Triangulation

« Transformers: Prime ep 39 »
"Triangulation"
Production company	Hasbro Studios
Airdate	May 12, 2012
Written by	David McDermott
Directed by	Todd Waterman
Animation studio	Polygon Pictures

Optimus Prime hunts for relics in Antarctica and finds himself caught between shifting alliances.

Synopsis

Megatron notes that the second relic is in Antarctica, and Dreadwing volunteers to head there. In the Harbinger, Starscream is about to operate on himself to insert his new T-cog when the ship's computer picks up the fact that the Decepticons are dispatching teams to four locations. At the Autobot base, Bulkhead departs through the GroundBridge. Optimus Prime announces he's heading for the Antarctic, and announces that Ratchet will need backup on his mission—Wheeljack.

Starscream uses a GroundBridge remote control to head to the Antarctic on a hoversled. He's quickly spotted by Dreadwing and some Vehicons who knock him off his sled. Starscream at first mistakes Dreadwing for Skyquake, and soon has some cuffs slapped on him. The group trudges through the snow to where the relic is located, to find it has already been dug out of the ice and is gone. The Vehicons start searching and find vehicle tracks. They're approached by Optimus, who demands the return of the relic, and the standoff quickly turns into a firefight. After Prime takes out two of the Vehicons and scores a hit on Dreadwing, the Decepticon starts breaking out heavier weapons, and proves to be formidable with a sword. They take a dive off a cliff, following which Optimus brings the ice crashing down, burying Dreadwing. With Starscream's help, Optimus takes care of the remaining two Vehicons, and demands Starscream lead him to the relic.

Optimus and Starscream take a long walk through the ice and snow until they finally reach a human base. Optimus radios home and gets Agent Fowler to evacuate the human base so he can safely retrieve the relic. Meanwhile, Dreadwing breaks free of the ice and heads out to find Prime. With the base clear, Optimus and Starscream venture inside to find the relic still frozen in a chunk of ice. They're interrupted by Dreadwing. While Optimus and Dreadwing fight, Starscream sets about liberating the relic, which turns out to be the Apex Armor. Outside, Dreadwing has Optimus on the ropes and is about to strike when Starscream, now wearing the armor, crashes out of the building.

Both Dreadwing and Optimus attack the rogue Decepticon, but he swats them aside, repeatedly. Optimus suggests to Dreadwing that they will need to cooperate to defeat Starscream. While Dreadwing flies around, Optimus slaps a bomb onto Starscream, but the Apex Armor proves invulnerable even to that. Optimus realizes that Starscream still has a vulnerability—his lack of flight. While Optimus keeps Starscream's attention once more, Dreadwing plants explosives on the ground, and just as Starscream works out that the pair are up to something, the bombs detonate. Starscream disappears into a hole blasted in the ice. With no relic left to claim, Dreadwing and Optimus go their separate ways, though Dreadwing swears to terminate Optimus next time.

At the bottom of the ocean below, Starscream walks along, still protected by the Apex Armor.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Bulkhead (5) Optimus Prime (6) Ratchet (8)	Megatron (1) Soundwave (2) Dreadwing (3) Starscream (4) Vehicons (10)	Raf Esquivel (7) William Fowler (9)

Quotes

"I will beat the living spark out of you, just so I will never again have to hear you pontificating!"

—Starscream says what he thinks of Optimus Prime's speech pattern.

Notes

Continuity errors

• For the whole episode while Optimus is holding Starscream hostage, he keeps his mouthplate on. However, when they enter the human camp and find the relic, his mouthplate is retracted. He only brings it back up again when he engages Dreadwing a few seconds later. What, does Optimus just feel safer with Starscream while in a human camp?

Continuity notes

• This episode happens concurrently with the previous episode and, presumably, with the following two.
• Starscream is preparing to install a new T-cog into himself at the beginning of the episode, which he scavenged from his traitorous clone after killing him in "Armada".
• Starscream refers to helping Orion Pax regain his memory and giving information to the Autobots.
• Starscream mistakes Dreadwing for Skyquake, whom he saw die in "Masters & Students", then attempted to revive in "Shadowzone".
• Starscream enjoyed killing Cliffjumper and claims he will reunite Dreadwing with his "beloved twin".
• Dreadwing is still mad at Optimus for Skyquake's demise.
• Optimus refers to how he offered Skyquake a chance of redemption, as well as expressing remorse for the Decepticon's demise from "Masters & Students".

Transformers references

• The Apex Armor is a reference to the item of the same name from Generation 1, first introduced with the Commemorative Series reissue of the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy and later appearing in the IDW comics.
• This isn't the first time Starscream has visited a research basein the Antartic, and been at the center of it exploding.

Real-world references

• People actually do put flags around archaeological sites in desolate wastelands, in order to find them again.

Trivia

• This is the first episode in which Arcee does not make an appearance.
• Dreadwing reveals that he has a sword. Whilst a sword has been shown to be included with his toy, this is the first time he has ever used it in-series.
• The Apex Armor was established in Exiles as a relic of Solus Prime; however, Starscream calls it armor of "Decepticon origin".