Rush (episode)

This article is about the cartoon episode. For the unrelated character, see Rush (TransTech).

« Transformers: Cybertron ep 6 » Galaxy Force ep 7
"Rush" 最速の勇者ニトロコンボイ () (Saisoku no Yūsha Nitro Convoy) "The Fastest Hero, Nitro Convoy"
Production company	TV Aichi, We've, Tōkyū Agency
Airdate	February 19, 2005 (Japanese) July 23, 2005 (English)
Writer	Kazuhisa Sakaguchi
Director	Mitsuru Kawasaki
Animation studio	GONZO
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity

Hot Shot and Red Alert meet the Velocitron locals.

Synopsis

A modern-day warrior/Mean, mean stride/Today's Tom Sawyer/Mean, mean pride...

Having saved Clocker and Brakedown from abuse at the hands of Ransack and Crumplezone, Hot Shot is now faced with the fact that he has disobeyed Optimus Prime's orders to stay undercover. Before the two Velocitronians can press him too hard on his identity, however, Ransack and Crumplezone recover from Hot Shot's attack and open fire. The battle shifts into a vehicle mode demolition derby, and Hot Shot is on the ropes until Red Alert comes to his aid. With some impressive agility, Hot Shot tricks the two goons into shooting each other, and the humiliated aggressors retreat. Red Alert checks Brakedown over, and he and Hot Shot pretend to be Velocitron natives to try and maintain their cover. Brakedown and Clocker soon depart, and Red Alert gives Hot Shot a dressing down for disobeying orders. As the discussion gets heated, Red Alert brings up the fact that they don't even understand the customs of the new world they are on... at which point the two Autobots turn around and discover that Clocker has returned, stunned at the revelation that they are from another planet!

On Earth, Coby, Bud and Lori overhear Jetfire petitioning Optimus Prime to let him take either Red Alert or Hot Shot's place on Velocitron. Prime refuses, and the kids wonder if Jetfire has something against the other two Autobots, prompting Jolt to explain that it's not that Jetfire doesn't like them: he's just worried about their ability to work together, given that they're polar opposites.

Though his mind is not for rent/Don't put him down as arrogant...

Back on Velocitron, Red Alert and Hot Shot have abandoned all attempts at maintaining their cover, and have explained their mission on the planet to Brakedown and Clocker. Brakedown is readily willing to trust the two based on their previous examples of kindness, but has unfortunately never heard of the Cyber Planet Key. Clocker enthusiastically volunteers to help them in any way he can, and Brakedown approves of the idea, much to Red Alert's chagrin. The spunky young Velocitronian gives the pair a lesson in the way things work on Velocitron, including an encounter with a massive automated machine designed to repair Velocitron's roads. He also tells the pair about the planet's leader, Override, and takes them to Mount Stargaze, in hopes that they'll be able to spot the great racer from the mountain's peak.

Meanwhile, in skies over Earth, Jetfire is attacked by Starscream, and has his wing clipped by the Decepticon. Optimus Prime comes soaring to his aid, ordering him to return to base while he deals with Starscream. Starscream opts for what appears to be retreat, but in truth, he is just providing a distraction, as Thundercracker follows Jetfire back to the Autobots' secret base. As Jetfire enters the base, Thundercracker opens fire and destroys the base, hoping that the rebuilding effort will keep the Autobots busy while the Decepticons search for the Cyber Planet Keys. Unfortunately for the Decepticons, they don't realize that they have been tricked by the Autobots, and that Thundercracker has destroyed a fake base.

What you say about his company/Is what you say about society...

On Velocitron, at Override's private race track, the planet leader is again approached by Megatron, who is still attempting to pry any information that he can on the whereabouts of the Cyber Planet Key from her. In the course of the conversation, Override brings up the Planet Cup, the greatest racing trophy on Velocitron, piquing Megatron's interest. Suspecting the cup may be related to the key, he tries to convince her to surrender it so that it might help him defeat the "evil Autobots", but Override is only interested in a race, and agrees to hand the cup over if Megatron can beat her. Just before the race begins, Hot Shot—who, along with Red Alert and Clocker, has overheard the entire conversation—joins in, seeking to secure the cup for the Autobots. Megatron has to use his Cyber Key to keep up with the two speedsters, but ultimately, his greater bulk cannot handle the twists and turns of Override's track. Hot Shot manages to pull ahead of Override and has the race in the bag... until Crumplezone opens fire on him, knocking him out of the lead and allowing Override to win. Enraged at their interference, Override bears down on the two Decepticons, and they follow Megatron's command to retreat. Override then turns her attentions back to Hot Shot, and promises that they will race again. As she speeds into the distance, Red Alert again scolds Hot Shot, accusing him of racing for the sake of his own ego. Offended by the accusation, Hot Shot races off in anger, intent on proving that he can carry out the Autobots' mission on his own.

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Clocker (3) Brakedown (4) Hot Shot (5) Red Alert (6) Optimus Prime (7) Jetfire (8) Reverb (12) Six-Speed (13) Jolt (14) Override (18)	Ransack (1) Crumplezone (2) Starscream (15) Thundercracker (16) Megatron (17)	Lori (9) Coby Hansen (10) Bud Hansen (11)

Quotes

"Wow, this guy's good! He might actually give us a run for our money!"
"I thought you said not to compliment the guys we fight."
"Zip it, Crumplezone."

—Ransack and Crumplezone

Brakedown: "Well, why have you come to the Speed Planet anyway?"
Red Alert: "We're looking for something called a Cyber Planet Key. Do know where we might find it by chance?"
Brakedown: "Cyber Planet Key? No, I've never heard of such a thing? <Hot Shot and Red Alert exchange nervous glances> Maybe I could help you if you tell me what this thing looks like,"
Red Alert: "Well, we don't really know,"
Clocker: "Can you at least tell us what color it is?"
Hot Shot: "Sorry, no idea!"
Brakedown: "Maybe we'd know what it is if you'd tell us what it does?"
Red Alert: "We don't know that either!"
Brakedown: "Boy, oh boy! You boys sure don't know much, do ya?"

—Not much of an inquiry, is it?

Starscream: "WOAH! Who's that!?"
Optimus Prime: "I'll give you three guesses."
Starscream: "Optimus Prime!"
Optimus Prime: "Good. You got it in one."

—Starscream shows Optimus Prime his unrivaled skills at naming Transformers.

"Gee, thanks for reminding me, Optimus."
"You must get whiplash from changing moods so fast."

—Bud and Jolt

Notes

Differences with Galaxy Force

• In Galaxy Force, Override is a little curious about what the Cyber Planet Keys are, and Megatron makes grand and glorious statements about how he will use it to save Velocitron and the universe, trying to pry information from her with this magnanimity. In Cybertron, Override could not be less interested, and Megatron tries offering monetary reward for her aid. This is a somewhat necessary modification needed to bring the Planet Cup into the mix; in Galaxy Force, Override brings it up because of its similar name to the Planet Force (the Japanese name for the Cyber Planet Keys), but that doesn't work that well in English, so in Cybertron, she claims that there's nothing more valuable than the cup, and hence nothing Megatron could pay her.

• In Galaxy Force, after eavesdropping on Jetfire's and Prime's discussion about switching places with either Red Alert or Hot Shot, Bud asks Jolt if Jetfire hates them, and Jolt reassures the boy that Jetfire likes them. In Cybertron, Bud has no idea who Jetfire was talking about, and Jolt corrects him.

• In Cybertron, Clocker implies that the giant machine repairing the roads is inanimate. However, in Galaxy Force, he outright says that it's a Transformer.

Animation or technical glitches

• Right before Thundercracker follows Jetfire back to the decoy base, Starscream's cockpit flashes for a line that he thinks rather than says.
• In the original broadcast version of this episode, after he finds the fake base, a dubbing glitch sees all of Thundercracker's dialogue delivered by Starscream's actor, Michael Dobson, as if the character actually were Starscream (he actually says, "Starscream, transform!") This error was fixed for the Paramount DVD release of the series in 2008, with Thundercracker's actor Mark Oliver picking up the corrected lines. The Shout! Factory release uses the original broadcast mistake.

Continuity errors

• The dialogue in (the Cybertron version of) the opening recap scene of Hot Shot saving Brakedown and Clocker from Ransack and Crumplezone is different from that used in the previous episode.

Real world references

• Red Alert refers to himself and Hot Shot as "Strangers in a Strange Land".

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "À toute vitesse" ("Full Speed")

• The French dub makes the same mistake the English dub did with Starscream's voice coming out of Thundercracker.

Italian

• Title: "Corri" ("Run")

• The Italian dub is clearly based on the first English version, in which Thundercracker is voiced by Starscream's actor after he finds the fake base, hence the same thing happens in Italian. Despite that, in this dub he never pronounces his name in that scene, so we can say the mistake was half-corrected.
• The Italian name of the Autobots is "Autorobot" in both singular and plural form but, despite that, in this episode they're twice called "Autorobots" in plural.

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

DVD

2005 — Transformers: Galaxy Force — Vol. 02 (Victor Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)
2014 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)