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{{picsneeded}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=19
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=19
|prev2=Spider's Game
|next2=Dark Voyage
|image=Call of the Wild Optimus scope.jpg
|caption=Scopes munky trial?
|title="Call of the Wild"
|season=1
|season ep=19
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[January 7]], 1997
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Jonathan Goodwill]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwyQWZ8c5e8
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''The Predacons steal the rectifier coil from the Maximal base, which causes the Maximals to revert into a more feral state.'''


'''The Predacons steal the rectifier coil from the Maximal base, which causes the Maximals to revert into a more feral state.'''
==Synopsis==
A cheetah enthusiastically chases some antelopes, when the ground around it breaks up and it is sent falling into hot lava. Before the cat gets burned, the sequence ends, revealed to be a dream of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]'s. Cheetor awakens from his nightmare in time to hear the alarms triggered by a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] assault. As the other [[Maximal]]s prepare [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] drags Cheetor outside to battle.  


{{episodenav |BW |season=1 |19 |prev=Spider's Game |next=Dark Voyage}}
[[File:Call of the Wild Waspinator Terrorsaur.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|What do we do about the slime?]]
[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Primal]] exits the Maximals' control room via the roof hatch, but is unable to prevent [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] from grabbing a piece of Maximal hardware off the roof and retreating with the other Predacons. A well-placed rocket from [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] prevents Primal from chasing the fliers. [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] is just able to catch the Maximal leader before he crashes into the ground, but lowering Primal after taking a hit from Terrorsaur seriously taxes Airazor's systems. On the upside, the Predacons are no longer attacking.


Inside the base, recuperating, the Maximals suddenly feel the harmful effects of [[energon]] build-up. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] explains that without the [[rectifier coil]] the Predacons stole, the Maximals will have to stay in [[beast mode]]. Meanwhile, the Predacons, after an uncharacteristically successful mission, enjoy a hearty laugh together.


==Summary==
[[File:Call of the Wild Rhinox Optimus Rattrap.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|The Maximals look on as [[Michael Bay]] attempts to direct a scene.]]
A cheetah enthusiastically chases some antelopes, when the ground around it breaks up and it is sent falling into hot lava. Before the cat gets burned, the sequence ends, revealed to be a dream of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor's]]. Cheetor awakens from his nightmare in time to hear the alarms triggered by a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] assault. As the other [[Maximals]] prepare [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] drags Cheetor outside to battle.  
Days later, Rhinox interrupts a dream Primal has (of being a real ape) to mention that Predacons are still haunting the local area. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] suffers frustration from his beast mode's diminutive size and limb length. Primal and Rattrap almost get into a fight with each other, their minds suffering from bestial traits leaking into their personalities, but Rhinox lays down the line. Once the Preds leave, the Maximals take some much-needed rest.


[[Optimus Primal|Primal]] exits the Maximals' control room via the roof hatch, but is unable to prevent [[Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] from grabbing a piece of Maximal hardware off the roof and retreating with the other Predacons. A well-placed rocket from [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] prevents Primal from chasing the fliers. [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] is just able to catch the Maximal leader before he crashes into the ground, but lowering Primal after taking a hit from Terrorsaur seriously taxes Airazor's systems. On the upside, the Predacons are no longer attacking.
[[File:Call of the Wild Hunt.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Shhh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. We'ah hunting Maxies. Heheheheheh.]]
In his dreams, Primal is tormented by eyes glowing in the dark, Dinobot dreams of hunting surprisingly tiny hadrosaurs, and Rattrap dreams of rat stuff. The dreams overpower their respective dreamers, and the Maximals awaken, trapped in the mindsets of the creatures whose forms they wear. The animals all eventually exit [[Axalon (BW)|their base]]. Their foes' intellects gone, Megatron and the Predacons begin their hunt.


Inside the base, recuperating, the Maximals suddenly feel the harmful effects of Energon build-up. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] explains that without the [[rectifier coil]] the Predacons stole, the Maximals will be have to stay in Beast Mode. Meanwhile, the Predacons, after an uncharacteristically successful mission, enjoy a hearty laugh together.
Airazor exits the [[CR chamber]] to meet [[Tigatron (BW)|Tigatron]] in the empty Maximal base. Tigatron resolves to reform his Maximal companions before they're killed, while Airazor has her own mission. She heads to the unoccupied [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]], deftly dodging the automated defenses. Inside, the rectifier coil is under no protection she can't destroy.


Days later, Rhinox interrupts a dream Primal has (of being a real ape) to mention that Predacons are still haunting the local area. [[Rattrap]] suffers frustration from his Beast Mode's diminutive size and limb length.  Primal and Rattrap almost get into a fight with each other, their minds suffering from bestial traits leaking into their personalities, but Rhinox lays down the line. Once the Preds leave, the Maximals take some much-needed rest.
[[File:Call of the Wild Optimus Megatron.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Peter Jackson likely watched this episode.]]
In the jungle, Tigatron comes to face the feral Cheetor and Rhinox. The two follow him for reasons their animal minds don't comprehend. Next Tigatron recruits the primal Optimus into his party, and finally Dinobot and Rattrap. His friends gathered, Tigatron speaks to the dormant minds of his friends. He explains how the schism that exists between the Maximals' two modes is a side effect of a programming block, and as long as that program exists, the animal and Maximal identities will never reach cohesion. Now embracing the beasts within, the restored Maximals are ready to "Slag some bot!"


In his dreams, Primal is tormenting by eyes glowing in the dark, Dinobot dreams of hunting surprisingly tiny hadrosaurs, and Rattrap dreams of rat stuff. The dreams overpower their respective dreamers, and the Maximals awaken, trapped in the mindsets of the creatures whose forms they wear. The animals all eventually exit [[Axalon|their base]]. Their foes' intellects gone, Megatron and the Predacons begin their hunt.
Primal swings Megatron off of his throne as the two Maximal cats tackle the two Predacon goons who were carrying their leader. Dinobot's raptor mode conquers [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Rhinox knocks over a tree to ground the Predacon fliers, and a ratball special puts Rattrap into position to pump gunfire into Terrorsaur. After the Predacons start to feel the effects of energon build-up, Megatron orders a retreat, and Optimus beats his chest, roaring in victory.


Airazor exits the [[CR Chamber]] to meet [[Tigatron]] in the empty Maximal base. Tigatron resolves to reform his Maximal companions before they're killed, while Airazor has her own mission. She heads to the unoccupied [[Darkside|Predacon base]], deftly dodging the automated defenses. Inside, the rectifier coil is under no protection she can't destroy.
{{--}}


In the jungle, Tigatron comes to face the feral Cheetor and Rhinox. The two follow him for reasons their animal minds don't comprehend. Next Tigatron recruits the primal Optimus into his party, and finally Dinobot and Rattrap. His friends gathered, Tigatron speaks to the dormant minds of his friends. He explains how the schism that exists between the Maximal's two modes is a side effect of a programming block, and as long as that program exists, the animal and Maximal identities will never reach cohesion. Now embracing the beasts within, the restored Maximals are ready to "Slag some bot!"
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (4)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (5)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (6)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (7)
* [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (12)
* [[Tigatron (BW)|Tigatron]] (14)


Primal swings Megatron off of his throne as the two Maximal cats tackle the two Predacon goons who were carrying their leader. Dinobot's raptor mode conquers [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Rhinox knocks over a tree to ground the Predacon fliers, and a ratball special puts Rattrap into position to pump gunfire into Terrorsaur. After the Predacons start to feel the effects of Energon build-up, Megatron orders a retreat.
|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (2)
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (3)
* [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (8)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (9)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (10)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
* [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (13)
}}


==Quotes==
==Quotes==
"Man, I swear them polka-dots go clear through to the brain."
:—'''Rattrap''' on Cheetor.
"Trouble with the neighbors again."
:—'''Airazor''' spots the ''Axalon'' under attack.
"Predacons, fall back!"<br />
"''Now'' he tells me!"
:—'''Megatron''''s order comes a wee bit too late to save '''Tarantulas'''.


"Predacons, fall back!"<br>
"Waszzpinator ''love'' it when prey cannot shoot back!"
"Now he tells me!"
:—'''Waspinator''' in a rare moment of having the upper hand... It won't last.
:{{m-}}'''Megatron'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s order comes a wee bit too late to save '''Tarantulas'''.




"Hunting from the air with automatic weapons—now ''that's'' a sport!"
"Hunting from the air with automatic weapons—now ''that's'' a sport!"
:{{m-}}'''Terrorsaur'''
:—'''Terrorsaur'''




"She stoops to conquer!"
"She stoops to conquer!"
:{{m-}}'''Airazor''' shows some wit.
:—'''Airazor''' shows some wit.




"Rat...robot. Rat...robot. I'm a robot ''and'' a rat! Yeahh, I ''like'' it!"<br>
"Rat...robot. Rat...robot. I'm a robot ''and'' a rat! Yeahh, I ''like'' it!"<br />
"Hrmf, I do not see why."
"Hrmf, I do not see why."
:{{m-}}'''Rattrap''' and '''Dinobot'''
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Dinobot'''
 
 
"Remember; do not fight your beast instincts. Let them help your robot forms, both in battle and in peace. But for now, let us Maximize..."<br />
''[Tigatron transforms, and cocks his gun!]''<br />
"AND SLAG SOME BOT!!"<br />
:—Nothing short of poetry from '''Tigatron!'''
 
==Other notes==
===Script timeline===
* First draft: 29th August 1996
* Second draft: 11th September 1996
* Finalised: 20th September 1996
* As Air: 8th January 1997
 
===Animation and technical errors===
* When the Predacon hunting party arrives, Terrorsaur's gun appears to be floating between his hands.
* Tigatron's legs clip through a nearby rock after he beckons gorilla-Optimus to follow him.
* When he transforms after completing his speech, Tigatron's right arm passes through the moonrays, which seems to make its reflection textures vanish.
* Blackarachnia's lower lip clips through Dinobot's talon in a very jittery way as he pins her head down.
 
===Continuity errors===
* At first glance, Megatron's plan seems to have a rather large glitch / continuity error. If his theories are based on researching Maximal programming, ''why would Dinobot be affected as well?'' Still, none of the dialogue explicitly ''denounces'' the idea that Predacons rely on similar programming -- perhaps Megatron started from an identical flaw in Pred programming, and his research merely confirmed Maximals would have the same flaw. (They could have probably saved themselves the bother by having him say "Cybertronian programming", but oh well.)
* Primal seems obsessed with not letting the Maximals transform in case they are attacked. Would it really be that bad just to convert to robot mode for 5 minutes to clear their heads, especially if they did it one at a time? For that matter, what exactly was the plan? The Maximals clearly knew that their beast mode instincts were taking over, but seemed to be making no plans to either retrieve or repair the rectifier coil. Were they really just going to wait around for Tigatron to turn up and hope he'd solve everything?
 
===Continuity notes===
* When Optimus is dreaming in his quarters, the plant that Dinobot left for him at the end of "[[Gorilla Warfare]]" can be seen next to his bed.
* Rhinox mentions that the Predacons have been attacking the base off and on for "two days", an increasingly rare use of non-cycle based unit of time.
* Gadgets and powers:
** This episode marks the only use of Megatron's right arm-mounted missile launcher, which fires from the same port the laser beam emanates from. What is with Transformers and the one-use weapons?
 
===Transformers references===
* Tigatron says that once, the Maximals were merely "[[Robots in Disguise (disambiguation)|robots in disguise]]".
 
===Real-world references===
* The episode was likely named after {{w|Jack London}}'s 1903 novel ''{{w|The Call of the Wild}}''.
* Airazor's "she stoops to conquer" line is a ''double'' reference: first, and most obviously, to 1773 play ''{{w|She Stoops to Conquer}}'', and secondly to a ''stoop'', which is the dive of a bird of prey.
 
===Trivia===
* An unproduced ''Beast Wars'' episode named "[[A Greater Ape]]" would have adopted the basic premise of a Maximal believing themselves to be a real animal, focusing specifically on Optimus Primal. It's unknown if this episode was written after Mainframe scrapped the aforementioned concept, citing the need for too many expensive models.
** Similar concepts regarding how well Maximals integrate their beast and robot modes would later surface in ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''. The idea of the Maximals temporarily turning feral was revisited in that series in "[[Forbidden Fruit]]", but for different reasons.
* When the Maximal computer announces that the Predacons are withdrawing from the area, text in the Maximal version of the Cybertronix [[Cybertronian language|language]] scrolls by the bottom of the screen, and more text flashes in blue in the middle of the screen.  The blue flashing text reads "area clear", and the text on the bottom reads "its been a long time since ive had sweet thistle pie".
* In his beast dream, Dinobot—supposedly experiencing the instincts of his [[beast mode]], Asia's ''{{w|Velociraptor}}''—dreams of chasing what appears to be a ''{{w|Parasaurolophus}}'', which only lived in the Americas and which furthermore is portrayed as far too small. Since the creature is never actually named, it may be taken as representing a different dinosaur species as-yet-undiscovered.
* When Megatron "suggests" to his troops to laugh with him, Blackarachnia is the only one who refuses to pay him that courtesy. Clearly, Dinobot is not the only who's got some bearings of chrome steel.
* Despite them regularly sporting Predacon symbols since "[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]", Scorponok's missiles are yet again shown with Maximal insignias when he attacks the Axalon.
* This is the first and only appearance of Megatron's double-barreled hunting gun, a weapon that seemingly conceptualized out of nowhere rather than being taken from his toy, which included no such accessory. The purple scaly skin texture of the weapon suggests it originates from Megatron's Beast Mode construction as opposed to having been made just for the occasion, in the same vein as Cheetor's Gut Gun.
* If you look closely at the start of the hunt, Tarantulas seems to be struggling under Megatron's weight. Scorponok seems okay, though.
* Inferno appears but has no lines, despite this being his first appearance under Megatron's command. Perhaps [[Jim Byrnes]] wasn't available?
 
===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Chassez le Naturel'''" ("Hunt the Natural")
 
:*''Title:'' "'''Appel Sauvage'''" ("Savage Calling")
 
 
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Ruf der Wildnis'''" ("The Call of the Wilderness")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 8|8 August]] [[1998]]
 
 
'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il richiamo della foresta'''" ("The Call of the Wild")
::*In some scenes Rattrap calls himself a mouse instead of a rat. Similar cases already happened in previous episodes, but in those cases it could be considered a nickname (like when Dinobot is called "lizard" or when Cheetor is called "cat").
 
 
'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Yomigaere Beast Power!'''" (よみがえれビーストパワー!, "Revive, Beast Power!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 4|4 February]] [[1998]]
::*During the opening assault on the Axalon, Tarantulas seems to have adopted Cheetor's habit of shouting "Utsumashi!" ("Fire!") every time he fires his weapon.  He also giddily sings to himself as he opens fire on the base.
::*After Scorponok fumbles and falls off his hover platform, the other Predacons all chant ''sayonaraaaa'' in unison.
::*The tortured squealing of the small dinosaur Dinobot eats in his dream has strangely been dubbed.  It now sounds "cuter", making high pitched, processed "peeping" noises like a baby chick.
::*Even when he's trapped in an animal mindset, Rattrap continues to speak and mutter asides to himself about food and danger... which completely defeats the purpose of the Maximals going feral and losing higher reasoning capabilities.
::*Perhaps the most infamous change made for the Japanese version of this episode (thanks to being prominently showcased in the clip movie "[[Clash! Beast Warriors]]"), when the Predacons begin their safari and start beating the drums, they sing a musical number.  The lyrics aren't especially clever, as it's mostly each Predacon sounding off and then the others chanting their unique verbal tic ("Orya!  Orya!" for Scorponok, "Bun!  Bun!" for Waspinator, etc.).
::*Airazor's dramatic declaration, "She stoops to conquer!" is altered into the rather bland, "I will return the Rectifier Coil!"
::*After Megatron sees the explosions and says ''uh-oh'', Optimus Primal does the famous Tarzan yell (or ''tries'' to, anyway) as he comes swinging in on the vine.
::*In one of the worst moments of character brutalization, even by the Japanese dub's standards, when Dinobot pins Blackarachnia down with his foot and hisses at her, she pathetically cries, "It hurts!  Stop!"
::*When the Predacons each retreat into the jungle upon defeat, each character calls out a humorous "excuse" for running away.  Megatron whimpers a pathetic, "I have to return to my piano lessons" as he dashes away.
 
 
'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Instinto Selvagem'''" ("Wild Instinct")
 
 
'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''El Llamado de la Bestia'''" (America, "The Call of the Beast")




"Remember, do not fight your beast instincts. Let them help your robot both forms both in battle and in peace. But for now, let us maximize (''transforms into robot mode), AND SLAG SOME BUTT!"
'''Mandarin'''
:{{m-}}'''Tigatron''' delivers solid advice.
:*''Title:'' "'''Yěxìng de Hūhuàn '''" (野性的呼唤, "The Call of the Beast")


==Stats==
===Toys inspired by this episode===
'''Writers:''' [[Bob Forward]]<br>
*'''''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' MP-43 [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|Megatron (Beast Wars)]] ([[TakaraTomy]], 2019)
'''Original Air Date:''' January 7, 1997
:Megatron includes the hunting rifle he wields during the Maximal hunt.


'''Characters (in order of appearance):''' [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]], [[Tarantulas]], [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], [[Waspinator]], [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], [[Tigatron]]
==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Resurrected Beast Power ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.<br>
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]])<br>
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Shout! Factory]])<br>
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)<br>
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio.<br>
[[File:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio.<br>
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]])<br>
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)


==Notes==
==External links==
* In his beast dream, Dinobot is chasing a ''Parasaurolophus''. While his toy bios and a previous statement from Rattrap seem to establish that Dinobot's beast mode is a ''Velociraptor'', scaled up to match Dinobot's size, that would make Dinobot's Mongolian beast mode quite a traveler in order to hunt instinctively a North American Hadrosaur—which, by the way, was waaay to small for a ''Parasaurolophus''. (It may have been a juvenile or infant, although the crest may have been too developed.) Although Dinobot may actually be a Utahraptor, which did live in North America, it still doesn't explain the [[scale|size discrepancy]], since while Utahraptors were bigger than Velociraptors, they were still considerably smaller than a full-grown Parasaurolophus.
===Official uploads (Japanese)===
* This episode may or may not get its title from the name of a song by Deep Purple or a novel by Jack London.
*''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers Again|Beast Wars Again]]'' re-airings:
* This episode explores many themes that several of the same characters would later explore in ''[[Beast Machines]]''. The idea of the Maximals taking on more bestial personalities because of their beast modes is used in the episode "[[Forbidden Fruit]]".  A similar concept would have been touched on in the unproduced ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[A Greater Ape]]".
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt6PWj9eAng "Revive, Beast Power!"] on YouTube
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO3wO0Zx7nQ "Revive, Beast Power! (Part 2)"] on YouTube


[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Latest revision as of 21:51, 8 March 2026

« Beast Wars: Transformers ep 19 »
« Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers ep 19 »

Scopes munky trial?
"Call of the Wild"
Season 1
No. in season 19
Production company Mainframe Entertainment
Airdate January 7, 1997
Written by Bob Forward
Directed by Jonathan Goodwill
Animation studio Mainframe Entertainment
Continuity Beast Wars continuity
 Watch this episode on YouTube

The Predacons steal the rectifier coil from the Maximal base, which causes the Maximals to revert into a more feral state.

Synopsis

[edit]

A cheetah enthusiastically chases some antelopes, when the ground around it breaks up and it is sent falling into hot lava. Before the cat gets burned, the sequence ends, revealed to be a dream of Cheetor's. Cheetor awakens from his nightmare in time to hear the alarms triggered by a Predacon assault. As the other Maximals prepare Sentinel, Dinobot drags Cheetor outside to battle.

What do we do about the slime?

Primal exits the Maximals' control room via the roof hatch, but is unable to prevent Waspinator and Terrorsaur from grabbing a piece of Maximal hardware off the roof and retreating with the other Predacons. A well-placed rocket from Megatron prevents Primal from chasing the fliers. Airazor is just able to catch the Maximal leader before he crashes into the ground, but lowering Primal after taking a hit from Terrorsaur seriously taxes Airazor's systems. On the upside, the Predacons are no longer attacking.

Inside the base, recuperating, the Maximals suddenly feel the harmful effects of energon build-up. Rhinox explains that without the rectifier coil the Predacons stole, the Maximals will have to stay in beast mode. Meanwhile, the Predacons, after an uncharacteristically successful mission, enjoy a hearty laugh together.

The Maximals look on as Michael Bay attempts to direct a scene.

Days later, Rhinox interrupts a dream Primal has (of being a real ape) to mention that Predacons are still haunting the local area. Rattrap suffers frustration from his beast mode's diminutive size and limb length. Primal and Rattrap almost get into a fight with each other, their minds suffering from bestial traits leaking into their personalities, but Rhinox lays down the line. Once the Preds leave, the Maximals take some much-needed rest.

Shhh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. We'ah hunting Maxies. Heheheheheh.

In his dreams, Primal is tormented by eyes glowing in the dark, Dinobot dreams of hunting surprisingly tiny hadrosaurs, and Rattrap dreams of rat stuff. The dreams overpower their respective dreamers, and the Maximals awaken, trapped in the mindsets of the creatures whose forms they wear. The animals all eventually exit their base. Their foes' intellects gone, Megatron and the Predacons begin their hunt.

Airazor exits the CR chamber to meet Tigatron in the empty Maximal base. Tigatron resolves to reform his Maximal companions before they're killed, while Airazor has her own mission. She heads to the unoccupied Predacon base, deftly dodging the automated defenses. Inside, the rectifier coil is under no protection she can't destroy.

Peter Jackson likely watched this episode.

In the jungle, Tigatron comes to face the feral Cheetor and Rhinox. The two follow him for reasons their animal minds don't comprehend. Next Tigatron recruits the primal Optimus into his party, and finally Dinobot and Rattrap. His friends gathered, Tigatron speaks to the dormant minds of his friends. He explains how the schism that exists between the Maximals' two modes is a side effect of a programming block, and as long as that program exists, the animal and Maximal identities will never reach cohesion. Now embracing the beasts within, the restored Maximals are ready to "Slag some bot!"

Primal swings Megatron off of his throne as the two Maximal cats tackle the two Predacon goons who were carrying their leader. Dinobot's raptor mode conquers Blackarachnia. Rhinox knocks over a tree to ground the Predacon fliers, and a ratball special puts Rattrap into position to pump gunfire into Terrorsaur. After the Predacons start to feel the effects of energon build-up, Megatron orders a retreat, and Optimus beats his chest, roaring in victory.

[edit]

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Maximals Predacons

Quotes

[edit]

"Man, I swear them polka-dots go clear through to the brain."

—Rattrap on Cheetor.


"Trouble with the neighbors again."

—Airazor spots the Axalon under attack.


"Predacons, fall back!"
"Now he tells me!"

—Megatron's order comes a wee bit too late to save Tarantulas.


"Waszzpinator love it when prey cannot shoot back!"

—Waspinator in a rare moment of having the upper hand... It won't last.


"Hunting from the air with automatic weapons—now that's a sport!"

—Terrorsaur


"She stoops to conquer!"

—Airazor shows some wit.


"Rat...robot. Rat...robot. I'm a robot and a rat! Yeahh, I like it!"
"Hrmf, I do not see why."

—Rattrap and Dinobot


"Remember; do not fight your beast instincts. Let them help your robot forms, both in battle and in peace. But for now, let us Maximize..."
[Tigatron transforms, and cocks his gun!]
"AND SLAG SOME BOT!!"

—Nothing short of poetry from Tigatron!

Other notes

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Script timeline

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  • First draft: 29th August 1996
  • Second draft: 11th September 1996
  • Finalised: 20th September 1996
  • As Air: 8th January 1997

Animation and technical errors

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  • When the Predacon hunting party arrives, Terrorsaur's gun appears to be floating between his hands.
  • Tigatron's legs clip through a nearby rock after he beckons gorilla-Optimus to follow him.
  • When he transforms after completing his speech, Tigatron's right arm passes through the moonrays, which seems to make its reflection textures vanish.
  • Blackarachnia's lower lip clips through Dinobot's talon in a very jittery way as he pins her head down.

Continuity errors

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  • At first glance, Megatron's plan seems to have a rather large glitch / continuity error. If his theories are based on researching Maximal programming, why would Dinobot be affected as well? Still, none of the dialogue explicitly denounces the idea that Predacons rely on similar programming -- perhaps Megatron started from an identical flaw in Pred programming, and his research merely confirmed Maximals would have the same flaw. (They could have probably saved themselves the bother by having him say "Cybertronian programming", but oh well.)
  • Primal seems obsessed with not letting the Maximals transform in case they are attacked. Would it really be that bad just to convert to robot mode for 5 minutes to clear their heads, especially if they did it one at a time? For that matter, what exactly was the plan? The Maximals clearly knew that their beast mode instincts were taking over, but seemed to be making no plans to either retrieve or repair the rectifier coil. Were they really just going to wait around for Tigatron to turn up and hope he'd solve everything?

Continuity notes

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  • When Optimus is dreaming in his quarters, the plant that Dinobot left for him at the end of "Gorilla Warfare" can be seen next to his bed.
  • Rhinox mentions that the Predacons have been attacking the base off and on for "two days", an increasingly rare use of non-cycle based unit of time.
  • Gadgets and powers:
    • This episode marks the only use of Megatron's right arm-mounted missile launcher, which fires from the same port the laser beam emanates from. What is with Transformers and the one-use weapons?

Transformers references

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Real-world references

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  • The episode was likely named after Jack London's 1903 novel The Call of the Wild.
  • Airazor's "she stoops to conquer" line is a double reference: first, and most obviously, to 1773 play She Stoops to Conquer, and secondly to a stoop, which is the dive of a bird of prey.

Trivia

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  • An unproduced Beast Wars episode named "A Greater Ape" would have adopted the basic premise of a Maximal believing themselves to be a real animal, focusing specifically on Optimus Primal. It's unknown if this episode was written after Mainframe scrapped the aforementioned concept, citing the need for too many expensive models.
    • Similar concepts regarding how well Maximals integrate their beast and robot modes would later surface in Beast Machines. The idea of the Maximals temporarily turning feral was revisited in that series in "Forbidden Fruit", but for different reasons.
  • When the Maximal computer announces that the Predacons are withdrawing from the area, text in the Maximal version of the Cybertronix language scrolls by the bottom of the screen, and more text flashes in blue in the middle of the screen. The blue flashing text reads "area clear", and the text on the bottom reads "its been a long time since ive had sweet thistle pie".
  • In his beast dream, Dinobot—supposedly experiencing the instincts of his beast mode, Asia's Velociraptor—dreams of chasing what appears to be a Parasaurolophus, which only lived in the Americas and which furthermore is portrayed as far too small. Since the creature is never actually named, it may be taken as representing a different dinosaur species as-yet-undiscovered.
  • When Megatron "suggests" to his troops to laugh with him, Blackarachnia is the only one who refuses to pay him that courtesy. Clearly, Dinobot is not the only who's got some bearings of chrome steel.
  • Despite them regularly sporting Predacon symbols since "Chain of Command", Scorponok's missiles are yet again shown with Maximal insignias when he attacks the Axalon.
  • This is the first and only appearance of Megatron's double-barreled hunting gun, a weapon that seemingly conceptualized out of nowhere rather than being taken from his toy, which included no such accessory. The purple scaly skin texture of the weapon suggests it originates from Megatron's Beast Mode construction as opposed to having been made just for the occasion, in the same vein as Cheetor's Gut Gun.
  • If you look closely at the start of the hunt, Tarantulas seems to be struggling under Megatron's weight. Scorponok seems okay, though.
  • Inferno appears but has no lines, despite this being his first appearance under Megatron's command. Perhaps Jim Byrnes wasn't available?

Foreign localization

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French

  • Title: "Chassez le Naturel" ("Hunt the Natural")
  • Title: "Appel Sauvage" ("Savage Calling")


German

  • Title: "Der Ruf der Wildnis" ("The Call of the Wilderness")
  • Original airdate: 8 August 1998


Italian

  • Title: "Il richiamo della foresta" ("The Call of the Wild")
  • In some scenes Rattrap calls himself a mouse instead of a rat. Similar cases already happened in previous episodes, but in those cases it could be considered a nickname (like when Dinobot is called "lizard" or when Cheetor is called "cat").


Japanese

  • Title: "Yomigaere Beast Power!" (よみがえれビーストパワー!, "Revive, Beast Power!")
  • Original airdate: 4 February 1998
  • During the opening assault on the Axalon, Tarantulas seems to have adopted Cheetor's habit of shouting "Utsumashi!" ("Fire!") every time he fires his weapon. He also giddily sings to himself as he opens fire on the base.
  • After Scorponok fumbles and falls off his hover platform, the other Predacons all chant sayonaraaaa in unison.
  • The tortured squealing of the small dinosaur Dinobot eats in his dream has strangely been dubbed. It now sounds "cuter", making high pitched, processed "peeping" noises like a baby chick.
  • Even when he's trapped in an animal mindset, Rattrap continues to speak and mutter asides to himself about food and danger... which completely defeats the purpose of the Maximals going feral and losing higher reasoning capabilities.
  • Perhaps the most infamous change made for the Japanese version of this episode (thanks to being prominently showcased in the clip movie "Clash! Beast Warriors"), when the Predacons begin their safari and start beating the drums, they sing a musical number. The lyrics aren't especially clever, as it's mostly each Predacon sounding off and then the others chanting their unique verbal tic ("Orya! Orya!" for Scorponok, "Bun! Bun!" for Waspinator, etc.).
  • Airazor's dramatic declaration, "She stoops to conquer!" is altered into the rather bland, "I will return the Rectifier Coil!"
  • After Megatron sees the explosions and says uh-oh, Optimus Primal does the famous Tarzan yell (or tries to, anyway) as he comes swinging in on the vine.
  • In one of the worst moments of character brutalization, even by the Japanese dub's standards, when Dinobot pins Blackarachnia down with his foot and hisses at her, she pathetically cries, "It hurts! Stop!"
  • When the Predacons each retreat into the jungle upon defeat, each character calls out a humorous "excuse" for running away. Megatron whimpers a pathetic, "I have to return to my piano lessons" as he dashes away.


Portuguese

  • Title: "Instinto Selvagem" ("Wild Instinct")


Spanish

  • Title: "El Llamado de la Bestia" (America, "The Call of the Beast")


Mandarin

  • Title: "Yěxìng de Hūhuàn " (野性的呼唤, "The Call of the Beast")

Toys inspired by this episode

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Megatron includes the hunting rifle he wields during the Maximal hunt.

Home video releases

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All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.
VHS

Japan 1998 — Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers — Resurrected Beast Power (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
United Kingdom 2001 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Beginning: Vol. 3 (Universal)

LaserDisc

Japan 1998 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Predacon Edition (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.

DVD

Japan 2000 — Beast Wars: Transformers — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.
United States of America 2003 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation)
United States of America 2011 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Season 1 (Shout! Factory)
United States of America 2011 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
Canada 2005 — Beast Wars — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio.
Canada 2005 — Beast Wars — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio.
Australia 2006 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Season 1 (Madman Entertainment)
Australia 2009 — The Transformers: Beast Wars — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

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Official uploads (Japanese)

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