Editing Prometheus Unbound

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=16
|image=PrometheusUnbound title.jpg
|caption="Oh no. Promotheus."<br>"''Prom'''e'''theus!"
|title="Prometheus Unbound"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 23]], 2000
|written by=[[Marv Wolfman]]
|directed by=[[Sebastian Brodin]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''The Maximals infiltrate Megatron's fortress, but are betrayed by their new friend.'''


:''French title:'' '''Prométhée''' ("Prometheus")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Promethéus''' ("Prometheus")
:''Japanese title:'' 怪物のお目覚め (''Kaibutsu no o Mezame'', "The Monster's Awakening")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Prometeo Liberado'''


==Synopsis==
[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Noble moon.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
A giant Cybertronian moon passes (rumbles, actually) overhead. [[Noble]] howls at it, much to the consternation of the distant [[Maximal]]s—their new friend has run off yet again. [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] blames the team's treatment of the newcomer. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] gently defends their actions as being for Noble's own good. "And ours," [[Rattrap]] adds.

[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] is vaguely unsettled by Noble; Rattrap is freaked out. Nightscream doesn't take this well, and storms off with [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] in pursuit. Rattrap and Blackarachnia note unhappily that Noble is probably heading for "the same place as the last five nights".

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Nightscream Savage bound.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Noble is furiously banging on the doors to [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s [[Council Citadel|citadel]] when Nightscream and Optimus arrive; he transforms to Savage form when they confront him, then continues trying to claw his way in. A bunch of snaking cables worm out to attack Nightscream when he tries again to stop Savage—and Savage knocks him out of their way. The cables envelope and constrain him, and the Maximals peel him free to find him back in Noble form.

Noble seems confused about how he got there, and says the Maximals should lock him away. But Optimus defends him, saying he saved Nightscream even in his Savage guise. Rattrap isn't buying it. Nightscream nastily puts Rattrap back in his place, saying he knows what it's like to be alone.

As usual, Optimus calms things down, focusing the team on finding the missing Sparks. The group prepares to infiltrate the citadel to look for clues. Noble wants to help, saying he's been drawn here for a reason, but Optimus refuses—they're going to have enough to worry about.  Nightscream supports Noble, but Optimus doesn't budge, and Nightscream storms off.

Rattrap plugs in and the doors slide open. Rattrap is restrained from rushing in by Blackarachnia, as Optimus reveals a destructive force field across the entryway. A quick shot to the control panel takes it out. Too easy—this was the trap they were ''meant'' to find.   The group enters… and Noble, some distance away, turns and sprints through the doorway. A pursuing Nightscream follows just as it closes.

Optimus is ticked off, but Noble says he couldn't help himself, and seems to be having trouble controlling himself.

As Rattrap begins a search for the security shut-off, Noble takes off running for the control room… and promptly steps on a floor sensor, activating a field of floating mines. The Maximals freeze, but just then Noble's eyes glow red, and he morphs back into Savage, setting off a string of the mines. KaBOOM!

The group groaningly gets to its feet, and Rattrap chews out Nightscream for dragging Noble along. They hear distant roaring, and split up—Nightscream and Optimus hunt for Savage; Rattrap heads for the throne room, with Cheetor and Blackarachnia on backup. As the two groups proceed, both Savage and Noble watch from the shadows.

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Rattrap harness.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rattrap soon stumbled on Megatron's copy of "Two girls, one cup".]]
Nightscream hears Savage's roaring and takes off after him. Meanwhile, Savage change back to Noble and opens the doors to Megatron's throne room. "Success!" he says blissfully, as he sees Megatron's empty control harness. Noble begins leaping across the floating jigsaw puzzle bridge. He loses his grip on one, falling. Nightscream and Optimus arrive, and go after him.

Rattrap and company arrive a moment later, and stare at the drifting pieces of floating bridge. Cheetor and Blackarachnia go first and offer the less-mobile Rattrap assistance in getting to the harness. He plugs in, and the bridge assembles itself under their feet. Screens of data assemble before Rattrap. He begins searching, but everything's encrypted. Optimus encourages haste as he arrives with Nightscream and Noble—and the latter's gentle meekness abruptly disappears.

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Noble holds rattrap.jpg|right|thumb|200px|After seeing Revenge of the Fallen, Noble took it upon himself to see if Transformers really did have balls of steel.]]
Noble exults in being in the throne room, then spots Rattrap in the harness and immediately morphs to Savage. The Maximals realize he can control his changes. Savage blasts Rattrap out of the harness. Immediately, the bridge deconstructs and alarms go off. Tentacled [[Spark extractor]]s slither out of the walls. The group (including Savage) makes quick work of them, and Rattrap gets back into the harness as Savage morphs back to Noble, standing next to the harness. Rattrap starts to thank him—but Noble yanks him out by the tail and, in a dramatically backlit scene, tosses him away. He enters the harness himself, but nothing happens.

Noble realizes he can't interface while in an organic body. He leaps clear, grabs two Spark extractors, and applies them to… himself. A furiously burning orange Spark emerges, and the body collapses. The Spark enters the control harness, and shoots up the wires as Megatron's voice cackles: "Free… at last. Free at last!"

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Grand Mal awakens.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Megatron forgot to turn down his headlights again.]]
The Maximals charge outside to see the [[Grand Mal|giant Megatron head]] now fully animated. Megatron delightedly explains that "Noble" was just a ruse, his gigantic eyes glowing in synch with his words. Nightscream is crushed. Megatron explains further: "For an eternity, I slaved to free myself from the organic material contaminating my otherwise perfect technological body. I finally succeeded in separating the two, but my Spark remained with the wrong half—the organic half. I knew that the answer to curing myself lay inside my citadel—but as an organic beast, I could never hope to enter it and survive. Which is why I needed ''you''… Nightscream. Naive. Headstrong. And utterly malleable. You proved the perfect pawn… and now in gratitude, I will free ''you'' from your organic bodies."

The big floating head fires a beam into the planet, and all systems come back on-line—including the drone army, which storms to the attack. As the others fight them off, Rattrap opens up a panel, and Optimus orders a retreat. Nobody objects as the badly outnumbered group scurries underground.

The Maximals lament their faux victory. Nightscream is still shattered, and Rattrap offers his sincere sympathy.

Back in the empty citadel, Noble's eye opens, and he stirs with a growl….

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (3)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (4)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (5)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (6)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Tank Drone|Tank Drones]] (8)
*[[Sonic Attack Jet|Sonic Attack Jets]] (9)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (10)

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (1)

}}

==Quotes==
"I can't say why, but something about him gives me the creeps."<br />
"Well, let me see. Is it his eyes? the hair? or maybe it's his little tendancy to keep turning into a giant, wigged-out, flesh-eating ''gila monster''!"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Rattrap''' on Noble.


"Are we unclear on the concept of 'no'?"
:—'''Optimus Primal'''


"Told you draggin' along the dragon was a mistake, but did you listen? No!"
:—'''Rattrap'''


'''Cheetor:''' "Something's following us."<br />
'''Rattrap:''' "Aw man, I sure hope it ain't Savage."<br />
'''Blackarachnia:''' "You better hope it is. Anything else is bound to be worse."<br />
'''Rattrap:''' "Oh, brighten my day."
:—The good news just keeps coming for Rattrap


"Must be the maid's day off."
:—'''Rattrap''' regarding the state of the citadel


"Hey guys, how do you like the new housecoat?"<br />
"Frumpy, but functional."
:—'''Rattrap''' tries on Megatron's control harness and '''Blackarachnia''' gives her opinion.


"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"<br />
"Past experience?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Cheetor'''


"For an eternity, I slaved to free myself from the organic material contaminating my otherwise perfect technological body. I finally succeeded in separating the two, but my Spark remained with the wrong half—the organic half. I knew that the answer to curing myself lay inside my citadel—but as an organic beast, I could never hope to enter it and survive. Which is why I needed you… Nightscream. Naive. Headstrong. And utterly malleable. You proved the perfect pawn."<br>
"NOOO!"<br>
"And now in gratitude, I will free you from <i>your organic bodies!</i>"<br>
:-'''Megatron''' adds insult to injury for '''Nightscream''' and prepares to add further injury to the Maximals.

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*Glitch

===Continuity errors===
*The Maximals don't revert to their beast forms as usual after being knocked out by the mines.

===Transformers references===
*Rattrap describes Megatron's [[Grand Mal|big floating head]] as a tribute to [[Unicron]].

===Real-world references===
*''Prometheus Unbound'' is the title of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_Unbound_%28Aeschylus%29| an incomplete play] by Aeschylus, which inspired a play [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_Unbound_%28Shelley%29|of the same name] by Percy Shelley. Both concern Prometheus, a character in Greek mythology who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to humans; as punishment, he was cast into Hades and tied to a rock, where an eagle ate his liver every day. Megatron in ''Beast Machines'' seems to see himself as a figure akin to Prometheus, bringing the 'gifts' of freedom from organic matter, individuality, and consciousness; as well as technological perfection, to all of Cybertron. Up until now, he has been going to increasing lengths to purge himself of his own organic components, which he sees as a contamination of his mechanical purity; being trapped in a purely organic body as a result thus mirrors Prometheus' torment in Hades. The act of freeing his spark form Noble's body and bringing it to a purely technological existence is compared to Prometheus breaking free from his bond in order to confront Zeus. In Aeschylus' play, Prometheus and Zeus eventually reconcile; in Shelley's, Zeus is cast down, freeing humans and gods from his tyranny. Both of the endings foreshadow [[Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future|the final episode]].

==External links==
*Link


[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]