Detection

« Transformers: Armada ep 27 »
"Detection" 発覚 (しょうたい) (Shōtai) "Detection: True Character"
Production code	TF: A-27
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	March 1, 2003 (English) 11 July 2003 (Japanese)
Writer	Ryō Motohira
Director	Masayuki Motsumoto
Animation studio	Actas Inc.
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy

The Decepticons are suspicious of Sideways. They should be.

Synopsis

Jetfire and Smokescreen arm-wrestle while Hot Shot and the kids watch. Carlos is confused by Alexis cheering for both combatants, and Smokescreen blames his loss on his arm falling asleep. Alexis reflects on how morale has been high since Jetfire arrived.

Thrust explains to Megatron that the reason both of his plans failed was that the Decepticons are unable to work as a team like the Autobots do. Though Megatron takes this as a slight against his command abilities, Thrust begs his leader to let him continue. Demolishor's scoffing at Thrust's command ability proves the point that the Decepticons are too busy bickering to work as a team. Thrust tells Megatron that if they're able to obtain the Skyboom Shield, then more Decepticons will come to Earth to join their cause. But Thrust says first they have something else to attend to, and looks pointedly at Sideways.

Meanwhile, something big moves through the Solar System.

Did I ever tell you I was part-bat?

Repairs in the Autobot base aren't going well, with Hot Shot and Optimus seeming to be confused over where to put things. Alexis notices that Jetfire is missing. The kids follow Hot Shot and ask him what the Autobots are going to do once the ship is repaired. He says they intend to stay on Earth until all the Mini-Cons are free. They join Jetfire, who's reviewing battle footage. They review more footage, and Jetfire asks about Sideways. The others fill him in on how Sideways fooled them all into thinking he was an Autobot.

Sideways and Demolishor discuss how they don't trust Thrust, and Sideways manipulates his dim comrade into thinking they need to kill off the Decepticon jet. When Demolisher says he'll talk Starscream and Cyclonus into helping them, Sideways announces he's taking care of it himself, making Demolishor even more determined to do it.

Jetfire is skeptical that Sideways really is a Decepticon, playing a clip which shows Sideways shooting down Cyclonus. Hot Shot and the kids are confused.

Thrust is waiting to meet Megatron out on the surface of the Moon, when Demolishor rises out of a pile of discarded parts, seizing the Decepticon and tossing him away. Nearby, Sideways watches smugly before going to a cave to make a report that the Autobots are now stronger than the Decepticons. He's interrupted by the rest of the Decepticons. Demolishor is confused as to what's going on, and the others explain that Sideways has been duping them all along. Megatron then arrives and confronts Sideways, only for the latter to activate a hidden panel. The ground shakes, covering Sideways's escape, but Thrust gives chase.

Words cannot express how much I hate France right now!

Back on Earth, the kids puzzle over what Sideways's deal is. Alexis doesn't think he's trying to collect Mini-Cons, and they ultimately decide he can't be trusted.

Thrust and Sideways fight in robot mode with the rest of the Decepticons watching. As Megatron tells Thrust to finish his enemy, Sideways dissolves into static, appearing as a ghostly form. Megatron slashes it with the Star Saber, but it reforms. The other Decepticons fire ineffectually on Sideways and, after Megatron slashes him a few more times, Sideways disappears. Megatron boasts, but the static reforms into Sideways's rider's head and gloats that Megatron will never destroy him. Still gloating, Sideways's rider flies off into space.

Sometime later, the Decepticons and Autobots are locked in another battle as the huge object from earlier moves through Earth's atmosphere.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Mini-Cons
Smokescreen (6) Jetfire (7) Hot Shot (8) Blurr (9) Red Alert (19) Scavenger (20) Optimus Prime (21)	Sideways (12) Starscream (13) Megatron (14) Thrust (15) Demolishor (16) Cyclonus (17) Tidal Wave (silhouette) (18)	Rad White (1) Carlos Lopez (2) Alexis (3) Fred (10) Billy (11)	Grindor (4) Sureshock (5) Drill Bit (22) High Wire (23) Perceptor (24) Bonecrusher (25) Jolt (26) Mirror (27)

Quotes

"Oh, yeah? Bring it on, Smokey!"

—Jetfire mistakes Smokescreen for a bear.

"And remember how Hot Shot and Carlos almost became Swiss cheese?"
"Aw, man, don't even go there, or I'll end up in therapy."

—Alexis and Carlos

"I don't trust him as far as I could throw him. I'd love to crush that arrogant mainframe into a pile of titanium shavings!"

—Demolishor on Thrust

"This is one virus you'll never be able to eliminate, Megatron! You see, I can change my appearance any time I please, and I can fight at any power level, so you'll never destroy me! Never! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

—Mirror

Notes

Differences with Micron Legend

• In Armada, Carlos asks Alexis why she's cheering for both Jetfire and Smokescreen during their arm-wrestling match. She answers that she wants them both to win, and Carlos quips about not understanding girls. In Micron Legend, Carlos asks who Alexis is cheering for, and she says, "A goddess would smile down on either of them," leaving Carlos stumped about what she means by that. Then, after Smokescreen loses the match, he claims his arm fell asleep in Armada, but in Micron Legend, he says "an old-timer" like him is no match for Jetfire. Then Hot Shot says it's Jetfire's third win straight and that he doesn't know what losing means. Jetfire brags about being invincible, and Carlos remarks on how Jetfire loves to boast.
• For her opening narration in Armada, Alexis says Jetfire's arrival has made the others full of energy and ready to take down the Decepticons, but she isn't looking forward to the boosted morale being put to the test. In Micron Legend, Alexis says the Autobot base has become more relaxed since Jetfire came. Though the nonstop fighting has everyone slightly exhausted, they feel the war is now at a significant turning point.
• Micron Legend changes Thrust's dialogue to him saying that despite the unexpected defeat last time, he learned a lot about the Autobots instead of the Decepticons. Yet, he comes to the same conclusion: the Decepticons lack unity. Armada gives Thrust and Megatron some filler dialogue to remove some of the silence in this scene. Unlike Armada, Megatron is very laid back and says he won't get mad, making his subsequent outburst funnier compared to the English version.
• Instead of berating Thrust for questioning his leadership and praising his men as the greatest Decepticons, Megatron asks Thrust if his men's flaws are why his plans as a tactician have failed so far, and threatens to cut off Thrust's mouth with the Star Saber. Later, in Armada, Thrust says he won't "overstep his rank," but in Micron Legend, he says he'll do whatever it takes to break the stalemate the Decepticons are in.
• Demolishor says Thrust is nothing but talk in Armada. In Micron Legend, he says he's not doing another of Thrust's strategies just to watch the Autobots collect Mini-Cons back-to-back. Then Thrust says the amount of Mini-Cons the Autobots have isn't the problem, and they must focus on reclaiming the Skyboom Shield.
• Thrust says reinforcements will be there soon, but the issue of the lack of teamwork among the Decepticons must be handled first. This does a better job building up Tidal Wave's arrival since Armada has Thrust claim that more Decepticons will join their cause once they reclaim the Skyboom Shield.
• In Armada, Hot Shot says he was positive the panel was supposed to go where he's trying to fit it. Micron Legend changes it to Hot Shot saying that something seemed off about it instead. Then, instead of Red Alert addressing everyone as he does in Armada, he tells Scavenger there is still work to do before he can doze off.
• When talking with the kids, Armada has Hot Shot say he can't wait to go back to Cybertron and that he'd miss the kids. Micron Legend changes his dialogue to him saying the Autobots have to return to Cybertron eventually since it's their homeworld. Instead of saying that Jetfire's not as attractive as he is, Hot Shot says Jetfire tends to get carried away. Then Alexis says Jetfire reminds her of someone she knows. Hot Shot asks if she's referring to him, but Alexis remains modest.
• Instead of Jetfire saying the footage is from "the last battle with the Decepticons" like in Armada, he says that he is looking through the Autobots' battles.
• When talking about Sideways, Hot Shot calls him a virus in Armada but says he was a Decepticon all along in Micron Legend. Then, in Armada, Jetfire calls Sideways a lowlife, but in Micron Legend, he asks, "One with two faces?" tying into Sideways's Japanese name, Double-Face.
• In Armada, Demolishor rants about not trust Thrust and wanting to crush him. In Micron Legend, he goes off about Thrust accusing the Decepticons of lacking unity instead of owning up to his failures. Then Sideways claims Thrust is trying to dissolve the Decepticon army, which is why they should get rid of him; Armada reduces the reason to the fear of losing the war.
• While analyzing the footage of Sideways shooting Cyclonus down, Hot Shot asks why Sideways would help the Autobots. Jetfire says the footage doesn't show the exact moment of the shot, yet Alexis agrees that Sideways attacked Cyclonus. Armada replaces this dialogue with the characters talking about the video possibly being glitched or edited. Then in Micron Legend, Carlos wonders if Sideways also betrayed the Decepticons before Rad asks what Sideways is after.
• Thrust asks why Megatron would request to meet at his location during the shot of his legs just before Demolishor grabs him. After throwing Thrust away, Demolishor mocks him for being a poor fighter. In Armada, he warns Thrust not to show his face again instead. Then Sideways says, "That's it, let the infighting continue..." in Micron Legend.
• When Starscream finds him in the tunnel, Sideways exclaims in surprise in Micron Legend. Then Demolishor is heard telling Cyclonus to let him go before asking about Megatron as he is brought in, shocked to see Sideways. He asks what's happening, and Starscream calls him a moron for asking at all. In Armada, they say that Sideways tricked the whole group but say that he tricked Demolishor instead in Micron Legend. Then Thrust says Sideways used Demolishor's loyalty to Megatron to trick him.
• After Sideways transforms, Thrust says not to let him escape while flying after him. Then Armada removes a line from Starscream before he prepares to transform. In Armada, Megatron says letting Thrust deal with Sideways alone is an excellent way to test his loyalty. In Micron Legend, he says it's a chance to see if Thrust can deliver results "as big as his mouth."
• Rad asks what Sideways is thinking before Jetfire recounts the story of an unknown evil that once tried to devour Cybertron. Billy and Carlos wonder what it could be. Fred asks Carlos if he knows, and Carlos shouts that Jetfire brought it up, not him.
• Fred's line about when everyone will eat is removed, and his dialogue with Jetfire is changed to them clumsily wondering what currently matters. Then Alexis says Jetfire is trying to say they should be on their guard for now, which Jetfire confirms though nothing else changes. Armada changes the dialogue to be about how they agree that they can't trust Sideways.
• As he fires at Thrust in Micron Legend, Sideways brags about being able to track Thrust's movements since he can see his feet going through the garbage. Later, before commanding Thrust to finish Sideways, Megatron asks himself which of them will win instead of being impressed as he does in Armada. After Sideways becomes ghostly static, he says he never thought he'd be forced to use his other form and praises the Decepticons, but laughs maniacally in Armada.
• After reforming himself from Megatron's attack, Sideways brags about how he can't be cut, and before the others unleash their assault, Sideways tells Megatron his attacks are pointless.
• In Armada, Megatron says he has eradicated the virus. In Micron Legend, he says Sideways wasn't a Transformer after all. Then Sideways calls Megatron a fool and says that he is a Transformer, just one with a different mind and structure, and urges the 'Cons to keep fighting. Megatron asks if the ghostly image is Sideways's true form before telling the disembodied head of Sideways's rider to "burn in the Pit!" In Armada, this is the first time Sideways speaks since changing his form, bragging about being a virus that can transform into anything and one Megatron can never destroy.
• Armada has Sideways's rider claim the Star Saber and Skyboom Shield are mere toys to him, and wonders who will win the race to find all the Mini-Cons. Micron Legend has him say the sword and shield aren't the only Mini-Con weapons, and that Megatron is in for a surprise as to what the next set of Mini-Cons will become, setting up the Requiem Blaster that will debut in two episodes.
• During the last scene in Armada, Megatron tells Optimus to be smart and surrender, and Optimus tells Megatron to follow his own advice. Megatron quips that a war has never been won with words and declares Optimus will be no more once the Decepticons have all the Mini-Cons. Fed up with Megatron's talking, Optimus declares the Mini-Cons belong to the Autobots. In Micron Legend, Megatron refuses to let Optimus do as he wants, and Optimus says the Autobots will end Megatron's evil ambitions though Megatron says Prime can try. Then Megatron says the Mini-Cons only exist to benefit him, but Optimus swears to free all the Mini-Cons by the name of every Prime that's existed.
• In Armada's closing narration, Rad says a new battle has begun and asks if the Autobots can fend off the Decepticons before Megatron controls the universe. This part of Micron Legend is silent.

Animation and technical errors

• Some of the dialogue in this episode is difficult to hear. This issue doesn't exist in the Japanese dub.
• In the beginning, Carlos says Jetfire doesn't have an ego. But doesn't constant bragging equal to having an ego?
• In one shot during Thrust's "evaluation" of the Decepticons, Megatron's eye is miscolored yellow. Micron Legend fixes this.
• In some shots, Thrust, Starscream, and Megatron are missing the shadow around their eyes.
• After Hot Shot decides to join Jetfire in slacking off, Rad's eyes are reduced to dots for some reason.
• As part of a repeating error, Sideways's bare robot mode head is colored shades of grey instead of yellow and purple outside of his stock footage sequences. Another recurring mistake with Sideways is the disappearing and reappearing Autobot/Decepticon symbol on his chest.
• The footage that Jetfire, Hot Shot, and the kids review from their "last battle with the Decepticons" often doesn't bear any resemblance to what they're describing:
  • The footage features Cyclonus powerlinxing with Drill Bit, which happened in "Underground."
  • The footage of "the first time Optimus went up against Megatron" is actually from "Comrade." The Japanese dub corrects this to have Rad describe it as the first time the kids fought alongside the Autobots.
  • Rad refers to Optimus transforming into a "really cool base" when it's his trailer transforming. Micron Legend removes this bit.
  • During the section from "Confrontation," Hot Shot is heard shouting, "Transform!" when he punches Megatron.
• During the footage of Cyclonus firing at Hot Shot and Blurr from "Decisive Battle," Cyclonus's lasers are miscolored black before turning purple.
• After Sideways shoots at him, Starscream's eyes don't have the shadow around them, making them look small. In the Japanese dub, however, Starscream's eyes look twice their regular size to compensate for the missing shadow.
• When Megatron compliments Thrust from offscreen, there seems to be a frame of animation missing when the others turn in Megatron's direction.
• Starscream prepares to chase after Sideways but suddenly stops for no reason. In Micron Legend, it's explained by Megatron telling Starscream to wait at the last second.
• The specks of debris kicked up by Thrust while he stalks Sideways in stealth mode is colored black. The Japanese dub changes the debris color and makes it easier to see.
• The animation of the Decepticons' reaction to Sideways's ghostly form is flat, and the jagged twitching does it no favors either. After this, in Micron Legend, Megatron exclaims, "Why you!" before he leaps toward Sideways, but his mouth doesn't move.
• Megatron looks like a low-res pixel image as he faces Sideways in one shot.
• As Megatron relishes Sideways's apparent destruction, his face is colored similar to his helmet.
• In the last scene, after Megatron orders the Decepticons to fire, Demolishor is colored like he is underwater.

Continuity errors

• Megatron says he's tired of being on the Moon, but this doesn't line up with what Thrust previously noted about the Decepticons being invincible once they repossess the Skyboom Shield. In Micon Legend, before Megatron says this, Thrust says the Decepticons can return to Cybertron once they have both the Star Saber and shield.

Transformers references

• When facing Sideways near the end, Megatron references the Pit in the Japanese dub.

Real-world referencess

• Though it's probably unintentional, Jetfire refers to Smokey Bear (quoted above).

Trivia

• The kanji 発覚 would be pronounced as "hakkaku," while "shōtai" is used for 正体.
• When Sideways makes his report, his rider and robot mode are unusually acting independently.
• Sideways is referred to several times as a virus; He's never called a virus in the Japanese dub.
• The second opening sequence and song "Transformers: Kōtetsu no Yūki," and second ending song "Don't Give Up!!" both debut in this episode in Micron Legend.
  • The new opening credits start with the Autobot-allied "Transformer" logo as seen in the original Generation 1 cartoon before switching to Micron Legend's logo. It then showcases the Autobots, accompanied by a tiled mosaic of the Decepticons that's composed of stock footage. Stock footage of the key Mini-Cons Teams—Street Action, Air Defense, Race, and Space—in their combined forms is also included.
  • The lyric in the new opening song, "The fate of all lifeforms is to evolve," harkens back to a line Alexis said in "Base," when she told Optimus that humans want to keep evolving.
  • The ending credits visuals remain the same: slowly panning over the original Autobot and Decepticon arrivals via Laserbeak in camcorder mode.
• This episode doesn't have an ending narration in Micron Legend.
• In the Japanese dub, this episode features the first hint of Unicron in the series.

Foreign localization

German

• Title: "Falsches Spiel" ("False Play")
• Original airdate: This episode was never shown on TV, but was dubbed in 2003. The dub premiered in 2009 with the German DVD release of the show.

Hungarian

• Title: "Megtévesztés" ("Deception")

Polish

• Title: "Wykrycie" ("Detection")

Korean

• Title: "진짜 스파이는 누구?" "(Who Is the Real Spy?)"

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

DVD

2003 — Transformers: Micron Legend — Volume 7 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2003 — Transformers: Armada — Vol:09 (Warner Music Video)
2006 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part Two (Rhino Entertainment)
2009 — Transformers: Armada — Volume Two (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)