Base

« Transformers: Armada ep 3 »
All yours belong to us.
"Base" 仲間 (ともだち) (Tomodachi) "Comrades: Friends"
Production code	TF: A-03
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	August 23, 2002 (English) 24 January 2003 (Japanese)
Writer	Ryō Motohira
Director	Issa Kobayashi
Animation studio	Actas Inc.
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy

More Mini-cons are found and the Autobots get their base set up.

Synopsis

In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!

The Decepticons open fire on Optimus Prime, forcing him to his knees. Megatron reveals Leader-1 and combines with the Mini-Con, activating the huge cannon at his waist. The cannon fires with such force that the Decepticon leader is flung backwards. Fortunately the shot misses its intended target and destroys the hill behind Optimus. Though Optimus is amused, Megatron merely states that that was only a taste of his power, and laughs maniacally. At length. Then he begins repeatedly firing on the Autobots while sliding backwards and finally falling over on his back. Unfortunately the blasts cause a landslide which tumbles towards Alexis, Carlos and Rad. Hot Shot shields the three kids, keeping them safe, while Red Alert does the same with the Mini-Cons. Alexis wonders what's happened to Megatron, and quickly spots three glints of light: more Mini-Con storage panels.

Starscream and Demolishor rush to their fallen leader to check on his health, and he tells them to go destroy Optimus Prime. The conversation is interrupted by Optimus himself, who grabs Starscream by the head and throws him at Demolishor before grappling directly with Megatron.

"Whoa... my hands are huge... They can touch everything but themselves... Oh wait."

Red Alert pulls one of the Mini-Con panels from the ground, activating it. Hot Shot gains the Mini-Con Jolt while Red Alert combines with Longarm and the pair fire on the Decepticons with the new weapons they've just unlocked. Megatron, Starscream and Demolishor promptly teleport away. Cyclonus sticks around long enough to steal two Mini-Cons the children just dug up, and then teleports away as well, cackling insanely. On the Moon, Megatron is not at all pleased—until Cyclonus arrives and presents one of the stolen Mini-Cons.

"Go Team Mini-Con!"

Optimus tells the kids that Megatron is likely to return, now that he knows there are more Mini-Cons to be had. Rad complains that the whole thing was an accident, leading into a flashback to the discovery of High Wire. He'd never have done it had he known it would start a war. Proper introductions are made, and further exposition about the function of the Mini-Cons and purpose of the Decepticons on Earth given. Rad asks if the Autobots want the Mini-Cons for power like the Decepticons do, and Optimus assures him that the Autobots treat Mini-Cons as equals while the Decepticons treat them as slaves. The three kids offer to help. After Rad and Carlos joke that they tricked Alexis over being able to understand Mini-Con speech, they make up and bump fists. The Autobots are intrigued by this Earth custom and bump fists as well, making the ground shake.

The next day at school, there's a basketball game, and Fred gets hit in the face with the ball several times. Rad and Carlos play dumb when Billy asks them about the earthquake, and Alexis points out that they would have heard about any earthquake on the radio. Rad and Carlos also explain away their new bicycle and skateboard, though Billy still suspects them of being up to something. Alexis catches up to her friends to inform them that they almost blew it.

Special XXX-Rated Adults-Only Powerlinxing.

On the Moon, Starscream and Demolishor have a sharp argument about who's going to be Megatron's right-hand man when he takes over the universe, and they end up fighting. Demolishor is more massive stronger, but Starscream proves to be faster and more adroit, ultimately winning. But they're interrupted by Megatron himself, who orders them to stop wasting their energy and reminds them of their mission to search out all the Mini-Cons. He activates one of the Mini-Cons Cyclonus recovered, Blackout, and presents him to Demolishor as his "little partner in crime". While Starscream fumes, Megatron tells him he has to capture his own Mini-Con.

Billy and Fred go into the mountains again and observe that it looks like a bulldozer drove though. Below ground, Carlos and Rad are marvelling at the activated spaceship. The Autobots present the kids with Laserbeak, a small bird which transforms into a video camera. After Optimus explains its purpose, High Wire alerts them to the fact more Mini-Cons are coming on-line.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Others
Optimus Prime (1) Red Alert (4) Hot Shot (5) Laserbeak (19)	Starscream (2) Cyclonus (3) Demolishor (6) Megatron (7)	Alexis (9) Rad White (12) Carlos Lopez (14) Billy (16) Fred (17)	Leader-1 (8) Sureshock (10) High Wire (11) Grindor (13) Jolt (14) Longarm (15) Crumplezone (18) Blackout (19)

Quotes

"Hot Shot, are you all right?!"

—Optimus has no concern for the Mini-Cons or the children (or even for Red Alert), apparently.

"Ah, yes, now I find out they're all incompetent."

—Megatron should really have noticed that earlier.

"Ah, man, that guy burns me up."

—Rad's reaction to Cyclonus making off with a Mini-Con.

"Come on, boys, we've got work to do!"

—Megatron... refers to his troops as "boys" apparently.

"I am totally surrounded by weirdos."

—Alexis has an epiphany.

Notes

Differences with Micron Legend

• Rad's "previously on" narration is an Armada addition since the footage it's playing over isn't from the previous episode. In Micron Legend, Alexis provides the narration in which she reintroduces herself, her friends, and the Autobots to the audience; she also provides the closing narration for the episode.
• The opening dialogue in Armada has Optimus warning Megatron to leave the kids out of their fight, and Megatron inviting Prime to show his wrath as it holds no candle to his own and saying that he'll crush the Autobot leader as well as the kids. In Micron Legend, Prime says Megatron getting the children involved is unforgivable, and Megatron fires back by saying he only cares about the Mini-Cons, not the planet, and whoever gets in his way will be eliminated.
• Optimus asks the kids if they're alright instead of telling them to run.
• Micron Legend removes Starscream and Optimus's first lines after the commercial bumper, and during the shot of Starscream rotating in the air, he says Prime moves slow enough for him to strike him in a single go.
• Red Alert and Hot Shot state the obvious about Optimus getting hit in Armada, but in Micron Legend, they simply call out his name. After this, Starscream states it's time to finish off the Autobots in Armada but in Micron Legend, he says the Decepticons will send the Autobots to the Pit, in other words, Transformers hell.
• In Armada, Megatron asks Optimus if he will surrender, but Prime unusually doesn't want to miss any of the fun, so Megatron says his new partner Mini-Con Leader-1 will put an end to Prime's sense of humor. In Micron Legend, Megatron ponders what is wrong with Optimus, who answers that the Decepticon leader is nothing more than a puppet, so Megatron decides to give Optimus "a special kind of beating" with Leader-1 lending his power.
• Armada has Optimus teasing Megatron for missing him, Megatron saying the shot was only a sample of his power, and him claiming that Optimus won't know what hit him when he's ready. Micron Legend removes Prime's quip, and Megatron realizes that he can't aim right if he uses too much power, before reveling in his destructive power.
• Armada has Megatron claiming he will conquer Cybertron, but Micron Legend has him declare that today's when the Autobots will meet their end.
• As he is blasting the Autobots, Megatron keeps laughing maniacally in Micron Legend, but in Armada, he quips, "It's time to turn it up."
• In Armada, Optimus strangely only refers to Hot Shot after the landslide. In Micron Legend, he correctly refers to both Hot Shot and Red Alert.
• After being saved from the landslide, Alexis wonders where Megatron is in Armada before telling Rad and Carlos to look to where she's pointing. In Micron Legend, she expresses her fear that they were going to die and points out the Mini-Con panels, explicitly calling them that.
• In Micron Legend, Optimus doesn't tell Starscream to get out of his way. Then Prime says he will destroy Megatron's evil ambitions, and Megatron tells him to shut up before they lock hands.
• Upon powerlinxing with Jolt, the beam Hot Shot fires from his cannon is red in Armada, but yellow in Micron Legend, evidently changed to match the initial flare of energy from the gun, which is yellow in both versions (see collage below). As the series consistently makes Autobot firepower red, that would mean the Japanese version changed this to be wrong.
• Megatron remarks not on the incompetence of his soldiers in Micron Legend, but on Hot Shot and Red Alert obtaining Mini-Cons. Additionally, he's merely calling retreat when he warps away, while in Armada, he announces a puzzling intent to "take matters into his own hands."
• In Armada, the Autobots say they're going after the Decepticons after they retreat. In Micron Legend, Red Alert and Hot Shot address Optimus, and he asks them what Cyclonus is doing, a detail the English dub neglects since he was the only Decepticon left behind.
• The shot of Cyclonus getting the two panels the children found is wider in Micron Legend, as the one in Armada obscures his right hand.
• In Armada, Cyclonus says he loves surprises just before he warps, and Rad says the Decepticon pisses him off despite barely knowing him. In Micron Legend, Cyclonus says he's happy to take the Mini-Cons and says, "W-Wait!" before warping. Then Rad says, "Damn, that guy..."
• Back on the moon in Armada, Megatron fumes about something taking too long before Cyclonus arrives and tells him about the children finding more Mini-Con panels. Pleased with Cyclonus' discovery, Megatron declares they have work to do. The scene in Micron Legend begins with Megatron cursing the Autobots. Then Cyclonus returns and presents the Mini-Con panel to Megatron, much to his surprise. Cyclonus says he took advantage of the situation when the others retreated. Megatron compliments him on the job well done, and tells Starscream and Demolishor they should learn from Cyclonus.

File:Armada ep3 animation changes.jpg

Micron Legend screencaps, at left, depict a string of inconsequential changes to the Armada animation (at right) that represent an effort that could have been better directed elsewhere.

• The discussion between the kids and Autobots after the battle is basically the same in both versions, but it hits a lot of different beats along the way:
  • Where Armada has them talking about the Decepticons' imminent return, in Micron Legend, they discuss the crashed spaceship.
  • In Armada, while Rad says that he brought the Mini-Cons out of hibernation, the Transformers theme tune starts playing, and he says he wouldn't have touched the panel if he knew it would start a war. Then Optimus explains how the signal traveled to Cybertron and alerted the Transformers. In Micron Legend, after Carlos's flashback appearance, there's no music nor dialogue from Rad until returning to the present, as Rad says that his touching High Wire's panel is the trigger that brought the Transformers to Earth. Then as Optimus explains the light traveling to Cybertron, the music heard during the same scene from the first episode is reused. And when Cybertron appears, there's no dialogue from Prime after that point.
  • While the kids and Prime introduce themselves to each other in Armada, Optimus Prime responds to their inquiries by explaining the nature of Cybertron and the Transformer race in Micron Legend; introductions come later, which Armada replaces with the kids volunteering their help to the Autobots. During their intros, Micron Legend adds the kids thanking the Autobots for saving them, and when Alexis mentions how scared she was, Optimus ascribes it to the children seeing how large the Transformers are for the first time.
  • Instead of hollering about how cool the Autobots are, Carlos tells them they already know who Megatron and the Decepticons are.
  • Rather than having Optimus refer to the Mini-Cons as the pawns in the war, he explains how the Decepticons want to use their power to conquer Cybertron and then the universe.
  • Armada has Rad question why the Autobots' motives for finding the Mini-Cons are different to the Decepticons, while Micron Legend sees him worry more about the Pandora's Box he fears he's opened. Armada re-adds this a bit later while the kids are offering to help.
  • Last episode, Armada had the kids unable to understand Mini-Con speech; in this episode, Rad fluctuates between accurately translating for High Wire and only guessing what he is saying. In Micron Legend, they all can, and Optimus singles this out as a unique thing, talking about fate binding the kids and Mini-Cons. He follows this by talking about how they must destroy the Decepticons, while in Armada, he talks about the history of the Mini-Cons.
  • Armada just has Rad claim he is guessing what the Mini-Cons are saying, followed by him teasing Alexis about it. Micron Legend has Rad joke about how Alexis is going to take a break from her studies to be a part of the Autobot experience before Carlos pokes fun at her for not having enough time to hang out with them. Alexis expresses anger over the boys' teasing in Armada, but righteous fury over their apparent shirking of responsibility in Micron Legend.
  • When Carlos and Rad hold out their fists in Armada, Rad tells Alexis they're just joking with her, and after the trio fistbumps, Alexis asks Hot Shot why he looks confused. In Micron Legend, Rad "welcomes" Alexis back to "exploring in the mud again," following up on what he said in the first episode about Alexis growing distant from the boys. Then after the group fistbump, Alexis says that it's been a while since they've done that.
  • During the final fistbump among the Autobots, Optimus declares the crashed spaceship will serve as their base. There's also no laughing from them at the end of the scene.
• Billy and Fred spout generic sporting trash talk in Armada, while Micron Legend has them actively questioning the others about what they were doing in the cave, leading into the rest of the discussion, post-game. A point in their conversation that Armada loses is that the Cosmoscope Research Center's computers were knocked offline at the time of the earthquake, which is why there's no recording.
• Carlos downplays his skateboard in Armada, but sings its praises in Micron Legend.
• After Rad and Carlos leave, Fred asks if Billy is thinking of a plan in Armada but notes something strange about how the others' jump over the stairs in Micron Legend.
• During Alexis' brief internal monologue after she looks at Billy and Fred, she says weirdos surround her in Armada, but in Micron Legend, she thinks to herself that Rad and Carlos are idiots.
• Billy pines after Alexis in Armada, but in Micron Legend, he's just talking about going back to the cave.
• In Armada, Starscream and Demolishor fight over who will be Megatron's right-hand man, but in Micron Legend, they're having a contest to see who will get the second Mini-Con Cyclonus captured earlier. Megatron gives it to Demolishor not to spite Starscream, as Armada implies, but because he believes Starscream has the skill to find one. Micron Legend also removes Megatron speaking earlier in the scene. When he stops the fight, Megatron has already made his decision, but in Armada, Megatron says his men shouldn't be fighting amongst themselves and wasting energy on "playfights."
• After Starscream and Demolisher's scuffle, Megatron gets the last bit of dialogue in the scene in Armada. In Micron Legend, it's changed to Starscream as his mouth is now animated to muse about the fight being too easy.
• Megatron's speech to his troops about gaining Mini-Con power is an Armada addition; in Micron Legend, his pontifications are directed at the panel itself, beseeching the Mini-Con within to come forth.
• As Megatron works his wicked way upon the Mini-Con panel, it is much larger in Armada, taking up most of the table. Micron Legend corrects the panel's size.
• After the scene with the Decepticons, the camera tracks toward Earth in Micron Legend but zooms out away from it in Armada.
• The downward pan from Billy and Fred to the Autobot base beneath is sped up for Armada.
• In Micron Legend, rather than criticize Carlos's analysis of the base as obvious, Alexis chastises him for just using the word "awesome" repeatedly. When Rad appears and starts talking about how cool the base is, he suggests other words Carlos could use. Hilarious.
• The animation of Optimus as he tells Red Alert to give them Laserbeak is entirely redrawn for Micron Legend (see the comparison at right).
• The shot of Laserbeak transforming in Alexis's hands is cropped much tighter in Micron Legend.
• After High Wire says another Mini-Con has awoken, Optimus says everyone should head into the control room.
• Hot Shot merely talks about kicking butt in Armada, while in Micron Legend, he explains to the confused kids that Red Alert has repaired the control room.
• In Armada, as she runs after the Autobots with Carlos and the Mini-Cons, Alexis asks where they are going, but in Micron Legend, she tells the Autobots to wait up.
• The two versions play different music during the ending scene in the command center. Armada uses the Transformers theme.
• For the ending narration in Armada, Rad says the universe's only hope was that Autobots would be the first to find the Mini-Cons now coming back to life on Earth. In Micron Legend, Alexis notes this is how the kids end up helping the Autobots look for the Mini-Cons.

Animation and technical errors

• The animation during the opening battle is atrociously bad, almost on par with that of the episode, "Decisive Battle," especially with the size discrepancies between the humans and Transformers.
• When Megatron takes the panel from Cyclonus, Megatron doesn't have a mouth.
• After going up the stairs while leaving school, it looks like Carlos is flying on Grindor.
• Demolishor's transforming animation during his battle with Starscream on the Moon consists of his robot model leaning off-screen or onscreen.
• As Starscream reattaches his sword after the fight between him and Demolishor, the Decepticon symbol on his right wing is missing, and there is a purple spot on his arm that should be white.
• During the shots of Demolisher, Starscream, and Cyclonus facing Megatron on his throne, the Decepticon insignias on Starscream's wings are missing.
• The Mini-Con on Cyclonus' shoulder is ridiculously puny.
• The shot of Megatron with the newly-awakened Blackout reuses Megatron's animation earlier in the episode, from when he delighted about the power boost from Leader-1.
• The position of Alexis' hands seems to change during the scene of her holding Laserbeak.

Trivia

• The kanji 仲間 would be pronounced as "nakama," while "tomodachi" is for the kanji 友達.
• Cyclonus stole two Mini-Con storage panels from the children and presented only one to Megatron. Crumplezone is perched on Cyclonus's shoulder when Megatron offers the other panel to Demolishor, so Cyclonus must have activated him off-screen.
• After all the talk of Starscream needing to find his own Mini-Con, Megatron presents one Cyclonus found to Demolishor. Huh?
• This episode was included on Rhino's "Best Battles" DVD compilation, along with "Metamorphosis," "Confrontation," and "Decisive Battle."
• Rad, Alexis, and Carlos seem way too happy with themselves for beating Billy and the overweight Fred in three-on-two basketball. It's not like three victories in a row would be a great struggle. Dicks.
• With the Japanese dub, this episode features the show's first references to the Pit and Megatron's title as the Emperor of Destruction.
• Going by the Japanese dub, Alexis is the "mother" of the trio.

Foreign localization

German

• Title: "Das Geheimnis der Mini-Cons" ("The Secret of the Mini-Cons")
• Original airdate: 3 December 2003

Hungarian

• Title: "A bázis" ("The Base")

Polish

• Title: "Baza" ("Base")

Portuguese

• Title: "Base"

French

• Title: "La base" ("The Base")

Korean

• Title: "옵티머스 변신" ("Optimus Transformation")

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

DVD

2003 — Transformers: Micron Legend — Volume 1 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2003 — Transformers: Armada — Vol:01 (Universal)
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Best Battles (Rhino Entertainment)
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part One (Rhino Entertainment)
2005 — Transformers: Armada — Triple Collection (Universal)
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Bumper Double DVD Collection (Universal)
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Volume One (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)