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Quest for Survival

2013-11-29T07:13:10Z

Yulia kl: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|image=QuestForSurvival Blaster repels morphobots.jpg
|caption=The Morphobots raise the roof.
|series=G1toon
|ep=45
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=34
|prev2=Make Tracks
|next2=The Secret of Omega Supreme
|title="Quest for Survival"
|written by=[[Reed Robbins]]/[[Peter Salas]]
|production code=700-44
|airdate=[[November 5]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Autobots find themselves outnumbered when facing an Insecticon Clone Army and look to find a robotic insecticide to destroy them. However, their problems are just going to get bigger when spores from alien plants on Cosmos begin to grow rapidly...'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:QuestForSurvival Insecticon swarm incoming.jpg|left|200px|thumb|''Here we come to eat the haaaay The Insecticons are on their way'']]
The [[Decepticon]]s have turned the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]' cloning ability to new heights, to be an unstoppable force that will devour Earth's food resources and convert it into [[energon]]. Like a horde of mechanical locusts, they will devour Earth's crops and cause the human race to starve to death. The Autobots make an attempt to stop the Insecticons, but they are too many in number, and are forced to retreat. At the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Autobots explain what happened to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], when [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] contact Prime, saying that they found some [[robotic insecticide]] on [[Floron III]]. As they leave, however, something grabs hold of Cosmos, and he is barely able to escape.

Returning to the [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|Decepticon base]], the Insecticons convert the food they've eaten into energon, but only get one [[energon cube]] each. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] claims that this is because of the costly energy conversion process, but in another room, the Decepticons are busily converting massive amounts of energy into energon. Megatron muses that the Insecticons would be deadly if they weren't so stupid.

[[Image:QuestForSurvival Spike surveys damage.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I ''told'' you not to pick up those hitchhikers.]]

On his approach to Earth, Cosmos discovers that spores from whatever attacked him are growing across his hull, and he is losing control of his systems. Bumblebee and Spike manage to abandon ship before Cosmos crashes, and go to get help. Arriving back at the base, Bumblebee discovers that spores are attached to his body, but [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] manages to get them off. Prime attempts to contact Cosmos, only to discover that the valley he crashed in has been overtaken by the plant-like machines. As the Autobot leader leads a rescue mission, [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] learns of the insecticide, and reports it to [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]. Megatron takes a team to retrieve it before the Autobots can...and in case he might need the insecticide himself.

At the base, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] discover that the spores are [[Morphobot]]s, a plant-like species that the [[Transformer]]s believed was extinct. They contact Prime, warning him that the Morphobots are particularly fond of robotic lifeforms. Elsewhere, [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] is overseeing the Insecticons, when Megatron orders him to warn the Insecticons to stay away from the valley. The Insecticons suspect that Megatron is hiding something, and attack Thrust, after which they take the entire clone army to the valley.

[[Image:Primequestforsurvival.jpg|left|200px|thumb|LA LA LA LA, NOT LISTENING!]]

At the valley, the Decepticons arrive first, only to discover the Morphobots. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] fires first, only to have the blast from his [[null-ray]] deflected right back at him. Before Megatron can <s>choke a bitch</s> properly admonish Starscream, Soundwave detects the Autobots. Megatron decides to let Prime do the work of getting the insecticide for him. [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] fires a blast, but gets nowhere; [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s liquid nitrogen only freezes them momentarily. [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] begins broadcasting, which causes the Morphobots to recoil. Bumblebee, Ironhide, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], and Blaster take Cosmos out of the field.

[[Image:G1 QuestforSurvival Morphobot eats Bombshell.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The venus fly trap from outer space.]]

Once they're out, Megatron and the Decepticons attack, destroying the insecticide. However, the Morphobots also attack the Decepticons. As things get bad, the Insecticons arrive. Megatron believes the noble creatures are coming to save them. Obviously his [[Circuits|logic circuits]] fail to tell him just how many things are wrong with his idea. Believing them to be food, the Insecticon clones fly straight into the field, and the Morphobots consume all the clones. The original Insecticons manage to escape, and the Decepticons follow.

At their base, the Autobots have loaded the Morphobots into a shuttle, intended to take them to a world with a large robotic insect population. However, Perceptor requests that a second shuttle be prepared as soon as possible, as the Morphobots he has been studying have become a little too friendly for his tastes.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (6)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (7)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (8)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (9)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (10)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (11)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (12)
*[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] (13)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (14)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (15)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (16)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (25)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (26)
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (27)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (30)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (34)
*[[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] (35)

|c2=
*[[Insecticon clone]]s (2)
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] (3)
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] (4)
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (5)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (19)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (20)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (21)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (22)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (23)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (24)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (28)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (29)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (31)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (32)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (33)

|c3=
*Farmers (1)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (17)

|c4=
*[[Morphobot]]s (18)
}}

==Quotes==
"Robotic Insecticide?"
:—'''Skids''' makes his debut by asking what everyone else is thinking.

"Muahah. If the Insecticons had ''brains'', they'd be ''dangerous!''"
:—'''Megatron''' reflects on the Insecticons' gullibility.

"Hmm. Very interesting." 
"What is it?" 
"Hmm? What is what?"
:—'''Perceptor''' and '''Prowl''', a typical conversation with a scientist.

"Who says plants aren't intelligent? The Morphobots are repelled by your music."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', being a little ungrateful to Blaster, who is repelling the Morphobots

"Just don't stand there with your cockpits open, you fools!"
:—'''Megatron''', being dragged along the ground by a Morphobot.

"The Insecticons! Those noble creatures have come to save us, despite the danger to their own lives."
:—'''Megatron''', seriously overestimating his allies.

[[File:QuestForSurvival Insecticons.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
"Our friend Megatron is in trouble." 
"If I wasn't so ''hungry'', I'd stop to help him out. HAHAHAHAHAH!"
:—'''Kickback''' and '''Bombshell''' both showing how an 'ally' should act.

[[File:G1 QuestforSurvival Bombshell Kickback.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
"You didn't tell us they'd bite back!"
:—'''Kickback''', realizing that plants do bite back.

"Where is your courage, Megatron?"
:—'''Starscream''' should practice what he preaches.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
[[File:QuestForSurvival Inferno puts out Tracks.jpg|thumb|right|200px|I'm burning! burning!]]
[[File:QuestForSurvival Cosmos ejects escape pod.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This thing fits inside Cosmos. Spike and Bumblebee fit inside this thing. But when Cosmos transforms, he's like one head taller than Bumblebee.]]
* When Tracks speaks near the start of the episode, he has the Insecticons' voice effect.
* Why does Cosmos need Spike to fire his emergency jet? Can't he do it himself?
* When the Morphobots penetrate into Cosmos' cabin, there is no indication of decompression from his pressurized and vacuum-sealed hull being breached.
* Not only is Cosmos big enough to carry Bumblebee, Spike and their cargo in relative comfort, but to carry an ''ejection chamber'' which is ''also'' capable of carrying the same occupants.
* After Cosmos crashes, Spike gestures as if he's trying to project his voice across the cliff, but Bumblebee is the one yelling.
* After the Insecticons step out of the energon extractor, Bombshell's chest is completely gray.
* The area around the Ark looks different in this episode. It's sitting flush with a plateau off to the side, not the usual rocky cliffside.
* As the Decepticons fly to intercept the insecticide, Starscream's left wing is missing its red stripe.
* The edge of Ironhide's helmet is the same color as his face in a couple of shots, notably when he reacts to the Morphobots shrugging off his nitrogen.
* When Megatron transforms to shoot the insecticide, he doesn't make the transformation noise (nor does he when he transforms back, for that matter).
* The second time Soundwave laughs, his voice is missing its usual synthesizer effect, [[Roll for It|and not for the first time]].
* The sound effect used for the shot isn't the usual sound Megatron makes.
* As Megatron is thrown by the Morphobots, his voice sounds different and is missing its metallic effect.
* Several times towards the end of the episode, the triangles on Megatron's forehead are drawn wrong (sometimes one or the other is a square or cut-off polygon).
* A couple of times when Transformers are shaking, such as when Perceptor is struggling with the Morphobots at the end, their mouths aren't quaking with the rest of their bodies.

===Continuity errors===
[[File:QuestforSurvival bee carries blaster.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
* The two vehicle-driving farmers switch places at the start. The fellow in blue overalls is driving the tractor, but is shown running from the combine harvester, trading vehicles with his pal.
* Why couldn't Teletraan I detect Cosmos as he crashed?
* Beachcomber and Ratchet are in the group of Autobots who set out for the crash site, but when the group gets there, Ironhide and Hoist are there instead.
* Windcharger is also there for one shot, but disappears from the rest of the show.
* Blaster doesn't appear at all until after Ironhide and Warpath have tried to destroy the Morphobots. Maybe he was hiding in someone's back seat?
* If the Morphobots can't be harmed by explosives and laser fire, and they can hogtie Megatron in a matter of seconds and sling him around like a bag of bolts, how did the Autobots manage to round them up and put them inside the rocket ship? (Blaster's music could have played a part.)
* Also in "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]", the Insecticons are shown to be able to convert organic food into energy by themselves. What, from the Insecticons' point of view, is the logic behind extracting energon from them, converting it to energon cubes and then (ostensibly) getting it back in cube form, ready to be consumed?

===Trivia===
[[File:Skidsanimated.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
[[File:RoboticInsecticide.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Comes in Small, Medium, Large and Combiner sizes.]]
* This episode marks one of only two instances in which Soundwave laughs (the other being "[[Auto-Bop]]"). He chuckles along with Megatron when Starscream is knocked on his can, and again after Megatron destroys the insecticide.
* First appearance of [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (out of only [[Triple Takeover|two in the whole cartoon!]]).
* Blaster repulses the Morphobots with an instrumental version of the song "[[Cold Slither (song)|Cold Slither]]" played in the ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' episode of the same name.
* Blaster transforms into a halfway form between his cassette player form and his robot mode.
* Where did the Autobots get the video footage of the Decepticon energon facility anyway?
* To get rid of the Morphobots, the Autobots wreck the ecology of another planet. That's real nice of them.
* Okay, seriously... ''robotic insecticide?''

===Foreign localization===
'''Italian'''
:*''Title (dub 1):'' "'''L'insetticida robotico'''" ("The Robotic Insecticide")
:*''Title (dub 2):'' "'''Lotta per la sopravvivenza'''" ("Fight for Survival")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Survival Sakusen'''" (サバイバル作戦, "Operation: Survival")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 28]], [[1986]]

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2: Vol. 5 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 3: Series 2.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 05: Stagione Due Parte Terza ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part Two (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume Two: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/quest_for_survival.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

Quest for Survival

2013-11-29T07:12:40Z

Yulia kl: /* Animation or technical glitches */

{{episode
|image=QuestForSurvival Blaster repels morphobots.jpg
|caption=The Morphobots raise the roof.
|series=G1toon
|ep=45
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=34
|prev2=Make Tracks
|next2=The Secret of Omega Supreme
|title="Quest for Survival"
|written by=[[Reed Robbins]]/[[Peter Salas]]
|production code=700-44
|airdate=[[November 5]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Autobots find themselves outnumbered when facing an Insecticon Clone Army and look to find a robotic insecticide to destroy them. However, their problems are just going to get bigger when spores from alien plants on Cosmos begin to grow rapidly...'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:QuestForSurvival Insecticon swarm incoming.jpg|left|200px|thumb|''Here we come to eat the haaaay The Insecticons are on their way'']]
The [[Decepticon]]s have turned the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]' cloning ability to new heights, to be an unstoppable force that will devour Earth's food resources and convert it into [[energon]]. Like a horde of mechanical locusts, they will devour Earth's crops and cause the human race to starve to death. The Autobots make an attempt to stop the Insecticons, but they are too many in number, and are forced to retreat. At the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Autobots explain what happened to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], when [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] contact Prime, saying that they found some [[robotic insecticide]] on [[Floron III]]. As they leave, however, something grabs hold of Cosmos, and he is barely able to escape.

Returning to the [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|Decepticon base]], the Insecticons convert the food they've eaten into energon, but only get one [[energon cube]] each. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] claims that this is because of the costly energy conversion process, but in another room, the Decepticons are busily converting massive amounts of energy into energon. Megatron muses that the Insecticons would be deadly if they weren't so stupid.

[[Image:QuestForSurvival Spike surveys damage.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I ''told'' you not to pick up those hitchhikers.]]

On his approach to Earth, Cosmos discovers that spores from whatever attacked him are growing across his hull, and he is losing control of his systems. Bumblebee and Spike manage to abandon ship before Cosmos crashes, and go to get help. Arriving back at the base, Bumblebee discovers that spores are attached to his body, but [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] manages to get them off. Prime attempts to contact Cosmos, only to discover that the valley he crashed in has been overtaken by the plant-like machines. As the Autobot leader leads a rescue mission, [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] learns of the insecticide, and reports it to [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]. Megatron takes a team to retrieve it before the Autobots can...and in case he might need the insecticide himself.

At the base, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] discover that the spores are [[Morphobot]]s, a plant-like species that the [[Transformer]]s believed was extinct. They contact Prime, warning him that the Morphobots are particularly fond of robotic lifeforms. Elsewhere, [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] is overseeing the Insecticons, when Megatron orders him to warn the Insecticons to stay away from the valley. The Insecticons suspect that Megatron is hiding something, and attack Thrust, after which they take the entire clone army to the valley.

[[Image:Primequestforsurvival.jpg|left|200px|thumb|LA LA LA LA, NOT LISTENING!]]

At the valley, the Decepticons arrive first, only to discover the Morphobots. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] fires first, only to have the blast from his [[null-ray]] deflected right back at him. Before Megatron can <s>choke a bitch</s> properly admonish Starscream, Soundwave detects the Autobots. Megatron decides to let Prime do the work of getting the insecticide for him. [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] fires a blast, but gets nowhere; [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s liquid nitrogen only freezes them momentarily. [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] begins broadcasting, which causes the Morphobots to recoil. Bumblebee, Ironhide, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], and Blaster take Cosmos out of the field.

[[Image:G1 QuestforSurvival Morphobot eats Bombshell.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The venus fly trap from outer space.]]

Once they're out, Megatron and the Decepticons attack, destroying the insecticide. However, the Morphobots also attack the Decepticons. As things get bad, the Insecticons arrive. Megatron believes the noble creatures are coming to save them. Obviously his [[Circuits|logic circuits]] fail to tell him just how many things are wrong with his idea. Believing them to be food, the Insecticon clones fly straight into the field, and the Morphobots consume all the clones. The original Insecticons manage to escape, and the Decepticons follow.

At their base, the Autobots have loaded the Morphobots into a shuttle, intended to take them to a world with a large robotic insect population. However, Perceptor requests that a second shuttle be prepared as soon as possible, as the Morphobots he has been studying have become a little too friendly for his tastes.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (6)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (7)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (8)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (9)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (10)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (11)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (12)
*[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] (13)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (14)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (15)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (16)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (25)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (26)
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (27)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (30)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (34)
*[[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] (35)

|c2=
*[[Insecticon clone]]s (2)
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] (3)
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] (4)
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (5)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (19)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (20)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (21)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (22)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (23)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (24)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (28)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (29)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (31)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (32)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (33)

|c3=
*Farmers (1)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (17)

|c4=
*[[Morphobot]]s (18)
}}

==Quotes==
"Robotic Insecticide?"
:—'''Skids''' makes his debut by asking what everyone else is thinking.

"Muahah. If the Insecticons had ''brains'', they'd be ''dangerous!''"
:—'''Megatron''' reflects on the Insecticons' gullibility.

"Hmm. Very interesting." 
"What is it?" 
"Hmm? What is what?"
:—'''Perceptor''' and '''Prowl''', a typical conversation with a scientist.

"Who says plants aren't intelligent? The Morphobots are repelled by your music."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', being a little ungrateful to Blaster, who is repelling the Morphobots

"Just don't stand there with your cockpits open, you fools!"
:—'''Megatron''', being dragged along the ground by a Morphobot.

"The Insecticons! Those noble creatures have come to save us, despite the danger to their own lives."
:—'''Megatron''', seriously overestimating his allies.

[[File:QuestForSurvival Insecticons.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
"Our friend Megatron is in trouble." 
"If I wasn't so ''hungry'', I'd stop to help him out. HAHAHAHAHAH!"
:—'''Kickback''' and '''Bombshell''' both showing how an 'ally' should act.

[[File:G1 QuestforSurvival Bombshell Kickback.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
"You didn't tell us they'd bite back!"
:—'''Kickback''', realizing that plants do bite back.

"Where is your courage, Megatron?"
:—'''Starscream''' should practice what he preaches.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
[[File:QuestForSurvival Inferno puts out Tracks.jpg|thumb|right|200px|I'm burning! burning!]]
[[File:QuestForSurvival Cosmos ejects escape pod.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This thing fits inside Cosmos. Spike and Bumblebee fit inside this thing. But when Cosmos transforms, he's like one head taller than Bumblebee.]]
* When Tracks speaks near the start of the episode, he has the Insecticons' voice effect.
* Why does Cosmos need Spike to fire his emergency jet? Can't he do it himself?
* When the Morphobots penetrate into Cosmos' cabin, there is no indication of decompression from his pressurized and vacuum-sealed hull being breached.
* Not only is Cosmos big enough to carry Bumblebee, Spike and their cargo in relative comfort, but to carry an ''ejection chamber'' which is ''also'' capable of carrying the same occupants.
* After Cosmos crashes, Spike gestures as if he's trying to project his voice across the cliff, but Bumblebee is the one yelling.
* After the Insecticons step out of the energon extractor, Bombshell's chest is completely gray.
* The area around the Ark looks different in this episode. It's sitting flush with a plateau off to the side, not the usual rocky cliffside.
* As the Decepticons fly to intercept the insecticide, Starscream's left wing is missing its red stripe.
* The edge of Ironhide's helmet is the same color as his face in a couple of shots, notably when he reacts to the Morphobots shrugging off his nitrogen.
* When Megatron transforms to shoot the insecticide, he doesn't make the transformation noise (nor does he when he transforms back, for that matter).
* The second time Soundwave laughs, his voice is missing its usual synthesizer effect, [[Roll for It|and not for the first time]].
* The sound effect used for the shot isn't the usual sound Megatron makes.
* As Megatron is thrown by the Morphobots, his voice sounds different and is missing its metallic effect.
* Several times towards the end of the episode, the triangles on Megatron's forehead are drawn wrong (sometimes one or the other is a square or cut-off polygon).
* A couple of times when Transformers are shaking, such as when Perceptor is struggling with the Morphobots at the end, their mouths aren't quaking with the rest of their bodies.

===Continuity errors===
[[File:QuestforSurvival bee carries blaster.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
* The two vehicle-driving farmers switch places at the start. The fellow in blue overalls is driving the tractor, but is shown running from the combine harvester, trading vehicles with his pal.
* Why couldn't Teletraan I detect Cosmos as he crashed?
* Beachcomber and Ratchet are in the group of Autobots who set out for the crash site, but when the group gets there, Ironhide and Hoist are there instead.
* Windcharger is also there for one shot, but disappears from the rest of the show.
* Blaster doesn't appear at all until after Ironhide and Warpath have tried to destroy the Morphobots. Maybe he was hiding in someone's back seat?
* If the Morphobots can't be harmed by explosives and laser fire, and they can hogtie Megatron in a matter of seconds and sling him around like a bag of bolts, how did the Autobots manage to round them up and put them inside the rocket ship? (Blaster's music could have played a part.)
* Also in "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]", the Insecticons are shown to be able to convert organic food into energy by themselves. What, from the Insecticons' point of view, is the logic behind extracting energon from them, converting it to energon cubes and then (ostensibly) getting it back in cube form, ready to be consumed?

===Trivia===
[[File:Skidsanimated.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
[[File:RoboticInsecticide.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Comes in Small, Medium, Large and Combiner sizes.]]f
* This episode marks one of only two instances in which Soundwave laughs (the other being "[[Auto-Bop]]"). He chuckles along with Megatron when Starscream is knocked on his can, and again after Megatron destroys the insecticide.
* First appearance of [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (out of only [[Triple Takeover|two in the whole cartoon!]]).
* Blaster repulses the Morphobots with an instrumental version of the song "[[Cold Slither (song)|Cold Slither]]" played in the ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' episode of the same name.
* Blaster transforms into a halfway form between his cassette player form and his robot mode.
* Where did the Autobots get the video footage of the Decepticon energon facility anyway?
* To get rid of the Morphobots, the Autobots wreck the ecology of another planet. That's real nice of them.
* Okay, seriously... ''robotic insecticide?''

===Foreign localization===
'''Italian'''
:*''Title (dub 1):'' "'''L'insetticida robotico'''" ("The Robotic Insecticide")
:*''Title (dub 2):'' "'''Lotta per la sopravvivenza'''" ("Fight for Survival")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Survival Sakusen'''" (サバイバル作戦, "Operation: Survival")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 28]], [[1986]]

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2: Vol. 5 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 3: Series 2.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 05: Stagione Due Parte Terza ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part Two (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume Two: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/quest_for_survival.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

Transmutate (BW)

2013-11-02T23:51:22Z

Yulia kl: /* Foreign names */

{{disambig2|the ''Beast Wars'' character|the ''Beast Wars'' episode|Transmutate (episode)}}
:''Transmutate is a Transformer from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:Transmutate.jpg|right|250px|thumb|MU-tilate. MU-tant. Hm. I wonder. Oh well.]]
Twisted and warped, '''Transmutate''' is a [[Transformer]] in name only. The damage done to it by its troubled birth has rendered it unable to [[transformation|transform]] and reduced its mind to infancy, leaving it utterly innocent in personality and able to grasp only simple concepts. Its trusting and curious nature is both a boon and a handicap.

Transmutate's distorted frame conceals almost unbelievable destructive power in the form of a super-sonic scream which can leave all but the hardiest victim out cold. Its simple mind means that many of its capabilities remain unknown, even to itself, and it will express surprise when, for instance, it finds it has the ability to flyyyyyyyyy.

{{quote|Man, I am tellin' ya, the things coming out of these pods is just getting weirder and weirder.|[[Rattrap]]|[[Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate]]}}

==Fiction==
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Susan Blu]] (English), [[Haruna Ikezawa]] (Japanese)
[[Image:Transmutate Rampage.jpg|thumb|left|230px]]
Transmutate's [[stasis pod]] was one of many aboard the [[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]] and at some point crashed from [[Earth]] orbit in seismically-unstable [[Grid Deltron]]. The heavily-damaged pod later became uncovered by the region's earthquakes and Transmutate explosively freed itself. Presented with the choice of [[Maximal]] or [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]], it hesitated and when [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] accidentally shot it, it unleashed its sonic scream. With the Maximals out of commission as a result and feeling he'd found a kindred spirit, [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] lost no time in befriending Transmutate. Though [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] failed to see the value in the mutant and wanted it destroyed, Rampage intended to prove it a worthy ally. He and Inferno persuaded it to act as bait for a trap for [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. When Transmutate was reluctant to finish off the Maximal, Inferno pushed the creature aside and was promptly blasted into the distance for his troubles.

[[Optimus Primal]] arrived and, defeating Rampage, persuaded Transmutate to return with him to the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' for a scan. The results were discouraging—Optimus felt that it was a danger to itself as well as those around it, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] suggested putting it into [[stasis lock]], and Silverbolt was the only one to speak up angrily in its favor. Walking through the base alone, Transmutate heard Rampage calling to it, and opted to leave the ''Axalon'' to join him.

Silverbolt quickly found the pair and immediately came to blows with Rampage. Transmutate tried to get them to stop, landing between them right as they each fired missiles. Transmutate blazed with power as it tried to halt the missiles, but was shattered in the resulting explosion and, though its consciousness lingered for a few moments more, its spark was extinguished. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BW10 Transmutate.jpg|thumb|150px|Not wanted anywhere but eBay.]]
*Head - [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]
*Torso - [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]
*Waist & right leg - [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]
*Left leg - [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]
*Right arm - [[Rattrap]]
*Left arm - [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]
:Transmutate was never sold as an individual toy. Rather, it was only available with the first two waves of Beast Wars 10th Anniversary toys in 2006; each of the first six releases had a part to "Trans-Mutate" packaged with it. All six parts combined to form a non-transformable figure with limited articulation... but the simple fact that an official figure of a one-episode show character got ''made'' is itself an extraordinary occurrence.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/Trans-Mutate/trans-mutate.htm More information on Transmutate at TFU.info]''

===Timelines===
*'''Transmutate''' (Deluxe, 2014?)

==Notes==
* A minor point of argument among fans is exactly why the Maximals were so quick to stasis-lock Transmutate instead of transferring its spark to another body like Rhinox did with Optimus Primal following the latter's unintentional sacrifice. It was stated only that its [[core consciousness]] and body structure were mutilated beyond recovery; no mention was made about the condition of its spark. Of course, the euthanasia metaphor of the character's title episode would fall apart if they did that, but hey, semantics.
*In regard to the previous note, the script for this episode explicitly states that Transmutate's spark was unstable: "Energy ERUPTS throughout Its body as Its own unstable spark begins to tear It apart." Although stage direction and narration from scripts are only [[pseudocanon]], this may nonetheless satisfy some fans that the spark was indeed as damaged as the body. The script, like many ''Beast Wars'' scripts, can be found on [http://web.archive.org/web/20050211031602/http://www.bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasontwo/ BWTF.com].
[[Image:Transmutate Facepic.jpg|right|150px|thumb|A face only the noble or psychotic could love.]]
* Also from the episode script comes this character description in the cast listing section: ''TRANSMUTATE: a being with no beauty of form nor logic of shape, massive, made of unmatched parts: bits of Predacon, pieces of Maximal, chunks of Fuzor and Transmetal, heavy-duty weapons, and a face that vaguely indicates it is female.'' This wording lends some credence to the fan notion that Transmutate was originally a female Protoform. However, Transmutate is consistently referred to within the script using genderless pronouns, confusing the issue.
* According to [[Ben Yee]] on [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars'' Season 2 DVD commentaries, Hasbro attempted to replicate Transmutate's sonic scream attacks first as a spring-loaded projectile, then as a static decoration. Fortunately for the sake of good taste, they abandoned those plans.
*Transmutate's face is frickin' creepy. Look at it. ''Just look at it.''
*Most sources refer to Transmutate as "it". However the Netflix description of the episode refers to Transmutate as female.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Transmutate''' (トランスミューテイト ''Toransumyūteito'')
*''Italian:'' '''Convertor'''
*''Portuguese:'' '''Transmutante'''
*''Spanish:'' '''Transmutante'''
*''Russian:'' '''Transmutatzia''' (Трансмутация)

[[Category:Beast Wars Transformers]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]

Transmutate (BW)

2013-11-02T23:50:24Z

Yulia kl: /* Foreign names */

{{disambig2|the ''Beast Wars'' character|the ''Beast Wars'' episode|Transmutate (episode)}}
:''Transmutate is a Transformer from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:Transmutate.jpg|right|250px|thumb|MU-tilate. MU-tant. Hm. I wonder. Oh well.]]
Twisted and warped, '''Transmutate''' is a [[Transformer]] in name only. The damage done to it by its troubled birth has rendered it unable to [[transformation|transform]] and reduced its mind to infancy, leaving it utterly innocent in personality and able to grasp only simple concepts. Its trusting and curious nature is both a boon and a handicap.

Transmutate's distorted frame conceals almost unbelievable destructive power in the form of a super-sonic scream which can leave all but the hardiest victim out cold. Its simple mind means that many of its capabilities remain unknown, even to itself, and it will express surprise when, for instance, it finds it has the ability to flyyyyyyyyy.

{{quote|Man, I am tellin' ya, the things coming out of these pods is just getting weirder and weirder.|[[Rattrap]]|[[Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate]]}}

==Fiction==
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Susan Blu]] (English), [[Haruna Ikezawa]] (Japanese)
[[Image:Transmutate Rampage.jpg|thumb|left|230px]]
Transmutate's [[stasis pod]] was one of many aboard the [[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]] and at some point crashed from [[Earth]] orbit in seismically-unstable [[Grid Deltron]]. The heavily-damaged pod later became uncovered by the region's earthquakes and Transmutate explosively freed itself. Presented with the choice of [[Maximal]] or [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]], it hesitated and when [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] accidentally shot it, it unleashed its sonic scream. With the Maximals out of commission as a result and feeling he'd found a kindred spirit, [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] lost no time in befriending Transmutate. Though [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] failed to see the value in the mutant and wanted it destroyed, Rampage intended to prove it a worthy ally. He and Inferno persuaded it to act as bait for a trap for [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. When Transmutate was reluctant to finish off the Maximal, Inferno pushed the creature aside and was promptly blasted into the distance for his troubles.

[[Optimus Primal]] arrived and, defeating Rampage, persuaded Transmutate to return with him to the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' for a scan. The results were discouraging—Optimus felt that it was a danger to itself as well as those around it, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] suggested putting it into [[stasis lock]], and Silverbolt was the only one to speak up angrily in its favor. Walking through the base alone, Transmutate heard Rampage calling to it, and opted to leave the ''Axalon'' to join him.

Silverbolt quickly found the pair and immediately came to blows with Rampage. Transmutate tried to get them to stop, landing between them right as they each fired missiles. Transmutate blazed with power as it tried to halt the missiles, but was shattered in the resulting explosion and, though its consciousness lingered for a few moments more, its spark was extinguished. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BW10 Transmutate.jpg|thumb|150px|Not wanted anywhere but eBay.]]
*Head - [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]
*Torso - [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]
*Waist & right leg - [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]
*Left leg - [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]
*Right arm - [[Rattrap]]
*Left arm - [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]
:Transmutate was never sold as an individual toy. Rather, it was only available with the first two waves of Beast Wars 10th Anniversary toys in 2006; each of the first six releases had a part to "Trans-Mutate" packaged with it. All six parts combined to form a non-transformable figure with limited articulation... but the simple fact that an official figure of a one-episode show character got ''made'' is itself an extraordinary occurrence.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/Trans-Mutate/trans-mutate.htm More information on Transmutate at TFU.info]''

===Timelines===
*'''Transmutate''' (Deluxe, 2014?)

==Notes==
* A minor point of argument among fans is exactly why the Maximals were so quick to stasis-lock Transmutate instead of transferring its spark to another body like Rhinox did with Optimus Primal following the latter's unintentional sacrifice. It was stated only that its [[core consciousness]] and body structure were mutilated beyond recovery; no mention was made about the condition of its spark. Of course, the euthanasia metaphor of the character's title episode would fall apart if they did that, but hey, semantics.
*In regard to the previous note, the script for this episode explicitly states that Transmutate's spark was unstable: "Energy ERUPTS throughout Its body as Its own unstable spark begins to tear It apart." Although stage direction and narration from scripts are only [[pseudocanon]], this may nonetheless satisfy some fans that the spark was indeed as damaged as the body. The script, like many ''Beast Wars'' scripts, can be found on [http://web.archive.org/web/20050211031602/http://www.bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasontwo/ BWTF.com].
[[Image:Transmutate Facepic.jpg|right|150px|thumb|A face only the noble or psychotic could love.]]
* Also from the episode script comes this character description in the cast listing section: ''TRANSMUTATE: a being with no beauty of form nor logic of shape, massive, made of unmatched parts: bits of Predacon, pieces of Maximal, chunks of Fuzor and Transmetal, heavy-duty weapons, and a face that vaguely indicates it is female.'' This wording lends some credence to the fan notion that Transmutate was originally a female Protoform. However, Transmutate is consistently referred to within the script using genderless pronouns, confusing the issue.
* According to [[Ben Yee]] on [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars'' Season 2 DVD commentaries, Hasbro attempted to replicate Transmutate's sonic scream attacks first as a spring-loaded projectile, then as a static decoration. Fortunately for the sake of good taste, they abandoned those plans.
*Transmutate's face is frickin' creepy. Look at it. ''Just look at it.''
*Most sources refer to Transmutate as "it". However the Netflix description of the episode refers to Transmutate as female.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Transmutate''' (トランスミューテイト ''Toransumyūteito'')
*''Italian:'' '''Convertor'''
*''Portuguese:'' '''Transmutante'''
*''Spanish:'' '''Transmutante'''
*''Russian:'' '''Transmutation''' (Трансмутация ''Transmutatzia'')

[[Category:Beast Wars Transformers]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]

Scrapheap (episode)

2013-02-14T19:12:29Z

Yulia kl: /* Continuity errors */

{{disambig2|the ''Prime'' episode|the Generation 1 Junkion|Scrapheap (G1)}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 7
|prev=Masters & Students
|next=Con Job
|image=PrimeScrapletsEp7.gif
|caption=Aw, look at the cute little—
|title="Scrapheap"
|airdate=[[February 18]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''While Optimus and Arcee are trapped in the Arctic, the base is invaded by deadly Scraplets.'''

==Synopsis==
Trudging through the [[Arctic]], [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] locate a huge pod buried in the snow. They take it back to [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|base]], where their systems are checked over by [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]. [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]] asks about the pod, but Ratchet says it can't be opened while it's still frozen. Even as it sits defrosting in another part of the base, the pod cracks open from the inside.

[[Image:Scrapheap-adorableScraplet.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Leprosy was never this adorable. As far as we know.]]

Optimus and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] prepare to travel to the Arctic to look for more clues regarding the pod's origins, and Ratchet gives them some temperature sensors so they can tell when their core temperatures drop to dangerous levels. The kids arrive in time to see them off, and [[Jack Darby|Jack]]'s initially keen on going with them, until he finds out where they're headed. [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]]'s still interested in seeing some snow, but Optimus says the conditions are too harsh. No sooner have Prime and Arcee stepped through the [[GroundBridge]] than the ground bridge system goes down. While the Autobots start trying to repair it, Jack and [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] start playing [[Generic racing game|video games]], and Raf wanders off. He's playing "being in the Arctic" in a corridor when he stumbles on a tiny, cute metal critter. He plays Fetch with it using a bolt...which it promptly eats. Happy with his new pet, he heads back to the control room, unaware that there's a sparking hole in the equipment behind him.

Ratchet's just dug out a GroundBridge component damaged by bite-marks, when Raf returns with his find. The Autobots react in terror to the tiny critter. The kids are surprised at the reaction to what the Autobots are calling a [[Scraplet]], but then the creature starts chowing down on Bumblebee, and Raf has to beat it to death with a crowbar. Ratchet's suspicions as to the Scraplet's origin are confirmed when they check the Arctic pod and find it's been broken open — thousands of Scraplets now infest the base.

In the Arctic, Optimus and Arcee find their core temperatures have dropped into the danger zone, but Optimus is unable to contact base to request use of the ground bridge.

[[Image:Scrapheap-Ratchetinfected.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[wikipedia:Botfly|Ro-botflies]]]]

Ratchet discovers that the Scraplets have now broken the comm system. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are in favor of bugging out, but doing so will mean certain doom for Optimus and Arcee. After hearing Bulkhead's detailed description of what Scraplets can do to a 'bot, the kids volunteer to help. Since the Scraplets aren't interested in eating them, they pair off with the three Autobots, Jack helping Ratchet repair the ground bridge while the others hunt for the Scraplets. Miko and Bulkhead explore the corridors where Raf saw the first Scraplet, and after an embarrassingly girly scream and an encounter with a bunch of overhead cables, Bulkhead is set upon by the little monsters. Elsewhere, Raf and Bumblebee likewise run into a group of the things. Ratchet has meanwhile finished repairing the ground bridge, but it still refuses to function. As he investigates further, a swarm of Scraplets enter the main control room via a vent and begin flying overhead. They attack the terrified Ratchet, but Jack uses a nearby [[fire extinguisher]] to freeze them off. There are many more of the pests flying overhead, however, and as the others return from their search, the Scraplets attack and easily overwhelm the Autobots.

[[Image:Scrapheap-huddleforwarmth.jpg|left|thumb|300px|And not a tauntaun for miles.]]

While Arcee and Optimus try to keep themselves conscious and functional by talking, the kids manage to eliminate the Scraplets attacking their friends. However, from the sounds elsewhere in the base, it's clear there are many more lurking about. They come up with a plan to send the Scraplets to the Arctic by getting the ground bridge working, and Ratchet works out there must be an [[energon]] fuel line breach preventing the system from starting. The three kids take a tool kit and go to fix the breach. They're just finishing when the Scraplets decide it's time for lunch and break into the main control room, again attacking the Autobots.

Back in the Arctic, Arcee bemoans the frozen death that apparently awaits her and Optimus, especially after all they've survived so far. Optimus offers what words of philosophical comfort he can, and she says it's an honour to serve with him.

At the base, the kids rush back to the command room and let Ratchet know that the GroundBridge is back online. He opens the bridge to the Arctic before collapsing, and Bulkhead acts as bait, leading the Scraplets through. He arrives in the Arctic to see Optimus and Arcee staggering towards the bridge, and the Scraplet horde bursts through behind him. Optimus braces for attack, but the Scraplets rapidly freeze in the air and bounce harmlessly off him.

Back at base, Ratchet supervises repairs on Bumblebee and Bulkhead. He and Optimus pay tribute to the strength of their human allies, but just then Miko spots a spider and runs away screaming.
{{-}}

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

|c3=
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (6)
* [[Jack Darby]] (7)
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (8)

|c4=
* [[Scraplet]]s (9)

}}

==Quotes==
"The Arctic? I've always wanted to see snow." 
"I would invite you to join, Rafael, but the conditions are much too extreme, even for we Autobots." 
"I understand..." 
"But I will bring you back a snowball."
:—'''Raf''' is snow deprived and '''Optimus''' says things you would not expect a giant alien robot to say.

"If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they will reduce the entire base to a scrapheap!" 
"Well, I say we bug outta here and let 'em keep it!" 
''(Bumblebee buzzes in agreement)''
:—'''Bulkhead''' reminds '''Ratchet''' that there are times when you just run.

"Bulkhead, you ''never'' run!" 
"Miko, you haven't seen a swarm of these things devour a bot. I ''have''. They pick you apart from the inside out, going for the small, juicy bits first—fuse by fuse, circuit by circuit, 'til there's nothing left, and I mean ''nothing''...not even your optics."
:—'''Miko''' gets some nightmare fuel from '''Bulkhead'''.

"I get to be your bodyguard for once. How cool is that?!" 
"Raf found the first one here, right?" 
''(the lights turn off for a second and Bulkhead screams loudly)'' 
"Did you just scream like a little girl?" 
"No! ... Maybe. ... Can we talk about this later?"
:—'''Miko''' and '''Bulkhead''' searching, and a more hilarious reversal of roles cannot be found.

"What do you suggest? Wait. How about a game? Let's play 'Who Screwed Things Up Back at Base?'" 
"Our predicament could be the result of a simple malfunction." 
"Caused by Bulkhead."
:—'''Arcee''' and '''Optimus''' prove that when things go wrong, blame it on Bulkhead.

"Bulkhead may be...too large for this world, but his inner strength is without bounds. One should not be measured by size alone."
:—'''Optimus''' gives us a life lesson while finding a nice way to call Bulkhead fat.

"You know the worst part? After battling 'Cons all these years, smacked down, shot at, blown up, this is how our lights go out?" 
"Arcee, this may not be the finish that we had planned, but if this is indeed the end, if we are to be come one with the [[Allspark]]..." 
"It's been an honor serving with you, Optimus Prime". 
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Arcee''' prepare to accept their supposed end.

"Ready for the main course? Come and get it!"
:—'''Bulkhead''', king of one-liners.

"I'd invite you in, but the place is a mess."
:—Seriously, give '''Bulkhead''' a crown.

"We're just fortunate that this infestation happened...on a Saturday."
:—'''Ratchet''' finds there's an upside to having human companions.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*When Jack, Miko and Raf reach the damaged energon fuel line, the breach on the duct is shown beneath, where the energon is seen dripping. When the kids seal the duct, they are shown doing so only on its side.

*Does someone have a problem with the fact, that Transformers obviously suffer from cold in the Arctic, where it is barely -150F, while space with its absolute zero does not seem to bother them at all!

===Transformers references===
*To everyone's surprise, these Scraplets behave similar to their [[Scraplet|namesakes]], but are closer in appearance to [[Mecannibal]]s.
*At the episode's conclusion, Bumblebee is hooked up to an "electro-pulse" monitor, a feature of Transformer biology that got its first and only previous mention waaaay back in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]] cartoon episode, "[[Divide and Conquer]]", when [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] declared his to be fading.
*Arcee mentions Bulkhead running into power lines shortly after arriving on Earth, which recalls a different [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s [[Transformers (film)|"tingly" encounter]].

===Real-world references===
* A [[wikipedia:dolly zoom|dolly zoom]] happens when Raf realizes the Scraplet is attacking Bumblebee.
* Ratchet remarks the Scraplet's bites on Bumblebee's are "[[Wikipedia:Black Knight (Monty Python)|just a mesh wound]]".
* The initial search for the scraplets is called a "[[Wikipedia:Aliens (film)|bug hunt]]".

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Invasion der Scraplets'''" ("Invasion of the Scraplets")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 4|4 November]] [[2011]]

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Scraplet-ek'''" ("Scraplets")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 17|17 January]] [[2012]]

'''Indonesian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Invasi Scraplet'''" ("Scraplet Invation")
:*''Original airdate:'' 11 September [[2012]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Schegge'''" ("Slivers")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 9|9 October]] [[2011]]
:** Due to the lack of a proper word to translate "Scraplet" with, the Scraplets have been renamed "Schegge" (singular: "Scheggia"), which means "slivers" or "fragments".

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''Gokkan Henkei!? Minicon no Kyōfu''' (極寒変形!?ミニコンの恐怖, ''Freezing Transformation!? Terror of the Minicons'')
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 19]], [[2012]]

'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gongpo ui Seukeurepeullit'''" (공포의 스크레플릿, "Scraplets of Terror")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 19|19 September]] [[2011]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 13|13 December]] [[2011]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 20|20 December]] [[2011]]

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 20|20 December]] [[2011]]

===Trivia===
*A sequence from this episode (from the start of Miko and Bulkhead exploring up to Bulkhead's arm thrusting into the air) was shown to the attendees of [[Toy Fair 2011]] prior to the episode's premiere.
*Miko's hair moves during this episode. When Bulkhead first screams, the shadow of her twin buns can be seen jumping up. After, when she screams thinking she saw a spider, the buns ''and'' her ponytail curl up.
*Raf never did get that snowball. Guess Optimus was too busy dying to scoop some up.
*This is the first, and so far only, episode which doesn't feature the [[Decepticon]]s.
*It is not an error that the Autobots can freeze in the [[Arctic]] but not in space. The idea that being in space will immediately freeze you up like a popsicle is a [http://www.universetoday.com/77070/how-cold-is-space/ lie perpetuated by bad science fiction]. This isn't the [[Fire in the Sky|first time]] [[Megatron (Movie)|it's happened]].
*Bulkhead [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|is not the only Autobot]] with a "girlish scream".
**When he screamed, his eyes briefly widened. You could see it clearly when the lights went out.
* The entire plot of this episode is very similar to an episode from Prime's fellow [[Hasbro]]-sponsored show, ''[[My Little Pony]]: Friendship is Magic,'' namely the episode ''Swarm of the Century''. Both episodes revolved around a character bringing in an innocuous-looking creature that proceeded to rapidly multiply and cause havoc by devouring various things, and the characters themselves trying (and failing) to remove the threat. However, fitting the difference in tone between the two series, Scraplets are significantly more dangerous than Parasprites; they pose a direct threat to the heroes themselves, it takes more than a jaunty polka tune to deal with them, and they're a fair bit less cute (at least, when they open their mouths). Both plots are likely based off the episode of ''[[Star Trek]]'', ''The Trouble With Tribbles''.
*This episode was later adapted as a storybook under the name ''[[Attack of the Scraplets!]]''.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Toxicity

2013-02-14T19:06:41Z

Yulia kl:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 41
|prev=Triage
|next=Hurt
|image=Toxicity Tox-En.jpg
|caption=Despite the title, this episode has nothing to do with System of a Down.
|title="Toxicity"
|airdate=[[May 26]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Scooter Tidwell]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Bulkhead encounters life-threatening danger during the last relic hunt.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:HardshellTeaser.jpg|left|thumb|250px|He watches too much of ''Tales from the Crypt''.]]
With other teams dispatched to find relics, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] visits the [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] hive and calls for a volunteer. [[Hardshell]] steps forward and Megatron sends him and three others to find the fourth and final relic. The four Insecticons arrive in a volcanic region on the equator and immediately split up.

At the Autobot base, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] watches [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] leave [[Jack Darby|with]] [[Bumblebee (Prime)|her]] [[Arcee (Prime)|team]] before he is dispatched to the area at the equator. Though he arrives at the correct coordinates, there's no relic there, but his search is interrupted by the approach of Hardshell. The Insecticon attacks Bulkhead and, after a brief exchange of words, the pair fight. Although he takes a few hits, the Wrecker flattens Hardshell, knocking a mandible off the Insecticon in the process. Bulkhead then heads downhill, realizing that an old lava flow may have taken the relic in the same direction. He keeps [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] updated back at base via radio. Meanwhile, Hardshell comes to and heads off with the other Insecticons to find their target.

Though leaking energon from his fight, Bulkhead manages to find the relic. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a toxic form of [[Energon]] known as [[Tox-En]], which Megatron could refine into a lethal bioweapon. Though Fowler suggests bringing it to base, Bulkhead realizes that he's going to have to dispose of it himself, "Wrecker style". Hardshell and the other Insecticons find the vessel shortly after, but as one of them goes to grab the small piece of Tox-En within, the grenade Bulkhead left behind explodes, leaving him fatally riddled with Tox-En shrapnel. Hardshell lets Megatron know about the Tox-En, but Megatron wants to know why Hardshell doesn't have the stuff yet.

Bulkhead, meanwhile, runs away from the volcano with the rest of the Tox-En, leaving a trail of leaking energon to throw off the Insecticons. As he turns and starts to head up the volcano, Bulkhead strikes up a conversation with Fowler about their past war-time careers and discovers they've more in common than they'd previously thought. However, as Bulkhead continues his journey, he begins to feel the effects of the toxic energon and almost succumbs to its spark-sapping properties. After Agent Fowler convinces him to keep going for the sake of duty and family, namely Miko, Bulkhead trudges on.

[[Image:Prime-Hardshellvolcanovent.jpg|right|250px|thumb| Hardshell [[Master Blaster|is not so easily destroyed]].]]
Meanwhile, Hardshell figures out the false trail, and he and the other Insecticons fly uphill. They catch up to Bulkhead, who has just arrived at the volcano's mouth, and surround him. Bulkhead throws a grenade at one Insecticon and jabs the Tox-En into Hardshell. The third Insecticon charges in bug mode, but Bulkhead decks it with the Tox-En and jabs the chunk into its shell before turning back to face Hardshell. Receiving the news that Miko is safe, Bulkhead begins sparring with Hardshell, though they are both now weakened from the toxic energon. Though Hardshell manages to get the better of Bulkhead, as he moves to finish the Wrecker off, Bulkhead works up the strength to throw Hardshell over to the Tox-En before flinging the monster towards a hole in the caldera crust leading down into the molten lava. Bulkhead then throws the Tox-En to Hardshell, and the dizzied Insecticon falls into the volcano, destroying the toxic relic. As Bulkhead heads for the [[GroundBridge]], Hardshell climbs out of the volcano and shoots the Autobot in the back, sending him flying through the GroundBridge to land within the Autobot base, his back burning. Ratchet, Raf, and Fowler see the smoke coming out of Bulkhead and run to his aid.

[[Hurt|To be continued...]]

==Featured characters==



{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (8)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (2)
*[[Hardshell]] (3)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (15) (flashback)
|c3=
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (9)
*[[Jack Darby]] (10)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (11)
*[[William Fowler]] (12)
|c4=
*[[Scraplet]]s (14) (flashback)
}}



==Quotes==
"I can haz cheeseburger!"
:—Yes, '''Agent Fowler''' actually said that.

"Yeess, the Wrecker leaks from his wounds."
:—'''Hardshell''' pulling a [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] on us.

"When were you ever behind enemy lines?" 
"I wasn't always a 'Bot sitter." 
"Huh. Next you're gonna tell me that your mother doesn't tuck you in bed at night." 
"Not since basic training."
:—'''Bulkhead''' finds out that '''Agent Fowler''' knows things about being a soldier.

"Look soldier. You know as well as I do there's the mission. And the reason why you take the mission!..." 
"Honor... duty..." 
"Family. Which is why you need to do whatever it takes to finish this job and come home safely."
:—'''Agent Fowler''' tries to encourage a faltering '''Bulkhead'''.

"Wrecker! Put down the rock, and allow us to put you out of your misery!" 
(''Insecticons surround Bulkhead, who sighs and takes out a grenade'') 
"Gotta swat some flies..."
:—'''Hardshell''' confronts '''Bulkhead''' at the volcano's crater.

"Fowler... mission accomplished. Though you might have to... tuck me in."
:—Half-dead from Tox-En poisoning, and all '''Bulkhead''' needs is a nap? ''Hardcore''.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* After Hardshell punches Bulkhead during their first fight, the latter's cannons transform into maces without the usual sound effects.
* In the establishing shot of the Tox-En before the commercial break, there are two samples in the container; the larger one which Bulkhead takes with him, and the smaller one he leaves as a booby trap. After the commercial break, the same shot shows only the larger sample.
* When Megatron receives Hardshell's report on the Tox-En, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is standing behind him, with his visor undamaged. This clashes with the continuity of the arc; Soundwave should either be absent from the ship (if he's still embroiled in his relic hunt) or sporting a cracked visor from his battle with [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], as a later scene in this episode indicates that [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] is still on his own relic hunt.
* When Bulkhead incapacitates one of the Insecticons with the Tox-En ("Here, hold this!"), it is in its beetle alt-mode. After it manages to shake to Tox-En off of its body, it is suddenly in robot mode after the shot of the crystal rolling on the ground. Although he could have transformed off screen.
* Speaking of that Insecticon, its fate is somewhat ambiguous. It falls over in a way that suggests that it's unconscious or dead, but Hardshell acts as though it is still online. Either way, it doesn't appear for the rest of the episode.

===Continuity errors===
* In "[[Triangulation]]", Bulkhead is shown running through the GroundBridge for his mission. However, in this episode he is shown just walking through the bridge.
* It has been shown previously that Insecticons have blasters, and they show awareness of Tox-En's debilitating effects on their bodies... so why don't any of them try attacking Bulkhead from range, reducing the risk of Tox-En exposure? Even if they're trying to avoid hitting the Tox-En, they could certainly at least flank Bulkhead and attack from opposite sides.
* As Fowler tries to contact Bulkhead during the battle in the volcano's caldera, we see Ratchet and Raf downloading the Iacon database in the background (as seen in [[Triage|the previous episode]]). However, when the same scene was shown in "Triage", Fowler was silent for the duration of Ratchet and Raf's conversation.

===Continuity notes===
* This is the final episode of the four-part relic-hunting arc, all four parts of which happen concurrently. This episode focuses on Bulkhead and Fowler. Fowler's handling of [[Vogel]] in "[[Tunnel Vision]]" and the Antarctic research base in "[[Triangulation]]" are shown from his point of view. Raf is also seen programming the virus that Ratchet installs in [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] in "[[Triage]]". The ending scene is the same as in "Triage".
*All 4 relic mission episodes start with the letter 'T'.
* The room currently occupied by the Insecticon hive was previously used to store [[Dark Energon]] way back in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 2]]".
* During Bulkhead's first fight with Hardshell, the Insecticon delivers an attack that looks eerily similar to how [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] killed [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. The actual hit is obscured (the camera is set behind Hardshell), but it doesn't seem to do any visible damage (although this could be why Bulkhead was leaking energon after the fight). At the end of the fight, meanwhile, Bulkhead clocks Hardshell with a wicked uppercut, knocking off one of his mandibles. The scene plays out in a suspiciously similar fashion to how [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] lost one of his horns to a [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]] in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 1]]"; the mandible even sticks point-first in the ground.
* Fowler makes mention of his old Army Ranger days, which he first mentioned in "[[Nemesis Prime (episode)|Nemesis Prime]]".
* Bulkhead flashes back to scenes from previous episodes when Fowler is trying to get him to continue the mission. First, he remembers several instances where his life was threatened, including:
**Leading [[Scraplet]]s through the GroundBridge into the Arctic in "[[Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap]]".
**Getting his Energon drained by the [[Energon Harvester|energon harvester]] in "[[Deus ex Machina]]".
**Clashing with [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] in "[[Out of His Head]]".
**Getting blown back by the malfunctioning GroundBridge in "[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]".
**Protecting Miko from falling rocks in "[[Rock Bottom]]".
**Clashing with Breakdown in "[[Operation: Breakdown]]".
**Being wired to one of [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]'s bombs in "[[Loose Cannons]]".
**Getting attacked by Scraplets in "Scrapheap".
* Shortly after the above, Bulkhead remembers several interactions with Miko, including:
**Miko assuring him that she's protected before Bulkhead heads down a slope in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 3]]".
**Bulkhead showing Miko a new battle scar in "[[Metal Attraction]]".
**Miko revealing herself from inside Bulkhead's chest in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 4]]".
**Bulkhead trying to dissuade Miko from using him as a role model in "Deus ex Machina".
**An exhausted Miko trying to clear rubble in "[[Rock Bottom]]".
**Miko trying to get an amnesiac Bulkhead to remember her in "[[T.M.I.]]".
* Bulkhead's tactic of hiding a grenade in the Tox-En container is similar to the one proposed by Wheeljack in "Triage". Wrecker style, indeed.

===Transformers references===
* Hardshell is the modern name for the G1 Insecticon [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]].
* During Bulkhead's flashback to the victims of Megatron's refined Tox-En weapon, one of the corpses in the foreground looks a lot like [[Ironhide (Animated)|an Ironhide from another continuity]]. The reddish one behind it looks similar to the [[generic]] impaled by Megatron during Ratchet's flashback to the beginning of the Great War in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]".
* Green-tinted energon that emits visible fumes and is toxic to Cybertronians was previously seen in ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)| Energon]]''. Given Bulkhead's flashback, Megatron's refined, weaponized version of Tox-En may be a small-scale version of the energon gas that plagued that series' version of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].
* In a likely coincidence (but with a chance of being intentional given the "[[Binder of Revelation]]"), in the [[TakaraTomy]] [[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|''Prime'' toyline]], some of the [[Arms Micron]]s have [[Arms_Micron#Energon_Crystals|Energon Crystals dubbed "Poison" energon]]... which are an ugly dark green color, much like the poisonous Tox-En introduced in this episode.

===Real-world references===
* While still recovering from the shock he received in "[[Flying Mind]]", Fowler blurts out "I can has cheeseburger", a popular cat-based internet meme.
* Considering its green coloration, mineral-like composition, and fatal effects from prolonged exposure, Tox-En is essentially Cybertronian Kryptonite.
*When Bulkhead carries Tox-En to the volcano top he faints, but comes to his senses and continues the ascent, saying that he took this mission because of "duty and honor", to which agent Fowler immediately adds "family". That reminds House Tully motto "Family, duty, honor" of Game of Thrones TV-show.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bulkheads Mission'''" ("Bulkhead's Mission")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 19|19 January]] [[2013]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dokuen Henkei! Mushi no Ō Hardshell'''" (毒炎変形!虫の王・ハードシェル, "Toxic Flame Transformation! Hardshell, King of the Insects")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 12|12 January]] [[2013]]
:*Hardshell's personality is changed to be less serious and more hyper and talkative, in line with the other Japanese Insecticons.

===Trivia===
* Apparently, Bulkhead has been inside Decepticon barracks at some point (possibly on a mission for the Wreckers back on Cybertron). They are very, very smelly, but not as much as the landscape near an active volcano.
* In the past, the Wreckers have generally been a small, closely knit unit (despite their horrific attrition rates). However, Hardshell's comment that he's faced Wreckers numerous times suggests the team is much larger in the Aligned continuity.
* Bulkhead tells Fowler that the relic would likely survive a dip in molten rock while hunting for it in a cooled lava flow. Not only is this technically untrue (the Tox-En only survived its fall due to its container), but a drop into lava is exactly how Bulkhead disposes of the relic in the end.
* Despite having at least one more grenade on his person, Bulkhead doesn't attempt to leave the entire Tox-En cache in his Insecticon trap. Presumably, it wouldn't have been enough to completely destroy the toxic fuel, or it wouldn't have fit in the canister, giving Hardshell's team warning that something was up.
* Bulkhead finally finds something even ''worse'' than Scraplets. Incidentally, he saw the effects of both Scraplets and Tox-En during the war, and neither was a pleasant experience.
* Assuming Tox-En is the robot equivalent of mustard gas or a bioweapon, its use would be a war crime according to human conventions. Bulkhead quite rightly wants to destroy it, but that doesn't stop him from ''using'' it several times. This is the second episode in a row where the Autobots do something very ethically questionable in pursuit of the relics.
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Toxicity

2013-02-14T19:05:42Z

Yulia kl:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 41
|prev=Triage
|next=Hurt
|image=Toxicity Tox-En.jpg
|caption=Despite the title, this episode has nothing to do with System of a Down.
|title="Toxicity"
|airdate=[[May 26]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Scooter Tidwell]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Bulkhead encounters life-threatening danger during the last relic hunt.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:HardshellTeaser.jpg|left|thumb|250px|He watches too much of ''Tales from the Crypt''.]]
With other teams dispatched to find relics, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] visits the [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] hive and calls for a volunteer. [[Hardshell]] steps forward and Megatron sends him and three others to find the fourth and final relic. The four Insecticons arrive in a volcanic region on the equator and immediately split up.

At the Autobot base, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] watches [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] leave [[Jack Darby|with]] [[Bumblebee (Prime)|her]] [[Arcee (Prime)|team]] before he is dispatched to the area at the equator. Though he arrives at the correct coordinates, there's no relic there, but his search is interrupted by the approach of Hardshell. The Insecticon attacks Bulkhead and, after a brief exchange of words, the pair fight. Although he takes a few hits, the Wrecker flattens Hardshell, knocking a mandible off the Insecticon in the process. Bulkhead then heads downhill, realizing that an old lava flow may have taken the relic in the same direction. He keeps [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] updated back at base via radio. Meanwhile, Hardshell comes to and heads off with the other Insecticons to find their target.

Though leaking energon from his fight, Bulkhead manages to find the relic. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a toxic form of [[Energon]] known as [[Tox-En]], which Megatron could refine into a lethal bioweapon. Though Fowler suggests bringing it to base, Bulkhead realizes that he's going to have to dispose of it himself, "Wrecker style". Hardshell and the other Insecticons find the vessel shortly after, but as one of them goes to grab the small piece of Tox-En within, the grenade Bulkhead left behind explodes, leaving him fatally riddled with Tox-En shrapnel. Hardshell lets Megatron know about the Tox-En, but Megatron wants to know why Hardshell doesn't have the stuff yet.

Bulkhead, meanwhile, runs away from the volcano with the rest of the Tox-En, leaving a trail of leaking energon to throw off the Insecticons. As he turns and starts to head up the volcano, Bulkhead strikes up a conversation with Fowler about their past war-time careers and discovers they've more in common than they'd previously thought. However, as Bulkhead continues his journey, he begins to feel the effects of the toxic energon and almost succumbs to its spark-sapping properties. After Agent Fowler convinces him to keep going for the sake of duty and family, namely Miko, Bulkhead trudges on.

[[Image:Prime-Hardshellvolcanovent.jpg|right|250px|thumb| Hardshell [[Master Blaster|is not so easily destroyed]].]]
Meanwhile, Hardshell figures out the false trail, and he and the other Insecticons fly uphill. They catch up to Bulkhead, who has just arrived at the volcano's mouth, and surround him. Bulkhead throws a grenade at one Insecticon and jabs the Tox-En into Hardshell. The third Insecticon charges in bug mode, but Bulkhead decks it with the Tox-En and jabs the chunk into its shell before turning back to face Hardshell. Receiving the news that Miko is safe, Bulkhead begins sparring with Hardshell, though they are both now weakened from the toxic energon. Though Hardshell manages to get the better of Bulkhead, as he moves to finish the Wrecker off, Bulkhead works up the strength to throw Hardshell over to the Tox-En before flinging the monster towards a hole in the caldera crust leading down into the molten lava. Bulkhead then throws the Tox-En to Hardshell, and the dizzied Insecticon falls into the volcano, destroying the toxic relic. As Bulkhead heads for the [[GroundBridge]], Hardshell climbs out of the volcano and shoots the Autobot in the back, sending him flying through the GroundBridge to land within the Autobot base, his back burning. Ratchet, Raf, and Fowler see the smoke coming out of Bulkhead and run to his aid.

[[Hurt|To be continued...]]

==Featured characters==



{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (8)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (2)
*[[Hardshell]] (3)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (15) (flashback)
|c3=
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (9)
*[[Jack Darby]] (10)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (11)
*[[William Fowler]] (12)
|c4=
*[[Scraplet]]s (14) (flashback)
}}



==Quotes==
"I can haz cheeseburger!"
:—Yes, '''Agent Fowler''' actually said that.

"Yeess, the Wrecker leaks from his wounds."
:—'''Hardshell''' pulling a [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] on us.

"When were you ever behind enemy lines?" 
"I wasn't always a 'Bot sitter." 
"Huh. Next you're gonna tell me that your mother doesn't tuck you in bed at night." 
"Not since basic training."
:—'''Bulkhead''' finds out that '''Agent Fowler''' knows things about being a soldier.

"Look soldier. You know as well as I do there's the mission. And the reason why you take the mission!..." 
"Honor... duty..." 
"Family. Which is why you need to do whatever it takes to finish this job and come home safely."
:—'''Agent Fowler''' tries to encourage a faltering '''Bulkhead'''.

"Wrecker! Put down the rock, and allow us to put you out of your misery!" 
(''Insecticons surround Bulkhead, who sighs and takes out a grenade'') 
"Gotta swat some flies..."
:—'''Hardshell''' confronts '''Bulkhead''' at the volcano's crater.

"Fowler... mission accomplished. Though you might have to... tuck me in."
:—Half-dead from Tox-En poisoning, and all '''Bulkhead''' needs is a nap? ''Hardcore''.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* After Hardshell punches Bulkhead during their first fight, the latter's cannons transform into maces without the usual sound effects.
* In the establishing shot of the Tox-En before the commercial break, there are two samples in the container; the larger one which Bulkhead takes with him, and the smaller one he leaves as a booby trap. After the commercial break, the same shot shows only the larger sample.
* When Megatron receives Hardshell's report on the Tox-En, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is standing behind him, with his visor undamaged. This clashes with the continuity of the arc; Soundwave should either be absent from the ship (if he's still embroiled in his relic hunt) or sporting a cracked visor from his battle with [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], as a later scene in this episode indicates that [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] is still on his own relic hunt.
* When Bulkhead incapacitates one of the Insecticons with the Tox-En ("Here, hold this!"), it is in its beetle alt-mode. After it manages to shake to Tox-En off of its body, it is suddenly in robot mode after the shot of the crystal rolling on the ground. Although he could have transformed off screen.
* Speaking of that Insecticon, its fate is somewhat ambiguous. It falls over in a way that suggests that it's unconscious or dead, but Hardshell acts as though it is still online. Either way, it doesn't appear for the rest of the episode.

===Continuity errors===
* In "[[Triangulation]]", Bulkhead is shown running through the GroundBridge for his mission. However, in this episode he is shown just walking through the bridge.
* It has been shown previously that Insecticons have blasters, and they show awareness of Tox-En's debilitating effects on their bodies... so why don't any of them try attacking Bulkhead from range, reducing the risk of Tox-En exposure? Even if they're trying to avoid hitting the Tox-En, they could certainly at least flank Bulkhead and attack from opposite sides.
* As Fowler tries to contact Bulkhead during the battle in the volcano's caldera, we see Ratchet and Raf downloading the Iacon database in the background (as seen in [[Triage|the previous episode]]). However, when the same scene was shown in "Triage", Fowler was silent for the duration of Ratchet and Raf's conversation.

===Continuity notes===
* This is the final episode of the four-part relic-hunting arc, all four parts of which happen concurrently. This episode focuses on Bulkhead and Fowler. Fowler's handling of [[Vogel]] in "[[Tunnel Vision]]" and the Antarctic research base in "[[Triangulation]]" are shown from his point of view. Raf is also seen programming the virus that Ratchet installs in [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] in "[[Triage]]". The ending scene is the same as in "Triage".
*All 4 relic mission episodes start with the letter 'T'.
* The room currently occupied by the Insecticon hive was previously used to store [[Dark Energon]] way back in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 2]]".
* During Bulkhead's first fight with Hardshell, the Insecticon delivers an attack that looks eerily similar to how [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] killed [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. The actual hit is obscured (the camera is set behind Hardshell), but it doesn't seem to do any visible damage (although this could be why Bulkhead was leaking energon after the fight). At the end of the fight, meanwhile, Bulkhead clocks Hardshell with a wicked uppercut, knocking off one of his mandibles. The scene plays out in a suspiciously similar fashion to how [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] lost one of his horns to a [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]] in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 1]]"; the mandible even sticks point-first in the ground.
* Fowler makes mention of his old Army Ranger days, which he first mentioned in "[[Nemesis Prime (episode)|Nemesis Prime]]".
* Bulkhead flashes back to scenes from previous episodes when Fowler is trying to get him to continue the mission. First, he remembers several instances where his life was threatened, including:
**Leading [[Scraplet]]s through the GroundBridge into the Arctic in "[[Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap]]".
**Getting his Energon drained by the [[Energon Harvester|energon harvester]] in "[[Deus ex Machina]]".
**Clashing with [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] in "[[Out of His Head]]".
**Getting blown back by the malfunctioning GroundBridge in "[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]".
**Protecting Miko from falling rocks in "[[Rock Bottom]]".
**Clashing with Breakdown in "[[Operation: Breakdown]]".
**Being wired to one of [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]'s bombs in "[[Loose Cannons]]".
**Getting attacked by Scraplets in "Scrapheap".
* Shortly after the above, Bulkhead remembers several interactions with Miko, including:
**Miko assuring him that she's protected before Bulkhead heads down a slope in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 3]]".
**Bulkhead showing Miko a new battle scar in "[[Metal Attraction]]".
**Miko revealing herself from inside Bulkhead's chest in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 4]]".
**Bulkhead trying to dissuade Miko from using him as a role model in "Deus ex Machina".
**An exhausted Miko trying to clear rubble in "[[Rock Bottom]]".
**Miko trying to get an amnesiac Bulkhead to remember her in "[[T.M.I.]]".
* Bulkhead's tactic of hiding a grenade in the Tox-En container is similar to the one proposed by Wheeljack in "Triage". Wrecker style, indeed.

===Transformers references===
* Hardshell is the modern name for the G1 Insecticon [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]].
* During Bulkhead's flashback to the victims of Megatron's refined Tox-En weapon, one of the corpses in the foreground looks a lot like [[Ironhide (Animated)|an Ironhide from another continuity]]. The reddish one behind it looks similar to the [[generic]] impaled by Megatron during Ratchet's flashback to the beginning of the Great War in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]".
* Green-tinted energon that emits visible fumes and is toxic to Cybertronians was previously seen in ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)| Energon]]''. Given Bulkhead's flashback, Megatron's refined, weaponized version of Tox-En may be a small-scale version of the energon gas that plagued that series' version of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].
* In a likely coincidence (but with a chance of being intentional given the "[[Binder of Revelation]]"), in the [[TakaraTomy]] [[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|''Prime'' toyline]], some of the [[Arms Micron]]s have [[Arms_Micron#Energon_Crystals|Energon Crystals dubbed "Poison" energon]]... which are an ugly dark green color, much like the poisonous Tox-En introduced in this episode.

===Real-world references===
* While still recovering from the shock he received in "[[Flying Mind]]", Fowler blurts out "I can has cheeseburger", a popular cat-based internet meme.
* Considering its green coloration, mineral-like composition, and fatal effects from prolonged exposure, Tox-En is essentially Cybertronian Kryptonite.
*When Bulkhead carries Tox-En to the volcano top he faints, but comes to his senses and continues the ascent, saying, that he took this mission because of "duty and honor", to which agent Fowler immediately adds "family". That reminds House Tully motto "Family, duty, honor" of Game of Thrones TV-show.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bulkheads Mission'''" ("Bulkhead's Mission")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 19|19 January]] [[2013]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dokuen Henkei! Mushi no Ō Hardshell'''" (毒炎変形!虫の王・ハードシェル, "Toxic Flame Transformation! Hardshell, King of the Insects")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 12|12 January]] [[2013]]
:*Hardshell's personality is changed to be less serious and more hyper and talkative, in line with the other Japanese Insecticons.

===Trivia===
* Apparently, Bulkhead has been inside Decepticon barracks at some point (possibly on a mission for the Wreckers back on Cybertron). They are very, very smelly, but not as much as the landscape near an active volcano.
* In the past, the Wreckers have generally been a small, closely knit unit (despite their horrific attrition rates). However, Hardshell's comment that he's faced Wreckers numerous times suggests the team is much larger in the Aligned continuity.
* Bulkhead tells Fowler that the relic would likely survive a dip in molten rock while hunting for it in a cooled lava flow. Not only is this technically untrue (the Tox-En only survived its fall due to its container), but a drop into lava is exactly how Bulkhead disposes of the relic in the end.
* Despite having at least one more grenade on his person, Bulkhead doesn't attempt to leave the entire Tox-En cache in his Insecticon trap. Presumably, it wouldn't have been enough to completely destroy the toxic fuel, or it wouldn't have fit in the canister, giving Hardshell's team warning that something was up.
* Bulkhead finally finds something even ''worse'' than Scraplets. Incidentally, he saw the effects of both Scraplets and Tox-En during the war, and neither was a pleasant experience.
* Assuming Tox-En is the robot equivalent of mustard gas or a bioweapon, its use would be a war crime according to human conventions. Bulkhead quite rightly wants to destroy it, but that doesn't stop him from ''using'' it several times. This is the second episode in a row where the Autobots do something very ethically questionable in pursuit of the relics.
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Toxicity

2013-02-14T19:04:08Z

Yulia kl:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 41
|prev=Triage
|next=Hurt
|image=Toxicity Tox-En.jpg
|caption=Despite the title, this episode has nothing to do with System of a Down.
|title="Toxicity"
|airdate=[[May 26]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Scooter Tidwell]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Bulkhead encounters life-threatening danger during the last relic hunt.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:HardshellTeaser.jpg|left|thumb|250px|He watches too much of ''Tales from the Crypt''.]]
With other teams dispatched to find relics, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] visits the [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] hive and calls for a volunteer. [[Hardshell]] steps forward and Megatron sends him and three others to find the fourth and final relic. The four Insecticons arrive in a volcanic region on the equator and immediately split up.

At the Autobot base, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] watches [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] leave [[Jack Darby|with]] [[Bumblebee (Prime)|her]] [[Arcee (Prime)|team]] before he is dispatched to the area at the equator. Though he arrives at the correct coordinates, there's no relic there, but his search is interrupted by the approach of Hardshell. The Insecticon attacks Bulkhead and, after a brief exchange of words, the pair fight. Although he takes a few hits, the Wrecker flattens Hardshell, knocking a mandible off the Insecticon in the process. Bulkhead then heads downhill, realizing that an old lava flow may have taken the relic in the same direction. He keeps [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] updated back at base via radio. Meanwhile, Hardshell comes to and heads off with the other Insecticons to find their target.

Though leaking energon from his fight, Bulkhead manages to find the relic. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a toxic form of [[Energon]] known as [[Tox-En]], which Megatron could refine into a lethal bioweapon. Though Fowler suggests bringing it to base, Bulkhead realizes that he's going to have to dispose of it himself, "Wrecker style". Hardshell and the other Insecticons find the vessel shortly after, but as one of them goes to grab the small piece of Tox-En within, the grenade Bulkhead left behind explodes, leaving him fatally riddled with Tox-En shrapnel. Hardshell lets Megatron know about the Tox-En, but Megatron wants to know why Hardshell doesn't have the stuff yet.

Bulkhead, meanwhile, runs away from the volcano with the rest of the Tox-En, leaving a trail of leaking energon to throw off the Insecticons. As he turns and starts to head up the volcano, Bulkhead strikes up a conversation with Fowler about their past war-time careers and discovers they've more in common than they'd previously thought. However, as Bulkhead continues his journey, he begins to feel the effects of the toxic energon and almost succumbs to its spark-sapping properties. After Agent Fowler convinces him to keep going for the sake of duty and family, namely Miko, Bulkhead trudges on.

[[Image:Prime-Hardshellvolcanovent.jpg|right|250px|thumb| Hardshell [[Master Blaster|is not so easily destroyed]].]]
Meanwhile, Hardshell figures out the false trail, and he and the other Insecticons fly uphill. They catch up to Bulkhead, who has just arrived at the volcano's mouth, and surround him. Bulkhead throws a grenade at one Insecticon and jabs the Tox-En into Hardshell. The third Insecticon charges in bug mode, but Bulkhead decks it with the Tox-En and jabs the chunk into its shell before turning back to face Hardshell. Receiving the news that Miko is safe, Bulkhead begins sparring with Hardshell, though they are both now weakened from the toxic energon. Though Hardshell manages to get the better of Bulkhead, as he moves to finish the Wrecker off, Bulkhead works up the strength to throw Hardshell over to the Tox-En before flinging the monster towards a hole in the caldera crust leading down into the molten lava. Bulkhead then throws the Tox-En to Hardshell, and the dizzied Insecticon falls into the volcano, destroying the toxic relic. As Bulkhead heads for the [[GroundBridge]], Hardshell climbs out of the volcano and shoots the Autobot in the back, sending him flying through the GroundBridge to land within the Autobot base, his back burning. Ratchet, Raf, and Fowler see the smoke coming out of Bulkhead and run to his aid.

[[Hurt|To be continued...]]

==Featured characters==



{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (8)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticons]] (2)
*[[Hardshell]] (3)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (15) (flashback)
|c3=
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (9)
*[[Jack Darby]] (10)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (11)
*[[William Fowler]] (12)
|c4=
*[[Scraplet]]s (14) (flashback)
}}



==Quotes==
"I can haz cheeseburger!"
:—Yes, '''Agent Fowler''' actually said that.

"Yeess, the Wrecker leaks from his wounds."
:—'''Hardshell''' pulling a [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] on us.

"When were you ever behind enemy lines?" 
"I wasn't always a 'Bot sitter." 
"Huh. Next you're gonna tell me that your mother doesn't tuck you in bed at night." 
"Not since basic training."
:—'''Bulkhead''' finds out that '''Agent Fowler''' knows things about being a soldier.

"Look soldier. You know as well as I do there's the mission. And the reason why you take the mission!..." 
"Honor... duty..." 
"Family. Which is why you need to do whatever it takes to finish this job and come home safely."
:—'''Agent Fowler''' tries to encourage a faltering '''Bulkhead'''.

"Wrecker! Put down the rock, and allow us to put you out of your misery!" 
(''Insecticons surround Bulkhead, who sighs and takes out a grenade'') 
"Gotta swat some flies..."
:—'''Hardshell''' confronts '''Bulkhead''' at the volcano's crater.

"Fowler... mission accomplished. Though you might have to... tuck me in."
:—Half-dead from Tox-En poisoning, and all '''Bulkhead''' needs is a nap? ''Hardcore''.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* After Hardshell punches Bulkhead during their first fight, the latter's cannons transform into maces without the usual sound effects.
* In the establishing shot of the Tox-En before the commercial break, there are two samples in the container; the larger one which Bulkhead takes with him, and the smaller one he leaves as a booby trap. After the commercial break, the same shot shows only the larger sample.
* When Megatron receives Hardshell's report on the Tox-En, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is standing behind him, with his visor undamaged. This clashes with the continuity of the arc; Soundwave should either be absent from the ship (if he's still embroiled in his relic hunt) or sporting a cracked visor from his battle with [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], as a later scene in this episode indicates that [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] is still on his own relic hunt.
* When Bulkhead incapacitates one of the Insecticons with the Tox-En ("Here, hold this!"), it is in its beetle alt-mode. After it manages to shake to Tox-En off of its body, it is suddenly in robot mode after the shot of the crystal rolling on the ground. Although he could have transformed off screen.
* Speaking of that Insecticon, its fate is somewhat ambiguous. It falls over in a way that suggests that it's unconscious or dead, but Hardshell acts as though it is still online. Either way, it doesn't appear for the rest of the episode.

===Continuity errors===
* In "[[Triangulation]]", Bulkhead is shown running through the GroundBridge for his mission. However, in this episode he is shown just walking through the bridge.
* It has been shown previously that Insecticons have blasters, and they show awareness of Tox-En's debilitating effects on their bodies... so why don't any of them try attacking Bulkhead from range, reducing the risk of Tox-En exposure? Even if they're trying to avoid hitting the Tox-En, they could certainly at least flank Bulkhead and attack from opposite sides.
* As Fowler tries to contact Bulkhead during the battle in the volcano's caldera, we see Ratchet and Raf downloading the Iacon database in the background (as seen in [[Triage|the previous episode]]). However, when the same scene was shown in "Triage", Fowler was silent for the duration of Ratchet and Raf's conversation.

===Continuity notes===
* This is the final episode of the four-part relic-hunting arc, all four parts of which happen concurrently. This episode focuses on Bulkhead and Fowler. Fowler's handling of [[Vogel]] in "[[Tunnel Vision]]" and the Antarctic research base in "[[Triangulation]]" are shown from his point of view. Raf is also seen programming the virus that Ratchet installs in [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] in "[[Triage]]". The ending scene is the same as in "Triage".
*All 4 relic mission episodes start with the letter 'T'.
* The room currently occupied by the Insecticon hive was previously used to store [[Dark Energon]] way back in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 2]]".
* During Bulkhead's first fight with Hardshell, the Insecticon delivers an attack that looks eerily similar to how [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] killed [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. The actual hit is obscured (the camera is set behind Hardshell), but it doesn't seem to do any visible damage (although this could be why Bulkhead was leaking energon after the fight). At the end of the fight, meanwhile, Bulkhead clocks Hardshell with a wicked uppercut, knocking off one of his mandibles. The scene plays out in a suspiciously similar fashion to how [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] lost one of his horns to a [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]] in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 1]]"; the mandible even sticks point-first in the ground.
* Fowler makes mention of his old Army Ranger days, which he first mentioned in "[[Nemesis Prime (episode)|Nemesis Prime]]".
* Bulkhead flashes back to scenes from previous episodes when Fowler is trying to get him to continue the mission. First, he remembers several instances where his life was threatened, including:
**Leading [[Scraplet]]s through the GroundBridge into the Arctic in "[[Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap]]".
**Getting his Energon drained by the [[Energon Harvester|energon harvester]] in "[[Deus ex Machina]]".
**Clashing with [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] in "[[Out of His Head]]".
**Getting blown back by the malfunctioning GroundBridge in "[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]".
**Protecting Miko from falling rocks in "[[Rock Bottom]]".
**Clashing with Breakdown in "[[Operation: Breakdown]]".
**Being wired to one of [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]'s bombs in "[[Loose Cannons]]".
**Getting attacked by Scraplets in "Scrapheap".
* Shortly after the above, Bulkhead remembers several interactions with Miko, including:
**Miko assuring him that she's protected before Bulkhead heads down a slope in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 3]]".
**Bulkhead showing Miko a new battle scar in "[[Metal Attraction]]".
**Miko revealing herself from inside Bulkhead's chest in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 4]]".
**Bulkhead trying to dissuade Miko from using him as a role model in "Deus ex Machina".
**An exhausted Miko trying to clear rubble in "[[Rock Bottom]]".
**Miko trying to get an amnesiac Bulkhead to remember her in "[[T.M.I.]]".
* Bulkhead's tactic of hiding a grenade in the Tox-En container is similar to the one proposed by Wheeljack in "Triage". Wrecker style, indeed.

===Transformers references===
* Hardshell is the modern name for the G1 Insecticon [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]].
* During Bulkhead's flashback to the victims of Megatron's refined Tox-En weapon, one of the corpses in the foreground looks a lot like [[Ironhide (Animated)|an Ironhide from another continuity]]. The reddish one behind it looks similar to the [[generic]] impaled by Megatron during Ratchet's flashback to the beginning of the Great War in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]".
* Green-tinted energon that emits visible fumes and is toxic to Cybertronians was previously seen in ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)| Energon]]''. Given Bulkhead's flashback, Megatron's refined, weaponized version of Tox-En may be a small-scale version of the energon gas that plagued that series' version of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].
* In a likely coincidence (but with a chance of being intentional given the "[[Binder of Revelation]]"), in the [[TakaraTomy]] [[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|''Prime'' toyline]], some of the [[Arms Micron]]s have [[Arms_Micron#Energon_Crystals|Energon Crystals dubbed "Poison" energon]]... which are an ugly dark green color, much like the poisonous Tox-En introduced in this episode.

===Real-world references===
* While still recovering from the shock he received in "[[Flying Mind]]", Fowler blurts out "I can has cheeseburger", a popular cat-based internet meme.
* Considering its green coloration, mineral-like composition, and fatal effects from prolonged exposure, Tox-En is essentially Cybertronian Kryptonite.
*When Bulkhead carries Tox-En to the volcano top he faints, but comes to his senses and continues the descend, saying, that he took this mission because of "duty and honor", to which agent Fowler immediately adds "family". That reminds House Tully motto "Family, duty, honor" of Game of Thrones TV-show.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bulkheads Mission'''" ("Bulkhead's Mission")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 19|19 January]] [[2013]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dokuen Henkei! Mushi no Ō Hardshell'''" (毒炎変形!虫の王・ハードシェル, "Toxic Flame Transformation! Hardshell, King of the Insects")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 12|12 January]] [[2013]]
:*Hardshell's personality is changed to be less serious and more hyper and talkative, in line with the other Japanese Insecticons.

===Trivia===
* Apparently, Bulkhead has been inside Decepticon barracks at some point (possibly on a mission for the Wreckers back on Cybertron). They are very, very smelly, but not as much as the landscape near an active volcano.
* In the past, the Wreckers have generally been a small, closely knit unit (despite their horrific attrition rates). However, Hardshell's comment that he's faced Wreckers numerous times suggests the team is much larger in the Aligned continuity.
* Bulkhead tells Fowler that the relic would likely survive a dip in molten rock while hunting for it in a cooled lava flow. Not only is this technically untrue (the Tox-En only survived its fall due to its container), but a drop into lava is exactly how Bulkhead disposes of the relic in the end.
* Despite having at least one more grenade on his person, Bulkhead doesn't attempt to leave the entire Tox-En cache in his Insecticon trap. Presumably, it wouldn't have been enough to completely destroy the toxic fuel, or it wouldn't have fit in the canister, giving Hardshell's team warning that something was up.
* Bulkhead finally finds something even ''worse'' than Scraplets. Incidentally, he saw the effects of both Scraplets and Tox-En during the war, and neither was a pleasant experience.
* Assuming Tox-En is the robot equivalent of mustard gas or a bioweapon, its use would be a war crime according to human conventions. Bulkhead quite rightly wants to destroy it, but that doesn't stop him from ''using'' it several times. This is the second episode in a row where the Autobots do something very ethically questionable in pursuit of the relics.
[[Category:Prime episodes]]