Editing Triangulation

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 39
|prev=Tunnel Vision
|next=Triage
|image=Triangulation Starscream Apex armor.jpg
|caption= "I've never really had a taste for this sort of thing, but I must admit... I'm deeply enjoying the suit!"
|title="Triangulation"
|airdate=[[May 12]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[David McDermott]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}


{{picsneeded}}
'''Optimus Prime hunts for relics in Antarctica and finds himself caught between shifting alliances.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] notes that the second relic is in [[Antarctica]], and [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] volunteers to head there. In the ''[[Harbinger]]'', [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] is about to operate on himself to install the [[transformation cog|T-cog]] of his traitorous [[Starscream clone (Prime)|clone]]. He is clearly nervous to have to perform the procedure alone, when the ship's computer picks up the fact that the [[Decepticon]]s are dispatching teams to four continents. Starscream postpones the operation to investigate.

At the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]], [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] departs through the [[GroundBridge]]. [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] announces he's heading for the Antarctic, and announces that [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] will need backup on his mission—[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]].

Starscream uses a GroundBridge remote control to head to the Antarctic on a [[hoverscooter]]. He's quickly spotted by Dreadwing and some [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] who knock him off his hoverscooter. Starscream at first mistakes Dreadwing for Skyquake, and soon has some cuffs slapped on him. The group trudges through the snow to where the relic is located, to find it has already been dug out of the ice and is gone. The Vehicons start searching and find vehicle tracks. They're approached by Optimus, who demands the return of the relic, and the standoff quickly turns into a firefight. After Prime takes out two of the Vehicons and scores a hit on Dreadwing, the Decepticon starts breaking out heavier weapons, and proves to be formidable with a sword. They take a dive off a cliff, following which Optimus brings the ice crashing down, burying Dreadwing. With Starscream's help, Optimus takes care of the remaining two Vehicons, and demands Starscream lead him to the relic.

Optimus and Starscream take a long walk through the ice and snow until they finally reach a human base. Starscream is puzzled as to why they must be so careful around humans when retrieving the relic, but Optimus radios home and gets [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] to evacuate the human base so he can safely retrieve the relic. Meanwhile, Dreadwing breaks free of the ice and heads out to find Prime. With the base clear, Optimus and Starscream venture inside to find the relic still frozen in a chunk of ice. They're interrupted by Dreadwing. While Optimus and Dreadwing fight, Starscream sets about liberating the relic from the ice, which turns out to be the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]]. Outside, Dreadwing has Optimus on the ropes and is about to strike when Starscream, now wearing the armor, crashes out of the building.

Both Dreadwing and Optimus attack the rogue Decepticon, but he swats them aside, repeatedly. Optimus suggests to Dreadwing that they will need to cooperate to defeat Starscream. While Dreadwing flies around, Optimus slaps a bomb onto Starscream, but the Apex Armor proves invulnerable even to that. Optimus realizes that Starscream still has a vulnerability—his lack of flight. While Optimus keeps Starscream's attention once more, Dreadwing plants explosives on the ground, and just as Starscream works out that the pair are up to something, the bombs detonate. Starscream disappears into a hole blasted in the ice. With no relic left to claim, Dreadwing and Optimus go their separate ways, though Dreadwing swears to terminate Optimus next time.

At the bottom of the ocean below, Starscream walks along, still protected by the invincible Apex Armor.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1= 
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (5)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (2)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (3)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (10)

|c3=
* [[Raf Esquivel]] (7)
* [[William Fowler]] (9)

|c4=
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (4)
|}}

==Quotes==
"Ener-stat. Cross-clamp. Laser scalpel. [[Durabyllium]] drill. And, one slightly damaged but operational T-Cog, courtesy of my traitorous clone. Everything I require to make myself whole. A simple, painless procedure... Nothing to it, really... Provided one possesses the nerve..."
:—'''Starscream''' about to perform self-surgery.


"Faster, you pathetic excuse for transportation!"
:—That's not gonna work, '''Starscream'''.


"What a team we make! I am so glad that you prevailed, Optimus Prime! That wretch Dreadwing was going to terminate me! Now, if you could just remove my bonds, I can lead you straight to the relic."<br>
''*Optimus cocks his blaster*''<br>
"You will lead me there regardless."<br>
"Hmph! You're welcome!"
:—'''Starscream''' is excited on one of those rare days '''Optimus Prime''' doesn't give a damn.


"A perfect fit!"
:—'''Starscream''' decked out in the Apex Armor 


"I haven't had this much fun since I punched that hole in [[Cliffjumper (Prime) | Cliffjumper]]!"
:—'''Starscream''' really doesn't know [[Armada (episode) | when to]] [[Operation Bumblebee, Part 2 | shut up]] [[Partners | about]] [[Darkness Rising, Part 1 | that]].


"And you, Optimus Prime. I will beat the living spark out of you, just so I never again have to endure your pontificating!"
:—'''Starscream''' says what he thinks of Optimus Prime's speech pattern.


"*''Evil laugh''* That tickled! *''Evil laugh''* Fools! Not only am I intelligent, I am INVINCIBLE!"<br>
"Yet, you cannot fly!"<br>
"Nobody's ''perfect''."<br>
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Optimus Prime''', the former enjoying the suit a little ''too'' much.


"Cowards! You will not escape my might! ''*beat*'' Wait... ''*beat*'' You two are up to something."
:—'''Starscream''' being genre savvy.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* When Dreadwing is volunteering to go the Antarctic, Megatron's eyes are out of place when he looks back at him.  One is correctly in the corner of his eye but the other isn't, placed as if he were looking slightly left.
* Starscream is missing his manacles during Optimus and Dreadwing's first battle.
* In a couple of shots, the parts hanging out of the Apex Armor's shoulders seem go through its upper torso.
* Dreadwing picks up both his sword and his complete gun after he recovers from the avalanche, despite the sword forming the handle of the gun.

===Continuity errors===
* The Apex Armor was established in ''[[Transformers: Exiles| Exiles]]'' as a relic of [[Solus Prime]]; however, Starscream calls it armor of "Decepticon origin".

===Continuity notes===
* This episode happens concurrently with the previous episode and with the following two.
* Starscream is preparing to install a new [[Transformation cog|T-cog]] into himself at the beginning of the episode, which he scavenged from his traitorous [[Starscream clone (Prime)|clone]] after killing him in "[[Armada (episode)|Armada]]".
* Starscream refers to [[Orion Pax, Part 2 | helping Orion Pax regain his memory]], [[Crossfire|saving Arcee's life]] and [[Crossfire|giving information]] to the Autobots.
* Starscream mistakes Dreadwing for [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]], who died in "[[Masters & Students]]", and attempted to revive in "[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]".
* Starscream enjoyed [[Darkness Rising, Part 1|killing Cliffjumper]] and claims he will reunite Dreadwing with his "beloved twin".
* Dreadwing is still mad at Optimus for Skyquake's demise.
* Optimus refers to how he offered Skyquake a chance of redemption, as well as expressing remorse for the Decepticon's demise from "Masters & Students".
* This is the second time that Starscream finds himself in [[Partners|manacles]].

===Transformers references===
* The Apex Armor is a reference to the [[Apex Armor (G1)|item of the same name]] from Generation 1, first introduced with the ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' reissue of the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#ApexArmorPrime|Powermaster Optimus Prime]] toy and later appearing in the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] comics.
* This isn't the first time a [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] has [[Transformers (PS2)|visited a research base in the Antarctic, and been at the center of it exploding.]]
* Among the tools Starscream tries to operate on himself with are a [[durabyllium]] drill and a [[laser scalpel]].

===Real-world references===
* People actually do put flags around archaeological sites in desolate wastelands, in order to find them again.

===Trivia===
* Optimus still hasn't gotten Raf that snowball he promised to give him [[Scrapheap (episode)|the other day.]]  Though, since Raf did get to [[Out of His Head|visit the Arctic anyway]], he's probably forgotten about that.
* Unless one counts the recap at the beginning, this is the first episode in which [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] does not make an appearance.
* Dreadwing reveals that he has a sword. While his gun has a bayonet that is very similar to his various toys' swords, this is the first time in-series he has ever used an independent sword.
* Currently, Dreadwing is the only main character whose gun and blade are both handheld.
* For an unknown reason, Dreadwing seems to want to kill Prime to avenge his twin, but technically, it was Bumblebee who killed him. He even saw it on Soundwave's monitor. What, does Megatron think killing a scout isn't really impressive?
* Optimus and Dreadwing had a big lapse in judgement to leave the most treacherous Transformer alone with a powerful relic while they brawled.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]