Chain of Command (Prime)

This article is about the Prime episode. For the Beast Wars episode, see Chain of Command (BW).

« Transformers: Prime ep 58 »
And now every Decepticon in range soils himself with fear.
"Chain of Command"
Season	3
No. in season	6
Production company	Hasbro Studios
Airdate	May 24, 2013
Written by	Mairghread Scott
Directed by	Vinton Heuck
Animation studio	Polygon Pictures
Watch this episode on YouTube

Tension builds between Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack as their team faces the return of the Predacon.

Synopsis

Somewhere in the Arctic, the Predacon remains frozen solid in ice as the sun rises. Power cells in its body activate, causing the ice to start melting and then crack, until the beast is able to break free completely. The creature roars and flies away.

"Shockwave, remind me to thank the humans for global warming."

Aboard the Nemesis, Starscream questions the wisdom of allowing Shockwave to create his cloned Predacon army in such confined quarters. Shockwave reveals that an off-site laboratory has been constructed for this purpose. The warship is rocked by a sudden impact, which turns out to be the Predacon landing on the upper hull. Shockwave notes that Predacons have precise homing instincts, but Megatron is more impressed by the beast's resilience. He orders Starscream to assume command of it, leaving his terrified first officer alone out on the hull with the Predacon.

In Scotland, the Iron Will lands on a bluff atop a suspected Decepticon excavation site. The Wreckers emerge, and Wheeljack immediately bolts forward and starts climbing down the cliff to investigate, much to Magnus's chagrin. Bulkhead tries to advise caution, but Wheeljack pays no heed. They spot a lone Vehicon emerging from a cave below, who Wheeljack dispatches with little difficulty. He looks back up to give Ultra Magnus a mocking salute, when an entire squad of Vehicons emerge from the cave and attack. The three Autobots make short work of the Decepticons. After the battle, Wheeljack hears a knocking sound coming from inside his chest. Suddenly remembering he has a passenger, he lets Miko out, and she begins gasping for air.

You wouldn't believe it, there's, like, three other passed-out kids in here!

Back at the Nemesis, Starscream tries unsuccessfully to get the Predacon into a cage. He prompts the beast with an Energon prod, and the Predacon responds with a blast of flame from its mouth that singes Starscream's crest.

Ultra Magnus demands to know why a human was brought on the mission. Wheeljack cites Miko's accomplishments and states that she's an official Wrecker as far as he's concerned. Bulkhead tries to defuse the situation by turning Magnus's attention to the now-unguarded cave entrance.

Now having donned the indestructible Apex Armor, Starscream tries again to make the Predacon heed his commands. The dragon grasps Starscream's arm in its jaws and shakes him around like a rag doll for a bit before flinging him the length of the room. The "training" is interrupted by Megatron, who orders Starscream to take the Predacon and see why one of the excavation teams has failed to report in.

While the Wreckers explore the cave, Bulkhead tries to keep everyone's spirits up, but Wheeljack, chafing under Ultra Magnus's leadership, is having none of it. He tells Bulkhead he was smart to leave the Wreckers when he did, "before the rust set in". Confused, Miko says she thought Wheeljack was the one who left the Wreckers. Bulkhead says he left first, to join up with Optimus Prime, and thinks a part of Wheeljack resents him for it. Miko says that you never want to be the one who breaks up the band.

The rock walls suddenly starts to shake as the Predacon bursts in, prompting the Autobots to transform and drive deeper into the cave. The Predacon pursues, firing blasts of flame from his mouth, until he encounters a passage too narrow to get through. The Autobots are now trapped in a small enclosure and unable to get a comm link signal so far underground. Bulkhead notices a small opening in the rock above them and tells Miko to climb up the cave wall to freedom. She's reluctant to leave them until Ultra Magnus tasks her with the mission of reaching the Iron Will and contacting Optimus Prime. The Autobots draw their weapons and prepare for the Predacon to inevitably break through to their location.

You want me to put the hammer down?!

Miko makes it to surface and rushes over to the Iron Will, only to find that Starscream and a couple of Vehicons have gotten there first. Starscream brags to his soldiers about how he tamed the Predacon, which is stifled by one of the Vehicons pointing out that he's still wearing the Apex Armor protect himself from it. Buying into his own press, Starscream retracts the armor and lays the condensed relic on a rock.

The Predacon finally makes it through to the Wreckers' location and attacks. Ultra Magnus lands a few powerful hits with the depowered Forge of Solus Prime, but the Predacon takes him and Bulkhead out with a wave of its tail. Wheeljack waits for the Predacon to attempt another flame blast and tosses a grenade at the beast's open mouth, but the Predacon bats it away with its tail. The explosive device hits the ground and rolls to a rest mere feet from Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus.

Topside, Starscream and the Vehicons are startled by the explosion, which rips a hole in the ground in front of them. While they investigate, Miko makes a run for the Iron Will, but does not escape Starscream's notice.

In the cave, the Predacon bursts free from the rubble caused by the explosion, none the worse for wear. It notices a Predacon fossil lying on the ground, and seeing it brings back a memory of another time and place...

Starscream swipes at Miko, but she's able to avoid him long enough to reach the Apex Armor. Landing on the relic triggers it, and a smaller version of the armor envelops Miko. Before she can put it to use, the Predacon appears, dropping the fossil at Starscream's feet. Miko attempts to flee, but the Predacon pounces on her.

The Autobots emerge from the rubble below, and Ultra Magnus takes Wheeljack to task for deploying a grenade in an enclosed space. Bulkhead, more concerned with Miko's safety than continuing to play peacemaker, rushes out of the cave to find her.

Wheeljack sees what you did there.

Starscream watches with amusement as the Predacon hammers Miko and the armor with blasts of flame. Megatron contacts Starscream, who gleefully provides a status report. Megatron orders the immediate return of the beast and the Predacon fossil and tells Starscream he can stay behind to finish the Autobots. Starscream briefly wonders how he'll get the Predacon to follow this order, but the Predacon answers the question by knocking him down, grabbing the fossil in its teeth, and flying away. Indignant, Starscream walks over to the scorched crater where Miko lies to retrieve his armor. But Miko springs to life and tosses Starscream away with ease. Miko continues pounding the Decepticons as the Autobots rush onto the scene. Ultra Magnus admits that Wheeljack may have been right about her. Seeing the odds are only getting worse, Starscream orders the Vehicons to retreat, and the three of them transform and fly away. Wheeljack commends Miko and says he wants to remember the Wreckers just as they are right now, "before the rust sets in" once again. With that, he transforms and drives away. Bulkhead sadly notes that Wheeljack just broke up the band.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Ultra Magnus (6) Wheeljack (7) Bulkhead (8)	Predaking (1) Starscream (2) Shockwave (3) Megatron (4) Vehicons (5)	Miko Nakadai (9)

Quotes

Ultra Magnus: Does Wheeljack not comprehend the chain of command? I didn't authorize him to advance without proper cover.
Bulkhead: I'm sure Jackie's just trying to prove himself now that you and he are serving together again, sir.
[Wheeljack gleefully leaps off a cliff]
Wheeljack: Yee-HAH!

"Wrecker Fact #17?"
"'Guards never look up'."

—A trope-savvy Wheeljack and Bulkhead

Ultra Magnus: And what could have possibly compelled you to bring the native?
[Wheeljack thinks back to just before they left the Autobot base]
Miko: Yo. Can I come with?
Wheeljack: Why not?

"Are your circuits impaired, soldier?"
"Prime told you to lead the Wreckers on this one. I assumed he meant all of them."

—Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack argue over Miko's Wrecker status.

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk. Even the strongest armor can't protect the weakest of creatures."
"It protected you, didn't it?"

—Starscream gets burned by Miko

"You do know that I vanquished Cliffjumper, don't you?"
"Big whoop. I snuffed Hardshell."

—Starscream finally gets his "I killed Cliffjumper" boast shut down by Miko.

Notes

Continuity notes

• Predaking was GroundBridged to the Arctic by Ratchet in "Rebellion".
• Ultra Magnus was ordered to lead the Wreckers to Scotland in "Project Predacon", and picked up the Forge of Solus Prime in the same episode.
• The Apex Armor was recovered by Knock Out in "Darkmount, NV".
• Starscream continues to get as much mileage as he possibly can out of killing Cliffjumper in "Darkness Rising, Part 1". Thankfully, this is the last time in the series he brings it up.
• Miko killed Hardshell and was inducted into the Wreckers by Wheeljack in "Hurt".
• Miko is thankful that she did not throw up on Wheeljack's upholstery, as she did with Bulkhead while hiding in his chest compartment in "Darkness Rising, Part 4".
• Ultra Magnus uses the same type of back hook for the Forge of Solus Prime as Optimus used for the Star Saber, the latter having been made by Ratchet in "Alpha/Omega".
• The Predacon seen by Predaking during his brief memory sequence appears to be Skystalker, or another with his body-type.
• Starscream learned Miko's name in "Rock Bottom".
• Wheeljack recites the first half of the Wrecker motto, "Wreckers don't call for back-up", which was used in "Loose Cannons". Bulkhead opts not to finish the saying, still trying to keep the peace between him and Ultra Magnus.
• This episode appears to occur concurrently with the previous one. Though the Wreckers appear to finish with their mission first.

Transformers references

• Bulkhead left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus at the Battle of Thunderhead Pass.

Real-world references

• Miko's rather haphazard fighting "style" takes some cues from professional wrestling, with numerous drop-kicks and flying tackles, and video games, including what looks to be a "Shoryuken" leaping uppercut from Street Fighter II.

Errors

• Before Shockwave says "...but there appears to be an enormous mass upon the upper hull", Starscream's left leg is slightly transparent.
• When Predaking denied Starscream's order to move, a part of his head moved through his neck.
• The two large rocks outside Ultra Magnus's ship shift position several times (or the ship does). When Ultra Magnus lands, the forward landing strut is between the two rocks. After they exit the ship, the rock which Starscream places the Apex Armor on later has moved to the opposite side of the landing strut. During a later establishing shot, both rocks have moved a considerable distance back, only to return to their previous position once Miko reaches the surface.
• As Predaking swings Starscream around while in the Apex Armor, the latter's headspike clips through the armor.
• Miko lands on the front side of the Apex Armor, which then forms a shell around her, but it's somehow managed to flip itself into the proper position during Starscream's reaction shot.
• Starscream retains his arm-mounted missile right after firing it at Miko. It disappears when he boasts about killing Cliffjumper, only to appear once more as he flees. He must keep them in subspace.
• Although the Predacon fossil is seemingly an optic, everyone refers to it as a bone.
• The Iron Will appears to gain a third landing strut closer to the bow in this episode. Previously it only had two towards the stern.

Trivia

• Since time is of the essence in retrieving Predacon bone fragments, Ultra Magnus taking the Iron Will instead of using the GroundBridge seems like a rather significant tactical error for someone so insistent on proper protocol and preparation. Wheeljack alludes to this in the next episode.
• Wheeljack has a chest compartment like Bulkhead does, allowing him to store a human there in robot mode.
• Made official this episode, the number of human Wreckers in the Transformers franchise increases by 100%.
• Ultra Magnus's vehicle mode model has been modified to fit the Forge of Solus Prime where the trailer hitch would be, and unsurprisingly, bears a large resemblance to Optimus' initial vehicle mode.
• The Predacon fossil uncovered by Predaking is far more mechanical than the bone-like pieces found in prior episodes, appearing to be an intact optical sensor.
• The Apex Armour adjusts its size to fit whoever activates it, including humans. Another "intuitive" relic.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Predator"
• Original airdate: ?

• The French title is, of course, a reference to the eponymous film franchise.
• For some reason, Starscream uses the formal "vous" with Shockwave in this episode. It may be to be ironic or overdramatic, but if it works with his first phrase, it doesn't really fit with the second.
• Starscream's "How did it find us?" is mistakenly dubbed by "How did they find us?" (the "they" used here being plural only in French).
• If they were called "Chasseurs d'animaux" ("Animal hunters") by Optimus Prime in previous episode, this time Ultra Magnus and Bulkhead refer to themselves as "Chasseurs de bestiaux" ("Cattle hunters"), which sounds a little more familiar and less serious.

German

• Title: "Befehlskette" ("Chain of Command")
• Original airdate: 7 October 2013

Hungarian

• Title: "Ranglista" ("Chain of Command")
• Original airdate: 9 September 2013

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "Cadeia de Comando" ("Chain of Command")
• Original airdate: 4 November 2013

Italian

• Title: "Gerarchia" ("Hierarchy")
• Original airdate: 6 September 2013

Spanish (Spain)

• Title: "Cambio de comando" ("Chain of Command")
• Original airdate: 15 October 2013

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

DVD

2013 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Season Three (Shout! Factory)
2014 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Season 3 Volume 2: Race for Salvation (Madman Entertainment)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Saison 3 Volume 1: Le règne de Mégatron (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Season 3 Volume 1: Battle for Darkmount (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Staffel 3 Teil 1: Schlacht um Darkmount (Primal Screen) — English, German, Dutch and French audio.
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Season Three Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Intégrale Saison 3 (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — The Complete Season 3 (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Die komplette Staffel 3 (Primal Screen) — English, German, Dutch and French audio.
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — The Complete Season 3 (Primal Screen) — English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian audio.

Blu-ray

2013 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Season Three (Shout! Factory)
2016 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Season Three Collection (Madman Entertainment)