Cosmic Rust (episode)

After finding a new weapon, Megatron becomes infected with a strange disease...one he intends to use against the Autobots.

• Japanese title: "Terror of the Cosmic Rust!"

Detailed synopsis

Don't ask, dude... Don't ask.

While flying through space in Astrotrain, Megatron, Starscream, and Rumble discover a planet with the Autobot symbol visible from orbit. Heading to investigate, they find a deserted city and a pillar inscribed with Ancient Autobot. Activating a recorded message, they are warned to leave, or never return to Cybertron...all in rhyme. Disregarding the warnings, the Decepticons discover a Lightning Bug. While attempting to move it, they set it off, causing the ceiling above them to be destroyed. Megatron is pleased—the Autobots have created a weapon that will allow him to destroy them. While leaving the planet, an asteroid follows Astrotrain (look, just go with the flow) and Megatron destroys it. Bad idea, as the debris penetrates Astrotrain, with one piece hitting Megatron in the shoulder. Heading for their base, Starscream removes the rock, only to discover that Megatron's shoulder is covered in ruuusttt.

In New York, Perceptor is being awarded for his creation of corrostop, a new solution which prevents rust and corrosion. The Autobots plan to spray all the world's monuments with it, but for the moment, they only have enough to spray the Statue of Liberty. Meanwhile, Megatron's health is deteriorating rapidly, and he orders the Stunticons to bring him Perceptor. Heading for Liberty Island, the Decepticons capture Perceptor and load him into Blitzwing, with the Aerialbots in pursuit. The Autobot jets follow the kidnappers all the way to the Decepticon base, but the Coneheads use the Lightning Bug to drive them off.

Taken within their base, Perceptor is horrified to discover that Megatron is covered in rust. The Decepticon leader offers Perceptor a chance to end the war in exchange for curing him. As Perceptor analyzes the Decepticon, he discovers that Megatron is infected with a metallic plague and that the lightning bug is exacerbating the condition. Perceptor offers Megatron corrostop, which manages to wash the rust away. Megatron declares that the Decepticons are about to be cured.

Kentucky Fried Aerialbot.

At the Autobot base, the Aerialbots are explaining what happened to Optimus Prime, when Megatron contacts the Autobot leader. Megatron says that Prime has until noon to reach Perceptor, or sunlight focused through his lens will ignite the fuse on a bomb and blow him to pieces. Despite knowing it's a trap, Prime takes all the Autobots with him to rescue Perceptor. As the Autobots arrive, Perceptor warns them to keep away, but Prime pulls Perceptor away once the bomb ignites and explodes, only for Perceptor to reveal that he is infected with Cosmic Rust.

Returning to the base, the Autobots query Teletraan I, who tells them of the fate of Antilla, the world the Decepticons visited. Then, the Autobots notice that they're infected with Cosmic Rust as well. Worse, Megatron is using the Lightning Bug to make the plague spread. Their only hope is corrostop, but Cosmos and Blaster have discovered that Element X, an important ingredient for making Corrostop, is gone. Wheeljack suspects that they can use the matter duplicator to make more, if he and Perceptor can fix it. Meanwhile, Ratchet does his best to stem the tide, but they're fading fast. Megatron is watching via Laserbeak, loving every minute of it, only to learn that the matter duplicator now works, thanks to a unique solution provided by Perceptor. All they need is some corrostop from the Statue of Liberty to replicate.

Heading to the Statue of Liberty, Megatron orders the Stunticons to form Menasor and use the Lightning Bug to destroy the statue. However, the Autobots are already there, and the Aerialbots form Superion. The Autobot combiner is able to defeat Menasor and destroy the Lightning Bug. Megatron, out of ideas, orders a retreat. Bumblebee is quite pleased: they not only saved themselves, but also Lady Liberty.

Stats

Original airdate: December 26, 1985

Written by: Paul Davids

Notable quotes

"Somebody's gotta get us back to Cybertron, Prime. I never thought the end would come like this."

-- Bumblebee, dying from Cosmic Rust and apparently wanting to destroy his home planet.

"The Cosmic Rust has infiltrated your logic circuits."
"Maybe so, but I'll bet it hasn't affected my aim."

-- Megatron and Optimus Prime.

Other notes

Animation and/or technical glitches

• Apparently, Blitzwing is large enough in flight mode to carry the Stunticons and Perceptor.

Continutity errors

• Apparently, the Decepticons' entire hope of victory relied on Menasor being able to destroy the Statue of Liberty with the Lightning Bug, and not Menasor's own tendency to smash everything he looks at.
• Having seen Laserbeak's surveillance of Perceptor informing Prime about the matter duplicator working again, wouldn't it occur to Megatron for even the slightest second to get hold of that device? With it, the Decepticons would have an unlimited source of energy.
• Come to think of it, once the matter duplicator was fixed, why didn't the Autobots use it for creating an unlimited source of energy?

Transformers references

• References

Real-world references

• References

Miscellaneous trivia

• Megatron coughs while infected with Cosmic Rust, despite not having lungs.

Keywords

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External links

From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.