Editing Changing of the Guard

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=42
|series2=Metals
|ep2=16
|next2=Feral Scream Part 1
|image=Changing of the Guard title shot.JPG
|caption=Some days you just wish you hadn't gotten out of bed.
|title="Changing of the Guard"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[November 8]], 1998
|written by=[[Evan Somers]]
|directed by=[[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''While trying to salvage the Sentinel module from the ruins of the Axalon, Rattrap finds himself caught between Depth Charge and Rampage.'''

:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Protection'''
:''Japanese title:'' ぶくぶくっ! (''Bukubuku!'', "Loose-Fitting!")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Cambio de Guardia'''
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Cambio de Guardia'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Uniti si vince'''
:''Brazilian name:'' '''Troca da Guarda'''

==Synopsis==
Rhinox is in the process of engineering a way to use Teletraan I's forcefield to protect the base. But mixing Autobot and Maximal tech is difficult, and the machinery fails. With that trick failed, Primal puts together a plan to salvage the Maximals' old force field module, [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], from the wreckage of the Axalon. Depth Charge refuses to respond to any contacts. So instead the Maximals will use a [[subaquatic stealth vessel]]—a single-occupant submarine developed by Blackararachnia. Rattrap is assigned to pilot the submersible, over his usual handful of whines and complaints.

[[Image:Rattrap-subaquatic2.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Rattrap makes a cameo in ''[[wikipedia:Atlantis: The Lost Empire.|Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]'']]
Silverbolt delivers the submarine to the Axalon's resting site.  Under the lake, Rattrap is surprised to find himself having a good time exploring the water and passing by schools of fish to the sound of a jolly tune. The tune changes as Rattrap finds the fallen corpse of what used to be the Maximal's home. He slowly enters, looking through the darkened hallways. He finds Sentinel, and carefully begins to extract it - and is suddenly frightened by an eel who was hiding in the machinery. As he calms down, his radar detects something else approaching, and he realizes it's time to panic for real.  Rattrap frantically tries to escape the Axalon, but a massive claw emerges from the darkness and seizes the submarine—Rampage has found him.

Rampage squeezes the entire ship, threatening to crush it completely.  Luckily, Depth Charge, still hunting Protoform X, shows up and blasts him away, freeing Rattrap.  Depth Charge agrees to keep Rampage busy while Rattrap continues his mission.  He escapes the Axalon just as shockwaves from the battle cause the ship to fall over a ledge and plunge deeper into the lake.  Rattrap surfaces and finds a worried Silverbolt, who starts to carry the submarine home.  But Waspinator arrives, causing doggybot to drop his passenger and cargo.

[[Image:Changing Guard Rampage Depthcharge.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It's crab rutting season again.]]
While Rampage and Depth Charge continue their match underwater, on the beach, Quickstrike sends Waspinator to take Sentinel back to the Predacon base while the Fuzor takes care of the two Maximals. But Quickstrike ends up crushed by Rampage, tossed out of the water by Depth Charge. Silverbolt tries to convince Depth Charge to help recover Sentinel, but as usual, Depth Charge has no interest, wanting only to execute Protoform X, who has snuck away during the few seconds of conversation.

[[Image:Changing Guard Rattrap fleeing.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Burn rubber!]]
Together, using some incredible aerial acrobatics, Rattrap and Silverbolt steal back Sentinel from Waspinator.  But Inferno pushes a tree into Silverbolt's path. Silverbolt passes Sentinel to Rattrap, who races away with it.  Depth Charge hears explosions in the distance and decides to go help.

Unrelenting, Inferno blows up a bridge in Rattrap's path, causing the rat to plunge—back into Silverbolt's arms. But the two Maximals crash into the incoming Depth Charge,  and drop Sentinel into Inferno's hands. Thanks to Depth Charge's ill-timed arrival, the Maximals have lost.

[[Image:Changing Guard Megatron Sentinel.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Why won&#39;t the red button work?]]
At the Maximal base, Rattrap and Primal chew out Depth Charge for getting in their way and handing another major strategic advantage to the Predacons—but he did save Rattrap's life (which Rattrap initially left out, and was ''very'' begrudging to admit). Primal offers Depth Charge a place with the Maximals so mistakes like this can be avoided in the future, and Depth Charge agrees to consider it.

Meanwhile, in the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]], Megatron activates Sentinel, encasing his base in a protective force field.


==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Rattrap]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (4)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (5)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (6)
*[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] (8)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (7)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (11)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (12)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (13)
}}
==Quotes==
[[Image:Changing Guard Cheetor cattoy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|He's a pinball wizard...]]
'''Rattrap:''' What are you grinnin' about, litter-butt?<br />
'''Cheetor:''' I was just thinking; with you inside, this'd make a swell cat toy.
:—Cheetor will always remain a <strike>cat</strike> kid at heart.


'''Silverbolt:''' We're approaching the target area. How you faring in there, Rattrap?<br />
'''Rattrap:''' I'm hot, I'm cramped, I'm airsick. Eh, the next time that big ape asks me to do something for him, man I am gonna shove my blaster so far up his--"<br />
'''Silverbolt:''' Target dead ahead! Prepare for drop.


"Looks like that Pred friend of yours finally did something right!"<br />
"Yes, my beloved has…many skills." 
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Silverbolt''', who isn't about to let us know what those "other" skills might be.


"Waspinator having good day! Not get shot once."<br />
''*BLAM!*''
:—'''Waspinator''', not having such a good day after all


"Stand and fight, vermin!"<br />
"Oh yeah?! Shrivel up and die, ant!"
:—'''Inferno''' and '''Rattrap'''


'''Depth Charge:''' I knew saving your hide was a mistake.<br />
'''Optimus:''' Rattrap?<br />
'''Rattrap:''' Oh, well, yeah, technically, he did ''kinda'' do that... um eh, thanks.
:—Rattrap gives credit where credit is due, but only because he has to.

==Notes==
*Since its last appearance in A Better Mousetrap, Sentinel has gained a handle, presumably to make it easier for the characters to grab and hang onto it in this episode.
*When Megatron contacts his henchmen, Inferno can been seen spending his free time playing cards with Waspinator and Quickstrike.
*Music begins to play when Rattrap gets the hang of the submarine. At first, the audience is led to believe that this is just the score for the scene, until Silverbolt is seen hearing the music over his walkie talkie, with a raised eyebrow, to boot.
*The writer is mistakenly credited as "Evan Sommers".
*This is the only episode in which Rampage uses his [[activation code]]. ("Rampage, terrorize!")
*The submersible is supposed to have no energy signature. But if that's the case, where does it get the power to have a computerized heads-up-display for radar and damage assessment?

===Animation errors===
*When Rampage falls backward after yanking Depth Charge's tail out from under the wreckage, he inexplicably has Depth Charge's legs.
*In the scene where Inferno pushes a tree in Silverbolt and Ratrap's way, Ratrap's comm system is on the wrong side of his chest.

===Real-world references===
* The "Changing of the Guard" traditionally refers to a formal ceremony in Merry Ol' [[United Kingdom|England]] wherein the sentries providing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries. The ceremonies are often elaborate and precisely choreographed.
* Rattrap's submarine bounces like a pinball after being dropped by Silverbolt; after it comes to a halt, the word "TILT" flashes in Rattrap's eyes.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals'' — Rrray! ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.<br>
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 1 ([[Universal]])
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals'' — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.<br>
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Vol. 1 (Universal)<br>
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Third Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])<br>
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 3 ([[Madman Entertainment]])<br>
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]