Predacons Rising (Prime)

The name or term "Predacons Rising" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Predacons Rising (disambiguation).

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"Today we face the monsters that are at our door, today we are cancelling the apocalypse!"
Predacons Rising
Production company	Hasbro Studios
Airdate	October 4 (TV premiere) and October 8 (home video release), 2013
Written by	Duane Capizzi Marsha Griffin Steven Melching
Directed by	Vinton Heuck Scooter Tidwell Todd Waterman
Animation studio	Polygon Pictures
Watch this episode on YouTube

Autobots, Decepticons, and Predacons form an unlikely alliance to battle a resurrected Unicron.

Synopsis

Cybertron has been restored, and Optimus Prime gives a speech honoring those not still with them who helped make it possible. However even as he does so, back on Earth at the bottom of the ocean, Megatron is awoken by Unicron. Megatron is confused as to why his spark is not one with the AllSpark, but Unicron explains that Megatron's Dark Energon use has made that impossible. Requiring a new vessel with which to carry out his plans, Unicron reformats Megatron's body into a more powerful form, takes possession of it and heads into the sky. Meanwhile, Optimus holds a short ceremony to promote Bumblebee to warrior, before announcing that he and Wheeljack are going to retrieve the physical AllSpark from where it was hidden during the Great War.

Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Bumblebee Rising

Streaking through space, Megatron believes Unicron intends to become ruler of Cybertron, but Unicron reveals that he instead intends to destroy Primus, which will spell the end for that planet, and soon all of the universe.

As Bulkhead finds construction with Vehicons a troublesome task, Arcee reports they've had no luck finding Starscream and Shockwave. Knock Out, incarcerated on the warship, attempts to persuade the Bumblebee he's on their side by providing him with information on where they might locate the fugitive Decepticons. Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen patrol the Sea of Rust, now restored to a city, and run into an unpleasant surprise—the Predacons Darksteel and Skylynx. The two Autobots are no match for the new clones, and Magnus is severely injured before Smokescreen manages to use the phase shifter to make their escape. Ratchet is called to Cybertron to tend to Magnus, while the other Autobots try to decide on their next step.

So, uh, when do we start rising?

Across space, Optimus and Wheeljack track the AllSpark to Theta Scorpii. Not wanting to risk losing the Iron Will in the hazardous conditions there, Optimus continues on alone.

Utilizing Bumblebee's tracking skills, the Autobots find Predaking, who has located a Predacon burial ground uncovered by the restoration of Cybertron. Bumblebee attempts to persuade Predaking that there can be a truce, but Predaking refuses to forget the Autobots' role in the destruction of his brethren. The Autobots instead head for Megatron's old fortress of Darkmount, which Knock Out has informed them may contain a map showing the location of Shockwave's laboratories.

Shockwave's current lab is in the ruins of Six Lasers Over Cybertron. Starscream arrives with another recovered Predacon bone, shortly before Darksteel and Skylynx return, laughing about their recent scrap. Starscream is furious to learn they've wandered off and revealed themselves to the Autobots, ruining their one major advantage, the element of surprise.

Over at Theta Scorpii, Optimus finally sights the AllSpark's container, but there's also an incoming plasma storm, and he has to rush to retrieve their target before it can close in.

As the Autobots are checking out the Darkmount computer, they're interrupted by the arrival of Unicron, who makes it aggressively clear to both Autobot and Megatron alike who's in control of the Decepticon leader's form. The Autobots are no match for the dark god, so they attempt to scram. They're brought to a halt by a smelting pit, and a blast from Unicron leaves Bulkhead, Arcee and Smokescreen dangling over certain doom. Bumblebee manages to keep Unicron occupied long enough for Ratchet to provide a means of escape via GroundBridge.

Meanwhile, Optimus has retrieved the AllSpark and made it back to the Iron Will mere seconds before the plasma storm, and the Autobots book it out of there, though an asteroid thrown by the chaos collides with the ship. Back on the warship, Bumblebee attempts to contact Optimus, but the damage the Iron Will sustained means though his message gets through, Optimus can't respond. The Autobots quickly realize that Unicron's plan is to destroy their home planet.

Can I borrow the car after this?

Acting on information from Bumblebee, Predaking finds evidence of Darksteel and Skylynx. He creates a signal in the form of a column of fire to attract the pair to his position, however the first to respond to it is Unicron. Megatron tricks Unicron into fighting the Predacon in the hopes that if their shared body is mangled enough, it will be of no further use to Unicron and Megatron will be freed, however Unicron manages to defeat Predaking and, probing the Predacon's mind, learns of the burial ground.

The burial ground has also been found by Starscream, Darksteel and Skylynx, who summon Shockwave to help in gathering up the bones. Their task is interrupted by the arrival of Unicron, and Starscream is overjoyed to see who he assumes is Megatron, however Unicron corrects him and bats him aside. Darksteel and Skylynx attack, but have no more luck against Unicron than anyone else has had. Opposition defeated, Unicron uses his power to raise the Predacon bones as an army of Terrorcons. Starscream flees, while Shockwave is quickly dogpiled by the horde.

Group selfie

The Autobots, using the warship's computer to locate Unicron, detect the huge build up of Dark Energon at the burial ground and quickly realize what Unicron intends. As the horde starts moving across Hydrax Plateau towards the Well of All Sparks, the Autobots prepare to use the warship to defend the location. Ratchet and Ultra Magnus are dropped off at a safe location and Smokescreen goes to retrieve the remaining relics from storage. Starscream arrives on the ship and frees the imprisoned Decepticons. They attempt to retake the ship, however Knock Out turns against Starscream, using the phase shifter to seize the Immobilizer and clock him with it... which also destroys the Immobilizer. Ooops.

Predaking arrives at the burial ground and is horrified to see that it has been desecrated. He asserts his dominance over Skylynx and Darksteel by fighting them, however Shockwave pops up to suggest they put their combat skills to more productive use against Unicron's horde.

"So you came to die with your planet!"
"No, I came back to stop you die for it."

The Autobots make their last stand in the warship, opening fire on the oncoming Terrorcons. While the horde flies up to attack the ship, the Predacon trio arrive to lend a hand. Unfortunately the warship is shot down a short time later by concentrated Terrorcon fire blasts. The Autobots emerge, but Predaking tells them to leave the fighting to the beasts. The Predacons are only able to slow the horde's advance and the Terrorcons start heading into the Well of All Sparks. Unicron himself feels the presence of the AllSpark as the Iron Will returns to Cybertron. Optimus jumps out to attack Unicron, who shoots down the ship down before Optimus can engage him. Even Optimus has trouble fighting Unicron, and he's only saved when Bumblebee uses the polarity gauntlet to halt Unicron's blow. Optimus flies to where Bulkhead and Arcee are helping Wheeljack out of the wreck of the Iron Will, intending to secure the AllSpark. Unicron breaks free of the polarity gauntlet's grasp and catches up with Optimus, who is now fleeing with the AllSpark, shooting the Autobot leader down. Unicron opens the AllSpark container intending to devour the contents, only to find it is empty. Unicron's anti-spark is drawn out of Megatron by the vessel, which pulls it into itself and seals, trapping it there. The link to Unicron severed, the Terrorcon army disintegrates just before it can reach the core.

AllSpark: Taste the Rainbow.

Starscream lands, having escaped his cell during the crash, and welcomes Megatron back from the dead, believing Megatron will once again lead the Decepticons. Having been put through the torments of Unicron, Megatron is broken, and no longer wishes to be an oppressor. Over Starscream's objections, he declares the Decepticons no more, and flies away, destination unknown. Starscream also flees, going instead to Darkmount where he intended to take his place as Decepticon leader. His reign is short-lived, as the Predacons arrive looking to settle some old scores with him.

At the Well of All Sparks, Optimus reveals that in order to set the trap for Unicron, he was forced to empty the AllSpark into the Matrix of Leadership inside him. This unfortunately means that his own spark is one with the multitude of others now inside the Matrix, and the only way the AllSpark can be restored to the Well is by merging it with the planet's core, which means giving up his own life. Despite protestations, Optimus assures them there is no other way, and that the age of Primes is over... and that new leaders will arise not by decree of ancient talismans, but by the virtue of their actions. Optimus flies into the Well, sacrificing himself, which releases a multitude of sparks into the sky.

'Til all are—wait a second...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Predacons	Others
Optimus Prime (1) Smokescreen (2) Arcee (3) Bulkhead (4) Ultra Magnus (5) Wheeljack (6) Bumblebee (7) Knock Out (11) Ratchet (14)	Megatron (8) Vehicons (10) Starscream (16) Shockwave (17)	Darksteel (12) Skylynx (13) Predaking (15)	Unicron (9) Terrorcon Predacons (18)

Quotes

"Optimus Prime would deem it a tragedy to stain Cybertron's fresh soil with any newly-spilled energon. So help us prove what Megatron was never willing to, that more than one race can peacefully co-exist on our planet."
"You assume that because I turned against Megatron, I can forgive the Autobots their role in the destruction of my brethren on Earth? Leave me be and dare not trespass here again."

—Bumblebee and Predaking

"What are we supposed to call him, huh? Megacron? Unitron?"
"Really? That's your biggest issue right now?"

—Smokescreen and Arcee

"It isn't fair. How many more times do we have to save a world? Have to fight for the survival of our home?"
"Regrettably the struggle between creation and destruction is an eternal one, and the battle lines which separate the two run through the very spark of Cybertron. Good and evil; order and chaos; one victorious, one vanquished. Each forming the core of their own separate worlds, Cybertron and Earth. And now the darkness has followed us all the way home."

—Arcee and Ratchet

"In the name of the mighty legions of Predacons who preceded me, I shall never again yield to your charge, but I will heed your previous advice and face my true enemy as a beast!"

—Predaking to Unicron/Megatron.

Unicron: "I am the bringer of chaos, the destroyer of worlds, and the lord of the undead!"
Shockwave: "Unicron..."
Skylynx: "I say we show the 'lord of the undead' what it's like to be unliving!"

"'Bee, in case I'd never get another chance to say this, you've really proved your mettle."
"I'd like to think my actions always spoke louder than my words, Arcee, but it didn't hurt to watch and learn from the best."
"Would be nice if Optimus showed up about now."
"I was referring to a powerful little two-wheeler I know."

—Arcee and Bumblebee

"The past shall consume the future, the dead shall consume the living, and chaos shall reign supreme!"

—Unicron

"And who made you boss?"
"I am not your boss. I am your KING!"

—Darksteel and Predaking

"Why'd you do it, Knock Out? Why'd you turn against Starscream?"
"Even if I had helped him seize this ship, he would probably just fire me out of the first airlock. Oh. And he's rude."

—Arcee and Knock Out

Starscream: "Your new battle armor will take things to the next level, my liege! Together we will reunite all Decepticons and once again grind Cybertron under your mighty heel!"
Megatron: "No!"
Starscream: "What? Why?"
[Megatron glares at Optimus Prime, before turning solemn]
Megatron: "Because I now know the true meaning of oppression, and have thus lost my taste for inflicting it."
Starscream: "Ehe, you've clearly been traumatized, master. A good power down and a stroll around the smelting pit will put you back in touch with your inner warlord."
Megatron: "Enough! The Decepticons are no more, and that is final!"

—Starscream and Megatron, before disbanding the Decepticons for good

Starscream: "This is not quite how I envisioned my rise to the throne, but since Lord Megatron all but surrendered it to me, I will gladly revive the Decepticons in my name."
[Starscream gasps upon the Predacons' arrival]
Starscream: "Though, perhaps, the throne is more befitting of an actual king?"
Predaking: "I am not here to seize thrones, Starscream. But to settle scores."

Optimus: "While this may very well mark the end of the Age of Primes, leadership can be earned, with or without the Matrix. And in my view, you have each acted as a Prime."
Knock Out: "Well, I never really had the best role models."

"Above all, do not lament my absence, for in my spark, I know that this is not the end, but merely a new beginning. Simply put, another transformation."

—Optimus Prime's closing words of the film and the whole series

Notes

Continuity notes

• Bumblebee is promoted to Warrior-class after first mentioning it as his goal in "Masters & Students", and later admitting he was holding back to be promoted on Cybertron in "Project Predacon".
• Bulkhead goes back to construction as Ratchet suggested in "Alpha/Omega".
• A handful of Vehicons are seen helping repair buildings on Cybertron with the Autobots, though it's not made clear if this is forced labor or they just decided to switch sides. Other Vehicons are seen imprisoned with Knock Out, further muddling the issue.
• The AllSpark was introduced to the Aligned continuity family in the novel Exodus, where it was launched from Cybertron during the war. The novel concluded with the Autobots' picking up its signal after departing Cybertron—an obvious allusion to a live-action movie-style journey to Earth in search of it—but this was dropped for the sequel Exiles. Similar events may have took place in the cartoon's continuity, but only Optimus seems to remember much about the whole affair.
• Optimus states that without the AllSpark, no new Cybertronians can come to life. How this ties with Shockwave's past and ongoing cloning experiments is unknown.
• Knock Out was locked up after being decked by Miko in "Deadlock".
• Ratchet says that Megatron has "perished and returned before". This is referring to Megatron's apparent death way back in "Darkness Rising, Part 5", before reviving himself with Dark Energon in "Out of His Head".
• Knock Out gets payback on Smokescreen by sticking him in a wall with the Phase Shifter in an identical position to his own wall-imprisonment in "Inside Job".
• Knock Out destroys the Immobilizer, which was introduced in "Partners", by knocking Starscream out with it.
• Smokescreen mentions that he almost became a Prime, which occurred in "Rebellion".
• Predaking takes Megatron's advice and faces his true enemy as a beast!
• Knock Out refers to the Predacon Terrorcons as "zombiecons", a term previously used by Miko in "Shadowzone".
• Predaking wishes to settle scores with Starscream due to the abuse inflicted upon him in "Prey", "Chain of Command", 'Plus One", and "Evolution", as well as for the cheap shot that resulted in him losing his fight against Megatron in "Synthesis".
• Arcee mentions going to Vector Sigma to save Optimus's life like before, which occurred when Arcee took Jack to Vector Sigma to obtain the reloaded Matrix of Leadership to restore Optimus's memory.
• Shockwave's eye is damaged yet again, something which was first inflicted in "Out of the Past" by Arcee, and in "Deadlock" by Bumblebee.
• In Exodus, the Core of Cybertron itself reveals to Optimus Prime after offering him the Matrix that the Matrix and the Core are working through Optimus to allow Cybertron's regeneration; it has also predicted he would lead Cybertron into a new age of unimagined wonders just as Optimus marks the end of the age of the Primes.
• Bumblebee told Knock Out that they needed the broken Immobilizer, recalling Ratchet's famous catchphrase throughout the show.

Transformers references

• Megatron's resurrection from the bottom of the ocean and subsequent travel into space recall similar scenes from Revenge of the Fallen.
• Unicron rebuilding Megatron into a more powerful form is similar to his creation of Galvatron in The Transformers: The Movie.
• Lord Smokescreen, Emperor of Destruction!
• Unicron calls his new form an Instrument of Destruction.
• Bumblebee lists off the warship’s armaments, which consist of fusion cannons, null rays, and ion blasters.
• Optimus brings new life to Cybertron by jumping into a pit that leads to the core of the planet and committing suicide. Why does that sound familiar?
• The Predacon in the process of being cloned in Shockwave's lab heavily resembles Ripclaw, albeit with a few minor changes.
• The AllSpark is cast into space beyond Megatron's reach for safekeeping, yet again.
• Smokescreen makes a reference to Alpha Trion.

Real-world references

• The laying of a sword on the shoulders as Optimus does with Bumblebee during the warrior ceremony is from the investiture ceremony, used when someone is knighted.

Errors

• Predaking is often missing his wings when he transforms into beast mode, for instance during the fight with Unicron/Megatron, Darksteel and Skylynx, and the fight against the Terrorcon Predacons. At the end of the last fight they just suddenly reappear when it ends at the Well of All Sparks.
• Darkmount's throne is undamaged when Starscream tries to claim it, even though Unicron shot it multiple times and pitched a spear through it.
• The manacles that Knock Out and the Vehicons are wearing in their first appearance are gone when Starscream shows up to break them out.
• Ratchet's medical scan of Ultra Magnus shows two intact hands, when he clearly still has the claw Ratchet fashioned for him.
• Megatron claims he's leaving and swearing off his villainy because he finally understands what it feels like to be under tyranny...even though he started the war over the unfair and domineering caste system and considered himself a freedom fighter. Guess he forgot about that?

Trivia

• Predacons Rising is a "Hub Original Family Movie", concluding the Prime cartoon.
• Originally, TVGuide's listing for this movie was incorrectly (yet still more appropriately) titled "Chaos Rising", which was later said to be the original title before Hasbro ordered the title changed. Though, TVGuide does still list it as a three part episode instead of a movie. Subsequently, however, this movie did eventually air on the Hub split into episode form, using the titles given by TVGuide. "Predacons Rising - Part 1" aired on November 14, 2013, "Predacons Rising - Part 2" aired on November 18, 2013, and "Predacons Rising - Part 3" aired on November 19, 2013.
• Bumblebee demonstrates leadership skills as he manages the defense against Unicron's attack on the Well of All Sparks in Optimus Prime's absence. This is an arc that is further explored and developed for Bumblebee as he leads his team in the sequel series Robots in Disguise.
• The Star Saber is used by Optimus to promote Bumblebee, and is never seen again in the rest of the movie. It's never mentioned as being aboard the Nemesis like the other Iacon relics are, so Optimus must still have it. But if so, why didn't he use it against Unicron?
• The film was leaked online a few weeks before its airdate.
• Some plot threads from this series would return in the follow-up series Robots in Disguise:
  • Soundwave and Laserbeak return from the Shadowzone in "Portals" before being chucked right back in. Soundwave's voice from the Shadowzone was heard throughout Season 3 until the duo returned in "Collateral Damage", only to be defeated.
  • The Dark Star Saber's whereabouts, or even survival, were unknown following its fall from Earth orbit; it was recovered in "Mighty Big Trouble".
  • The aftermath of Starscream's last altercation with the Predacons was elaborated upon in "Mini-Con Madness"; the episode confirmed the fatal fate of Darksteel and Skylynx, while Predaking's whereabouts were revealed in Issue #6 of the tie-in comic.
• Rik Alvarez said originally, Megatron (or Galvatron), would have allied with Airachnid and her undead Insecticons to supplement his Terrorcons.

Foreign localization

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising"
• Original airdate: November 23 2013

• Something odd occurs in the Portuguese dubbing of Megatron. He is voiced by two actors in the movie, by Guilherme Lopes, dub voice of William Fowler, when in his mind and by Antônio Moreno, his regular voice actor, when speaking through his body. What's strange is that in the dubbing credits, Lopes is credited as "Inner Megatron", indicating that this casting choice was not a mistake, but an order from the distributor.

French

• Title: "Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising"
• Original airdate: November 1 2013

• In Unicron's phrase "I now wish to finish what I began eons ago", "eons" is not translated, making it a Transformer-specific time measure.
• Smokescreen's phrase "Phase beats flame every time!" is dubbed by "We've proven ourselves as dragon tamers!".
• Bumblebee's phrase "Wheeljack! Do you read?" still has the radio effect on it, despite the camera being back to the ship with Bumblebee.

Indonesian

• Title: "Transformers Prime: Kebangitan Predakon"
• Original airdate: October 4 2013

Spanish (Spain)

• Title: "Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising"
• Original airdate: 1 December 2013

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

DVD

2013 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Predacons Rising (Shout! Factory)
2014 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Predacons Rising (Madman Entertainment)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Predacons Rising (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Intégrale Saison 3 (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Predacons Rising (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Predacons Rising (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Predacons Rising (Primal Screen) — English, German, Dutch and French audio.
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 — Predacons Rising (Shout! Factory)
2016 — Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters — Season Three Collection (Madman Entertainment)