Editing In Darkest Knight

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=17
|image=Silverboltbm.jpg
|caption=I'm Batman.
|title="In Darkest Knight"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[March 1]], 2000
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[George Samilski]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Blackarachnia is finally able to revive Silverbolt, but he doesn't seem too happy about it.'''

==Synopsis==
As the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s newest body, drifts overhead, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] searches through a derelict region of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] for his former friend, the organic [[Noble|Savage/Noble]]. However, his search is cut short by [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] and [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]].

[[Image:DarkestKnight Rattrap's invention.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"Behold my new invention: ''a LIGHT!''"]]
Back at the Maximal base, [[Rattrap]] talks to [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] about his newest invention, combining a [[spark extractor]] with a [[DNA scanner]]. This process, he hopes, could someday be used to restore any of the captured sparks they recover into Transformer bodies. [[Optimus Primal]] and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] arrive, wondering what's happened to Nightscream. Nobody has seen him for a while, so the team head aboveground to find out where he's gone. However, Blackarachnia has a lingering fascination with Rattrap's new device.

The Maximals find Nightscream surrounded by a pack of [[Motorcycle Drone|cycle drones]] and other [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s. A fight to rescue their young member begins. Cheetor uses his blades to glide through the air, fighting the [[Aero Drone]]s all the while. Rattrap outraces several more cycle drones. Cooking up her own plot, Blackarachnia places Rattrap's device on Jetstorm, hoping to free his spark and reformat him.

Megatron, in his gigantic head, uses his gravity beams to capture Optimus and Cheetor, ending the conflict quickly. Nightscream is left behind, at the mercy of Thrust. Luckily, he is protected by Savage/Noble, who uses both of his tails to damage Thrust. Rattrap sees the strange dragon haul Nightscream's unconscious body away and, suspecting Savage intends to consume the younger Maximal, follows.

[[Image:DarkestKnight Silverbolt reflection.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Kermit, I would like to have a word about injecting some culture into this show."]]
Blackarachnia leads Jetstorm deeper underground. The jet crashes through one of her webs and into a pool of [[organic goo|organic fluid]]. With the general restrained, the DNA scanner Blackarachnia placed onto him activates and begins to detect local fossils. The scanner passes by several other bones before locking onto a suitable candidate: a skeleton of a prehistoric, condor-like creature. After a painful metamorphosis, the Vehicon once known as Jetstorm is destroyed, and the [[Maximal]] [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] is reborn. He becomes aware of himself and is surprised by his new, [[technorganic]] form. Shocked, disgruntled, and angry, he flies out of the cave in which he was brought back, leaving a confused Blackarachnia behind.

Confronting the renegade Maximal atop a skyscraper, Blackarachnia discovers a change in her lover. Instead of the corny, phrase-spouting 'bot of prehistoric Earth, this new, angry Silverbolt loathes himself. Blackarachnia tries to remind the Maximal of the heroic personality he used to be, but Silverbolt (who is no longer silver) no longer has any connection to those ideals that once defined him. He comes along with Blackarachnia on a trip to rescue Optimus Primal and Cheetor not out of concern for his Maximal pals, but only as a way to confront his former master, Megatron.

Nightscream awakens in an abandoned warehouse, now serving as Savage/Noble's "den". The creature, in his "Noble" form, provides a metallic apple for Nightscream to feed on. Noble has lost his former mental skills, but still seems to like Nightscream and remember him. Rattrap tries to rescue Nightscream quietly but catches Noble's attention. Confused, Noble shifts into his Savage form, causing Nightscream and Rattrap to cheese it.

[[Image:DarkestKnight Optimus Cheetor interrogation.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I'm a pepper! Don't you want to be a pepper, too?"]]
Inside of the Grand Mal, Cheetor and Optimus are interrogated for information on the Oracle and how Megatron can use it to manipulate the Sparks he holds captive. Blackarachnia and Silverbolt arrive in the same chamber, where Megatron manifests an image of himself, a hologram of the Grand Mal made out of floating masses of data. He explains why he selected Silverbolt's spark to be made into a new general: He believed Silverbolt's sense of honor would let him stay true to Megatron's Vehicon ideology. Blackarachnia argues, hoping Silverbolt understands that friendship and love are more important.

Silverbolt rejects Megatron's dogma and transforms into his new robot mode. His throwing blades heavily damage Megatron's insides. Freed, Primal orders a retreat, but Silverbolt feels it would be better to [[Furmanism|fight and die]]. Blackarachnia uses one of her abilities to stun him so she can drag him out.

[[Image:Blackarachniasilverboltdarkestknight.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A sunset on Cybertron?  Crazy!]]
Rattrap and Nightscream are still running from Savage when they find Thrust and his drones standing in their way. The Maximals let Savage take care of the drones, while Silverbolt tosses away Thrust into the water. Primal welcomes Silverbolt back into the Maximals, but the bird just leaves the Maximals, not yet ready to be part of the team. Nightscream argues that Savage/Noble still has the qualities of a good guy inside of him, and Primal decides that the best thing to do is to wait. 

That morning, sitting on a skyscraper, Blackarachnia and Silverbolt have another discussion, in which he reveals how he enjoyed being a Vehicon, without having to follow his code of honor. Despite this, Blackarachnia is still ready to reach out to him, and together they return to the Maximals.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (2)
*[[Rattrap]] (5)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (6)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (7)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (11)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (3)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (4)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (9)
*[[Aero Drone]] (10)

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (11)

}}

==Quotes==
"Nothing noble about us!"<br />
"But savage? We can do that!"
:—'''Thrust''' and '''Jetstorm''' 


"You broke 'em, you bought 'em, kittycat!"
:—'''Jetstorm''' 


"What do you want from us?"<br />
"Oh, nothing much. Just every bit of data on the Oracle to better understand how I can fully exploit the precious sparks in my possession. I anticipate that extracting this information will be slow, painful, and, regrettably...fatal."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Megatron'''


"How can you stand the sight of me? Look at what I've become!"
:–'''Silverbolt''' doesn't like his new design any more than the rest of us.


"You helped me find the light once."<br />
"I was a fool back then. I ''believed'' in things."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Silverbolt'''


"Don't listen to him, Silverbolt! He turned you into a monster!"<br />
"I gave you strength. I gave you power."<br />
"We gave you friendship! I gave you my heart."<br />
"I gave you purpose. I gave you ''life!''"<br />
"''You... gave... me... '''NOTHING!!!'''''"
:-'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Megatron''' play Loyalty-tug-of-war with '''Silverbolt'''.


"Nobody's judging you. You were under Megatron's control. Join us, and you can avenge yourself."<br />
"You still don't get it, do you? I don't hate Megatron for what he made me do. He freed me from my code of honor, and I revelled in it. Don't you see? I… enjoyed it. I don't know what I am anymore."<br />
"You are what you've always been – honest, pure, virtuous to a fault."<br />
[''Blackarachnia takes Silverbolt's hand'']<br />
"You're taking a huge risk."<br />
"Considering how well I know the goodness in your heart, it really isn't a risk at all."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Silverbolt'''

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* The fossil scanned by Silverbolt is clearly a bat, not a condor, and is a reuse of the CGI model of the fossil Nightscream found in "[[Survivor]]".

===Continuity errors===
* Also, seeing as how Silverbolt looks virtually ''nothing'' like his previous form, it seems somewhat odd that [[Rattrap]] would instantly recognise him without being introduced.
* Remember how in "[[Revelations Part III: Apocalypse]]", Optimus said that changing Rhinox against his will is no better than Megatron? Or in "[[Crossing the Rubicon]]", when he said much the same thing about Blackarachnia herself? Well, either Blackarachnia [[Fallout|''doesn't'' remember]] or it's okay when Jetstorm/Silverbolt has a [[To sell toys|new toy]] out. Then again, going behind everyone's back to do her own thing is possibly the only in-character action she made in the entire show.
* Previously it was a major plot point to maintain robot mode. Now Nightscream is able to maintain robot form while unconscious. Good focus, kid.
* Silverbolt is able to transform without any practice. This is not the [[Nightscream (BM)|first]] time, nor will it be the [[Botanica (BM)|last]].

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Une Sombre Nuit'''" ("A Dark Night")


:*''Title:'' "'''Sombre Chevalier'''" (Canada, "Dark Knight")


'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yajū no Ongaeshi'''" (野獣の恩返し, "The Beast's Gratitude")


'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Cavaleiro das Trevas'''" ("The Dark Knight")


'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Caballero en la Oscuridad'''" ("The Knight in the Dark")

===Trivia===
* Vehicons are a superstitious and cowardly lot.
* Regrettably, this episode has nothing to do with Green Lantern. Or Batman.
* This is one of only two episodes in the entire series to feature sunlight.
* While it's not explicitly saying so, this episode does give a reason for how ''Waspinator'' of all people could influence his Vehicon self to help Blackarachnia but her true love couldn't: it wasn't that he couldn't, he just didn't want to ''stop'' being a villain.
* Silverbolt had previously shown a non-chivalrous, dark side to him from time to time: most notably in "[[Crossing the Rubicon]]" where he intends to murder [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]].

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 5 ([[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 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]]