A Plague of Insecticons

This article is about the cartoon episode. For the similarly-named Marvel UK Annual story, see Plague of the Insecticons!.

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We're gonna need a big swatter! A really big swatter!
"A Plague of Insecticons"
Production code	#700-12
Airdate	December 19, 1984
Written by	Douglas Booth

Reports of giant insects terrorizing Bali lead the Decepticons to discover their long-lost comrades, the Insecticons.

Japanese title: インセクトロンの謎 (Insectron no Nazo, "The Mystery of the Insectrons")

Synopsis

On the island of Bali, there is a swamp through which people rarely travel. It is the Demon Swamp, and in that swamp lie monsters who appear to be enormous insects. But they are not insects, they are Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback, and they are robots in disguise. They are driven by a single, unrelenting desire: food. Attacking a trio of boats, the insects feed on the grain, but quickly become interested in the reports of a farm. At the Autobot base, Spike overhears the reports of "robot insects", and a team is taken aboard Skyfire to investigate while Sparkplug remains to alert Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots.

"Ravage, get back here! They're just bugs, how big could they be?"

However, Laserbeak comes across the transmissions, and Megatron is intrigued. He takes a group of Decepticons to Demon Swamp, where Soundwave dispatches Ravage to locate the robots' lair. The Decepticons discover that the lair is not a hollowed-out rock, as it appears, but an escape pod ejected from the Decepticon cruiser that brought them to Earth. Thundercracker realizes what Megatron has already figured out: The robot insects are Decepticons who have been modified to take insect beast mode—Insecticons, if you will.

Meanwhile, Optimus Prime is leading the rest of the Autobots to the farm, but they are blocked by a local festival. Sideswipe leads the Autobots down a shortcut...which turns out to be a dead end. Refusing to admit defeat, Sideswipe decides to drill his way through the solid rock. Arriving at the farm the Insecticons are attacking, Bumblebee, Windcharger, and Brawn attack, only to discover that the Insecticons possess some impressive weapons systems. Worse, they can make clones of themselves by using shells and scrap metal. Overwhelmed, the Autobots take cover amid the crops, but Shrapnel releases a fragmentation grenade which cuts the crops down to size. Finally, Megatron and the Decepticons arrive. The Autobots realize they're in over their heads, but Skyfire has been damaged and cannot transform. Shrapnel finds something familiar about the Decepticons, and when Megatron explains that they came from Decepticon science, Shrapnel extends his hand in friendship...an alliance which will be solidified by destroying the Autobots at the farm.

Where we're going, we don't need roads

Elsewhere, Sideswipe is getting nowhere slowly with his drilling, so Optimus Prime decides on a simpler tactic and drives right through the rock wall. Coming up on the farm just in time, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker tackle the Decepticons, who withdraw to a nearby oil refinery to recharge before they destroy the Autobots. During the respite, Wheeljack repairs Skyfire, who follows them in the air while the Autobots follow from the ground. The Insecticons attack Skyfire, and Wheeljack goes to help but is knocked out of the air by Kickback. Shrapnel takes control of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, causing them to drive toward the Autobots, but Trailbreaker disrupts Shrapnel's control with his force field. Optimus throws Brawn at Shrapnel, but Kickback knocks him off. Fortunately, Skyfire is able to catch Brawn.

"First wave, don't get tired. Second wave, aim higher. Third wave, pull and fire. Skeet Surfin'..."

At the refinery, the Decepticons are busy making some energon cubes. Megatron offers the Insecticons a tanker filled to the brim, and the trio gorge themselves. Unfortunately, it also causes the oil to leak into the ocean. As the Autobots arrive, the Decepticons force them to take some cover. Shrapnel uses a shrapnel grenade to knock Optimus, Brawn, and Wheeljack into the ocean, where the Autobot leader warns that the oil could ignite. On cue, Thundercracker lights the oil on fire, only for the Autobots to knock him into the flaming water. Before the ship goes kaboom, Ironhide is able to douse the flames. However, storm clouds appear overhead, and Shrapnel uses them as a means to fire electricity at the Autobots. Spike realizes that the rubber in their tires will serve as insulation. Some Autobots go to vehicle mode, while others stand on them, neutralizing Shrapnel's abilities. In addition, Trailbreaker uses his force field to neutralize Shrapnel's control over the clones, causing them to go to pieces.

Optimus shows why he's a three time World's strongest Bot champion

Megatron realizes that he's losing, so the Decepticon leader employs a time-honored strategy: "If I can't have it, no one can." Megatron sets the tanker on fire and pushes it toward the refinery. However, Optimus pushes the tanker underwater, and Megatron with it. Rising to the surface, Megatron prepares to blast Bumblebee and Spike, only for Optimus Prime to throw the tanker through the air at Megatron.

The Insecticons observe the deteriorating situation and decide to cut their losses. They begin to feed off the energon, but Megatron, his rage overwhelming his common sense, orders the Decepticons to attack the Insecticons. As the Insecticons flee with the Decepticons in pursuit, the Autobots claim victory. Optimus Prime still worries that the Insecticons will inevitably be drawn back towards the Decepticons, but when and if that happens, the Autobots will be ready.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Brawn (9) Windcharger (10) Bumblebee (11) Skyfire (12) Optimus Prime (19) Sunstreaker (20) Ironhide (21) Wheeljack (22) Sideswipe (23) Trailbreaker (24)	Shrapnel (4) Bombshell (5) Kickback (6) Laserbeak (13) Megatron (14) Soundwave (15) Thundercracker (16) Ravage (17) Rumble (18) Reflector (19)	Fisherman 1 (1) Fisherman 2 (2) Fisherman 3 (3) Spike Witwicky (8) Sparkplug Witwicky (7) Villagers (18) Oil Refinery Worker 1 Oil Refinery Worker 2

Quotes

"Still think they're optical illusions, Brawn?"

—Skyfire, after getting his ass handed to him by an army of Insecticon clones.

"Well, let's look on the bright side—at least they didn't bring that sawed-off nerd Rumble along."

—Brawn, showing he is an optimist, even in the worst situations.

"Now, taste the lightning, Autobot fool!"
"It tastes terrible."

—Shrapnel zaps Wheeljack.

"Megatron, CATCH!"

—Optimus Prime plays catch...with a 10,000-ton oil tanker.

"Maybe we've picked the wrong ally, Shrapnel."

—Bombshell, showing a rare moment of insight.

"The traitors! We befriended them, and now they steal our power source. Forget the Autobots, DESTROY THE INSECTICONS!"

—Megatron. He really does have a hard time keeping his troops loyal.

Notes

Technical or animation glitches

.995 percent pure silver leaf

• When the Ark is first seen, it's colored silver instead of orange.
• When Sideswipe and Sunstreaker get ahead of Optimus Prime after breaking out of the tunnel, both are coloured in Sunstreaker's yellow color scheme for a brief moment.
• When the Insecticons charge towards the Autobots, Bombshell's Decepticon insignia is blinking.
• When the Autobots and Spike board Skyfire, Bumblebee and Spike remain visible for a split second as the door closes behind them, not in front of them as one would expect. They inexplicably disappear in the very next shot, when Skyfire takes off.
• When the Decepticons and Insecticons flee from the field, Thundercracker in jet mode is colored in Skyfire's white-and-red palette.
• When Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are controlled by Shrapnel, for a couple of seconds Sunstreaker is coloured black instead of yellow.
• Just before Brawn asks Optimus to throw him, he is in vehicle mode, then he transforms from robot to vehicle mode, and is then standing in robot mode.
• Since when is Ravage "the Ravage cassette"?
• Near the end of the episode, Sunstreaker's head is all yellow and Brawn is all orange.

Continuity errors

• If the Insecticons had landed four million years before the crash of the Ark, and have presumably been active throughout all previous episodes, how come neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons ever learned of their existence until this episode?
• How does Skyfire manage to hide in the bushes with the other, shorter Autobots? He's about four Bumblebees tall!
• Megatron says that the Insecticons' escape pod was launched "before our own ship crashed here millions of years ago". One might reasonably take this to mean that the Insecticons were aboard the Nemesis; however, upon meeting Megatron a few scenes later, Shrapnel says to him "I don't know you", implying that they weren't aboard the Nemesis. The summary of the episode in the Production Bible clarifies this, saying the pod "... was originally part of the Decepticon spacecraft that jettisoned away just before the Autobots and Decepticons crash landed on Earth". Guess Shrapnel was just feeling conveniently forgetful-forgetful that day.
• Kickback claims there is no spray capable of stopping the Insecticons, yet robotic insecticide shows up later in "Quest for Survival".

Real-world references

• The Insecticons inhabit the real world island of Bali, which is part of the nation of Indonesia.

Trivia

• Optimus Prime really is the strongest of the Autobots: He throws a massive oil tanker through the air at Megatron. Have you ever seen Devastator do something like that?
• The sound effect that occurs when Thundercracker compresses the energon cubes is taken from Star Wars, more specifically, when Luke Skywalker is training with his lightsaber against a remote.

External links

• Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle