Editing Siege episode 2


{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (cartoon)|Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege]]''
|image=SiegeEp2MysteriousCloakedFigureWhoCouldItBe.jpg
|caption=
|prev=Siege episode 1
|next=Siege episode 3
|title=Episode 2
|airdate=[[July 30]], [[2020]] (Netflix)
|production company=[[Allspark Animation]], [[Rooster Teeth]]
|written by=[[F.J. DeSanto]] and [[Gavin Hignight]]
|director=[[Takashi Kamei]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
}}

'''Ultra Magnus attempts to warn the Autobots of Megatron's ultimate plan, one which could end the war once and for all.'''

==Synopsis==
Surrounded by his retinue, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] speaks directly to his army, commanding them to hunt down the [[Autobot|Autobots]] and leave them nowhere to hide. [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] reports they have a visitor in the form of a lone, cloaked figure. The visitor easily swats aside an intervening [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]], but Megatron orders the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] to attack only on his signal. While [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] jockey for position in handling the potential threat, the visitor makes his peaceable intent with Megatron clear by being unarmed and remaining still. To Megatron's chagrin, [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] fires a warning shot that narrowly misses the unflinching visitor's head. The visitor comes in peace, but is no coward. 

The visitor with the huge shoulders then reveals himself to be [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], who willingly surrenders in good faith. Magnus attempts to negotiate a peace summit between him, Megatron, and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus]], and he calls on Megatron to recall their shared past to end hostilities. Megatron is undeterred, even upon recalling the battle of [[Tarn-Hauser Gate]]. He will not trust Magnus's intentions unless he uses his authority as Autobot military commander to order his men to stand down. When Magnus makes it clear that he will not surrender on the Autobots' behalf, he is imprisoned.

News of Magnus' surrender reaches Autobot Command in [[Ark (G1)|the Ark]], where it soon causes tension within the ranks. Many are concerned about Magnus's loyalty or what will happen if the Decepticons can extract critical information from him, but Prime is steadfast in his belief that Magnus surrendered to end the war and would not compromise the Autobots. After establishing a tenuous calm, Optimus appoints a reluctant [[Elita One (G1)|Elita-1]] to Magnus's old post.

Meanwhile, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] reveals that his studies have uncovered evidence that the legendary [[AllSpark|Allspark]] really exists. He asks Megatron to give the order to search for it, promising that it can be used to enslave the opposition by reprogramming them. Megatron is unwilling to commit to the plan, but will retain it as a drastic option.  Magnus overhears these developments in captivity, and transmits a warning to the Autobots over his private frequency.

Inside the Ark, the Autobots remain skeptical of both the Allspark's existence and Magnus's intentions, but Prime once again insists that Magnus can be trusted. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] suggests that the Ark's sensors can be used to try to locate the Allspark, but warns that it may drain their [[energon]] reserves. Nevertheless, Prime approves the search.

Unfortunately for Magnus, [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] has also detected his transmission and reveals the duplicity to Megatron. He quickly turns his displeasure into a plan to trap the Autobots.

Elita and Optimus share the briefest of respites, barely having time to reflect on the current situation and their personal history. They are interrupted by a second transmission from Magnus, who reports that Megatron has already found the Allspark and relays its coordinates. Optimus orders all available teams to prep for the search, not realizing the message to be a forgery fabricated by Soundwave as bait. 

Lured to [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], the Autobots spread out, unaware that Decepticons lurk all around them. [[Cog (G1)|Cog]] and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] detect what they think is the Allspark, but only find a [[Energon cube|cube of concentrated energon]]. Optimus realizes that they have been set up, but it is too late and [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] fires a blast straight through Cog. The fight only ends when a downed [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] careens into a building, bringing it down upon most of the Decepticons. The Autobots retreat, taking Cog to the repair bay in critical condition. Optimus remains adamant in the face of dwindling morale and orders that energon be reallocated from cloaking the Ark to searching for the Allspark.

In the aftermath of the battle, Barricade assumes command of the Decepticon unit after Impactor's arm is discovered, and he is presumed dead. Megatron holds Barricade responsible for both the loss of a valued soldier as well as the loss of energon. Shockwave infers that the Autobots cannot have the energon either, as it disappeared before they retreated. 

Elsewhere, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] holds the missing energon, inspecting his prize.

His ambush foiled, Megatron returns to Magnus's cell to demand the location of Autobot headquarters. Once more, Magnus begs his former brother-in-arms to end the war peacefully and honorably, but only victory interests Megatron, and he authorizes Shockwave to implement his plan of reformatting the Autobots.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (10)
* [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (11)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (12)
* [[Cog (G1)|Cog]] (13)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (14)
* [[Sideswipe_(G1)|Sideswipe]] (15)
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita-1]] (16)
* [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (17)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (18)
* [[Comms Officer]] (19)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (20)

|c2=
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (1)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (2)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (3)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (4)
* [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] (5)
* [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (6)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (7)
* [[Reflector (G1)|Refraktor]] (8)
* [[Hotlink (G1)|Hotlink]] (9)
* [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] (21)
* [[Flywheels|Skytread]] (22)
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (23)
* [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (24)

|h3=Others|c3=
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (25)
}}

==Quotes==
"This was not the life I imagined for us."<br>
"But it's a life worth fighting for."<br>
:—'''Elita-1''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Transformers references===
*Megatron's bait, a cache of concentrated Energon, is stored in a metal cube, likely in a nod to its [[Energon cube|traditional storage method]].
*Hound throws a grenade that is similar in design to the ones used by members of the Autobots in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' and 2015 ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' cartoon series. Considering all three have [[Polygon Pictures]] at the helm, this would more than likely be asset reuse.

===Animation and technical errors===
*When the red Cog reskin combines with Sideswipe, his torso section disappears.
*Optimus's vehicle mode is rather large when the Autobots retreat, being large enough to carry Chromia and Cog on his back.

===Real-world references===
* The "[[Tarn-Hauser Gate]]" that Ultra Magnus mentions in this episode is assuredly a reference to the "Tannhauser Gate", mentioned in Roy Batty's {{w|Tears in rain monologue|famous death monologue}} from the film ''{{w|Blade Runner}}''.
* Shockwave's plan for the Allspark will "de-rez" the Autobots, a euphemism for death used in the ''{{w|Tron}}'' films. Shockwave's original voice was based on the character Sark from that film.

===Trivia===
*Though Ultra Magnus being able to overhear Shockwave's plan from his cell can be excused as a convenient possibility, the Decepticons seem baffled that Magnus is able to contact his comrades from his cell. Unfortunately, this is never followed up in this episode. Does Magnus have a trick up his sleeve or did the writers just forget? You'd better binge the next episode to find out!
*Despite the cloak only hiding his face and upper torso's top, and leaving his giant shoulderpads exposed, nobody realizes who the "mysterious" cloaked figure is, not even his old friend Megatron. Odd choice for a disguise by someone who can actually take off said armor to appear as a totally different character...
*Rather than one of the blasters coming with his ''Siege'' toy, Barricade wields a recolored version of Prowl's rifle.
*The blaster Elita-1 wields in this episode is the "RT-15 Stethoscopic Detector" with both a slightly elongated barrel and Chromia's "SR Hushfuze" attachment on the very end. The "RT-15 Stethoscopic Detector" is the blaster which is included with both releases of ''Siege'' Ultra Magnus. This weapon, like many of the ''Siege'' Autobot weapons, is used as a generic weapon for most of the Autobots in this series, most notably by Chromia in [[Siege episode 4|episode 4]].

===Foreign localization===

==External Links==
*[https://www.netflix.com/watch/81056814 Episode 2 on Netflix]

[[Category:War for Cybertron: Siege‎]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Trilogy episodes]]