend and eventual wife]] in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]].

* The ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'' gets its name from the Autobots' crashed spaceship in the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''Transformers'' comics]].

* The ''[[Xantium (G1)|Xantium]]'' is the name of the [[Wrecker]]s' spaceship in the [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Transformers'' comics.

* Optimus's new trailer is based on the trailer that [[Optimus Prime (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]] hauled around, including its ability to open up into a weapons base.

* Optimus now carries the Matrix around in his chest as he has in past incarnations.

* The corrosive end met by Ironhide comes at the hands of [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]], the oxidizing pathogen that first appeared in the Generation 1 cartoon episode [[Cosmic Rust (episode)|of the same name]]. Though not named in the film, its identity is made clear by production artwork by [[Josh Nizzi]] which labels Sentinel Prime's gun a "Cosmic Rust gun".

* Megatron removing [[Abraham Lincoln]] from his chair at the [[wikipedia:Lincoln Memorial|Lincoln Memorial]] and then sitting in it is a scene taken directly from the Generation 1 cartoon episode, "[[Atlantis, Arise!]]", and the Decepticon ending for ''[[Transformers The Game]]'' (sort of).

* The idea of bringing Cybertron to Earth via space bridge and enslaving humans was the plot of the Generation 1 multi-part episode "[[The Ultimate Doom]]."

* Likewise, the idea of an influential and powerful human joining forces with the Decepticons, resulting in the Autobots being exiled from Earth by the government via a spacecraft, only for that spacecraft to be destroyed, was the plot behind another Generation 1 cartoon multi-part episode, "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1|Megatron's Master Plan]]."

* The idea of the Decepticons invading and fortifying a major metropolitan center, and the Autobots having to take it back, was also explored in the Generation 1 episode [[City of Steel]]. In that episode, Optimus also lost an arm.

* When the worker at Accureta Systems is trying to make the [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|photocopier]] work, it beeps the "more than meets the eye" refrain from the original cartoon's [[theme song]].

* The [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] can be heard at the end of the film when Bumblebee transforms to robot mode, the final onscreen transformation, just as it was heard during [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout's]] transformation, which was also the first onscreen transformation in the first film.

==Real-world references==
* When Brains and Wheelie are watching ''[[Wikipedia: Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', the screen features [[Spock|Mr. Spock]], portrayed by Leonard Nimoy—who voices Sentinel Prime. Wheelie comments that it is "the one where Spock goes nuts," which foreshadows Sentinel's heel turn. The episode itself is likely the famous ''TOS'' episode ''[[Wikipedia: Amok Time|Amok Time]]''.

* Sentinel Prime says "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." The voice actor said the same line in the 1982 film ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'' as Mr. Spock. However, in that movie, Nimoy's character dies a hero.

* To finish the Spock trifecta, when Bumblebee says his goodbyes to Sam, he uses a clip of Leonard Nimoy, as Spock, saying "I will always be your friend," another line from ''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan''.

* [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]] and his fake girlfriend's name, "India", are a reference to [[Wikipedia:Dutch India|Dutch India]].

* [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]]'s name is a reference to [[Wikipedia:Q (James Bond)|Q]] from ''[[Wikipedia:James Bond|James Bond]]'' novels and films. Que also gives weapons to NEST soldiers while explaining the advantages and abilities for the weapons much like Q does for James Bond.

* When Bumblebee brings forth "rings" for Sam and Carly, he "hums" the [[Wikipedia: Wedding March|Wedding March]] (or, more correctly, the [[Wikipedia: Bridal Chorus|Bridal Chorus]] from [[Wikipedia: Richard Wagner|Richard Wagner's]] 1850 opera ''[[Wikipedia: Lohengrin (opera)|Lohengrin]]'').

==Other editions==

==Prequel material==
*''[[Transformers: Sector 7]]''
*''[[Transformers: Foundation]]''
*''[[Transformers: Rising Storm]]''
*''[[Transformers: Convergence]]''
*''[[Transformers: Jazz]]''
*''[[Transformers: Space Case]]''
*''[[Transformers: Ratchet]]''
*''[[Transformers: Arcee]]''
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee]]''
*''[[Transformers: Starscream]]''
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)]]''
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Stealth Force Edition]]''
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons]]''
*''[[Transformers (Titan Magazine)#Dark of the Moon|Transformers (Titan Magazine)]]''
*''[[Transformers Classified: Switching Gears]]''

==Adaptations==
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation]]''
*''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (novel)]]''
*''[[Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel]]''

==Soundtrack==
{{main|Dark of the Moon: The Album}}

==Score==
{{main|Dark of the Moon: The Score}}

==Home video releases==
''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital Download on September 30, 2011, followed by the 2-Disc Special Edition in December.<ref>[TFW2005 - Official Transformers Movie Website Updated With Transformers 3 Home Release Info http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/official-transformers-movie-website-updated-with-transformers-3-home-release-info-173245/]</ref>

==Theatrical posters==
<center>
<gallery perrow="3">
Image:DOTM-OPbillboardposter.jpg
Image:DOTM-Bumblebeebanner.jpg
Image:DOTM-Shockwavebanner.jpg
Image:DOTM-OPportraitposter.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

==Reception==
On June 23, 2011, the world premiere of ''Dark of the Moon'' was held in [[Moscow]], [[Russia]], with band [[Linkin Park]] performing a concert that included their title song for the movie, "Iridescent".

The official release date was moved up from July 1 to June 29 to allow breathing room between its release and ''[[Wikipedia:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]''. On June 28, 2011, the film was released in 3D and IMAX at 9pm in the US. Some theaters cheated a little and showed it at 8:45.

''Dark of the Moon'' launched with nearly 10,000 copies in 4011 theaters nationwide. On its opening day, the movie earned $37.3 million, making not only for the best opening day of 2011 up to that point, but also ranking as the sixth most successful opening on a Wednesday ever, while at the same time ranking well behind ''Revenge of the Fallen'', with $60 million on its opening day (also a Wednesday).<ref name="openingday">[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3197&p=.htm "'Transformers' Suboptimal on Wednesday"], Box Office Mojo, June 2011.</ref> (Of course, a lot of the print material still listed the release date as [[July 1]]st, the following Friday.)

On [[August 2]], it crossed the $1 billion mark in worldwide gross, just under 5 weeks after its release, landing it in the #9 spot for worldwide gross of all time (so far).<ref>http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-crosses-1-billion-worldwide-mark-for-paramount/ Deadline Hollywood</ref> Of that, $338 million came from the US. Currently it is the only Paramount picture to have made the $1 billion mark. (While ''Titanic'' also made over $1 billion worldwide, it was only a Paramount movie ''domestically'', where it made "only" $620 million.)

''Dark of the Moon'' was nominated for three Academy Awards, in the categories of Best Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing.<ref>[http://oscar.go.com/nominees#t Official 2012 Oscar nominees page]</ref>

==Production staff==
===Visual effects===
===Locations department===

==Development details==
===Cast and crew signing on===
[[Image:TF3-licensingPrime.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Featuring a surprise appearance by Optimus Prime!]]
On May 30, 2007, a month before the official release of ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'', [[DreamWorks]] announced that two sequels were already being planned.<ref name="spy">[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a58430/two-transformers-sequels-in-pipeline.html Digital Spy article from May 2007, confirming that two sequels were being planned]</ref> On March 16, 2009, over three months before the premiere of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] announced the third movie for July 1, 2011.<ref name="3release">Pamela McClintock: [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001280?refCatId=13 Variety article from March 2009], confirming Transformers 3 for July 2011.</ref> Director [[Michael Bay]] promptly backpedaled, as he had intended for the third ''Transformers'' movie to be released in 2012.<ref name="baywait">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?3947-Wait-a-minute! Michael Bay's reaction to Paramount's July 2011 date for ''Transformers 3''], March 2009.</ref> He officially changed his mind in October 2009, agreeing to the release date set by Paramount.<ref name="bay3-2011">[http://www.michaelbay.com/blog/files/a2bd79bb4c222b807e27707aaf1497e6-570.php Michael Bay officially confirms the 2011 release date], October 2009.</ref>

[[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], two of the previous two movies' screenwriters, had already announced in March 2009 that they would not return for a third part.<ref name="noorcikurtz">[http://www.slashfilm.com/orci-and-kurtzman-not-returning-for-transformers-3-will-leonard-nimoy-voice-the-fallen/ Slashfilm quoting Roberto Orci that he and Kurtzman would not return for a third movie], March 2009. (Original post on Don Murphy's message board appears to no longer exist.)</ref> In September 2009, their ''Revenge'' co-writer [[Ehren Kruger]] was confirmed as the screenwriter of ''Transformers 3''.<ref name="krugernelson">[http://www.michaelbay.com/blog/files/0fd64fd57c9b9b6d33e15c76a46dae48-565.php Michael Bay's website admin Nelson Lauren sorta-confirms Ehren Kruger as TF3's screenwriter], September 2009.</ref> Kruger had already impressed both director Michael Bay and [[Hasbro]] CEO [[Brian Goldner]] with his knowledge of ''Transformers'' mythology prior to working on ''Revenge''.<ref name="writersr">[http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/zap-transformers2writers,0,1938976.story Zap2it story about the ROTF writers]</ref>

In an interview with ''Wonderland'' magazine in September 2009, [[Megan Fox]], the main female star of the previous two movies, discussed the harsh conditions on the sets and compared director Michael Bay to [[Wikipedia:Adolf Hitler|Adolf Hitler]].<ref name="latimesfox">[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/09/megan-fox-on-michael-bay-he-wants-to-be-hitler.html Los Angeles Times article about Megan Fox's fatal interview with ''Wonderland'' magazine], September 2009.</ref> Bay initially played down the affair and still welcomed Fox back for the third installment a month later.<ref name="bay3-2011"/> Even though Fox was still spotted on the ''Transformers 3'' set in May 2010<ref name="foxonset">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/100786-megan-fox-on-set-for-transformers-3-previz Megan Fox on the DOTM set], May 2010.</ref>, Paramount announced a few weeks later that she wouldn't return for a third movie after all.<ref name="nomorefox">[http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/michael-bays-revenge-no-more-megan/ Deadline article confirming that Megan Fox had been dropped off ''Transformers 3''], May 2010.</ref> Still that same month, [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]] was confirmed to replace her as the lead female actress.<ref name="rosierepl">[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1640047/model-rosie-huntingtonwhiteley-cast-transformers-3.jhtml MTV.com article confirming Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as the new female star of ''Transformers ''], May 2010.</ref> Her character's name was confirmed as "[[Carly Spencer|Carly]]" by Nelson Lauren, the webmaster of Michael Bay's official website, in July 2010.<ref name="nelsonchicagojul">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?7566-Transformers-3-Chicago-Set-Photos Nelson posts about his visit to the Chicago set at shootfortheedit.com's forums], July 2010.</ref> In 2011, Michael Bay finally confirmed in an interview with ''GQ'' magazine that it had been [[Steven Spielberg]], executive producer of the ''Transformers'' movies, who had urged him to fire Fox following the Hitler comparison.<ref name="baygq">[http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201107/michael-bay-steven-spielberg-fired-megan-fox-transformers GQ interview with Michael Bay], June 2011.</ref> In a later interview, however, he claimed this statement had been taken out of context.<ref name="baych">[http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/kultur/kino/Diese-Autos-muessen-zerstoert-werden--und-da-bin-ich-der-richtige-Mann/story/23997460 Interview with Michael Bay from Switzerland] (German language), July 2011.</ref>

In March 2010, Oscar winners [[John Malkovich]] and [[Frances McDormand]] as well as Comedian [[Ken Jeong]] were confirmed having signed on for supporting roles.<ref name="malkomcdor">[http://michaelbay.com/blog/files/73978045c5496d5271c90be6884209a8-598.php Michael Bay confirming John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Ken Jeong for ''Transformers 3''], March 2010.</ref>

In April 2010, [[Kevin Dunn]] and [[Julie White]] were confirmed as returning as Sam Witwicky's parents.<ref name="varietydunnwhite">[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017329.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1 'Dunn, White sign on for 'Transformers 3''], Variety, April 2010.</ref>

In May 2010, Paramount confirmed that [[Patrick Dempsey]] has been cast in ''Transformers 3'' to play Mikaela Banes' boss (this was before Megan Fox was fired from the production).<ref name="dempsey">[http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/05/04/patrick-dempsey-confirmed-for-transformers-3/ "Patrick Dempsey confirmed for Transformers 3"], Hollywood Insider, May 2010.</ref>

In July 2010, Nelson Lauren confirmed that former American footballer [[Lester Speight]] would play a soldier in the movie.<ref name="nelsonchicagophotos">[http://www.michaelbay.com/blog/files/6e7f5a008e98162953abdfdfca1d32e8-612.php Photos of the Chicago set by michaelbay.com webmaster Nelson Lauren], July 2010.</ref>

[[Leonard Nimoy]] was confirmed as the voice actor for [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] in March 2011.<ref name="nimoysent">[http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/03/31/leonard-nimoy-transformers-dark-of-the-moon Entertainment Weekly announces Leonard Nimoy's involvement], March 2011]</ref> Nimoy, who had previously voiced [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] in 1986's ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and is married to Michael Bay's cousin Susan, had previously been under consideration for [[The Fallen]]'s voice in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', but Bay had been hesitant for fear of offending his relative with the relatively low pay allotted to voice actors.<ref name="nimoy1">[http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/04/21/michael-bay-afraid-to-offend-leonard-nimoy-with-transformers-family-reunion-offer/ ''Michael Bay Afraid To Offend Leonard Nimoy With ‘Transformers’ Family Reunion Offer''], MTV.com Movies blog, April 2009.</ref> Even though Nimoy openly asked Bay to simply give him a call<ref name="nimoy2">[http://www.latinoreview.com/news/leonard-nimoy-to-michael-bay-call-me-6682 Leonard Nimoy To Michael Bay: "Call Me!"], Latino Review, April 2009.</ref>, it ultimately never worked out, and The Fallen was voiced by [[Tony Todd]] instead. For ''Dark of the Moon'', Bay finally overcame his anxiety and hired Nimoy, who accepted the offer.<ref name="nimoy3">[http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/03/31/leonard-nimoy-transformers-dark-of-the-moon/ "Leonard Nimoy joins 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' voice cast -- EXCLUSIVE"], Entertainment Weekly, March 2011.</ref> In return, screenwriter Ehren Kruger included several nods to Nimoy's well-known character as Mr. Spock from ''Star Trek'' in the movie.<ref name="nimoystartrek">[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666643/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-star-trek-references.jhtml "'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon': Behind The 'Star Trek' Nods"], MTV.com, July 2011.</ref>

===Writing and production===
After having defended the almost universally critically panned ''Revenge of the Fallen'' for a long time, Michael Bay finally acknowledged flaws of the script, but blamed the [[Wikipedia:2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike|2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike]] prior to the movie for many problems. As a definite error, he singled out the "dork comedy", which he promised to avoid with ''Dark of the Moon''.<ref name="bayvisit">[http://collider.com/michael-bay-interview-transformers-dark-moon-edit-bay-visit/63824/ Collider.com article about DOTM], December 2010.</ref>

Principal shooting began in May 2010. Shooting locations included [[Chicago]] (and nearby East Chicago and Gary Indiana), Moscow,<ref name="locations">[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=63682 "Transformers 3 Headed to Chicago and Moscow"], Comingsoon.net, February 2010.</ref> the [[Kennedy Space Center]] in Florida<ref name="kennedyspace">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/101114-the-transformers-3-shoot-at-kennedy-space-center "The Transformers 3 Shoot at Kennedy Space Center"], SuperHeroHype.com, May 2010.</ref>, Milwaukee (Wisconsin)<ref name="milwaukee">[http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/movies/98266574.html "'Transformers 3' takes over Milwaukee Art Museum"], Journal Sentinel Online, July 2010.</ref>, Detroit<ref name="detroit">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/107775-photos-from-the-detroit-transformers-3-set "Photos From the Detroit Transformers 3 Set"], SuperHeroHype.com, September 2010.</ref>, [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="militaryextras">[http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=473674758199&id=114648515718 US Department of Defense casting call for ''Dark of the Moon''], October 2010.</ref> and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.<ref name="angkor">[http://www.akp.gov.kh/?p=1184 "'Transformers 3' To Be Shot in Cambodia"], Agence Kampuchea Presse, January 2011.</ref>

For the scene where Lennox and his soldier jump out of a V-22 Osprey using wingsuits, Michael Bay used real parachutists and thus avoided unnecessary CG effects. In fact, he had been inspired for this scene in the first place by watching the parachutists in their wingsuits on television<ref name="wingsuits">[http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/1498-transformers-wingsuits-no-cgi-required Yahoo! Movies article on the wingsuit parachutists], June 2011.</ref> and wrote the scene with the intention of using the parachutists in the movie.<ref name="bayvisit"/>

For the Apollo 11 moon landing mission in the flashback sequence at the beginning of the movie, astronauts [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] are played by actors Don Jeanes and Cory Tucker, respectively. In the present day timeline, Aldrin himself appears briefly as his own older self.<ref name="aldrin">[http://movies.yahoo.com/news/yahoo-contributor-network/astronaut-buzz-aldrin-hangs-out-with-optimus-prime-transformers-dark-moon Yahoo! Movies article on Buzz Aldrin's appearance in DOTM], July 2011.</ref>

Over 500 cars were destroyed in the making of ''Dark of the Moon'', all of them damaged property from insurance companies intended for destruction.<ref name="baych"/>

Two accidents happened during shooting: In September 2010, while shooting in East Chicago, Indiana, a female extra was severely injured when a stunt scene went wrong, leaving her with permanent brain damage, the left side of her body paralyzed and her left eye stitched shut. Paramount was subsequently sued for damages by the victim's family.<ref name="extrastunt">[http://articlles.chicagotribune.com/2010-10-05/news/ct-met-transformers-lawsuit-20101005_1_gabriela-cedillo-stunt-welding Chicago tibune article on the injured extra and the subsequent lawsuit], October 2010.</ref> As a consequence, part of the scene of the car chase battle in Washington, D.C. (which would have included the shoot that had led to the accident) was instead "[[Stock footage|borrowed]]" from Michael Bay's 2005 film ''[[Wikipedia:The Island (2005 film)|The Island]]''.<ref name="island1">[http://movies.ign.com/articles/118/1180411p1.html "Transformers 3 Re-Uses Car Crash From The Island"], IGN Movies, July 2011.</ref> While shooting in Washington, D.C., in October 2010, one of the Chevrolet Camaro prop cars that served as Bumblebee's [[alternate mode]] crashed into a [[Wikipedia: Metropolitan Police|Metropolitan Police]] SUV. Nobody was seriously injured this time.<ref name="camarocrash">[http://jalopnik.com/5661321/bumblebee-smashes-cop-car-in-yet-another-transformers-3-accident Jalopnik article on the Camaro crash], October 2010.</ref> Hasbro would later "commemorate" this event with the [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] [[Cyberverse]] "Cybertronian Warriors" multi-pack.

''Dark of the Moon'' is the first of the ''Transformers'' movies to be released in 3D. Despite early considerations to shoot the movie in 2D and convert it into 3D later, Michael Bay ultimately shot 60% of the film in native 3D, another 15% were done digitally, and the rest was shot in 2D and converted later. [[James Cameron]] assisted Michael Bay with the 3D effects. The movie's budget amounted to $195 million, which is about the same budget ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had. About $30 million went into the 3D effects.<ref name="cameron">[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-bay-reveals-james-camerons-191774 "Michael Bay Reveals James Cameron's Secret Role in the Making of 'Transformers'"], The Hollywood Reporter, May 2011.</ref>

=== Sponsors and partners ===
==== Hasbro ====
Hasbro, licensor of the [[Transformers brand]], hoped that the third movie would once again boost toy sales, after profits had dropped in the first quarter of 2011.<ref name="hasbroq12011">[http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Hasbro-1Q-profit-drops-71-pct-apf-664090076.html?x=0&.v=11 Yahoo! Finance article about weak Hasbro toy sales in 2011's first quarter], April 2011.</ref> For the second quarter of 2011, Hasbro reported a net revenue growth of 23 percent to $908.5 million, citing brands such as ''Transformers'' and ''Beyblade'' as the main sources of the increased income.<ref name="hasbro2nsq">[http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Hasbro-Reports-Revenue-and-bw-4063497156.html?x=0&.v=1 "Hasbro Reports Revenue and Earnings Growth for the Second Quarter 2011"], Yahoo! Finance, July 2011.</ref>

==== US military and NASA ====
Like the previous two movies, ''Dark of the Moon'' featured real military personnel as extras, supported by the US Department of Defense.<ref name="militaryextras"/> Shooting locations were Hurlburt Field and [[Edwards Air Force Base]].<ref name="hurlburt">[http://www.shadowspear.com/special-operations-entertainment/105725-transformers-filmed-at-hurlburt.html "'Transformers 3 Filmed at Hurlburt, 1SOW Included as 'Extras'"], ShadowSpear Special Operations, July 2011.</ref>

In addition, ''Dark of the Moon'' was also supported by NASA, and NASA employees appear as extras in the movie as well.<ref name="nasa">[http://www.space.com/12142-transformers-film-nasa-space-program-touches.html "'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' Has Real-Life NASA Touches"], Space.com, July 2011.</ref>

==== General Motors and other car manufacturers ====
[[General Motors]] once again provided several vehicles. All recurring Autobots retain their [[alternate mode]]s from ''Revenge of the Fallen'' despite some minor tweaks, such as Sideswipe now being a convertible, and Bumblebee now sporting a rear spoiler. Once again, the cooperation was mutual, with General Motors using Bumblebee for TV commercials. The first of those, aired during the 2011 Super Bowl, also revealed some minor tweaks to Bumblebee's robot mode.<ref name="bumblebeead1">[http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/02/-bumblebee-appears-in-a-chevrolet-camaro-super-bowl-ad/1 "'Bumblebee' appears in Chevrolet's Super Bowl ad"], USA Today, February 2011.</ref><ref name="bumblebeead2">[http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/06/chevy-drops-new-ad-touting-transformers-3-tie-in/ "Video: Chevy drops new ad touting Transformers 3 tie-in"], Autoblog.com, June 2011.</ref> According to Chevrolet, the ''Transformers'' movies notably affect car sales, as about ten percent of all Camaros sold in the preceding year were yellow, twice as many as with other models.<ref name="carstarscast">[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/transformers-dark-moon-how-sequels-204557 "'Transformers: Dark of the Moon': How the Sequel's Star Cars Were Cast"], The Hollywood Reporter, June 2011.</ref>

New additions for ''Dark of the Moon'' are a Ferrari 458 Italia and a Mercedes-Benz E550 as Autobots ([[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] and [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]], respectively) and a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG as a Decepticon ([[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]). In the movie, both Autobots sport names which aren't recycled from existing Hasbro toys. In the Ferrari's case, the reason for this is that Hasbro's greatest competitor, Mattel, has an exclusive license for Ferrari toys.<ref name="ferrarimattel">[http://www.ferrari.com/English/Pages/Mattel.aspx Mattel license information], Ferrari.com.</ref><ref name="nelsonnomirage">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/409844-mirage-no-longer-name-red-italia-dotm-3.html#post6103423 Michael Bay's website admin, Nelson Lauren, explaining why the Ferrari isn't named "Mirage"], TFW2005, May 2011.</ref> "Dino" is named in reference to [[Wikipedia: Alfredo Ferrari|Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari]], as per Ferrari's request. The Mercedes-Benz E550, meanwhile, was specifically customized for the movie.<ref name="e550tuning">[http://www.eurotuner.com/news/eurp_1102_mercedes_benz_e550_for_next_transformers_movie/index.html "Mercedes-Benz E550 for Next Transformers Movie - Web Exclusive"], Eurotuner.com, February 2011.</ref> "Que" is named in homage to [[Wikipedia:Q (James Bond)|Q]] from [[Wikipedia:James Bond|James Bond]]. A Maybach 62S Landaulet is also featured in the movie, albeit not as a Transformer, but merely as a regular car used by [[Seymour Simmons]] and his assistant [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]].

Unlike Optimus Prime, whose alternate mode was not licensed for any of the three movies, the Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 airport fire truck used for [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] was officially provided by the Rosenbauer International AG and entirely repainted specifically for the film, at a cost of thousands of dollars, as real-world aircraft fire-fighting vehicles are required by FAA regulations to have a much lighter color scheme, which didn't appeal to director [[Michael Bay]].<ref name="rosenbauer">[http://www.rosenbaueramerica.com/press/2011/06/rosenbauer-panther-6x6-to-be-f/ Rosenbauer America press release, June 28, 2011]</ref>

Since the heavily armed Chevrolet Impalas that serve as the [[Wrecker|Wreckers']] alternate modes are directly based on existing NASCAR race cars, the prop versions of [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]], [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] made an appearance at [[2011]] Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on [[February 20]], four month before the movie's release, appearing both off the track as display cars, and on the track, participating in the ceremonial first lap.<ref name="daytona">[http://www.hendrickmotorsports.com/news/photos/2011/02/18/TRANSFORMERS-cars-on-display-at-Daytona "'TRANSFORMERS' cars on display at Daytona"], Hendrick Motorsports, February 2011.</ref> Director Michael Bay, actor [[Josh Duhamel]] and actress [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]] also attended the event, and during the television broadcast of the race, a new ''Dark of the Moon'' television spot was aired.

==== Other product placement ====
As always, various companies have their products and names prominently displayed throughout the movie, such as [[Wikipedia:Northrop Grumman|Northrop Grumman]], [[Wikipedia:CNN|CNN]], [[Wikipedia:Fox News Channel|Fox News]], [[Wikipedia:Cisco|Cisco]] and [[Wikipedia:Superfund|Superfund]].<ref name="brands1">[http://www.brandchannel.com/brandcameo_films.asp?movie_year_az=2011 "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"] at brandchannel.com.</ref> Paper manufacturer Double A also cooperated with Paramount and even had Michael Bay direct a commercial that features scenes from ''Dark of the Moon'', notably [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]].<ref name="paper">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/167497-transformers-featured-in-double-a-paper-ad "Transformers Featured in Double A Paper Ad"] at SuperHeroHype, June 2011.</ref> Of particular note is the large number of Chinese brands such as [[Wikipedia:Lenovo|Lenovo]], [[Wikipedia:Yili Group|Yili]] Shuhua Milk, [[Wikipedia:Metersbonwe Group|Metersbonwe]] Mtee shirts and [[Wikipedia:TCL Corporation|TCL]] HDTV screens.<ref name="chinesebrands">[http://advertising.chinasmack.com/2011/transformers-the-rise-of-chinese-product-placement.html "Transformers: The Rise Of Chinese Product Placement"] at Chinasmack.</ref><ref name="brands2">[http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/07/05/Brandcameo-070411-Transformers-3.aspx "Transformers 3 Product Placement: If Tom Hanks Gets a Pass, Michael Bay Does Not"] at brandchannel, July 2011.</ref>

For [[Wikipedia:Nokia|Nokia]], the product placement turned out to be dated by the time the movie came out, as a mobile phone featured in the movie ran on [[Wikipedia:Symbian|Symbian]], despite Nokia mostly dropping Symbian as an operating system due to their recent partnership with [[Wikipedia:Microsoft|Microsoft]].<ref name="nokiaobit">[http://www.thenoisecast.com/2011/07/nokia-x7-product-placement-in-transformers-3-feels-like-an-obituary/ "Nokia X7 Product Placement In Transformers 3 Feels Like An Obituary"], Noisecast, July 2011.</ref>

=== Changes before, during and after production ===
* In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in June 2009, Michael Bay suggested that [[Ramon Rodriguez]] would reprise his role as [[Leo Spitz]] from ''Revenge of the Fallen'' for the third movie.<ref name="bayramon">[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2009/06/30/ramon-rodriguez-will-have-bigger-role-in-third-transformers-movie-bay-hints/ "Ramon Rodriguez will have bigger role in third ‘Transformers’ movie, Bay hints"], Los Angeles Times, June 2009.</ref>

* As stated above, [[Megan Fox]] was originally intended to reprise her role as [[Mikaela Banes]] from the previous two movies. She was still spotted on the ''Dark of the Moon'' set during the previsualization stage in May 2010<ref name="foxonset"/>, but was fired from the production shortly afterwards due to a falling out with director [[Michael Bay]]. [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]]'s character of [[Carly Spencer]] was written in as a replacement, though the fact that her part was originally written for Mikaela still shows in some parts: For example, Carly is overseeing [[Dylan Gould|Dylan]]'s car collection, which could be viewed as an extension of Mikaela's history with working with cars. Furthermore, Sam and Carly not only have [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] (who had been previously "domesticated" by Mikaela) as a "pet", but also her dog [[Bonecrusher (dog)|Bonecrusher]] (played by Michael Bay's eponymous real-life dog).

*In January 2010, actor James Avery claimed in an interview that he would be playing a new Autobot named "Silverbolt".<ref name="avery">[http://unscripted.ca/episodes/show/136 James Avery interview on Unscripted], January 2010</ref> In June 2010, representatives of James Avery, responding to a bizarre rumor that he had passed away, confirmed that the actor was indeed alive and would be playing Silverbolt in ''Transformers 3''.<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/entertainment-in-national/uncle-phil-james-avery-isn-t-dead-after-all James Avery isn't dead after all], The Examiner, June 2010.</ref> Despite this, neither Avery nor Silverbolt ultimately appear in ''Dark of the Moon''.

* In January of 2011, an Idaho newspaper<ref>[http://magicvalley.com/news/local/article_d4f374a4-d960-5589-8d0c-be37df66fc40.html?mode=story "Rupert's Fagerbakke finds a voice that is truly golden"]</ref> announced voice actor [[Bill Fagerbakke]] as the voice of a "Chevy Impala stock car" that would appear in ''Dark of the Moon'' (presumably meaning one of the three [[Wrecker]]s, who share that base altmode). Why Fagerbakke did not end up voicing any of the Wreckers in the final cut of the film is unknown.

* Shockwave's original voice actor, [[Corey Burton]], expressed that he had no interest in voicing him for ''Dark of the Moon'', explaining "[I] have practically no interest in that kind of mega-budget movie enterprise involvement" and that the inspiration for his Shockwave voice, [[wikipedia:David Warner (actor)|David Warner]], was rumored to have been considered.<ref>[http://www.coreyburton.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=2707&highlight=#2707 Corey Burton's message board post.]</ref> In the end, Shockwave's almost-entirely-wordless-snarl-based role would have been something of a waste of Warner; the role ultimately went to Frank Welker. There's a nice touch of symmetry in the casting, with Welker taking over a Burton-originated role not long after Burton took on a Welker-originated character in [[Megatron (Animated)|''Animated'' Megatron]].

* In an earlier draft of the movie's script, Megatron is sincere when he offers Optimus Prime a truce at the end. Optimus accepts, and Megatron and the remaining Decepticons leave Earth to rebuild Cybertron. This ending is used for the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (novel)|novelization]] and the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation|comic adaptation]].

* Furthermore, it was originally supposed to be [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage/"Dino"]] rather than [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack/"Que"]] who would have been executed by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] in Chicago. This version made it into the comic adaptation and the [[Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel|junior novelization]].

* Another scrapped death for Mirage is seen in the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (novel)|novelization]], in where he's decapicated by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]. His severed head is subsequently used by Soundwave to mock the Autobots before they are about to get executed.

* [[The Twins]], [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], were originally supposed to return for ''Dark of the Moon''. Even though [[General Motors]] provided two Chevrolet Sparks to serve as their alternate modes<ref name="chevyspark">[http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-spark-transformers-3.html Left Lane News article on two Chevrolet Sparks spotted on the DOTM set], May 2010.</ref> which were still spotted on the set as late as October 2010<ref name="dcparking">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2010/10/transformers-3-dc-parking-lot-gallery.html "Transformers 3 DC Parking Lot Gallery"], Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, October 2010.</ref>, the two were mostly edited out of the final movie (their vehicle modes can barely be glimpsed in a few brief shots). Michael Bay even went so far as to offer a $25,000 reward for anyone who would see the Twins "perform" in the movie.<ref name="reward">[http://collider.com/transformers-3-twins-skids-mudflap-michael-bay/91104/ Collider.com article on Michael Bay's "reward" for spotting Skids and Mudflap "perform" in DOTM], May 2011.</ref> In the novelization and the comic adaptation, Skids and Mudflap still appear.

* Another plot point that was apparently dropped was an anti-Autobot sentiment among the human populace. Graffiti with a crossed out Autobot [[insignia|logo]] with the words "go home" below it showed up in several set photos.<ref name="gohome1">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2010/05/transformers-3-filming-with-twins.html Photos from the set in Sherman Oaks, California] at the Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, May 2010.</ref><ref name="gohome2">[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/possible-tf3-plot-point-revealed-autobots-go-home/19188/ Photos from the Chicago set] at Seibertron.com, July 2010.</ref> In the movie, Congress instantly passes a law exiling the Autobots from Earth following Sentinel Prime's ultimatum.

* Early working names included "[[Ultra Magnus (disambiguation)|Ultra Magnus]]" for [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]<ref name="chicagocall">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2011/06/chicgo-call-sheet-for-ultra-magnus.html "Chicago Call Sheet For Ultra Magnus"], Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, June 2011.</ref>, "Enzo" (after [[Wikipedia:Enzo Ferrari|Enzo Ferrari]])<ref name="callsheet2">[http://tilallaremine.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/dark-of-the-moon-call-sheets/ Dark of the Moon Call Sheets!] at Til All Are Mine blog, July 2011.</ref> and "Rush" for Mirage/"Dino", "[[Warpath (disambiguation)|Warpath]]" for both [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]] and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]], "Tempest" for Topspin, "[[Flash (disambiguation)|Flash]]" for [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], "[[Dreadwind (disambiguation)|Dreadwind]]" for [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]], "[[Hooligan]]" for [[Crowbar]], "[[Dirtbag]]" for [[Hatchet]], "[[Blitzwing (disambiguation)|Blitzwing]]" for [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]], "[[Breakdown (disambiguation)|Breakdown]]" for Soundwave's new vehicular design, "Colossus" for the [[Driller]]<ref name="nizzi">[http://www.joshnizzi.com/TF3.htm Josh Nizzi DOTM concepts.]</ref>, "Buzzard" for [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], "[[Undermine]]" for [[Igor]] and "[[Steeljaw (disambiguation)|Steeljaw]]" for Wheeljack/"Que". However, it's quite possible a few of these were code names used to keep character identities a secret during production as images of Megatron's new cloak obscured face refer to the character as "Cyclonus".<ref name="wburt">[http://conceptartworld.com/?p=8388 Wesley Burt DOTM concepts.]</ref>
[[Image:DOTM-SentinelPrimetrailer.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Colour me your colour, baby Colour me your car Colour me your colour, darling I know who you are]]

* Roadbuster was originally intended to have [[Wikipedia:Jeff Gordon|Jeff Gordon]]'s #24 [[Wikipedia:DuPont|DuPont]]-sponsored Chevrolet Impala as his alternate mode, rather than [[Wikipedia:Dale_Earnhardt,_Jr.|Dale Earnhardt, Jr.]]'s #88 Impala sponsored by [[Wikipedia:Amp Energy|Amp Energy]].<ref name="nizzi"/>

* Que/Wheeljack's head was once considered to be based on [[Wikipedia:Christopher Lloyd|Christopher Lloyd]]'s [[Wikipedia:Emmett Brown|Doc Brown]] from the [[Wikipedia:Back to the Future trilogy|''Back to the Future'' movies]], rather than [[Wikipedia:Albert Einstein|Albert Einstein]].<ref name="wburt"/>

* The Wreckers were originally intended to have a robot pet dog, whose working names also included "Warpath".<ref name="nizzi"/> Hasbro released a toy of the dog with the [[Human Alliance]] version of Leadfoot, named "[[Steeljaw (DOTM)|Steeljaw]]".

* In an interview with MTV.com, actors [[Shia LaBeouf]] and [[John Malkovich]] hinted at at some smaller scenes that were cut from the final edit of the movie. In addition to some add-libbing by the actors, one scene would have featured Malkovich's character, [[Bruce Brazos]], attempting to get Carly's phone number.<ref name="deletedmtv">[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666772/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-dvd-deleted-scenes.jhtml MTV.com on deleted scenes], July 2011.</ref>

* In the original teaser trailer for ''Dark of the Moon'' that was released in December 2010, the opening scene that featured [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] investigate the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'' on the moon had Sentinel Prime sport a gold and silver color scheme. For the final movie, his base color was changed to red.
{{-}}

=== Leaks and disinformation===
[[Image:DOTMgameSoundwave.jpg|thumb|300px|right|What you're about to see is totally classified.]]
The movie's title, then "Transformers: ''The'' Dark of the Moon", was first discovered on October 6, 2010 via listings for childrens' books on [http://www.amazon.com/ Amazon.com]. The title was further confirmed by a whois check for "www.transformersdarkofthemoonmovie.com".<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-3-title-revealed-170697/ Transformers 3 Title Revealed?] @ TFW2005.com</ref> On October 31, the official website for all three movies, [http://www.transformersmovie.com/ transformersmovie.com], was updated to show the ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' logo as well as international release dates.

[[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] was heavily touted as the new main villain, no doubt in an attempt to conceal [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s unexpected betrayal halfway through the movie. A piece of information that commonly popped up in media coverage was the claim that Shockwave was the ruler of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] while the other Autobots and Decepticons were duking it out on Earth.<ref name="pushpops">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-3-plot-summary-revealed-170756/ "Transformers 3 Plot Summary Revealed"], TFW2005, October 2010.</ref> The last bit could be written off as a case of [[Wikipedia:Chinese whispers|chinese whisper]]: Shockwave got announced as the villain for ''Dark of the Moon'', mainstream media (such as USA Today<ref name="usatodayswitch">[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-06-11-Transformers11_ST_N.htm "Next 'Transformers' is due for a switch"], USA Today, June 2010.</ref>) who aren't versed in Transformers lore looked up the character, found out about his ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Shockwave (G1)|namesake]]'s role in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]], included it as a piece of trivia to show they did their research, and then the trivia note got picked up as gospel by other media. Nevertheless, it was included in the ''official plot summary'' by Paramount's German branch (which also claimed that ''Shockwave'' was the robot discovered inside the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'' as seen in the trailer).<ref name="germansite">[http://www.transformers3-film.de/ Official German DOTM site] including faulty plot summary.</ref>

[[Image:TF3HasbroSoundwaveBio.JPG|thumb|300px|left|If you breathe a word of what you see in here, you will do time for treason.]]Michael Bay and other official parties tried ''really'' hard to suppress the plot twist of the silver Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG given to [[Carly Spencer|Carly]] by [[Dylan Gould|Dylan]] turning out to be the new [[alternate mode]] of [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. After the Mercedes had been spotted on the set, with [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]] exiting it<ref name="mercedesset">[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=67518 DOTM Set Photos], ComingSoon.net, July 2010.</ref>, the first hint that it was more than meets the eye came with the trailer for the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)|video game]], which showed Soundwave's robot mode with car [[kibble]] such as wheels that heavily resembled those of the Mercedes. In addition, [[Rising Storm issue 3|issue 3]] of ''[[Transformers: Rising Storm]]'' depicted Soundwave's robot mode not only with car kibble, but with a Mercedes star on his chest. Despite this, director Michael Bay insisted that the Mercedes was simply Carly's car, claiming that "Mercedes would never let us make their car into a bad Decepticon. Car company's {{sic}} really frown on that. I can't say what the game company and comics do that's their own thing. They don't have the same constraints movies do. It's Carly's car."<ref name="baynomerc">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?8724-Update-Is-Soundwave-the-silver-Mercedes-on-set-of-DOTM&p=169598&viewfull=1#post169598 Michael Bay's response to the fan theory that Soundwave is the Silver Mercedes.], April 2011.</ref> On April 19, 2011, an event for promoting the ''Spider-Man: Edge of Time'' and ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' video games was held in London. As part of this, [[High Moon Studios]] released promotional stills from the ''Dark of the Moon'' game, one of which depicted Soundwave's new robot mode, again with Mercedes parts. However, a news embargo was enforced on the attending press, which was broken by South African video game site [http://egamer.co.za egamer].<ref name="egamera">[http://egamer.co.za/2011/05/exclusive-hands-on-transformers-dark-of-the-moon/ egamer's preview of the ''Dark of the Moon'' video game]</ref> The site was soon asked to take down the article and images, as were various ''Transformers'' fan sites that had reported on the article and mirrored the images. On May 2, 2011, Hasbro's [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/ official Transformers website] was given a massive overhaul, including the addition of the new [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/cybertronian-database.cfm Vector Sigma database]. The entry for Soundwave initially identified his alternate mode as a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, but was soon changed to "satellite". On May 3, 2011, the embargo for the video game article and promotional stills was finally lifted, allowing sites to freely show the image of Soundwave's new robot mode.

On May 5, 2011, several weeks before the trade paperback collection's official release, preview pages from [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation|''Dark of the Moon'' comic adaptation]] were discovered on [http://www.amazon.com/ Amazon.com]. Through some bizarre system error, ''several dozen pages'' were made available, which included the major plot twist of Sentinel Prime showing his true colors and killing [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]. Unsurprisingly, this discovery was quickly posted on several major Transformers [[fandom|fan sites]], often without a spoiler warning.

==Notes==
* A 126-page script for the movie was leaked in December 2009<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/6435/20/ The Allspark: Transformers News Movie Comics Animated - Script Treatment for Transformers 3? Bogus or Not, Here You Go!]</ref>, causing much discussion among the fandom. It was later confirmed as fake.<ref>[http://shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6532 Script]</ref>
* When word hit that [[Megan Fox]] was off the picture, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIuqiepu4UY Heidi Montag] put an "audition" for her part on YouTube. [http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/114ce28ddd/sir-ben-kingsley-shows-up-heidi-montag Sir Ben Kingsley] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4FZeucBO0c Ashton Kutcher] made fun of her, because life is rad.
* Several concepts that had been established by the [[Transformers (2007)|first movie]] were (more or less) dropped with ''Dark of the Moon'' in favor or a more traditional, ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]''-esque approach:
** In the 2007 movie, the Autobots arrive on Earth in "[[Protoform]]" entry modes (which was subsequently used as the basis for the Decepticons' arrival in [[Planetfall (Movie)|Planetfall]]). Prior to the release of the movie, screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]] defended this choice over the use of a spaceship such as the ''Ark'' by asking why "aliens who moonlight as vehicles need other vehicles to travel".<ref name="orcitravel">[http://tformers.com/Ark-Not-Making-An-Appearance-In-the-Movie/6513/news.html TFormers quoting Roberto Orci], because Don Murphy's board can only be read by registered members.</ref> He somewhat changed his mind after the movie had been released, however.<ref name="orciship">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=388596&postcount=271 Roberto Orci on the Transformers Live Action Movie Boards], July 2007.</ref> After the Decepticons' ship, the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'', had made an appearance in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', ''Dark of the Moon'' not only introduces the movieverse version of the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'', but also reveals that all the new Autobots who have been on Earth since before ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had arrived in their own spaceship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', making the notion of individual Transformers traveling through space as "comets" an exception rather than the rule.
** Furthermore, ''Dark of the Moon'' largely abandons the idea of Transformers having all their weapons integrated into their bodies in favor of more traditional, separate weapons. For example, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], who had blades and hooks emerging from his forearms in the previous two movies now stores all his weapons (including an axe) as accessories inside his trailer (though Optimus was shown to have his swords still in his arms during the battle for Chicago). Also, Ironhide, whose cannons were previously affixed to his arms, now sports handheld firearms instead. (To be fair, he dropped his cannons during the final battle in ''Revenge of the Fallen''.) Even Megatron, whose [[fusion cannon]] previously grew out of his arms, now has an ordinary handheld shotgun. (then again his arm that turned into his Fusion cannon was ripped off by Prime in ''Revenge of the Fallen''.) The only ones who still seem to have the same converting arm cannons as in the previous movies are Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Starscream.

* [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] finally achieves a certain consistency between his two primary modes: Ever since his upgrade to a modern Camaro in ''Transformers'' (2007), his [[license plate]] had alternated between "900 STRA" in vehicle mode and "4NZZ 454" in robot mode. ''Dark of the Moon'' finally uses "900 STRA" for the robot mode as well. Hasbro's toys, which had previously favored the CG robot model's "4NZZ 454" (barring the occasional "4NZZ'''Z''' 454" flub), follow suit.
*Speaking of license plates: [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]]'s Maybach 62S Landaulet sports a German license plate, "'''S MM 6201'''", registered in the city of Stuttgart. In reality, that plate is registered to the manufacturer and used for promotional photos.<ref name="maybach">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/update--transformers-3-rumor--who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-170533/ Set photos and promo photos of the Maybach 62S Landaulet] at TFW2005.</ref>
*Michael Bay's private Gulfstream Aerospace G-1159A jet (registration number N4500X) has a cameo in the movie as [[Charlotte Mearing]]'s plane.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers/Dark Side Moon''''' (トランスフォーマー/ダークサイド・ムーン ''Toransufōmā/Dāku Saido Mūn'')
*''Cantonese:'' (變形金剛: 黑月降臨, "Transformers: The Arrival of the Black Moon")
*''Finnish:'' '''''Transformers: Kuun pimeä puoli''''' ("Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon")
*''French:'' '''''Transformers 3: La Face cachée de la Lune''''' ("Transformers 3: The Hidden Side of the Moon")
*''German:'' '''''Transformers 3'''''
*''Polish:'' '''''Transformers 3'''''
*''Portuguese:'' '''''Transformers: O Lado Oculto da Lua''''' ("Transformers: The Hidden Side of the Moon")
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery 3: Tjomnaja storona Luny''''' (Трансформеры 3: Тёмная сторона Луны, "Transformers 3: The Dark Side of the Moon")
*''Serbian:'' '''''Transformers 3: Tama Meseca''''' ("Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon")
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: El Lado Oscuro de la Luna''''' (America, "Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon")
*''Swedish:'' '''''Transformers 3'''''
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng Sān''''' (Taiwan, 變形金剛３, "Transformers 3"), '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng: Yuè Hēi zhī Shí''''' (China, 变形金刚：月黑之时, "Transformers: The Time When the Moon Becomes Black")

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.transformersmovie.com/ Official ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' website]
*[http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/transformersdarkofthemoon/ Trailers.Apple.com ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' page]
* Designer portfolios: [http://www.joshnizzi.com/TF3.htm Josh Nizzi], [http://www.warrenmanser.com/WarrenManser.com/PORTFOLIO_M/Pages/TRANSFORMERS_3.html Warren Manser], [http://www.joelchang.com/index.php?/projects/transformers-dark-of-the-moon/ Joel Chang], [http://conceptartworld.com/?p=8293 The Aaron Sims Company] (at Concept Art World), [http://conceptartworld.com/?p=8388 Wesley Burt] (at Concept Art World), [http://massiveblack.com/MBwebolution/blog/?p=301 Massive Black]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark of the Moon (film)}}
[[Category: Dark of the Moon| Dark of the Moon (film)]]
[[Category: Dark of the Moon media| ]]
[[Category: Real world films]]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)

2012-02-01T02:10:08Z

WreckNRule426: /* Notes */

{{nav-rotf}}
[[Image:ROTFteaserposter.jpg|right|250px|thumb|You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me. ]]
{{quote|We had three weeks to get our story and, really, we were going into the movie without a script. It’s tough to do that.|[[Michael Bay]], [http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/01/14/michael-bay-ready-to-make-you-forget-transformers-2-it-was-kind-of-a-mess/ LA Times interview]}}

'''''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen''''' is the second film in the [[live-action film series]], a sequel to ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]''. It was released in North America on [[June 24]], [[2009]].

The film is set two years after the events of ''Transformers''. The Autobots have found a home in "NEST", a secret military unit created to eliminate the remaining Decepticons, and Sam is starting college and trying to leave his Transformer-laden past behind. The Decepticons are regrouping, however. Megatron is restored to life, and his master, The Fallen, schemes to activate an energon-producing Star Harvester on Earth, which will destroy the planet and provide the Decepticons with enough energon to raise an army. The Harvester's location, and the means to activate it, are hidden within Sam's mind, leading the Decepticons to wage war across the Earth as they hunt down the human. Witwicky turns to some unlikely allies to escape and survive. Ultimately, the last of the Primes defeats The Fallen, destroys the Harvester, and proves the Autobots' greatest power is found in their unexpectedly-ancient alliance with the humans.

Director [[Michael Bay]] set out to greatly expand the film's scope with settings ranging across the globe, and a much larger cast of Transformers, with over 40 robots in all.

::::::::::::::::::::{{bigquote|Revenge is mine!|The Fallen}}

==Synopsis==
In 17,000 B.C., a group of human hunters discover Transformers already on Earth, building [[Star harvester|a machine]]. [[The Fallen|One of the Transformers]] notices the humans, and his reaction is less than friendly.

Two years after the battle of [[Mission City]], the Autobots have teamed up with the American soldiers, including [[William Lennox|Lennox]] and [[Robert Epps|Epps]], in a secret team named [[NEST]] under the command of the [[United States military|US military]], but also incorporating soldiers from other countries such as the United Kingdom. Officially, the US government still keeps the Transformers' existence a secret.

[[Image:ROTF-Arceethree.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Well, I guess you don't know everything about women yet.]]

NEST is hunting down the Decepticons on Earth. A region of [[Shanghai]], [[China]] is evacuated to allow NEST to deploy with a cover-up of a toxic chemical spill occurring. As soldiers probe the region, they find the heat signature of the Decepticon [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]], who transforms and wreaks havoc on the roadways. His discovery prompts his partner, [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]], to escape as well. Sideways is pursued by [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], Skids, and Mudflap, although Sideswipe, waiting for the Decepticon, eventually slices him lengthwise in half. [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] is airlifted to Shanghai and chases Demolishor through the city with [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]. Optimus shoots Demolishor several times in the head, while Ironhide shoots out his wheels, causing him to crash and fall off a bypass, badly injuring himself in the process. Before Optimus kills him, Demolishor delivers the cryptic message: "The Fallen shall rise again."

[[Image:ROTF Sam Cube fragment.jpg|thumb|right|250px|You will go to the Dagobah system. There you will learn from Yoda.]]

Meanwhile, [[Sam Witwicky]] is preparing for his move to college and dealing with his bipolar mother. His father is looking forward to enjoying a holiday in Paris, and [[Mojo]] has a new canine companion named [[Frankie]]. Sam is on the phone to his rather snarky girlfriend, when he finds a splinter of the [[AllSpark]] lodged in his "D-Day shirt". He experiences a brief flash of images before the splinter burns him. Dropping it, Sam sees the floor catch fire as the splinter burns its way down to the kitchen, where it brings numerous kitchen devices to life. These [[Appliancebot|appliancebots]] make their way to Sam's room and attack. He escapes to the garden, where the bots pin Sam and his father behind the water fountain. After [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] has destroyed the kitchen robots (and part of the Witwickys' house with them), Sam hands the AllSpark shard to [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]]. His mother demands Bumblebee leaves. Sam then tells Bumblebee to join the other Autobots, as both of them need to move on. Sam and Mikaela have a slight scuffle over who should say the words "I love you" first, but they kiss and move on. Sam leaves for college, and no one notices a [[Wheelie (ROTF)|toy car]] in the lawn. It detects the splinter and signals [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], who is stationed in orbit around Earth, disguised as a satellite, and Soundwave orders the truck to follow the girl.

Meanwhile, NEST is in a video briefing with [[Morshower|General Morshower]], Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when they are visited by National Security Adviser [[Theodore Galloway]], who has been dispatched to relay the President's concerns over the casualties in Shanghai. As Optimus relays the warning of "The Fallen", Soundwave takes control of the satellite transmitting the message. Galloway dismisses the threat, convinced that the only reason the Decepticons are interested in Earth is because of the presence of the Autobots. Therefore, he suggests that they may leave the planet. Optimus says that, yes, they will, but also warns Galloway that he may be wrong. During the conversation, Galloway reveals the location of the AllSpark shard Optimus Prime had picked up after killing [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], and the location of Megatron's remains in the [[Laurentian Abyss]].

Sam arrives at college with his parents and meets his roommate, [[Leo Spitz]], who operates a [[The Real Effing Deal|conspiracy website]] and is convinced that alien robots are hiding on Earth. Sam feigns ignorance and goes to see if he can get another room, but his hunt is interrupted by his father and mother, the latter of whom has unwittingly purchased some marijuana-laced brownies. In the corridor, Leo points out [[Alice]], another student he has the hots for. Sam is more concerned with tracking down his mother, who by now is roaming the school, informing random people about the state of Sam's virginity.

Soundwave dispatches his minion [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] to Earth, where he infiltrates the NEST base on [[Diego Garcia]]. Ravage horks a swarm of [[Microcon (ROTF)|microcons]] into an ventilation outlet, and they swarm down to the chamber where the AllSpark shard is being held. There they combine into [[Reedman]], who steals the shard and joins Ravage in a rapid escape.

Although he's due to have a webcam date with Mikaela, Sam is dragged to at a frat party by Leo. He suffers some sort of attack, seeing [[Cyberglyphics|alien symbols]] which he is trying to write on a table with cake icing when he's approached by Alice, who attempts to seduce him. When Bumblebee shows up, she takes a ride with Sam, but Bumblebee does everything he can to convince her to leave, up to and including spraying her with an [[lubricant|unidentifiable yellow liquid]]. Bumblebee then takes Sam to Optimus Prime, who tells him of the theft of the AllSpark shard and asks Sam to speak with the government on their behalf. Sam refuses, saying that he has his own problems and does not believe that he is the right person for this task.

[[Image:TheFallen-ROTFNemesis.jpg|thumb|left|250px|What is thy bidding, my master?]]

At the Laurentian Abyss, Ravage meets up with several [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]], who have placed themselves aboard a cargo ship, then dives with them to the bottom of the ocean, where the US military has dumped Megatron's remains. Using the shard and spare parts from [[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|one of the Constructicons]] (who is presumably killed), [[Scalpel (ROTF)|"The Doctor"]] is able to revive Megatron, who promptly travels to one of Saturn's moons, where the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' is being used as a base by the Decepticons. He is awaited by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], who is overseeing the spawning of a new army of Decepticons. After beating Starscream for leaving him to die, Megatron presents himself to his master, The Fallen. Although Megatron believes he has failed, The Fallen reveals that when the Cube was destroyed, the knowledge within the AllSpark was instead transferred to Sam, and with it the means to locate a device capable of creating vast amounts of Energon. The Fallen commands Megatron to retrieve the boy and kill Optimus, the last of the [[Prime (rank)|Primes]] and the only person who can defeat The Fallen.

As he sits in [[Colan|Professor Colan]]'s astronomy class, Sam suddenly reads through the entire reference book in a matter of seconds, before interrupting the Professor's lecture to scrawl more of the strange symbols on a blackboard and deliver a speed lecture on higher physics. After the Professor throws him out, he realises that the effects he's been experiencing may be linked to touching the AllSpark shard. When he calls Mikaela to warn her not to touch it, the [[Wheelie (ROTF)|the toy-truck Decepticon]] tries to steal the shard, but Mikaela captures the tiny Decepticon. Mikaela promptly boards a plane to see Sam.

Alerted to multiple Decepticon contacts, NEST mobilises, but the Autobots are already on their way somewhere, and refusing to answer calls from their human comrades.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus death.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?]]

Leo and Alice find Sam in the dorm room, freaking out and covering the walls with glyphs. Alice pushes Leo outside, and when Mikaela arrives, she finds Sam and Alice in what appears to be an intimate moment. It soon turns out, however, that Alice is a Decepticon as well. Mikaela, Sam and Leo flee as Alice hunts them, devastating the campus library; Mikaela eventually defeats her by slamming her into a tree with a hotwired car. The three humans try to get away but are captured by [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] and delivered to the waiting Megatron in an abandoned building. Megatron orders "The Doctor" to remove Sam's brain in order to access the information from the AllSpark shard, but Optimus Prime and Bumblebee arrive to free the three humans. Prime takes Sam and flees, but is soon overtaken by Megatron, Starscream and Grindor. In the subsequent battle, Prime kills Grindor but is impaled by Megatron and dies. The other Autobots arrive, saving Sam and causing Megatron and Starscream to retreat.

With the Decepticons unable to locate Sam on their own, Megatron decides that a show of force is in order to compel the humans to turn Sam over to him. Soundwave relays the mobilization order to the ''Nemesis'' and then tracks down [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] and [[Judy Witwicky]] in Paris. Decepticons, joined by The Fallen, enter Earth and cause massive damage in their transition forms, destroying a [[United States Navy|naval carrier]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and attacking Paris, kidnapping Sam's parents. In a hijacked TV broadcast around the world, The Fallen reveals his existence to the world's public and demands Sam be surrendered to him. A manhunt for Sam is launched.

[[Image:Rotf t2 simmonsclassified.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Ready are you? What know you of ready?]]

Sam, meanwhile, is hiding out with Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee and the Autobot twins, [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. Leo complains loudly about the strange turn his life has taken of late, and Sam rightly tells him to shut the hell up.

The Autobots return to the NEST base, where they are surrounded by the military. Galloway tells them that he has placed in charge of NEST, which is to cease all activities relating to the Decepticons. NEST is being stood down, and they are all to return to Diego Garcia, while the military draws up a coordinated multinational strategy, buying time by negotiating with the Decepticons. Though Lennox tries to argue, it's futile as Galloway pulls rank. Ratchet says the Autobots should leave Earth altogether, but Ironhide points out that it's not what Optimus would want.

Feeling guilty for Prime's death, Sam decides to solve the mystery of the symbols he's been seeing. The Autobots identify the symbols as Cybertronian, but since the language predates their existence, they cannot translate them. Leo eventually suggests they may ask his rival, "[[Robo-Warrior]]", owner of a [[GiantEffingRobots.com|competing website]], for help. To everyone's surprise, Robo-Warrior turns out to be none other than [[Seymour Simmons]], former agent of [[Sector Seven]]. Simmons reveals that the Transformers were on Earth some time ago, as symbols similar to those Sam is obsessed with have been found on numerous excavation sites around the world, and that Sector Seven discovered evidence that several Transformers stayed on Earth for some time. However, in order to read the symbols, they may need a Decepticon. Mikaela then interrogates Wheelie, who identifies the symbols as the Language of the Primes, and suggests they may track down one of the ancient [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seekers]], the Transformers believed to be on Earth. Wheelie identifies one as being nearby, in [[Washington, D.C.]]

[[Image:ROTF behold Jetfire.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Looking? Found someone you have.]]

At the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, they discover an old Decepticon named [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], disguised as an SR-71 Blackbird. After some initial confusion on his part, Jetfire explains he has defected to the Autobots, inspiring Wheelie to follow suit. When Sam finishes writing down the symbols, Jetfire says that they were part of the Seekers' mission, and he opens a [[space bridge]] and teleports himself as well as Sam, Mikaela, Leo, Simmons, Bumblebee and the Twins to [[Egypt]]. He explains that thousands of years ago, the Transformers arrived on Earth on an exploratory mission under their original leaders, the [[Dynasty of Primes|Primes]]. The Primes had come to build a Star Harvester, a device which can create [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]], the Transformers fuel, by destroying suns. The Primes had a single rule of never destroying a star with a living bearing world, but one of the Primes, forever known as The Fallen, despised the humans and tried to activate the machine. The Primes were unable to defeat their brother, but instead stole the [[Matrix of Leadership]], the key needed to activate the harvester, and gave their lives to seal it in a tomb made of their own bodies. Jetfire further explains that only a Prime can hope to defeat The Fallen, and with the death of Optimus, they are doomed. Sam suggests that they may use the Matrix to revive Optimus Prime, which is backed up by Jetfire. They head towards Giza, dodging Egyptian police on the way.

In New Jersey, NEST are loading up to return to Diego Garcia when Simmons contacts Lennox to relay information about the new quest, and co-ordinates where they can drop Optimus's body. Lennox and Epps decide to trust the new information and go against their orders. Sam's group passes through a checkpoint, allowing Soundwave to pinpoint their location, but they reach the Pyramids of Giza, where they pick up the next clue, pointing to [[Jordan]].

On the NEST aircraft, Lennox tricks Galloway into bailing out of the plane. Back in the US, General Morshower receives a communique from Lennox, and arranges to have assets in the target area.

In Petra, Sam's group discovers the [[Tomb of the Primes]]. Inside, Sam finds the Matrix, which instantly crumbles into dust into his hands. Sam collects the dust regardless, and he and Mikaela return outside where Simmons and Leo have spotted the NEST team parachuting into Egypt to begin preparing for battle near the pyramids.

[[Image:ROTF_movie_BumblebeevsRampage.jpg|left|thumb|250px|This baby's got a few surprises in her.]]

Before Sam and the others can get back to Lennox and his people, the Decepticons start their attack. Bumblebee, Simmons, Leo, and the Twins draw their fire while Sam and Mikaela make a break for the soldiers. The Constructicons merge into [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]], who proceeds to swallow Mudflap. Mudflap, however, is able to free himself, together with Skids, they try to slow Devastator down. While the Autobots and NEST fight the Decepticons, Starscream leads several other Constructicons in a search for Sam, and intending to use Sam's parents to lure him into a trap. Falling into the trap, Sam offers to hand over the Matrix dust to the Constructicon [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]], but only to stall for time until Bumblebee is able to attack and destroy the Decepticon. Ravage attacks Bumblebee from behind, but is killed as well. Sam then orders Bumblebee to get his parents to safety while he and Mikaela try to reach Optimus Prime's body. A remote drone relays pictures back to Morshower, who launches [[Operation: Firestorm]], ordering an immediate launch of pretty much everything they can muster.

[[Image:ROTF Devastator Mudflap swallow.jpg|thumb|right|250px|How you get so big eating food of this kind?]]

In the meantime, Devastator has begun to take apart the pyramid that has been built around the Harvester. Simmons calls a navy ship off the coast of Egypt and orders the use of a railgun. Meanwhile, Sam finally meets up with Lennox and Epps, but they're pinned down by [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]]. Jetfire arrives and kills Mixmaster and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], but is mortally wounded by the smaller Decepticon. Simmons relays Devastator's coordinates to the Navy, who score a direct hit on the giant with their railgun. Devastator is torn to pieces and topples from the pyramid. After an air strike takes out most of the other Decepticons, Sam makes a dash for Prime's body, but is caught in the blast of a shot fired by Megatron. While paramedics try to reanimate him, the Matrix dust gets spilled across his hand, and Sam encounters the dead Primes in a vision. The Primes tell him that he was destined to find the Matrix and save the life of the last Prime. Sam returns to life, which is enough to get him and Mikaela to admit that they love each other, and the dust in his hand turns back into the Matrix, which which he is able to revive Optimus Prime.

[[Image:TheFallen-ROTFfacegotten.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Perhaps you are not as strong as the Emperor thought.]]
Just then, The Fallen teleports himself next to Optimus Prime, grabs the Matrix, and teleports himself to the pyramid, where he uses the Matrix to activate the Harvester. The soldiers and armored vehicles begin firing on the pyramid, but The Fallen raises the heavy weaponry with his telekinetic powers and destroys it all. Dying, Jetfire offers his parts to Optimus Prime, and then rips out his own Spark. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] and [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] then proceed to turn Jetfire's remains into a battle armor for Optimus Prime, who is then able to destroy the Harvester. Optimus then faces Megatron and the Fallen. After a brief but intense battle, Optimus defeats Megatron and kills The Fallen. After the death of his master, Megatron, who has been severely damaged in the battle, follows Starscream's suggestion and retreats.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus Sam ship.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Take care, you two. May the Force be with you.]]

With the battle won, the Autobots, NEST, Sam and his friends return to the USA on board an aircraft carrier. Upon his return, Sam continues to attend college, while Optimus Prime sends another message detailing recent events, so the shared past of Humanity and the Autobots will not be forgotten as it was before.
{{-}}

==Quotes==





"Gotta wonder... if God made us in his image, who made ''him?''"
:—'''Epps''', as Galloway first witnesses Optimus's transformation.

"We've shed blood, sweat, and precious metal together." 
"Soldier, you're paid to shoot, not talk." 
[muttering] "Don't tempt me."
:—'''Epps''' is not really happy with '''Galloway'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s plan to get rid of the Autobots.

"So let me ask: If we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully?" 
"Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it. But before your President decides, please ask him this: What if we leave, and you're ''wrong''?"
:—'''Galloway''' makes the U.S. government's position on the Autobot refugees clear, while '''Optimus Prime''' counters with a pointed argument of his own

"No, uh, it's just this friend of mine went to get you a tighter shirt." 
"There is no [[tightest shirt|tighter shirt]]! We ''checked''!"
:—'''Sam''' tries to deflect a pair of '''frat boys'''

"Sam, fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', trying to convince Sam Witwicky to become involved in the conflict once again

"I know you’re pissed. I know you’re pissed because I tried to kill you and it's completely understandable. If somebody tried to kill me, I’d be upset, too."
:—'''Sam Witwicky''' tries to relate with Megatron, to no avail.

"Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?" 
"You'll never stop at ''one''. ''[Unsheathes his left blade]'' '''I'll take you all on!'''"
:—'''Megatron''' tries to justify killing Sam, but '''Optimus Prime''' disapproves based on the potato chip theory. The most epic beatdown of the film ensues.

'''Sam''': "These symbols gotta mean something. Like a message... or a map. A map to an energon source. Can you guys read this?" 
'''Skids''': "''Read?''" 
'''Mudflap''': "Nuh-uh. We don't do a lotta reading."
:—Literacy with '''Skids''' and '''Mudflap'''.

"Beginning. Middle. End. Facts. Details. Condense. Plot. Tell it."
:—'''Simmons''' demands more coherent exposition from Jetfire.

"One man, alone..." 
"Stop saying that!" 
"...Betrayed by the country he loves." 
"Oh, my goodness, I'm in the car with you. You're not alone!"
:—'''Simmons''' being, well, himself, much to '''Leo Spitz'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s distress.

"Now I claim your sun!"
:—'''The Fallen''' does the standard "I claim victory before I have actually won" bit.

"You picked the wrong planet! Give me your ''face!''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' warns The Fallen of his violent fetish.

"Not to call you a coward, master, but, sometimes, cowards do survive."
:—'''Starscream''' pitches his usual battle plan to an unusually receptive Megatron.

"Our races united by a history long forgotten and a future we shall face together. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message so that our pasts will always be remembered. For in those memories, we live on."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing narration.

==Main cast==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] ([[Mark Ryan]])*
*[[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] ([[André Sogliuzzo]])
*[[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] ([[Grey DeLisle]])
*[[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]]
|c2=
*[[The Fallen]] ([[Tony Todd]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] ([[Hugo Weaving]])
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] ([[Charlie Adler]])
*[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Reedman]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]] ([[John Di Crosta]])
*[[Alice]] ([[Isabel Lucas]])
*[[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] ([[Calvin Wimmer]])
*[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]] ([[Kevin Michael Richardson]])
*[[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]]
*[[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]]
*[[Hightower (ROTF)|Hightower]]
*[[Overload (ROTF)|Overload]]
*[[Scavenger (ROTF)|Scavenger]]
*[[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|Scrapmetal]]
*[[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]]
*[[Protoform]] army
*An [[Buffalo MPV Decepticon|unnamed Decepticon]]
*[[Scalpel's assistant]]s
*An [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]]
*[[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]
|c3=
*[[Sam Witwicky]] ([[Shia LaBeouf]])
*[[Mikaela Banes]] ([[Megan Fox]])
*[[Leo Spitz]] ([[Ramon Rodriguez]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[William Lennox|Major William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Robert Epps|Master Sergeant Epps]] ([[Tyrese Gibson]])
*[[Judy Witwicky]] ([[Julie White]])
*[[Ron Witwicky]] ([[Kevin Dunn]])
*[[Morshower|General Morshower]] ([[Glenn Morshower]])
*[[Theodore Galloway]] ([[John Benjamin Hickey]])
*[[Graham|SASF Agent Graham]] ([[Matthew Marsden]])
*[[Colan|Professor Colan]] ([[Rainn Wilson]])
*[[Fassbinder]] ([[Jonathon Trent]])
*[[Sharsky]] ([[Walker Howard]])
*[[Tova Simmons]] ([[Annie Korzen]])
|c4=
'''[[Appliancebot]]s'''
*[[Dickbot the blender guy]]
*[[Ejector]]
*[[Dyson vacuum cleaner]]
*[[Microwave bot]]
*[[Waffle iron]]
*[[Cappuccino bot]]
*[[Garbage disposal bot]]
*[[Hand mixer]]
*[[Stand mixer]]
*[[CISCO Aironet]]
'''[[Dynasty of Primes|Seven Primes]]'''
*Prime #1 ([[Michael York]])
*Prime #2 ([[Kevin Michael Richardson]])
*Prime #3 ([[Robin Atkin Downes]])
|nonumbering=true
}}

*Bumblebee's lines as spoken by Ryan were cut from the final movie, but one scene where his voice could be heard was in a promotional video created for ShoWest 2009. <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRIfbFpe_sg Preview footage] from ShoWest 2009 showing Bumblebee "speaking" a line not used in the final cut.</ref>

==Errors==
===Filming / editing / technical errors===
[[Image:ROTF_filmcrewinsideplane.jpg|thumb|300px|Goddamn papparazi get ''everywhere!'']]

*When the Twins crash during their pursuit of Sideways, the pairs' voices are switched, with Tom Kenny's voice coming from Mudflap as he announces he is okay, and Reno Wilson delivering the admonishments as Skids punches him.

*During the Shanghai battle, when the ramp on the NEST C-17 transport is lowering to reveal Optimus Prime in the cargo bay, a filming crew (including director Michael Bay) can be seen inside the plane on the left side of screen.

*The vehicle modes the Twins scan already have personalized [[license plate]]s on them.

*Furthermore, despite sporting a "SKIDS" license plate in vehicle mode most of the time, Skids sports a license plate stating his vehicle model, "BEAT", in an establishing shot during the scene in New York City.

*Despite the minor cosmetic changes to his Camaro vehicle mode (i.e. new car prop) and the corresponding changes to his robot mode (i.e. modified CG model), Bumblebee still sports the same license plate''s'' as in the previous film. That is, his license plate is ''still'' inconsistent between both modes, alternating between "900 STRA" in vehicle mode and "4NZZ454" in robot mode.

*Similarly, despite still sporting his license plate from the previous movie, "4PCI382", on his robot mode chest, Ironhide no longer sports a license plate in vehicle mode.

*When Sam jumps from the second story of his house to escape the kitchen robots, a stuntperson who does not look much like actor Shia LaBeouf performs the stunt.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus missing cheek glyph.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cybertronian tattoo removal is expensive.]]
*Optimus Prime is missing the Cyberglyph on his cheek during the scene in the hanger.

*During the scene in which Alice meets Sam at the party Sam gets a drink and the glass is full, then the camera angle changes and the glass is half full/empty then the angle changes again and the glass is full again.

*Bumblebee picks up Sam at a frat party in the evening. He then takes him to a graveyard where it's dawn. (In real life, the graveyard is located in [[Philadelphia]], while the frat party is set a hundred miles north in Princeton. Still, even in [[New Jersey (Earth)|New Jersey]] traffic, the trip wouldn't take ''all night''.)

*During Sam's campus freakout, when he drops his notes on the steps, a blonde woman in a suit can be seen coming down the steps to his left, nearly reaching him. However, when the camera angle shifts, the woman is suddenly at the top of the stairs again.

*As Alice attacks Sam, part of the window behind them is taken up by a fan. When Mikaela throws the tool box, it smashes through a glass pane where the fan had been moments before, with the fan itself now resting against the wall under the ''Bad Boys II'' poster.

*When the Autobots are driving to Sam's college shortly before the Decepticons attack him, Arcee is completely absent from the group, while previously-unseen Jolt shows up in one shot ''in front'' of the others, then when the camera angle changes, he disappears.

*In the flyover shot of the barge on which the four Constructicons sit, a red bulldozer, a concrete mixer, a green dump truck and a yellow front-end loader are visible. After the flyover shot, the yellow loader disappears and is replaced with a yellow Volvo excavator.

*During the North Atlantic sequence, on the submarine [[United States Navy#U.S.S. Topeka (SSN-754)|U.S.S. Topeka]]'s sonar, there are "five contacts" diving down to Megatron's location, and "six contacts" going up after his resurrection. Since one Constructicon was killed to repair Megatron, shouldn't there be only five contacts going up as well? Keep in mind, Scalpel is too small to register on sonar, but Ravage is just large enough.

*When the [[United States Navy#U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71|U.S.S. ''Theodore Roosevelt'']] is sunk by Decepticon [[transition form]]s, its hull number of 71 can be seen on the bridge island. However, when it sinks, a hull number of 74 can clearly be seen on the bow of the landing deck. CVN-74 belongs to the [[United States Navy#U.S.S. John C. Stennis (CVN-74)|U.S.S. ''John C. Stennis'']], a carrier that shows up later in the film and was also the carrier used for filming.

*There is a spiderweb in a tomb that explosively decompressed after being opened to the air for the first time in millions of years.

*While the NEST team and Director Galloway are on the C-17 headed to Egypt, Prime's body appears and disappears from shot to shot.

*When an aide to Morshower shows him a map indicating that Lennox's NEST team have airdropped in Egypt, the location marked is actually on the eastern side of the Red Sea, in Jordan. Oops.

*In the quarry when Devastator forms, the Twins go from grimy and dust covered to showroom floor clean within two shots.

*When Sam and Mikaela are running at the same moment Megatron spots them you can see Sam is holding Mikaela arm but hsi jacket is nonwhere to be seen but in the next shot he have his jacket on his arm.

*Once again, the [[wikipedia:MQ-9 Reaper|MQ-9 Reaper]] drone is referred to as the more well-known [[wikipedia:MQ-1 Predator|MQ-1 Predator]]. The drone is powered by a propeller, which can be seen when the (real) drone takes off. However, due to the usage of footage from the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie, when the (CGI) drone approaches the battlefield, the propeller is absent, replaced by a jet engine. Also unfortunate is the fact the real drone with the propeller is white, while the CGI drone is black. Oy.

*Ravage tears off Bumblebee's back kibble... but in the next shot it's still there.

*As the humans and Autobots run from the bombs being dropped on the Decepticons, a damaged Ironhide ejects the cannon on his left arm. In later shots, the cannon is back on his arm.

===Story / continuity errors===
*Most of the [[NEST]] and [[United States military|American]] soldiers are seen using small-caliber arms such as assault rifles, machine guns and sniper rifles against the Decepticons, despite the previous film establishing that "high-heat" sabot rounds were the only means of penetrating Decepticon armour. Even if they somehow figured out how to make small caliber ammunition achieve the "high heat" required to damage Decepticon armour, it is extremely unlikely that such low-powered weapons would do any meaningful damage that warrants such widespread usage. After all, in real life, you can't kill a tank with a machine gun, well, unless you're in ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]''.

*The notion that a big metal box (containing a complex electronic mechanism shouting to be released) would ever make it through airport luggage screening is a bit on the implausible side. The novelization of the film attributes this to Mikaela's Epic Hotness distracting the guard into just letting her through; she also claims that the box contains expensive mechanic's tools which might look strange in an x-ray. Neither explanation is present in the film itself, however.

*When Alice attacks Sam and his friends, the box Wheelie is imprisoned within is taken along, but the box is not seen when Mikela and Leo escape from the foundry in Bumblebee (the box should still be inside the wreckage of the car Mikaela hotwired at the college).

*Given the Autobots are part of NEST and are dependent on the US Air Force for transportation around the world, it is not clear why Major Lennox had to be alerted to the fact the Autobots were on the east coast of the United States. Do the Autobot normally go on unexplained joyrides?

*Tasers do not cause those tased to go into convulsions.

*Where does Mikaela get the padding and gauze to bandage up Sam's hand?

*When Jetfire teleports to Egypt, Wheelie is seen landing by him, but disappears until the group reaches the border guards. After they arrive at the pyramids, Wheelie is seen rolling in with the quartet of humans, but is never seen again.

*There's no rational reason for Simmons to climb the pyramid after Devastator. It looks like he's enabling the Navy ship to "fire on his position", which is useful when the firer can't see the target. However, as we find out just before the railgun is fired, the ship ''can'' see the pyramid. (And railguns are line-of-sight weapons, anyway.) So, Simmons didn't need to climb; he could have stayed someplace safe, called the ship, and told them, "Take a look at the pyramid, and shoot the giant robot tearing it up." It's also hard to believe he wasn't crushed by the flood of pyramid stones, which at one point are raining down on all four sides of the structure.

===Geographic discontinuities===
{{note|The on-film splicing together of disparate filming locations is a common movie phenomena; however, we wouldn't be good pedants if we didn't point out a few of the more glaring disconnects.}}
* The [[Shanghai]] "industrial district" is... interesting, to say the least. There's a company sign that translates as "Empire Import and Export" (which would be the Chinese equivalent of a US company named "Soviet Import and Export") right next to a huge steel mill, dozens of civilians are being evacuated... and at least [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] thought that a giant mining excavator wouldn't be terribly out of place there.

* The aerial view of [[Princeton University]] is immediately followed by a ground shot of the dormitories at the University of Pennsylvania.

[[Image:ROTFcap-closestone.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"The closest one's in Washington." Washington... New Jersey?]]
* After Lennox is alerted to the Autobot operation on the US east coast, he orders NEST to move out. By the time Optimus Prime is killed in battle with Megatron, it appears Lennox's transport planes are already over the United States, and by the end of the day, the NEST troops are at a US air base. Given the great distance between [[Diego Garcia]] and the United States, the short time it took them to arrive to the US is implausible.

* [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] drops the car with [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]], [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] and [[Leo Spitz|Leo]] inside into a factory just outside a huge city. Yet when [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] rescue them and flee, they almost immediately reach a huge forest that was nowhere to be seen in the aerial shot of the factory.

* In the basement of Simmons' deli, Wheelie projects dots onto a map of the United States to indicate where the Seekers are located. Simmons' deli is in New York City. One dot hovers over Syracuse, New York. Another hovers over Trenton, New Jersey. Simmons says the closest one is in Washington. There is no dot over Washington.

*When Jetfire is activated at the [[Wikipedia:National Air and Space Museum|Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum]] (actually the [[Wikipedia:Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center|Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]], an annex of the Smithsonian) in Washington, he leaves the exhibition center and exits into the desert location of the [[Wikipedia:309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group|309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (aka The Boneyard)]], which is in Tucson, Arizona. When Jetfire breaks out of the building, we can see a composited image of the Boneyard's rows of planes, so it's arguable that in this universe the middle of Washington DC happens to be a desert full of old planes, and no buildings and... you get the point. Michael Bay actually admits this to be a deliberate choice in his audio commentary for the movie, and suggests that "most people in Taiwan" would probably never notice the error.

[[Image:ROTFcap-Pyramidsocean.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The foreshortening is amazing.]]
* The movie gives the impression that Giza in Egypt and Petra in Jordan are in close proximity to each other—within eyeshot, even. In reality, the two locations are about 416 kilometers (258 miles) apart. What makes this even more problematic is the fact that Egypt and Jordan don't share a common border — the country of Israel is in-between them, whose existence isn't even mentioned in the movie...

* Furthermore, the movie gives the impression that the Pyramids of Giza are located near the coast—the soldiers and tanks deployed from hovercraft arrive at the battle site almost immediately. In reality, the closest sea shore, the tip of the Red Sea, is still over 70 miles away from the Pyramids. Worse, when the [[rail gun]] is fired, a monitor screen on board the ''U.S.S. Kidd'' shows footage of the pyramids with the ''ocean in the foreground'', making it appear like they're no more than a mile or two away from the shore. Worse still, this is ''immediately'' followed by a shot of the pyramids that shows ''nothing but desert'' in the direction the rail gun shot is coming from.

==Transformers references==
In addition to carryovers from the previous film, various concepts and characters are derived from previous iterations of Transformers:
* The whole concept of "Transformers disguised as a human" used for [[Alice]] is inspired by the [[Pretender]]s. Roberto Orci even used the term "Pretender" during an interview before the movie's release.<ref name="pretender">[http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00021244.html Aceshowbiz interview with Roberto Orci]</ref> However, a Transformer with an "organic" alt-mode instead of an external shell is a concept more reminiscent of the [[Beast Era]].
* The Generation 1 iteration of [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] is frequently portrayed as switching from Decepticon to Autobot (he's usually a young and technologically up-to-the-minute 'bot, however.)
* [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and his ejectible minion [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] both have [[Soundwave (G1)|Generation 1]] [[Ravage (G1)|counterparts]]. Movie Soundwave even has the same voice actor as 1984 cartoon Soundwave, using the same voice, though without the synthetic vocal processing that made the cartoon voice so distinctive.
* [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] bears little physical resemblance to his [[Sideswipe (G1)|Generation 1 namesake]], but is a vaguely similar character archetype, and he ''does'' have that characteristic door armor hanging from his elbows.
* Generation 1 [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] was the first [[female Transformer]] with a starring role, and was likewise a pink-colored girlbot. The idea of Arcee the pink girlbot as a motorcycle dates back to ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]''.
* [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], the combined form of the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], was the first [[combiner]] robot in Generation 1 (unless you count [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]).
* The characters are new, but the names "[[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]]", "[[Demolishor (disambiguation)|Demolishor]]", "[[Mudflap (disambiguation)|Mudflap]]", "[[Skids (disambiguation)|Skids]]", "[[Jolt (disambiguation)|Jolt]]", "[[Rampage (disambiguation)|Rampage]]" and "[[Wheelie (disambiguation)|Wheelie]]" are not. Likewise for the concept of "[[Seeker (disambiguation)|Seekers]]".
* [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]] dying and coming back to life has been done [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|times beyond counting]].
* Prime combining with another 'bot to form a [[Super Mode]] which increases his power (and often gives him flight capabilities) is a trope that has occurred in many recent Transformers series (''Robots in Disguise'', ''Armada'', ''Energon'', ''Cybertron''.) In ''Armada'', a different [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] was his most frequent combination partner. This is the first time the other 'bot had to die for it to happen, though.
* [[The Fallen]] is based on a comic book character that made his debut in the 2004 miniseries [[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|The War Within: The Dark Ages]]. In fact, according to Hasbro, he is the ''exact'' same [[character]]! ([[Multiversal singularity|It's complicated]].)
* The [[Matrix of Leadership]] is one of the franchise's oldest MacGuffins.
* [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] (mentioned though never seen) is the Transformers' power source in numerous incarnations, beginning with the original cartoon.
* The concept of a [[protoform]] as the first stage of a Transformer is a reference to the same concept introduced on the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon.
* Though it is almost certainly not an actual ''reference'' (it's a pretty generic and predictable sci-fi trope), the [[Star Harvester]] is quite similar in function to the [[Solar Needle]] from the Generation 1 episode "[[Changing Gears]]", sucking energy from the [[Sun]] to produce energon. Both devices would have destroyed the Sun if allowed to fulfill their function.
* The same is true for Sam having Cybertronian knowledge pumped directly into his brain via a sacred Transformer talisman, which is reminiscent of [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]'s similar situation in the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] G1 comics.
* A newspaper is sucked into Devastator that headlines a photograph and accompanying article about a mysterious appearance by [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]].
* When Mudflap and Skids first appear in their Ice-Cream Wagon disguise, they play the Transformers [[theme song]] in a very "ice-creamish" way.

==Other editions==
*A slightly longer edit was shown in IMAX theaters, which featured some brief additional scenes filmed with special IMAX cameras.<ref name="bayimax">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5003 Michael Bay's own announcement of the IMAX version]</ref> An exclusive deal with [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] resulted in ''[[Wikipedia:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'' not being shown in IMAX theaters until two weeks after the movie's regular theatrical launch.<ref name="imaxpotter">[http://www.collider.com/2009/06/08/transformers-will-keep-harry-potter-off-imax-for-two-weeks/ Collider reporting on the Paramount/IMAX/Harry Pottter deal]</ref>
*It has been suggested that some international versions of the movie had the words "suck my" in the "Decepticons suck my popsicle" slogan on [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap's]] ice cream truck mode blanked out, hence only reading as "(Decepticon logo) [blank space] popsicle". This was not done across the board, however–theaters in those very same countries also showed uncensored versions of the movie. Another explanation for this would be that different theaters simply used different lightings settings, which effectively rendered the words "suck my" (which were written in dark red on a black backdrop to begin with) invisible, with no actual intention of "censorship" behind it.

==Prequel material==
===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
While the Decepticons were disgusted with the pro-Autobot propaganda of Bay's first documentary {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 13|#13's Star Screams}}, they were quite optimistic about the second film. [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] took a strong interest in it, going to the trouble of personally convincing [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] to be in the film {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|15's Star Screams}}.

The Decepticons promised this new documentary would show a glorious Decepticon victory {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 10|#10's Star Screams}}—whether it was in the script or not. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 18|#18's Star Screams}}

Shockingly, even ''they'' were under a non-disclosure agreement regarding the script; Starscream fearfully referred to a greater power keeping him quiet. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|#22's Star Screams}} Talking about it could even undermine the Decepticon war effort! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|#23's Star Screams}}

In the same week the film came out, the Decepticons suddenly became unhappy with it and the detente period ended. Bay, Kurtzman, and Orci are once again marked for extermination for their propaganda films. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|#1's Law and Disorder}}

===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
{{stub}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie comics===

The sinister, unseen figure of the Fallen is secretly gathering a Decepticon army on Cybertron. Skids and Mudflap, slacking off there at the time, accidentally discover this and flee to Earth to warn the other Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}} An attempt to kill them fails {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}}, but due to their rep of telling tall tales, no one believes them. It doesn't help when they accidentally help Grindor escape capture. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}} The Fallen's agent Soundwave decides to use this, and first frames the twins as turncoats {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}}, then has them freed by their 'Decepticon allies' so they'll be hunted down.

After a few days of this, the twins began to regret ever getting involved, and Soundwave offered them sanctuary in the Decepticon army and the embrace of the Fallen: an offer they were eager to accept... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

==Adaptations==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen (comic series)}}
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen (novel)}}
'''Children's adaptations'''
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen: The Junior Novel}}
{{main|The Last Prime}}
{{main|Operation Autobot}}
{{main|When Robots Attack!}}
{{main|I Am Optimus Prime (ROTF)}}
{{main|Rise of the Decepticons}}
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen: Sound Like the Transformers}}

==Sequels==
Two sequels to the first ''Transformers'' movie were greenlit in the wake of its success, with ''Revenge'' being the first. Although Michael Bay had previously stated that he might need a break from giant space robots before tackling a third film, he confirmed a [[July 1]], [[2011]] release date on his blog.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/a2bd79bb4c222b807e27707aaf1497e6-570.html Official confirmation of third movie release date from michaelbay.com]</ref>

IDW published a comic sequel, ''[[Transformers: Nefarious|Nefarious]]'', which was lead into by [[Tales of the Fallen issue 5]].

==Soundtrack==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen: The Album}}

==Score==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen: The Score}}

==Home video releases==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen (film)/home video}}
''Revenge of the Fallen'' was released by [[Paramount Pictures]] on DVD (as both a 2-disc special edition and a regular single disc version) and Blu-ray on [[October 20]]th in the United States,<ref name="comingsoon">[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=58245 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Hits Blu-ray and DVD Oct. 20!]</ref> and [[November 30]]th in the UK.

==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery perrow="3">
Image:ROTFteaserposter.jpg|Teaser poster
Image:ROTF Theatrical poster.jpg|Theatrical poster
Image:ROTF International poster.jpg|International poster
Image:ROTF Prime poster.jpg|Prime poster
Image:ROTF bumblebee poster.jpg|Bumblebee poster
Image:ROTF Starscream poster.jpg|Wait...Starscream gets a poster but Megatron doesn't? That's just wrong.
</gallery></center>

==Reception==
{{quote|Transformers: ROTF has mostly gotten pretty hideous reviews, but that's because people don't understand that this isn't a movie, in the conventional sense.|[http://io9.com/5301898/michael-bay-finally-made-an-art-movie Michael Bay Finally Made An Art Movie], Charlie Jane Anders|[http://i09.com i09.com,] [[June 24]], [[2009]]}}
{{quote|[The critics] never seem to understand that I make movies for people to take a ride and escape.|[http://tinyurl.com/nyscnv forum post] by Michael Bay|[http://shootfortheedit.com shootfortheedit.com,] [[June 25]], [[2009]]}}
{{quote|Rarely have critics been more disconnected from what audiences want and love.|John Horn, [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-bay29-2009jun29,0,6806652.story The Los Angeles Times], [[June 29]], 2009}}
{{quote|I'll take some of the criticism... They're [the Twins] basically gone.|Michael Bay, [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-06-11-Transformers11_ST_N.htm USA Today], [[June 11]], 2010}}

''Revenge of the Fallen'' had its world premiere on [[June 8]]th, 2009, in Tokyo, Japan. Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Isabel Lucas and Ramon Rodriguez attended.<ref>[http://www.michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/47a23fdbb6ddc8ece6a0a6c87ccc2bbe-499.html Japanese Premiere photos at Michael Bay.com, June 8, 2009]</ref>. Other countries such as South Korea<ref>[http://www.michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/f7a7af7e754cfa877a635b95d8908eea-506.html Korean Premiere photos at Michael Bay.com, June 9, 2009]</ref>, the United Kingdom and Germany followed over the course of the next few days. The United States premiere was held on [[June 22]]nd, 2009, in Westwood, California, during the [[Wikipedia:Los Angeles Film Festival|Los Angeles Film Festival]] for the second time.

In the week leading up to the United States release, while the film had been released in Japan and the United Kingdom, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was ranking 38% fresh on [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_revenge_of_the_fallen/ Rotten Tomatoes.com]. As American reviews were added into the ranking on June 24, the movie's freshness slipped slowly to 22%. RottenTomatoes.com's consensus was that "''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' is a noisy, underplotted, and overlong special effects extravaganza that lacks a human touch." Roger Ebert, who had given the ''first'' Transformers film three stars <ref>[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070705/REVIEWS/70620006/1023 Roger Ebert's ''Transformers'' review]</ref>, gave Revenge one star, and remarked that "if you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together." <ref>[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090623/REVIEWS/906239997 Roger Ebert's ''Revenge of the Fallen'' review] on RogerEbert.com</ref> Todd Gilchrist of Cinematical.com said Michael Bay "has exceeded even the possibilities of sequel-driven 'moreness,' combining his own muscular, high-gloss sensibility with the conventions of blockbusters past, present, and probably future to create a monolithic action masterpiece that feels destined to be the biggest movie of all time." <ref>[http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/22/review-transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen/ Review: Transformers Revenge of the Fallen] on Cinematical.com</ref> Michael Phillips from the Chicago Tribune said "the first, comparatively lucid ''Transformers'' was a headache, but I sort of enjoyed it....''Revenge of the Fallen'' is more like listening to rocks in a clothes dryer for 2½ hours." <ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-tc-mov-transformers-0623-0624jun23,0,7350387.story 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel] on chicagotribune.com </ref> Roger Ebert went back for more in a second article, declaring not only that ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was awful, but that it'd [[Ruined FOREVER|ruined action films FOREVER]]. <ref>[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/06/the_fall_of_the_revengers.html "The Fall of the Revengers"] on suntimes.com</ref> In the face of many harsh responses to his own critique, Mr. Ebert went back a third time, not just deconstructing the film but also declaring that fans who claimed to perceive it as "great" were simply wrong.<ref>[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/07/i_am_a_brainiac.html I am a Braniac]</ref>

Despite the overwhelmingly negative reviews, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' poised itself quickly as a blockbuster maelstrom. It grossed $16 million in its opening midnight showings alone, an all-time record for Wednesday openings and a second-best for openings on any day of the week behind ''The Dark Knight''. After the full Wednesday was over, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had grossed $55 million in domestic ticket sales, surpassing the previous Wednesday release record, held by ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'', by over $10 million. <ref> [http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1614673/story.jhtml 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen' Breaks Wednesday Box-Office Record] on MTV.com</ref> By the end of the first five days, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had taken an estimated $201.2 million in the United States, just shy of ''The Dark Knight's'' record $203.8 million 5-day US total. In the same period, international markets took in $186.1 million, bringing the 5-day worldwide total to $387.3 million.<ref name="bomjdebut">[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2601&p=.htm BoxOfficeMojo.com - Weekend Report: ‘Revenge of the Fallen' Rises with Optimal Debut, June 28, 2009]</ref>

Paramount's U.S. exit polling revealed several intriguing facts: While the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie viewership skewed 60-40% toward men over women, the split for the new film was more even at 54% male, 46% female. More than 90% of those surveyed stated that ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was as good as or better than the first ''Transformers'' movie. Surprisingly, about 67% said the film was "excellent", an even better score than for Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman's critically acclaimed 2009 ''Star Trek'' movie.<ref name="exitp">[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-bay29-2009jun29,0,6806652.story "'Transformers' director Michael Bay as audience darling" by John Horn, Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2009]</ref>

After two weeks in most markets, ''Revenge'' continued to defy critics and dominate the U.S. box office, narrowly defeating ''Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' on the Fourth of July weekend, finishing with upwards of $300 million in the U.S. and a similar figure in international markets.<ref name="reutjul7">[http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE5671DB20090708 Reuters reporting on Revenge of the Fallen's success around the world, July 7, 2009]</ref> Ultimately, ''Revenge'' grossed more than $836 million worldwide (versus $708 million for ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]''), including $402 million from US box offices alone (versus $319 million for the first movie).<ref name="bomjrotf">[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers2.htm ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' at Box Office Mojo]</ref>

On [[October 20]], ''Revenge'' sold 2 million copies of its DVD/Blu-Ray release in the first 24 hours. <ref>[http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/business/Transformers-Sequel-Transforms-Hollywood-Revenues-65589247.html Transformers Sequel Transforms Hollywood Revenues]</ref>

On April 3rd, 2010, Shia LaBeouf stated that he was confused about many things in ''Revenge of the Fallen'' and in fact, hated the movie. However, he noted that one of the major problems the film faced was working during the writer's strike without a script, and that he had faith that the third film would be an improvement.<ref>[http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/shia-labeouf-confused-by-transformers_1137755 Shia LaBeouf comments on ''Revenge of the Fallen'' at contactmusic.com, April 3, 2010]</ref>

In a June 11th 2010 article about the third Transformers film, Bay and producer [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]] now said they'd taken onboard some of the criticism, and cited the writer's strike and the rushed production as a problem; Bonaventura said "we tried to do too many things in the second movie, which didn't give enough time in any one of them". Bay also said he was getting rid of the "dorky comedy", like the Twins, for the third film, and called the Fallen "kind of a (expletive) character". <ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-06-11-Transformers11_ST_N.htm?csp=usat.me USA Today, "Next 'Transformers' is due for a switch"]</ref> And later, in the April 2011 dated issue of ''Empire'', Bay would again blame the strike and also cite the inclusion of "mystical" plots as a flaw in the film. <ref>''Empire'' April 2011, page 64 - released end of February</ref>

===Awards and recognition===
On February 1, 2009 it was announced that ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' was nominated for seven [[Wikipedia:Golden Raspberry Award|Golden Raspberry Award]]s.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/01/razzie.award.nominations/index.html 'Transformers,' 'Lost' lead worst movie nominees], cnn.com (February 1, 2009) retrieved 02-01-2009</ref> It was awarded three of them, for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. <ref>[http://enewsi.com/movies/190-16933.html 30th Annual Golden Raspberry Award Winners @ENI]</ref> This presumably represents an improvement from the 2007 film, which received only one nomination ([[Jon Voight]] in the Supporting Actor category) and no wins.

On February 2, 2009, it was announced that ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' was nominated for an [[Wikipedia:Academy Award|Academy Award]] for Sound Mixing.<ref>[http://oscar.go.com/ Oscar.com]</ref> On March 7, it lost to ''The Hurt Locker''.

==Controversies==
* A huge flap revolved around the characters of the "Twins", [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. Many critics and viewers believed them to be racist stereotypes of poorly educated black American teenagers. Much evidence points to the pair actually being stereotypes of poorly educated ''white'' American teenagers, trying their best to sound like hardcore black urban gangsters... though it's ''still'' a racist stereotype of dubious taste. Director Michael Bay, when confronted with those accusations, claimed that the personalities of the two characters had been primarily created in the recording studio by voice actors [[Tom Kenny]] and [[Reno Wilson]]. Wilson (who is African-American himself) was sad to learn his way of speaking was apparently offensive to himself.<ref name="jive"/> Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci confirmed that this portrayal of the characters hadn't been in the script, and admitted that they could understand the controversy.<ref name="racism">[http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/orci-and-kurtzman-respond-to-claims-of-racism-in-transformers-2.php Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman respond to accusations of racism]</ref>

* At least one reviewer claimed to find a repellent "anti-Arab subtext" to the movie's climactic scenes, which involved the damage or destruction of various Middle Eastern landmarks. <ref name="antiarab">[http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/MovieTimes?oid=978078 Chicago Reader review by Andrea Gronvall]</ref> The editors of this wiki are somewhat less than convinced.

* Along the same lines, Chinese viewers reportedly criticized the depiction of Shanghai in the opening scene of the movie. Apparently, depicting an ''industrial area'' as "very shabby" is an "insult" to an entire country, as is the destruction of parts of the city during a battle between alien robots.<ref name="insultchina">[http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/6686502.html English-language article from People's Daily Online reporting on the alleged criticism against the movie in China, including rebuttals]</ref> Regardless, ''Revenge'' topped the box office in China, dethroning 1997's ''Titanic'' as the most successful movie of all times there.<ref name="recordchina">[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006144.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 Variety reporting on the success of ''Revenge'' in China.]</ref>

* Both professional critics and amateur bloggers noted that the film presents the [[Barack Obama|Obama]] administration as endangering Earth by being wussy, bureacratic, and ignoring the Brave Soldiers. <ref>[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1906689,00.html Time's review of "Revenge of the Fallen"]</ref><ref>[http://hubpages.com/hub/Transformers-2-Revenge-of-the-Fallen--A-Political-Message A blogger's specific focus on the politics]</ref> <ref>[http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/screen/reviews/Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen-49559047.html Philadelphia Weekly's review of ''Revenge of the Fallen'']</ref><ref>[http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/06/24/turnabout-transformers-2-takes-a-shot-at-president-obama/ Big Hollywood: Turnabout]</ref>. Some right-wing bloggers and critics were quite happy about this, natch. As Bay had added Obama's name and image to the film as a ''tribute'' to the President, after the two of them met and had a mutually-complimentary conversation <ref>[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a160272/michael-bay-obama-likes-my-movies.html Michael Bay: 'Obama likes my movies'] at Digital Spy, and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfT7ZF_AUk8 Bay telling the story at a press conference.]</ref>, and the writers are known Democrats <ref>[http://www.wilshireandwashington.com/2009/06/transformers-a-swipe-at-obama.html Variety: "Transformers, a Swipe at Obama?"]</ref>, the implications are probably unintentional and meant to be a [[Autobot High Council|genre trope]] rather than a deliberate dig.

* The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a lobbyist group that already complained about the [[Transformers (2007)|first film]], is currently trying to lobby the Federal Communications Commission into tightening regulations for marketing movies rated "PG-13" and associated merchandise to children. The basic reasoning behind their complaints is that ''Revenge'' contains "intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language" and "would have been rated R fifteen years ago", and yet Hasbro's [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|associated toys]] are advertised during TV programs aimed at children.<ref name="fccfilter">[http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/08/transformers-movies-get-caught-in-fcc-content-filtering-inquiry.ars Ars Technica article on the CCFC/FCC story.]</ref> Hasbro themselves appear to be still undecided about their official position regarding the more "mature" tone of the movies and its ramifications for the [[Transformers brand|brand's]] public image, having left several questions to this effect unanswered.<ref name="allsparkqa">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=61539 July/August 2009 edition] of the Allspark [[Hasbro Q&A]]</ref><ref name="tformersqa">[http://tformers.com/transformers-hasbro-answers-your-burning-questions-part-v/12149/news.html July/August 2009 edition] of the TFormers Hasbro Q&A</ref>

==Technical details==
{{stub}}

==Production staff==
* Writers [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] recruited [[Ehren Kruger]] to help them write the screenplay. [[Michael Bay]] and producers [[Don Murphy]], [[Tom DeSanto]], and [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]] also returned.<ref>[http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=6372 Transformers 2 Writers Confirmed]</ref>
{{stub}}

===Visual effects===
{{stub}}

===Locations department===
{{stub}}

==Development details==
===Cast and crew signing on===
On May 30, 2007, a month before the official release of ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'', [[DreamWorks]] announced that two sequels were already being planned.<ref name="spy">[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a58430/two-transformers-sequels-in-pipeline.html Digital Spy article from May 2007, confirming that two sequels were being planned]</ref> [[Megan Fox]] had already been confirmed for the first of those sequels twelve days earlier<ref name="foxcon">[http://www.mtvmoviesblog.com/2007/05/18/megan-fox-confirmed-for-transformers-sequel/ MTV confirming Megan Fox for the sequel]</ref>, while [[Shia LaBeouf]] had already confirmed his participation in an—at that time still theoretical—sequel in November 2006.<ref name="shias">Rebecca Murray: [http://movies.about.com/od/bobby/a/bobbysl111006_4.htm Interview with Shia LaBeouf from 2006, confirming his participation in a theoretical sequel]</ref> Director [[Michael Bay]], meanwhile, only once briefly questioned his involvement in a sequel in August 2007, when [[Paramount Pictures]] announced that ''Transformers'' would be released on HD DVD, but not on Blu-ray Disc.<ref name="bayhd">[http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/08/21/michael-bay-responds-to-paramounts-abandonment-of-blu-ray-no/ One of many sites reporting Michael Bay's announcement that he would not direct the sequel if the first movie wouldn't be released on Blu-ray]. Bay deleted his original post after changing his mind.</ref> Bay quickly changed his mind, however, and Paramount would later release the first movie on Blu-ray anyway, after the HD DVD had been abandoned.

In September of 2007, Paramount officially announced the first sequel for June 2009.<ref name="reldat">[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972852.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1 Variety reporting Paramount's official announcement of the first sequel]</ref> Bay was given a budget of $200 million, and ultimately managed to come in $4 million below that.<ref name="showest">[http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/11461/tcid/1 Michael Bay talking the ''Transformers'' sequel at ShoWest“]</ref>

The ''Transformers'' screenwriters, [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], initially hesitated writing the sequel, but ultimately had a change of mind.<ref name="sciforc">[http://scifiwire.com/2009/03/orci-kurtzman-reveal-tran.php Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman talking to Sci Fi Wire.]</ref> In October 2007, [[Ehren Kruger]] was confirmed as a third writer, who, according to Kurtzman, brought in a "fresh perspective"<ref name="kickoff">[http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/01/14/kicking-off-2009-with-writers-alex-kurtzman-and-roberto-orci-part-two-transformers-2/ Another interview with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci]</ref>, and who reportedly impressed both director Michael Bay and [[Hasbro]] CEO [[Brian Goldner]] with his knowledge of ''Transformers'' mythology.<ref name="writersr">[http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/zap-transformers2writers,0,1938976.story Zap2it story about the ROTF writers]</ref>

In April 2009, Roberto Orci confirmed that cartoon voice actor [[Frank Welker]] would voice Soundwave.<ref name="welkers">[http://www.cinemablend.com/new.php?id=12917 Roberto Orci confirming Welker as Soundwave]</ref> Welker had previously been considered as [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] voice actor in the first movie, but ultimately Michael Bay had given that part to [[Hugo Weaving]] instead. Both Bay and the writers were also hoping that [[Leonard Nimoy]] could voice a character in the movie.<ref name="sciforc"> Bay later stated that he was nervous of asking his relative Nimoy to voice The Fallen for fear of offending him with the relatively low pay allotted to voice actors.<ref name="nimoy1">[http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/04/21/michael-bay-afraid-to-offend-leonard-nimoy-with-transformers-family-reunion-offer/ ''Michael Bay Afraid To Offend Leonard Nimoy With ‘Transformers’ Family Reunion Offer'', MTV.com Movies blog, April 21, 2009]</ref> Even though Nimoy openly asked Bay to simply give him a call,<ref name="nimoy2">[http://www.latinoreview.com/news/leonard-nimoy-to-michael-bay-call-me-6682 Leonard Nimoy To Michael Bay: "Call Me!"], Latino Review</ref> it ultimately never worked out: after watching his guest appearance on ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Brave_and_the_Bold Batman: The Brave and the Bold]'', Bay selected [[Tony Todd]] - whom he worked with on ''The Rock'' - for the voice of The Fallen instead.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaN2g5i2k2E Interview with The Fallen himself - Tony Todd]</ref>

===Writing and production===
For the movie, Orci and Kurtzman searched the various ''Transformers'' comics and cartoons for "the most elemental bad guy", and eventually found one in [[The Fallen]].<ref name="sciforc"/>

In addition to that, they wanted to include many things in the sequel that hadn't made it into the first movie, including the Decepticon [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. Likewise, the [[Matrix of Leadership]] had initially been intended to be used in the first movie, but for fear of confusion with the ''Matrix'' movies, the cube had been renamed into the [[AllSpark]]. In return, the Matrix in ''Revenge of the Fallen'' bears more resemblance to the ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] Matrix.

In late 2007, during pre-production for the then-untitled ''Transformers'' sequel, the [[wikipedia:2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike|Writers Guild of America went on strike]], but according to all parties involved, this didn't slow down preparations of the movie much in the long run. Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci turned in their first outline of the script the night before the strike officially began. During the strike, director Michael Bay used the script as a basis for preparing the movie. After the strike had ended, Kurtzman, Orci and Ehren Kruger continued their work on the script, based on Bay's changes.<ref name="kickoff"/> One consequence of this development was that Michael Bay and Hasbro had selected some of the new Transformers characters that were to appear in the movie during the strike, because of the long production run of the toys, while they had legally not been allowed to consult with the screenwriters.<ref name="sciforc"/> The "Twins", [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], are Bay's creation.<ref name="jive">[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/transformers-jivetalking-_n_220005.html Huffington Post article on accusations of racism with the "Twins", and Michael Bay and Reno Wilson's response.]</ref>

In early June of 2008, DreamWorks, Paramount and Hasbro officially confirmed the movie's title to be ''Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen''.<ref name="titleann">[http://www.reserveresult.com/2008/06/transformers-2-revenge-of-fallen.html One of the first announcements of the title, still with a "2" in it]</ref> A few weeks later, Roberto Orci confirmed that there would be no "2" in the title.<ref name="no2orci">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180738-no-2-transformers-2-a.html#post2173364 Roberto Orci confirming that there will be no "2" in the movie's title]</ref>

Principal shooting began in June 2008 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.<ref name="pennlive">[http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2008/06/shooting_starts_today_on_trans_1.html Pennlive story about the beginning of ROTF's principal shooting in Bethlehem]</ref> Other shooting sites were Philadelphia, the campus of Princeton University, Long Beach, the Holloman Air Force Base and the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Some scenes were also shot in other countries, at the [[Wikipedia:Egyptian pyramids|Pyramids of Giza]] and in Luxor, Egypt, in Jordan and in Paris.

According to director Michael Bay, ''Revenge'' is the first movie in about 30 years to be given permission to shoot at the Pyramids of Giza, and the first movie ''ever'' to film on top of [[Wikipedia:Petra|Petra]].<ref name="bayclub">[http://www.transformersclub.com/tfrof-intv09.cfm Transformers Collectors' Club interview with Michael Bay]</ref> He obtained permission to film in Egypt by contacting Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's council of antiquities, who turned out to be a fan of the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie.<ref>[http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/10866/tcid/1 The Collider article and video interview with Michael Bay, February 9, 2009]</ref>

During the time of shooting, actor Shia LaBeouf suffered a severe injury of his left hand in a car accident. Ultimately, however, filming was only briefly halted, and his injury worked into the film, thereby not adversely affecting the filming schedule.<ref name="TheList2008">[http://www.list.co.uk/article/10788-shia-labeoufs-transformers-hand/ The List 1 August 2008]</ref> For the movie, director Michael Bay earned himself an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the "biggest explosion on film with actors present".<ref name="guiness">[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10579085 New Zealand Herald article mentioning Bay' Guinness Book entry]</ref>

===Sponsors and partners===
====Hasbro====
[[Hasbro]] once again acted both as a licensor and actively participated in the development of the movie. Together with the first ''Transformers'' movie, the ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' movie ''Rise of the Cobra'' and several other planned movie projects such as ''Monopoly'', ''Stretch Armstrong'' and ''Battleships'', ''Revenge of the Fallen'' marks the beginning of a new company policy for Hasbro, believing that the new "the movie of the toy" strategy will be more lucrative than the old "the toy of the movie" concept, which involves hefty licensing fees.<ref name="brandweek">[http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db20090611_333306.htm Brandweek article on Hasbro's new movie-related business strategy]</ref> Still, director [[Michael Bay]] receives an 8% cut of all toy sales from the ''Transformers'' movies.<ref name="forbesbay">[http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0622/celebrity-09-transformers-michael-bay-making-movies-enemies-money.html Michael Bay article on Forbes.com June 4, 2009]</ref> During the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, when nobody was legally allowed to consult with the screenwriters, Hasbro and Bay selected several of the new Transformers characters that were to appear in the movie.<ref name="sciforc"/>

====US military====
The [[United States military]] also supported the movie again, providing vehicles, shooting locations and military personnel that appear as extras in the movie.<ref name="milit">[http://www.military.com/entertainment/movies/movie-news/military-unites-with-hollywood-on-transformers?wh=entertainment American Forces Press Service press release about the US military's contribution to ROTF]</ref> Due to scheduling coincidences, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was given a larger support by the US Department of Defense than ''G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra'', which was produced at the same time. <ref name="dod">Jeff Schogol: [http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62955 Stars and Stripes article about DOD support for ''revenge of the Fallen'' and ''G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra'']</ref> Initially, Bay had intended to include German Bundeswehr soldiers in the movie (presumably as members of [[NEST]] or on board the AWACS plane), but even though the soldiers were eager to participate, the German government denied the request.<ref name="szpremiere">[http://newsticker.sueddeutsche.de/list/id/657558 Report from the German press conference (in German language)]</ref>

====General Motors and other car manufacturers====
American car manufacturer General Motors once again provided vehicles that were used by the Autobots as their [[alternate mode]]s. Returning from the first movie were the GMC Topkick ([[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]), the Hummer H2 ([[ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]) and the new Chevrolet Camaro ([[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]), the latter this time as a slightly updated Z/28 model as compared to the first movie's concept car model. Newcomers for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' are all from the Chevrolet brand, namely the Chevrolet Beat ([[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]]), the Chevrolet Trax ([[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]), a new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray concept car ([[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]]) and, as a last minute addition, the new Chevrolet Volt electric car ([[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]]).

In total, General Motors provided 67 vehicles, 52 of them being prototypes not intended for sale.<ref name="chevytroubles">[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-06-15-gm-transformers_N.htm USA Today story on Chevrolet's participation in the movie]</ref> As a consequence of the 2007-onwards financial crisis, however, General Motors reduced their financial support for ''Revenge'' in April of 2009.<ref name="horsep">[http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cotown-transformers6-2009apr06,0,5419006.story LA Times story on General Motors cutting their support for ''Revenge of the Fallen'']</ref>

Director Michael Bay estimates that, without the support of General Motors and the military, production of the movie would have cost $10 million more than the $195 million ultimately spent.<ref name="forbesbay"/> Coinciding with the release of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', General Motors reported that sales of the new Chevrolet Camaro were so strong that orders were outrunning the supply, even though the car was being sold above MSRP in many places. A direct connection to the movie, however, could not be proven.<ref name="camarosells">[http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZCnXEtqqTcc Bloomberg reporting on strong sales for the new Chevrolet Camaro]</ref>

As the only car manufacturer besides General Motors, Audi was able to place its R8 in the movie, as the Decepticon [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways's]] alternate mode. The cooperation was arranged by Propaganda Global Entertainment Marketing.<ref name="propaganda">[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_28/b4139068367113.htm "Hollywood's Blockbuster Role for Product Placement"], Bloomberg Businessweek, July 2009.</ref>

====Product placement====
As in the first movie, numerous companies signed a deal with the filmmakers which allowed for their product being featured in prominent places in the movie. A Mountain Dew vending machine can be seen in [[Leo Spitz|Leo's]] room, computer screens feature visible Cisco logos, [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]] and [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] intend to communicate via iChat, a huge HSBC logo is seen at Times Square in New York City, a Budweiser bottle is prominently featured in one of the Paris scenes, CNN is everyone's preferred news channel, and a giant IMAX logo is seen inside the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. In return, Mars heavily advertised ''Revenge of the Fallen'' with their chocolate candy brand M&M's.

===Changes before, during and after production===
*The three Autobot motorcycles were at one point meant to combine into a larger robot, but this was ultimately abandoned for unknown reasons. Concept artwork for this combined mode has surfaced, and this feature was mentioned in the novelization and appears to remain in the toys.

*According to comic book writer [[Simon Furman]], the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] had been in an early draft of the movie's plot, but were dropped from the cast very early in development.<ref>[http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/01/29/no-dinobots-in-transformers-2-revenge-of-the-fallen-original-film-consultant-explains-why/ MTV Movie Blog interview with Simon Furman, January 29, 2009.]</ref>

* According to the pre-visualization animation from the movie DVD's bonus material, [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] was originally supposed to have a Lamborghini [[alternate mode]] as compared to the Audi R8 seen in the film.

*[[Springer (ROTF)|Springer]], an Autobot who transforms into a V-22 Osprey, was to be a character in the movie, but was dropped from the cast during production.<ref name="procterdesigns">[http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2772 Ben Procter's movie designs for ROTF]</ref> However, he was dropped so late during production that Hasbro still released [[Legends Class|Legends]] and [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] versions of the character based on the abandoned movie design–in the first waves of their respective assortments, no less.

*Likewise, the Deluxe Class [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]] and Scout Class [[Depthcharge]] and [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]] toys are based on designs [[Ben Procter]] had originally created for the movie. Breakaway had the early working name "Firestorm", while Ransack was originally conceived as a [[Ford Model T Seeker|Ford Model T]].<ref name="procterdesigns"/>

*[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] was originally intended to come to Earth and scan a black Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck as his new [[alternate mode]]. The Deluxe Class Soundwave toy still retains some elements of this abandoned concept in robot mode, particularly a Cybertronian version of the Chevy grill and small headlights on the lower torso.

*Several plot points about the [[Dynasty of Primes]] were dropped from the final version of the film, but feature prominently in the adaptations. In the original version, the Dynasty was founded by [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], eleven of whom were killed by The Fallen, with [[Prima|the sole survivor]] sealing the Matrix in the Tomb of the Primes by himself. The Fallen returned to Cybertron and killed all the Primes' descendants, save the one hidden from him who had no knowledge of his ancestry: Optimus. Additionally, The Fallen would have been revealed to have promised Megatron the powers of a Prime, which Optimus would expose as impossible during the final battle around the harvester, causing Megatron and Starscream to leave The Fallen to his death.

* The Fallen was originally supposed to be trapped inside a triangular sarcophagus as seen in ''[[Transformers: Defiance|Defiance]]''. ''Defiance'' writer [[Chris Mowry]] reportedly nearly spilled his coffee when he watched the movie for the first time and saw The Fallen just sitting in a chair inside the [[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]].<ref name="mowryallsp">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=64301&view=findpost&p=1387145 Comments by Chris Mowry at the Allspark], November 2009</ref> Exactly how this was supposed to inter-connect with The Fallen surviving his battle with the Primes and returning to Cybertron is unclear. Further, if he ''had'' been sealed in a sarcophagus, then, uh, who would have sent the Seekers to Earth to look for the Matrix?

*One scene that didn't make it into the final movie would have explained [[Alice]]'s sorta-human disguise: In it, [[Leo Spitz|Leo]] watches a TV ad featuring an Alice in Wonderland animatronic from an amusement park, which heavily resembles Alice. The scene was featured in the [[Revenge of the Fallen issue 2|comic adaptation]] and the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]]. It's unclear if the scene has actually been filmed; however, the movie still features the follow-up scene in which Leo shows up to tell Sam ''something'' about Alice, only to see her robot tongue strangle him.

*Sam was to have been established as a new vessel for the AllSpark, absorbing its knowledge, which would have explained how he managed to get a scholarship to Princeton. When he was dying in Egypt, the knowledge of the AllSpark would then have transferred to the dust within the Matrix of Leadership, which was created by the AllSpark. The movie would have ended with Optimus showing Sam that he'd recovered the Matrix, which now replaced the Cube as the AllSpark's physical form.

*Another possibly dropped plot point involved an explanation for the government's cover-up of the [[Mission City]] battle in the [[Transformers (2007)|first movie]]. The robots would have been declared the creations of a company either named [[McClaren Robotics]] or [[Massive Dynamics]], which allegedly had gone rogue by accident. This is referenced in [[Alan Dean Foster]]'s [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]] of the movie (where the company is named "Massive Dynamics"), the junior novelization ''[[The Last Prime]]'' and [[IDW Publishing]]'s [[Revenge of the Fallen issue 1|comic adaptation]] (where the company is named "McClaren Robotics"). A McClaren sign is also briefly seen in IDW's [[Transformers: Alliance|''Alliance'' issue 4]]. An extensive casting call list leaked to the internet in April 2008 listed a "Massive Dynamics CEO" as one of the new characters.<ref name="iesbcall">[http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4663&Itemid=99 Casting call at IESB, April 2008]</ref> Presumably, actor Steve Tom was originally intended to play the character in the movie. His official website is listing him as appearing in ''Revenge'' ever since July 2008<ref name="stevetom">[http://stevetom.com/picsandresume.html Resume of actor Steve Tom]</ref>, even though he isn't actually listed in the film's credits. Back in July 2008, IMDB also listed Tom as playing the role of McClaren Robotics' CEO<ref name="tfwimdbtom">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen-casting-steve-tom-as-robotics-ceo-katie-lowes-as-ra-165438/ TFW2005 referencing an (unarchived) IMDB entry for Steve Tom and his alleged role in ''Revenge'']</ref>, whereas Theiapolis Cinema listed him as the CEO of Massive Dynamics at the same time<ref name="theiarotf">[http://cinema.theiapolis.com/movie-2RLF/transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen/cast.html Theiapolis Cinema entry for ''Revenge'']</ref>. It's unclear if the scenes featuring Tom were cut or dropped from the script before they were even filmed.

* [[Robert Epps|Epps']] wife, [[Monique Epps|Monique]], was also supposed to appear in the movie together with [[William Lennox|Lennox's]] wife [[Sarah Lennox|Sarah]]. The casting call from April 2008 lists her under the working name "Theresa".<ref name="iesbcall"/> The original plan was that [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]] would contact Epps and Lennox by calling their wives and asking them to pass on information to their husbands. This scene appears in the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]] and in IDW's [[Revenge of the Fallen issue 3|comic adaptation]]; in the movie, the wives are never seen, and instead of Sam, it is [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]] who contacts Epps and Lennox directly.

===Disinformation===
====Persistent fake IMDB synopsis====
In July 2007, only a week after after ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' had premiered in the USA, nearly two years before ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was to premiere and half a year before a ''script'' would actually be written, a "synopsis" for the (at that point still untitled) sequel to ''Transformers'' was posted on IMDB<ref name="imdbsum">[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1055369/synopsis Fake "synopsis" for ROTF on IMDB]</ref>, containing vague guesses for a potential plot direction based on the first movie ([[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] returning to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and taking command of the remaining Decepticons–which would actually happen in [[IDW Publishing|IDW's]] ''[[Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream]]'' comic–and "[[Scorponok (Movie)|Skorpinox]]" [sic] stealing [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] body from a military base, in contrast to the first film's actual ending), including several glaring spelling and grammar errors. The "synopsis" was eventually exposed as the work of ''Next'' and ''xXx: State of the Union'' director Lee Tamahori, who wanted to use it as a pitch to offer himself to [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] as a cheaper alternative for [[Michael Bay]].<ref name="tamahori">[http://defamer.gawker.com/hollywood/a-more-personal-kind-of-transformation/breaking-transformers-2-plot-synopsis-revealed-278307.php Gawker's Defamer reporting on the fake "synopsis" from IMDB, and updating with information about its true origins]</ref> Regardless, the "synopsis" was still heavily featured by other websites, including foreign theaters and media<ref name="prosieben">[http://www.prosieben.de/kino_dvd/previews/film/ German TV station feature about ROTF using the fake IMDB "synopsis"]</ref>, despite multiple evidence (trailers, official information provided by Paramount, leaked information about the involvement of a character named "[[The Fallen]]") suggesting that the alleged "plot" was pretty much bunk. The fake synopsis ''still'' persists in some places even after ''Revenge'' has already hit theaters, despite being directly refuted by the film itself.<ref name="dvdlisting">[http://www.comicsandcardsupplies.com/jul091794.html Premature preorder for the ROTF DVD featuring the fake IMDB "synopsis"]</ref>

====Fake treatment====
In October 2007, an alleged treatment for the (at that point still unnamed) ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' sequel surfaced on the internet.<ref name="treat">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2007/10/transfomers-2-leaked-script.html The Transformers Live Action Movie Blog reporting on the alleged treatment], October 2007.</ref> While producer [[Don Murphy]] soon claimed that it wasn't real<ref name="murphyfake">[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showpost.php?p=1052166&postcount=52 Don Murphy denies the authenticity of the leaked treatment], October 2007.</ref>, [[Michael Bay]]'s website administrator Nelson Lauren countered by suggesting that it wasn't a fan creation<ref name="nelsonfake1">Nelson's deliberately misleading comments regarding the alleged treatment at the [http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=435346&postcount=26 official Live Action Movie boards] and at [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?&showtopic=37905&st=20&p=759450&#entry759450 The Allspark], October 2007.</ref>, then referred to an ambiguous post he had made a few days earlier, in which he had hinted that information might be spread that would not be entirely reliable.<ref name="nelsonfake2">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1590&postcount=1 Nelson's ambiguous "telling the truth in a false way" post] at the official Michael bay forums, October 2007.</ref> What followed was a brief back-and-forth with Murphy accusing Nelson of "stirring shit up"<ref name="murphynelson">[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showthread.php?t=22721 Don Murphy's response to Nelson's statements], October 2007.</ref>, which prompted Nelson to counter that he had better sources than Murphy<ref name="nelsonsources">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=37905&st=60&p=761181&#entry761181 Nelson's counter to Don Murphy...] No, we stop here. You get the idea.</ref>.

====Michael Bay's alleged disinformation campaign====
In April 2008, director Michael Bay claimed he had initiated a huge disinformation campaign in order to prevent content details from the movie being revealed to the public before he wanted them to.<ref name="misinf">[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a94406/bay-tries-to-fool-transformers-fans.html Mirrored copy of Michael Bay's original claims about his alleged "disinformation campaign"]. Bay apparently deleted his original post from his official message board.</ref> Ultimately, Bay himself turned out to be the main source of genuine disinformation, despite claiming that ''only'' what he said was 100% true. Therefore, the disinformation campaign mostly hinged on fans believing in its existence, and rejecting any genuinely "leaked" information, including set photos, statements by third parties such as [[Hasbro]] or [[IDW Publishing]] and stolen toy [[prototype]]s, as "disinformation". Screenwriter Roberto Orci eventually admitted that the disinformation campaign wasn't really working.<ref name="orcicampaign">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-150.html#post2437185 Roberto Orci confirming Michael Bay's biggest fear: The disinformation campaign doesn't work!]</ref>

In June 2008, when principal shooting had just begun, a call sheet was leaked to the internet<ref name="bethcall">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/06/bethlehem-call-sheet-cast-tf-and-next.html Leaked call sheet at the Transformers Live Action Movie Blog], June 5, 2008</ref>, which revealed the casting of [[Ramon Rodriguez]] as a character named "[[Leo Spitz|Leo]]", the appearance of an [[Sideways (ROTF)|Audi R8]] and [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] as well as a character with the working name "[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Stinger]]". Furthermore, an ice cream truck that had just been spotted on the Bethlehem set a day earlier<ref name="bethfirst">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-2-bethlehem-images---update---ironhide-on-set-165046/ Set photos from the Bethlehem shoot at TFW2005], June 4, 2008</ref> was hinted to be two characters only referred to as "[[The Twins]]". Lastly, the call sheet revealed that the next shooting location would be the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where an SR-71 Blackbird would be revealed to be a Decepticon named [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]]. A character named "[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheels]]" was also supposed to appear in that scene. In July 2008, Bay then claimed that fake scripts, treatments, "wrong schedules and call sheets with fake scenes on them" had been deliberately leaked to the internet.<ref name="bayfakescript">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=44729&postcount=2 Michael Bay's forum post claiming that only he and the writers had seen the script]</ref>

For the longest time, Bay upheld the position that [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] would ''not'' return in ''Revenge of the Fallen''. After concept designs of Megatron's new [[alternate mode]] had surfaced (some of which would later turn out to be designs for the [[Robot Powered Machines|RPM]] Megatron toy, while the first ones that surfaced were far too advanced for mere "toy" designs<ref name="megsleak">Various leaks of the new Megatron design for ROTF mirrored at the Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, September 2008: [http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/09/tf2-megatron-image.html Robot mode design], [http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/09/megatrons-alt-mode.html concept art for the alternate mode], [http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/09/megatron-toy-pictures.html control drawings for Megatron's RPM vehicle toy]</ref>), Bay insisted that this was "just Hasbro coming up with a new toy", and Megatron would not appear in the movie.<ref name="EmpireFeb2009">''Empire'' magazine issue 236, dated February 2009, pages 68 and 69, article entitled "20 to watch in 2009", written by Nick de Semelyn</ref> Following ''officially released'' evidence to the contrary (including Megatron's brief appearance in the February 1 Super Bowl TV spot and the February teaser trailer), screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]] confirmed that Megatron would indeed return.<ref name="mreturns">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-211.html#post3333713 Roberto Orci confirming Megatron's return on TFW2005.com - February 22, 2009]</ref> Shortly afterwards, Bay retracted his claims, but not entirely, suggesting that Megatron would only appear in a flashback scene "from the long lost past", despite the fact Megatron could be seen pinning [[Sam Witwicky]] to the ground in the aforementioned TV spot and teaser trailer. He also denied that Megatron would transform into a tank.<ref name="catoutbag">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=66825&postcount=4 Bay retracting from his claims about Megatron on his forum - March 6, 2009]</ref>

====General Motors and the Chevrolet Volt====
In August 2008, after a Chevrolet Volt vehicle had been spotted on the set of ''Revenge'', General Motors reluctantly admitted having provided the car to the production crew, and that the car would indeed appear in the film, but claimed that it was no production vehicle (i.e. some details may differ from the final car, similar to Bumblebee's Concept Camaro in the first movie). Chevrolet also claimed that the Volt was only used for one or two days of shooting, and that it would only "appear in the movie very briefly", and "not as a Decepticon or Autobot", so it would "not have a Transformer nickname".<ref name="edmundsjolt">[http://web.archive.org/web/20090129105851/http://edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=131426 Edmunds Inside Line article on the Chevrolet Volt spotted on the set], August 2008</ref> (While it's true that [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] was a last-minute addition to the movie, the car was spotted again later at a different set.<ref name="joltwhite">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/09/chevy-volt-at-white-sands-set.html Set photos from White Sands Missile Range] including the Chevrolet Volt, September 2008.</ref>)

====Edited IDW interviews====
Bay and/or Paramount also tried to have information prematurely revealed by third parties contained after the fact: During San Diego Comic-Con 2008, in an interview on July 25th, comic book writer [[Simon Furman]] revealed that the film would feature a character named [[The Fallen]], which was a character they had created for [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|The War Within: The Dark Ages]]''.<ref name="furmancbr">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17412Simon Furman interview with Comic Book Resources], edited version.</ref> Three days later, [[IDW Publishing]] writer [[Chris Mowry]] corroborated the claim in an interview with MTV Splash Page, calling "The Fallen" the main villain of ''Revenge''. [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] was also confirmed in the same interview.<ref name="mowrymtv">[http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/07/28/exclusive-transformers-2-prequel-comic-gives-inside-scoop-on-2009-movie/ MTV Splash Page interviews Chris Mowry], edited version.</ref> Less than a week after this, however, Michael Bay reiterated that everything leaked thus far was part of his alleged disinformation campaign, and that only a handful of people involved with the production of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had actually seen the script, contradicting IDW's interviews where their representatives confirmed that they had the script. Additionally, Bay claimed the only truth about the film revealed up to that point was Sam going to college.<ref name="bayfakescript"/> Curiously, on August 5th 2008, after a fan had pointed out the contradiction to Bay, all references to The Fallen (and Arcee) were removed from the aforementioned interviews, as well as any references to IDW Publishing having the script.<ref name="interviewsoriginal">[http://tfwiki.net/~fortmax/movie/index.html Mirrored copies of the unedited versions of the interviews.]</ref>

====Other (minor) instances of disinformation and misconceptions====
Other (in)famous instances of disinformation included an alleged sighting of both [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz's]] Pontiac Solstice vehicle mode and voice actor [[Darius McCrary]] on the Bethlehem set<ref name="jazzrumor">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/autobot-jazz-is-back-for-transformers-movie-sequel-165008/ TFW reporting on the alleged sightings of the Jazz Pontiac Solstice and voice actor Darius McCrary], May 2008</ref> (it's ''possible'' that someone mistook an [[Sideways (ROTF)|Audi R8]] or the [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Chevrolet Corvette concept car]] for a Pontiac Solstice, and McCrary ''might'' have genuinely visited the set out of sheer curiosity) and an "update" to a (legitimate) casting call that contained nothing but fake character names and descriptions<ref name="fakecall">[http://spoilertv-movies.blogspot.com/2008/04/transformers-2.html Fake casting call at Spoiler TV], April 2008. Note: Everything up until "CNN Reporter" originates from another, legitimate casting call; everything from "Head of Sector 7" onward is made up.</ref>, including a funeral director who would allegedly bury [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]]. It's unclear whether any of these were instances of deliberate disinformation on behalf of Bay, or just attention-seeking fans coming up with made-up "scoops" on their own. Furthermore, three of [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade's]] Saleen Mustang prop vehicles were spotted on a truck bed in Culver City, California, in March 2008, more than two months before principal shooting for ''Revenge'' started.<ref name="vehspotted">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=6980 Superhero Hype reporting on the spotting of Barricade vehicles in March 2008]</ref> It's unclear if this was an instance of deliberate disinformation, or just a genuine move of the vehicles with no further intention behind it.

==Notes==
*The official title of the film is ''Revenge of the Fallen'' (with a lower-case "t" in "the") even though it is apparently referring to [[The Fallen]] (with a capital "T" in "The").
*Leo's room features posters for [[Wikipedia:Naruto|Naruto]], [[Wikipedia:Cloverfield|Cloverfield]] (whose infamous first teaser debuted at screenings of the first Transformers film), and [[Wikipedia:Bad Boys 2|Bad Boys 2]] (another of Michael Bay's movies).
*During the scenes set in and around the deli in NYC, posters for the bands [[Wikipedia:Catch 22 (band)|Catch Twenty-Two]] and [[wikipedia:Voodoo Glow Skulls|Voodoo Glow Skulls]] are prominently featured.
*Even though ''Revenge'' features mostly domestic voice actors for the foreign market dubs, [[Frank Welker]] voiced [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] not only in English, but also in a large number of foreign dubs, including the Italian and French versions. As a result, in the Italian dub of the movie, Soundwave speaks with a strange, foreign accent. Welker is also credited for an unspecified voice role in the Latin Spanish dub, most likely Soundwave again. Furthermore, Welker is ''incorrectly'' credited for voicing Soundwave in the German dub, even though German dubbing insiders insist that the voice heard in the actual movie has been provided by someone else ([[Horst Lampe]], who also dubbed ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]), presumably as a last-minute decision because Welker's "German" performance was considered sub-standard.<ref name="germandub">[http://215072.homepagemodules.de/t511643f11775323-Transformers-Die-Rache-Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen-7.html German dubbing board thread about ROTF, with a discussion about Soundwave's voice]</ref> Welker described the entire process of dubbing Soundwave in different languages as "very hard".<ref name="welkernewsarama">[http://www.newsarama.com/tv/090915-Animated-Shorts-Welker.html Newsarama interview with Frank Welker], September 2009.</ref>
*The prequel novel introduced other Autobots into the ranks of [[NEST]]—[[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]], [[Salvage (Movie)|Salvage]], and [[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knockout]]. They were present up until the events directly leading into the Shanghai incident, but were not present for any of the events featured in the film or adaptations. {{storylink|The Veiled Threat}}
* While ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' used 20 terabytes of disk space for visual effects, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' used 154 terabytes.<ref>Robertson, Barbara (2009). Weighty Matters. Computer Graphics World, 32(7), 20-29</ref>
* The Chinese name for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was called "[[wikia:c:starwars:Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back|Decepticon Strikes Back]]" for a while before the title was changed into "The War of Revenge" in theaters and media in Taiwan around mid to late 2008.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers/Revenge''''' (トランスフォーマー/リベンジ ''Toransufōmā/Ribenji'')
*''Cantonese:'' (變形金剛: 狂派再起, "Transformers: The Return of the Decepticons")
*''Finnish:'' '''''Transformers: Kaatuneiden kosto''''' ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones")
*''French:'' '''''Transformers: La Revanche''''' ("Transformers: The Revenge")
*''German:'' '''''Transformers: Die Rache''''' ("Transformers: The Revenge")
*''Italian:'' '''''Transformers 2: La Vendetta del Caduto''''' ("Transformers 2: The Revenge Of The Fallen")
*''Polish:'' '''''Transformers: Zemsta Upadłych''''' ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones")
*''Portuguese:'' '''''Transformers: Retaliação''''' (Portugal, "Transformers: Retaliation"), '''''Transformers: A Vingança dos Derrotados''''' (Brazil, "Transformers: The Vengeance of the Defeated")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng: Fù-chóu jr Jàn''''' (Taiwan, 變形金剛: 復仇之戰, "Transformers: The War of Revenge"), '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng: Duòluòzhě dē Fùchóu''''' (China, 变形金刚：堕落者的复仇, "Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen")
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Mest' Padshikh''''' (Трансформеры: Месть падших, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones")
*''Serbian:'' '''''Transformersi: Osveta Poraženog''''' (''Transformers: The Revenge Of The Fallen'')
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: La Venganza de los Caídos''''' (''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones'')
*''Swedish:'' '''''Transformers: De Besegrades Hämnd''''' (''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones'')

==External links==
*[http://www.transformersmovie.com Dreamworks/Paramount's ''Transformers'' Movie website]
*[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/ Hasbro's ''Transformers'' homepage]
*Designer portfolios: [http://www.joshnizzi.com/ Josh Nizzi], [http://www.ryanchurch.com/images/tf2/04PRO_TF2.htm Ryan Church], [http://skulboyfilmwork.blogspot.com/2009/07/transformers-revenge-of-fallen.html Duncan Crawford], [http://www.paulozzimo.com/ Paul Ozzimo], [http://www.stevejung.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4 Steve Jung], [http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2772 Ben Procter], [http://www.seanhaworth.com/SH_Design/Portfolio/Portfolio.html Sean Haworth]
*[http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/10866/tcid/1 Interview with Michael Bay 02/09/2009] — Collider.com

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}
[[Category:Real world films]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen| ]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen media| ]]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)

2012-02-01T02:08:56Z

WreckNRule426: /* Notes */

{{nav-rotf}}
[[Image:ROTFteaserposter.jpg|right|250px|thumb|You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me. ]]
{{quote|We had three weeks to get our story and, really, we were going into the movie without a script. It’s tough to do that.|[[Michael Bay]], [http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/01/14/michael-bay-ready-to-make-you-forget-transformers-2-it-was-kind-of-a-mess/ LA Times interview]}}

'''''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen''''' is the second film in the [[live-action film series]], a sequel to ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]''. It was released in North America on [[June 24]], [[2009]].

The film is set two years after the events of ''Transformers''. The Autobots have found a home in "NEST", a secret military unit created to eliminate the remaining Decepticons, and Sam is starting college and trying to leave his Transformer-laden past behind. The Decepticons are regrouping, however. Megatron is restored to life, and his master, The Fallen, schemes to activate an energon-producing Star Harvester on Earth, which will destroy the planet and provide the Decepticons with enough energon to raise an army. The Harvester's location, and the means to activate it, are hidden within Sam's mind, leading the Decepticons to wage war across the Earth as they hunt down the human. Witwicky turns to some unlikely allies to escape and survive. Ultimately, the last of the Primes defeats The Fallen, destroys the Harvester, and proves the Autobots' greatest power is found in their unexpectedly-ancient alliance with the humans.

Director [[Michael Bay]] set out to greatly expand the film's scope with settings ranging across the globe, and a much larger cast of Transformers, with over 40 robots in all.

::::::::::::::::::::{{bigquote|Revenge is mine!|The Fallen}}

==Synopsis==
In 17,000 B.C., a group of human hunters discover Transformers already on Earth, building [[Star harvester|a machine]]. [[The Fallen|One of the Transformers]] notices the humans, and his reaction is less than friendly.

Two years after the battle of [[Mission City]], the Autobots have teamed up with the American soldiers, including [[William Lennox|Lennox]] and [[Robert Epps|Epps]], in a secret team named [[NEST]] under the command of the [[United States military|US military]], but also incorporating soldiers from other countries such as the United Kingdom. Officially, the US government still keeps the Transformers' existence a secret.

[[Image:ROTF-Arceethree.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Well, I guess you don't know everything about women yet.]]

NEST is hunting down the Decepticons on Earth. A region of [[Shanghai]], [[China]] is evacuated to allow NEST to deploy with a cover-up of a toxic chemical spill occurring. As soldiers probe the region, they find the heat signature of the Decepticon [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]], who transforms and wreaks havoc on the roadways. His discovery prompts his partner, [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]], to escape as well. Sideways is pursued by [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], Skids, and Mudflap, although Sideswipe, waiting for the Decepticon, eventually slices him lengthwise in half. [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] is airlifted to Shanghai and chases Demolishor through the city with [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]. Optimus shoots Demolishor several times in the head, while Ironhide shoots out his wheels, causing him to crash and fall off a bypass, badly injuring himself in the process. Before Optimus kills him, Demolishor delivers the cryptic message: "The Fallen shall rise again."

[[Image:ROTF Sam Cube fragment.jpg|thumb|right|250px|You will go to the Dagobah system. There you will learn from Yoda.]]

Meanwhile, [[Sam Witwicky]] is preparing for his move to college and dealing with his bipolar mother. His father is looking forward to enjoying a holiday in Paris, and [[Mojo]] has a new canine companion named [[Frankie]]. Sam is on the phone to his rather snarky girlfriend, when he finds a splinter of the [[AllSpark]] lodged in his "D-Day shirt". He experiences a brief flash of images before the splinter burns him. Dropping it, Sam sees the floor catch fire as the splinter burns its way down to the kitchen, where it brings numerous kitchen devices to life. These [[Appliancebot|appliancebots]] make their way to Sam's room and attack. He escapes to the garden, where the bots pin Sam and his father behind the water fountain. After [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] has destroyed the kitchen robots (and part of the Witwickys' house with them), Sam hands the AllSpark shard to [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]]. His mother demands Bumblebee leaves. Sam then tells Bumblebee to join the other Autobots, as both of them need to move on. Sam and Mikaela have a slight scuffle over who should say the words "I love you" first, but they kiss and move on. Sam leaves for college, and no one notices a [[Wheelie (ROTF)|toy car]] in the lawn. It detects the splinter and signals [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], who is stationed in orbit around Earth, disguised as a satellite, and Soundwave orders the truck to follow the girl.

Meanwhile, NEST is in a video briefing with [[Morshower|General Morshower]], Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when they are visited by National Security Adviser [[Theodore Galloway]], who has been dispatched to relay the President's concerns over the casualties in Shanghai. As Optimus relays the warning of "The Fallen", Soundwave takes control of the satellite transmitting the message. Galloway dismisses the threat, convinced that the only reason the Decepticons are interested in Earth is because of the presence of the Autobots. Therefore, he suggests that they may leave the planet. Optimus says that, yes, they will, but also warns Galloway that he may be wrong. During the conversation, Galloway reveals the location of the AllSpark shard Optimus Prime had picked up after killing [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], and the location of Megatron's remains in the [[Laurentian Abyss]].

Sam arrives at college with his parents and meets his roommate, [[Leo Spitz]], who operates a [[The Real Effing Deal|conspiracy website]] and is convinced that alien robots are hiding on Earth. Sam feigns ignorance and goes to see if he can get another room, but his hunt is interrupted by his father and mother, the latter of whom has unwittingly purchased some marijuana-laced brownies. In the corridor, Leo points out [[Alice]], another student he has the hots for. Sam is more concerned with tracking down his mother, who by now is roaming the school, informing random people about the state of Sam's virginity.

Soundwave dispatches his minion [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] to Earth, where he infiltrates the NEST base on [[Diego Garcia]]. Ravage horks a swarm of [[Microcon (ROTF)|microcons]] into an ventilation outlet, and they swarm down to the chamber where the AllSpark shard is being held. There they combine into [[Reedman]], who steals the shard and joins Ravage in a rapid escape.

Although he's due to have a webcam date with Mikaela, Sam is dragged to at a frat party by Leo. He suffers some sort of attack, seeing [[Cyberglyphics|alien symbols]] which he is trying to write on a table with cake icing when he's approached by Alice, who attempts to seduce him. When Bumblebee shows up, she takes a ride with Sam, but Bumblebee does everything he can to convince her to leave, up to and including spraying her with an [[lubricant|unidentifiable yellow liquid]]. Bumblebee then takes Sam to Optimus Prime, who tells him of the theft of the AllSpark shard and asks Sam to speak with the government on their behalf. Sam refuses, saying that he has his own problems and does not believe that he is the right person for this task.

[[Image:TheFallen-ROTFNemesis.jpg|thumb|left|250px|What is thy bidding, my master?]]

At the Laurentian Abyss, Ravage meets up with several [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]], who have placed themselves aboard a cargo ship, then dives with them to the bottom of the ocean, where the US military has dumped Megatron's remains. Using the shard and spare parts from [[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|one of the Constructicons]] (who is presumably killed), [[Scalpel (ROTF)|"The Doctor"]] is able to revive Megatron, who promptly travels to one of Saturn's moons, where the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' is being used as a base by the Decepticons. He is awaited by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], who is overseeing the spawning of a new army of Decepticons. After beating Starscream for leaving him to die, Megatron presents himself to his master, The Fallen. Although Megatron believes he has failed, The Fallen reveals that when the Cube was destroyed, the knowledge within the AllSpark was instead transferred to Sam, and with it the means to locate a device capable of creating vast amounts of Energon. The Fallen commands Megatron to retrieve the boy and kill Optimus, the last of the [[Prime (rank)|Primes]] and the only person who can defeat The Fallen.

As he sits in [[Colan|Professor Colan]]'s astronomy class, Sam suddenly reads through the entire reference book in a matter of seconds, before interrupting the Professor's lecture to scrawl more of the strange symbols on a blackboard and deliver a speed lecture on higher physics. After the Professor throws him out, he realises that the effects he's been experiencing may be linked to touching the AllSpark shard. When he calls Mikaela to warn her not to touch it, the [[Wheelie (ROTF)|the toy-truck Decepticon]] tries to steal the shard, but Mikaela captures the tiny Decepticon. Mikaela promptly boards a plane to see Sam.

Alerted to multiple Decepticon contacts, NEST mobilises, but the Autobots are already on their way somewhere, and refusing to answer calls from their human comrades.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus death.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?]]

Leo and Alice find Sam in the dorm room, freaking out and covering the walls with glyphs. Alice pushes Leo outside, and when Mikaela arrives, she finds Sam and Alice in what appears to be an intimate moment. It soon turns out, however, that Alice is a Decepticon as well. Mikaela, Sam and Leo flee as Alice hunts them, devastating the campus library; Mikaela eventually defeats her by slamming her into a tree with a hotwired car. The three humans try to get away but are captured by [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] and delivered to the waiting Megatron in an abandoned building. Megatron orders "The Doctor" to remove Sam's brain in order to access the information from the AllSpark shard, but Optimus Prime and Bumblebee arrive to free the three humans. Prime takes Sam and flees, but is soon overtaken by Megatron, Starscream and Grindor. In the subsequent battle, Prime kills Grindor but is impaled by Megatron and dies. The other Autobots arrive, saving Sam and causing Megatron and Starscream to retreat.

With the Decepticons unable to locate Sam on their own, Megatron decides that a show of force is in order to compel the humans to turn Sam over to him. Soundwave relays the mobilization order to the ''Nemesis'' and then tracks down [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] and [[Judy Witwicky]] in Paris. Decepticons, joined by The Fallen, enter Earth and cause massive damage in their transition forms, destroying a [[United States Navy|naval carrier]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and attacking Paris, kidnapping Sam's parents. In a hijacked TV broadcast around the world, The Fallen reveals his existence to the world's public and demands Sam be surrendered to him. A manhunt for Sam is launched.

[[Image:Rotf t2 simmonsclassified.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Ready are you? What know you of ready?]]

Sam, meanwhile, is hiding out with Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee and the Autobot twins, [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. Leo complains loudly about the strange turn his life has taken of late, and Sam rightly tells him to shut the hell up.

The Autobots return to the NEST base, where they are surrounded by the military. Galloway tells them that he has placed in charge of NEST, which is to cease all activities relating to the Decepticons. NEST is being stood down, and they are all to return to Diego Garcia, while the military draws up a coordinated multinational strategy, buying time by negotiating with the Decepticons. Though Lennox tries to argue, it's futile as Galloway pulls rank. Ratchet says the Autobots should leave Earth altogether, but Ironhide points out that it's not what Optimus would want.

Feeling guilty for Prime's death, Sam decides to solve the mystery of the symbols he's been seeing. The Autobots identify the symbols as Cybertronian, but since the language predates their existence, they cannot translate them. Leo eventually suggests they may ask his rival, "[[Robo-Warrior]]", owner of a [[GiantEffingRobots.com|competing website]], for help. To everyone's surprise, Robo-Warrior turns out to be none other than [[Seymour Simmons]], former agent of [[Sector Seven]]. Simmons reveals that the Transformers were on Earth some time ago, as symbols similar to those Sam is obsessed with have been found on numerous excavation sites around the world, and that Sector Seven discovered evidence that several Transformers stayed on Earth for some time. However, in order to read the symbols, they may need a Decepticon. Mikaela then interrogates Wheelie, who identifies the symbols as the Language of the Primes, and suggests they may track down one of the ancient [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seekers]], the Transformers believed to be on Earth. Wheelie identifies one as being nearby, in [[Washington, D.C.]]

[[Image:ROTF behold Jetfire.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Looking? Found someone you have.]]

At the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, they discover an old Decepticon named [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], disguised as an SR-71 Blackbird. After some initial confusion on his part, Jetfire explains he has defected to the Autobots, inspiring Wheelie to follow suit. When Sam finishes writing down the symbols, Jetfire says that they were part of the Seekers' mission, and he opens a [[space bridge]] and teleports himself as well as Sam, Mikaela, Leo, Simmons, Bumblebee and the Twins to [[Egypt]]. He explains that thousands of years ago, the Transformers arrived on Earth on an exploratory mission under their original leaders, the [[Dynasty of Primes|Primes]]. The Primes had come to build a Star Harvester, a device which can create [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]], the Transformers fuel, by destroying suns. The Primes had a single rule of never destroying a star with a living bearing world, but one of the Primes, forever known as The Fallen, despised the humans and tried to activate the machine. The Primes were unable to defeat their brother, but instead stole the [[Matrix of Leadership]], the key needed to activate the harvester, and gave their lives to seal it in a tomb made of their own bodies. Jetfire further explains that only a Prime can hope to defeat The Fallen, and with the death of Optimus, they are doomed. Sam suggests that they may use the Matrix to revive Optimus Prime, which is backed up by Jetfire. They head towards Giza, dodging Egyptian police on the way.

In New Jersey, NEST are loading up to return to Diego Garcia when Simmons contacts Lennox to relay information about the new quest, and co-ordinates where they can drop Optimus's body. Lennox and Epps decide to trust the new information and go against their orders. Sam's group passes through a checkpoint, allowing Soundwave to pinpoint their location, but they reach the Pyramids of Giza, where they pick up the next clue, pointing to [[Jordan]].

On the NEST aircraft, Lennox tricks Galloway into bailing out of the plane. Back in the US, General Morshower receives a communique from Lennox, and arranges to have assets in the target area.

In Petra, Sam's group discovers the [[Tomb of the Primes]]. Inside, Sam finds the Matrix, which instantly crumbles into dust into his hands. Sam collects the dust regardless, and he and Mikaela return outside where Simmons and Leo have spotted the NEST team parachuting into Egypt to begin preparing for battle near the pyramids.

[[Image:ROTF_movie_BumblebeevsRampage.jpg|left|thumb|250px|This baby's got a few surprises in her.]]

Before Sam and the others can get back to Lennox and his people, the Decepticons start their attack. Bumblebee, Simmons, Leo, and the Twins draw their fire while Sam and Mikaela make a break for the soldiers. The Constructicons merge into [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]], who proceeds to swallow Mudflap. Mudflap, however, is able to free himself, together with Skids, they try to slow Devastator down. While the Autobots and NEST fight the Decepticons, Starscream leads several other Constructicons in a search for Sam, and intending to use Sam's parents to lure him into a trap. Falling into the trap, Sam offers to hand over the Matrix dust to the Constructicon [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]], but only to stall for time until Bumblebee is able to attack and destroy the Decepticon. Ravage attacks Bumblebee from behind, but is killed as well. Sam then orders Bumblebee to get his parents to safety while he and Mikaela try to reach Optimus Prime's body. A remote drone relays pictures back to Morshower, who launches [[Operation: Firestorm]], ordering an immediate launch of pretty much everything they can muster.

[[Image:ROTF Devastator Mudflap swallow.jpg|thumb|right|250px|How you get so big eating food of this kind?]]

In the meantime, Devastator has begun to take apart the pyramid that has been built around the Harvester. Simmons calls a navy ship off the coast of Egypt and orders the use of a railgun. Meanwhile, Sam finally meets up with Lennox and Epps, but they're pinned down by [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]]. Jetfire arrives and kills Mixmaster and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], but is mortally wounded by the smaller Decepticon. Simmons relays Devastator's coordinates to the Navy, who score a direct hit on the giant with their railgun. Devastator is torn to pieces and topples from the pyramid. After an air strike takes out most of the other Decepticons, Sam makes a dash for Prime's body, but is caught in the blast of a shot fired by Megatron. While paramedics try to reanimate him, the Matrix dust gets spilled across his hand, and Sam encounters the dead Primes in a vision. The Primes tell him that he was destined to find the Matrix and save the life of the last Prime. Sam returns to life, which is enough to get him and Mikaela to admit that they love each other, and the dust in his hand turns back into the Matrix, which which he is able to revive Optimus Prime.

[[Image:TheFallen-ROTFfacegotten.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Perhaps you are not as strong as the Emperor thought.]]
Just then, The Fallen teleports himself next to Optimus Prime, grabs the Matrix, and teleports himself to the pyramid, where he uses the Matrix to activate the Harvester. The soldiers and armored vehicles begin firing on the pyramid, but The Fallen raises the heavy weaponry with his telekinetic powers and destroys it all. Dying, Jetfire offers his parts to Optimus Prime, and then rips out his own Spark. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] and [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] then proceed to turn Jetfire's remains into a battle armor for Optimus Prime, who is then able to destroy the Harvester. Optimus then faces Megatron and the Fallen. After a brief but intense battle, Optimus defeats Megatron and kills The Fallen. After the death of his master, Megatron, who has been severely damaged in the battle, follows Starscream's suggestion and retreats.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus Sam ship.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Take care, you two. May the Force be with you.]]

With the battle won, the Autobots, NEST, Sam and his friends return to the USA on board an aircraft carrier. Upon his return, Sam continues to attend college, while Optimus Prime sends another message detailing recent events, so the shared past of Humanity and the Autobots will not be forgotten as it was before.
{{-}}

==Quotes==





"Gotta wonder... if God made us in his image, who made ''him?''"
:—'''Epps''', as Galloway first witnesses Optimus's transformation.

"We've shed blood, sweat, and precious metal together." 
"Soldier, you're paid to shoot, not talk." 
[muttering] "Don't tempt me."
:—'''Epps''' is not really happy with '''Galloway'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s plan to get rid of the Autobots.

"So let me ask: If we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully?" 
"Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it. But before your President decides, please ask him this: What if we leave, and you're ''wrong''?"
:—'''Galloway''' makes the U.S. government's position on the Autobot refugees clear, while '''Optimus Prime''' counters with a pointed argument of his own

"No, uh, it's just this friend of mine went to get you a tighter shirt." 
"There is no [[tightest shirt|tighter shirt]]! We ''checked''!"
:—'''Sam''' tries to deflect a pair of '''frat boys'''

"Sam, fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', trying to convince Sam Witwicky to become involved in the conflict once again

"I know you’re pissed. I know you’re pissed because I tried to kill you and it's completely understandable. If somebody tried to kill me, I’d be upset, too."
:—'''Sam Witwicky''' tries to relate with Megatron, to no avail.

"Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?" 
"You'll never stop at ''one''. ''[Unsheathes his left blade]'' '''I'll take you all on!'''"
:—'''Megatron''' tries to justify killing Sam, but '''Optimus Prime''' disapproves based on the potato chip theory. The most epic beatdown of the film ensues.

'''Sam''': "These symbols gotta mean something. Like a message... or a map. A map to an energon source. Can you guys read this?" 
'''Skids''': "''Read?''" 
'''Mudflap''': "Nuh-uh. We don't do a lotta reading."
:—Literacy with '''Skids''' and '''Mudflap'''.

"Beginning. Middle. End. Facts. Details. Condense. Plot. Tell it."
:—'''Simmons''' demands more coherent exposition from Jetfire.

"One man, alone..." 
"Stop saying that!" 
"...Betrayed by the country he loves." 
"Oh, my goodness, I'm in the car with you. You're not alone!"
:—'''Simmons''' being, well, himself, much to '''Leo Spitz'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s distress.

"Now I claim your sun!"
:—'''The Fallen''' does the standard "I claim victory before I have actually won" bit.

"You picked the wrong planet! Give me your ''face!''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' warns The Fallen of his violent fetish.

"Not to call you a coward, master, but, sometimes, cowards do survive."
:—'''Starscream''' pitches his usual battle plan to an unusually receptive Megatron.

"Our races united by a history long forgotten and a future we shall face together. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message so that our pasts will always be remembered. For in those memories, we live on."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing narration.

==Main cast==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] ([[Mark Ryan]])*
*[[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] ([[Robert Foxworth]])
*[[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] ([[André Sogliuzzo]])
*[[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] ([[Grey DeLisle]])
*[[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]]
|c2=
*[[The Fallen]] ([[Tony Todd]])
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] ([[Hugo Weaving]])
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] ([[Charlie Adler]])
*[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Reedman]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]] ([[John Di Crosta]])
*[[Alice]] ([[Isabel Lucas]])
*[[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] ([[Calvin Wimmer]])
*[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]] ([[Kevin Michael Richardson]])
*[[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]]
*[[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]]
*[[Hightower (ROTF)|Hightower]]
*[[Overload (ROTF)|Overload]]
*[[Scavenger (ROTF)|Scavenger]]
*[[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|Scrapmetal]]
*[[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]]
*[[Protoform]] army
*An [[Buffalo MPV Decepticon|unnamed Decepticon]]
*[[Scalpel's assistant]]s
*An [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]]
*[[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]
|c3=
*[[Sam Witwicky]] ([[Shia LaBeouf]])
*[[Mikaela Banes]] ([[Megan Fox]])
*[[Leo Spitz]] ([[Ramon Rodriguez]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[William Lennox|Major William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Robert Epps|Master Sergeant Epps]] ([[Tyrese Gibson]])
*[[Judy Witwicky]] ([[Julie White]])
*[[Ron Witwicky]] ([[Kevin Dunn]])
*[[Morshower|General Morshower]] ([[Glenn Morshower]])
*[[Theodore Galloway]] ([[John Benjamin Hickey]])
*[[Graham|SASF Agent Graham]] ([[Matthew Marsden]])
*[[Colan|Professor Colan]] ([[Rainn Wilson]])
*[[Fassbinder]] ([[Jonathon Trent]])
*[[Sharsky]] ([[Walker Howard]])
*[[Tova Simmons]] ([[Annie Korzen]])
|c4=
'''[[Appliancebot]]s'''
*[[Dickbot the blender guy]]
*[[Ejector]]
*[[Dyson vacuum cleaner]]
*[[Microwave bot]]
*[[Waffle iron]]
*[[Cappuccino bot]]
*[[Garbage disposal bot]]
*[[Hand mixer]]
*[[Stand mixer]]
*[[CISCO Aironet]]
'''[[Dynasty of Primes|Seven Primes]]'''
*Prime #1 ([[Michael York]])
*Prime #2 ([[Kevin Michael Richardson]])
*Prime #3 ([[Robin Atkin Downes]])
|nonumbering=true
}}

*Bumblebee's lines as spoken by Ryan were cut from the final movie, but one scene where his voice could be heard was in a promotional video created for ShoWest 2009. <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRIfbFpe_sg Preview footage] from ShoWest 2009 showing Bumblebee "speaking" a line not used in the final cut.</ref>

==Errors==
===Filming / editing / technical errors===
[[Image:ROTF_filmcrewinsideplane.jpg|thumb|300px|Goddamn papparazi get ''everywhere!'']]

*When the Twins crash during their pursuit of Sideways, the pairs' voices are switched, with Tom Kenny's voice coming from Mudflap as he announces he is okay, and Reno Wilson delivering the admonishments as Skids punches him.

*During the Shanghai battle, when the ramp on the NEST C-17 transport is lowering to reveal Optimus Prime in the cargo bay, a filming crew (including director Michael Bay) can be seen inside the plane on the left side of screen.

*The vehicle modes the Twins scan already have personalized [[license plate]]s on them.

*Furthermore, despite sporting a "SKIDS" license plate in vehicle mode most of the time, Skids sports a license plate stating his vehicle model, "BEAT", in an establishing shot during the scene in New York City.

*Despite the minor cosmetic changes to his Camaro vehicle mode (i.e. new car prop) and the corresponding changes to his robot mode (i.e. modified CG model), Bumblebee still sports the same license plate''s'' as in the previous film. That is, his license plate is ''still'' inconsistent between both modes, alternating between "900 STRA" in vehicle mode and "4NZZ454" in robot mode.

*Similarly, despite still sporting his license plate from the previous movie, "4PCI382", on his robot mode chest, Ironhide no longer sports a license plate in vehicle mode.

*When Sam jumps from the second story of his house to escape the kitchen robots, a stuntperson who does not look much like actor Shia LaBeouf performs the stunt.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus missing cheek glyph.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cybertronian tattoo removal is expensive.]]
*Optimus Prime is missing the Cyberglyph on his cheek during the scene in the hanger.

*During the scene in which Alice meets Sam at the party Sam gets a drink and the glass is full, then the camera angle changes and the glass is half full/empty then the angle changes again and the glass is full again.

*Bumblebee picks up Sam at a frat party in the evening. He then takes him to a graveyard where it's dawn. (In real life, the graveyard is located in [[Philadelphia]], while the frat party is set a hundred miles north in Princeton. Still, even in [[New Jersey (Earth)|New Jersey]] traffic, the trip wouldn't take ''all night''.)

*During Sam's campus freakout, when he drops his notes on the steps, a blonde woman in a suit can be seen coming down the steps to his left, nearly reaching him. However, when the camera angle shifts, the woman is suddenly at the top of the stairs again.

*As Alice attacks Sam, part of the window behind them is taken up by a fan. When Mikaela throws the tool box, it smashes through a glass pane where the fan had been moments before, with the fan itself now resting against the wall under the ''Bad Boys II'' poster.

*When the Autobots are driving to Sam's college shortly before the Decepticons attack him, Arcee is completely absent from the group, while previously-unseen Jolt shows up in one shot ''in front'' of the others, then when the camera angle changes, he disappears.

*In the flyover shot of the barge on which the four Constructicons sit, a red bulldozer, a concrete mixer, a green dump truck and a yellow front-end loader are visible. After the flyover shot, the yellow loader disappears and is replaced with a yellow Volvo excavator.

*During the North Atlantic sequence, on the submarine [[United States Navy#U.S.S. Topeka (SSN-754)|U.S.S. Topeka]]'s sonar, there are "five contacts" diving down to Megatron's location, and "six contacts" going up after his resurrection. Since one Constructicon was killed to repair Megatron, shouldn't there be only five contacts going up as well? Keep in mind, Scalpel is too small to register on sonar, but Ravage is just large enough.

*When the [[United States Navy#U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71|U.S.S. ''Theodore Roosevelt'']] is sunk by Decepticon [[transition form]]s, its hull number of 71 can be seen on the bridge island. However, when it sinks, a hull number of 74 can clearly be seen on the bow of the landing deck. CVN-74 belongs to the [[United States Navy#U.S.S. John C. Stennis (CVN-74)|U.S.S. ''John C. Stennis'']], a carrier that shows up later in the film and was also the carrier used for filming.

*There is a spiderweb in a tomb that explosively decompressed after being opened to the air for the first time in millions of years.

*While the NEST team and Director Galloway are on the C-17 headed to Egypt, Prime's body appears and disappears from shot to shot.

*When an aide to Morshower shows him a map indicating that Lennox's NEST team have airdropped in Egypt, the location marked is actually on the eastern side of the Red Sea, in Jordan. Oops.

*In the quarry when Devastator forms, the Twins go from grimy and dust covered to showroom floor clean within two shots.

*When Sam and Mikaela are running at the same moment Megatron spots them you can see Sam is holding Mikaela arm but hsi jacket is nonwhere to be seen but in the next shot he have his jacket on his arm.

*Once again, the [[wikipedia:MQ-9 Reaper|MQ-9 Reaper]] drone is referred to as the more well-known [[wikipedia:MQ-1 Predator|MQ-1 Predator]]. The drone is powered by a propeller, which can be seen when the (real) drone takes off. However, due to the usage of footage from the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie, when the (CGI) drone approaches the battlefield, the propeller is absent, replaced by a jet engine. Also unfortunate is the fact the real drone with the propeller is white, while the CGI drone is black. Oy.

*Ravage tears off Bumblebee's back kibble... but in the next shot it's still there.

*As the humans and Autobots run from the bombs being dropped on the Decepticons, a damaged Ironhide ejects the cannon on his left arm. In later shots, the cannon is back on his arm.

===Story / continuity errors===
*Most of the [[NEST]] and [[United States military|American]] soldiers are seen using small-caliber arms such as assault rifles, machine guns and sniper rifles against the Decepticons, despite the previous film establishing that "high-heat" sabot rounds were the only means of penetrating Decepticon armour. Even if they somehow figured out how to make small caliber ammunition achieve the "high heat" required to damage Decepticon armour, it is extremely unlikely that such low-powered weapons would do any meaningful damage that warrants such widespread usage. After all, in real life, you can't kill a tank with a machine gun, well, unless you're in ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]''.

*The notion that a big metal box (containing a complex electronic mechanism shouting to be released) would ever make it through airport luggage screening is a bit on the implausible side. The novelization of the film attributes this to Mikaela's Epic Hotness distracting the guard into just letting her through; she also claims that the box contains expensive mechanic's tools which might look strange in an x-ray. Neither explanation is present in the film itself, however.

*When Alice attacks Sam and his friends, the box Wheelie is imprisoned within is taken along, but the box is not seen when Mikela and Leo escape from the foundry in Bumblebee (the box should still be inside the wreckage of the car Mikaela hotwired at the college).

*Given the Autobots are part of NEST and are dependent on the US Air Force for transportation around the world, it is not clear why Major Lennox had to be alerted to the fact the Autobots were on the east coast of the United States. Do the Autobot normally go on unexplained joyrides?

*Tasers do not cause those tased to go into convulsions.

*Where does Mikaela get the padding and gauze to bandage up Sam's hand?

*When Jetfire teleports to Egypt, Wheelie is seen landing by him, but disappears until the group reaches the border guards. After they arrive at the pyramids, Wheelie is seen rolling in with the quartet of humans, but is never seen again.

*There's no rational reason for Simmons to climb the pyramid after Devastator. It looks like he's enabling the Navy ship to "fire on his position", which is useful when the firer can't see the target. However, as we find out just before the railgun is fired, the ship ''can'' see the pyramid. (And railguns are line-of-sight weapons, anyway.) So, Simmons didn't need to climb; he could have stayed someplace safe, called the ship, and told them, "Take a look at the pyramid, and shoot the giant robot tearing it up." It's also hard to believe he wasn't crushed by the flood of pyramid stones, which at one point are raining down on all four sides of the structure.

===Geographic discontinuities===
{{note|The on-film splicing together of disparate filming locations is a common movie phenomena; however, we wouldn't be good pedants if we didn't point out a few of the more glaring disconnects.}}
* The [[Shanghai]] "industrial district" is... interesting, to say the least. There's a company sign that translates as "Empire Import and Export" (which would be the Chinese equivalent of a US company named "Soviet Import and Export") right next to a huge steel mill, dozens of civilians are being evacuated... and at least [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] thought that a giant mining excavator wouldn't be terribly out of place there.

* The aerial view of [[Princeton University]] is immediately followed by a ground shot of the dormitories at the University of Pennsylvania.

[[Image:ROTFcap-closestone.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"The closest one's in Washington." Washington... New Jersey?]]
* After Lennox is alerted to the Autobot operation on the US east coast, he orders NEST to move out. By the time Optimus Prime is killed in battle with Megatron, it appears Lennox's transport planes are already over the United States, and by the end of the day, the NEST troops are at a US air base. Given the great distance between [[Diego Garcia]] and the United States, the short time it took them to arrive to the US is implausible.

* [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] drops the car with [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]], [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] and [[Leo Spitz|Leo]] inside into a factory just outside a huge city. Yet when [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] rescue them and flee, they almost immediately reach a huge forest that was nowhere to be seen in the aerial shot of the factory.

* In the basement of Simmons' deli, Wheelie projects dots onto a map of the United States to indicate where the Seekers are located. Simmons' deli is in New York City. One dot hovers over Syracuse, New York. Another hovers over Trenton, New Jersey. Simmons says the closest one is in Washington. There is no dot over Washington.

*When Jetfire is activated at the [[Wikipedia:National Air and Space Museum|Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum]] (actually the [[Wikipedia:Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center|Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]], an annex of the Smithsonian) in Washington, he leaves the exhibition center and exits into the desert location of the [[Wikipedia:309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group|309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (aka The Boneyard)]], which is in Tucson, Arizona. When Jetfire breaks out of the building, we can see a composited image of the Boneyard's rows of planes, so it's arguable that in this universe the middle of Washington DC happens to be a desert full of old planes, and no buildings and... you get the point. Michael Bay actually admits this to be a deliberate choice in his audio commentary for the movie, and suggests that "most people in Taiwan" would probably never notice the error.

[[Image:ROTFcap-Pyramidsocean.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The foreshortening is amazing.]]
* The movie gives the impression that Giza in Egypt and Petra in Jordan are in close proximity to each other—within eyeshot, even. In reality, the two locations are about 416 kilometers (258 miles) apart. What makes this even more problematic is the fact that Egypt and Jordan don't share a common border — the country of Israel is in-between them, whose existence isn't even mentioned in the movie...

* Furthermore, the movie gives the impression that the Pyramids of Giza are located near the coast—the soldiers and tanks deployed from hovercraft arrive at the battle site almost immediately. In reality, the closest sea shore, the tip of the Red Sea, is still over 70 miles away from the Pyramids. Worse, when the [[rail gun]] is fired, a monitor screen on board the ''U.S.S. Kidd'' shows footage of the pyramids with the ''ocean in the foreground'', making it appear like they're no more than a mile or two away from the shore. Worse still, this is ''immediately'' followed by a shot of the pyramids that shows ''nothing but desert'' in the direction the rail gun shot is coming from.

==Transformers references==
In addition to carryovers from the previous film, various concepts and characters are derived from previous iterations of Transformers:
* The whole concept of "Transformers disguised as a human" used for [[Alice]] is inspired by the [[Pretender]]s. Roberto Orci even used the term "Pretender" during an interview before the movie's release.<ref name="pretender">[http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00021244.html Aceshowbiz interview with Roberto Orci]</ref> However, a Transformer with an "organic" alt-mode instead of an external shell is a concept more reminiscent of the [[Beast Era]].
* The Generation 1 iteration of [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] is frequently portrayed as switching from Decepticon to Autobot (he's usually a young and technologically up-to-the-minute 'bot, however.)
* [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and his ejectible minion [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] both have [[Soundwave (G1)|Generation 1]] [[Ravage (G1)|counterparts]]. Movie Soundwave even has the same voice actor as 1984 cartoon Soundwave, using the same voice, though without the synthetic vocal processing that made the cartoon voice so distinctive.
* [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] bears little physical resemblance to his [[Sideswipe (G1)|Generation 1 namesake]], but is a vaguely similar character archetype, and he ''does'' have that characteristic door armor hanging from his elbows.
* Generation 1 [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] was the first [[female Transformer]] with a starring role, and was likewise a pink-colored girlbot. The idea of Arcee the pink girlbot as a motorcycle dates back to ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]''.
* [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], the combined form of the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], was the first [[combiner]] robot in Generation 1 (unless you count [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]).
* The characters are new, but the names "[[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]]", "[[Demolishor (disambiguation)|Demolishor]]", "[[Mudflap (disambiguation)|Mudflap]]", "[[Skids (disambiguation)|Skids]]", "[[Jolt (disambiguation)|Jolt]]", "[[Rampage (disambiguation)|Rampage]]" and "[[Wheelie (disambiguation)|Wheelie]]" are not. Likewise for the concept of "[[Seeker (disambiguation)|Seekers]]".
* [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]] dying and coming back to life has been done [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|times beyond counting]].
* Prime combining with another 'bot to form a [[Super Mode]] which increases his power (and often gives him flight capabilities) is a trope that has occurred in many recent Transformers series (''Robots in Disguise'', ''Armada'', ''Energon'', ''Cybertron''.) In ''Armada'', a different [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] was his most frequent combination partner. This is the first time the other 'bot had to die for it to happen, though.
* [[The Fallen]] is based on a comic book character that made his debut in the 2004 miniseries [[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|The War Within: The Dark Ages]]. In fact, according to Hasbro, he is the ''exact'' same [[character]]! ([[Multiversal singularity|It's complicated]].)
* The [[Matrix of Leadership]] is one of the franchise's oldest MacGuffins.
* [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] (mentioned though never seen) is the Transformers' power source in numerous incarnations, beginning with the original cartoon.
* The concept of a [[protoform]] as the first stage of a Transformer is a reference to the same concept introduced on the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon.
* Though it is almost certainly not an actual ''reference'' (it's a pretty generic and predictable sci-fi trope), the [[Star Harvester]] is quite similar in function to the [[Solar Needle]] from the Generation 1 episode "[[Changing Gears]]", sucking energy from the [[Sun]] to produce energon. Both devices would have destroyed the Sun if allowed to fulfill their function.
* The same is true for Sam having Cybertronian knowledge pumped directly into his brain via a sacred Transformer talisman, which is reminiscent of [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]'s similar situation in the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] G1 comics.
* A newspaper is sucked into Devastator that headlines a photograph and accompanying article about a mysterious appearance by [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]].
* When Mudflap and Skids first appear in their Ice-Cream Wagon disguise, they play the Transformers [[theme song]] in a very "ice-creamish" way.

==Other editions==
*A slightly longer edit was shown in IMAX theaters, which featured some brief additional scenes filmed with special IMAX cameras.<ref name="bayimax">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5003 Michael Bay's own announcement of the IMAX version]</ref> An exclusive deal with [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] resulted in ''[[Wikipedia:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'' not being shown in IMAX theaters until two weeks after the movie's regular theatrical launch.<ref name="imaxpotter">[http://www.collider.com/2009/06/08/transformers-will-keep-harry-potter-off-imax-for-two-weeks/ Collider reporting on the Paramount/IMAX/Harry Pottter deal]</ref>
*It has been suggested that some international versions of the movie had the words "suck my" in the "Decepticons suck my popsicle" slogan on [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap's]] ice cream truck mode blanked out, hence only reading as "(Decepticon logo) [blank space] popsicle". This was not done across the board, however–theaters in those very same countries also showed uncensored versions of the movie. Another explanation for this would be that different theaters simply used different lightings settings, which effectively rendered the words "suck my" (which were written in dark red on a black backdrop to begin with) invisible, with no actual intention of "censorship" behind it.

==Prequel material==
===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
While the Decepticons were disgusted with the pro-Autobot propaganda of Bay's first documentary {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 13|#13's Star Screams}}, they were quite optimistic about the second film. [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] took a strong interest in it, going to the trouble of personally convincing [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] to be in the film {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|15's Star Screams}}.

The Decepticons promised this new documentary would show a glorious Decepticon victory {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 10|#10's Star Screams}}—whether it was in the script or not. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 18|#18's Star Screams}}

Shockingly, even ''they'' were under a non-disclosure agreement regarding the script; Starscream fearfully referred to a greater power keeping him quiet. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|#22's Star Screams}} Talking about it could even undermine the Decepticon war effort! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|#23's Star Screams}}

In the same week the film came out, the Decepticons suddenly became unhappy with it and the detente period ended. Bay, Kurtzman, and Orci are once again marked for extermination for their propaganda films. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|#1's Law and Disorder}}

===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
{{stub}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie comics===

The sinister, unseen figure of the Fallen is secretly gathering a Decepticon army on Cybertron. Skids and Mudflap, slacking off there at the time, accidentally discover this and flee to Earth to warn the other Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}} An attempt to kill them fails {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}}, but due to their rep of telling tall tales, no one believes them. It doesn't help when they accidentally help Grindor escape capture. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}} The Fallen's agent Soundwave decides to use this, and first frames the twins as turncoats {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}}, then has them freed by their 'Decepticon allies' so they'll be hunted down.

After a few days of this, the twins began to regret ever getting involved, and Soundwave offered them sanctuary in the Decepticon army and the embrace of the Fallen: an offer they were eager to accept... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

==Adaptations==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen (comic series)}}
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen (novel)}}
'''Children's adaptations'''
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen: The Junior Novel}}
{{main|The Last Prime}}
{{main|Operation Autobot}}
{{main|When Robots Attack!}}
{{main|I Am Optimus Prime (ROTF)}}
{{main|Rise of the Decepticons}}
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen: Sound Like the Transformers}}

==Sequels==
Two sequels to the first ''Transformers'' movie were greenlit in the wake of its success, with ''Revenge'' being the first. Although Michael Bay had previously stated that he might need a break from giant space robots before tackling a third film, he confirmed a [[July 1]], [[2011]] release date on his blog.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/a2bd79bb4c222b807e27707aaf1497e6-570.html Official confirmation of third movie release date from michaelbay.com]</ref>

IDW published a comic sequel, ''[[Transformers: Nefarious|Nefarious]]'', which was lead into by [[Tales of the Fallen issue 5]].

==Soundtrack==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen: The Album}}

==Score==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen: The Score}}

==Home video releases==
{{main|Revenge of the Fallen (film)/home video}}
''Revenge of the Fallen'' was released by [[Paramount Pictures]] on DVD (as both a 2-disc special edition and a regular single disc version) and Blu-ray on [[October 20]]th in the United States,<ref name="comingsoon">[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=58245 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Hits Blu-ray and DVD Oct. 20!]</ref> and [[November 30]]th in the UK.

==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery perrow="3">
Image:ROTFteaserposter.jpg|Teaser poster
Image:ROTF Theatrical poster.jpg|Theatrical poster
Image:ROTF International poster.jpg|International poster
Image:ROTF Prime poster.jpg|Prime poster
Image:ROTF bumblebee poster.jpg|Bumblebee poster
Image:ROTF Starscream poster.jpg|Wait...Starscream gets a poster but Megatron doesn't? That's just wrong.
</gallery></center>

==Reception==
{{quote|Transformers: ROTF has mostly gotten pretty hideous reviews, but that's because people don't understand that this isn't a movie, in the conventional sense.|[http://io9.com/5301898/michael-bay-finally-made-an-art-movie Michael Bay Finally Made An Art Movie], Charlie Jane Anders|[http://i09.com i09.com,] [[June 24]], [[2009]]}}
{{quote|[The critics] never seem to understand that I make movies for people to take a ride and escape.|[http://tinyurl.com/nyscnv forum post] by Michael Bay|[http://shootfortheedit.com shootfortheedit.com,] [[June 25]], [[2009]]}}
{{quote|Rarely have critics been more disconnected from what audiences want and love.|John Horn, [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-bay29-2009jun29,0,6806652.story The Los Angeles Times], [[June 29]], 2009}}
{{quote|I'll take some of the criticism... They're [the Twins] basically gone.|Michael Bay, [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-06-11-Transformers11_ST_N.htm USA Today], [[June 11]], 2010}}

''Revenge of the Fallen'' had its world premiere on [[June 8]]th, 2009, in Tokyo, Japan. Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Isabel Lucas and Ramon Rodriguez attended.<ref>[http://www.michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/47a23fdbb6ddc8ece6a0a6c87ccc2bbe-499.html Japanese Premiere photos at Michael Bay.com, June 8, 2009]</ref>. Other countries such as South Korea<ref>[http://www.michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/f7a7af7e754cfa877a635b95d8908eea-506.html Korean Premiere photos at Michael Bay.com, June 9, 2009]</ref>, the United Kingdom and Germany followed over the course of the next few days. The United States premiere was held on [[June 22]]nd, 2009, in Westwood, California, during the [[Wikipedia:Los Angeles Film Festival|Los Angeles Film Festival]] for the second time.

In the week leading up to the United States release, while the film had been released in Japan and the United Kingdom, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was ranking 38% fresh on [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_revenge_of_the_fallen/ Rotten Tomatoes.com]. As American reviews were added into the ranking on June 24, the movie's freshness slipped slowly to 22%. RottenTomatoes.com's consensus was that "''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' is a noisy, underplotted, and overlong special effects extravaganza that lacks a human touch." Roger Ebert, who had given the ''first'' Transformers film three stars <ref>[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070705/REVIEWS/70620006/1023 Roger Ebert's ''Transformers'' review]</ref>, gave Revenge one star, and remarked that "if you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together." <ref>[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090623/REVIEWS/906239997 Roger Ebert's ''Revenge of the Fallen'' review] on RogerEbert.com</ref> Todd Gilchrist of Cinematical.com said Michael Bay "has exceeded even the possibilities of sequel-driven 'moreness,' combining his own muscular, high-gloss sensibility with the conventions of blockbusters past, present, and probably future to create a monolithic action masterpiece that feels destined to be the biggest movie of all time." <ref>[http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/22/review-transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen/ Review: Transformers Revenge of the Fallen] on Cinematical.com</ref> Michael Phillips from the Chicago Tribune said "the first, comparatively lucid ''Transformers'' was a headache, but I sort of enjoyed it....''Revenge of the Fallen'' is more like listening to rocks in a clothes dryer for 2½ hours." <ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-tc-mov-transformers-0623-0624jun23,0,7350387.story 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel] on chicagotribune.com </ref> Roger Ebert went back for more in a second article, declaring not only that ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was awful, but that it'd [[Ruined FOREVER|ruined action films FOREVER]]. <ref>[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/06/the_fall_of_the_revengers.html "The Fall of the Revengers"] on suntimes.com</ref> In the face of many harsh responses to his own critique, Mr. Ebert went back a third time, not just deconstructing the film but also declaring that fans who claimed to perceive it as "great" were simply wrong.<ref>[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/07/i_am_a_brainiac.html I am a Braniac]</ref>

Despite the overwhelmingly negative reviews, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' poised itself quickly as a blockbuster maelstrom. It grossed $16 million in its opening midnight showings alone, an all-time record for Wednesday openings and a second-best for openings on any day of the week behind ''The Dark Knight''. After the full Wednesday was over, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had grossed $55 million in domestic ticket sales, surpassing the previous Wednesday release record, held by ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'', by over $10 million. <ref> [http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1614673/story.jhtml 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen' Breaks Wednesday Box-Office Record] on MTV.com</ref> By the end of the first five days, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had taken an estimated $201.2 million in the United States, just shy of ''The Dark Knight's'' record $203.8 million 5-day US total. In the same period, international markets took in $186.1 million, bringing the 5-day worldwide total to $387.3 million.<ref name="bomjdebut">[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2601&p=.htm BoxOfficeMojo.com - Weekend Report: ‘Revenge of the Fallen' Rises with Optimal Debut, June 28, 2009]</ref>

Paramount's U.S. exit polling revealed several intriguing facts: While the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie viewership skewed 60-40% toward men over women, the split for the new film was more even at 54% male, 46% female. More than 90% of those surveyed stated that ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was as good as or better than the first ''Transformers'' movie. Surprisingly, about 67% said the film was "excellent", an even better score than for Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman's critically acclaimed 2009 ''Star Trek'' movie.<ref name="exitp">[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-bay29-2009jun29,0,6806652.story "'Transformers' director Michael Bay as audience darling" by John Horn, Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2009]</ref>

After two weeks in most markets, ''Revenge'' continued to defy critics and dominate the U.S. box office, narrowly defeating ''Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' on the Fourth of July weekend, finishing with upwards of $300 million in the U.S. and a similar figure in international markets.<ref name="reutjul7">[http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE5671DB20090708 Reuters reporting on Revenge of the Fallen's success around the world, July 7, 2009]</ref> Ultimately, ''Revenge'' grossed more than $836 million worldwide (versus $708 million for ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]''), including $402 million from US box offices alone (versus $319 million for the first movie).<ref name="bomjrotf">[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers2.htm ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' at Box Office Mojo]</ref>

On [[October 20]], ''Revenge'' sold 2 million copies of its DVD/Blu-Ray release in the first 24 hours. <ref>[http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/business/Transformers-Sequel-Transforms-Hollywood-Revenues-65589247.html Transformers Sequel Transforms Hollywood Revenues]</ref>

On April 3rd, 2010, Shia LaBeouf stated that he was confused about many things in ''Revenge of the Fallen'' and in fact, hated the movie. However, he noted that one of the major problems the film faced was working during the writer's strike without a script, and that he had faith that the third film would be an improvement.<ref>[http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/shia-labeouf-confused-by-transformers_1137755 Shia LaBeouf comments on ''Revenge of the Fallen'' at contactmusic.com, April 3, 2010]</ref>

In a June 11th 2010 article about the third Transformers film, Bay and producer [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]] now said they'd taken onboard some of the criticism, and cited the writer's strike and the rushed production as a problem; Bonaventura said "we tried to do too many things in the second movie, which didn't give enough time in any one of them". Bay also said he was getting rid of the "dorky comedy", like the Twins, for the third film, and called the Fallen "kind of a (expletive) character". <ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-06-11-Transformers11_ST_N.htm?csp=usat.me USA Today, "Next 'Transformers' is due for a switch"]</ref> And later, in the April 2011 dated issue of ''Empire'', Bay would again blame the strike and also cite the inclusion of "mystical" plots as a flaw in the film. <ref>''Empire'' April 2011, page 64 - released end of February</ref>

===Awards and recognition===
On February 1, 2009 it was announced that ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' was nominated for seven [[Wikipedia:Golden Raspberry Award|Golden Raspberry Award]]s.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/01/razzie.award.nominations/index.html 'Transformers,' 'Lost' lead worst movie nominees], cnn.com (February 1, 2009) retrieved 02-01-2009</ref> It was awarded three of them, for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. <ref>[http://enewsi.com/movies/190-16933.html 30th Annual Golden Raspberry Award Winners @ENI]</ref> This presumably represents an improvement from the 2007 film, which received only one nomination ([[Jon Voight]] in the Supporting Actor category) and no wins.

On February 2, 2009, it was announced that ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' was nominated for an [[Wikipedia:Academy Award|Academy Award]] for Sound Mixing.<ref>[http://oscar.go.com/ Oscar.com]</ref> On March 7, it lost to ''The Hurt Locker''.

==Controversies==
* A huge flap revolved around the characters of the "Twins", [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. Many critics and viewers believed them to be racist stereotypes of poorly educated black American teenagers. Much evidence points to the pair actually being stereotypes of poorly educated ''white'' American teenagers, trying their best to sound like hardcore black urban gangsters... though it's ''still'' a racist stereotype of dubious taste. Director Michael Bay, when confronted with those accusations, claimed that the personalities of the two characters had been primarily created in the recording studio by voice actors [[Tom Kenny]] and [[Reno Wilson]]. Wilson (who is African-American himself) was sad to learn his way of speaking was apparently offensive to himself.<ref name="jive"/> Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci confirmed that this portrayal of the characters hadn't been in the script, and admitted that they could understand the controversy.<ref name="racism">[http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/orci-and-kurtzman-respond-to-claims-of-racism-in-transformers-2.php Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman respond to accusations of racism]</ref>

* At least one reviewer claimed to find a repellent "anti-Arab subtext" to the movie's climactic scenes, which involved the damage or destruction of various Middle Eastern landmarks. <ref name="antiarab">[http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/MovieTimes?oid=978078 Chicago Reader review by Andrea Gronvall]</ref> The editors of this wiki are somewhat less than convinced.

* Along the same lines, Chinese viewers reportedly criticized the depiction of Shanghai in the opening scene of the movie. Apparently, depicting an ''industrial area'' as "very shabby" is an "insult" to an entire country, as is the destruction of parts of the city during a battle between alien robots.<ref name="insultchina">[http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/6686502.html English-language article from People's Daily Online reporting on the alleged criticism against the movie in China, including rebuttals]</ref> Regardless, ''Revenge'' topped the box office in China, dethroning 1997's ''Titanic'' as the most successful movie of all times there.<ref name="recordchina">[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006144.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 Variety reporting on the success of ''Revenge'' in China.]</ref>

* Both professional critics and amateur bloggers noted that the film presents the [[Barack Obama|Obama]] administration as endangering Earth by being wussy, bureacratic, and ignoring the Brave Soldiers. <ref>[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1906689,00.html Time's review of "Revenge of the Fallen"]</ref><ref>[http://hubpages.com/hub/Transformers-2-Revenge-of-the-Fallen--A-Political-Message A blogger's specific focus on the politics]</ref> <ref>[http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/screen/reviews/Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen-49559047.html Philadelphia Weekly's review of ''Revenge of the Fallen'']</ref><ref>[http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/06/24/turnabout-transformers-2-takes-a-shot-at-president-obama/ Big Hollywood: Turnabout]</ref>. Some right-wing bloggers and critics were quite happy about this, natch. As Bay had added Obama's name and image to the film as a ''tribute'' to the President, after the two of them met and had a mutually-complimentary conversation <ref>[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a160272/michael-bay-obama-likes-my-movies.html Michael Bay: 'Obama likes my movies'] at Digital Spy, and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfT7ZF_AUk8 Bay telling the story at a press conference.]</ref>, and the writers are known Democrats <ref>[http://www.wilshireandwashington.com/2009/06/transformers-a-swipe-at-obama.html Variety: "Transformers, a Swipe at Obama?"]</ref>, the implications are probably unintentional and meant to be a [[Autobot High Council|genre trope]] rather than a deliberate dig.

* The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a lobbyist group that already complained about the [[Transformers (2007)|first film]], is currently trying to lobby the Federal Communications Commission into tightening regulations for marketing movies rated "PG-13" and associated merchandise to children. The basic reasoning behind their complaints is that ''Revenge'' contains "intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language" and "would have been rated R fifteen years ago", and yet Hasbro's [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|associated toys]] are advertised during TV programs aimed at children.<ref name="fccfilter">[http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/08/transformers-movies-get-caught-in-fcc-content-filtering-inquiry.ars Ars Technica article on the CCFC/FCC story.]</ref> Hasbro themselves appear to be still undecided about their official position regarding the more "mature" tone of the movies and its ramifications for the [[Transformers brand|brand's]] public image, having left several questions to this effect unanswered.<ref name="allsparkqa">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=61539 July/August 2009 edition] of the Allspark [[Hasbro Q&A]]</ref><ref name="tformersqa">[http://tformers.com/transformers-hasbro-answers-your-burning-questions-part-v/12149/news.html July/August 2009 edition] of the TFormers Hasbro Q&A</ref>

==Technical details==
{{stub}}

==Production staff==
* Writers [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] recruited [[Ehren Kruger]] to help them write the screenplay. [[Michael Bay]] and producers [[Don Murphy]], [[Tom DeSanto]], and [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]] also returned.<ref>[http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=6372 Transformers 2 Writers Confirmed]</ref>
{{stub}}

===Visual effects===
{{stub}}

===Locations department===
{{stub}}

==Development details==
===Cast and crew signing on===
On May 30, 2007, a month before the official release of ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'', [[DreamWorks]] announced that two sequels were already being planned.<ref name="spy">[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a58430/two-transformers-sequels-in-pipeline.html Digital Spy article from May 2007, confirming that two sequels were being planned]</ref> [[Megan Fox]] had already been confirmed for the first of those sequels twelve days earlier<ref name="foxcon">[http://www.mtvmoviesblog.com/2007/05/18/megan-fox-confirmed-for-transformers-sequel/ MTV confirming Megan Fox for the sequel]</ref>, while [[Shia LaBeouf]] had already confirmed his participation in an—at that time still theoretical—sequel in November 2006.<ref name="shias">Rebecca Murray: [http://movies.about.com/od/bobby/a/bobbysl111006_4.htm Interview with Shia LaBeouf from 2006, confirming his participation in a theoretical sequel]</ref> Director [[Michael Bay]], meanwhile, only once briefly questioned his involvement in a sequel in August 2007, when [[Paramount Pictures]] announced that ''Transformers'' would be released on HD DVD, but not on Blu-ray Disc.<ref name="bayhd">[http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/08/21/michael-bay-responds-to-paramounts-abandonment-of-blu-ray-no/ One of many sites reporting Michael Bay's announcement that he would not direct the sequel if the first movie wouldn't be released on Blu-ray]. Bay deleted his original post after changing his mind.</ref> Bay quickly changed his mind, however, and Paramount would later release the first movie on Blu-ray anyway, after the HD DVD had been abandoned.

In September of 2007, Paramount officially announced the first sequel for June 2009.<ref name="reldat">[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972852.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1 Variety reporting Paramount's official announcement of the first sequel]</ref> Bay was given a budget of $200 million, and ultimately managed to come in $4 million below that.<ref name="showest">[http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/11461/tcid/1 Michael Bay talking the ''Transformers'' sequel at ShoWest“]</ref>

The ''Transformers'' screenwriters, [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], initially hesitated writing the sequel, but ultimately had a change of mind.<ref name="sciforc">[http://scifiwire.com/2009/03/orci-kurtzman-reveal-tran.php Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman talking to Sci Fi Wire.]</ref> In October 2007, [[Ehren Kruger]] was confirmed as a third writer, who, according to Kurtzman, brought in a "fresh perspective"<ref name="kickoff">[http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/01/14/kicking-off-2009-with-writers-alex-kurtzman-and-roberto-orci-part-two-transformers-2/ Another interview with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci]</ref>, and who reportedly impressed both director Michael Bay and [[Hasbro]] CEO [[Brian Goldner]] with his knowledge of ''Transformers'' mythology.<ref name="writersr">[http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/zap-transformers2writers,0,1938976.story Zap2it story about the ROTF writers]</ref>

In April 2009, Roberto Orci confirmed that cartoon voice actor [[Frank Welker]] would voice Soundwave.<ref name="welkers">[http://www.cinemablend.com/new.php?id=12917 Roberto Orci confirming Welker as Soundwave]</ref> Welker had previously been considered as [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] voice actor in the first movie, but ultimately Michael Bay had given that part to [[Hugo Weaving]] instead. Both Bay and the writers were also hoping that [[Leonard Nimoy]] could voice a character in the movie.<ref name="sciforc"> Bay later stated that he was nervous of asking his relative Nimoy to voice The Fallen for fear of offending him with the relatively low pay allotted to voice actors.<ref name="nimoy1">[http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/04/21/michael-bay-afraid-to-offend-leonard-nimoy-with-transformers-family-reunion-offer/ ''Michael Bay Afraid To Offend Leonard Nimoy With ‘Transformers’ Family Reunion Offer'', MTV.com Movies blog, April 21, 2009]</ref> Even though Nimoy openly asked Bay to simply give him a call,<ref name="nimoy2">[http://www.latinoreview.com/news/leonard-nimoy-to-michael-bay-call-me-6682 Leonard Nimoy To Michael Bay: "Call Me!"], Latino Review</ref> it ultimately never worked out: after watching his guest appearance on ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Brave_and_the_Bold Batman: The Brave and the Bold]'', Bay selected [[Tony Todd]] - whom he worked with on ''The Rock'' - for the voice of The Fallen instead.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaN2g5i2k2E Interview with The Fallen himself - Tony Todd]</ref>

===Writing and production===
For the movie, Orci and Kurtzman searched the various ''Transformers'' comics and cartoons for "the most elemental bad guy", and eventually found one in [[The Fallen]].<ref name="sciforc"/>

In addition to that, they wanted to include many things in the sequel that hadn't made it into the first movie, including the Decepticon [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. Likewise, the [[Matrix of Leadership]] had initially been intended to be used in the first movie, but for fear of confusion with the ''Matrix'' movies, the cube had been renamed into the [[AllSpark]]. In return, the Matrix in ''Revenge of the Fallen'' bears more resemblance to the ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] Matrix.

In late 2007, during pre-production for the then-untitled ''Transformers'' sequel, the [[wikipedia:2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike|Writers Guild of America went on strike]], but according to all parties involved, this didn't slow down preparations of the movie much in the long run. Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci turned in their first outline of the script the night before the strike officially began. During the strike, director Michael Bay used the script as a basis for preparing the movie. After the strike had ended, Kurtzman, Orci and Ehren Kruger continued their work on the script, based on Bay's changes.<ref name="kickoff"/> One consequence of this development was that Michael Bay and Hasbro had selected some of the new Transformers characters that were to appear in the movie during the strike, because of the long production run of the toys, while they had legally not been allowed to consult with the screenwriters.<ref name="sciforc"/> The "Twins", [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], are Bay's creation.<ref name="jive">[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/transformers-jivetalking-_n_220005.html Huffington Post article on accusations of racism with the "Twins", and Michael Bay and Reno Wilson's response.]</ref>

In early June of 2008, DreamWorks, Paramount and Hasbro officially confirmed the movie's title to be ''Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen''.<ref name="titleann">[http://www.reserveresult.com/2008/06/transformers-2-revenge-of-fallen.html One of the first announcements of the title, still with a "2" in it]</ref> A few weeks later, Roberto Orci confirmed that there would be no "2" in the title.<ref name="no2orci">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180738-no-2-transformers-2-a.html#post2173364 Roberto Orci confirming that there will be no "2" in the movie's title]</ref>

Principal shooting began in June 2008 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.<ref name="pennlive">[http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2008/06/shooting_starts_today_on_trans_1.html Pennlive story about the beginning of ROTF's principal shooting in Bethlehem]</ref> Other shooting sites were Philadelphia, the campus of Princeton University, Long Beach, the Holloman Air Force Base and the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Some scenes were also shot in other countries, at the [[Wikipedia:Egyptian pyramids|Pyramids of Giza]] and in Luxor, Egypt, in Jordan and in Paris.

According to director Michael Bay, ''Revenge'' is the first movie in about 30 years to be given permission to shoot at the Pyramids of Giza, and the first movie ''ever'' to film on top of [[Wikipedia:Petra|Petra]].<ref name="bayclub">[http://www.transformersclub.com/tfrof-intv09.cfm Transformers Collectors' Club interview with Michael Bay]</ref> He obtained permission to film in Egypt by contacting Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's council of antiquities, who turned out to be a fan of the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie.<ref>[http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/10866/tcid/1 The Collider article and video interview with Michael Bay, February 9, 2009]</ref>

During the time of shooting, actor Shia LaBeouf suffered a severe injury of his left hand in a car accident. Ultimately, however, filming was only briefly halted, and his injury worked into the film, thereby not adversely affecting the filming schedule.<ref name="TheList2008">[http://www.list.co.uk/article/10788-shia-labeoufs-transformers-hand/ The List 1 August 2008]</ref> For the movie, director Michael Bay earned himself an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the "biggest explosion on film with actors present".<ref name="guiness">[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10579085 New Zealand Herald article mentioning Bay' Guinness Book entry]</ref>

===Sponsors and partners===
====Hasbro====
[[Hasbro]] once again acted both as a licensor and actively participated in the development of the movie. Together with the first ''Transformers'' movie, the ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' movie ''Rise of the Cobra'' and several other planned movie projects such as ''Monopoly'', ''Stretch Armstrong'' and ''Battleships'', ''Revenge of the Fallen'' marks the beginning of a new company policy for Hasbro, believing that the new "the movie of the toy" strategy will be more lucrative than the old "the toy of the movie" concept, which involves hefty licensing fees.<ref name="brandweek">[http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db20090611_333306.htm Brandweek article on Hasbro's new movie-related business strategy]</ref> Still, director [[Michael Bay]] receives an 8% cut of all toy sales from the ''Transformers'' movies.<ref name="forbesbay">[http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0622/celebrity-09-transformers-michael-bay-making-movies-enemies-money.html Michael Bay article on Forbes.com June 4, 2009]</ref> During the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, when nobody was legally allowed to consult with the screenwriters, Hasbro and Bay selected several of the new Transformers characters that were to appear in the movie.<ref name="sciforc"/>

====US military====
The [[United States military]] also supported the movie again, providing vehicles, shooting locations and military personnel that appear as extras in the movie.<ref name="milit">[http://www.military.com/entertainment/movies/movie-news/military-unites-with-hollywood-on-transformers?wh=entertainment American Forces Press Service press release about the US military's contribution to ROTF]</ref> Due to scheduling coincidences, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was given a larger support by the US Department of Defense than ''G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra'', which was produced at the same time. <ref name="dod">Jeff Schogol: [http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62955 Stars and Stripes article about DOD support for ''revenge of the Fallen'' and ''G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra'']</ref> Initially, Bay had intended to include German Bundeswehr soldiers in the movie (presumably as members of [[NEST]] or on board the AWACS plane), but even though the soldiers were eager to participate, the German government denied the request.<ref name="szpremiere">[http://newsticker.sueddeutsche.de/list/id/657558 Report from the German press conference (in German language)]</ref>

====General Motors and other car manufacturers====
American car manufacturer General Motors once again provided vehicles that were used by the Autobots as their [[alternate mode]]s. Returning from the first movie were the GMC Topkick ([[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]), the Hummer H2 ([[ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]) and the new Chevrolet Camaro ([[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]), the latter this time as a slightly updated Z/28 model as compared to the first movie's concept car model. Newcomers for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' are all from the Chevrolet brand, namely the Chevrolet Beat ([[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]]), the Chevrolet Trax ([[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]), a new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray concept car ([[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]]) and, as a last minute addition, the new Chevrolet Volt electric car ([[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]]).

In total, General Motors provided 67 vehicles, 52 of them being prototypes not intended for sale.<ref name="chevytroubles">[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-06-15-gm-transformers_N.htm USA Today story on Chevrolet's participation in the movie]</ref> As a consequence of the 2007-onwards financial crisis, however, General Motors reduced their financial support for ''Revenge'' in April of 2009.<ref name="horsep">[http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cotown-transformers6-2009apr06,0,5419006.story LA Times story on General Motors cutting their support for ''Revenge of the Fallen'']</ref>

Director Michael Bay estimates that, without the support of General Motors and the military, production of the movie would have cost $10 million more than the $195 million ultimately spent.<ref name="forbesbay"/> Coinciding with the release of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', General Motors reported that sales of the new Chevrolet Camaro were so strong that orders were outrunning the supply, even though the car was being sold above MSRP in many places. A direct connection to the movie, however, could not be proven.<ref name="camarosells">[http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZCnXEtqqTcc Bloomberg reporting on strong sales for the new Chevrolet Camaro]</ref>

As the only car manufacturer besides General Motors, Audi was able to place its R8 in the movie, as the Decepticon [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways's]] alternate mode. The cooperation was arranged by Propaganda Global Entertainment Marketing.<ref name="propaganda">[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_28/b4139068367113.htm "Hollywood's Blockbuster Role for Product Placement"], Bloomberg Businessweek, July 2009.</ref>

====Product placement====
As in the first movie, numerous companies signed a deal with the filmmakers which allowed for their product being featured in prominent places in the movie. A Mountain Dew vending machine can be seen in [[Leo Spitz|Leo's]] room, computer screens feature visible Cisco logos, [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]] and [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] intend to communicate via iChat, a huge HSBC logo is seen at Times Square in New York City, a Budweiser bottle is prominently featured in one of the Paris scenes, CNN is everyone's preferred news channel, and a giant IMAX logo is seen inside the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. In return, Mars heavily advertised ''Revenge of the Fallen'' with their chocolate candy brand M&M's.

===Changes before, during and after production===
*The three Autobot motorcycles were at one point meant to combine into a larger robot, but this was ultimately abandoned for unknown reasons. Concept artwork for this combined mode has surfaced, and this feature was mentioned in the novelization and appears to remain in the toys.

*According to comic book writer [[Simon Furman]], the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] had been in an early draft of the movie's plot, but were dropped from the cast very early in development.<ref>[http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/01/29/no-dinobots-in-transformers-2-revenge-of-the-fallen-original-film-consultant-explains-why/ MTV Movie Blog interview with Simon Furman, January 29, 2009.]</ref>

* According to the pre-visualization animation from the movie DVD's bonus material, [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] was originally supposed to have a Lamborghini [[alternate mode]] as compared to the Audi R8 seen in the film.

*[[Springer (ROTF)|Springer]], an Autobot who transforms into a V-22 Osprey, was to be a character in the movie, but was dropped from the cast during production.<ref name="procterdesigns">[http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2772 Ben Procter's movie designs for ROTF]</ref> However, he was dropped so late during production that Hasbro still released [[Legends Class|Legends]] and [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] versions of the character based on the abandoned movie design–in the first waves of their respective assortments, no less.

*Likewise, the Deluxe Class [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]] and Scout Class [[Depthcharge]] and [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]] toys are based on designs [[Ben Procter]] had originally created for the movie. Breakaway had the early working name "Firestorm", while Ransack was originally conceived as a [[Ford Model T Seeker|Ford Model T]].<ref name="procterdesigns"/>

*[[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] was originally intended to come to Earth and scan a black Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck as his new [[alternate mode]]. The Deluxe Class Soundwave toy still retains some elements of this abandoned concept in robot mode, particularly a Cybertronian version of the Chevy grill and small headlights on the lower torso.

*Several plot points about the [[Dynasty of Primes]] were dropped from the final version of the film, but feature prominently in the adaptations. In the original version, the Dynasty was founded by [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], eleven of whom were killed by The Fallen, with [[Prima|the sole survivor]] sealing the Matrix in the Tomb of the Primes by himself. The Fallen returned to Cybertron and killed all the Primes' descendants, save the one hidden from him who had no knowledge of his ancestry: Optimus. Additionally, The Fallen would have been revealed to have promised Megatron the powers of a Prime, which Optimus would expose as impossible during the final battle around the harvester, causing Megatron and Starscream to leave The Fallen to his death.

* The Fallen was originally supposed to be trapped inside a triangular sarcophagus as seen in ''[[Transformers: Defiance|Defiance]]''. ''Defiance'' writer [[Chris Mowry]] reportedly nearly spilled his coffee when he watched the movie for the first time and saw The Fallen just sitting in a chair inside the [[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]].<ref name="mowryallsp">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=64301&view=findpost&p=1387145 Comments by Chris Mowry at the Allspark], November 2009</ref> Exactly how this was supposed to inter-connect with The Fallen surviving his battle with the Primes and returning to Cybertron is unclear. Further, if he ''had'' been sealed in a sarcophagus, then, uh, who would have sent the Seekers to Earth to look for the Matrix?

*One scene that didn't make it into the final movie would have explained [[Alice]]'s sorta-human disguise: In it, [[Leo Spitz|Leo]] watches a TV ad featuring an Alice in Wonderland animatronic from an amusement park, which heavily resembles Alice. The scene was featured in the [[Revenge of the Fallen issue 2|comic adaptation]] and the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]]. It's unclear if the scene has actually been filmed; however, the movie still features the follow-up scene in which Leo shows up to tell Sam ''something'' about Alice, only to see her robot tongue strangle him.

*Sam was to have been established as a new vessel for the AllSpark, absorbing its knowledge, which would have explained how he managed to get a scholarship to Princeton. When he was dying in Egypt, the knowledge of the AllSpark would then have transferred to the dust within the Matrix of Leadership, which was created by the AllSpark. The movie would have ended with Optimus showing Sam that he'd recovered the Matrix, which now replaced the Cube as the AllSpark's physical form.

*Another possibly dropped plot point involved an explanation for the government's cover-up of the [[Mission City]] battle in the [[Transformers (2007)|first movie]]. The robots would have been declared the creations of a company either named [[McClaren Robotics]] or [[Massive Dynamics]], which allegedly had gone rogue by accident. This is referenced in [[Alan Dean Foster]]'s [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]] of the movie (where the company is named "Massive Dynamics"), the junior novelization ''[[The Last Prime]]'' and [[IDW Publishing]]'s [[Revenge of the Fallen issue 1|comic adaptation]] (where the company is named "McClaren Robotics"). A McClaren sign is also briefly seen in IDW's [[Transformers: Alliance|''Alliance'' issue 4]]. An extensive casting call list leaked to the internet in April 2008 listed a "Massive Dynamics CEO" as one of the new characters.<ref name="iesbcall">[http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4663&Itemid=99 Casting call at IESB, April 2008]</ref> Presumably, actor Steve Tom was originally intended to play the character in the movie. His official website is listing him as appearing in ''Revenge'' ever since July 2008<ref name="stevetom">[http://stevetom.com/picsandresume.html Resume of actor Steve Tom]</ref>, even though he isn't actually listed in the film's credits. Back in July 2008, IMDB also listed Tom as playing the role of McClaren Robotics' CEO<ref name="tfwimdbtom">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen-casting-steve-tom-as-robotics-ceo-katie-lowes-as-ra-165438/ TFW2005 referencing an (unarchived) IMDB entry for Steve Tom and his alleged role in ''Revenge'']</ref>, whereas Theiapolis Cinema listed him as the CEO of Massive Dynamics at the same time<ref name="theiarotf">[http://cinema.theiapolis.com/movie-2RLF/transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen/cast.html Theiapolis Cinema entry for ''Revenge'']</ref>. It's unclear if the scenes featuring Tom were cut or dropped from the script before they were even filmed.

* [[Robert Epps|Epps']] wife, [[Monique Epps|Monique]], was also supposed to appear in the movie together with [[William Lennox|Lennox's]] wife [[Sarah Lennox|Sarah]]. The casting call from April 2008 lists her under the working name "Theresa".<ref name="iesbcall"/> The original plan was that [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]] would contact Epps and Lennox by calling their wives and asking them to pass on information to their husbands. This scene appears in the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]] and in IDW's [[Revenge of the Fallen issue 3|comic adaptation]]; in the movie, the wives are never seen, and instead of Sam, it is [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]] who contacts Epps and Lennox directly.

===Disinformation===
====Persistent fake IMDB synopsis====
In July 2007, only a week after after ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' had premiered in the USA, nearly two years before ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was to premiere and half a year before a ''script'' would actually be written, a "synopsis" for the (at that point still untitled) sequel to ''Transformers'' was posted on IMDB<ref name="imdbsum">[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1055369/synopsis Fake "synopsis" for ROTF on IMDB]</ref>, containing vague guesses for a potential plot direction based on the first movie ([[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] returning to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and taking command of the remaining Decepticons–which would actually happen in [[IDW Publishing|IDW's]] ''[[Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream]]'' comic–and "[[Scorponok (Movie)|Skorpinox]]" [sic] stealing [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] body from a military base, in contrast to the first film's actual ending), including several glaring spelling and grammar errors. The "synopsis" was eventually exposed as the work of ''Next'' and ''xXx: State of the Union'' director Lee Tamahori, who wanted to use it as a pitch to offer himself to [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] as a cheaper alternative for [[Michael Bay]].<ref name="tamahori">[http://defamer.gawker.com/hollywood/a-more-personal-kind-of-transformation/breaking-transformers-2-plot-synopsis-revealed-278307.php Gawker's Defamer reporting on the fake "synopsis" from IMDB, and updating with information about its true origins]</ref> Regardless, the "synopsis" was still heavily featured by other websites, including foreign theaters and media<ref name="prosieben">[http://www.prosieben.de/kino_dvd/previews/film/ German TV station feature about ROTF using the fake IMDB "synopsis"]</ref>, despite multiple evidence (trailers, official information provided by Paramount, leaked information about the involvement of a character named "[[The Fallen]]") suggesting that the alleged "plot" was pretty much bunk. The fake synopsis ''still'' persists in some places even after ''Revenge'' has already hit theaters, despite being directly refuted by the film itself.<ref name="dvdlisting">[http://www.comicsandcardsupplies.com/jul091794.html Premature preorder for the ROTF DVD featuring the fake IMDB "synopsis"]</ref>

====Fake treatment====
In October 2007, an alleged treatment for the (at that point still unnamed) ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' sequel surfaced on the internet.<ref name="treat">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2007/10/transfomers-2-leaked-script.html The Transformers Live Action Movie Blog reporting on the alleged treatment], October 2007.</ref> While producer [[Don Murphy]] soon claimed that it wasn't real<ref name="murphyfake">[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showpost.php?p=1052166&postcount=52 Don Murphy denies the authenticity of the leaked treatment], October 2007.</ref>, [[Michael Bay]]'s website administrator Nelson Lauren countered by suggesting that it wasn't a fan creation<ref name="nelsonfake1">Nelson's deliberately misleading comments regarding the alleged treatment at the [http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=435346&postcount=26 official Live Action Movie boards] and at [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?&showtopic=37905&st=20&p=759450&#entry759450 The Allspark], October 2007.</ref>, then referred to an ambiguous post he had made a few days earlier, in which he had hinted that information might be spread that would not be entirely reliable.<ref name="nelsonfake2">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1590&postcount=1 Nelson's ambiguous "telling the truth in a false way" post] at the official Michael bay forums, October 2007.</ref> What followed was a brief back-and-forth with Murphy accusing Nelson of "stirring shit up"<ref name="murphynelson">[http://www.donmurphy.net/board/showthread.php?t=22721 Don Murphy's response to Nelson's statements], October 2007.</ref>, which prompted Nelson to counter that he had better sources than Murphy<ref name="nelsonsources">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=37905&st=60&p=761181&#entry761181 Nelson's counter to Don Murphy...] No, we stop here. You get the idea.</ref>.

====Michael Bay's alleged disinformation campaign====
In April 2008, director Michael Bay claimed he had initiated a huge disinformation campaign in order to prevent content details from the movie being revealed to the public before he wanted them to.<ref name="misinf">[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a94406/bay-tries-to-fool-transformers-fans.html Mirrored copy of Michael Bay's original claims about his alleged "disinformation campaign"]. Bay apparently deleted his original post from his official message board.</ref> Ultimately, Bay himself turned out to be the main source of genuine disinformation, despite claiming that ''only'' what he said was 100% true. Therefore, the disinformation campaign mostly hinged on fans believing in its existence, and rejecting any genuinely "leaked" information, including set photos, statements by third parties such as [[Hasbro]] or [[IDW Publishing]] and stolen toy [[prototype]]s, as "disinformation". Screenwriter Roberto Orci eventually admitted that the disinformation campaign wasn't really working.<ref name="orcicampaign">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-150.html#post2437185 Roberto Orci confirming Michael Bay's biggest fear: The disinformation campaign doesn't work!]</ref>

In June 2008, when principal shooting had just begun, a call sheet was leaked to the internet<ref name="bethcall">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/06/bethlehem-call-sheet-cast-tf-and-next.html Leaked call sheet at the Transformers Live Action Movie Blog], June 5, 2008</ref>, which revealed the casting of [[Ramon Rodriguez]] as a character named "[[Leo Spitz|Leo]]", the appearance of an [[Sideways (ROTF)|Audi R8]] and [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] as well as a character with the working name "[[Sideswipe (Movie)|Stinger]]". Furthermore, an ice cream truck that had just been spotted on the Bethlehem set a day earlier<ref name="bethfirst">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-2-bethlehem-images---update---ironhide-on-set-165046/ Set photos from the Bethlehem shoot at TFW2005], June 4, 2008</ref> was hinted to be two characters only referred to as "[[The Twins]]". Lastly, the call sheet revealed that the next shooting location would be the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where an SR-71 Blackbird would be revealed to be a Decepticon named [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]]. A character named "[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheels]]" was also supposed to appear in that scene. In July 2008, Bay then claimed that fake scripts, treatments, "wrong schedules and call sheets with fake scenes on them" had been deliberately leaked to the internet.<ref name="bayfakescript">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=44729&postcount=2 Michael Bay's forum post claiming that only he and the writers had seen the script]</ref>

For the longest time, Bay upheld the position that [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] would ''not'' return in ''Revenge of the Fallen''. After concept designs of Megatron's new [[alternate mode]] had surfaced (some of which would later turn out to be designs for the [[Robot Powered Machines|RPM]] Megatron toy, while the first ones that surfaced were far too advanced for mere "toy" designs<ref name="megsleak">Various leaks of the new Megatron design for ROTF mirrored at the Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, September 2008: [http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/09/tf2-megatron-image.html Robot mode design], [http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/09/megatrons-alt-mode.html concept art for the alternate mode], [http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/09/megatron-toy-pictures.html control drawings for Megatron's RPM vehicle toy]</ref>), Bay insisted that this was "just Hasbro coming up with a new toy", and Megatron would not appear in the movie.<ref name="EmpireFeb2009">''Empire'' magazine issue 236, dated February 2009, pages 68 and 69, article entitled "20 to watch in 2009", written by Nick de Semelyn</ref> Following ''officially released'' evidence to the contrary (including Megatron's brief appearance in the February 1 Super Bowl TV spot and the February teaser trailer), screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]] confirmed that Megatron would indeed return.<ref name="mreturns">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-211.html#post3333713 Roberto Orci confirming Megatron's return on TFW2005.com - February 22, 2009]</ref> Shortly afterwards, Bay retracted his claims, but not entirely, suggesting that Megatron would only appear in a flashback scene "from the long lost past", despite the fact Megatron could be seen pinning [[Sam Witwicky]] to the ground in the aforementioned TV spot and teaser trailer. He also denied that Megatron would transform into a tank.<ref name="catoutbag">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=66825&postcount=4 Bay retracting from his claims about Megatron on his forum - March 6, 2009]</ref>

====General Motors and the Chevrolet Volt====
In August 2008, after a Chevrolet Volt vehicle had been spotted on the set of ''Revenge'', General Motors reluctantly admitted having provided the car to the production crew, and that the car would indeed appear in the film, but claimed that it was no production vehicle (i.e. some details may differ from the final car, similar to Bumblebee's Concept Camaro in the first movie). Chevrolet also claimed that the Volt was only used for one or two days of shooting, and that it would only "appear in the movie very briefly", and "not as a Decepticon or Autobot", so it would "not have a Transformer nickname".<ref name="edmundsjolt">[http://web.archive.org/web/20090129105851/http://edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=131426 Edmunds Inside Line article on the Chevrolet Volt spotted on the set], August 2008</ref> (While it's true that [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] was a last-minute addition to the movie, the car was spotted again later at a different set.<ref name="joltwhite">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/09/chevy-volt-at-white-sands-set.html Set photos from White Sands Missile Range] including the Chevrolet Volt, September 2008.</ref>)

====Edited IDW interviews====
Bay and/or Paramount also tried to have information prematurely revealed by third parties contained after the fact: During San Diego Comic-Con 2008, in an interview on July 25th, comic book writer [[Simon Furman]] revealed that the film would feature a character named [[The Fallen]], which was a character they had created for [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|The War Within: The Dark Ages]]''.<ref name="furmancbr">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17412Simon Furman interview with Comic Book Resources], edited version.</ref> Three days later, [[IDW Publishing]] writer [[Chris Mowry]] corroborated the claim in an interview with MTV Splash Page, calling "The Fallen" the main villain of ''Revenge''. [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] was also confirmed in the same interview.<ref name="mowrymtv">[http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/07/28/exclusive-transformers-2-prequel-comic-gives-inside-scoop-on-2009-movie/ MTV Splash Page interviews Chris Mowry], edited version.</ref> Less than a week after this, however, Michael Bay reiterated that everything leaked thus far was part of his alleged disinformation campaign, and that only a handful of people involved with the production of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' had actually seen the script, contradicting IDW's interviews where their representatives confirmed that they had the script. Additionally, Bay claimed the only truth about the film revealed up to that point was Sam going to college.<ref name="bayfakescript"/> Curiously, on August 5th 2008, after a fan had pointed out the contradiction to Bay, all references to The Fallen (and Arcee) were removed from the aforementioned interviews, as well as any references to IDW Publishing having the script.<ref name="interviewsoriginal">[http://tfwiki.net/~fortmax/movie/index.html Mirrored copies of the unedited versions of the interviews.]</ref>

====Other (minor) instances of disinformation and misconceptions====
Other (in)famous instances of disinformation included an alleged sighting of both [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz's]] Pontiac Solstice vehicle mode and voice actor [[Darius McCrary]] on the Bethlehem set<ref name="jazzrumor">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/autobot-jazz-is-back-for-transformers-movie-sequel-165008/ TFW reporting on the alleged sightings of the Jazz Pontiac Solstice and voice actor Darius McCrary], May 2008</ref> (it's ''possible'' that someone mistook an [[Sideways (ROTF)|Audi R8]] or the [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Chevrolet Corvette concept car]] for a Pontiac Solstice, and McCrary ''might'' have genuinely visited the set out of sheer curiosity) and an "update" to a (legitimate) casting call that contained nothing but fake character names and descriptions<ref name="fakecall">[http://spoilertv-movies.blogspot.com/2008/04/transformers-2.html Fake casting call at Spoiler TV], April 2008. Note: Everything up until "CNN Reporter" originates from another, legitimate casting call; everything from "Head of Sector 7" onward is made up.</ref>, including a funeral director who would allegedly bury [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]]. It's unclear whether any of these were instances of deliberate disinformation on behalf of Bay, or just attention-seeking fans coming up with made-up "scoops" on their own. Furthermore, three of [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade's]] Saleen Mustang prop vehicles were spotted on a truck bed in Culver City, California, in March 2008, more than two months before principal shooting for ''Revenge'' started.<ref name="vehspotted">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=6980 Superhero Hype reporting on the spotting of Barricade vehicles in March 2008]</ref> It's unclear if this was an instance of deliberate disinformation, or just a genuine move of the vehicles with no further intention behind it.

==Notes==
*The official title of the film is ''Revenge of the Fallen'' (with a lower-case "t" in "the") even though it is apparently referring to [[The Fallen]] (with a capital "T" in "The").
*Leo's room features posters for [[Wikipedia:Naruto|Naruto]], [[Wikipedia:Cloverfield|Cloverfield]] (whose infamous first teaser debuted at screenings of the first Transformers film), and [[Wikipedia:Bad Boys 2|Bad Boys 2]].
*During the scenes set in and around the deli in NYC, posters for the bands [[Wikipedia:Catch 22 (band)|Catch Twenty-Two]] and [[wikipedia:Voodoo Glow Skulls|Voodoo Glow Skulls]] are prominently featured.
*Even though ''Revenge'' features mostly domestic voice actors for the foreign market dubs, [[Frank Welker]] voiced [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] not only in English, but also in a large number of foreign dubs, including the Italian and French versions. As a result, in the Italian dub of the movie, Soundwave speaks with a strange, foreign accent. Welker is also credited for an unspecified voice role in the Latin Spanish dub, most likely Soundwave again. Furthermore, Welker is ''incorrectly'' credited for voicing Soundwave in the German dub, even though German dubbing insiders insist that the voice heard in the actual movie has been provided by someone else ([[Horst Lampe]], who also dubbed ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]), presumably as a last-minute decision because Welker's "German" performance was considered sub-standard.<ref name="germandub">[http://215072.homepagemodules.de/t511643f11775323-Transformers-Die-Rache-Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen-7.html German dubbing board thread about ROTF, with a discussion about Soundwave's voice]</ref> Welker described the entire process of dubbing Soundwave in different languages as "very hard".<ref name="welkernewsarama">[http://www.newsarama.com/tv/090915-Animated-Shorts-Welker.html Newsarama interview with Frank Welker], September 2009.</ref>
*The prequel novel introduced other Autobots into the ranks of [[NEST]]—[[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]], [[Salvage (Movie)|Salvage]], and [[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knockout]]. They were present up until the events directly leading into the Shanghai incident, but were not present for any of the events featured in the film or adaptations. {{storylink|The Veiled Threat}}
* While ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' used 20 terabytes of disk space for visual effects, ''Revenge of the Fallen'' used 154 terabytes.<ref>Robertson, Barbara (2009). Weighty Matters. Computer Graphics World, 32(7), 20-29</ref>
* The Chinese name for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was called "[[wikia:c:starwars:Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back|Decepticon Strikes Back]]" for a while before the title was changed into "The War of Revenge" in theaters and media in Taiwan around mid to late 2008.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers/Revenge''''' (トランスフォーマー/リベンジ ''Toransufōmā/Ribenji'')
*''Cantonese:'' (變形金剛: 狂派再起, "Transformers: The Return of the Decepticons")
*''Finnish:'' '''''Transformers: Kaatuneiden kosto''''' ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones")
*''French:'' '''''Transformers: La Revanche''''' ("Transformers: The Revenge")
*''German:'' '''''Transformers: Die Rache''''' ("Transformers: The Revenge")
*''Italian:'' '''''Transformers 2: La Vendetta del Caduto''''' ("Transformers 2: The Revenge Of The Fallen")
*''Polish:'' '''''Transformers: Zemsta Upadłych''''' ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones")
*''Portuguese:'' '''''Transformers: Retaliação''''' (Portugal, "Transformers: Retaliation"), '''''Transformers: A Vingança dos Derrotados''''' (Brazil, "Transformers: The Vengeance of the Defeated")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biàn-hsín Jīn-gāng: Fù-chóu jr Jàn''''' (Taiwan, 變形金剛: 復仇之戰, "Transformers: The War of Revenge"), '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng: Duòluòzhě dē Fùchóu''''' (China, 变形金刚：堕落者的复仇, "Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen")
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Mest' Padshikh''''' (Трансформеры: Месть падших, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones")
*''Serbian:'' '''''Transformersi: Osveta Poraženog''''' (''Transformers: The Revenge Of The Fallen'')
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: La Venganza de los Caídos''''' (''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones'')
*''Swedish:'' '''''Transformers: De Besegrades Hämnd''''' (''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ones'')

==External links==
*[http://www.transformersmovie.com Dreamworks/Paramount's ''Transformers'' Movie website]
*[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/ Hasbro's ''Transformers'' homepage]
*Designer portfolios: [http://www.joshnizzi.com/ Josh Nizzi], [http://www.ryanchurch.com/images/tf2/04PRO_TF2.htm Ryan Church], [http://skulboyfilmwork.blogspot.com/2009/07/transformers-revenge-of-fallen.html Duncan Crawford], [http://www.paulozzimo.com/ Paul Ozzimo], [http://www.stevejung.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4 Steve Jung], [http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2772 Ben Procter], [http://www.seanhaworth.com/SH_Design/Portfolio/Portfolio.html Sean Haworth]
*[http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/10866/tcid/1 Interview with Michael Bay 02/09/2009] — Collider.com

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}
[[Category:Real world films]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen| ]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen media| ]]

The Elite Guard

2012-01-31T02:51:30Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformers references */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Sentinel Prime''': I think you've done enough, Optimus! I'll make sure you're tried for high treason for destroying the AllSpark! Now come with me! 
'''Optimus Prime''': No! 
''[Shoves Sentinel aside]'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': That wasn't a request. That's a DIRECT ORDER, Optimus! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's Optimus PRIME. I may be an Elite Guard washout and a glitch-detail flunky, but the last time I checked, you and I still had equal rank. SO, Sentinel PRIME, take your order AND your condescending attitude, and STICK IT IN YOUR HARD DRIVE! You're on MY TURF now! 
:— Optimus is officially sick of Sentinel Prime's crap.

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

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

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

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

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

===Continuity notes===
*Sumdac Tower is still damaged from "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

===Transformers references===
* This episode reveals that both Prowl and Jazz are practitioners of the Cybertronian martial art of [[Metallikato]], originally used by the Generation 1 character [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].

* In voicing Ultra Magnus, Jeff Bennett is doing a ''rather'' good impression of [[Robert Stack]], who originally voiced the character in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 movie]], as well as a bit of a take on [[wikipedia:Sir_Alec_Guiness|Alec Guinness]]'s portayal of [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] from the original [[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] trilogy. Very cool.

* The giant ship in which the Elite Guard arrives on Earth bears a strong resemblance to the shuttles used by the Autobots in the 1986 movie, only in blue, and a whole lot bigger.

* After dismembering a bunch of drones with his energon axe, Optimus asks, [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|"Mind if I cut in?"]]

* That shot of Optimus reaching down and picking up a tiny fragment of the AllSpark [[Transformers (film)|does look familiar, doesn't it?]]

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

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

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

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

===Real-world references===
* Ultra Magnus' Hammer appears to have been modeled after [[Thor]]'s hammer [[wikipedia:Mjolnir|Mjolnir]].

* Captain Fanzone homages the ''[[wikipedia:Indiana_Jones|Indiana Jones]]'' line, "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" replacing "snakes" with "robots".

===Trivia===
*[[News Bot]] and [[Tutor Bot]] are listed as appearing in the episode credits, but do not actually appear. There ''is'' a televised news bulletin regarding the object that would be revealed as the Elite Guard's ship, but the unseen reporter is voiced by [[Jeff Glen Bennett|Jeff Bennett]] instead of [[Townsend Coleman]].
*The Autobots have trouble proving to the Guard that there is Decepticon activity on Earth. There were dozens of human witnesses to the recent battle. Even if the Guard does not trust organic testimony, did ''none'' of the humans have cameras?
*Come to think of it, what happened to the news footage of Starscream Megatron watched when he reactivated?
*Megatron is evidently fully repaired now, while his subordinates are having trouble keeping their arms from falling off. Guy's got priorities, certainly.
*When they're being "decontaminated", Bulkhead remarks that Sentinel doesn't remember them, to which Bumblebee replies that he wants it that way. The meaning of this exchange is revealed in "[[Autoboot Camp]]".
*In the ''Animated'' universe, "Prime" is a military rank, as Optimus forcefully reminds Sentinel.
*It was unclear if either part of Ultra Magnus's name was a rank, particularly since he's commonly addressed as "Commander". Later, in "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]", it was revealed that "Magnus" is a rank.

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

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

The Elite Guard

2012-01-31T02:48:05Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformers references */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Sentinel Prime''': I think you've done enough, Optimus! I'll make sure you're tried for high treason for destroying the AllSpark! Now come with me! 
'''Optimus Prime''': No! 
''[Shoves Sentinel aside]'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': That wasn't a request. That's a DIRECT ORDER, Optimus! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's Optimus PRIME. I may be an Elite Guard washout and a glitch-detail flunky, but the last time I checked, you and I still had equal rank. SO, Sentinel PRIME, take your order AND your condescending attitude, and STICK IT IN YOUR HARD DRIVE! You're on MY TURF now! 
:— Optimus is officially sick of Sentinel Prime's crap.

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

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

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

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

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

===Continuity notes===
*Sumdac Tower is still damaged from "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

===Transformers references===
* This episode reveals that both Prowl and Jazz are practitioners of the Cybertronian martial art of [[Metallikato]], originally used by the Generation 1 character [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].

* In voicing Ultra Magnus, Jeff Bennett is doing a ''rather'' good impression of [[Robert Stack]], who originally voiced the character in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 movie]], as well as a bit of a take on [[wikipedia:Sir_Alec_Guiness|Alec Guinness]]'s portayal of [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] from the original [[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] trilogy. Very cool.

* The giant ship in which the Elite Guard arrives on Earth bears a strong resemblance to the shuttles used by the Autobots in the 1986 movie, only in blue, and a whole lot bigger.

* After dismembering a bunch of drones with his energon axe, Optimus asks, [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|"Mind if I cut in?"]]

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

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

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

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

===Real-world references===
* Ultra Magnus' Hammer appears to have been modeled after [[Thor]]'s hammer [[wikipedia:Mjolnir|Mjolnir]].

* Captain Fanzone homages the ''[[wikipedia:Indiana_Jones|Indiana Jones]]'' line, "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" replacing "snakes" with "robots".

===Trivia===
*[[News Bot]] and [[Tutor Bot]] are listed as appearing in the episode credits, but do not actually appear. There ''is'' a televised news bulletin regarding the object that would be revealed as the Elite Guard's ship, but the unseen reporter is voiced by [[Jeff Glen Bennett|Jeff Bennett]] instead of [[Townsend Coleman]].
*The Autobots have trouble proving to the Guard that there is Decepticon activity on Earth. There were dozens of human witnesses to the recent battle. Even if the Guard does not trust organic testimony, did ''none'' of the humans have cameras?
*Come to think of it, what happened to the news footage of Starscream Megatron watched when he reactivated?
*Megatron is evidently fully repaired now, while his subordinates are having trouble keeping their arms from falling off. Guy's got priorities, certainly.
*When they're being "decontaminated", Bulkhead remarks that Sentinel doesn't remember them, to which Bumblebee replies that he wants it that way. The meaning of this exchange is revealed in "[[Autoboot Camp]]".
*In the ''Animated'' universe, "Prime" is a military rank, as Optimus forcefully reminds Sentinel.
*It was unclear if either part of Ultra Magnus's name was a rank, particularly since he's commonly addressed as "Commander". Later, in "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]", it was revealed that "Magnus" is a rank.

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

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

The Elite Guard

2012-01-31T02:44:01Z

WreckNRule426: /* Animation or technical errors */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Sentinel Prime''': I think you've done enough, Optimus! I'll make sure you're tried for high treason for destroying the AllSpark! Now come with me! 
'''Optimus Prime''': No! 
''[Shoves Sentinel aside]'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': That wasn't a request. That's a DIRECT ORDER, Optimus! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's Optimus PRIME. I may be an Elite Guard washout and a glitch-detail flunky, but the last time I checked, you and I still had equal rank. SO, Sentinel PRIME, take your order AND your condescending attitude, and STICK IT IN YOUR HARD DRIVE! You're on MY TURF now! 
:— Optimus is officially sick of Sentinel Prime's crap.

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

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

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

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

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

===Continuity notes===
*Sumdac Tower is still damaged from "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

===Transformers references===
* This episode reveals that both Prowl and Jazz are practitioners of the Cybertronian martial art of [[Metallikato]], originally used by the Generation 1 character [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].

* In voicing Ultra Magnus, Jeff Bennett is doing a ''rather'' good impression of [[Robert Stack]], who originally voiced the character in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 movie]], as well as a bit of a take on [[wikipedia:Sir_Alec_Guiness|Alec Guinness]]'s portayal of [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] from the original [[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] trilogy. Very cool.

* The giant ship in which the Elite Guard arrives on Earth bears a strong resemblance to the shuttles used by the Autobots in the 1986 movie, only in blue, and a whole lot bigger.

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

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

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

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

===Real-world references===
* Ultra Magnus' Hammer appears to have been modeled after [[Thor]]'s hammer [[wikipedia:Mjolnir|Mjolnir]].

* Captain Fanzone homages the ''[[wikipedia:Indiana_Jones|Indiana Jones]]'' line, "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" replacing "snakes" with "robots".

===Trivia===
*[[News Bot]] and [[Tutor Bot]] are listed as appearing in the episode credits, but do not actually appear. There ''is'' a televised news bulletin regarding the object that would be revealed as the Elite Guard's ship, but the unseen reporter is voiced by [[Jeff Glen Bennett|Jeff Bennett]] instead of [[Townsend Coleman]].
*The Autobots have trouble proving to the Guard that there is Decepticon activity on Earth. There were dozens of human witnesses to the recent battle. Even if the Guard does not trust organic testimony, did ''none'' of the humans have cameras?
*Come to think of it, what happened to the news footage of Starscream Megatron watched when he reactivated?
*Megatron is evidently fully repaired now, while his subordinates are having trouble keeping their arms from falling off. Guy's got priorities, certainly.
*When they're being "decontaminated", Bulkhead remarks that Sentinel doesn't remember them, to which Bumblebee replies that he wants it that way. The meaning of this exchange is revealed in "[[Autoboot Camp]]".
*In the ''Animated'' universe, "Prime" is a military rank, as Optimus forcefully reminds Sentinel.
*It was unclear if either part of Ultra Magnus's name was a rank, particularly since he's commonly addressed as "Commander". Later, in "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]", it was revealed that "Magnus" is a rank.

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

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

Megatron (Animated)

2012-01-31T02:40:15Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformers Animated: The Game */

{{factions|decepticon|hofsilver}}{{disambig3|Megatron}}
:''Megatron is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Megatronanimated.jpg|300px|thumb|An insult to G1, we swear!]]
If you were to ask '''Megatron''' to describe himself in one word, he'd probably go with "heroic". He sees himself as a freedom fighter, [[Decepticon leader#Animated|leading]] the Decepticons out of the days of "[[Autobot]] tyranny". The fact he's hoping to replace that with Decepticon tyranny isn't really a concern. A fanatic at [[spark]], he revels in every Autobot who suffers at Decepticon hands and doesn't register humans as anything more than "collateral damage."

Megatron demands loyalty from the Decepticons, loyalty he gains by his awe-inspiring power. With the combined threat of a sharp mind, his [[fusion cannon]], a pair of deadly swords and simple brute strength, there aren't many who'd dare cross him. Still, he has no problem manhandling troops as a gentle reminder.

The loss of his body and former power was only a minor setback for him, as Megatron proved a master manipulator. He effortlessly duped [[Isaac Sumdac]] into helping him—and once Megatron was restored to full power, he turned the tables on his old captor.

He is extremely intolerant of treachery and deals with [[Starscream (Animated)|said treacherous bots]] with a vicious no-nonsense efficiency, [[Megatron (G1)|unlike other Decepticon leaders]]. He is also a shrewd strategist who effortlessly [[Scrapper (Animated)|wraps]] [[Mixmaster (Animated)|others]] around his fingers.

{{bigquote|Decepticons... ''transform and rise up!''|Megatron puts a new twist on [[Roll out|an old saying]]|"[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (English), [[Norio Wakamoto]] (Japanese), [[Jan Spitzer]] (German), [[Mirosław Neinert]] (Polish), [[Raffaele Farina]] (Italian), [[Afonso Amajones]] (Portuguese), [[Mario Santander]] (Latin American Spanish, season 1 and 2), [[Alexander Páez]] (Latin American Spanish, season 3), [[Song Junseok]] (Korean)

[[Image:Megatron Cybertron.jpg|left|thumb|Pointier than thou.]]
''Eons ago, Megatron overthrew the [[Decepticon|Decepticon]] leader [[Megazarak (Animated)|Megazarak]] and took control of the faction for himself. He gave speeches and wrote manifestos calling for the Decepticons to rise up and take control of both Cybertron and the [[AllSpark]] from the Autobots. Finally, on the [[Cycle of Infamy]], he took the Decepticons from mere rhetoric to outright war.''

''The Decepticons overran Autobot space but the Autobots under [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] had one major advantage—[[space bridge]] technology, which allowed them to move about the galaxy more easily. The Decepticon advance ground to a halt.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} However, Megatron's forces continued to fight on until the Autobots sent the AllSpark through the space bridge to random coordinates. Realizing that the AllSpark was the key to defeating the Autobots, Megatron abandoned the Cybertron theater and began searching the galaxy aboard his massive flagship, the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]''. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} With the war going badly after this, Megatron tried a last-ditch attempt with the [[False Calm]] and sent his troops at sub-light speeds to Cybertron, but this failed and the Decepticons were finally forced to agree to an armistice and exile. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

[[Image:TFA TARO Decepticons attention.JPG|175px|thumb|He's not planning on shaking Prime's hand...he's going to tear it off.]] However, Megatron continued to search for the AllSpark. Four million years later, the ''Nemesis's'' crew discovered a [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|small Autobot repair vessel]] after detecting the AllSpark. When [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] volunteered to attack, Megatron saw his ambitions all too clearly, and pointedly remarked that he wasn't about to let four million solar cycles of searching for the AllSpark end with Starscream getting his greasy wings on it. No, Megatron would strike the Autobot ship and take the AllSpark himself. Just prior to his departure, Starscream approached him again, ostensibly to wish him luck, but actually to place an overload device on his leader's back. This device went off just as Megatron's fusion cannon was about to breach the hull of the Autobots' ship. The Autobot crew managed to steer the now-failing ship through an asteroid field and into a nearby [[space bridge]].

With the ship now plummeting through the Earth's atmosphere, a wounded Megatron still managed to thrash the crew soundly and nearly claimed the AllSpark. Quick thinking on the part of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] sent the Decepticon leader out the cargo hatch and into free fall. Megatron [[Megatron (Movie)|fell from the sky]] and crashed in Paw Paw, Michigan, where his head (and later, a hand) was found by a young [[Isaac Sumdac]].

Over the next fifty years, Sumdac built a robotics empire by reverse-engineering Megatron's components, while, Megatron's inert head remained secretly in Sumdac's private lab, the source of the human's engineering genius and also a secret shame. Megatron's severed hand was there as well, used by Sumdac as a piece of furniture. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

[[Image:AniMegsHead-TransformAndRollout.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Hey Megatron, don't lose your... oh.]]
After the Autobots re-awoke, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] used her [[AllSpark Key]] to sneak into her father's lab. He stopped her from seeing anything it contained, but the AllSpark energy from the Key was absorbed by Megatron's head, reawakening his spark and bringing him back online. Confused and disoriented, he automatically brought up video footage of Starscream and the Autobots, footage in which Starscream admitted to his treachery. Furious both at Starscream's betrayal and the fact he didn't have the hands to reach out and take the AllSpark which was finally within his grasp, he released a burst of energy which activated a small drone Dr. Sumdac had been working on. Megatron thus realized he could control the extremely primitive (by his standards) technology around him. Learning Sari was going to spend the night at the Autobot base, he secreted his drone into her backpack. Once she arrived, Megatron sent the drone to look for the AllSpark, but his search was fruitless. He decided to try a simpler method: Kill the Autobots and extract the data from their lifeless corpses. Interfacing with the factory's assembly line, he attacked. As the Autobots fought back, he decided to cut out the middleman and knocked a hole in a fuel tank. [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] realized the factory was working via motion sensors and managed to get close to the control panel. To counter him, Megatron simply took over the factory arms and snatched up Prowl. However, he failed to stop [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], due to the primitive tools he was forced to use. With his plans foiled, Megatron was out of patience, refusing to work through these worthless proxy machines. He needed a body, which meant it was time to provide some more advanced technology to Sumdac... {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

Megatron soon revealed to Isaac that he still functioned and, when Isaac guessed he was a friend of the Autobots, Megatron played along. He persuaded Isaac to keep his existence secret until Isaac had built him a new body, as then the Autobots would be more forgiving of how Isaac had reverse-engineered their friend. Megatron then helped construct the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], deliberately programming them to go on a rampage and building fire-breath into them as a prototype for a planned army of drones. When they were defeated, Megatron despaired he might never gain a new body, but upon discovering they'd been turned into sentient Transformers, he quickly convinced them that cars, trucks and "[[Autobot|car robots]]" were evil beings that ate the fossil fuels supposedly derived from dinosaurs.

During their second rampage, Isaac realized Megatron had deliberately built weapons into the Dinobots. The tyrant feigned shame, saying he'd added experimental features out of a desire to have a body again. Isaac promised not to tell the Autobots and that Megatron would have a body again one day... {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

[[Image:TFA Nanosec Sumdac Megatron chill.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Rub it in, why don't you?]]
Soon, Dr. Sumdac began attempting to build him some new servos, but these proved inadequate. Megatron revealed that his body would need [[Destronium]] to work, but Isaac responded there was only a small amount available and that it would have to be delivered across town in less than 10 minutes or it would become unstable. Taking notice of an experimental turbo suit Sumdac's labs were developing (with flaws that possibly precluded Isaac considering it as a solution), Megatron manipulated computer systems so the suit was delivered to small-time hood [[Nanosec|Nino Sexton]]. Once Sexton began using the suit to commit crimes too quickly to be stopped, Megatron contacted him with an offer of much money out of Dr. Sumdac's private account if Sexton used the suit to steal and deliver the Destronium. Between Autobot interference and the suit aging him prematurely, Sexton failed. Worse, the Destronium was energized to a critical level, risking an explosion that would destroy [[Detroit]]. The Autobots barely managed to send the Destronium sample into the upper atmosphere before it exploded, and they were left to wonder why a human had tried to steal it in the first place. {{storylink|Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec}}

After Megatron learned of the power of Sari's AllSpark Key and the careless nature in which she used it, he attempted to trick her into assisting him. He designed [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], a musical toy that was secretly meant to grow more powerful every time Sari used the Key upon it, until eventually it would be a suitable robotic body for Megatron himself. When the Key instead brought Soundwave to independent life, Megatron changed his plan and, with convincing logic, recruited Soundwave as a Decepticon warrior. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

When [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] arrived on Earth, Megatron, remembering Starscream's betrayal, was hesitant to act. After witnessing a battle between his soldiers and the Autobots, Megatron concluded that Blitzwing was too unstable, but Lugnut was genuinely loyal. He contacted Lugnut only, instructing him to locate the AllSpark, which would help restore him. Later, he also informed Lugnut about the Key. Unfortunately, Lugnut and Blitzwing were defeated and damaged by the Autobots, severing Lugnut's link with Megatron—and Megatron's only link to the outside world. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

[[Image:Sumdac megatron%27s body.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Yeah, it's a fixer-upper.]]
Although Megatron himself was not mentally involved, his headless body was infected with [[space barnacles]], causing the barnacles to mutate into a semi-sentient form. After absorbing two mining bots and attacking a [[Sparkplug (Animated human)|miner]], it was defeated by Bumblebee and Prowl. Later, the body was discovered (minus space barnacles) by Isaac Sumdac and most likely brought back to his laboratory. Sumdac remarked that Megatron would be ''very'' pleased with the find... {{storylink|Nature Calls}}

[[Image:MegRisingRebuilt.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't call it a comeback; I've been here for years.]] Sumdac attempted to rebuild Megatron, but progress was slowed by a power failure. Frustrated, Megatron again contacted Lugnut and ordered him to bring him the AllSpark Key. This communication triggered Starscream's curiosity, and the treacherous jet located Megatron. Starscream didn't have time to <s>finish his speech</s> slay Megatron before he was distracted by the Autobots—and Megatron used that distraction to take Starscream by surprise and eject him from the lab. When Blitzwing and Lugnut arrived with the Key, Megatron revealed his true identity to his human "friend". Sumdac, seized by the mechanical hand he had so long used as a chair, could only watch and wail in horror as the Decepticon tyrant used the power of the AllSpark to reconstruct himself, more powerful than ever. Finally restored, he burst through the roof of [[Sumdac Tower]], to the horror of the Autobots and Starscream, ready to unleash his vengeance on all of them. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

[[Image:PayThePiper.JPG|200px|left|thumb|"Will anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?"]] Megatron's revenge was quick and brutal. Trashing the Autobots in short order, he called his Decepticons to him. As Starscream bootlicked, Megatron powered up his fusion cannon to destroy the one responsible for his defeat—then used the AllSpark Key to send a painful power surge through Starscream, extinguishing the traitor's spark and reinforcing his authority over Blitzwing and Lugnut. He commanded them to "transform and rise up," and the three Decepticons took to the sky, using the Key to track the AllSpark.

[[Image:Megatron Rising 2 All Spark Megs boom.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This is not good...]] Finding it aboard the Autobots' ship, the Decepticons caused the ship to crash on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], where Megatron proceeded to beat the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of Optimus Prime. Getting into the ship, Megatron removed the AllSpark from its casing and placed it in his chest, preparing to devastate Earth before conquering Cybertron. However, Professor Sumdac used his knowledge of Megatron's circuitry to disrupt his equilibrium sensors, causing Megatron to drop the AllSpark Key. Optimus Prime used the Key to force a surge of power through the AllSpark within Megatron, causing it to explode and disperse its energy.

And yet, it was not a total loss for Megatron; despite the damage, he escaped and managed to abduct Sumdac. Once again, their fates were intertwined, only this time Sumdac was Megatron's prisoner. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

Establishing a base deep underground in a mine, Megatron quickly adjusted his plans after the loss of the AllSpark. During his battle aboard the Autobot ship, he had managed to download a partial [[space bridge]] schematic from their computers. He planned to use the space bridge to teleport himself, Lugnut, and Blitzwing to Cybertron, then conquer the planet from within. To facilitate this plan, Megatron used the captive Professor Sumdac to reverse-engineer the space bridge and fill in the "gaps" within the schematics. However, when a service bot suddenly malfunctioned, it was revealed that a shard of the AllSpark was embedded within it. This gave Megatron hope that the AllSpark was not destroyed, but dispersed throughout the city of Detroit. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

[[Image:Swordscream.JPG|200px|left|thumb|Yes, Starscream, and we'll keep doing it until you get it right!]]
Finding out about the AllSpark fragments, however, didn't seem to result in any changes in his plans. Megatron received word from a spy that the Decepticons had begun making random assaults on the Autobots. He realized that they needed to make a concentrated effort in order to secure his victory. He had Lugnut and Blitzwing steal a tachyon transmitter from the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] so he could send his message, but was interrupted during his transmission by a revived Starscream. After quickly beating him to a pulp, Megatron relayed his commands to the spacefaring 'Cons, only to be repeatedly attacked by a seemingly invincible Starscream. The renegade even attempted to draw Megatron out with an AllSpark fragment. Megatron emerged victorious every time and was informed by his spy that all was going as planned: With his [[Decepticon Uprisings|forces now drawing the Autobots away from Cybertron]], Megatron could attack a weakened Cybertron from within as soon as his space bridge was completed. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

Later, while at the Decepticon base, Lugnut detected an AllSpark energy signal emanating from Detroit. Megatron quickly dispatched Lugnut to retrieve the AllSpark shard before the Autobots could. Lugnut proceeded to praise his master's "grand and glorious plan", but Megatron, fed up with the adulation to the point of involuntary optic-twitching, curtly commanded his enforcer to get going. {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

[[Image:RiseoftheConstructicons-Megatron%27sprivateblend.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Gentlemen, to evil.]]
When Lugnut and Blitzwing brought the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructobots]] back to base, Megatron saw the advantage of keeping them alive, and he invited them to have a look at his space bridge schematics. Impressed by their knowledge, he decided to put them to work stealing supplies. After an encounter with [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], the Constructobots became convinced of "the funny guy's" less-than-noble intentions, and they returned to the mine to confront him. Megatron calmly slammed them both against a rock face and asked them to explain. He feigned shock and brought them in to discuss things over his own private oil blend. Megatron showed himself to be a bit of an oil connoisseur, possessing stylish little goblets for it made of twisted oil drums, as well as a secret stash of top-quality oil and a chamber to drink it in. Megatron spoke of the glories they could achieve as Constructicons: the adulation, the statues in their honor...the barrels of oil they could down. Ever the shrewd worker, it didn't take much for him to convince them to join up, and he promptly sent them to the Autobot base to retrieve the AllSpark fragments. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

[[Image:Rise Constructicons Megatron what.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Constructicons say WHAAAAAT?]]
When Starscream escaped from the Elite Guard's ship, Megatron received [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]]'s alert to the Autobots thanks to the stolen tachyon transmitter. Megatron had placed a bounty on the traitor, and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (with the unknowing aid of Prowl) pretty much took the opportunity to bring him to the Decepticon leader. Lockdown contacted Megatron to confirm that he had captured a purple-ish "Starscream" (who was acting quite odd and cowardly) and agreed to meet at an abandoned warehouse for the exchange. As "Starscream" was brought to Megatron, Prowl, who was hiding on a rafter high above, accidentally scuffed a small bolt, which grabbed the Decepticons' attention. Not too long after, the Autobots appeared with another, different-colored Starscream. Megatron intercepted Lockdown's escape and announced confusedly that no one was to leave until they found out which was the true Starscream. However, it turned out that both Starscreams were clones with bombs in their [[spark]] chambers designed to destroy Megatron and the Autobots in one go. Quickly thinking up a plan, Megatron and the other Decepticons transformed and escaped forcibly through the ceiling. However, Prowl used the upgrades given to him by Lockdown to send the [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]] into the air, not too far from the fleeing Decepticons, when the bombs exploded. It is unknown if they were wounded, but Megatron later raised the bounty on Starscream—insisting on the ''real'' one this time. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}}

He was later contacted by [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], who attempted to sell him a new weapon. Nothing came of this, as Swindle was defeated before the deal could be closed. {{storylink|SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy}} Megatron also made some ''"secret"'' transmissions to his [[Shockwave (Animated)|double agent]] on Cybertron in order to settle his new plans for the coming Autobot-Decepticon war. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Megatron Sumdac Hostage.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Did I tell you about the time I killed the cult leader?"]]
Megatron's plans finally seemed on the verge of fruition when Sumdac and the Constructicons completed the space bridge. However, some vital technical aspects made it inoperable. In order to remedy this, Megatron contacted Shockwave to learn who was Cybertron's leading [[Space bridge technician]], which turned out to be the Autobot Bulkhead. Not wishing to leave Doctor Sumdac alone to sabotage the Constructicons' efforts, Megatron took him along as a hostage while he went to capture Bulkhead. Once he had the big Autobot in custody, Megatron threatened to use the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit on him if he didn't help make the space bridge operational. To Megatron's satisfaction, Bulkhead agreed and finished the project. Just as the machine was activated, both the Autobots and Starscream and his clone army attacked. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

The three-way free-for-all ironically forced Megatron and Optimus Prime to team up temporarily, but this quickly ended when Megatron used Prime's body as a shield against one of Starscream's clone's attacks. Despite putting up a decent resistance, Megatron was overwhelmed and held down by two of the Starscream clones. As the original Starscream gloated, he was head-jacked by Isaac Sumdac in the Headmaster unit. Sumdac prepared to fight Megatron himself, but Megatron simply used his strength to throw the two Starscream clones at him, knocking off the Headmaster unit and proving himself the victor. With Starscream incapacitated, the clones sided with Megatron. He then made his own victory speech to his soldiers, declaring he would send Optimus Prime through the bridge to test it. However, the Autobots got some [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|reinforcements]]. Megatron quickly ordered the majority of his forces to deal with this new menace while the Constructicons cleared the space bridge area of rubble. Grabbing Optimus, Megatron threw him into the portal, but was frustrated when Prowl freed his leader in the nick of time, at which point the bridge shut down. Bulkhead declared the power source wasn't strong enough to maintain the link for long, so Megatron grabbed Starscream's AllSpark-powered head to maintain the gateway. However, this provided too much power, sending the space bridge portal out of control. An enraged Megatron decided to terminate Optimus Prime, only for Optimus to slap [[stasis cuffs]] on him, causing him to lose his grip and fall into the portal.

[[Image:TFA ABTC2 Megatron Screamer End.jpg|200px|left|thumb|"Stop staring at me!"]]
With the overload having deleted the space bridge's receiving coordinates, the defeated Megatron was transported to some unknown sector of space. Still immobilized by the stasis cuffs, Megatron's only companion was now Starscream's head, which a cruel twist of Fate had deposited right next to him. Forced to remain face to face with his traitorous ex-lieutenant, Megatron could only trade verbal blows. A most cruel fate, indeed. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

After their bickering subsided, Starscream began trying to free Megatron from the stasis cuffs, but having no body was a hindrance. Megatron was only freed when Starscream revealed a previously unseen weapon from his mouth. Before they could react, Omega Supreme appeared, offline. Getting aboard him, Megatron was captured by Omega, but was able to convince the simple processor possessing behemoth to take him to Cybertron to face a war crimes tribunal. However, Omega Supreme's attempt to transwarp to Cybertron left them somewhere else in space, but did drain Omega for the time being. Initially disgusted that he was trapped aboard the cause of the Decepticons defeat, as well without his weapons and only Starscream for company, Megatron soon realized that if he could reprogram Omega to serve him, he would be a great advantage.

Managing to hotwire the Autobot with the stasis cuffs and Starscream's AllSpark charged head, Megatron contacted Shockwave to give him a status report on the Earth space bridge. However, the situation was worse than Megatron realized: not only was the space bridge network shut down, but the Earth Autobots could expose Shockwave at any moment. Although Omega Supreme provided an advantage that could end both problems, Megatron decided that the space bridge invasion plan was a failure, and issued a fleet wide stand down order. Heading to Earth, Megatron attempted to use Omega to destroy the Autobots (even though he couldn't remember their names). However, Prowl and Optimus Prime managed to board Omega and sever Megatron's control over him. Unfortunately, Starscream managed to gain control over Omega Supreme, capturing Megatron again. Ever the manipulator, Megatron convinced Starscream that his time would be better spent conquering Cybertron. However, the Autobots managed to install the [[plasma dynamic thruster]] from Megatron's space bridge into Omega Supreme, sending Omega and the two Decepticons aboard warping through space randomly. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Lugnut Megatron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Don't you just hate it when fanboys keep following you?]]
Later, as Lugnut was floating through space following his half-successful escape from the Elite Guard flagship, Omega Supreme transwarped to directly in front of him and he smashed into the bridge window. When Starscream asked Megatron if they were picking up hitchhickers, Megatron simply slapped his head of its position. That was for asking stupid questions.. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

Soon thereafter, Megatron gained control of Omega Supreme's transforming mechanism, and by detaching the plasma dynamic thruster was also able to direct their transwarp jumps; however, he could not get the weapons online without the proper access codes. Megatron brought the ship to Cybertron, where they could do little but float helplessly in the air; Megatron reasoned—correctly—that the Autobots would not dare fire on their own most famous weapon (though [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel "Magnus"]] sure wanted to). Megatron ordered Shockwave to hurry up his search for the access codes; once Shockwave successfully abducted Arcee and boarded the ship, they transwarped into Earth orbit right before Sentinel opened fire. Megatron welcomed Shockwave aboard as his "most loyal" servant, to the great concern of Lugnut. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

Now on the moon, Megatron commanded Shockwave to extract the access codes from Arcee's mind. When Starscream re-attached his head to another clone body, Megatron pursued him and destroyed all the remaining clones, teasing Starscream for having always thought on a small scale. Megatron's ultimate plans for the protoforms aboard the ''Nemesis'' was to use them to create his own clone fleet of Omega Supremes — based on the personality template of his ''truly'' most loyal minion, Lugnut. That part of the plan went just fine, but Shockwave was still unable to get Arcee to do his bidding — perhaps because although she was fooled by his Longarm Prime persona, she saw the evil Megatron standing right behind him and refused to cooperate. After a few technical bypasses put Lugnut in mental command of the "[[Lugnut Supreme]]" fleet, Megatron ordered his new weapons to test their skills by destroying the Earthbound Autobots. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

[[Image:TFA-Endgame-PanAcrossEveryone.jpg|left|thumb|240px|...No Comment]]
Observing from within one of the Lugnut Supremes, Megatron's first target for destruction was his former prison, Sumdac Tower. But when the tower's forcefield proved impenetrable and Optimus Prime was able to destroy one of the Lugnut Supremes and severely damage the other two by using the [[Magnus Hammer]], Megatron settled on a new plan: destroying everything that wasn't him. He flew cover over the advancing Lugnut Supremes, directly engaging Optimus Prime (at first mistaken for [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], then dismissed as a [[knockoff|"cheap imitation"]]) so Prime would not again be able to use the Magnus Hammer on the giants. As their combat raged on, Megatron was at last able to remember Optimus Prime's name, to Prime's bitter enjoyment. The two were later trapped within a prison of Allspark energy — meant to seal in the timebomb that Starscream had secretly placed in one of the Lugnut Supremes — and Megatron reasoned that even if he himself had to die, he could at least kill Prime first. But Prowl's ghost was having none of that, and Megatron soon found himself left alone to be blown up. Though massively damaged, he survived this and turned to attack the Autobots once more. He was quickly defeated by Optimus Prime, and when Megatron then invited Prime to kill him, Prime retorted that that would be "the easy way out," which Megatron did not deserve. Megatron was placed in [[stasis cuffs]] and arrested, then brought back to Cybertron and displayed as a prisoner before the cheering Autobot masses. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

If [[Cyclonus (Animated)|Cyclonus]] is to be believed, Megatron would have become '''Galvatron''' in the future and kill [[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]] . {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

===''Quest for the AllSpark''===
Megatron took to hanging around online using the alias "Meg A. Tron". Masquerading thusly, he was able to recruit the unwitting help of [[Heinz Von Furstwartz|Professor Heinz Von Furstwartz]] in his scheme to sow confusion amongst the Autobots and get hold of the AllSpark. He was also able to take control of Detroit's legion of robot workers, forcing the Autobots to enact an elaborate plan to keep the AllSpark safe. {{storylink|Quest for the AllSpark}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Image:MegatronTitan23.jpg|right|180px|thumb|"NIXON'S BAAACK!"]]

Apart from showing interest in the activities of [[Quake-Maker]], {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout!}} Megatron seemed idle... but what the Autobots were unaware of was that he'd constructed a Spark-less drone unit, [[Afterburn]], as a prototype of a future army, and then sent Afterburn off to spy on the Autobots.

He not only received repeated communications from his spy, but gained directions to the Autobot base! Megatron entered with explosive results {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Divebomb}} and then ''killed'' Afterburn while rubbing [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s nose in it. He proceeded to summon the other Decepticons and thrash most of the Autobots with ease, making some really bad puns along the way, only stopped when [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] secretly got him buried under a crane. Starscream then "saved" him, making Megatron think he'd turned over a new leaf and thus giving him temporary command until he got better. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

{{-}}
===Animated shorts===
[[Image:MockMegs-bunny.jpg|thumb|left|200px|If only [[Cyclonus (Animated)|he]] was around to see this]]
While Megatron gave an inspirational speech to his Decepticons (which seemed to be very similar to [[Mission Accomplished|another message]] he'd sent out), Starscream proceeded to make fun of him behind his back—making faces, giving Megatron bunny ears, and shaking his butt at his leader. Megatron was suspicious of Starscream's actions, but each time he turned to look, his lieutenant was standing there innocently, doing nothing unseemly. Megatron apparently decided to let it go, as did the other Decepticons (even Lugnut), until he finally caught Starscream in mid-heckle and dealt with him by blasting him through a wall. {{storylink|Starscream Heckles Megatron}}
{{-}}

===''The Cool'' comic===
[[Image:TheCoolMegatronChokesPrime01.jpg|thumb|300px|right|All aboard the Crazy Train! ''Toot! Toot!'']]

Stumbling across Optimus Prime's band of Autobots, who had recently discovered the long-lost Allspark, Megatron pursued the Space Bridge repair crew relentlessly, even after they lost the rest of Megatron's band of Decepticons by going through a Space Bridge gate. Having invaded the Autobot's ship, he beat down the entirety of its crew, save for their leader. Though already having all-but lost an arm in combat when he confronted Optimus, Megatron engaged in vicious melee combat, gloating all-the-while that the Universe would be under his possession when the Allspark would be in his possession. Defiantly, Optimus managed to expulse Megatron from the ship's cargo bay door as the vessel was plummeting though the Earth's atmosphere, reducing the mighty Decepticon to a smoldering head, to be discovered by a young boy...{{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 3}}

At some point, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] double-crossed Megatron and attempted to kill him. Unbeknownst to anyone, Megatron's head survived his destruction and had hooked into [[Detroit]]'s closed-circuit video surveillance system. Following the dispersion of the [[AllSpark]] (and Starscream's apparent demise), Megatron became intrigued by [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] [[AllSpark Key|key]] after she used it to bring [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] back to life. Interests piqued, Megatron declared the time was right to initiate the next phase of his operation. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 2}}

Megatron eventually got his hands on the key and used its power to revive himself. After killing Starscream, Megatron engaged Optimus Prime in a sword-to-axe duel. The outcome of that fight is unknown, though apparently the Autobots survived the day. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 5}}

Megatron later hired [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to capture the (somehow still alive) Starscream. Lockdown mistakenly captured [[Clone number 3370318|Clone #3370318]], instead, while the Autobots captured [[Clone number 2716057|Clone #2716057]]. Megatron was met with both clones at his meeting place in a warehouse and demanded to know why there were ''two'' Starscreams. When the clones turned out to be bombs, Megatron attempted to flee in helicopter mode, only to be chased down by the explosives after [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] attached a pair of rockets to them. Megatron screamed in confusion as he was caught in the explosion. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 6}}

With the [[space bridge#Animated cartoon|Space Bridge]] nearly completed, Megatron was caught off-guard by a surprise attack from Optimus Prime and the Autobots. Clashing sword with Prime's axe, Megatron arrogantly told the Autobot he could never win, though his efforts were amusing. Megatron was then met by a second surprise: an attack by Starscream and his [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Clone Army]]. Megatron was forced to fight side by side with Optimus, but quickly dissolved the partnership when he use Prime as a shield to block one of [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]]'s shots. Dropping Prime's smoking body, Megatron informed all listening that the universe belonged to him. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 7}}

Megatron then installed the severed head of Starscream into the Space Bridge in order to power it with his AllSpark fragment. The fragment proved ''too'' powerful and caused the Space Bridge to overload. Optimus, recovered, took Megatron's distraction as an opportunity to defeat the villain once and for all. Slapping a pair of stasis cuffs on him, Optimus kicked Megatron in the jaw and sent him hurtling into the vortex. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 8}}

Megatron found himself warped to the same coordinates as Starscream's head and Omega Supreme. Megatron attempted to use Starscream's [[spark]] to jumpstart Omega Supreme, but the plan backfired and Starscream took control of Omega's systems. Starscream sized Megatron in his giant hand and, taunting him, returned to [[Earth]] for vengeance against the Autobots. Megatron would not be so easily defeated, however, and breaking free, teamed with Optimus Prime to sever Starscream's connection to Omega. That dealt with, Megatron and Optimus then agreed to end their rivalry with a final battle. Flying off into the sky, the enemies clashed sword with hammer. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 9}}

Megatron found himself outmatched by Optimus's Wingblade and Magnus Hammer, however, and chose to even the odds by blasting his foe with his fusion cannon, powered by Starscream's AllSpark fragment! The blast blew Optimus to pieces, but just to be sure, Megatron impaled his foe through the [[spark]] chamber with his sword, anyway. Optimus refused to be beaten and absorbed the power of the AllSpark fragment into himself... somehow. Repaired and now apparently invincible, Prime mopped the floor with Megatron. The defeated [[Emperor of Destruction]] was then carted back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in shackles. {{storylink|The Cool Episode Final}}

==Games==
===Transformers Animated: The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (English)
[[Image:TFAnimated Game Megatron.jpg|thumb|left|126px|Helmet design provided by Lego.]]
After completing a space bridge terminal in his hidden mine base on [[Earth]], Megatron began to prepare to attack Cybertron. He hired [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to collect [[AllSpark]] fragments to power his Space Bridge and obtained enough to do so, however while he was in the process of powering it up, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s team found the base and attacked him. Though he boasted he could beat them easily without the use of weapons, they used an electromagnet to defeat him, and he was forced to escape by transwarping to Cybertron.

There, he was able to take control of some of the planet's defense systems, driving the Autobots away from the Space Bridge Nexus, and sent out a message ordering his forces to take control of the Space Bridges around the rim of the galaxy. [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] soon reported that they'd captured more than a dozen Space Bridges. Before Megatron could take control of the nexus, Optimus's team caught up with him. Commandeering some of the defense systems, they managed to defeat him. Growling that the Decepticons would rise again, Megatron transwarped out to parts unknown. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The Game}}

===Transformers Battle Universe===

At the edge of time, when the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] needed a new host, Megatron was among several warriors (and [[Megatron]]s) summoned from the multiverse to battle for control of the prize. {{storylink|Transformers Battle Universe}}

{{--}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Deluxe BattleBegins Megatron toy.jpg|250px|thumb|SPAAAACE ROOOAAACH!]]
*'''Optimus Prime vs. Megatron: The Battle Begins''' (Entertainment Pack, 2008)
**''Accessories'': Missile

: Transforms into a sleek spacecraft with, er, VTOL turbofans (presumably designed to show some lineage with his eventual helicopter mode. It's best if you don't think about it too hard). Megatron's signature fusion cannon forms the central chassis and cockpit section of the spacecraft (officially, a "Fusion Fighter"); his sword sections mount on the sides of the cannon for storage, though the blade is unremovable and effectively useless. Like the [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] figure he comes with, he features a punching gimmick, having a spring-loaded waist that snaps back when twisted. Unfortunately, Megatron's balljoint hips and the swivel joints between his thighs and knees are rather loose, making it difficult to pose the figure in such a way that he stands on his own. The figure features a silver color scheme and battle damage paint applications. Also included was [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video#Pack-in disc|a DVD]] featuring the first episode of ''Transformers Animated''.

:The design makes it tricky to tell which end of his Fusion Fighter is the front and which is the back.

:This toy was also released in a 2-pack with Prowl as a Wal*Mart [[exclusive]] (see below).

:If you want to be pedantic about it, the battle implied by the battle-pack pairing is technically a timeline impossibility, insofar as it depicts Cybertron Mode Megatron versus Earth Mode Optimus. It is also [[scale]]d incorrectly, as Megatron was shown as being notably larger than Optimus in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/BattleBeginsMegatron/megatron.htm More information on "The Battle Begins" Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VoyagerCybMode}}

[[Image:Animated megatron voyager.jpg|250px|thumb|Curse you, Earth's atmosphere!]]
*'''CYBERTRON Mode Megatron''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-06'''
**''Accessories'': Missile

: A larger, bulkier, more detailed, and more gimmick-laden iteration of the same character design used in the deluxe-scaled versus pack toy. Note that while both modes of both toys look very similar, they have different transformation mechanisms and are not a simple upscaling/downscaling of each other. Where the deluxe version is straight silver, this version has a pearl-gray paint scheme. The figure features an [[automorph]] gimmick in the chest, which closes like a clamshell in transforming to robot mode. A second automorph gimmick is built into the energon blades on the cannon, swinging them into place to form a polearm. Red translucent plastic is heavily used throughout the figure, including in the light piping for the head and the missile for the spring-loaded cannon. Even his ''fingers'' are made of energon, it seems.

:This toy apparently had a safety modification done late on in the design process (late enough that it doesn't show up on the instructions), possibly as a result of drop test failure. The strut that holds his fusion cannon has been reinforced, and as a result, his cannon cannot be mounted flush against his arm. It is also noted that his cannon easily pops off.

:As with the smaller figure above, it's not obvious exactly what end is the front of his spaceship mode. Neither orientation really matches up to the version seen in the show, which had the fusion cannon mounted in a way that's impossible with both toys.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/VoyagerMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Cybertron Mode Megatron at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|Leader}}

[[Image:Animated megatron leader.jpg|250px|thumb|"I kill you till you're dead!"]]
*'''Megatron''' (Leader, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-26'''
**''Accessories'' Missile, 2 rotor-swords

: Megatron's "Earth" robot mode bears a significant resemblance to Generation 1 [[Megatron (G1)#The Battlestars|Super Megatron]] from the ''Battlestars'' storyline, and thus, in turn, to his original G1 body. His alt-mode is a dual-rotored helicopter design, somewhat like an [[Incinerator (Movie)|Osprey]] [[Obsidian|helicopter]] or the [[Cobra]] Mamba. Its rotors form double-bladed swords. The fusion cannon is attached to the left arm out of the box, but it can be detached and put on either arm. It has wheels for use in vehicle mode, and if it is removed, then (undocumented) landing gear can be deployed to make up for the loss. Interestingly, it seems the alt-mode was originally intended to allow for the removal of the cannon without removal of the bottom half of the fuselage. With a fair amount of force the cannon can be popped off (and will reattach), but the cannon mount/fuselage lower half does not provide the front landing gear with sufficient clearance to fully extend. The toy has a [[Gimmick|voice chip]], activated by pressing the Decepticon symbol on his chest. If used in robot mode it says one of three quotes: "Crush the Autobots!", "Where is the AllSpark?", and (glorious) evil laughter. In helicopter mode it makes the sound of the rotors warming up, spinning, and powering down. When the cockpit is moved during transformation the classic G1/Animated [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] is heard. It is compatible with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] toy, but it does not change his quotes.

: The instructions leave a couple of things out. First, the shoulders should be pushed backwards/upwards for vehicle mode. This lowers the wings down and aligns the front of the engines with the back. Second, the barrel of the cannon can be rotated 180 degrees (at a separate pivot from the one at its base) for robot mode, to better match how it looks in the cartoon, with the red stripes facing his arm. Considering how padded the instructions are to mask the relatively simple transformation (two whole steps just to move the rear landing gear), leaving all this out is quite a feat. Bad Hasbro.

:There is no doubt whatsoever as to which end is the front and which is the back of his vehicle mode.

: The TakaraTomy version of the toy features a metallic silver and red paint job, and replaces the English voice clips with typically hammy Japanese ones by [[Norio Wakamoto]]: "I am Megatron" in Japanese and "Megatron, transform!" and "Fusion Cannon!" in [[Engrish]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/Megatron/megatron.htm More information on Leader Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|McDonalds}}

*'''Megatron''' (McDonald's Happy Meal Toys, 2008)

:This is a very simple representation of Megatron in his Earth form. It transforms by rotating the head, lying face down and flipping the arms onto the back. The robot mode seems to have taken priority in the design process, since the vehicle mode looks like his robot mode lying down. Megatron does not come with his signature arm cannon.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/McMegatron/megatron.htm More information on McDonald's Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}

[[Image:Megatronanimatedactivator.jpg|250px|thumb|"Transform and shrink down!"]]
*'''Megatron''' (Activators, 2008)

:Part of the fourth wave of [[Activators]], this version of Megatron is a very simplified, roughly-Basic-sized version of his Earth mode. His spring-loaded transformation from vehicle to robot mode is activated by a single switch on the back of his copter mode.

:Despite having a cannon on the bottom of his vehicle mode, he does not possess one on either arm in robot mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/ActMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Activators Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|ShadowBlade}}

[[Image:SBAniMegs..jpg|200px|thumb|I defy the Unicron Trilogy. Defy it, I say!]]
*'''Shadow Blade Megatron''' (Leader, 2008)

: A [[Black repaint|black]], grey and purple redeco of Megatron's leader class mold with a slight remolding to the tail... that's NOT called [[Megatron (Armada)/toys|Galvatron]]. YeabuhWHA?

:Surprisingly for a Hasbro produced redeco, Shadow Blade Megatron is cast entirely in black plastic with the exception of his translucent parts. His nose is not painted, so whenever his lights light up...his nose glows red.

: Many units of this figure have a slight molding problem that prevents him from actually moving his face when the Decepticon insignia is pressed. However, as many units are also unaffected, this may have been an inconsistent problem or corrected by a running change.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/SBMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Shadow Blade Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
{{anchor|FightOfStart}}
*'''Fight of Start''' (Deluxe 2-pack, 2010)
**''Accessories'': Missile
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-F'''

:For its Japanese release, "Battle Begins" Megatron was given a shinier metallic paint job (sans battle damage) and white-bordered Decepticon symbols, like the majority of the TakaraTomy ''Animated'' toys. The figure was only available in a 2-pack with a redecoed version of the Deluxe-scale CYBERTRON Mode Optimus Prime.

:The title of this set in Japanese is "hajimari no taiketsu" - which amounts to "the battle begins" when translated, but the back of the box chooses to render the phrase as "Fight of Start". [[Engrish|Oh well...]]

{{-}}{{anchor|GoldVersion}}
[[Image:AniDXMegsGoldVersion.jpg|thumb|250px| All that glitters is gold.]]
*'''Megatron Gold Version''' (Deluxe, 2011)
**''Accessories'': Missile

:A gold-chromed version of the Deluxe-class Battle Begins Megatron, Megatron Gold Version was made available to residents of Japan via a lottery. There were several ways to enter the drawing for him: one could clip out and send in a barcode from a single standard ''Animated'' toy or a single standard ''Autobot Alliance'' live action film series toy (or four EZ Collection barcodes), '''or''' send in 5 Sega Transformers trading cards, '''or''' cut out and send in the appropriate portion of the character cards included with volumes 4 or 5 of Paramount of Japan's ''Animated'' DVDs or the "[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge]] Greatest Hits" DVD. The entry period of the drawing was November 1st, 2010 to January 16th, 2011.

:Megatron Gold Version was limited to 1,000 pieces.

{{-}}

[[Image:MarauderMegatron.jpg|200px|thumb|Tonight, I dine on turtle soup!]]
*'''Marauder Megatron'''
**''Accessories:'' Missiles

:A mold of Megatron as a [[Triple Changer]] in the canceled fourth season. He has a jet mode and a tank mode, and his robot mode head has a muzzle-like plate over the mouth in a homage to ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] also based the design on [[Super Megatron|Super and Ultra Megatron]].[http://www.formspring.me/DerrickJWyatt/q/878717866]

{{canceledtoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:AnimatedMegatronMovieHat.jpg|150px|thumb|They moonlight as lawn darts.]]

[[Image:AnimatedMegatronAltmode.jpg|150px|thumb|"''That's'' a ship?!" "Who cares, as long as it flies."]]

[[Image:AniMegsKatana.jpg|thumb|150px|Where is my [[fusion cannon]]?! All Megatrons should have them! ALL OF THEM, I TELL YOU!!!]]

* Megatron's pre-Earth head has a rather pointed resemblance to the somewhat early head of 2007 movie's [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], which went unused in the actual movie but appeared on loads of promotional materials and merchandise. Also in common with Movie Megatron, ''Animated'' Megatron lay inert for many years while his technology was [[Sector Seven|reverse-engineered by humans]].

* He is, additionally, [[Megatron (BW)|not the only Megatron]] to spend time as [[Grand Mal|a giant, disembodied head]].

* Megatron's cannon makes the same sound as his [[Megatron (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]]'s weapon, except with additional effects mixed in to make it actually sound like a laser cannon and not a blender.

* Megatron's outer space alt mode, shown for all of 20 seconds, has ''two'' toy molds devoted to it. Though these "Cybertron mode" toys resemble each other, neither looks anything like the alt mode of the pre-Earth Megatron seen on the show.

* Megatron is the only one of the original 5 Decepticons in ''Animated'' actually to have a Cybertronian vehicle mode design. Although the others have different robot mode kibble before they scan their Earth modes, none of them had an alt-mode created. Having a toy helps. (This is in contrast to the Autobots, who all had Cybertronian-modes designed for them from the start, even if we didn't see them in the first episode.)

* Sumdac found Megatron's head intact in its original Cybertronian mode. The head housed in his lab, however, is essentially a damaged version of his Earth-mode head. Presumably, this change is the result of Sumdac's destructive tinkering and research over the fifty years Megatron was in stasis lock.

* According to ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The Allspark Almanac]]'', Megatron's Earth mode cockpit seats five.

* When he was a disembodied head, Megatron had a pupil in his right eye, similar to the Autobots. Once he regained his body, this never appeared again.

* An early image of Megatron's Earth body had slight differences from the finished product, most notably the lack of a fusion cannon and the presence of a katana instead of his twin swords. This image originally appeared as part of an Amazon.com listing for [[Transformers Animated Volume 2|volume 2]] of [[IDW Publishing]]'s screenshot-based ''[[Transformers Animated (IDW Publishing)|Transformers Animated]]'' adaption series.

* In the initial planning phases of the never-greenlit fourth season, Megatron would have broken out of prison on Cybertron and become a [[Triple Changer]], as detailed in the ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The Allspark Almanac II]]''.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Megatron''' (メガトロン ''Megatoron'')

[[Category:Animated Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Fast food exclusives]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]

Megatron (Animated)

2012-01-31T02:39:54Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformers Animated: The Game */

{{factions|decepticon|hofsilver}}{{disambig3|Megatron}}
:''Megatron is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Megatronanimated.jpg|300px|thumb|An insult to G1, we swear!]]
If you were to ask '''Megatron''' to describe himself in one word, he'd probably go with "heroic". He sees himself as a freedom fighter, [[Decepticon leader#Animated|leading]] the Decepticons out of the days of "[[Autobot]] tyranny". The fact he's hoping to replace that with Decepticon tyranny isn't really a concern. A fanatic at [[spark]], he revels in every Autobot who suffers at Decepticon hands and doesn't register humans as anything more than "collateral damage."

Megatron demands loyalty from the Decepticons, loyalty he gains by his awe-inspiring power. With the combined threat of a sharp mind, his [[fusion cannon]], a pair of deadly swords and simple brute strength, there aren't many who'd dare cross him. Still, he has no problem manhandling troops as a gentle reminder.

The loss of his body and former power was only a minor setback for him, as Megatron proved a master manipulator. He effortlessly duped [[Isaac Sumdac]] into helping him—and once Megatron was restored to full power, he turned the tables on his old captor.

He is extremely intolerant of treachery and deals with [[Starscream (Animated)|said treacherous bots]] with a vicious no-nonsense efficiency, [[Megatron (G1)|unlike other Decepticon leaders]]. He is also a shrewd strategist who effortlessly [[Scrapper (Animated)|wraps]] [[Mixmaster (Animated)|others]] around his fingers.

{{bigquote|Decepticons... ''transform and rise up!''|Megatron puts a new twist on [[Roll out|an old saying]]|"[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (English), [[Norio Wakamoto]] (Japanese), [[Jan Spitzer]] (German), [[Mirosław Neinert]] (Polish), [[Raffaele Farina]] (Italian), [[Afonso Amajones]] (Portuguese), [[Mario Santander]] (Latin American Spanish, season 1 and 2), [[Alexander Páez]] (Latin American Spanish, season 3), [[Song Junseok]] (Korean)

[[Image:Megatron Cybertron.jpg|left|thumb|Pointier than thou.]]
''Eons ago, Megatron overthrew the [[Decepticon|Decepticon]] leader [[Megazarak (Animated)|Megazarak]] and took control of the faction for himself. He gave speeches and wrote manifestos calling for the Decepticons to rise up and take control of both Cybertron and the [[AllSpark]] from the Autobots. Finally, on the [[Cycle of Infamy]], he took the Decepticons from mere rhetoric to outright war.''

''The Decepticons overran Autobot space but the Autobots under [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] had one major advantage—[[space bridge]] technology, which allowed them to move about the galaxy more easily. The Decepticon advance ground to a halt.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} However, Megatron's forces continued to fight on until the Autobots sent the AllSpark through the space bridge to random coordinates. Realizing that the AllSpark was the key to defeating the Autobots, Megatron abandoned the Cybertron theater and began searching the galaxy aboard his massive flagship, the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]''. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} With the war going badly after this, Megatron tried a last-ditch attempt with the [[False Calm]] and sent his troops at sub-light speeds to Cybertron, but this failed and the Decepticons were finally forced to agree to an armistice and exile. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

[[Image:TFA TARO Decepticons attention.JPG|175px|thumb|He's not planning on shaking Prime's hand...he's going to tear it off.]] However, Megatron continued to search for the AllSpark. Four million years later, the ''Nemesis's'' crew discovered a [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|small Autobot repair vessel]] after detecting the AllSpark. When [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] volunteered to attack, Megatron saw his ambitions all too clearly, and pointedly remarked that he wasn't about to let four million solar cycles of searching for the AllSpark end with Starscream getting his greasy wings on it. No, Megatron would strike the Autobot ship and take the AllSpark himself. Just prior to his departure, Starscream approached him again, ostensibly to wish him luck, but actually to place an overload device on his leader's back. This device went off just as Megatron's fusion cannon was about to breach the hull of the Autobots' ship. The Autobot crew managed to steer the now-failing ship through an asteroid field and into a nearby [[space bridge]].

With the ship now plummeting through the Earth's atmosphere, a wounded Megatron still managed to thrash the crew soundly and nearly claimed the AllSpark. Quick thinking on the part of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] sent the Decepticon leader out the cargo hatch and into free fall. Megatron [[Megatron (Movie)|fell from the sky]] and crashed in Paw Paw, Michigan, where his head (and later, a hand) was found by a young [[Isaac Sumdac]].

Over the next fifty years, Sumdac built a robotics empire by reverse-engineering Megatron's components, while, Megatron's inert head remained secretly in Sumdac's private lab, the source of the human's engineering genius and also a secret shame. Megatron's severed hand was there as well, used by Sumdac as a piece of furniture. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

[[Image:AniMegsHead-TransformAndRollout.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Hey Megatron, don't lose your... oh.]]
After the Autobots re-awoke, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] used her [[AllSpark Key]] to sneak into her father's lab. He stopped her from seeing anything it contained, but the AllSpark energy from the Key was absorbed by Megatron's head, reawakening his spark and bringing him back online. Confused and disoriented, he automatically brought up video footage of Starscream and the Autobots, footage in which Starscream admitted to his treachery. Furious both at Starscream's betrayal and the fact he didn't have the hands to reach out and take the AllSpark which was finally within his grasp, he released a burst of energy which activated a small drone Dr. Sumdac had been working on. Megatron thus realized he could control the extremely primitive (by his standards) technology around him. Learning Sari was going to spend the night at the Autobot base, he secreted his drone into her backpack. Once she arrived, Megatron sent the drone to look for the AllSpark, but his search was fruitless. He decided to try a simpler method: Kill the Autobots and extract the data from their lifeless corpses. Interfacing with the factory's assembly line, he attacked. As the Autobots fought back, he decided to cut out the middleman and knocked a hole in a fuel tank. [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] realized the factory was working via motion sensors and managed to get close to the control panel. To counter him, Megatron simply took over the factory arms and snatched up Prowl. However, he failed to stop [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], due to the primitive tools he was forced to use. With his plans foiled, Megatron was out of patience, refusing to work through these worthless proxy machines. He needed a body, which meant it was time to provide some more advanced technology to Sumdac... {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

Megatron soon revealed to Isaac that he still functioned and, when Isaac guessed he was a friend of the Autobots, Megatron played along. He persuaded Isaac to keep his existence secret until Isaac had built him a new body, as then the Autobots would be more forgiving of how Isaac had reverse-engineered their friend. Megatron then helped construct the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], deliberately programming them to go on a rampage and building fire-breath into them as a prototype for a planned army of drones. When they were defeated, Megatron despaired he might never gain a new body, but upon discovering they'd been turned into sentient Transformers, he quickly convinced them that cars, trucks and "[[Autobot|car robots]]" were evil beings that ate the fossil fuels supposedly derived from dinosaurs.

During their second rampage, Isaac realized Megatron had deliberately built weapons into the Dinobots. The tyrant feigned shame, saying he'd added experimental features out of a desire to have a body again. Isaac promised not to tell the Autobots and that Megatron would have a body again one day... {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

[[Image:TFA Nanosec Sumdac Megatron chill.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Rub it in, why don't you?]]
Soon, Dr. Sumdac began attempting to build him some new servos, but these proved inadequate. Megatron revealed that his body would need [[Destronium]] to work, but Isaac responded there was only a small amount available and that it would have to be delivered across town in less than 10 minutes or it would become unstable. Taking notice of an experimental turbo suit Sumdac's labs were developing (with flaws that possibly precluded Isaac considering it as a solution), Megatron manipulated computer systems so the suit was delivered to small-time hood [[Nanosec|Nino Sexton]]. Once Sexton began using the suit to commit crimes too quickly to be stopped, Megatron contacted him with an offer of much money out of Dr. Sumdac's private account if Sexton used the suit to steal and deliver the Destronium. Between Autobot interference and the suit aging him prematurely, Sexton failed. Worse, the Destronium was energized to a critical level, risking an explosion that would destroy [[Detroit]]. The Autobots barely managed to send the Destronium sample into the upper atmosphere before it exploded, and they were left to wonder why a human had tried to steal it in the first place. {{storylink|Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec}}

After Megatron learned of the power of Sari's AllSpark Key and the careless nature in which she used it, he attempted to trick her into assisting him. He designed [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], a musical toy that was secretly meant to grow more powerful every time Sari used the Key upon it, until eventually it would be a suitable robotic body for Megatron himself. When the Key instead brought Soundwave to independent life, Megatron changed his plan and, with convincing logic, recruited Soundwave as a Decepticon warrior. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

When [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] arrived on Earth, Megatron, remembering Starscream's betrayal, was hesitant to act. After witnessing a battle between his soldiers and the Autobots, Megatron concluded that Blitzwing was too unstable, but Lugnut was genuinely loyal. He contacted Lugnut only, instructing him to locate the AllSpark, which would help restore him. Later, he also informed Lugnut about the Key. Unfortunately, Lugnut and Blitzwing were defeated and damaged by the Autobots, severing Lugnut's link with Megatron—and Megatron's only link to the outside world. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

[[Image:Sumdac megatron%27s body.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Yeah, it's a fixer-upper.]]
Although Megatron himself was not mentally involved, his headless body was infected with [[space barnacles]], causing the barnacles to mutate into a semi-sentient form. After absorbing two mining bots and attacking a [[Sparkplug (Animated human)|miner]], it was defeated by Bumblebee and Prowl. Later, the body was discovered (minus space barnacles) by Isaac Sumdac and most likely brought back to his laboratory. Sumdac remarked that Megatron would be ''very'' pleased with the find... {{storylink|Nature Calls}}

[[Image:MegRisingRebuilt.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't call it a comeback; I've been here for years.]] Sumdac attempted to rebuild Megatron, but progress was slowed by a power failure. Frustrated, Megatron again contacted Lugnut and ordered him to bring him the AllSpark Key. This communication triggered Starscream's curiosity, and the treacherous jet located Megatron. Starscream didn't have time to <s>finish his speech</s> slay Megatron before he was distracted by the Autobots—and Megatron used that distraction to take Starscream by surprise and eject him from the lab. When Blitzwing and Lugnut arrived with the Key, Megatron revealed his true identity to his human "friend". Sumdac, seized by the mechanical hand he had so long used as a chair, could only watch and wail in horror as the Decepticon tyrant used the power of the AllSpark to reconstruct himself, more powerful than ever. Finally restored, he burst through the roof of [[Sumdac Tower]], to the horror of the Autobots and Starscream, ready to unleash his vengeance on all of them. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

[[Image:PayThePiper.JPG|200px|left|thumb|"Will anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?"]] Megatron's revenge was quick and brutal. Trashing the Autobots in short order, he called his Decepticons to him. As Starscream bootlicked, Megatron powered up his fusion cannon to destroy the one responsible for his defeat—then used the AllSpark Key to send a painful power surge through Starscream, extinguishing the traitor's spark and reinforcing his authority over Blitzwing and Lugnut. He commanded them to "transform and rise up," and the three Decepticons took to the sky, using the Key to track the AllSpark.

[[Image:Megatron Rising 2 All Spark Megs boom.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This is not good...]] Finding it aboard the Autobots' ship, the Decepticons caused the ship to crash on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], where Megatron proceeded to beat the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of Optimus Prime. Getting into the ship, Megatron removed the AllSpark from its casing and placed it in his chest, preparing to devastate Earth before conquering Cybertron. However, Professor Sumdac used his knowledge of Megatron's circuitry to disrupt his equilibrium sensors, causing Megatron to drop the AllSpark Key. Optimus Prime used the Key to force a surge of power through the AllSpark within Megatron, causing it to explode and disperse its energy.

And yet, it was not a total loss for Megatron; despite the damage, he escaped and managed to abduct Sumdac. Once again, their fates were intertwined, only this time Sumdac was Megatron's prisoner. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

Establishing a base deep underground in a mine, Megatron quickly adjusted his plans after the loss of the AllSpark. During his battle aboard the Autobot ship, he had managed to download a partial [[space bridge]] schematic from their computers. He planned to use the space bridge to teleport himself, Lugnut, and Blitzwing to Cybertron, then conquer the planet from within. To facilitate this plan, Megatron used the captive Professor Sumdac to reverse-engineer the space bridge and fill in the "gaps" within the schematics. However, when a service bot suddenly malfunctioned, it was revealed that a shard of the AllSpark was embedded within it. This gave Megatron hope that the AllSpark was not destroyed, but dispersed throughout the city of Detroit. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

[[Image:Swordscream.JPG|200px|left|thumb|Yes, Starscream, and we'll keep doing it until you get it right!]]
Finding out about the AllSpark fragments, however, didn't seem to result in any changes in his plans. Megatron received word from a spy that the Decepticons had begun making random assaults on the Autobots. He realized that they needed to make a concentrated effort in order to secure his victory. He had Lugnut and Blitzwing steal a tachyon transmitter from the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] so he could send his message, but was interrupted during his transmission by a revived Starscream. After quickly beating him to a pulp, Megatron relayed his commands to the spacefaring 'Cons, only to be repeatedly attacked by a seemingly invincible Starscream. The renegade even attempted to draw Megatron out with an AllSpark fragment. Megatron emerged victorious every time and was informed by his spy that all was going as planned: With his [[Decepticon Uprisings|forces now drawing the Autobots away from Cybertron]], Megatron could attack a weakened Cybertron from within as soon as his space bridge was completed. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

Later, while at the Decepticon base, Lugnut detected an AllSpark energy signal emanating from Detroit. Megatron quickly dispatched Lugnut to retrieve the AllSpark shard before the Autobots could. Lugnut proceeded to praise his master's "grand and glorious plan", but Megatron, fed up with the adulation to the point of involuntary optic-twitching, curtly commanded his enforcer to get going. {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

[[Image:RiseoftheConstructicons-Megatron%27sprivateblend.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Gentlemen, to evil.]]
When Lugnut and Blitzwing brought the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructobots]] back to base, Megatron saw the advantage of keeping them alive, and he invited them to have a look at his space bridge schematics. Impressed by their knowledge, he decided to put them to work stealing supplies. After an encounter with [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], the Constructobots became convinced of "the funny guy's" less-than-noble intentions, and they returned to the mine to confront him. Megatron calmly slammed them both against a rock face and asked them to explain. He feigned shock and brought them in to discuss things over his own private oil blend. Megatron showed himself to be a bit of an oil connoisseur, possessing stylish little goblets for it made of twisted oil drums, as well as a secret stash of top-quality oil and a chamber to drink it in. Megatron spoke of the glories they could achieve as Constructicons: the adulation, the statues in their honor...the barrels of oil they could down. Ever the shrewd worker, it didn't take much for him to convince them to join up, and he promptly sent them to the Autobot base to retrieve the AllSpark fragments. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

[[Image:Rise Constructicons Megatron what.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Constructicons say WHAAAAAT?]]
When Starscream escaped from the Elite Guard's ship, Megatron received [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]]'s alert to the Autobots thanks to the stolen tachyon transmitter. Megatron had placed a bounty on the traitor, and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (with the unknowing aid of Prowl) pretty much took the opportunity to bring him to the Decepticon leader. Lockdown contacted Megatron to confirm that he had captured a purple-ish "Starscream" (who was acting quite odd and cowardly) and agreed to meet at an abandoned warehouse for the exchange. As "Starscream" was brought to Megatron, Prowl, who was hiding on a rafter high above, accidentally scuffed a small bolt, which grabbed the Decepticons' attention. Not too long after, the Autobots appeared with another, different-colored Starscream. Megatron intercepted Lockdown's escape and announced confusedly that no one was to leave until they found out which was the true Starscream. However, it turned out that both Starscreams were clones with bombs in their [[spark]] chambers designed to destroy Megatron and the Autobots in one go. Quickly thinking up a plan, Megatron and the other Decepticons transformed and escaped forcibly through the ceiling. However, Prowl used the upgrades given to him by Lockdown to send the [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]] into the air, not too far from the fleeing Decepticons, when the bombs exploded. It is unknown if they were wounded, but Megatron later raised the bounty on Starscream—insisting on the ''real'' one this time. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}}

He was later contacted by [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], who attempted to sell him a new weapon. Nothing came of this, as Swindle was defeated before the deal could be closed. {{storylink|SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy}} Megatron also made some ''"secret"'' transmissions to his [[Shockwave (Animated)|double agent]] on Cybertron in order to settle his new plans for the coming Autobot-Decepticon war. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Megatron Sumdac Hostage.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Did I tell you about the time I killed the cult leader?"]]
Megatron's plans finally seemed on the verge of fruition when Sumdac and the Constructicons completed the space bridge. However, some vital technical aspects made it inoperable. In order to remedy this, Megatron contacted Shockwave to learn who was Cybertron's leading [[Space bridge technician]], which turned out to be the Autobot Bulkhead. Not wishing to leave Doctor Sumdac alone to sabotage the Constructicons' efforts, Megatron took him along as a hostage while he went to capture Bulkhead. Once he had the big Autobot in custody, Megatron threatened to use the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit on him if he didn't help make the space bridge operational. To Megatron's satisfaction, Bulkhead agreed and finished the project. Just as the machine was activated, both the Autobots and Starscream and his clone army attacked. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

The three-way free-for-all ironically forced Megatron and Optimus Prime to team up temporarily, but this quickly ended when Megatron used Prime's body as a shield against one of Starscream's clone's attacks. Despite putting up a decent resistance, Megatron was overwhelmed and held down by two of the Starscream clones. As the original Starscream gloated, he was head-jacked by Isaac Sumdac in the Headmaster unit. Sumdac prepared to fight Megatron himself, but Megatron simply used his strength to throw the two Starscream clones at him, knocking off the Headmaster unit and proving himself the victor. With Starscream incapacitated, the clones sided with Megatron. He then made his own victory speech to his soldiers, declaring he would send Optimus Prime through the bridge to test it. However, the Autobots got some [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|reinforcements]]. Megatron quickly ordered the majority of his forces to deal with this new menace while the Constructicons cleared the space bridge area of rubble. Grabbing Optimus, Megatron threw him into the portal, but was frustrated when Prowl freed his leader in the nick of time, at which point the bridge shut down. Bulkhead declared the power source wasn't strong enough to maintain the link for long, so Megatron grabbed Starscream's AllSpark-powered head to maintain the gateway. However, this provided too much power, sending the space bridge portal out of control. An enraged Megatron decided to terminate Optimus Prime, only for Optimus to slap [[stasis cuffs]] on him, causing him to lose his grip and fall into the portal.

[[Image:TFA ABTC2 Megatron Screamer End.jpg|200px|left|thumb|"Stop staring at me!"]]
With the overload having deleted the space bridge's receiving coordinates, the defeated Megatron was transported to some unknown sector of space. Still immobilized by the stasis cuffs, Megatron's only companion was now Starscream's head, which a cruel twist of Fate had deposited right next to him. Forced to remain face to face with his traitorous ex-lieutenant, Megatron could only trade verbal blows. A most cruel fate, indeed. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

After their bickering subsided, Starscream began trying to free Megatron from the stasis cuffs, but having no body was a hindrance. Megatron was only freed when Starscream revealed a previously unseen weapon from his mouth. Before they could react, Omega Supreme appeared, offline. Getting aboard him, Megatron was captured by Omega, but was able to convince the simple processor possessing behemoth to take him to Cybertron to face a war crimes tribunal. However, Omega Supreme's attempt to transwarp to Cybertron left them somewhere else in space, but did drain Omega for the time being. Initially disgusted that he was trapped aboard the cause of the Decepticons defeat, as well without his weapons and only Starscream for company, Megatron soon realized that if he could reprogram Omega to serve him, he would be a great advantage.

Managing to hotwire the Autobot with the stasis cuffs and Starscream's AllSpark charged head, Megatron contacted Shockwave to give him a status report on the Earth space bridge. However, the situation was worse than Megatron realized: not only was the space bridge network shut down, but the Earth Autobots could expose Shockwave at any moment. Although Omega Supreme provided an advantage that could end both problems, Megatron decided that the space bridge invasion plan was a failure, and issued a fleet wide stand down order. Heading to Earth, Megatron attempted to use Omega to destroy the Autobots (even though he couldn't remember their names). However, Prowl and Optimus Prime managed to board Omega and sever Megatron's control over him. Unfortunately, Starscream managed to gain control over Omega Supreme, capturing Megatron again. Ever the manipulator, Megatron convinced Starscream that his time would be better spent conquering Cybertron. However, the Autobots managed to install the [[plasma dynamic thruster]] from Megatron's space bridge into Omega Supreme, sending Omega and the two Decepticons aboard warping through space randomly. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Lugnut Megatron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Don't you just hate it when fanboys keep following you?]]
Later, as Lugnut was floating through space following his half-successful escape from the Elite Guard flagship, Omega Supreme transwarped to directly in front of him and he smashed into the bridge window. When Starscream asked Megatron if they were picking up hitchhickers, Megatron simply slapped his head of its position. That was for asking stupid questions.. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

Soon thereafter, Megatron gained control of Omega Supreme's transforming mechanism, and by detaching the plasma dynamic thruster was also able to direct their transwarp jumps; however, he could not get the weapons online without the proper access codes. Megatron brought the ship to Cybertron, where they could do little but float helplessly in the air; Megatron reasoned—correctly—that the Autobots would not dare fire on their own most famous weapon (though [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel "Magnus"]] sure wanted to). Megatron ordered Shockwave to hurry up his search for the access codes; once Shockwave successfully abducted Arcee and boarded the ship, they transwarped into Earth orbit right before Sentinel opened fire. Megatron welcomed Shockwave aboard as his "most loyal" servant, to the great concern of Lugnut. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

Now on the moon, Megatron commanded Shockwave to extract the access codes from Arcee's mind. When Starscream re-attached his head to another clone body, Megatron pursued him and destroyed all the remaining clones, teasing Starscream for having always thought on a small scale. Megatron's ultimate plans for the protoforms aboard the ''Nemesis'' was to use them to create his own clone fleet of Omega Supremes — based on the personality template of his ''truly'' most loyal minion, Lugnut. That part of the plan went just fine, but Shockwave was still unable to get Arcee to do his bidding — perhaps because although she was fooled by his Longarm Prime persona, she saw the evil Megatron standing right behind him and refused to cooperate. After a few technical bypasses put Lugnut in mental command of the "[[Lugnut Supreme]]" fleet, Megatron ordered his new weapons to test their skills by destroying the Earthbound Autobots. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

[[Image:TFA-Endgame-PanAcrossEveryone.jpg|left|thumb|240px|...No Comment]]
Observing from within one of the Lugnut Supremes, Megatron's first target for destruction was his former prison, Sumdac Tower. But when the tower's forcefield proved impenetrable and Optimus Prime was able to destroy one of the Lugnut Supremes and severely damage the other two by using the [[Magnus Hammer]], Megatron settled on a new plan: destroying everything that wasn't him. He flew cover over the advancing Lugnut Supremes, directly engaging Optimus Prime (at first mistaken for [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], then dismissed as a [[knockoff|"cheap imitation"]]) so Prime would not again be able to use the Magnus Hammer on the giants. As their combat raged on, Megatron was at last able to remember Optimus Prime's name, to Prime's bitter enjoyment. The two were later trapped within a prison of Allspark energy — meant to seal in the timebomb that Starscream had secretly placed in one of the Lugnut Supremes — and Megatron reasoned that even if he himself had to die, he could at least kill Prime first. But Prowl's ghost was having none of that, and Megatron soon found himself left alone to be blown up. Though massively damaged, he survived this and turned to attack the Autobots once more. He was quickly defeated by Optimus Prime, and when Megatron then invited Prime to kill him, Prime retorted that that would be "the easy way out," which Megatron did not deserve. Megatron was placed in [[stasis cuffs]] and arrested, then brought back to Cybertron and displayed as a prisoner before the cheering Autobot masses. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

If [[Cyclonus (Animated)|Cyclonus]] is to be believed, Megatron would have become '''Galvatron''' in the future and kill [[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]] . {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

===''Quest for the AllSpark''===
Megatron took to hanging around online using the alias "Meg A. Tron". Masquerading thusly, he was able to recruit the unwitting help of [[Heinz Von Furstwartz|Professor Heinz Von Furstwartz]] in his scheme to sow confusion amongst the Autobots and get hold of the AllSpark. He was also able to take control of Detroit's legion of robot workers, forcing the Autobots to enact an elaborate plan to keep the AllSpark safe. {{storylink|Quest for the AllSpark}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Image:MegatronTitan23.jpg|right|180px|thumb|"NIXON'S BAAACK!"]]

Apart from showing interest in the activities of [[Quake-Maker]], {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout!}} Megatron seemed idle... but what the Autobots were unaware of was that he'd constructed a Spark-less drone unit, [[Afterburn]], as a prototype of a future army, and then sent Afterburn off to spy on the Autobots.

He not only received repeated communications from his spy, but gained directions to the Autobot base! Megatron entered with explosive results {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Divebomb}} and then ''killed'' Afterburn while rubbing [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s nose in it. He proceeded to summon the other Decepticons and thrash most of the Autobots with ease, making some really bad puns along the way, only stopped when [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] secretly got him buried under a crane. Starscream then "saved" him, making Megatron think he'd turned over a new leaf and thus giving him temporary command until he got better. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

{{-}}
===Animated shorts===
[[Image:MockMegs-bunny.jpg|thumb|left|200px|If only [[Cyclonus (Animated)|he]] was around to see this]]
While Megatron gave an inspirational speech to his Decepticons (which seemed to be very similar to [[Mission Accomplished|another message]] he'd sent out), Starscream proceeded to make fun of him behind his back—making faces, giving Megatron bunny ears, and shaking his butt at his leader. Megatron was suspicious of Starscream's actions, but each time he turned to look, his lieutenant was standing there innocently, doing nothing unseemly. Megatron apparently decided to let it go, as did the other Decepticons (even Lugnut), until he finally caught Starscream in mid-heckle and dealt with him by blasting him through a wall. {{storylink|Starscream Heckles Megatron}}
{{-}}

===''The Cool'' comic===
[[Image:TheCoolMegatronChokesPrime01.jpg|thumb|300px|right|All aboard the Crazy Train! ''Toot! Toot!'']]

Stumbling across Optimus Prime's band of Autobots, who had recently discovered the long-lost Allspark, Megatron pursued the Space Bridge repair crew relentlessly, even after they lost the rest of Megatron's band of Decepticons by going through a Space Bridge gate. Having invaded the Autobot's ship, he beat down the entirety of its crew, save for their leader. Though already having all-but lost an arm in combat when he confronted Optimus, Megatron engaged in vicious melee combat, gloating all-the-while that the Universe would be under his possession when the Allspark would be in his possession. Defiantly, Optimus managed to expulse Megatron from the ship's cargo bay door as the vessel was plummeting though the Earth's atmosphere, reducing the mighty Decepticon to a smoldering head, to be discovered by a young boy...{{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 3}}

At some point, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] double-crossed Megatron and attempted to kill him. Unbeknownst to anyone, Megatron's head survived his destruction and had hooked into [[Detroit]]'s closed-circuit video surveillance system. Following the dispersion of the [[AllSpark]] (and Starscream's apparent demise), Megatron became intrigued by [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] [[AllSpark Key|key]] after she used it to bring [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] back to life. Interests piqued, Megatron declared the time was right to initiate the next phase of his operation. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 2}}

Megatron eventually got his hands on the key and used its power to revive himself. After killing Starscream, Megatron engaged Optimus Prime in a sword-to-axe duel. The outcome of that fight is unknown, though apparently the Autobots survived the day. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 5}}

Megatron later hired [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to capture the (somehow still alive) Starscream. Lockdown mistakenly captured [[Clone number 3370318|Clone #3370318]], instead, while the Autobots captured [[Clone number 2716057|Clone #2716057]]. Megatron was met with both clones at his meeting place in a warehouse and demanded to know why there were ''two'' Starscreams. When the clones turned out to be bombs, Megatron attempted to flee in helicopter mode, only to be chased down by the explosives after [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] attached a pair of rockets to them. Megatron screamed in confusion as he was caught in the explosion. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 6}}

With the [[space bridge#Animated cartoon|Space Bridge]] nearly completed, Megatron was caught off-guard by a surprise attack from Optimus Prime and the Autobots. Clashing sword with Prime's axe, Megatron arrogantly told the Autobot he could never win, though his efforts were amusing. Megatron was then met by a second surprise: an attack by Starscream and his [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Clone Army]]. Megatron was forced to fight side by side with Optimus, but quickly dissolved the partnership when he use Prime as a shield to block one of [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]]'s shots. Dropping Prime's smoking body, Megatron informed all listening that the universe belonged to him. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 7}}

Megatron then installed the severed head of Starscream into the Space Bridge in order to power it with his AllSpark fragment. The fragment proved ''too'' powerful and caused the Space Bridge to overload. Optimus, recovered, took Megatron's distraction as an opportunity to defeat the villain once and for all. Slapping a pair of stasis cuffs on him, Optimus kicked Megatron in the jaw and sent him hurtling into the vortex. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 8}}

Megatron found himself warped to the same coordinates as Starscream's head and Omega Supreme. Megatron attempted to use Starscream's [[spark]] to jumpstart Omega Supreme, but the plan backfired and Starscream took control of Omega's systems. Starscream sized Megatron in his giant hand and, taunting him, returned to [[Earth]] for vengeance against the Autobots. Megatron would not be so easily defeated, however, and breaking free, teamed with Optimus Prime to sever Starscream's connection to Omega. That dealt with, Megatron and Optimus then agreed to end their rivalry with a final battle. Flying off into the sky, the enemies clashed sword with hammer. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 9}}

Megatron found himself outmatched by Optimus's Wingblade and Magnus Hammer, however, and chose to even the odds by blasting his foe with his fusion cannon, powered by Starscream's AllSpark fragment! The blast blew Optimus to pieces, but just to be sure, Megatron impaled his foe through the [[spark]] chamber with his sword, anyway. Optimus refused to be beaten and absorbed the power of the AllSpark fragment into himself... somehow. Repaired and now apparently invincible, Prime mopped the floor with Megatron. The defeated [[Emperor of Destruction]] was then carted back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in shackles. {{storylink|The Cool Episode Final}}

==Games==
===Transformers Animated: The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (English)
[[Image:TFAnimated Game Megatron.jpg|thumb|left|126px|Helmet design brought to you by Lego.]]
After completing a space bridge terminal in his hidden mine base on [[Earth]], Megatron began to prepare to attack Cybertron. He hired [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to collect [[AllSpark]] fragments to power his Space Bridge and obtained enough to do so, however while he was in the process of powering it up, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s team found the base and attacked him. Though he boasted he could beat them easily without the use of weapons, they used an electromagnet to defeat him, and he was forced to escape by transwarping to Cybertron.

There, he was able to take control of some of the planet's defense systems, driving the Autobots away from the Space Bridge Nexus, and sent out a message ordering his forces to take control of the Space Bridges around the rim of the galaxy. [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] soon reported that they'd captured more than a dozen Space Bridges. Before Megatron could take control of the nexus, Optimus's team caught up with him. Commandeering some of the defense systems, they managed to defeat him. Growling that the Decepticons would rise again, Megatron transwarped out to parts unknown. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The Game}}

===Transformers Battle Universe===

At the edge of time, when the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] needed a new host, Megatron was among several warriors (and [[Megatron]]s) summoned from the multiverse to battle for control of the prize. {{storylink|Transformers Battle Universe}}

{{--}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Deluxe BattleBegins Megatron toy.jpg|250px|thumb|SPAAAACE ROOOAAACH!]]
*'''Optimus Prime vs. Megatron: The Battle Begins''' (Entertainment Pack, 2008)
**''Accessories'': Missile

: Transforms into a sleek spacecraft with, er, VTOL turbofans (presumably designed to show some lineage with his eventual helicopter mode. It's best if you don't think about it too hard). Megatron's signature fusion cannon forms the central chassis and cockpit section of the spacecraft (officially, a "Fusion Fighter"); his sword sections mount on the sides of the cannon for storage, though the blade is unremovable and effectively useless. Like the [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] figure he comes with, he features a punching gimmick, having a spring-loaded waist that snaps back when twisted. Unfortunately, Megatron's balljoint hips and the swivel joints between his thighs and knees are rather loose, making it difficult to pose the figure in such a way that he stands on his own. The figure features a silver color scheme and battle damage paint applications. Also included was [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video#Pack-in disc|a DVD]] featuring the first episode of ''Transformers Animated''.

:The design makes it tricky to tell which end of his Fusion Fighter is the front and which is the back.

:This toy was also released in a 2-pack with Prowl as a Wal*Mart [[exclusive]] (see below).

:If you want to be pedantic about it, the battle implied by the battle-pack pairing is technically a timeline impossibility, insofar as it depicts Cybertron Mode Megatron versus Earth Mode Optimus. It is also [[scale]]d incorrectly, as Megatron was shown as being notably larger than Optimus in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/BattleBeginsMegatron/megatron.htm More information on "The Battle Begins" Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VoyagerCybMode}}

[[Image:Animated megatron voyager.jpg|250px|thumb|Curse you, Earth's atmosphere!]]
*'''CYBERTRON Mode Megatron''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-06'''
**''Accessories'': Missile

: A larger, bulkier, more detailed, and more gimmick-laden iteration of the same character design used in the deluxe-scaled versus pack toy. Note that while both modes of both toys look very similar, they have different transformation mechanisms and are not a simple upscaling/downscaling of each other. Where the deluxe version is straight silver, this version has a pearl-gray paint scheme. The figure features an [[automorph]] gimmick in the chest, which closes like a clamshell in transforming to robot mode. A second automorph gimmick is built into the energon blades on the cannon, swinging them into place to form a polearm. Red translucent plastic is heavily used throughout the figure, including in the light piping for the head and the missile for the spring-loaded cannon. Even his ''fingers'' are made of energon, it seems.

:This toy apparently had a safety modification done late on in the design process (late enough that it doesn't show up on the instructions), possibly as a result of drop test failure. The strut that holds his fusion cannon has been reinforced, and as a result, his cannon cannot be mounted flush against his arm. It is also noted that his cannon easily pops off.

:As with the smaller figure above, it's not obvious exactly what end is the front of his spaceship mode. Neither orientation really matches up to the version seen in the show, which had the fusion cannon mounted in a way that's impossible with both toys.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/VoyagerMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Cybertron Mode Megatron at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|Leader}}

[[Image:Animated megatron leader.jpg|250px|thumb|"I kill you till you're dead!"]]
*'''Megatron''' (Leader, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-26'''
**''Accessories'' Missile, 2 rotor-swords

: Megatron's "Earth" robot mode bears a significant resemblance to Generation 1 [[Megatron (G1)#The Battlestars|Super Megatron]] from the ''Battlestars'' storyline, and thus, in turn, to his original G1 body. His alt-mode is a dual-rotored helicopter design, somewhat like an [[Incinerator (Movie)|Osprey]] [[Obsidian|helicopter]] or the [[Cobra]] Mamba. Its rotors form double-bladed swords. The fusion cannon is attached to the left arm out of the box, but it can be detached and put on either arm. It has wheels for use in vehicle mode, and if it is removed, then (undocumented) landing gear can be deployed to make up for the loss. Interestingly, it seems the alt-mode was originally intended to allow for the removal of the cannon without removal of the bottom half of the fuselage. With a fair amount of force the cannon can be popped off (and will reattach), but the cannon mount/fuselage lower half does not provide the front landing gear with sufficient clearance to fully extend. The toy has a [[Gimmick|voice chip]], activated by pressing the Decepticon symbol on his chest. If used in robot mode it says one of three quotes: "Crush the Autobots!", "Where is the AllSpark?", and (glorious) evil laughter. In helicopter mode it makes the sound of the rotors warming up, spinning, and powering down. When the cockpit is moved during transformation the classic G1/Animated [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] is heard. It is compatible with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] toy, but it does not change his quotes.

: The instructions leave a couple of things out. First, the shoulders should be pushed backwards/upwards for vehicle mode. This lowers the wings down and aligns the front of the engines with the back. Second, the barrel of the cannon can be rotated 180 degrees (at a separate pivot from the one at its base) for robot mode, to better match how it looks in the cartoon, with the red stripes facing his arm. Considering how padded the instructions are to mask the relatively simple transformation (two whole steps just to move the rear landing gear), leaving all this out is quite a feat. Bad Hasbro.

:There is no doubt whatsoever as to which end is the front and which is the back of his vehicle mode.

: The TakaraTomy version of the toy features a metallic silver and red paint job, and replaces the English voice clips with typically hammy Japanese ones by [[Norio Wakamoto]]: "I am Megatron" in Japanese and "Megatron, transform!" and "Fusion Cannon!" in [[Engrish]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/Megatron/megatron.htm More information on Leader Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|McDonalds}}

*'''Megatron''' (McDonald's Happy Meal Toys, 2008)

:This is a very simple representation of Megatron in his Earth form. It transforms by rotating the head, lying face down and flipping the arms onto the back. The robot mode seems to have taken priority in the design process, since the vehicle mode looks like his robot mode lying down. Megatron does not come with his signature arm cannon.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/McMegatron/megatron.htm More information on McDonald's Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}

[[Image:Megatronanimatedactivator.jpg|250px|thumb|"Transform and shrink down!"]]
*'''Megatron''' (Activators, 2008)

:Part of the fourth wave of [[Activators]], this version of Megatron is a very simplified, roughly-Basic-sized version of his Earth mode. His spring-loaded transformation from vehicle to robot mode is activated by a single switch on the back of his copter mode.

:Despite having a cannon on the bottom of his vehicle mode, he does not possess one on either arm in robot mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/ActMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Activators Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|ShadowBlade}}

[[Image:SBAniMegs..jpg|200px|thumb|I defy the Unicron Trilogy. Defy it, I say!]]
*'''Shadow Blade Megatron''' (Leader, 2008)

: A [[Black repaint|black]], grey and purple redeco of Megatron's leader class mold with a slight remolding to the tail... that's NOT called [[Megatron (Armada)/toys|Galvatron]]. YeabuhWHA?

:Surprisingly for a Hasbro produced redeco, Shadow Blade Megatron is cast entirely in black plastic with the exception of his translucent parts. His nose is not painted, so whenever his lights light up...his nose glows red.

: Many units of this figure have a slight molding problem that prevents him from actually moving his face when the Decepticon insignia is pressed. However, as many units are also unaffected, this may have been an inconsistent problem or corrected by a running change.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/SBMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Shadow Blade Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
{{anchor|FightOfStart}}
*'''Fight of Start''' (Deluxe 2-pack, 2010)
**''Accessories'': Missile
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-F'''

:For its Japanese release, "Battle Begins" Megatron was given a shinier metallic paint job (sans battle damage) and white-bordered Decepticon symbols, like the majority of the TakaraTomy ''Animated'' toys. The figure was only available in a 2-pack with a redecoed version of the Deluxe-scale CYBERTRON Mode Optimus Prime.

:The title of this set in Japanese is "hajimari no taiketsu" - which amounts to "the battle begins" when translated, but the back of the box chooses to render the phrase as "Fight of Start". [[Engrish|Oh well...]]

{{-}}{{anchor|GoldVersion}}
[[Image:AniDXMegsGoldVersion.jpg|thumb|250px| All that glitters is gold.]]
*'''Megatron Gold Version''' (Deluxe, 2011)
**''Accessories'': Missile

:A gold-chromed version of the Deluxe-class Battle Begins Megatron, Megatron Gold Version was made available to residents of Japan via a lottery. There were several ways to enter the drawing for him: one could clip out and send in a barcode from a single standard ''Animated'' toy or a single standard ''Autobot Alliance'' live action film series toy (or four EZ Collection barcodes), '''or''' send in 5 Sega Transformers trading cards, '''or''' cut out and send in the appropriate portion of the character cards included with volumes 4 or 5 of Paramount of Japan's ''Animated'' DVDs or the "[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge]] Greatest Hits" DVD. The entry period of the drawing was November 1st, 2010 to January 16th, 2011.

:Megatron Gold Version was limited to 1,000 pieces.

{{-}}

[[Image:MarauderMegatron.jpg|200px|thumb|Tonight, I dine on turtle soup!]]
*'''Marauder Megatron'''
**''Accessories:'' Missiles

:A mold of Megatron as a [[Triple Changer]] in the canceled fourth season. He has a jet mode and a tank mode, and his robot mode head has a muzzle-like plate over the mouth in a homage to ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] also based the design on [[Super Megatron|Super and Ultra Megatron]].[http://www.formspring.me/DerrickJWyatt/q/878717866]

{{canceledtoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:AnimatedMegatronMovieHat.jpg|150px|thumb|They moonlight as lawn darts.]]

[[Image:AnimatedMegatronAltmode.jpg|150px|thumb|"''That's'' a ship?!" "Who cares, as long as it flies."]]

[[Image:AniMegsKatana.jpg|thumb|150px|Where is my [[fusion cannon]]?! All Megatrons should have them! ALL OF THEM, I TELL YOU!!!]]

* Megatron's pre-Earth head has a rather pointed resemblance to the somewhat early head of 2007 movie's [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], which went unused in the actual movie but appeared on loads of promotional materials and merchandise. Also in common with Movie Megatron, ''Animated'' Megatron lay inert for many years while his technology was [[Sector Seven|reverse-engineered by humans]].

* He is, additionally, [[Megatron (BW)|not the only Megatron]] to spend time as [[Grand Mal|a giant, disembodied head]].

* Megatron's cannon makes the same sound as his [[Megatron (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]]'s weapon, except with additional effects mixed in to make it actually sound like a laser cannon and not a blender.

* Megatron's outer space alt mode, shown for all of 20 seconds, has ''two'' toy molds devoted to it. Though these "Cybertron mode" toys resemble each other, neither looks anything like the alt mode of the pre-Earth Megatron seen on the show.

* Megatron is the only one of the original 5 Decepticons in ''Animated'' actually to have a Cybertronian vehicle mode design. Although the others have different robot mode kibble before they scan their Earth modes, none of them had an alt-mode created. Having a toy helps. (This is in contrast to the Autobots, who all had Cybertronian-modes designed for them from the start, even if we didn't see them in the first episode.)

* Sumdac found Megatron's head intact in its original Cybertronian mode. The head housed in his lab, however, is essentially a damaged version of his Earth-mode head. Presumably, this change is the result of Sumdac's destructive tinkering and research over the fifty years Megatron was in stasis lock.

* According to ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The Allspark Almanac]]'', Megatron's Earth mode cockpit seats five.

* When he was a disembodied head, Megatron had a pupil in his right eye, similar to the Autobots. Once he regained his body, this never appeared again.

* An early image of Megatron's Earth body had slight differences from the finished product, most notably the lack of a fusion cannon and the presence of a katana instead of his twin swords. This image originally appeared as part of an Amazon.com listing for [[Transformers Animated Volume 2|volume 2]] of [[IDW Publishing]]'s screenshot-based ''[[Transformers Animated (IDW Publishing)|Transformers Animated]]'' adaption series.

* In the initial planning phases of the never-greenlit fourth season, Megatron would have broken out of prison on Cybertron and become a [[Triple Changer]], as detailed in the ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The Allspark Almanac II]]''.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Megatron''' (メガトロン ''Megatoron'')

[[Category:Animated Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Fast food exclusives]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]

T.M.I.

2012-01-27T02:25:07Z

WreckNRule426: /* Transformers references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 21
|prev=Partners
|next=Stronger, Faster
|image=TMI-Mikojogsmemories.jpg
|caption=
|title="T.M.I."
|airdate=[[August 7]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Joseph Kuhr]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Bulkhead absorbs a data cylinder that greatly increases his intelligence, but is also destroying him.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] are enjoying a monster truck rally on the [[television|TV]], much to [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]'s annoyance. Ratchet thinks they shouldn't be watching it, and that Bulkhead would be better off helping [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s mission to retrieve a [[Cybertronian data cylinder]]. He interrupts their monster truck footage to explain how the cylinders were created during [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s [[Golden Age]] and hidden throughout the galaxy after the war broke out. Bulkhead and Miko are bored by it all, but Optimus contacts base to ask for backup, which is Bulkhead's cue to head for the field. Ratchet hands Miko a mop, and she's so enthusiastic about having to clean up that she drops it and runs through the [[GroundBridge]] after Bulkhead.

[[Image:TMI-datacylinder.jpg|left|thumb|250px|]]

On the battlefield, she finds the 'Bots battling [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]], [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] and a bunch of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. Immediately, she runs into trouble, as a Vehicon Bulkhead is punching staggers back towards her. She takes cover behind a pile of rock, before spotting the cylinder sitting nearby. While everyone fights, Miko runs over to the cylinder and phones Ratchet. Ratchet tries providing a GroundBridge, but Miko can't give him precise enough coordinates to grab the cylinder. She tries pushing the device towards the GroundBridge and even kicking it, but all that succeeds in doing is activating the cylinder. At that moment, Bulkhead spots her and runs over, only to trip and take the cylinder's charge in the forehead. With Bulkhead temporarily out, Knock Out grabs the cylinder and the Decepticons split. Moments later, Bulkhead is back on his feet, apparently none the worse for wear.

Bulkhead undergoes a medical check back at base, but insists he's fine. Ratchet tells him to help Miko tidy up. After announcing Ratchet is "null vector squared", Bulkhead wonders if they have any paint.

On the ''[[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' in orbit, the Decepticons have discovered that the cylinder is empty. They quickly realize the energy from the device has ended up in Bulkhead.

Miko draws Ratchet's attention to what Bulkhead is painting, which Ratchet finds is a scientific formula. After another scan, Ratchet locates the cylinder's energy in Bulkhead's head. They determine that the device interpreted Miko's kick as an attack and ejected the data into Bulkhead, and the equations Bulkhead's been writing down are for synthetic [[energon (fuel)|energon]]. The Autobots are excited and collect the equations as Bulkhead writes them. Miko quickly becomes bored and wants to draw Bulkhead away from his work. Ratchet has grave news, however—the data is slowly consuming Bulkhead's mind, and by the time the formula is complete, Bulkhead's mind may be gone altogether. The other Autobots believe they might be able to get the data back into the cylinder. Miko gets out her guitar to try and distract Bulkhead, but when he doesn't recognize Ratchet's name, she figures something's up and goes to Ratchet to get the truth.

Knock Out reports that they've detected the cylinder's energy signature, and [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] decides to go himself to avoid any more failures. Rather than Bulkhead, he and the Vehicons find Optimus, [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]. Optimus has a deal for him: If Megatron gives them the cylinder, Optimus will return it to him restored with energy.

Miko talks to Bulkhead, but he's becoming increasingly unresponsive and fails to recall her name when she asks if he remembers it. Finally, she steals his mop brush and leads him through the GroundBridge.

Megatron is thinking on Optimus's proposal when he's contacted by Knock Out, who has detected Bulkhead's energy signature. Megatron orders him to retrieve the Autobot's head.

[[Image:TMI-KnockOutpainted.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]

At the monster truck race track, Miko attempts to jog Bulkhead's memory, but he's too busy painting the formula on the wall to take any notice of her. Her sorrow is interrupted by Knock Out and Breakdown, so she manages to persuade Bulkhead to follow her and hide among the monster trucks.

On hearing they've caught up with Bulkhead, Megatron sics the Vehicons on Optimus's team.

Miko tries to find somewhere outside the Decepticon jamming range so she can use [[Miko's phone|her phone]]. Knock Out and Breakdown search for Bulkhead, until Knock Out uses a tracking device to find the Autobot. Bulkhead transforms and scrawls a glyph on Knock Out's chest, but before the outraged Decepticon can do anything, Breakdown renders Bulkhead unconscious. Knock Out then prepares to remove Bulkhead's head.

The Autobots finish off the Vehicons, only for Megatron to simply crush the cylinder and fly off. Ratchet reports that Bulkhead and Miko have left the base.

Miko takes a swing at Knock Out with the mop, but misses and falls against Bulkhead. The cylinder energy promptly triggers, firing off into the sky. Knock Out checks Bulkhead and finds the energy is gone. Infuriated, he and Breakdown are ready to take some revenge, but are forced to retreat when the other Autobots GroundBridge in.

The Autobots return Bulkhead's comatose body back to base, where Miko tearfully blames herself for his condition. Ratchet suggests that it's too early to tell how long Bulkhead might remain like that and anything could trigger his awakening, and so Miko decides to try her guitar. After she strums a chord, Bulkhead stirs and wakes up, back to normal.

==Featured characters==

{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (9)
|c2=
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (5)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s (6)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (8)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (10)

|c3=
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (1)

}}

==Quotes==
'''Bulkhead''': Hey, Ratch, check out the monster truck rally Miko took me to last week. 
'''Miko''': I compiled some highlights with my cellphone. 
'''Ratchet''': Innocent vehicles battling for the entertainment of human spectators? (''shudders'') Bloodsport! 
'''Bulkhead''' and '''Miko''': Yeah!
:—Ratchet disapproves of Bulkhead and Miko's taste in sports.

"That's not art - It's SCIENCE!"
:—'''Ratchet''' approves of Bulkhead's (lack of) taste in art.

"Come to papa." 
(''Bulkhead knocks Knock Out away'') "Run to mommy!" 
(''Breakdown attacks Bulkhead from behind'') "Say uncle! Say it!" 
:—'''Knock Out''', '''Bulkhead''', and '''Breakdown''' continue with humorous mid-battle banter.

"How about our Sunday morning dune-bashings? Rocking out to [[Slash Monkey]]? Helping me with my homework? Trick question! You know I don't do homework...''don't you?''" 
:—'''Miko''' is at least more subtle in her remember-who-you are monologue [[Out of His Head|than Raf was.]]

"You...''painted'' my paint job! Prepare for ''surgery''!" 
:—'''Knock Out''' really needs to sort out his priorities.

"Because the energy took Bulkhead's mind with it. Heavenward. Lost to the stars. It's my fault you'll never know the rest of the formula, and it's my fault Bulkhead's gone forever."
:—'''Miko''' pulls an Optimus on us.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* The Vehicons that the Autobots are fighting in the beginning of the episode are clearly ground units, but magically become flying units when it comes time to retreat.

===Continuity notes===
* Miko recalls the story of [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] throwing a grenade into a Decepticon heat exchanger which Bulkhead told her back in "[[Con Job]]", and shows Bulkhead a picture of him with Wheeljack from the same episode.

===Continuity errors===

* Did Knock Out and Breakdown not already know Bulkhead's vehicle mode?
* If Megatron thought that the Autobots have Starscream in their custody at the end of "[[Partners]]", why didn't he question them about him?

===Transformers references===
* The Monster Truck announcer declares the trucks "the baddest [[Beast Machines (franchise)|beast machines]] on the planet."
* Bulkhead's method of painting to record the formula is a possible reference to ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]].
* Bulkhead's painting and rambling are also similar to to [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]]'s similar behavior in ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' after getting zapped by the [[AllSpark#Revenge of the Fallen film|AllSpark]] shard.
* During his rambling, Bulkhead mentions [[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]].
*Optimus mentions the "no matter the cost" line, just like his [[Optimus Prime (G1)|''Generation 1'' counterpart]].

===Real-world references===

* Bulkhead's technobabble is not gibberish. Much of it is real, present-day scientific and mathematical terms, though not arranged coherently.
* Amongst Bulkhead's babblings is "the differential of one-third r cubed is r-dr-r," a gag lifted right out of the classic ''[[Wikipedia:The Simpsons|Simpsons]]'' episode, "[[wikipedia:Bart the Genius|Bart the Genius]]". Har-de-har-har!
* Bulkhead also refers to "Clank's law", a Transformery take on [[wikipedia:Planck's law|Planck's law]] (a mathematical law relating to the energy emission of [[black body|black bodies]]).

===Foreign localization===
'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Troppe chiacchiere!'''" ("Too Many Chatters!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 4|4 December]] [[2011]]
'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gieok Sangsil'''" (기억 상실, "Amnesia")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 7|7 November]] [[2011]]
'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 2|2 January]] [[2012]]

===Trivia===
*The episode was first broadcast on [[Canada]]'s [http://www.teletoon.com Teletoon] channel. As none of the listings mentioned the episode title, and ''Prime'' episodes lack an on-screen title, the name of the episode was originally a mystery. Its name was revealed about a week later on [http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tv/transformers-prime-tmi/EP013408350023 Zap2it]'s website. It would air in the United States on [[September 10]], [[2011]].
*Miko once again charges into situations that get both her and Bulkhead in trouble. You'd think she'd have learned by now. Or that the Autobots would've put up a barrier to stop her from using the Bridge to her whims.

[[Category:Prime episodes|Tmi]]

Dion (G1)

2012-01-17T04:54:43Z

WreckNRule426: /* Wings Universe */

{{factions|autobot|eliteguard}}
{{featured}}
:''Dion is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[Image:Diong1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Anyone ever tell you that you look just like Wheelie? No? Oh. How about Hot Shot?]]
'''Dion''' is an earnest dock worker and best friend to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]]. His is a simple life of manual labor, and he does not give a second thought to the stories that a war may be brewing around him. What ''does'' interest him are those [[Decepticon|new-fangled flying robots]]. Maybe someday he'll get to meet them...?

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (English), [[Ken Shiroyama]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Dionvehicle.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Cybertron's "Golden Age" was a pretty literal title, if you look.]]

Nine million years ago, near the end of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s [[Golden Age]], it was Dion's job to haul energy and supplies in and out of [[storage yard 67|the dock]] in which he worked. There were murmurs of attacks from new, flying robots, but he didn't believe those rumours.

Dion was honored to meet the leader of these enigmatic warriors, [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], until Megatron revealed his plan to rob their dock of its [[energon]] stockpiles and ordered the [[Transport drone|Decepticons]] to attack. Witnessing Megatron strike down Orion and [[Elita One|Ariel]], another friend and Orion's girlfriend, Dion ran (seemingly straight towards the attacking Decepticon warriors for reasons unclear), but was quickly mowed down by a shot in his chest.

The time-traveling [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] carried Orion Pax to [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] for repairs, and Dion's friend was rebuilt into Optimus Prime. Drones were sent back to retrieve Ariel, but Dion's fate is uncertain. {{storylink|War Dawn}}
{{-}}

===''Wings Universe''===
[[Image:BattleLines1-DionOrionAriel.jpg|thumb|250px|Don't you hate it when your life is narrated by [[Side Burn (G1)|Side Burn]]?]]
In a similar but divergent timeline, Dion definitely survived Megatron's raid on [[storage yard 67]], but just barely. Once reactivated and rebuilt top to bottom (with the help of [[Cop-Tur (G1)|Cop-Tur]]), he was approached by [[Sentinel Major]] and [[Magnum]]. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 1}} Now fully knowledgeable of the extent of Megatron's evil, Dion signed away his life to the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]], believing he'd lost everything he'd known to war. Dion was assigned to [[Metalhawk]]'s team, he and determined to fight Decepticons by any means necessary.

Dion's new twin flame launchers utilize a "[[Reverse-Higgs mechanism]]" to "decouple energy from matter", which makes things very destructible. Though rebuilt, he can still modify his arms to accommodate the need to carry heavy objects, a skill he possessed as a dock worker. Unfortunately, his new shoulders kind of lock up, which restricts his arms' movement. {{storylink|Wings of Honor|Dion's Wings Universe profile}}

[[Image:ComingStorm2-Dion.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Nobody wants [[BotCon 2005]]'s Virulent Clones, not even Dion!]]

On Dion's first mission, he, his commander Metalhawk, and his teammates [[Over-Run (G1)|Over-Run]] and [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]] allied with [[Thunder Clash]]'s Elite Guard team to fight a plague of [[Virulent Clone]]s. Getting covered with [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] goop was not exactly what Dion had in mind for his first foray into action, but nevertheless the clones were defeated.

They all relaxed for a bit, until a call from [[Magnum]] bleeped over Thunder Clash's comm, informing them that Metalhawk's squad had to ferry Thunder Clash's squad to [[Space Port Bravo]] straightaway. Dion and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] helped load their gear onto the ''[[Hawk's Claw]]'', then they disembarked.

Once at the spaceport, the two squads bid their goodbyes. Kup told Dion that he'd make sure to share any stories he came across with the "lad". When Dion reacted to the nickname by pointing out Kup wasn't ''that'' much older, Kup said it was just the first time he got to meet a younger Elite Guard member.

After Thunder Clash's squad left, Dion's squad speculated where they'd end up next. The others expressed a wish for something quiet, and Dion teased them that ''he'' actually looked forward to getting to beat up Decepticons. When Over-Run chastised Dion's eagerness by asking if the younger bot had ever seen a Decepticon up close, Dion stalked off angrily, much to Over-Run and Ironfist's confusion.

The squad eventually reboarded their ship and headed to Elite Guard HQ. There they were highly praised for their performance by Magnum, and assigned to a new mission—assisting a [[Combaticon (G1)|new special ops team]] in attacks against the various [[Decepticon leader]]s. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 2}}

Dion was unimpressed with [[Sentinel Major]]'s play-on-words: Combaticons "to ''Combat'' the Decepti''cons''", but let the matter drop as the two units reported to Comm Officer [[Big Bang]] for their next mission. The two teams were being assigned to a civilian historical dig in [[Median]] to assist in demolition and excavation, as part of Magnum's ongoing efforts to curry favor with the civilian council (and keep them from interfering in more serious Guard business).

The diplomatic cakewalk soon turned out to be anything but. The historians expected to be under siege soon by a gang of Decepticon wannabes, who wanted the prize of their research: an urn containing the [[Heart of the Dragon]]. According to uncovered data, the Heart was apparently a spark of unprecedented innate power, able to reformat any normal Cybertronian form it resided in into a living engine of destruction. Dion and the Elite Guard had been requested in order to bolster the meager defensive fortifications that Security Chief [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] had assembled for the historians.

As they prepped the outer wall for attack, Dion engaged in a little star-gazing, dreamily recollecting stories of the [[Covenant]] he had heard as a protoform, like when [[Leonicus]] and [[Sandstorm (BW)|Scorpius]] battled the dreaded [[ice demon]]. Dion drew a few funny looks from his comrades, though, when he started mumbling aloud about how cool Scorpius's fire-breath was. Once the Guard finished their preparations, they separated into two groups to settle in for the Decepticon attack. Dion was teamed with Metalhawk, [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]], Over-Run, and the eager historian [[Lancer]] as the second front. After [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]'s team wasted [[Roadgrabber]], the Decepticons' advance striker, Dion's unit got the drop on [[Rage]] and the [[Stormtrooper (G1)|Stormtrooper]]s who followed through after Roadgrabber. Rage surprised Metalhawk with his stasis chemical cannon, though, and the Stormtroopers swooped past Dion and the Guard once their leader was rendered inoperative.

The defense of Median turned into a fiasco after that, with casualties on both sides as the archaeometrist [[Glyph (G1)|Glyph]] was killed by one of Rage's raiders, [[Aquablast]], who was killed in turn by Lancer. Rage got away with the Heart, though, and the Elite Guard soon tracked him back to his mobile fortress, the [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]]. The Guard were assaulted by Rage's stable of [[Minotoron]]s, cybernetic mechanimals of great size and poor disposition. Dion came up with the idea of using the Tressian Kajiga-whatsits Swindle have scavenged earlier to overwhelm [[Buffalo Dump]] and the bulls with amplified sound. His plan was successful and the Minotorons were sent retreating back to the Metrotitan.

Thinking quickly, Dion, Swindle and Blast-Off lept into the rear pails of the fleeing mechanimals, gaining quick and easy access inside the Metrotitan. Using his duro lifters and booster units, Dion broke out of the pens and helped his fellow Autobots make their way inside. By this point, however, Rage had already installed the Heart of the Dragon's laser-core in a new body, birthing the powerful (if micro-sized) [[Brimstone (G1)|Brimstone]]. The Elite Guard played cat-and-mouse with the dragon inside Metrotitan until a combination of Ironfist's explosives cache and the dragon's own atom-smashing flame breath destroyed Brimstone from the inside out. {{storylink|Flames of Yesterday}}

Dion's strike team continued to work with the Combaticons over the following weeks, and the two groups began to gel well together. After several successful missions, they separated after eliminating the Decepticon faction leader, [[Shadowcaster]]. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 3}} Immediately the Combaticons disappeared, and Dion's team was ordered to try to hunt them down wherever they may be. Their search took them into some very unglamorous places, which Dion felt was a waste of time. He complained to Metalhawk that their search in the wastelands was a waste of time, which his commander agreed with, but reminded him was nevertheless an order. It was then that the team was approached by a demented Empty which spoke cryptically of a "coming storm" where "rain will fall down" and the "thunder will deafen you" and where the "lightning will burn." After a bit of this, Dion's team grew weary of the Empty and left him.

[[Image:ComingStorm6-thelightning.jpg|thumb|300px|But who'll bring the potato salad?]]

But the Empty spoke true. Sentinel Major sent their team a distress call, as their Elite Guard headquarters was under attack. Metalhawk ordered his team back to base, where they met up with [[Ricochet (Timelines)|Ricochet]] on the outer skirts of the battle. He showed them a video feed of the battle's epicenter, where, bogglingly, the Combaticons had switched their allegiance to the Decepticons and had sieged the Elite Guard. Dion remarked that the group looked a little different than before, and, sure enough, the reason for this was revealed when the five Combaticons combined for the first time into the super robot [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], crushing Sentinel Major to death in his mighty fist. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 5}}

Metalhawk led Dion and the others deep into the battle to assist the dwindling members of the Elite Guard. Dodging the flung body of [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]], Dion finally made it to Bruticus, who was massacring his opponents. His teammates Over-Run and Ironfist met their end at his hands, which prompted Metalhawk to consider retreating and regrouping. Dion disagreed. He was a member of the Elite Guard! They fight and never retreat! He vaulted himself onto Bruticus in vehicle mode, transformed, and then repurposed the prophesy of the deranged Empty as he fired his arm-mounted weapons into the super robot's face: "While your boots ''may'' thunder, brute... I have the ''lightning''!" Bruticus was blinded, forcing the combiner to separate, but not before he swatted Dion away, under a collapsing building. While the Combaticons retreated, Dion removed himself from the detritus, the lone survivor. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 6}}

Following the massacre, Dion was repaired by [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Paradron Medic]]. (Dion was unaware that his personal story was being used elsewhere [[Side Burn (G1)|by an imposter]] to pick up chicks.) When Dion regained functionality, he regrouped with the few surviving members of the Elite Guard under Magnum, who planned to present them all to the [[Autobot High Council]] as living proof that the Elite Guard still had life in it. Unfortunately, as soon as they arrived in the [[Autobot High Council Citadel|Citadel]], they were witness to the reins of the new Autobot military being given instead to the Council's pet hero, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 1}}

Magnum took his team looking for [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]]'s base, though Dion thought it felt like they were doing something illegal. They stopped off at the Elite Guard [[Auxiliary Weapons Locker]] for weapons and to pick up a few extra members. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 2}} In short order, they found themselves under attack from Deathsaurus's troops, including the Combaticons. Thunder Clash told them to keep the Combaticons apart, something Dion thought was easier said than done. He was further perturbed when Swindle tried to sell him guns in mid-battle. As the Combaticons formed Bruticus, they were promptly blasted and Dion could only gape disbelievingly at {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 3}} Ironfist, Big Bang, [[Rumbler (G1)|Rumbler]] and [[Sprocket (G1)|Sprocket]]. To Dion's delight, they'd survived the massacre at Elite Guard HQ. Once they joined the fight, Dion attempted to attack Swindle, only to be hit from behind by another Decepticon. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 4}}

Back at base, he, Big Bang and Thunder Clash wondered why the [[Gyronian Sentry|Gyronian Sentry Team]] hadn't arrived with the Combaticons yet, only to discover that the Sentry Team had been AWOL for the last decacycle. A week later, he interrupted a conversation between Magnum and Optimus Prime to report that the Decepticons were massing at the edge of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] city. He and the two commanders watched in shock as [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] broke through the city wall. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 5}}

[[Image:BattleLines6-DionMagnum.jpg|left|thumb|300px|I'm dyin' here!]]

Devastator advanced effortlessly through the Autobot Ranks. Dion was a quick thinker and suggested everyone aim at Devastator's knees. This separated the titan, and Magnum commended his excellent strategy, adding that some day Dion would be a "great Magnum." Even with Devastator down, the Autobots still had Megatron to deal with. With a blast of his fusion cannon, he destroyed Magnum and would have also destroyed Optimus Prime if Dion hadn't taken the shot meant for him.

Though both Magnum and Dion fell, the Autobots were ultimately victorious. In the wake of their victory, Alpha Trion did what he could for Magnum and Dion, but he told Optimus Prime only one of them could survive their wounds. One died and the other was rebuilt into [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 6}}
{{--}}

==Who is Dion?==
===Fan speculation===
[[Image:DieDionDie.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Nobody ever suggests the purple guy got rebuilt. Poor purple guy.]]
Orion Pax and Ariel were rebuilt into Optimus Prime and Elita One respectively, so for decades many fans speculated that Dion was also rebuilt into a familiar character. However, there are no hints within the episode itself, other than that Dion was Orion's best friend. Regardless, the fandom loves its patterns, and thus the most popular suggestions are [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]].

Some think the debate is irrelevant, believing Dion most likely dead and inconsequential, and possibly a casualty that hit close to home in Optimus Prime's early years as [[Supreme Commander|Autobot leader]]. After all, no specific mention is made of him in the episode after he is shot, but Ariel is mentioned repeatedly.

The reason for this is that writer [[David Wise]] originally intended for both Ariel and Dion to die in order to add some weight to the episode. Upon reading the script for "War Dawn", colleagues of Wise made the connection between Ariel and Elita One (a character whom David Wise did not know of) as love interest of Orion Pax/Optimus Prime.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040806162116/iesb.net/collecting/collecting63004.htm Interview with David Wise]</ref> This saved Ariel's life in the final product, as it was an obvious idea to have her rebuilt into a soldier alongside Orion. Any similar connection for Dion was never made, though the resulting conclusion on his fate in the episode gets into the realm of [[authorial intent]].<ref name="Moonbase2">[http://moonbase2.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=553015 Moonbase2 interview with David Wise]</ref>

===Other continuities===
In later years, many unrelated or tangentially related [[Continuity|continuities]] would include nods and references to the [[personal canon|fan theories]] about Dion's ultimate fate:

* In the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|''Robots in Disguise'']] episode "[[Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion!]]", it's stated that [[Alpha Trion (RID)|Alpha Trion]] built both [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Ultra Magnus]], a likely nod to the Generation 1 cartoon.
* In the [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|comic]] "[[New World Order]]", Ultra Magnus leads [[Security Team Dion]], another nod.
* In the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|comic]] [[Megatron Origin issue 3|''Megatron Origin'' #3]], a robot that is a hybrid of the "Orion Pax" and "Optronix" designs appears listening to [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s speech at the funeral of [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]]. Standing with him are Elita One, Alpha Trion, and a white version of himself. This may be a reference to the proposed Orion-Ariel-Dion/Optimus-Elita-Magnus identifications.
* In the Dreamwave ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' reference books it is mentioned in Alpha Trion's profile that he shares a "special bond" with both Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime. This is possibly a hint that he rebuilt Ultra Magnus as well, given that his bond with Optimus began when he rebuilt him and as a result, Optimus looked up to him as a father figure.

''However'', because all of these [[easter egg]]s take place in different continuities from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon series]], they are not directly relevant.

[[Image:BattleLines6-UltraMagnus.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Oof.]]

Special mention should be made of the ''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Timelines]]'' sub-franchise ''[[Transformers: Wings Universe|Wings Universe]]''. As the franchise's storyline occurs in a continuity that is "VERY similar to [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original G1 toon]], though it is different enough to allow us some leeway in the overall story telling,"<ref>[http://www.transformersclub.com/members/transforum/msgs.cfm?forum=22&msg=125826 Collectors' Club forum thread]</ref> it may have more relevance to the question of Dion's identity than other continuities. This story at first makes the wild assertion that Dion is... Dion. However, in "[[Battle Lines, Part 6]]", both Dion and another robot, Magnum, are killed, and the story leaves the question of which of the two would become Ultra Magnus ambiguous. As a result, the question of "Who is Dion?" becomes instead "Who is Ultra Magnus?" Well played, [[Fun Publications]], well played.

{{-}}
===The official word===
In ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II]]'', an "Ask [[Vector Prime]]" section dealt with the problem by ducking the question. When asked if Dion was rebuilt into anyone, the enigmatic cosmic entity replied "Which Dion? Celine Dion? I loved ''[[Titanic]]''."

Twenty-five years after the episode aired, [[Hasbro]] weighed in on the question. When asked point-blank what Dion's fate was in an [[Hasbro Q&A|online Q&A]] session, their response included the following unequivocal statement: "Dion was never rebuilt into any other character."<ref>[http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/1024 TFviews June 2010 Hasbro Transformers Q&A]</ref>

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1-toy Dion.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Friend shot, left to rot; Ultra Magnus, he was not.]]
*'''Orion Pax''' (E-Hobby, 2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''67'''

: Dion is an ''extensively''-painted [[redeco]] of the [[Mini Vehicle]] [[Wheelie (G1)#Toys|Wheelie]], transforming into a yellow and blue Cybertronic car. His windshield and wheels are cast in transparent plastic, as opposed to the original toy's opaque gray plastic.

: He came packaged with Orion Pax and [[Roller (G1)|Barrelroller]] as part of an [[e-HOBBY]]-[[exclusive]] multi-pack.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/Dion/dion.htm More information on Dion at TFU.info]
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/OrionPax/orionpax.htm Orion Pax at TFU.info] for the one sentence that makes up Dion's profile
{{--}}

===Timelines===
[[Image:Timelinestoy-Dion.jpg|right|thumb|300px|'''FREE ORANGE HOT SHOT''']]
*'''Dion''' (Deluxe, 2010)
**''Accessories'': Left & right tailpipe-cannons, 2 "flame" missiles

: Elite Guard Dion is a redeco of ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (itself a retool of ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys#Universe (2008)|Hot Shot]]) in orange and blue, transforming from a sleek Audi TT-like hot rod sports car into a fully poseable robot. He comes with "[[Micromaster]]" [[Cop-Tur (G1)|Cop-Tur]], a redeco of the [[gang-molding|gang-molded]] [[Mini-Con]] [[Jolt (Armada)#Universe (2008)|Jolt]], plus two springloaded flamethrowers. In robot mode, these flamethrowers can be mounted on his forearms or pegged into his fists. In vehicle mode, they plug under the vehicle as dual exhaust pipes. Cop-Tur can plug into the back of Dion's vehicle mode spoiler or on Dion's shoulder via his [[Mini-Con]] connection point.

:[[Image:Timelinestoy-Diondurolifters.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Dion doesn't have shoulder pain, but carpal tunnel.]]

:Dion's [[bio]] (though not his instructions) also officialized an extra feature originally conceived by fans while playing with the Hot Shot version of the figure: the two chunks of car kibble on his shoulders can be popped off and pegged into the holes in his forearms, creating a pair of "boxing glove"-like fist-weapons. In Dion's case, the bio identifies these as "duro-lifters" used for his warehouse work.

: Dion was free to all [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] members who joined before the end of [[March 16]]th 2010. He was the first club exclusive freebie to ditch the small Club Membership card in favor of a larger bio card more in line with those that accompany [[BotCon]] exclusives.

::*''[http://tfu.info/2010/Autobot/TFCCDion/dion.htm More information on Dion at TFU.info]''

{{--}}
==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Dion''' (ダイオン ''Daion'')

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://s90690880.onlinehome.us/jhiaxus/uscartoon/dion.htm Dion at Obscure Transformers]

[[Category:e-Hobby]]
[[Category:Elite Guard]]
[[Category:Fan Club exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]

NASCAR

2012-01-12T03:39:31Z

WreckNRule426: /* The real world */

[[Image:NASCAR_logo.png|right|200px|thumb|Go fast, turn left, don't crash.]]
'''NASCAR''', the '''National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing''', is the most popular auto racing circuit in the United States. Given its broad success, it is relatively surprising that it <s>has had few interactions</s> took over two decades to officially connect with the ''Transformers'' brand.

==The real world==
NASCAR was founded in the mid 20th century as a sanctioning body for the then-unruly world of stock car racing. For decades it was only of regional interest, mostly in the Southern U.S. However, by the dawn of the 21st century, it was one of the most popular sports in the entire country.
In late 1999, [[Hasbro]] acquired the NASCAR license and produced the ''NASCAR Racers'' toyline, featuring the exploits of a multi-ethnic team of drivers in a futuristic version of the NASCAR circuit<ref>It actually was surprisingly similar to the live-action ''Speed Racer'' movie.</ref>. Despite a fair amount of investment from NASCAR, Hasbro, and [[Fox Kids]], the line was not a particularly huge success, and only lasted about a year. ''Transformers''-brand employees who worked on the line included [[Andrew Frankel]] and [[Aaron Archer]].

In [[2009]], as part of the media blitz surrounding ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', [[Paramount Pictures]], [[M&M's]], and other related companies used their NASCAR connections to promote the film:
* [[June 21]]: [[Kyle Busch]] drove a specially decorated M&Ms/''ROTF'' Toyota Camry in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in California, finishing 22nd.
* [[October 11]]: As part of a sponsorship deal with ABC and ESPN<ref>http://twitter.com/NASCARSays/status/4795676058</ref>, televised coverage of the 2009 Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in California was "presented by" ''ROTF'', and race winner Jimmie Johnson celebrated his finish in the ''Transformers'' Victory Circle.
* [[October 17]]: Continuing the ABC/ESPN promotion, coverage of the NASCAR Banking 500 Only from Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina was again sponsored by ''ROTF'', and championship contenders [[Ryan Newman]] and [[Jeff Gordon]] drove ''ROTF'' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]-themed cars. Newman ended up in eleventh place, while Gordon finished fifth, claiming tongue-in-cheek during a post-race interview that "the bad guy won!" The Newman/Gordon challenge was marketed as a "[[Choose Your Side & Win]]" contest, with prizes including tickets to the final race of the season and ''ROTF'' DVDs signed by [[Megan Fox]]. Jimmie Johnson won (again) and celebrated (''again'') in the ''Transformers'' Victory Circle. In addition, ''ROTF'' director [[Michael Bay]] drove the pace car for a stretch.

The ties between NASCAR and the ''Transformers'' brand increased with the promotion surrounding ''[[Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'':
* [[February 20]]: Michael Bay, [[Josh Duhamel]], and [[Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]] served as Grand Marshals of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The trio gave the command for drivers to start their engines, as well as waving the green flag to start the race. The film prop versions of [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]], and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] were on display at trackside, as well as bringing up the rear during the race's ceremonial first lap. Televised coverage of the race also included a new trailer for the film, featuring the [[Wrecker]]s prominently.

==Toys==
* The ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] [[Gearhead]] mold (and thus, [[Soundwave_(G1)/toys#Generation_2|all]] [[W.A.R.S.|the]] [[Camshaft_(SG)|other]] [[redeco]]s of said mold) turns into an (unlicensed) ninth-generation Ford Thunderbird NASCAR racer.

* ''[[Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]], and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] all turn into approximations of [[wikipedia:Chevrolet_Impala#NASCAR_Sprint_Cup|Sprint Cup Chevy Impala]] stock cars with the paint jobs of individual NASCAR drivers.

==See also==
* [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes]]
* [[General Motors]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Links==
* [http://www.nascar.com NASCAR's official website.]

[[Category:Companies]]

One Shall Rise, Part 3

2012-01-12T03:22:53Z

WreckNRule426: /* Trivia */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 26
|prev=One Shall Rise, Part 2
|next=
|image=OneShallRise3-together.jpg
|caption=Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?
|title="One Shall Rise, Part 3"
|airdate=[[October 15]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Jack learns more about Optimus Prime's history on Cybertron while the Autobots continue their battle at the Earth's core.'''

==Synopsis==

As he leads the [[Autobot]]s further toward [[Earth]]'s core, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] is again seized by a vision of the planet exploding. He notes how [[Unicron]]'s strength grows ever greater and continues on. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] both voice their mistrust of the [[Decepticon]] leader, though they have no choice but to follow him. Unbeknownst to them, several strange, mechanical creatures observe the intruders into their dark domain.

Back at [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|base]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and the [[human]]s watch a report that outlines how the planet's chaotic weather continues to spiral out of control. Despite [[June Darby|June]]'s efforts to lighten the mood, [[William Fowler|Fowler]] insists that something must be done—even if it means contacting his associates at the [[Pentagon]]. Fowler makes known his uneasiness about teaming up with Megatron, but Ratchet surprises the humans by explaining how such a situation has happened before. Ratchet relates how Optimus Prime and Megatron were once close friends, in the twilight hours of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s [[Golden Age]].

[[Image:OneShallRise3-corresponding.jpg|left|thumb|250px|''Once, I called you "Brother".'' 
''Once, I thought the chance to make you laugh'' 
''Was all I ever wanted...'' 
''And even now,'' 
''I wish that [[Primus|God]] had chose another.'' 
''Serving as your foe on His behalf'' 
''Is the last thing that I wanted...!'']]
''The great Autobot leader was once named Orion Pax, a simple clerk in the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] Hall of Records. Learning of Cybertron's past, Orion grew concerned about the corruption affecting high places and the [[Caste system|state of inequity]] in society. He became inspired by the revolutionary words of Megatronus, a gladiator who took his name from [[The Fallen|one]] of the [[Thirteen|thirteen original Primes]]. Megatronus gained a loyal following through his radical and innovative actions, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] chief among their number. Over time, Megatronus became a mentor figure to Orion Pax and chose to shorten his name as he left the gladiatorial arena for the political one. Megatron appeared before the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], voicing his ideas for shaping a new Cybertron by violent means, and demanded to be named the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. Orion protested against Megatron's suggestions before the Council, moving their [[spark]]s and minds as he unknowingly revealed himself to be the one worthy of the title. Megatron severed his ties to Orion and the Council, taking his "Decepticon" followers to begin the [[Great War (Prime)|war]] that consumed Cybertron and vowing to claim the legendary [[Matrix of Leadership]] for himself. Hoping to reverse the damage that had poisoned the planet, Orion journeyed to Cybertron's [[Core]], where he found himself before the spark of [[Primus]], the creator of all [[Cybertronians]]. Primus sensed the purity of Orion's own spark and bestowed upon him the legendary Matrix, transforming him into Optimus Prime.''

In the present, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Jack Darby|Jack]] question Optimus's plan to give the Matrix to the Earth's core, asking what could possibly stop Megatron from attempting to claim it for himself now. Ratchet darkly replies that Megatron only intends to save the Earth so that he may conquer it at a later date.

As they near Unicron's spark, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] begins to feel the draining effects of the [[Dark Energon]]. [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and Arcee help him a short way across the catwalks, but Megatron soon comes to a halt ahead with the realization that Unicron is preparing to expel them. A huge number of Unicron's drones suddenly swarm into view, surrounding Megatron and the Autobots. They engage the drones in fierce battle, blasting and slashing through their attackers. Arcee is knocked to a lower level, not long before the Dark Energon clouds Bulkhead's vision. He stumbles from the catwalk but manages to grab hold of the edge, and is seized by Bumblebee before he can tumble to his death. Optimus and Megatron fight back-to-back, managing to hold their own against the drones in a spectacular display of effective—if uneasy—teamwork. Bumblebee struggles to hold onto Bulkhead, who insists that the scout lets him go. Optimus seizes Bulkhead just as Bumblebee loses his grip, and hauls him up to safety. As the group quickly becomes overwhelmed, Arcee hitches a ride on one of the drones to catch up with the others and beat a swift retreat with them.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-SoundwaveAirachnid.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Maybe Megatron should stop having seconds-in-command and just skip straight to thirds-in-command.]]
Aboard the [[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]], [[Airachnid]] outlines the questionable nature of their leader's recent behavior. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] asks whether she is suggesting that they abandon Lord Megatron. Airachnid explains how Megatron's undetectable signal implies that he is either offline or at the mercy of Unicron—neither scenario being in the best interests of the Decepticons. She suggests an exodus from Earth, and receives no protests from the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. However, her order to retreat to [[Regulon Four]] is denied by Soundwave, who silently challenges her authority. When he refuses her demand to step aside, she leaps to attack him. Soundwave easily blocks every one of her blows, before lifting her clean into the air. He hurls her back, deploying [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] to stun Airachnid in a sudden sneak attack. Pinned under Soundwave's foot, much to Knock Out's amusement, Airachnid relinquishes command to the intelligence officer.

Back in the Autobot base, Ratchet notes he has lost the others' communication links and life signals, most likely caused by interference from the electromagnetic anomalies. Miko asks how they are supposed to know when the others are ready for pickup if contact is impossible, but Ratchet is prevented from responding by the sound of Jack tapping the [[GroundBridge]] key against a railing. Ratchet reveals that the object is actually the [[Key to Vector Sigma]]—one of Cybertron's most precious relics. Ratchet then realizes that Optimus entrusted the key to Jack because he did not plan on returning from the planet's core.

Megatron is gripped by yet another painful vision of Unicron whilst he and the Autobots are backed into an enclosed chamber by the attacking drones. Unicron orders him to destroy Optimus. Instead, Megatron saves the Autobot leader by blasting an oncoming drone. He then indicates a closed doorway nearby, stating that Unicron's spark lies just beyond. He explains that, to pass through, they must fool Unicron into believing that they pose no danger, and moves his Dark Energon-infused chest up to the door. It opens in response, and Optimus orders the others to remain outside and provide cover fire while he and Megatron advance.

The passageway beyond leads directly into Unicron's spark chamber, where Optimus prepares to expose the Matrix within his chest. Unicron's spark reacts, striking both invaders with its energy. Unicron again orders Megatron to kill Optimus, forcing him to unsheathe his blade and approach the weakened Prime. Megatron struggles against him, declaring himself to be under the command of no-one. His resistance provokes only an onslaught of pain and a furious reaction from the Chaos Bringer.

The volcano outside erupts violently, and the ground enclosing the Autobot base begins to quake. Ratchet tells the humans to take cover, and he moves to shield them from falling debris.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-unleash.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Care Bear Stare!]]
Unicron's spark adopts the appearance of a face as Megatron is seemingly freed from his control. Optimus calls upon the power of the Matrix of Leadership, but hesitates as Unicron possesses Megatron's body in a veil of purple flame and declares his own invincibility. Optimus cuts short Unicron's desire to pull the Earth into chaos, and he rises to his feet as he becomes surrounded by a brilliant blue light. Optimus fires the power of the Matrix from his chest directly into Unicron's spark, the resulting wave of energy knocking Megatron back off his feet. His energy drained, Optimus falls to his knees, and Unicron's spark emits a final wail of pain before vanishing into oblivion.

The drones outside suddenly fall from the air, lifeless. The volcano, along with all of the Earth's other natural phenomena, subside back to normality. Ratchet and the humans watch as the monitors flicker online, rejoicing as their team's life signals are all safely re-established. Aboard the Nemesis, however, Soundwave also detects the signature of the Decepticon leader.

[[Image:OneShallRise3-hug.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"You smell like my mom." "I smell like ''his'' mom!"]]
Megatron rights himself in Unicron's now-empty spark chamber, inspecting Optimus's steaming body for a moment before unsheathing his blade. Optimus gazes blearily up at the approaching Decepticon, then addresses him as "Megatronus" and asks where they are. Surprised, Megatron retracts his weapon and helps the Autobot to his feet. Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee soon burst through the wall to assist, but Optimus does not recognise them. A GroundBridge suddenly opens nearby; Megatron claims that the Autobots are their sworn enemies and provides cover fire as Optimus heads for the vortex. Optimus blankly meets Bumblebee's devastated gaze for a split second before disappearing through the Bridge. Megatron follows, leaving the shocked Autobots alone in the empty chamber.

[[Image:Megatroncamehome.jpg|left|thumb|300px|I'm home, honey!]]

Ratchet GroundBridges the team back to base, but is anxious to see that Optimus is not with them. They explain that Optimus is still alive, but did not even know his own name. Ratchet realizes that surrendering the Matrix of Leadership caused their leader to lose not only the wisdom of the Primes, but his own memories as well.

Knock Out and the other Decepticons, minus Airachnid, welcome Megatron back aboard the Nemesis. Megatron steps aside to allow Optimus through, and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] automatically moves to attack. Megatron halts him, insisting that this is no way to treat a "long-lost comrade", and declares that Orion Pax is one of them.

To be continued…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Autobot High Council|High Council]] (14–16)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)
*[[Airachnid]] (18)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (19)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (20)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (21)
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] (22)

|c3=
*[[June Darby]] (7)
*[[William Fowler]] (8)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (10)
*[[Jack Darby]] (11)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Unicron]] (4)
*[[Core]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Raf:''' Megatron was an Autobot? 
'''Miko:''' Optimus was a 'Con!? 
'''Rachet:''' No, on either count.
:—The kids get confused while Ratchet gets ready to tell a tale.

"Watch out for the quiet ones…"
:—'''Knock Out''' after witnessing Soundwave "veto" Airachnid's motion to leave Earth.

"'''''Megatron! Destroy the Prime! I command you!'''''" 
"Megatron is commanded by NO ONE!"
:—'''Unicron''' and '''Megatron'''. [[The Transformers: The Movie|Deja vu]].

"Where are we, Megatronus?" 
"Don't you remember, old friend?"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Megatron''' with an unexpected twist.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*All of the natural disasters around the world abruptly stop when Unicron is beaten. While it might make sense for the earthquakes to stop, tidal waves wouldn't just suddenly fall apart. Forward momentum doesn't just vanish. Similar problems occur with the tornadoes dissipating and the sky clearing.
*At the Earth's core, the Autobots should experience very little gravity, as the total mass of Earth would be reasonably equally distributed around them and therefore the pull of gravity would be cancelled out.
*Despite entering the tunnel to Unicron's spark chamber only a few seconds before Optimus, Megatron still manages a very hefty lead. By the time Optimus navigates the tunnel that leads into the spark chamber, Megatron is already inside, standing in front of Unicron's spark.
*After defeating Unicron, both Megatron and Optimus are knocked unconscious: Megatron on his back and Optimus on the ground facing away from the other. However, when we see them wake up later, Megatron is on his stomach and Optimus is facing him now.

===Continuity errors===
*Ratchet's statement that Megatron started the war after not being made Prime contradicts the history given in [[Darkness Rising, Part 1]], where Megatron is said to have split from Optimus ''during'' the war. Optimus could have believed that the war began with the initial movement of Megatronus, or Ratchet could be bringing continuity closer to ''Exodus''.
*Bulkhead is the only Autobot visibly affected by the Dark Energon.

===Continuity notes===
*The entire backstory given by Ratchet is an adaptation of the first half of ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]''. Plot elements were changed, such as Orion Pax becoming Optimus when he found the Matrix of Leadership, as opposed to when he was assigned the position by the Cybertron High Council.
*Optimus's blade is still broken after the episode "[[One Shall Fall]]".

===Transformers references===
*Optimus Prime was originally known as Orion Pax, much like [[Optimus Prime (G1)|his namesake]] in the episode "[[War Dawn]]",
*The [[Key to Vector Sigma]] first appeared in ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1]]" and later featured prominently in the first season of ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''.
*Optimus calls upon the Matrix to "[[Darkest hour|light our darkest hour]]".
*For once, Optimus is the one who gets to say he "still functions", rather than Megatron.

===Foreign localization===
'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Optimeosu ui Gwageo'''" (옵티머스의 과거, "Optimus's Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 22|22 November]] [[2011]]
'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 9|9 January]] [[2012]]

===Trivia===
*This episode aired in Singapore on [[October 4]], 2011, again preceding its American showing.
*Jack is clearly taking very good care of that Key Optimus gave him...by idly tapping it against a railing.
*This is the first time we've seen Soundwave "get his hands dirty". With how easily he trounces Airachnid, that's probably a good thing for the Autobots.
*According to the flashbacks, Megatron's optics are blue, his fingers, eyebrows, and shoulders less pointy, and his feet are also rather flat, until he is rejected by the Council and storms out angrily, obtaining the sharp teeth and red eyes.
*Fowler hugs June. Make of that what you will.
*Once more, the Thirteen Original Primes make an appearance, this time as statue busts in the walls of the High Council's chamber.
*Unlike all other Autobots thus far in the cartoon, Optimus has a distinct Cybertronian robot form, with different kibble, in the flashbacks. This is also true of Soundwave to an extent-we only see one silhouette, but his limbs are a fair bit bulkier than his modern form.
*A behind-scenes Internet video released by The Hub featured the voice actors recording the "Megatron was an Autobot? Optimus was a 'Con?" exchange, leading many (surprised) fans to believe this was truly the case.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Skids (G1)

2011-12-27T20:04:55Z

WreckNRule426:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:Skidsg1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Gee, that REALLY looks like his Alternators head, what are the odds?]]
'''Skids''' is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor'': [[Michael Chain]] and [[Dan Gilvezan]] (English), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese), [[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)

[[Image:Skidsanimated.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Hoist, Prime, and Skids ogle Bumblebee's animation model.]]
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]'s report that he had retrieved [[robotic insecticide]] from the planet [[Floron III]] to deal with the Insecticon threat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[Image:TripleTakeover Skids.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Racing into obscurity.]]
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the [[Triple Changer]] [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and was driven over by tank-mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Story of Binaltech''=====
[[Image:Binaltech_skids_cardart.jpg|left|220px|thumb]]
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in 2004 when Ravage used the [[Kronosphere]] to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. {{storylink|Darkest Hour}}

The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the [[Optimus Primal|Protector]], hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

{{-}}
=====''Henkei! Henkei!''=====
[[Image:Skids_and_screech.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Named "[[Screech (Generations)|Screech]]" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. {{storylink|#Toys|Skids's toy bio}} {{storylink|Screech (Generations)|Screech's toy bio}}

Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost across the multiverse to a [[Henkei! Henkei! (franchise)|parallel dimension]] where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

{{--}}
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Skidsnatives.jpg|right|100px|thumb|We bet you can't.]]
In the event that the [[Ark (G1)|Ark's]] mission would require more manpower, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within crystals, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on [[Earth]], Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time." Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van, Skids' first mission was to aid in preventing [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] from stealing sonic energy from a [[Brick Springhorn]] concert, and he immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] ran out of fuel in the middle of the [[Powder River Basin]] in [[Wyoming]], Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their military) forced the Autobots into a retreat. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

[[Image:Charleneskids.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Proving once and for all that chicks dig giant robots.]]
On the way to raid the [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]], Skids accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered [[Jake Dalrymple]], who pursued the Autobots on their mission and distracted Skids just enough for [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. {{storylink|Command Performances!}} Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]], who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.

A somewhat unusual [[Transformer romance|relationship]] ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of [[Donny Finkleberg]], who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

[[Image:Skidslimbo.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oh, hey, remember Skids?]]
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, and later embarked on a mission with him to track down a group of missing Autobots who had been captured by the [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team]]. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and he promptly sold out Skids to RAAT's leader [[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]] when Skids was deactivated for the night. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}} Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative [[Circuit Breaker]] was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a jury-rigged robot that Circuit Breaker used to stop the [[Battlecharger]]s, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] traveled back in time from 2006, shunting Skids into [[limbo]] to maintain temporal balance. {{storylink|Fallen Angel}} Skids remained in limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the [[Limbo parasite|parasites]] native to the realm.''

{{note|While Skids was lost to limbo in the UK comics, no such fate befell him in the American stories. Luckily enough for continuity's sake, he never did anything important in the US comics again, only showing up in crowd scenes: He attended Optimus Prime's funeral {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}}, witnessed the arrival of the Spacehikers {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} and watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight for Autobot leadership on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. {{storylink|Totaled!}} To maintain consistency, the UK printings of these stories either redrew Skids into a different, [[generic]] robot, or erased him from the art entirely.}}

[[Image:Skidssurvivors.jpg|left|200px|thumb|And then he stole [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head.]]
''With Galvatron's eventual destruction during the [[Time Wars]], Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the limbo-creatures had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, who desired to merge with Skids so that they might become more powerful, Skids lured them into a nuclear power plant which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself, but the remnants of the Autobot [[Wrecker]]s—joined by [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] of the Decepticon [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the [[Survivors]]. {{storylink|Survivors!}}''

[[Image:Grimlockwasthatwise.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hey, who here remembers when I was damaged and shoved into the medbay? No? Well, that makes all of us.]]
Grimlock traveled to [[Hydrus Four]] to use [[Nucleon]] to revive the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Returning to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across [[Unicron]]'s head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}

{{-}}
====Earthforce====
{{earthforcefiction}}
''When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, they stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base to save their friend. Skids personally confronted [[Octopunch]] in single combat, holding his own against the murderous Pretender.'' {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

''On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an oil tanker from [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink.'' {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}
{{-}}

===Universe: Featuring the Wreckers===
[[Image:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|200px|thumb|In the context of science, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch", Rodimus. You should probably pay attention.]]
Skids was among the senior scientists (including [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]], and [[Rad]]) who questioned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

{{-}}
===Dreamwave comics continuity===
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the [[Chamber of the Ancients]], observing the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optronix]] was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by [[Umbra]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the [[Decagon]]. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Skids manned auto-defenses from inside the Decagon until they and their [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], but defend it they did and Shockwave's forces were driven back. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}}

During the Dark Ages, Skids served with [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s faction of Autobots. {{storylink|Devastation (Dreamwave)|Devastation}} The team got involved in a skirmish with [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and the giant Decepticon jumped onto a building in which Skids was trying to hide, crushing him. He survived though. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}}

Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the [[Great Shutdown]]. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. Eventually, the example shown by the ''Ark'''s returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

{{note|Several council members would then accompany Prowl and the former Autobots of Earth back to that planet to construct [[Autobot City]], and Skids may have been among them. Due to [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s self-destruction, we will never know.}}

===Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers'' comics===
During an Autobot peace ceremony on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skids reported to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] had yet to find the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] that had gone missing while chasing [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

Skids was later stationed on the ''[[Arc II]]'' on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe [[S.H.A.R.C.]]s. When the ship came under attack by the [[Pretender Monster]]s, Skids was knocked out by [[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] while alerting the others on board. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}} He was sent to [[Pit (G.I. Joe)|the Pit]] for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2}}

===''TransTech''===
In an Offworld Zone of [[Axiom Nexus]], Skids was yet another victim of [[Bulletbike (TransTech)|Bulletbike]], murdered for a cred-key. {{storylink|I, Lowtech}}

{{-}}

==Games==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Skids was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}

{{-}}
==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[Image:G1 Skids toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Introducing the new Nikahimi Deathtrap. With its poly-cotton body shell, it's the fastest car in the world... to open with the jaws of life. The Nikahimi Deathtrap—the last car you'll ever drive.]]
* '''Skids''' (Autobot, 1985/2004/2009)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
: Skids's toy transforms into a blue Honda City Turbo with a red stripe. His robot mode is similar to other hood-chest Autobot Transformers, but is unusual in that his rear wheels fold into his feet, aiding in stability. Also unusual for ''Transformers'' figures, his hand weapons actually attach onto his forearms rather than being held in his fists. He is also armed with a spring-loaded rocket launcher.

: Skids is one of the rarest mass-release G1 figures, as just one was included per every ''two'' [[Case|shipping cases]].

: Skids was reissued by [[Takara]] on [[September 27]] of 2002 as part of their "book-box" ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' series. In 2004, [[Hasbro]] re-released him as part of the [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] ''[[Commemorative Series]]'' VIII. The Takara version features a fully functional spring-loaded rocket launcher, whereas the Hasbro version has the launching spring removed.

: In October of 2009, [[TakaraTomy]] reissued Skids as part of their ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series. This version of Skids featured [[tampograph|tampographed]] Autobot symbols and rear tail lights. He also featured cherry red plastic and stickers as opposed to tomato red, and his blue plastic was changed to a blueish purple plastic. The clear blue used for his windows, is a much lighter shade then the previous versions. Some of his stickers were also updated, including the pre-applied grill sticker.

: This mold was [[Retool|retooled]] to make the [[e-Hobby]] Autobot [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and the ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]'' exclusive [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VSZ}}
*'''Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw''' (Multi-pack, 1985)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''VSZ'''
: In the original Japanese toyline, Skids was released ''only'' in a multi-pack with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
{{-}}

[[Image:MillionPublishing-SkidsScreech.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Um, Hasbro? I'm pretty sure homages need to be in homage to something...you know...good.]]
*'''Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver.''' (2009)
**''Accessories:'' "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter

: Skids is a green [[redeco]] of his Generation 1 toy. He transforms into a Honda City R hatchback. He also comes with a "scooter" accessory that fits in his hatchback. Skids was an [[exclusive]] to [[Million Publishing]], sold only in a set with [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]] with volume 3 of ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]''. While Skids' colors are an homage to ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], Screech is likewise a match for Skids' twin [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Cybertron/Skids/skids.htm More information on Exclusives Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Alternators===
[[Image:Alt Skids toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Heavily clearanced so fanboys could customize him into Ironhide.]]
{{anchor|Alt}}
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number'': '''17'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT-16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle
: Skids transforms into a blue Toyota Scion xB. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his G1 toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with G1 toy details. His engine unfolds to become his gun.

[[Image:BT Skids toy.jpg|left|300px|thumb|No flames here. The Scion logo doesn't exist in Japan, and a burning Toyota logo just isn't as striking.]]
: The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' release differs from the Takara ''Binaltech'' release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, has different paint decos, and includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the Alternators version, as well as some G1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)

*'''Skids''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''12'''

: The figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Skids/skids.htm More information on Decoy Skids at TFU.info]''

{{anchor|3DBC}}

[[Image:EnergonWarsSkids.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Are, uh, you sure you're a G1 character?]]
*'''Skids''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
: A 26-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Dropkick]].

:He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the [[Skids (Movie)|live-action movie Skids]].

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:DiacloneSkids.jpg|right|180px|thumb|A rainbow of theoretical flavors.]]
[[Image:Skidsdiacloneconceptart.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Suck it, Ironhide! This head was mine first!]]
* The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. Neither of these color schemes have been used within the ''Transformers'' toyline as yet, but with [[Takara]], you never know.

* Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early ''Diaclone'' promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.

* Though Skids' toy turned into a [[wikipedia:Honda_City_Turbo|Honda City Turbo]], his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.

* Skids is noteworthy for his almost complete absence from the original television series. He had but two lines in two different episodes by two different voice actors.

* In the television commercial that introduced all the rest of his assortment, Skids was totally absent. Burnsauce!

* His bad luck doesn't stop there. Though Skids had an issue all to himself in the Marvel Comics, he spent upwards of 100 (UK) issues abandoned and forgotten in [[limbo]] while parasites ate his brain.

* In the "[[Survivors!]]" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head. "Survivors!"' artist, [[Dan Reed]], previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)

* In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Skids'''".

* [[TakaraTomy]] accidentally revealed the color scheme for the [[Transformers_Generations_2009|Transformers Generations 2009]] exclusive Skids figure by including the [[:Image:Encore_Skids_Tokyo_Toy_Show_2009.jpg|missile launcher from the exclusive version]] with the normal [[Encore]] version at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.<ref name="internat">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/5790/20/ TakaraTomy Accidentally Gives Clue to TF Generations Vol. 3 Mail Away Figure?!]</ref>

* [[:Image:MillionPublishing-SkidsScreech.jpg|Mockup images]] showed Skids with black shoulders, shins, and legs, but the final product's shoulders, shins, and legs are gray. His face was also shown as gray, but ended up silver.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Sukizzu'')
*''French:'' '''Platon''' ("Plato")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szán'''
*''Italian:'' '''Furetto''' ("Ferret")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Patins''' (Brazil comic, "Skate"), '''Pe-de-cabra''' (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
*''Russian:'' '''Tormoz''' (Тормоз, "Brake")

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Skids Skids's ''Universe'' profile at NTFA.net]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]

Leadfoot (DOTM)

2011-12-05T19:02:36Z

WreckNRule426: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot|wreckers}}
{{disambig3|Leadfoot}}

:''Leadfoot is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Dark of the Moon (franchise)|Dark of the Moon]] portion of the [[live-action film series]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:LeadfootDOTM-poster.jpg|right|thumb|400px|[[BotCon]]'s most popular cosplay subject.]]

'''Leadfoot''' is one of the [[Wrecker]]s, a group of former engineers turned fighters who have turned their talents to kicking [[Decepticon]] tail across the galaxy. His specialty is building bigger and better weapons, WITH SCIENCE! Unsurprisingly, this vocation has led him to strike up a friendship with the Autobots resident weapons-hound [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]. The way the two egg each other on towards bigger and better "boom-sticks", the other Autobots fear one day waking up to find [[Wheeljack (G1)|a smoking crater where their workshop once stood.]]

{{quote|This is going to hurt—a ''lot''!|Leadfoot and his pals engage in some brutality|''[[Dark of the Moon (film)]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''Dark of the Moon'' (film)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[John DiMaggio]] (English), [[Hiroshi Iwasaki]] (Japanese), [[Raul Solo]] (Latin American Spanish) [[Renzo Stacchi]] (Italian)

{{quote|We were hidden in the first booster rocket to separate. Splashed down in the Atlantic just as planned. (Spits) We ain't going nowhere.|Leadfoot after dismantling a Decepticon pilot|''[[Dark of the Moon (film)]]''}}

[[Image:DOTM-RoadbusterLeadfoot.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Get in mah belleh!]]

Leadfoot, Topspin and Roadbuster, collectively known as [[Wrecker|the Wreckers]], by [[Charlotte Mearing]], had arrived with the second wave of Autobots aboard the Autobot ship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', and were rarely let off of the [[NASA]] base because of their attitude. They would spend most of their time working on repairing their ship along with some human engineers, including [[Robert Epps]].

When [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] announced that the current occupation force of Autobots was to be exiled or the Earth would face the wrath of hundreds of Decepticons, the three prepared the ship for launch and accompanied [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and the others aboard, sending the ship into the atmosphere - where it was then targeted and blown to smithereens by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], seemingly killing all the Autobots aboard. Undaunted by this, the Autobot's human allies nonetheless tried to launch an incursion into Decepticon-held [[Chicago]].

Fortunately for them, the Autobots were not actually aboard the ship, and had only feigned their deaths in order to keep the Decepticons from following up on their global threat. Leadfoot and the other Wreckers swung into action immediately, rescuing Epps, [[Sam Witwicky]] and a group of soldiers from a [[Orbital Assault Carrier|Decepticon fighter]] and executing the pilot. Leadfoot revealed that they had hidden in the ''Xantium's'' booster rocket which had separated moments before the ship's destruction, stating that they weren't going anywhere.

While the Autobots were scouting a route to the building containing Sentinel's [[Space bridge]] pillars, [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] and his pet [[Driller]] separated Optimus from his weapons trailer. Optimus ordered Leadfoot and the other Wreckers to create a distraction so that he could retrieve it, and in their armored race car forms fired at Shockwave with their machine guns until being forced to retreat, leaving behind [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] and [[Brains]], who had hitched a ride with them. After Optimus had become snared in a construction site's cables, the Wreckers set out to free him. After doing so they rejoined the battle, battling against a long-limbed Decepticon. After the battle Leadfoot stood with the other survivors, accepting that Cybertron was gone forever and that Earth was their new home. {{storylink|Dark of the Moon (film)}}

===Target.com profile===
{{notemoviebio}}

Leadfoot single-handedly stormed [[Kaon]] to rescue a group of Autobot prisoners, defeating or destroying a number of Decepticons, including dueling and defeating [[Space Case (DOTM)|Space Case]], busting up the Decepticon's mental circuits in the process. He was then personally recruited for the Wreckers by Ironhide.

He has since used his mechanical skills to improve the performance of both of Ironhide's arm cannons, as well as reconfigure his companion [[Steeljaw (DOTM)|Steeljaw]] into the souped-up engine he is today. {{storylink|Explore the Cyberglyph Wall for Secrets and Savings#The Story of Leadfoot|The Story of Leadfoot}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Dark of the Moon===
====Cyberverse====
[[Image:DOTM_CyberverseLegion_Leadfoot.jpg|thumb|300px|I'm tubby and short and stubby!]]
* '''Leadfoot''' (Cyberverse Legion, 2011)
**''Series:'' '''1'''
**''Number:'' '''007'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''CV17'''

: Part of the second wave of [[Cyberverse]] Legion single-pack toys, Leadfoot is a [[Legends Class|Legends-scale]] figure that transforms into a [[NASCAR]] [[wikipedia:Chevrolet_Impala#NASCAR_Sprint_Cup|Sprint Cup Chevy Impala]] stock car, specifically [[wikipedia:Juan_Pablo_Montoya|Juan Pablo Montoya's]] [[Target]]-sponsored #42 car, albeit heavily modified with a ridiculous amount of exposed (non-firing) weaponry and all the various sponsor logos concealed by the modifications. Also, present on the both sides of the car doors is the Sprint Cup logo found on all the Wreckers.
{{-}}

[[Image:Leadfoot_Target_Cyberverse.jpg|thumb|300px|...and now a corporate whore!]]
{{anchor|TargetCyberverseVs}}
*'''Leadfoot and Ironhide''' (Target exclusive Cyberverse 2-pack, 2011)
**''Accessories:'' Cyberverse blaster

: Leadfoot comes as a [[Target]]-exclusive redeco of the legion figure. His entire hood is now painted red, with the Target Bulls-eye logo prominently displayed. The Sprint Cup logos are moved from his doors to the front fender, and his face and windshield lack the standard release's silver paint apps. He comes with ''[[Machine Wars]]'' [[Megaplex#Machine_Wars|Megaplex's]] two-piece rifle and a [[redeco]] of [[Ironhide (Movie)/toys#Cyberverse|Ironhide]].
{{-}}

====Deluxe====
[[Image:DOTMDeluxeLeadfootJapan.jpg|thumb|300px|]]
* '''Leadfoot''' (MechTech Deluxe, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''DA34'''
**''Accessories:'' MechTech Cannon/Power Saw, two small guns, two large guns

:Released [[November 17]]th in Japan, TakaraTomy's single release of Leadfoot... does not actually look like its stock photos. The retail version has a silver-painted head and shoulders, a pair of white Autobot symbols on the hood and white stripes on its transformed rear fenders, plus it includes a redeco of [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s MechTech saw. The hey?

:This release comes packed with a character card and an accompanying transparent plastic card of his MechTech weapon for the MechTech Wars online game.

{{-}}

*'''Twin Twist and Leadfoot''' (Target exclusive MechTech Deluxe 2-Pack, 2011)
**''Accessories:''

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

====Human Alliance====
[[Image:HA_Leadfoot.jpg‎|thumb|300px|Was anyone surprised that this was a [[Target]] [[exclusive]]?]]
*'''Leadfoot / [[Sergeant Detour]] & [[Steeljaw (DOTM)|Steeljaw]]''' (Human Alliance, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''DA30'''
**''Accessories:'' Missile, leash
:[[Human Alliance]] Leadfoot transforms into the same NASCAR Chevy Impala as the Cyberverse toy, although this one does not have any robotic bits showing in car mode. He comes with [[Sergeant Detour]] and [[Steeljaw (DOTM)|Steeljaw]].

:As usual, Sergeant Detour (or any other Human Alliance driver figure) can sit on the seats in vehicle mode or peg onto the robot's hands. He can also man two flip-out guns on Leadfoot's hood-chest as well as ride Steeljaw in his [[cyber dog]] mode.

:Steeljaw can also convert into what might charitably be called a "weapon", which is basically his head flipped up and the limbs arranged into a crossbow-shaped missile launcher. The weapon itself can be pegged onto either Leadfoot's forearm or back via [[MechTech]] ports. Steeljaw also includes a detachable chain 'leash' which can peg to Steeljaw and be pegged into Leadfoot's hand. The leash itself stores in Leadfoot's right arm.

:Finally, as with all of the large Human Alliance figures, he has a gimmick concerning his head. It's essentially the same gimmick as Jazz's and Roadbuster's: when a lever on the back of his head is flipped, he dons a pair of visor-like "sunglasses".

:There are also hundreds of ways that Leadfoot's beer-belly and door chest can be arranged.

:One can store the missile by pegging it onto the thin ridge on the underside of Leadfoot's crotch in either mode. Somewhat unfortunately, it's not very subtle, with the missile proudly sticking out and erect between the seats in vehicle mode. Even more unfortunately, it's Leadfoot's ''crotch'', so storing the missile in robot mode will make Leadfoot particularly happy to see you. Also notable is that his top-heaviness makes him prone to falling over when standing straight. Placing him in an action-oriented pose can remedy this.

:There are two deco [[variant]]s of Leadfoot: A [[Target]]-[[exclusive]] version with the Target logos, car numbers, and other sponsors perfectly visible, especially the one on his gut (see picture to the right), and the [[Takaratomy]] version that's been ''completely'' de-sponsored, lacking all of his markings, making the car look ''very'' bare as a result.

:The Japanese release comes packed with a character card and an accompanying transparent plastic card of his MechTech weapon for the MechTech Wars online game. Interestingly, the card still shows Leadfoot with all of his markings, but with the Target logo on his chest lacking the inner circle, essentially just being a ring.
{{-}}

==Notes==
* Leadfoot is the odd man out amongst the NASCAR trio in that his real-world counterpart is owned by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, while [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]] and [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] are based on Hendrick Motorsports racers.
* It sure is convenient that Leadfoot's Cyberverse toy conspicuously covers up those giant Target logos, isn't it? Much easier [[to sell toys]] at [[Walmart]] that way.
* Leadfoot appears to have a "beard" and a "beer gut," making him appear much like a stereotypical NASCAR fan.
* As part of the promotions for ''[[Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'', the film prop versions of Leadfoot, Roadbuster, and Topspin made appearances at the [[2011]] Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on [[February 20]]th. They appeared both off the track as display cars, and on the track, participating in the ceremonial first lap.
* Contrary to the image above, the headlights on real-world NASCAR racers don't work. They're actually just [[decal]]s.
* Despite already sporting Chevrolet Impala [[kibble]] in robot mode, Leadfoot's concept art featured sponsor decals that were based on the 2008 season's [[Wikipedia:File:Reed_Sorenson_2008_Target_Dodge_Charger.jpg|Target-sponsored #41 Dodge Charger]] driven by [[Wikipedia:Reed Sorenson|Reed Sorenson]], the concept art even featured him with the backlights of the Dodge Avenger.<ref name="nizzi">[http://www.joshnizzi.com/TF3.htm Josh Nizzi DOTM concepts.]</ref>
* Leadfoot's racing-car altmode is a callback to his [[Leadfoot (G2)|Generation 2 counterpart]].
* Early working names for him included '''Flash'''.<ref name="nizzi"/> In the movie's end credits, he's listed under two names, '''Leadfoot/Target''', the latter referring to his NASCAR vehicle mode's [[Target|primary sponsor]].

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Leadfoot''' (レッドフット ''Reddofutto'')

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category: Cyberverse]]
[[Category: Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category: Scientists]]
[[Category: Wreckers]]
[[Category: Target exclusives]]

Headmaster unit

2011-11-22T17:16:17Z

WreckNRule426:

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
:''The Headmaster unit is a piece of technology from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Headm anim.JPG|right|300px|thumb|LOLbots.]]
The '''Headmaster unit''' is the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster's]] ultimate invention. In its robot head mode, it can fly, decapitate a robot with a cutting laser, and replace the robot's head atop its body, allowing its pilot to control the body. It possesses a veritable arsenal of on-board weaponry, with grenades and missiles in addition to the cutting laser. The control unit can also transform from head to bipedal robot.

Perhaps befitting the personality of its inventor, it also features a built-in smirk.

:''Latin American Spanish (first and second season only) name:'' '''Supercabeza''' (Superhead, no kidding)

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[Image:Henrymastersonandhead.jpg|left|200px|thumb|All ur face r belong 2 us.]]
The "Headmaster project" was the brainchild of Sumdaac Systems employee Henry Masterson. The initial demonstration for [[Isaac Sumdac]] went awry, however, when the Headmaster unit proved to be too heavy for his robotic test subject, making it collapse and sending its weaponry towards [[Detroit]]. Sumdac, incensed by Masterson's plans to put his invention to military use, fired him in a fit of Donald Trump-esque rage.

Masterson apparently absconded with his Headmaster prototype and went off to sulk and play with his Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots. He decided that having his own company would be "wicked sweet", as would exacting his revenge on Sumdac. Needing a robot sturdy enough to support his control unit, he chanced upon a news report on [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]. The emo jerk ambushed and decapitated Bulkhead and subsequently went on a rampage in the Autobot's body.

He demolished several Sumdac [[Police drone|police drones]] en route to a solar power plant. Dubbing himself "the Headmaster", he hijacked local television broadcasts to deliver his ultimatum: Unless he was paid $700 billion, personally delivered by Isaac Sumdac, he would set the [[solar fusion reactor]] to overload, which would result in the obliteration of the entire state of [[Michigan]] (including Masterson himself). Sumdac arrived in a [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|tractor trailer]], accompanied by [[Sari Sumdac|his daughter]], [[Captain Fanzone]], and a [[Bumblebee (Animated)|small]] [[Prowl (Animated)|convoy]] of [[Ratchet (Animated)|vehicles]]. Sumdac offered Henry the money, but the Headmaster grabbed him and announced his intention to take the ransom money and destroy the city of Detroit anyway, then use the threat of future robot attacks to sell his Headmaster units to the military.

[[Image:TFA Headmaster Bulkhead body rampage.JPG|right|200px|thumb|I d00 it 4 teh lulz!]]
When he checked the trailer for the money, he found only the enraged head of Bulkhead. The convoy of vehicles revealed themselves as the [[Autobot|Autobots]] and engaged the Headmaster in combat. After taking a pounding from them, the Headmaster unleashed the weaponry of his control unit. He managed to corner Optimus Prime and began to slice the Autobot leader's head off. Prevented from doing so thanks to an ambush by Bulkhead's severed head, the Headmaster was soon felled by Prowl. Masterson decided to flee, but his flying Headmaster unit was knocked out of the sky by the still-disembodied Bulkhead. With the Autobots distracted by the overloading reactor, the Headmaster transformed his head unit into robot mode and fled. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}}

Once [[Porter C. Powell]] took control of Sumdac Systems, he was quick to rehire Masterson in the interest of reaping that lucrative arms market for which Isaac lacked the taste. Powell gave Masterson Sari's bedroom as his office while in the process of kicking her out of it. Masterson was quick to make himself comfortable and started planning renovations to hook the place up for some major gameage. Powell wasn't about to let his employee just slack around, though, and put him to work on a new Headmaster Unit project, even giving him [[Tutor Bot]] and [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] to outfit with smaller Units and laser-shooting upgrades.

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster headmastersvictim.jpg|left|200px|thumb|0v3rc10ck3d.]]
The Headmaster wanted more than just little bots to tinker with, however, and stole [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]'s body, upgrading it as well. He would have gotten away with it, but Optimus managed to track him down, defeat Sentinel's possessed body, and take the Headmaster to justice. At least, he was ''almost'' brought to justice, until Powell showed up and wriggled his employee out of a legal loophole. {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}}

[[Image:TFA ABTC2 Head Starscream.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This ended in EPIC FAIL]]
When the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] completed the [[space bridge]] that would transport them to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Decepticon leader [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] had [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] retrieve a Headmaster unit from Sumdac Tower to coerce Bulkhead into helping them repair the bridge. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}} During a battle between the Decepticons and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] and his [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]], Isaac Sumdac of all people used the Headmaster to body-jack Starscream, only to be decapitated by an unimpressed Megatron. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

Furious that his Headmaster unit had been absconded with, Masterson was unintimated when Sari returned to [[Sumdac Tower]] with Isaac in tow, informing the Sumdacs that the Autobots would return his Headmaster unit to him and or "heads would roll". At which point Optimus Prime picked him up from behind and asked for clarification on whose heads would be rolling. Furious at their actions while running the company, Isaac Sumdac immediately fired both Porter C. Powell and Henry Masterson.

[[Image:TFAni TransWarped Headmaster PWN3D.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Release ALL the heads!]]
Enraged that he had been fired again, Masterson tracked his Headmaster unit to the mine, where he discovered [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'s body, ready to be taken over. After a brief fight with Bulkhead the next day, Masterson returned to Detroit, then listened in on Isaac Sumdac's phone calls. Learning that Sumdac was heading to meet Sari at [[Burger Bot]], Masterson ambushed the "happy family", only to be interrupted by Optimus Prime again. A struggle followed, destroying the Burger Bot in the process. Finally, Prime taunted Masterson into transforming, saying that a "n00b" like him might have trouble with it. Screaming that nobody called him a "n00b", Masterson initiated a transformation, only for his Headmaster unit to be crushed and shot off Starscream's body when it began. As Starscream's body flew into the river, Masterson was captured by Optimus Prime and turned over to the police. Let's see how far his slang gets him in prison. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

Following the battle, Masterson's battered Headmaster unit was brought to Isaac Sumdac's laboratory, where the professor expressed distress over how it seemed to be watching him wherever he stood. When Sumdac and Bulkhead started constructing a space bridge in the room, an accident tore a hole in the floor, sending the Headmaster unit plunging through several floors of Sumdac Tower alongside a forklift and a few [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragments. Reacting to these two components, the fragments gave life to [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]]; a [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicon]] with the ability to take control of other Transformers' motor functions. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
*'''Bulkhead''' (Leader, 2008)

:A non-transforming Headmaster accessory comes packaged with Bulkhead, able to snap into place over the head of the figure and alter its electronic sound and light gimmicks. Once attached, the Headmaster will scream "Total ownage!" and all of Bulkhead's lights (normally yellow) turn red. The Headmaster can attach to all other ''Animated'' Leader class figures, but does not unlock any new sounds or lights when connected to them (Megatron's instructions do not even refer to the figure's ability to wear the Headmaster unit). It can also fit in quite nicely on the Sentinel Prime figure and balance on the Starscream figure (also the Sentinel and Starscream figures actually have removable heads unlike the leader toys).

:While box photography show the Headmaster accessory with [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] solid pink antennae, the final production version has clear plastic antennae. Although this is presumably intended to utilise a light-piping style technique in order to light up from Bulkhead's flashing lights, it... doesn't work very well.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/LeaderBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Leader Bulkhead at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* Because the Headmaster unit is not a Transformer, its transformation sound is very different.

* [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] incorporated a number of features common to a number of [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] heads into Masterson's robot, although his pointy bits and coloration are a loose homage to [[Loafer]].

* Wyatt stated that the anime series ''[[wikipedia:Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann"|Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' did not have any influence on the design of Headmaster's head-robot, as Wyatt had not seen the series till most of the first season of ''Animated'' was complete. He expressed regret, as in retrospect, he'd have liked to include some of the ''Gurren Lagann'' design elements.<ref>[http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21975298&postID=8564559979841180115 Comments section of "Back from Botcon" in Derrick Wyatt's blog]</ref> Eventually, [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|he did]].

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated technology]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]