Transformers Animated season 4
Transformers Animated came to an end with its third season, but it wasn't always intended to be that way! Various plans existed for a fourth season that would have continued the story of the series and taken it in a new direction.
Early plans
[edit]When originally plotting what the show's fourth season would be about, story editor Marty Isenberg envisioned its action as being split between Cybertron and Earth. The majority of the season would be set on the Transformers' homeworld, but the appearance of new energon deposits on Earth caused by shards of the AllSpark would require the Autobots to continue defending the planet against the energon-starved Decepticons' evil intentions as well. With Megatron's story considered effectively finished after the third season, it was planned for Blackarachnia to serve as the season's major villain, having abandoned her search for a cure for her technorganic condition, and now seeking to transform the rest of the Cybertronian race into organic-machine hybrids like herself. Megatron, meanwhile, would have been a secondary villain, imprisoned after the events of the season three finale, but now manipulating Sentinel Prime from behind bars, à la [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Hannibal Lecter|{{#if:||Hannibal Lecter}}]], as the egotistical Autobot competed with Optimus Prime to become the deceased Ultra Magnus's true successor and ruler of Cybertron.
Other plot threads running throughout the season would have included Prowl's ghost occasionally making contact with the Autobots from within the AllSpark; Omega Supreme struggling to find a place for himself on a Cybertron that saw him only as a weapon; and Arcee beginning Sari's Cybertronian education.
Potential ideas for episodes discussed by Isenberg, Matt Youngberg, and Derrick J. Wyatt, at this early stage included:
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| || }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| | | ʁ| | | "Trial of Megatron"{{#if:| "{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| | |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:A season premiere of potentially two or three episodes in length. Megatron tricks Sentinel Prime into making his trial a big, splashy public affair to create a cover for a new Decepticon plot he has masterminded from prison, which the Autobots only just manage to thwart.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Trial of Megatron"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|A season premiere of potentially two or three episodes in length. Megatron tricks Sentinel Prime into making his trial a big, splashy public affair to create a cover for a new Decepticon plot he has masterminded from prison, which the Autobots only just manage to thwart. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:While attempting to transwarp back to Earth, Optimus's team are catapulted into a parallel universe where Autobots are evil and Decepticons are good. Based on the BotCon-original Shattered Glass mirror universe concept, this idea was originally conceived for season three, but was dropped when "TransWarped" was expanded to three episodes.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Mirror Mirror"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Mirror Mirror"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:While attempting to transwarp back to Earth, Optimus's team are catapulted into a parallel universe where Autobots are evil and Decepticons are good. Based on the BotCon-original Shattered Glass mirror universe concept, this idea was originally conceived for season three, but was dropped when "TransWarped" was expanded to three episodes.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Mirror Mirror"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|While attempting to transwarp back to Earth, Optimus's team are catapulted into a parallel universe where Autobots are evil and Decepticons are good. Based on the BotCon-original Shattered Glass mirror universe concept, this idea was originally conceived for season three, but was dropped when "TransWarped" was expanded to three episodes. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:While Blackarachnia builds up her technorganic Predacon army in the present, flashbacks tell the story of how she came to join the Decepticons in the past.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"What a Tangled Web We Weave"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"What a Tangled Web We Weave"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:While Blackarachnia builds up her technorganic Predacon army in the present, flashbacks tell the story of how she came to join the Decepticons in the past.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"What a Tangled Web We Weave"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|While Blackarachnia builds up her technorganic Predacon army in the present, flashbacks tell the story of how she came to join the Decepticons in the past. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:This episode would have revisited one of the earliest ideas Isenberg had for the show, which was included in the series bible even before the production of season one: the anti-robotic vigilante group, Save The Earth And Mankind, who believe Sumdac's robot revolution and the coming of the Autobots to spell the end for humanity, and use steampunk technology to fight them. This adventure was to see them run afoul of the returning Soundwave (accompanied by some new minions), forcing the Autobots to save them.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"S.T.E.A.M."|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"S.T.E.A.M."{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:This episode would have revisited one of the earliest ideas Isenberg had for the show, which was included in the series bible even before the production of season one: the anti-robotic vigilante group, Save The Earth And Mankind, who believe Sumdac's robot revolution and the coming of the Autobots to spell the end for humanity, and use steampunk technology to fight them. This adventure was to see them run afoul of the returning Soundwave (accompanied by some new minions), forcing the Autobots to save them.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"S.T.E.A.M."|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|This episode would have revisited one of the earliest ideas Isenberg had for the show, which was included in the series bible even before the production of season one: the anti-robotic vigilante group, Save The Earth And Mankind, who believe Sumdac's robot revolution and the coming of the Autobots to spell the end for humanity, and use steampunk technology to fight them. This adventure was to see them run afoul of the returning Soundwave (accompanied by some new minions), forcing the Autobots to save them. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:In this Gulliver's Travels pastiche, another transwarp mishap dumps Bumblebee on a planet populated by Mini-Cons, who worship him as a god.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Land of the Mini-Cons"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Land of the Mini-Cons"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:In this Gulliver's Travels pastiche, another transwarp mishap dumps Bumblebee on a planet populated by Mini-Cons, who worship him as a god.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Land of the Mini-Cons"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|In this Gulliver's Travels pastiche, another transwarp mishap dumps Bumblebee on a planet populated by Mini-Cons, who worship him as a god. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:The Constructicons find a way to combine into Devastator, giving them the muscle to ensure their control over Earth's new energon deposits. They come up against competition from Slipstream, who has designs on using the energon to make herself Decepticon leader. The Autobots call on the help of Omega Supreme to settle things. Though not mentioned in the original document, statements from multiple staff members all agree that their original plan for the Animated incarnation of Devastator was that Bulkhead would be captured by the Constructicons and forced to merge with them as an unwilling part of the combiner.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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| }}{{#ifeq:"Total Devastation"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Total Devastation"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:The Constructicons find a way to combine into Devastator, giving them the muscle to ensure their control over Earth's new energon deposits. They come up against competition from Slipstream, who has designs on using the energon to make herself Decepticon leader. The Autobots call on the help of Omega Supreme to settle things. Though not mentioned in the original document, statements from multiple staff members all agree that their original plan for the Animated incarnation of Devastator was that Bulkhead would be captured by the Constructicons and forced to merge with them as an unwilling part of the combiner.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Total Devastation"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|The Constructicons find a way to combine into Devastator, giving them the muscle to ensure their control over Earth's new energon deposits. They come up against competition from Slipstream, who has designs on using the energon to make herself Decepticon leader. The Autobots call on the help of Omega Supreme to settle things. Though not mentioned in the original document, statements from multiple staff members all agree that their original plan for the Animated incarnation of Devastator was that Bulkhead would be captured by the Constructicons and forced to merge with them as an unwilling part of the combiner. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:A mysterious villain named the Time Trucker (based on Hasbro employee Steve Drucker) shows Bumblebee a possible future where he leads the Autobots in fighting side-by-side with the Decepticons—led by Galvatron!—against the zombie-like Predacons, created by an AllSpark-powered technorganic virus that the Autobots must stop Blackarachnia unleashing in the present. This episode was another originally proposed for season three.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Bumble Prime"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Bumble Prime"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:A mysterious villain named the Time Trucker (based on Hasbro employee Steve Drucker) shows Bumblebee a possible future where he leads the Autobots in fighting side-by-side with the Decepticons—led by Galvatron!—against the zombie-like Predacons, created by an AllSpark-powered technorganic virus that the Autobots must stop Blackarachnia unleashing in the present. This episode was another originally proposed for season three.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Bumble Prime"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|A mysterious villain named the Time Trucker (based on Hasbro employee Steve Drucker) shows Bumblebee a possible future where he leads the Autobots in fighting side-by-side with the Decepticons—led by Galvatron!—against the zombie-like Predacons, created by an AllSpark-powered technorganic virus that the Autobots must stop Blackarachnia unleashing in the present. This episode was another originally proposed for season three. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Previously proposed for both seasons two and three but dropped each time, this goofy adventure would have been about an Autobot coming to Earth with an important message for Optimus Prime. But after scanning a flying saucer as his alternate mode from a B-movie set, he suffers amnesia, and comes to believe he is really an alien invader named Cosmos.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"It Came From Cybertron"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"It Came From Cybertron"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Previously proposed for both seasons two and three but dropped each time, this goofy adventure would have been about an Autobot coming to Earth with an important message for Optimus Prime. But after scanning a flying saucer as his alternate mode from a B-movie set, he suffers amnesia, and comes to believe he is really an alien invader named Cosmos.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"It Came From Cybertron"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Previously proposed for both seasons two and three but dropped each time, this goofy adventure would have been about an Autobot coming to Earth with an important message for Optimus Prime. But after scanning a flying saucer as his alternate mode from a B-movie set, he suffers amnesia, and comes to believe he is really an alien invader named Cosmos. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Seeking to escape Optimus and Sentinel's fight for the position of Magnus for a while, Bulkhead returns to the Energon farm on which he was raised, with Jetfire and Jetstorm tagging along, only to find the farm has become a Decepticon target.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Energon Farm?"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Energon Farm?"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Seeking to escape Optimus and Sentinel's fight for the position of Magnus for a while, Bulkhead returns to the Energon farm on which he was raised, with Jetfire and Jetstorm tagging along, only to find the farm has become a Decepticon target.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Energon Farm?"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Seeking to escape Optimus and Sentinel's fight for the position of Magnus for a while, Bulkhead returns to the Energon farm on which he was raised, with Jetfire and Jetstorm tagging along, only to find the farm has become a Decepticon target. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:The Time Trucker gives Optimus Prime the chance to alter the past, and save Elita-1 from ever becoming Blackarachnia. However, the end result is that Optimus becomes a technorganic spider-bot instead, creating a new future where Elita leads the Autobots.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Arachnus Prime"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Arachnus Prime"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:The Time Trucker gives Optimus Prime the chance to alter the past, and save Elita-1 from ever becoming Blackarachnia. However, the end result is that Optimus becomes a technorganic spider-bot instead, creating a new future where Elita leads the Autobots.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Arachnus Prime"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|The Time Trucker gives Optimus Prime the chance to alter the past, and save Elita-1 from ever becoming Blackarachnia. However, the end result is that Optimus becomes a technorganic spider-bot instead, creating a new future where Elita leads the Autobots. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:In the two-part season finale, Blackarachnia's Predacons attack Cybertron, and Sentinel agrees to ally with Megatron to defeat them. But Optimus realises that the Decepticon leader is only playing the Autobots and Predacons off against each other so that he and his forces can conquer the planet.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Predacons Unite"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Predacons Unite"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:In the two-part season finale, Blackarachnia's Predacons attack Cybertron, and Sentinel agrees to ally with Megatron to defeat them. But Optimus realises that the Decepticon leader is only playing the Autobots and Predacons off against each other so that he and his forces can conquer the planet.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Predacons Unite"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|In the two-part season finale, Blackarachnia's Predacons attack Cybertron, and Sentinel agrees to ally with Megatron to defeat them. But Optimus realises that the Decepticon leader is only playing the Autobots and Predacons off against each other so that he and his forces can conquer the planet. }}
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At the extremely early planning stage, the idea of producing toys based on select ideas from these episode concepts was considered for the 2009 Animated product line, including Cosmos, Bumble Prime, and a combiner version of Bulkhead, Mixmaster, Scrapper, and the at-that-point-unnamed Dirt Boss.
Hasbro steps in
[edit]The success of the first live-action movie quickly put a crimp in these plans (as well the poor sales of Blackarchnia's toy). To ride the wave of movie popularity, Hasbro executives Aaron Archer and Samantha Lomow pushed for the fourth season to maintain a degree of similarity to the film, which meant that Megatron had to be the main villain, and its action had to be predominantly set on Earth. Furthermore, the Autobot team membership had to be changed, removing Bulkhead and adding Jazz and Ironhide, to match the Autobot line-up from the movie. Other Hasbro mandates included a larger role for Mini-Cons as Trypticon Prison guards, and Optimus and Megatron being upgraded into new forms based on toys that were in the process of being designed: Optimus would combine with his trailer into a "Powermaster" form, and Megatron would be rebuilt into a triple-changing body, called "Marauder Megatron."
Incorporating these requirements into their original plans for the season, the Animated team came up with a revised list of thirteen proposed episodes.
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| || }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| | | ʁ| | | "Trial of Megatron"{{#if:| "{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| | |
}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Using his trial as a cover to hide his scheming, Megatron seizes control of the Mini-Con guards of Kaon prison. At his command, the Mini-Cons reformat the city, allowing Megatron to launch Kaon itself into space, and head for Earth. While Bulkhead and Sari remain behind on Cybertron to help deal with the aftermath of the disaster, Optimus Prime (now equipped with Powermaster Armour) and the rest of his team, with Ironhide in tow, pursue Megatron back to Earth.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Trial of Megatron"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Using his trial as a cover to hide his scheming, Megatron seizes control of the Mini-Con guards of Kaon prison. At his command, the Mini-Cons reformat the city, allowing Megatron to launch Kaon itself into space, and head for Earth. While Bulkhead and Sari remain behind on Cybertron to help deal with the aftermath of the disaster, Optimus Prime (now equipped with Powermaster Armour) and the rest of his team, with Ironhide in tow, pursue Megatron back to Earth. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:A reworked version of "Total Devastation," dropping Omega Supreme, and incorporating the concepts of Ironhide acclimating to life on Earth, Bumblebee adjusting to life without Bulkhead, and explicitly establishing that the rival faction of Decepticons is lead by Slipstream and a resurrected Starscream. It's not clear exactly how the original concept for Devastator would have been made to fit with the season's revised setup, given Bulkhead was no longer on Earth to become part of the combiner.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Turf War"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Turf War"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:A reworked version of "Total Devastation," dropping Omega Supreme, and incorporating the concepts of Ironhide acclimating to life on Earth, Bumblebee adjusting to life without Bulkhead, and explicitly establishing that the rival faction of Decepticons is lead by Slipstream and a resurrected Starscream. It's not clear exactly how the original concept for Devastator would have been made to fit with the season's revised setup, given Bulkhead was no longer on Earth to become part of the combiner.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Turf War"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|A reworked version of "Total Devastation," dropping Omega Supreme, and incorporating the concepts of Ironhide acclimating to life on Earth, Bumblebee adjusting to life without Bulkhead, and explicitly establishing that the rival faction of Decepticons is lead by Slipstream and a resurrected Starscream. It's not clear exactly how the original concept for Devastator would have been made to fit with the season's revised setup, given Bulkhead was no longer on Earth to become part of the combiner. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Rattletrap finds himself on Earth, surrounded by the one thing he fears: organics. He manages to scan an Earth vehicle mode, but he quickly finds himself a target: the Autobots want to arrest him, while the Decepticons Megatron betrayed and abandoned during the events of "Trial of Megatron" want to use him to gain access to Kaon to take revenge on their former leader.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"This is Why I Hate Organics"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"This is Why I Hate Organics"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Rattletrap finds himself on Earth, surrounded by the one thing he fears: organics. He manages to scan an Earth vehicle mode, but he quickly finds himself a target: the Autobots want to arrest him, while the Decepticons Megatron betrayed and abandoned during the events of "Trial of Megatron" want to use him to gain access to Kaon to take revenge on their former leader.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"This is Why I Hate Organics"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Rattletrap finds himself on Earth, surrounded by the one thing he fears: organics. He manages to scan an Earth vehicle mode, but he quickly finds himself a target: the Autobots want to arrest him, while the Decepticons Megatron betrayed and abandoned during the events of "Trial of Megatron" want to use him to gain access to Kaon to take revenge on their former leader. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Reworked from the earlier proposal for a Shattered Glass-themed episode, this take on the concept saw Bulkhead and Sari transported to the mirror universe when attempting to rejoin the other Autobots who had already returned to Earth.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Mirror, Mirror"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Mirror, Mirror"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Reworked from the earlier proposal for a Shattered Glass-themed episode, this take on the concept saw Bulkhead and Sari transported to the mirror universe when attempting to rejoin the other Autobots who had already returned to Earth.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Mirror, Mirror"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Reworked from the earlier proposal for a Shattered Glass-themed episode, this take on the concept saw Bulkhead and Sari transported to the mirror universe when attempting to rejoin the other Autobots who had already returned to Earth. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:The Mini-Cons who run Kaon are on the loose and causing all kinds of havoc in Detroit by disassembling all machinery they come across, including the Autobots. To save their friends, Ratchet and Captain Fanzone must team up to stop the renegade Mini-Cons.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Gremlins in the Gears"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Gremlins in the Gears"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:The Mini-Cons who run Kaon are on the loose and causing all kinds of havoc in Detroit by disassembling all machinery they come across, including the Autobots. To save their friends, Ratchet and Captain Fanzone must team up to stop the renegade Mini-Cons.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Gremlins in the Gears"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|The Mini-Cons who run Kaon are on the loose and causing all kinds of havoc in Detroit by disassembling all machinery they come across, including the Autobots. To save their friends, Ratchet and Captain Fanzone must team up to stop the renegade Mini-Cons. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Modified from the original propsal for the episode, this version of Blackarachnia's story would have also detailed how she rebuilt Blitzwing into a Triple Changer, planting the seeds for her to do the same to Megatron later in the season.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"What a Tangled Web We Weave"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"What a Tangled Web We Weave"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Modified from the original propsal for the episode, this version of Blackarachnia's story would have also detailed how she rebuilt Blitzwing into a Triple Changer, planting the seeds for her to do the same to Megatron later in the season.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"What a Tangled Web We Weave"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Modified from the original propsal for the episode, this version of Blackarachnia's story would have also detailed how she rebuilt Blitzwing into a Triple Changer, planting the seeds for her to do the same to Megatron later in the season. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Essentially unchanged from the original proposal for the episode.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"S.T.E.A.M."|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"S.T.E.A.M."{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Essentially unchanged from the original proposal for the episode.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"S.T.E.A.M."|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Essentially unchanged from the original proposal for the episode. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:In this version of the three-times-proposed Cosmos episode, the "important message" he was bringing to Optimus Prime apparently warned of a traitor in the Autobot ranks, setting up the events of later episode "Process of Elimination."|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"It Came from Planet Cybertron"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"It Came from Planet Cybertron"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:In this version of the three-times-proposed Cosmos episode, the "important message" he was bringing to Optimus Prime apparently warned of a traitor in the Autobot ranks, setting up the events of later episode "Process of Elimination."|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"It Came from Planet Cybertron"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|In this version of the three-times-proposed Cosmos episode, the "important message" he was bringing to Optimus Prime apparently warned of a traitor in the Autobot ranks, setting up the events of later episode "Process of Elimination." }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Blackarachnia upgrades Megatron into a new triple-changing form, but like Blitzwing before him, the process leaves him with an unstable personality, and he becomes a one-'bot army, blowing away anything and anyone in his path, with the Autobots powerless to stop him.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Triple Threat"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Triple Threat"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Blackarachnia upgrades Megatron into a new triple-changing form, but like Blitzwing before him, the process leaves him with an unstable personality, and he becomes a one-'bot army, blowing away anything and anyone in his path, with the Autobots powerless to stop him.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Triple Threat"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Blackarachnia upgrades Megatron into a new triple-changing form, but like Blitzwing before him, the process leaves him with an unstable personality, and he becomes a one-'bot army, blowing away anything and anyone in his path, with the Autobots powerless to stop him. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:When Sentinel comes to Earth intending to use the AllSpark to kill Megatron, Prowl's ghost must possess the Cybertronians animated by shards of the AllSpark to warn Optimus that Sentinel's plan risks destroying the Earth itself.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Allspark-alypse Now!"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Allspark-alypse Now!"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:When Sentinel comes to Earth intending to use the AllSpark to kill Megatron, Prowl's ghost must possess the Cybertronians animated by shards of the AllSpark to warn Optimus that Sentinel's plan risks destroying the Earth itself.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Allspark-alypse Now!"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|When Sentinel comes to Earth intending to use the AllSpark to kill Megatron, Prowl's ghost must possess the Cybertronians animated by shards of the AllSpark to warn Optimus that Sentinel's plan risks destroying the Earth itself. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Bumblebee investigates a series of deadly attacks on his old boot camp platoon, who are being picked off by a mysterious assailant. All signs point to either Waspinator or Shockwave... but when they too are attacked, the mystery deepens! It turns out the culprit is really Cliffjumper; back when Shockwave was undercover in Autobot bootcamp, he uploaded a Trojan Horse virus into Cliffjumper that would compell him to eliminate all evidence if Shockwave was ever found out. Now, the virus is affecting his mind, and Bumblebee must stop him before he self-destructs!|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Process of Elimination"|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Process of Elimination"{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Bumblebee investigates a series of deadly attacks on his old boot camp platoon, who are being picked off by a mysterious assailant. All signs point to either Waspinator or Shockwave... but when they too are attacked, the mystery deepens! It turns out the culprit is really Cliffjumper; back when Shockwave was undercover in Autobot bootcamp, he uploaded a Trojan Horse virus into Cliffjumper that would compell him to eliminate all evidence if Shockwave was ever found out. Now, the virus is affecting his mind, and Bumblebee must stop him before he self-destructs!|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Process of Elimination"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Bumblebee investigates a series of deadly attacks on his old boot camp platoon, who are being picked off by a mysterious assailant. All signs point to either Waspinator or Shockwave... but when they too are attacked, the mystery deepens! It turns out the culprit is really Cliffjumper; back when Shockwave was undercover in Autobot bootcamp, he uploaded a Trojan Horse virus into Cliffjumper that would compell him to eliminate all evidence if Shockwave was ever found out. Now, the virus is affecting his mind, and Bumblebee must stop him before he self-destructs! }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:As Megatron's plan to reformat Earth into a new Decepticon homeworld reaches fruition, the Autobots must join forces with Slipstream and Starscream's Decepticons, Blackarachnia's Predacons, and the Dinobots to defeat Megatron once and for all. They seem to defeat Megatron... but it turns out that the Decepticon leader has created many duplicates of himself as a distraction!|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Megatron Must Be Destroyed!" Part 1|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Megatron Must Be Destroyed!" Part 1{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:As Megatron's plan to reformat Earth into a new Decepticon homeworld reaches fruition, the Autobots must join forces with Slipstream and Starscream's Decepticons, Blackarachnia's Predacons, and the Dinobots to defeat Megatron once and for all. They seem to defeat Megatron... but it turns out that the Decepticon leader has created many duplicates of himself as a distraction!|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Megatron Must Be Destroyed!" Part 1|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|As Megatron's plan to reformat Earth into a new Decepticon homeworld reaches fruition, the Autobots must join forces with Slipstream and Starscream's Decepticons, Blackarachnia's Predacons, and the Dinobots to defeat Megatron once and for all. They seem to defeat Megatron... but it turns out that the Decepticon leader has created many duplicates of himself as a distraction! }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:Powermaster Optimus Prime defeats the real Megatron, only for Megatron to then download his mind into the city of Kaon itself. Using Blackarachnia's technorganic virus, Megatron has the city begin to grow to cover Earth. Vague, unfinalised notes state that the episode would have wrapped up with Sari discovering a deeper connection between herself and Blackarachnia, Sentinel redeeming himself, and Optimus defeating Megatron and saving Earth once again.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="ep" | }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
| }}{{#ifeq:"Megatron Must Be Destroyed!" Part 2|ʁ| |
|style="text-align: left;"|"Megatron Must Be Destroyed!" Part 2{{#if:|
"{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:Powermaster Optimus Prime defeats the real Megatron, only for Megatron to then download his mind into the city of Kaon itself. Using Blackarachnia's technorganic virus, Megatron has the city begin to grow to cover Earth. Vague, unfinalised notes state that the episode would have wrapped up with Sari discovering a deeper connection between herself and Blackarachnia, Sentinel redeeming himself, and Optimus defeating Megatron and saving Earth once again.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Megatron Must Be Destroyed!" Part 2|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|Powermaster Optimus Prime defeats the real Megatron, only for Megatron to then download his mind into the city of Kaon itself. Using Blackarachnia's technorganic virus, Megatron has the city begin to grow to cover Earth. Vague, unfinalised notes state that the episode would have wrapped up with Sari discovering a deeper connection between herself and Blackarachnia, Sentinel redeeming himself, and Optimus defeating Megatron and saving Earth once again. }}
|}
"Trial of Megatron" expanded
[edit]
At Hasbro's request, Marty Isenberg expanded "Trial of Megatron," into a three-part premiere, for which he wrote a complete "outline" (an act-by-act, scene-by-scene breakdown describing the plot and story beats, action scenes, character arcs and sample dialogue). The outline made some notable changes to the story; most significantly, where Sari was originally intended to remain on Cybertron with Bulkhead, in the outline, she accompanies Prime's team back to Earth. How these changes would have affected subsequent episodes (in this case, "Mirror, Mirror") is unknown, as "Trial" was the only story developed beyond a basic premise.
Isenberg's outlines for these episodes went unseen until 2019, when he was invited to UK-based Transformers convention TFNation, and it was arranged to turn the outlines into an exclusive pre-recorded "script-reading" event. Isenberg was able to get the entire regular cast of the cartoon (save for Tara Strong, and guest star Judd Nelson) to reprise their roles, and Eric Siebenaler even created brand new designs for three new characters featured in the episodes—Uplink, Trac-Tor and an Animated version of Obsidian—which were used by the convention organisers to create artwork to accompany the reading. The script-reading was initially strictly exclusive to the convention, but two years later, the feature was livestreamed via YouTube as part of TFNation's 2021 "online convention" (held in place of a regular event due to the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}COVID-19 pandemic|{{#if:||COVID-19 pandemic}}]]), featuring even more accompanying artwork compared to the original recording. Thanks to these two events, TFWiki has been able to create full article write-ups for each of the three parts:
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| || }}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| | | }}{{#ifeq:"Trial of Megatron, Part 1"|ʁ| | | "Trial of Megatron, Part 1"{{#if:| "{{{AltTitle}}}"}}}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| | |
}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|}}{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
|id="pc"|}}{{#ifeq:His victory over Megatron had made Optimus Prime the popular choice to replace Sentinel as Cybertron's new, permanent Magnus, but Sentinel isn't afraid to play dirty to stay in power. Meanwhile, Sari begins her Cybertronian education under Arcee, raising new questions about her mysterious origins.|ʁ| |
|-
| style="border-bottom:3px solid #{{#if:|{{{LineColor}}}|CCCCFF}}" colspan="{{#expr:{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:"Trial of Megatron, Part 1"|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ|0|1}}+1}}"|His victory over Megatron had made Optimus Prime the popular choice to replace Sentinel as Cybertron's new, permanent Magnus, but Sentinel isn't afraid to play dirty to stay in power. Meanwhile, Sari begins her Cybertronian education under Arcee, raising new questions about her mysterious origins. }}
|- style="text-align: center; {{#ifeq:As Cybertron comes under attack from Strika's Decepticons, Sentinel arranges a public show trial for Megatron, which the cunning Decepticon leader uses to his advantage.|| |background:#F2F2F2;}}"
{{#ifeq:ʁ|ʁ| |
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Cancellation and legacy
[edit]Ultimately, a combination of factors—not least of all, Hasbro's desire to launch their own network and develop a new show for it—led to Animated season 4 being cancelled, and the planned toys going unmade. In 2010, the The AllSpark Almanac II included information about several of the fourth season's unmade episodes; then, in 2016, an article written by Derrick J. Wyatt himself for issue #71 of the Collectors' Club magazine provided the full run-down of episodes from the second, revised list of concepts after Hasbro changed the show's direction. These lists were supplemented over time by the creators' interviews and fan-interactions, until eventually, the full, original documents themselves were uncovered between 2022 and 2023.
However, it's important to state that these episode lists represent only ideas for what would have been in the season. There is no guarantee that they would have all met with Hasbro approval, or that they wouldn't simply have been altered and redrafted by the creators themselves as time went on, as perhaps best illustrated by the way Isenberg's "Trial of Megatron" outlines made changes that contradicted the premises of later episodes. Even the "Trial" outlines themselves would have been subject to alteration during production! Thus, it must be understood that what you see in this article does not necessarily represent exactly what would have been seen on TV, even if the season had gone ahead; in particular, the Collectors' Club magazine article lists fifteen proposed episodes (the thirteen concepts from the revised episode list, and the expanded three-part version of "Trial of Megatron"), and Animated seasons were only thirteen episodes in length, meaning two of them would almost certainly never have been made.
Derrick J. Wyatt was especially passionate about Animated, and strove to keep it alive with new artwork and allusions to unseen stories that he posted online before his death in 2021. But again, it must be stressed that just because Derrick wanted to do an idea, that doesn't mean it would have been done. Perhaps the most notable example of this is that, while Wyatt claimed that he always knew exactly what he wanted Sari's true origin to be, in contrast, Isenberg says the team never definitively decided upon an answer. In the Club Magazine article, Wyatt specifically omitted information from the planning document; it stated that Sari discovered a connection between herself and Blackarachnia, but Wyatt removed Blackarachnia's name and mentioned only that Sari discovered a connection to "someone familiar." Of course, whether this represents Derrick having a different idea, or merely wanting to preserve a little more of the mystery around the story in the hopes of getting to tell it in full in the future, we'll sadly never know.
His passion, coupled with his distinctive art style being the most iconic aspect of the series, has led to a tendency among fans to treat Wyatt's word as more definitive that it ever truly was, as if he were the ultimate authority and had the final say on the world of Animated, when that simply wasn't true. Additionally, it's apparent that Wyatt was always coming up with new ideas for Animated lore long after the show was cancelled, and that many tidibits of lore he mentioned in conversation online over the years were not actually conceived or discussed during the making of the show itself. None the less, several of his more recent works have been misinterpreted by fans as definite plans for the season; for instance, the designs of Inferno and Antagony featured in the AllSpark Almanac were not made for the show, but were invented years later as potential toy ideas for BotCon, which is why they were simply recolors of Waspinator with new heads. This continued BotCon-baiting method of character design created a recurring phenomenon in subsequent years wherein new Animated characters wound up often being retools/recolors of existing ones, when in reality, if they had been created back at the time to be in the show, they would have had original designs of their own.
With so much information known about the various forms it might have taken, and significant plot threads like the origin of Sari and Sentinel Prime's rule of Cybertron being left unresolved, the unmade fourth season of Animated has become one of the all-time great Transformers "could-have-beens," and fans have long hoped that it could one day receive an official continuation that would bring the story to a close. While this has yet to happen, Marty Isenberg and Eric Siebenaler have worked with Animated superfan Keyan Carlile to develop some of the story concepts for the season into unofficial comics, beginning with "Bumble Prime" in 2024, and continuing with "Mirror, Mirror" in 2025.
Notes
[edit]- Resurfaced documents mention that Sentinel Prime's face and shell would've been mangled following The Trial of Megatron, but he'd have refused repairs, not wanting to forget who’s responsible, and become obsessed with taking Megatron offline. Derrick imagined him with an eyepatch, and his lance as a harpoon.
- Derrick had the idea that Sentinel may have hired Lockdown to hunt Megatron.
- In an early outline of "TransWarped", under its original title 'Homecoming', Sari would've come to suspect Megatron played a role in the her mysterious protoform that appeared in Sumdac's lab. This was originally envisioned to be followed up on early in The Trial of Megatron, as Sari would've visited Megatron in prison to question him. The Decepticon leader would've denied having a protoform in his possession when he crashed to Earth. This scene was cut prior to The Trial of Megatron's outline, likely in response to the setup being cut from "TransWarped".
Other unproduced episode ideas spoken of over the years include:
- "Trukk. vs. Munky", in which Blackarachnia would have created Optimus Primal as a technorganic clone of Optimus Prime. Mentioned by Derrick J. Wyatt at during his panel at Auto Assembly 2010, this episode was actually proposed for the second season, and did not make it in any official lists of proposed episodes for the fourth season.
- A [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}David Lynch|{{#if:||David Lynch}}]]-inspired episode featuring Buster Witwicky as a Sector Seven agent in the vein of Seymour Simmons, and Metalhawk. Also mentioned at Wyatt's Auto Assembly panel, indications are that he had this idea in mind for a while, but, again, it never made it into any official proposed lists.
- A Halloween episode that would pay homage to the Batman: The Animated Series episode 'Almost Got 'Im', which would've seen the Autobots sit around the campfire and tell ghost stories about Unicron. In a conversation between Aaron Archer and Animated superfan Keyan Carlile, Archer alleges artwork of the Autobots around the fire was even produced. Marty Isenberg, however, is adamant that he had never heard of this episode concept and suspects Derrick may have been shy to pitch it to him due to Isenberg's personal distaste for Unicron.
Gallery
[edit]-
Page 1 of the original list of season 4 premilinary episode ideas. -
Page 2 of the original list of season 4 premilinary episode ideas. -
Page 3 of the original list of season 4 premilinary episode ideas. -
"Idea Matrix" of potential toy ideas for 2009, including some based on episode concepts from early season 3/4 plans. -
Page 4 of the revised list of season 4 episode ideas (pages 1-3 not available), featuring thumbnail sketches by Wyatt for the Collectors Club magazine article. -
Page 5 of the revised list of season 4 episode ideas, also with Wyatt sketches. -
Orthographic drawings of Powermaster Optimus Prime toy -
Resin prototype of "Marauder" Megatron toy. -
Marauder Megatron headshot by Wyatt. -
Ironhide's Earth-mode design; an alternate design from the concept sketch above, but still influenced by the movie version of the character. -
Concept illustrations of Kaon blasting off from Cybertron and settling in Lake Erie. -
Devastator headshot. -
Resin prototype of Hot Shot's toy. -
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Animated Season 4: What Could Have Been — Extensive video by Keyan Carlile breaking down everything we know about Season 4, with input from Isenberg and Wyatt's close friend Josh Perez, including fanart conceptualizing each episode.
- Animated Season 4: What SHOULD'VE Been — A follow-up video by Carlile featuring more information obtained since the first video's publication.