War of the Dinobots

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File:Warofthedinobots.JPG "For God's sake, I didn't eat your damn pudding!"
"War of the Dinobots"
Production code	#700-07
Airdate	November 27, 1984
Written by	Donald F. Glut

Snarl and Swoop are added to the Dinobot roster... and just in time!

German Generation 2 title: "Krieg der Dinobots" ("War of the Dinobots")

Japanese title: 謎の巨大隕石 (Nazo no Kyodai Inseki, "The Mysterious Giant Meteorite")

Synopsis

Meteorini Chipar—ah, forget it.

An unidentified meteor is due to impact on Earth, and Chip Chase asks the Autobots to investigate. Fearing that its energy potential could be used by the Decepticons, Optimus Prime calls in the Dinobots for help.

At Decepticon headquarters, Megatron is watching video footage of the Dinobots and raging about how the dim-witted robots have defeated his warriors time and again. Megatron orders Soundwave to find their weaknesses.

After the meteor crash-lands, the Autobots take a sample back to their headquarters and leave the Dinobots to guard the crash site. Impressed that they are following orders, Prime decides to order Ratchet and Wheeljack to build two more Dinobots with Spike and Chip's help.

At the meteor site, Soundwave scans the Dinobots' brains while in hiding and reports back to Megatron. The Decepticon leaders declares Grimlock is arrogant, Slag is violent, and Sludge is stupid. He vows to use those weaknesses against the Dinobots.

Me Grimlock say "Pull!"

Megatron's forces arrive at the meteorite's location, and after the Dinobots trash the Seekers, Megatron comes forth and feigns humility. He wonders aloud why the Dinobots, as powerful as they are, follow a weaker leader such as Optimus Prime. Because of Megatron's powerful logic, Grimlock and the Dinobots are convinced to rebel against Prime, and the Decepticons take the meteorite.

At the Autobot base, Prime and Ratchet oversee construction of two new Dinobots: Snarl and Swoop. During this, Wheeljack discovers the meteorite's energy is highly unstable. Trailbreaker manages to encase the fragment in a force field just before it detonates. Fearing a huge explosion, Optimus Prime rushes out alone to warn the Dinobots.

Dinobots—built to rule!

At the base, Wheeljack has Snarl and Swoop do a test run of their powers. Bluestreak, Ironhide, Sideswipe and Prowl attempt to stop the new Dinobots, but get their cans soundly kicked.

Prime arrives at the crash site and is attacked by the Dinobots. Though Optimus puts up a good fight, the Autobot leader is unable to defeat the Dinobots by himself and is knocked out. However, Grimlock doesn't kill him or let the others hurt Prime further, a restraint that Prime attributes to their Autobot training. The Dinobots instead take Prime to the Decepticons.

At Autobot headquarters, Spike and Chip are concerned because Optimus hasn't reported in. Teletraan I alerts Wheeljack that the meteorite has been moved and is about ready to blow. Snarl and Swoop are sent to stop it.

While the Decepticons form energon cubes from the volatile meteorite energy, Starscream grows concerned by the meteorite's unstable nature. When Grimlock, Slag and Sludge arrive, Megatron is angered that they didn't kill Prime, but is soon distracted as the energon cubes detonate.

File:War of the dinos 7.jpg

You can let go of my hand now, Grimlock.

Swoop and Snarl arrive, and the two new Dinobots fight the old Dinobots to a standstill in a vicious battle. During the battle, the meteorite visually destabilizes, and just before it explodes, Prime pushes Grimlock to safety.

Realizing that Prime is both strong and has concern for his troops, Grimlock orders the Dinobots to attack Megatron. The Decepticons retreat, and Grimlock asks for Prime's forgiveness as the other Autobots arrive. However, Optimus Prime merely declares that the meteorite menace is over and they should go home.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Optimus Prime (3) Hound (4) Wheeljack (5) Ironhide (6) Ratchet (7) Slag (14) Sludge (15) Mirage (16) Grimlock (17) Prowl (20) Huffer (21) Gears (22) Brawn (23) Trailbreaker (24) Bluestreak (25) Sideswipe (26) Snarl (27) Swoop (28)	Megatron (8) Soundwave (9) Reflector (10) Starscream (11) Thundercracker (12) Rumble (13) Skywarp (19)	Chip Chase (1) Jeff (2) Spike Witwicky (7) Sparkplug Witwicky (18)

Quotes

"Well, meteor or no meteor, Optimus Prime, it's great not worrying about the Decepticons for a change."
"I always worry about the Decepticons, Spike."

—Spike Witwicky learns that Optimus Prime really needs a vacation.

"I’ve seen enough! My finest warriors defeated by those primitive, pea-brained beasts. Revolting!"

—Megatron on the Decepticons' failure to defeat the Dinobots

"Maybe we'll even name [the meteor] after you. Meteorini Chiparoni or something."

—Spike Witwicky. Oy.

"No matter how many times I see it, it's always outrageous."

—Chip Chase, wondering if they are truly truly outrageous

Grimlock: "We destroy Optimus Prime!"
Slag: "And him, Grimlock, be new leader!"
Sludge: "Hail him, Grimlock!"

—The Dinobots plan their coup

"Great! I'm finally going to get in a fight!"

—Sideswipe, finally seeing some action after being largely ignored for several episodes

"I do not want to fight you, but you leave me no choice."

—Optimus Prime's warning to the Dinobots

"Megatron, listen...meteorite...unstable. At any moment...could explode!"

—The Dinobots' horrendous grammar brushes off on Optimus Prime

"You, Megatron, tricked us! Make us fight good leader, Optimus Prime. Prime risk own life to save us. Bad Megatron!"

—Grimlock switches allegiances again and puts the fear of God into Megatron.

"Decepticons, retreat now, quick, at once!"

—Megatron orders a cowardly retreat in the face of the Dinobots' wrath.

"Optimus Prime, can you forgive? Me Grimlock was jealous of you."

—Grimlock, actually showing humility for once

Notes

• Seriously, Optimus Prime does not forgive Grimlock at all.
• When Trailbreaker deploys his force field to contain the meteor fragment's blast, instead of just projecting it, he does a really goofy-looking spin.

Animation or technical glitches

• During the scene in Decepticon headquarters when Megatron berates his troops for their humiliating defeats at the hands of the Dinobots, Starscream is coloured as Thundercracker in several shots.

• Optimus blasts a fragment off of the meteor at night, transforms during the day, leaves the scene around dawn, and drives off into the dead of night.

• When Soundwave goes back to the Decepticon base after scanning the Dinobots, the Decepticon insignia on his chest is not shown.

• When the Decepticons attack the Dinobots guarding the meteorite, Slag's Autobot insignia is not shown in one shot.

• In the same scene, when Grimlock asks Slag if he likes to fight, Sludge answers with Slag's voice.

• When the Dinobots are attacking Optimus Prime, in one shot Grimlock's torso is colored gray instead of yellow. When they investigate his body after blasting him, Slag's head is coloured grey.

• When the Dinobots take Optimus to Megatron, Starscream is colored in Thundercracker's colors. A little later, when they are escaping the meteorite explosion, Starscream is colored as Thundercracker again.

• When asking for forgiveness from Optimus, Grimlock's eyes are not colored.

Continuity errors

• Slag can be clearly seen wearing a jetpack on his back when the Dinobots leave to deliver Optimus Prime to Megatron, despite it being previously established that the Dinobots can fly without such equipment.

Transformers references

• Apparently, the Decepticons are still pretty steamed about the Dinobots defeating them two episodes ago ("S.O.S. Dinobots"). Seriously, guys, let it go.

Trivia

"Me Grimlock before, me Grimlock after. Head no matter, always sexpot."

• In an earlier draft of this episode's script, it was not Chip who discovered the meteorite, but an original character named Doctor Lynn Hyashi.

• Grimlock's head has been redesigned. However, the old design remained in the comics all the way until Grimlock evolved into an Action Master in "Still Life!". The second head design would be used in all incarnations from then on.

• Optimus Prime warns the others to stay back from the meteor...then proceeds to shoot the potentially dangerous meteor to obtain a sample. Couldn't they just have broken a piece off in some other manner?

• Huffer has evidently changed his tune about the Dinobots, as he helps build Snarl and Swoop in this episode.

• Snarl is the only Dinobot who actually uses the word "I". All the others always say "me", except for when Grimlock was highly intelligent.

• This episode marks the only occasion in the entire series that a normally functioning Autobot willingly battles a normally functioning Optimus Prime ("Dark Awakening" and "The Return of Optimus Prime" don't count, as Prime was a zombie in the former and Rodimus was infected with the Hate Plague in the latter). The Dinobots have quite a bit of success, too...I know somebody who could have used some lessons from them.

External links

• Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle