The Crossroads

This article is about the Cyberverse episode. For the Animated character, see Crossroads.

« Transformers: Cyberverse ep 36
Trust no one. Not even yourself.
"The Crossroads"
Production company	Allspark Animation
Airdate	September 17, 2019 (Australia/NZ)
Writer	Randolph Heard
Director	Ehud Landsberg
Animation studio	Boulder Media Studio

The Autobots repair a damaged space bridge in hope of reaching Cybertron faster, only to wind up trapped in unspace.

Synopsis

The Ark hovers over a derelict Space Bridge, currently undergoing repairs by a squad of Autobots under Wheeljack's supervision. Optimus Prime asks if the repairs are complete, but Wheeljack admits he's unsure if the repairs will do the trick.

On the Ark's bridge, Cheetor is fascinated by the idea that the Space Bridge will be a shortcut to Cybertron, but any levity is quickly quashed when Optimus reveals just why he's so desperate to get back ASAP: they have received a desperate call from Chromia, calling on Optimus to return because "Cybertron is falling." With the need to return now impressed on the others, Optimus orders Teletraan-X to take them through the Space Bridge.

Exiting the Space Bridge, the Autobots find themselves in a strange, kaleidoscopic place. Wheeljack comes to the amazed realisation that they've entered unspace, and upon noticing Hot Rod's confusion explains that unspace is the space between Space Bridges. Teletraan-X chimes in that they aren't the only ones stuck, as he has detected a distress signal from a nearby vessel. To the Autobots' collective amazement, the source of the distress signal is coming from a very familiar-looking ship: an exact duplicate of the Ark!

Seeking answers, Optimus leads an away team consisting of himself, Wheeljack and Grimlock and boards the duplicate Ark. Grimlock observes that the hangar they've docked in looks exactly like theirs', and wishes that fact made him feel better. Optimus decides to split up and search for signs of life. Optimus reports nothing on the bridge, and attempts to restore power are unsuccessful. Wheeljack has found an exact duplicate of his lab, except for a machine he can't identify (though he admits it looks like something he would build). Grimlock meanwhile has discovered the stasis pods are all empty, and again repeats that he has a bad feeling. That feeling is soon proven right as the ship begins to disappear right under his feet, a fact seconded by Wheeljack. Ordering his team back to the shuttle, Optimus flees the bridge. The away team doesn't quite make it, and the duplicate Ark completely disintegrates and leaves them floating in unspace. Explaining that the disintegration seems to be an inevitable effect of being in unspace, Wheeljack declares that they have to escape as soon as they can. As their dire straits sink in, Teletraan-X reports another ship approaching: yet another Ark!

Optimus orders Grimlock to hail the other ship, and everyone is surprised when another Optimus and Hot Rod appear on the viewscreen. Confusion mounts as realisation dawns that they're facing doppelgangers. Wheeljack and his duplicate suggest that both groups meet up, and soon both groups have joined up and are exchanging details. Windblade's double explains that their group entered the Space Bridge after receiving an urgent distress call from Perceptor as opposed to Chromia. This leads to the Wheeljacks postulating that unspace is where the multiverse meets, and that they are from alternate realities where everything is the same except for who sent the distress signal that caused them to enter the Space Bridge in the first place.

As the two Optimus Primes agree that working together is the key to escape, Teletraan-X reports that yet another Ark has arrived as well. To everyone's surprise, this Ark is captained by none other than an alternate Rack'n'Ruin. Meanwhile, the Wheeljacks (now joined by the Wheeljack from the Rack'n'Ruin Ark) compare notes on the device Wheeljack found earlier on the now vanished Ark. They conclude that the Wheeljack on that Ark must've been trying to use the power of the AllSpark to break out of unspace, but tragically ran out of time. The three Wheeljacks decide to use the combined power of their three AllSparks in order to try and create a Space Bridge and thus a way out.

Sadly, even with three AllSparks there isn't enough power to open and maintain a Space Bridge portal, and as the Wheeljacks decide to try again, one of the Wheeljacks disintegrates. The vanished Wheeljack is soon joined by his Ark (along with all of the crew), and Optimus grimly observes that they may be next. At that moment, several more Arks appear and after a short meeting the various Optimus Primes (and Rack'N'Ruin) agree to pool the collective power of all the AllSparks. This time their gamble is successful, and with the power of nine AllSparks a Space Bridge portal is opened. With a cry of "Autobots, roll out!" the fleet of Arks enters the portal to return home and save their own Cybertrons.

The Ark emerges from the Space Bridge with Cybertron in sight. Bumblebee and Windblade are awestruck at the sight of Cybertron after so long, and Optimus joins them in enjoying the sight. However, all is not well, as Shockwave has already detected the Ark's approach. Megatron congratulates Chromia on bringing the Autobots back so quickly, and upon declaring that when the Autobots arrive the Decepticons will destroy them the other Decepticons erupt into cheers of "Destroy them! Destroy them!"

Meanwhile on the Ark, the blissfully unaware Autobots cheer their return home, and Optimus allows himself to smile...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Others	Dimensional duplicates
Wheeljack (1) Autobot soldiers (2) Optimus Prime (3) Grimlock (4) Windblade (6) Bumblebee (7) Hot Rod (8) Cheetor (9) Chromia (10) Rack'n'Ruin (20) Ratchet (30) Prowl (31) Drift (32)	Shockwave (25) Megatron (26) Shadow Striker (27) Clobber (28) Decepticon soldier (29)	Teletraan-X (5)	Optimus Prime 2 (11) Hot Rod 2 (12) Teletraan-X 2 (13) Windblade 2 (14) Wheeljack 2 (15) Grimlock 2 (16) Bumblebee 2 (17) Cheetor 2 (18) Rack'n'Ruin 3 (19) Rack'n'Ruin 2 (21) Wheeljack 3 (22) Multiple Optimus Primes (23) Multiple Wheeljacks (24)

Quotes

"Optimus Prime, if you're out there we need you now! Cybertron is falling, you must return immediately!"

— Chromia does her best impression of Princess Leia.

(in unison) "And it's fantastic! We gotta meet up! And we gotta stop talking at the same time."
(Wheeljack) "Okay?"
(Wheeljack 2) "All right..."

—The Wheeljacks realise what is happening and put an end to comedic mirroring.

(in unison) "We must work together... er..."
(Optimus (?)) "You first."
(Optimus 2 (?)) "... to escape unspace!"
(Optimus) "Yes! Exactly!"

—The Optimuses (Optimii?) the Double Primes try to rally the combined crews.

"Wheeljack thinks it's possible."
"So does my Wheeljack."
"My Wheeljack agrees."
"Mine as well."
"And mine."
"Our Wheeljack thinks so too."
"My Wheeljack-"
"Yes, yes, all the Wheeljacks agree."

—Can you find the Rack'n'Ruin in the midst of all the Optimus Primes?

Notes

Continuity notes

• The episode opens with a transmission from Chromia who was last seen, albeit barely, as part of the Ark's crew in "Eruption." Whether it's now being retconned that she remained on Cybertron or she returned home in the time skip between seasons is as of yet unclear.
• Optimus tries to restart the alternate Ark using the override key on the right arm of the command chair that Teletraan-X used to reboot the ship in the last episode.
• The Decepticons space bridged to Cybertron in "Escape From Earth."

Transformers references

• While attempting to fix the spacebridge, Wheeljack remarks that he's "no Quintesson," possibly alluding to the fact that the Quintessons were the ones who introduced space bridges to Cybertron in the Aligned continuity family. Quintessons being technologically advanced, surpassing Cybertronians in some regards, has been a staple of the race since their introduction in "Transformers: The Movie".
• When the Ark enters unspace, Wheeljack swears by Prima.

Other trivia

• Noticeably, Wheeljack pronounces "Quintesson" with the stress on the second syllable (like how Simon Furman pronounces it), whereas previous media had placed emphasis on the first and third syllables.
• The crew of the Rack'n'Ruin Ark aren't included in the "Autobots, roll out!" shot just before all 9 Arks enter the Space Bridge.

Home video releases

• TBA