Prometheus Unbound

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"I'm a beast in a cage! Oh, and the beast itself is a cage too."
"Prometheus Unbound"
Production company	Mainframe Entertainment
Airdate	February 23, 2000
Written by	Marv Wolfman
Directed by	Sebastian Brodin
Animation studio	Mainframe Entertainment
Continuity	Beast Wars continuity

The Maximals infiltrate Megatron's fortress, but are betrayed by their new friend.

French title: Prométhée ("Prometheus")

French-Canadian title: Promethéus ("Prometheus")

Japanese title: 怪物のお目覚め (Kaibutsu no o Mezame, "The Monster's Awakening")

Spanish title: Prometeo Liberado

Synopsis

Even a bot who is pure of spark and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the metal moon is bright.

A giant Cybertronian moon passes (rumbles, actually) overhead. Noble howls at it, much to the consternation of the distant Maximals—their new friend has run off yet again. Nightscream blames the team's treatment of the newcomer. Cheetor gently defends their actions as being for Noble's own good. "And ours," Rattrap adds.

Blackarachnia is vaguely unsettled by Noble; Rattrap is freaked out. Nightscream doesn't take this well, and storms off with Optimus in pursuit. Rattrap and Blackarachnia note unhappily that Noble is probably heading for "the same place as the last five nights".

Invasion of the Metal Pod People

Noble is furiously banging on the doors to Megatron's citadel when Nightscream and Optimus arrive; he transforms to Savage form when they confront him, then continues trying to claw his way in. A bunch of snaking cables worm out to attack Nightscream when he tries again to stop Savage—and Savage knocks him out of their way. The cables envelope and constrain him, and the Maximals peel him free to find him back in Noble form.

Noble seems confused about how he got there, and says the Maximals should lock him away. But Optimus defends him, saying he saved Nightscream even in his Savage guise. Rattrap isn't buying it. Nightscream nastily puts Rattrap back in his place, saying he knows what it's like to be alone.

As usual, Optimus calms things down, focusing the team on finding the missing Sparks. The group prepares to infiltrate the citadel to look for clues. Noble wants to help, saying he's been drawn here for a reason, but Optimus refuses—they're going to have enough to worry about. Nightscream supports Noble, but Optimus doesn't budge, and Nightscream storms off.

Rattrap plugs in and the doors slide open. Rattrap is restrained from rushing in by Blackarachnia, as Optimus reveals a destructive force field across the entryway. A quick shot to the control panel takes it out. Too easy—this was the trap they were meant to find. The group enters… and Noble, some distance away, turns and sprints through the doorway. A pursuing Nightscream follows just as it closes.

Optimus is ticked off, but Noble says he couldn't help himself, and seems to be having trouble controlling himself.

As Rattrap begins a search for the security shut-off, Noble takes off running for the control room… and promptly steps on a floor sensor, activating a field of floating mines. The Maximals freeze, but just then Noble's eyes glow red, and he morphs back into Savage, setting off a string of the mines. KaBOOM!

The group groaningly gets to its feet, and Rattrap chews out Nightscream for dragging Noble along. They hear distant roaring, and split up—Nightscream and Optimus hunt for Savage; Rattrap heads for the throne room, with Cheetor and Blackarachnia on backup. As the two groups proceed, both Savage and Noble watch from the shadows.

Rattrap soon stumbled on Megatron's copy of "Two girls, one cup".

Nightscream hears Savage's roaring and takes off after him. Meanwhile, Savage change back to Noble and opens the doors to Megatron's throne room. "Success!" he says blissfully, as he sees Megatron's empty control harness. Noble begins leaping across the floating jigsaw puzzle bridge. He loses his grip on one, falling. Nightscream and Optimus arrive, and go after him.

Rattrap and company arrive a moment later, and stare at the drifting pieces of floating bridge. Cheetor and Blackarachnia go first and offer the less-mobile Rattrap assistance in getting to the harness. He plugs in, and the bridge assembles itself under their feet. Screens of data assemble before Rattrap. He begins searching, but everything's encrypted. Optimus encourages haste as he arrives with Nightscream and Noble—and the latter's gentle meekness abruptly disappears.

Noble demonstrates the proper way to dispose of a rat.

Noble exults in being in the throne room, then spots Rattrap in the harness and immediately morphs to Savage. The Maximals realize he can control his changes. Savage blasts Rattrap out of the harness. Immediately, the bridge deconstructs and alarms go off. Tentacled Spark extractors slither out of the walls. The group (including Savage) makes quick work of them, and Rattrap gets back into the harness as Savage morphs back to Noble, standing next to the harness. Rattrap starts to show gratitude for Noble being back in control—but Noble yanks him out by the tail and, in a dramatically backlit scene, tosses him away. He enters the harness himself, but nothing happens.

Noble realizes he can't interface while in an organic body. He leaps clear, grabs two Spark extractors, and applies them to… himself. A furiously burning orange Spark emerges, and the body collapses. The Spark enters the control harness, and shoots up the wires as Megatron's voice cackles: "Free… at last. Free at last!"

Megatron forgot to turn down his headlights again.

The Maximals charge outside to see the giant Megatron head now fully animated. Megatron delightedly explains that "Noble" was just a ruse, his gigantic eyes glowing in synch with his words. Nightscream is crushed. Megatron explains further: "For an eternity, I slaved to free myself from the organic material contaminating my otherwise perfect technological body. I finally succeeded in separating the two, but my Spark remained with the wrong half—the organic half. I knew that the answer to curing myself lay inside my citadel—but as an organic beast, I could never hope to enter it and survive. Which is why I needed you… Nightscream. Naive. Headstrong. And utterly malleable. You proved the perfect pawn… and now in gratitude, I will free you from your organic bodies."

The big floating head fires a beam into the planet, and all systems come back on-line—including the drone army, which storms to the attack. As the others fight them off, Rattrap opens up a panel, and Optimus orders a retreat. Nobody objects as the badly outnumbered group scurries underground.

The Maximals lament their faux victory. Nightscream is still shattered, and Rattrap offers his sincere sympathy.

Back in the empty citadel, Noble's eye opens, and he stirs with a growl….

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Maximals	Vehicons	Others
Rattrap (2) Cheetor (3) Nightscream (4) Optimus Primal (5) Blackarachnia (6)	Megatron (7) Tank Drones (8) Sonic Attack Jets (9) Motorcycle Drones (10)	Noble (1)

Quotes

Rattrap: Oh, again we gotta play dogcatcher?
Nightscream: Maybe if we try treating him less like an animal and more like a person, he wouldn't want to escape.
Cheetor: Maybe so, Nighscream. But until Noble learns to control his Savage side, we have to restrain him, for his own good.
Rattrap: (to Blackarachnia) Not to mention ours.

-The Maximals discussing Noble's nightly escapes.

"I can't say why, but something about him gives me the creeps."
"Well, let me see. Is it his eyes? the hair? or maybe it's his little tendancy to keep turning into a giant, wigged-out, flesh-eating gila monster!"

—Blackarachnia and Rattrap on Noble.

Rattrap: Eh, where do you think Fido's going this time?
Blackarachnia: Gee, let me think...the same place as the last five nights?

- Rattrap's not the only one who's talented at sarcasm.

"Are we unclear on the concept of 'no'?"

—Optimus Primal

"Told you draggin' along the dragon was a mistake, but did you listen? No!"

—Rattrap

(After Savage escaped into Megatron's citadel).
Cheetor: We better find him before he destroys the whole place, along with any hope of finding those sparks.
Optimus Primal: We'll split up. Nightscream, you and I will hunt for Savage. Rattrap, head for the throne room and tap into the mainframe. Cheetor and Blackarachnia, watch his tail.
Blackarachnia: Oh, the glamorous assignment.

- Blackarachnia continues to display her razor-sharp wit.

Cheetor: "Something's following us."
Rattrap: "Aw man, I sure hope it ain't Savage."
Blackarachnia: "You better hope it is. Anything else is bound to be worse."
Rattrap: "Oh, brighten my day."

—The good news just keeps coming for Rattrap

"Must be the maid's day off."

—Rattrap regarding the state of the citadel

"Hey guys, how do you like the new housecoat?"
"Frumpy, but functional."

—Rattrap tries on Megatron's control harness and Blackarachnia gives her opinion.

Rattrap: (using Megatron's control harness) Now, ok, let's see, got it, got it, get it, got it...
Cheetor: You searching for those missing sparks?
Rattrap: No, I'm reading the Sunday funnies... What do you think I'm doing?!

-Rattrap hacking Megatron's database.

"Ok, who ordered the charbroiled rat?"

—Rattrap after being blasted out of Megatron's control harness by Savage.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"Past experience?"

—Blackarachnia and Cheetor

"For an eternity, I slaved to free myself from the organic material contaminating my otherwise perfect technological body. I finally succeeded in separating the two, but my Spark remained with the wrong half—the organic half. I knew that the answer to curing myself lay inside my citadel—but as an organic beast, I could never hope to enter it and survive. Which is why I needed you… Nightscream. Naive. Headstrong. And utterly malleable. You proved the perfect pawn."
"NOOO!"
"And now in gratitude, I will free you from your organic bodies!"

-Megatron adds insult to injury for Nightscream and prepares to add further injury to the Maximals.

Notes

Technical or animation errors

• Glitch

Continuity errors

• The Maximals don't revert to their beast forms as usual after being knocked out by the mines.

Transformers references

• Rattrap describes Megatron's big floating head as a tribute to Unicron.

Real-world references

• Prometheus Unbound is the title of an incomplete play by Aeschylus, which inspired a play the same name by Percy Shelley. Both concern Prometheus, a character in Greek mythology who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to humans; as punishment, he was cast into Hades and tied to a rock, where an eagle ate his liver every day. Megatron in Beast Machines seems to see himself as a figure akin to Prometheus, bringing the 'gifts' of freedom from organic matter, individuality, and consciousness; as well as technological perfection, to all of Cybertron. Up until now, he has been going to increasing lengths to purge himself of his own organic components, which he sees as a contamination of his mechanical purity; being trapped in a purely organic body as a result thus mirrors Prometheus' torment in Hades. The act of freeing his spark form Noble's body and bringing it to a purely technological existence is compared to Prometheus breaking free from his bond in order to confront Zeus. In Aeschylus' play, Prometheus and Zeus eventually reconcile; in Shelley's, Zeus is cast down, freeing humans and gods from his tyranny. Both of the endings foreshadow the final episode.

External links

• Link