Editing Fallout (episode)

{{disambig3|Fallout}}
{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=14
|image=Fallout title.jpg
|caption=[[Ron Perlman|War. War never changes.]]
|title="Fallout"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 9]], 2000
|written by=[[Bob Skir|Robert N. Skir]]<br />[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Raul Sanchez Inglis]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''After releasing a doomsday weapon, Optimus Primal must face the consequences of his actions.'''

==Synopsis==
The storm continues to rage, as [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (controlling the lethal [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]) and [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (wielding the deadly [[Key to Vector Sigma]]) fight, pushing their energies back and forth. 

[[Image:Fallout Primal void.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Open the pod bay doors, Teletraan.]]
Optimus dissolves and finds himself in the [[Transformer afterlife|Matrix]] again, seeing a vision of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] destroyed. He lashes out and blames Megatron, who takes no credit. Cybertron is doomed not because of Megatron's actions, but because of ''Primal''. Suddenly, Optimus finds himself back on prehistoric [[Earth]], where he's attacked by a green-eyed copy of himself. The doppelgänger scolds Primal for his fanatical behavior and pushes him off a cliff, sending him plummeting back into space.

Faces come and go, and he finds himself being blamed by his [[Maximal]]s, who tell him that he's failed them. Primal realizes that ''he'' must make his own decisions, not merely follow the commands of the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]]. The Oracle acknowledges this fact, but tells him that his fate still lies with him. 

The arrival of another old friend, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], comforts him. Rhinox acknowledges his misdeeds as Tankor, and tells his old friend that he chooses to stay in the Matrix. Primal shoots through another tunnel where the faces of [[Transformer]]s he has yet to encounter flash before him and finds himself back in the heated battle. Taking control of both energies, he redirects them back into the Matrix itself. The remaining Maximals reawaken, back in their techno-organic bodies and free of the Key's energies. 

[[Image:Fallout Megatron disintegrates.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Gold Plastic Syndrome]] claims another victim.]]
With Megatron gone and the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s rendered inert, the Maximals are the only active Cybertronians on the planet. Finding one another, the surviving Maximals head to the throne room in the Citadel, only to find the bodies of their former friends—and foes. Megatron's body crumbles to dust, leaving only his control-shell. When [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] touches the inert body of [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]], it falls to pieces. Cheetor looks at Optimus Primal's flattened body, lamenting the fallen "Big Bot". Unsympathetic, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] says that [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] only ever wanted him out of the way. Cheetor tells Nightscream off, but reluctantly takes control anyway.

Outside, Rattrap plugs into Cybertron's system, only to find that the planet is, in fact, brain-dead. But things change when [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] and [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] show up, and the Maximals and Vehicons prepare for another fight. Cheetor comes between them, telling them that the war is over, while [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] invites Jetstorm onto their side. It's not a suggestion that the two generals take kindly to, and another brief fight breaks out before Blackarachnia puts a stop to it. The two [[Vehicon general]]s leave. 

[[Image:Fallout Optimus in Oracle.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Finally justification for a supreme-class Primal.]]
Hoping to consult the Oracle like Optimus once had, the Maximals make the trip underground to the Oracle's chamber. However, the foursome find Optimus Primal inside the Oracle. Communicating with them via the supercomputer, he asks that the Maximals forgive his zealotry and near-genocidal actions. Rattrap protests, as "there is nothing to forgive". Back in the void, Optimus sees the collective [[spark]]s of Cybertron past, present, and future, inviting him into the Transformer afterlife: the Matrix. As he floats, Optimus has an epiphany: the Oracle never intended to have organic life ''replace'' Cybertron's technology, but to create a [[technorganic]] balance of organic and machine, just as the Oracle did when it [[Reformatting|reformatted]] the Maximals. Optimus happily acknowledges that he is ready to join the Matrix... but not today. 

[[Image:Fallout Maximals orchid.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"It looks like the cameraman needs a hug."]]
Optimus Primal steps out into real-space again, and the Oracle tells him that it has taught him everything, and that he must make his own way in his mission. A new orchard of technorganic plants grows around them as Optimus explains their new quest to the Maximals.

The Maximals head above ground, hoping to find and liberate Megatron's stockpile of [[spark]]s... only to find themselves face-to-giant-face with [[Grand Mal|an enormous vessel bearing the likeness of Megatron]]!
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (1)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (2)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (7)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (8)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Tank Drone]]s (3)
*[[Aero Drone]]s (4)
*[[Cycle Drone]]s (10)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (11)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (12)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (13)

|c4=
*[[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] (9)

}}
==Quotes==
"My spark has rejoined the Matrix.  I paid the price for my misguided deeds, but it is not too late for you.  Embrace the true nature of your spark."
:—'''Rhinox''' dispenses advice.


"If I had to guess, I'd say we won't be getting any holiday cards from him for a while."
:—'''Rattrap''''s own special way of saying "He's dead, Jim."


"Ah, y'know, this place just ain't gonna be the same without Megatron's toys to play with.  Wha?"<br />
"Be careful what you wish for, cheddar-breath!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Jetstorm'''


"Why is she so hung up on getting her old boyfriend's spark outta that guy?"<br />
"Eh, you're young. You'll learn."
:—'''Nightscream''' and '''Rattrap'''


"Forget it, spider-lady! I just lost my boss, everything is falling apart. I'm not losing my only friend as well!"<br />
"We're friends?"<br />
"Why not?"
:—'''Thrust''' and '''Jetstorm''', you can feel the bromance between the two


'''Optimus:''' "All I ask is you forgive me my transgressions so I can move on from this plane."<br />
'''Rattrap:''' "There's... nothing to forgive, Optimus."<br />
'''Nightscream:''' "You gave me a family when I lost everyone."<br />
'''Blackarachnia:''' "You lead us to victory at the cost of your own life."<br />
'''Cheetor:''' "I can forgive you for your mistakes, but not for giving up.  Without your leadership, we'd have all gone offline when we first hit this planet.  Without your guidance, we'd would've never mastered transforming in these technorganic bodies.  And without your vision, Cybertron will never truly be restored."
:—The Maximals try to convince Optimus to return from the Matrix.


"But the Matrix never intended for the organic to replace the technological.  It didn't want us to fight a war, but to create a balance.  the technorganic balance between the machine and the organic.  Yes, I am ready to join the Matrix, but not today."
:—'''Optimus''' realises he does actually have something to live for.


"Congratulations, Optimus Primal.  You have passed your greatest test by asserting your own free will, the very thing that makes you more than a mere machine.  Clearly there is nothing left to teach you. The time has come for you to seize your own destiny."
:—The '''Oracle''' gives Optimus a passing grade.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* Optimus's dead body is... strange-looking. Presumably, it's supposed to look as if his body has crumbled to ash, but the model quality means that it looks like it's been cartoonishly flattened.
* During the skirmish between the Generals and the Maximals, Rattrap laughs nervously without moving his face.

===Continuity errors===
* The recap at the start of this episode concludes with Optimus Primal's hand disintegrating and him insisting that "if this is the will of the Matrix, then so be it". However, the [[cliffhanger]] simply ended with Optimus Primal looking on as his hand disintegrated.
* Just as in "[[Revelations Part III: Apocalypse|Apocalypse]]", Optimus claims that the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] on [[Earth]] were the Matrix's way of obtaining organic material. Since it was Megatron who decided to go there, then either Optimus is reading too much into it or the Matrix has been giving Megatron some nudges...

===Continuity notes===
* Among Optimus's visions are the heads of the Maximals in Beast Mode, who cycle through all of their previous bodies that appeared in ''Beast Wars'' (albeit, using the miscolored versions of Cheetor's, Rattrap's, and Blackarachnia's pre-Transmetal forms that were used in "[[The Reformatting]]"). Nightscream also briefly flashes into his brown, pre-Technorganic Beast Mode.
* There's a lot of blink-and-you'll miss it foreshadowing in Optimus Primal's vision! As he returns to Megatron's chamber, he experiences visions of [[Noble (BM)|characters]] [[Botanica (BM)|who]] [[Obsidian (BM)|will]] [[Strika (BM)|appear]] in season two
* When Optimus redirects the dueling energies into the Oracle, you can briefly see Nightscream's old hiding place. The fruit tree has apparently regrown.
* As the four surviving Maximals climb down to the Oracle, the sequence is deliberately set up to evoke their original trip to the Oracle, as seen in "The Reformatting".
* Similarly, Optimus's re-emergence from the Oracle is framed to resemble his original emergence from the Matrix in the same episode, complete with a disbelieving "Big Bot?" from Cheetor.
* Optimus experiences a vision of a flower during his trip, the same kind that appeared in "The Reformatting". 
* There are a lot of clips from previous episodes interspersed throughout the episode. As the Maximals recount how Optimus has helped them over the course of the [[Spark War]], there are clips from "The Reformatting", "[[Forbidden Fruit]]", and "[[The Weak Component]]". Later, as Optimus remembers the Beast Wars, his memories are represented by clips from the ''Beast Wars'' episodes "[[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)]]", "[[Cutting Edge]]", "[[Feral Scream Part 1]]", "[[Feral Scream Part 2]]", and "[[Nemesis Part 2|''Nemesis'' Part 2]]".

===Transformers references===

===Real-world references===
* Jetstorm mentions that they just got rid of the "old boss" and aren't keen on working for "the new boss", riffing on lyrics from [[w:The Who|The Who]]'s "[[w:Won't Get Fooled Again|Won't Get Fooled Again]]".

===Trivia===
*Season 2 sees the Maximals drop the "I am transformed" mantra that usually accompanied their transformations.
*Rhinox must remain in the Matrix forever. [[Homecoming (Universe)|Until he doesn't]]. Except [[Singularity Ablyss|when he gets killed even deader]]. (Multiple continuities are fun, kids!) Either way, in-show, this is the last appearance of Rhinox/Tankor.
*Amusingly, Blackarachnia tells Jetstorm right in his face, "You don't want to be Silverbolt again? Fine. I won't force you." [[In Darkest Knight|Oh, really]]?

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Retombées'''" ("Fallout")


:*''Title:'' "'''La Chute'''" (Canada, "The Fall")


'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Off-Line'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 15]], [[2000]]


'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shōri no Daishō'''" (勝利の代償, "The Cost of Victory")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 19]], [[2004]]


'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Lluvia Radiactiva'''" ("Radioactive Fallout")


'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Jié Hòu Yú Shēng '''" (劫后余生, "After the Doom")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 4 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only.<br>
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])<br>
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])<br>
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season Two: Volume One ([[Sony]])<br>
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season Two (Sony)<br>
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 2 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]