Grimlock's New Brain: Difference between revisions
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* Grimlock voice actor [[Gregg Berger]] has stated that while this was the most difficult episode for him to do (in that it required figuring how an intelligent Grimlock should sound), it was also the episode he enjoyed working on the most, as it shows him using his Skyfire voice for Grimlock's intelligent voice. | * Grimlock voice actor [[Gregg Berger]] has stated that while this was the most difficult episode for him to do (in that it required figuring how an intelligent Grimlock should sound), it was also the episode he enjoyed working on the most, as it shows him using his Skyfire voice for Grimlock's intelligent voice. | ||
* With this Wheeljack is technecly a grandfather | |||
==Home video releases== | ==Home video releases== | ||
Revision as of 23:34, 27 April 2011
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 Me Grimlock make geeks! | |||||||||
| "Grimlock's New Brain" | |||||||||
| Production code | 700-110 | ||||||||
| Production company | Sunbow Productions | ||||||||
| Airdate | November 14, 1986 | ||||||||
| Written by | Paul Davids | ||||||||
| Animation studio | AKOM | ||||||||
| Continuity | Generation 1 cartoon continuity | ||||||||
Grimlock gains tremendous intelligence and creates the Technobots.
- Japanese title: グリムロックの新しい頭脳 (Grimlock no Atarashii Zunō, "Grimlock's New Brain")
- German title: Grimlocks neues Gehirn ("Grimlock's New Brain")
- Brasilian title: O Novo Cérebro de Grimlock ("Grimlock's New Brain")
Synopsis
On Cybertron, the Autobots are unveiling a new generator that will better supply them with power. As Rodimus Prime signals Grimlock to activate the machine, Grimlock causes a few missteps before Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, and Perceptor manage to switch the generator on. Grimlock points out that he is "smartest Dinobot of all," but Perceptor points out that the Dinobots have limited brains. Grimlock, mildly insulted, threatens to bash Perceptor's brain. Elsewhere, a Skuxxoid and Slizardo are sneaking into the generator to place anti-electrons inside the device, as Galvatron has paid them to deliver the anti-electrons to the generator, which would eventually kill the Autobots.
In space, Cosmos and Sky Lynx are flying back to Cybertron, when their auto gyros suddenly begin to malfunction, crashing into the planet. Springer tries to air lift Sky Lynx to safety, but also begins to malfunction. Perceptor concludes that the problem is originating in the generator and Rodimus, Magnus, Grimlock, and Kup head down to investigate. However, Grimlock breaks the device that Perceptor gave them to navigate the tunnels, so they split up. Grimlock and Kup reach the generator's controls, and Kup begins to suffer memory malfunctions. Grimlock deactivates the generator with the ever-appropriate tactic of biting it, but immediately begins to act differently. He speaks in a proper manner, with an extended vocabulary, and appears to have lost his taste for combat. However, Ratbat has been observing them and reports back to Galvatron. Galvatron threatens to kill the Skuxxoid and Slizardo for ruining his plan, as the anti-electrons have already vaporized and were hard to find, but Slizardo reveals that there is another source of anti-electrons...in Unicron's brain.
"Quiet, Magnus, this is the only way we can get them to bathe."
Back on Cybertron, Grimlock and the Autobots pass the Dinobots fishing in a local pond. Snarl invites Grimlock to join, but Grimlock declines, saying he has more important matters to attend to. The Dinobots are concerned, as they always fish together. Elsewhere, Grimlock concludes that anti-electrons were the source of the problem. As Galvatron's ship approaches Unicron's head, he cautions his soldiers, saying that Unicron may be quite powerful. On Cybertron, the Dinobots seek out Grimlock, who is building a new spaceship, and he asks for their help. Sludge does not like Grimlock's change in attitude, and Slag declares that "Grimlock no fun". With their leader not acting like one of them, the Dinobots decide to go hunting without him. Later, Grimlock has taken Rodimus, Perceptor, and Kup to Unicron's head, having concluded that Unicron's body was the original source. However, Galvatron fires anti-electrons at the shuttle, causing it to crash and the Autobots to malfunction. Galvatron then unleashes the Terrorcons on the Autobots while Grimlock runs off. Grimlock then uses components of Unicron to build Nosecone and asks him to drill a hole into Unicron's brain.
Elsewhere, Cyclonus and Scourge are retrieving the anti-electrons when they reactivate Unicron. The Chaos Bringer's internal defenses activate, but Strafe, another robot built by Grimlock, destroys the defenses. Finally, Grimlock builds three more robots: Afterburner, Lightspeed, and Scattershot, the last of whom he appoints as leader of the Technobots. He sends the Technobots to fight the Terrorcons, and they manage to destroy the anti-electrons as well, but the Terrorcons merge into Abominus. Retreating, the Technobots ask Grimlock for advice, and Grimlock reveals that they are also Combiners, commanding them to merge into Computron. The computational capacity held by the gestalt is massive, yet he claims that he lacks the intelligence to feed it. Grimlock connects a device to Computron's head which transfers his super-intelligence to Computron. Now armed with incredible intelligence, Computron is able to defeat Abominus and send the Decepticons running.
On Cybertron, Rodimus is holding a celebration for the newly functioning generator, the creation of the Technobots, and Grimlock's efforts. However, Sludge reveals that Grimlock is fishing with the Dinobots. Grimlock says that being a genius all the time is no fun, and he'd rather be a regular Dinobot. The Autobots cheer his statement, apparently preferring their one-bot engines of destruction to be simple-minded.
Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others |
|---|---|---|
|
Quotes
"Can't be that one, must be one of these. Eenie Menie miny moe. This switch real rad, gonna pull!"
"Grimlock, no!!!!! It's this one over here!"
"Uhhh, that Grimlock's next choice."
- —Grimlock showing Rodimus why he should not have been given such an important task.
"Why you think Grimlock stupid? Me no stupid. Grimlock is smartest Dinobot of all."
"Unfortunately, that's probably true. I just wish the Dinobots had more sophisticated brains."
"Brains?! Grimlock know how to bash brains. Maybe bash yours."
- —Grimlock threatening to beat up Perceptor.
Grimlock: What go wrong?
Perceptor: Something incapacitated their aerial capabilities.
Grimlock: Huh?
Rodimus Prime: He means they couldn't fly, so they crashed.
Grimlock: Me knew that!
- —Simplifying things for a Dinobot isn't that simple.
"Hey, how did you shut down that baby?"
"I, Grimlock...used my rear molars."
"Uh that makes good sense, good going. You what?!"
"Is your hearing impaired, Kup? Ohh, with some Autobots, you have to explain everything."
- —Kup and Grimlock the latter of whom has just received a great deal of intelligence
"Antielectrons, of course! They attack our electrocircuits! Now why didn't I think of that?"
"Perhaps because your mental abilities are so limited."
- —Oh snap! Perceptor just got dissed!
"That one mine! Give me!"
"Rrr, me want that Autobot!"
- —Sinnertwin arguing with...himself.
"Are...are you my father?"
- —A newly awakened Nosecone, the first Technobot created by Grimlock
Strafe: Yahoo! It feels great to be a Technobot! My name is Strafe!
Afterburner: Far out! Fantastic! I'm Afterburner! I'm raring to burn neutrons and see some heavy action!
Lightspeed: Mellow out, Afterburner.
Afterburner: Says who?
Lightspeed: They call me Lightspeed, faster than a speeding photon.
Grimlock: And you, Scattershot, shall be the leader of the Technobots.
- —The newly created Technobots and Grimlock engage in a brief introdump.
"Come on, Technobots! Let's show them the stuff Grimlock made us of!"
- —Afterburner as he attacks the Decepticons with his comrades
"Name: Computron. Primary goal: obliterate Decepticons."
- —Computron gives Galvatron a reason to run away.
"Me Grimlock say no fun to be genius all the time. Much more fun to be good old Dinobot Grimlock."
- —Grimlock on his recent bout with intelligence.
Notes
Animation or technical glitches
- In the opening scene, the inside of Magnus's mouth is red. (It's actually that way for most of the episode.) A long shot shows Perceptor's chest in all-red. Grimlock's neck is grey for a frame, and the back of it is grey in several shots (an error that occurs several times in the episode).
- When the Autobots activate the power generator, Springer is twice as tall as Kup and Blurr.
- When he drops the container, Slizardo's eye is green.
- When Blaster is struck by the beam of light, his switch is missing its details. (It looks like one big switch instead of three small ones.)
- As Perceptor, Grimlock, and Rodimus walk forward to see Blaster's predicament, they seem to appear out of thin air.
- Teletraan II's report starts with a shot of space for some reason.
- The next shot shows a huge display in front of the Autobots instead of a framed screen.
- After Teletraan II's report, a shot is layered incorrectly, so Perceptor looks huge next to Rodimus Prime.
- Ratbat flies into one of the slots in Galvatron's terminal, but subsequent shots are missing the slots.
- Sludge's neck repeatedly flashes between yellow and grey for a few frames when Grimlock gives him orders.
- Rodimus notes that the Autobots have to reach Unicron's head "before they do," but nobody's mentioned the Decepticons yet.
- When Rodimus is grabbed by a Terrorcon, his spoiler is all-yellow. (It should be orange in the middle.)
- Cyclonus is missing the orange shapes on his chest and waist in several shots.
- Afterburner's Autobot logo moves up his chest (and has a black frame instead of white) as Lightspeed introduces himself. Lightspeed's own logo is missing in the same shot.
- An overhead shot shows the Autobots firing their weapons, but no beams coming out.
- During Abominus's combination sequence, Hun-Gurrr transforms into Blot and Sinnertwin before combining with himself.
- As the Decepticons shoot Computron, Galvatron is shooting too, but we don't hear his cannon's sound effect.
- Computron shoots the Decepticons, but his laser is missing its beam.
- The Decepticons appear to be far too big when they leave Unicron's head.
- In the last shot of the episode, Blaster is missing his switches and Perceptor and Cosmos are missing their Autobot logos.
- Thanks to Roger C. Carmel's inconsistency with his voices, Unicron sounds similar to John Colicos's Apocalypse from the 1992 X-Men TV series (although it also sounds drunk).
Continuity errors
- If Grimlock has proven himself so incompetent, why does Rodimus bring him along to find the power generator? There are plenty of other Autobots, such as Springer, who can provide muscle.
- Also, why does Rodimus have Grimlock, of all 'bots, activate the generator at the beginning? Why not someone like Perceptor, who's even conveniently nearby when they decide to pull the switch?
- Where has Cosmos been? The Autobots could have used him for transport, to fight off the Dweller, etc.
- Perceptor's "electro-map" looks a lot like a compass!
- When the Autobots near the power generator, why are Kup and Rodimus affected, but Ultra Magnus and Grimlock aren't? It's possible that Grimlock may not be affected because being built on Earth made him that much different from the other Autobots (as in "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1"), but this doesn't explain Magnus. Maybe Magnus could just deal with it at the moment.
- This isn't an error necessarily, but this episode marks the only time present-day Cybertron has any sort of standing water (in this case, the pool the Dinobots are "fishing" in).
- Speaking of the pond, are those real fish or robotic fish?
- Why isn't Swoop with the other Dinobots? The writers even bother to have Grimlock point out that Omega Supreme is away on a mission, and yet one of the Dinobots gets left out?
- Where did the Terrorcons come from? You'd think Galvatron would have used them before now.
- The second time Rodimus Prime's transformation systems malfunction, he reverts into Hot Rod. Most visibly, he transforms into his junior self's vehicle mode. Additionally, his coloring changes to Hot Rod's traditional magenta, and actor Dick Gautier raises his voice in pitch to his normal Hot Rod voice.
- Blurr can be seen numerous times fighting alongside the Autobots, despite him not being present on the shuttle ride over.
- Even being super-intelligent, Grimlock somehow creates the Technobots in what seems like a few minutes. He also creates the intelligence transfer helmet in no time at all!
- The origin of the Technobots seems to conflict with the events of "The Key to Vector Sigma"; in those episodes, it is established that Vector Sigma is required to give personalities to Transformers, but here, the Technobots get personalities independently of it. Unlike other continuities, however, the cartoon eschews the use of "magic" objects and explanations to give Transformers life; Vector Sigma is simply treated as an advanced computer, and with this in mind, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that the super-smart Grimlock simply has the skill needed to program full, authentic cybernetic personalities into the Technobots on his own. With the introduction of the concept of sparks in much later fiction and the reclassification of Vector Sigma's capabilities, however, the events of this episode are called into question again. Of course, the Dinobots themselves are exceptions as well, so make of that what you will.
Continuity notes
- Ratbat appears, but Soundwave isn't in the episode.
- Unicron's head is shown to no longer orbit Cybertron, after the events of "Ghost in the Machine" saw it blasted off into space. It's also looking substantially worse for wear than it was the last time we saw it, presumably a consequence of the explosives that were set off in its immediate vicinity in that episode.
Trivia
- While the episode is centered around Grimlock, he never once transforms out of his dinosaur mode. Then again, seeing a T. rex talk with such an extensive vocabulary is kinda funny.
- Artwork for the episode featured in TV Magazine showed Grimlock wearing a mortarboard and lecturing on something complicated.
- The device Grimlock invents to transfer his intelligence into Computron was later rendered in plastic and included with the Super Collection Figure PVC version of Grimlock. It would subsequently be recreated in plastic again for the Masterpiece version of Grimlock, which dubbed the contraption the "Brainwave Transfer Device".
- Grimlock voice actor Gregg Berger has stated that while this was the most difficult episode for him to do (in that it required figuring how an intelligent Grimlock should sound), it was also the episode he enjoyed working on the most, as it shows him using his Skyfire voice for Grimlock's intelligent voice.
- With this Wheeljack is technecly a grandfather
Home video releases
- VHS
1988 — Transformers — Dark Awakening / Grimlock's New Brain (Tempo Video)
1990 — Transformers — Dark Awakening / Grimlock's New Brain (Abbey Home Entertainment)
2000 — The Original Transformers — Volume 9: Grimlock the Hero (Rhino Entertainment)
- Laserdisc
1999 — The Transformers: 2010 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
- DVD
2001 — The Transformers: 2010 — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2004 — The Original Transformers — Season 3 Part 2 & Season 4 (Rhino Entertainment)
2004 — Transformers — Season 3 and Season 4 (Metrodome)
2004 — Transformers — Collection 5: Series 3.2 (Madman Entertainment)
2006 — Transformers — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome)
2007 — The Transformers — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — Transformers — Season's Three & Four [sic] (Metrodome)
2009 — The Transformers — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)
2010 — The Transformers — Seasons Three & Four: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
